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

[intelligentsiagirl]

Read ...

DOMINION
HOW THE CHRISTIAN REVOLUTION REMADE THE WORLD
Tom Holland
Basic Books, copyright 2019

[slytherdor]

Last book I read was Reverie by Ryan La Sala. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

[mussarat22477]

The perfect Mentor by Umaira Ahmed. 4/5. Story of conflict within the protagonist.

[intelligentsiagirl]

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THE IMMORAL MAJORITY
Why Evangelicals Chose Political Power over Christian Values
Ben Howe
Broadside Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, copyright 2019

rating 1/10

I was really thinking of stop reading the book when I got to page 50. But there is only 246 pages of reading in the book and it was a fast read. I read it in less than 24 hours and I slept for 8 hours. I did break my rule when I read about religion, as I really read about religion when the author has a PhD. Really, it is about the author coming to terms with the election of Trump in 2016. It is not about religion, or, is it real a political book about American religion and politics. It is really 246 pages of a author that is crying for mental health professional to hear is problems with his understanding of his faith an the election of Trump. I do not think he is thinking of suicide, but, he really needs help.

[Infinite I]

I read " only love is real " by Dr Brian Weiss . I would rate it 4 out of 4 stars.

[DrPatti8454]

Lily White Lie by Connie Chappelle

[intelligentsiagirl]

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KOCKLAND
THE SECRET HISTORY OF KOCH INDUSTRIES AND CORPORATE POWER IN AMERICA
Christopher Leonard
Simon & Schuater, copyright 2019

6/10

The author is a business reporter, so the scope of the 574 pages was 70/30 pro Kock brothers. And it was around 99% about Charles Kock than his brother David Kock. It really did not talk to much about the Tea Party movement that the Kock brothers put into the system. But, he did say something and if your reading between the lines it becomes very important about climate change. For the Kock brothers, if you talk about climate change, than your talking about raising taxes to slow down climate change, or, reverse climate change. So, you can say there is climate change, but, you cannot do anything about it because that would increase taxes. So, you have to say climate change is a hoax because that is the only way out of the mess.

[Redlegs]

My copy of Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by South American master Mario Vargas Llosa was purchased for $3 in a charity shop and it is falling apart due to a broken spine. So, I had to nurse it carefully to avoid losing pages as I devoured this exotic, amusing and beautifully written commentary on the foibles of Peruvian society. It was originally published in Spanish in 1977.

Mario is 18 years old, full of dreams of becoming a writer rather than a lawyer (his current studies), and he falls in love with his divorced 32 year old Bolivian aunt, who comes to stay with family in Peru after her first marriage ends.

Interspersed between the chapters detailing the fumbling and relatively chaste affair, are bizarre, dark and almost surrealistic chapters detailing the radio serials written by the other key character in the novel, Pedro Camacho, the said Scriptwriter, who works at the radio station where Mario edits news bulletins part time.

The writing is exquisite and effervescent, full of fun, witty and wise, and the novel is more complex than it first appears. While the romance between Mario and Aunt Julia at times reads like and light rom-com, the alternate chapters reflecting the scripts of Pedro Camacho are dark and fantastical.

In these parts of the novel, Llosa's writing is reminiscent of Roberto Bolano (2666) and even Marquez.

4.5 stars out of 5

[books_andpoetri]

My last read was When Moths Burn by John Eidswick. It was a great thriller. I gave it a rating of 5 out of 5 stars.

[demmiesweetie]

The latest book I read was "When" by Victoria Laurie. It was about a teenage girl who can see the death dates on everyone's forehead whether they were in front of her or on a photo. With the loss of her father and her mother winding up in a state of being unable to work, her mother decided to make money by having her read people's death dates to them. People would come from near and far to have photos read or themselves. Eventually, even with the warnings from her uncle to stop doing this, it got her into a serious situation... involving murders.
It is a good read for anyone who likes suspense build-up and getting inside the main characters head and day to day life. I rate it a 4/5. I would have given it a 5/5 if the ending did feel so rushed. Nonetheless, a good read.

[intelligentsiagirl]

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THE ANARCHY
THE EAST INDIA COMPANY, CORPORATE VIOLENCE, AND THE PILLAGE OF AN EMPIRE
William Dayrymple
Bloomsbury Publishing, copyright 2019

[Redlegs]

Richard Ford is best known for his Pulitzer prize winning novel Independence Day. But Wildlife , published in 1990, and which is a relatively slim novel, certainly provides testament to this author's prodigious talent.

Sixteen year old Joe Brinson narrates this simple but beautifully crafted story of family tension and erosion. Joe and his family have only recently moved to Great Falls, Montana, where his father, Jerry, is the golf coach at the local course. When his father loses his job after being accused falsely of theft, he descends into a funk for a time, until he decides to volunteer to fight a massive, out of control, forest fire nearby.

In the three days that his father is absent, Joe's mother decides to have an affair with local businessman, Warren Miller. Joe witnesses her deception first-hand, and he really doesn't quite know what to make of it.

When Jerry returns from fire-fighting, Jeanette admits to her deception and states that she is moving out. Jerry's reaction is initially understated, but ultimately bizarre.

Through the use of straightforward, relatively unemotional language that is appropriate for a sixteen year old confused narrator, the reader witnesses the crumbling of a seemingly stable family, for reasons that are anything but logical or obvious.

Ford implies that relationships can break down from unfulfilled needs that exist within us that even we cannot articulate coherently.

This is masterful prose, engaging and powerful in its elegant simplicity and honesty. 4.5 stars out of 5

[intelligentsiagirl]

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THE MAKING OF A JUSTICE
Reflections on My First 94 Years
John Stevens
Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, copyright 2019

Rating 1/10

"My fourth term on the Court began a month before Jimmy Carter defeated Gerald Ford in the 1978 presidential election." page 165 of the first edition of THE MAKING OF A JUSTICE

It is a fact that the presidential election with Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford was 1976, not 1978. Reading the book, it is clear that the book was not really edited or vetted with the legal department of Little, Brown and Company. It is my judgment, that the book was written fast and without really much information about the author. True, there is 531 pages and the author really did not explain his personal life. Little information about his parents, nothing really about his wife, or his children. He really did not talk about his confirmation to the court, or say who supported him in the Senate or did not support him.

He talked about court cases, and gave a general views of the reason he supported it and not. But to be blunt with the author writing the book -- there is really nothing important that the author said that is worth quoting. Have to say, the author understood he was in advanced age. Little, Brown and Company also understood the author was in poor health as well. Even with 531 pages, it just felt like the book was in a rush to be published. In a nutshell, the book was written for the money for his grandchildren. And, to say nothing important to draw critical comments from anyone.

[CnderAngel]

I read a book called Solaris Seethes by Janet McNulty. 4/4. ( It was that good. ) c:

[DessaMalaya]

I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb.

Reading this, i grew to have a connection with the characters. The biography of the main character's grandfather could've been left out. I found that a little boring to read. Overall, an emtional, well-written book. 4/5