What is the last book you read, and your rating?

[gali]

"The last anniversary" by Liane Moriarty, 2 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed it, but it was less good than her other books.

[rssllue]

H2O by Virginia Bergin. I gave it a 2 out of 4 stars. I think it could have definitely been better, but it still was engaging at times.

[Unibird3]

The last book I read was Gringo: MY LIFE ON THE EDGE AS AN INTERNATIONAL FUGITIVE by Dan "Tito" Davis. I rated it 4 out of 4 stars because it was exceptionally well written and full of adventure.

[Bighuey]

I just read Ghost Stories of M.R. James, pretty creepy stuff even in this day and age.

[Kibet Hillary]

The last book I read was 'The Light Horse Ghost' by Julie Janson and I rate it 3 out 4 stars. Some repetitions, lose ends, and typos took away the one star needed for a perfect rating.

[Redlegs]

Humbly report, sir, The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek , originally published between 1921 - 1923, is one of the most riotously hilarious satires on the chaos of World War I.

Over almost 900 pages, Hasek takes us on tour of Europe in the period leading up to the war, its outbreak and the logistics of transporting the men and equipment required to fight it, following the misadventures of the "good soldier" Svejk.

The story is told from the perspective of the Czech and Austrian soldiers, conscripted to the aid of the Germans, in their battles with the Russian army. There is no actual fighting or battle scenes in this novel. It is mostly about the bumbling bureaucracy and chaotic administration of the war effort.

Svejk is a self-confessed imbecile - or is he? He survives by playing on his apparent simplicity of mind, always ready to admit his own stupidity, rendering him annoying but apparently harmless. However, he manages to befuddle and outwit almost all of his superiors, colleagues and adversaries by his own displays of witlessness.

Svejk is also a marvellous raconteur. Regardless of the situation, Svejk always has a long, detailed story to tell about something similar that he has witnessed or been told about in the past. Those around him seem to be simultaneously captivated and frustrated by his endless story-telling.

Overall, the situation is this army is nothing less than farcical, bordering on the slap-stick at times.

Hasek died before he could complete this novel and yet at almost 900 pages, the joke was starting to wear a bit thin. I think a modern editor would have trimmed some of the fat to maintain pace and humour rather than letting it drift on.

As such, 4.5 stars rather than the full 5.

[PepperedPenelope]

I read In The Woods by Tana French. It really was not what I thought and I did not like it. I gave it a 1 out of 5 stars

[Kibet Hillary]

The book I have just finished reading is 'Adrift' by Charlie Sheldon. I have heartily rated it 4 out of 4 stars. The author's experiences at sea can be told from the way he describes them in the book.

[Bighuey]

The Terror by Arthur Machen. An interesting story about animals going mad and killing people. Very realistic and eerie as most of Machen's stories are.

[Charlyt]

The last book I read was The McCoys Before The Feud by Thomas McCoy. I gave it 3 out 4 stars because I thought it has potential but at the same time, I was looking for more thrill than the book had.

[spencermack]

The last book I read was 419 by Will Ferguson. Solid 3/4. Handles the ins and outs of the Nigerian email scams that have plagued many people over the years and how it destroys Nigeria itself.

[Redlegs]

Two more books completed, one last night and one this morning.

Firstly, The Eye In the Door, which is the second book of Pat Barker's Regeneration trilogy, dealing with aspects of the psychological damage caused by exposure to the horrors of World War I.

Barker continues the themes of socio-political aspects of war along with the personal stories of damage and coping strategies for the (mostly) men involved. She also incorporates elements of real historical events that occurred in Britain around this time.

What is most evident in this novel is the eloquent and passionate writing of Barker who highlights issues of the time and situation which are frequently overlooked in novels about war and its personal impacts. 4 stars out of 5.


Secondly, Father Goriot (1834-35) by Honore de Balzac, which is set in a poor suburb of Paris in the early 19th century.

It is a tale of paternal love, filial conflict, greed, class aspiration, the love of money, fractured relationships, marital disharmony an many of the more demeaning aspects of human nature. It has obvious parallels with Shakespeare's King Lear.

This novel could have been so much better. The plot is frequently confusing, possibly because the book has no chapter structure and contains too many characters that add little of no value. That won't put me off checking out more of Balzac in the future.

3.5 stars out of 5

[rssllue]

The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was really good. I gave it a 4 out of 4.

[JenniferStoyshich]

Just finished Infinite Jest by DF Wallace. He was probably the best author of the 20th century. Yes, he can be hard to follow but if you stick with him, you'll be happy you did.
The book is the most spectacular look at commercialism written, it's funny, ingenious and tragic

[Kibet Hillary]

The book I just completed was 'The Deacon's Daughter' by Felipe Alvarez. The book was interesting and I recommend it to all fans of non-fiction books.