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

[intelligentsiagirl]

Read ...

THE PIONEERS
THE HEROIC STORY OF THE SETTLERS WHO BROUGHT THE AMERICAN IDEAL WEST
David McCullough
Simon & Schuster, copyright 2019

7/10

It was a fast read. Interesting, but it was everything I thought it would be. Nothing really new, just reconfirming.

[Abidemi John]

who moved my cheese by Dr. spencer johnson.
It is great book that everyone aspiring change in life should lay hands on, short but concise story. you'll never be disappointed. Thanks

[Redlegs]

The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James is the most enjoyable and accessible of his novels that I have read so far.

The heroine (the Lady) is Isabel Archer, a young woman who travels from her native America to stay with relatives in England, with a view to exploring Europe with her aunt.

James has written a moving and observant study of the relationships between men and women in the late 19th century.

While it is easy to feel sympathy for Isabel and the situation she finds herself in, the modern reader would entreat Isabel to stand up for herself a little more. It is encouraging that she does ultimately rebel to some extent.

James' observations are that, even within the accepted frameworks of the times, where women are routinely suppressed and subjugated, there are some men who are better choices for marriage than others. It's a pity that Isabel didn't choose more wisely.

4 stars out of 5

[intelligentsiagirl]

Read ...

SLAVERY & ISLAM
Jonathan A C Brown
Oneworld Academic, an imprint of Oneworld Publications, copyright 2019

8/10

Interesting book dealing with slavery with Islam and how it affected slavery in Europe and the United States. If your into African American studies: this is a book to have. Talks about slavery in Africa pre-1619.

[blevi3]

I just finished reading Burn Zones by Jorge Newbery. It was a great book! This was his life story; it was a very inspirational book about how successful he became, but also about how he lost everything and found a way to come back. I'd highly recommend to anyone struggling with life's "bad hands" dealt to them. You can learn a lot about how to get through these struggles, using the same tools Jorge did - hard work, determination and perseverance.

[amihughson]

My last one was Otherside by Aaron Dennis. I gave it a 1 out of 4 stars.

I had such high hopes for it since you don't see a lot of supernatural books centered around voodoo, but I was left feeling unsatisfied. Kinda angry even. I don't have much more than a basic understanding of voodoo, but the author seemed to have absolutely NONE. I really hope he rewrites it, because the premise is exciting. There were a lot of other issues with it, but that was the most disappointing one.

[Mandi Palfreyman]

I just finished reading The indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd. It was fascinating. It is about the early life of Eliza Lucas who was left to run her father's three plantations in the 1740s at the age of sixteen. In order to make ends meet, she started experimenting with indigo dye. The book details the different challenges she faced at a time when women were not expected to run a business. Well worth reading for anyone who loves historical fiction.

[Davidwatson]

Last book I read was Ulysses by James Joyce

[Karenvanant]

Where the Crawdads sing by Delia Owens . My Book of the year - 5/5

[intelligentsiagirl]

Read ...

EMPEROR
A NEW LIFE OF CHARLES V
Geoffrey Parker
Yale University Press, copyright 2019

10/10

Note: African American Studies

Reading the book, it was Emperor Charles V in 1526 that made Africans going to North American or South America to be slaves for life, and and children from slaves going to the New World will be slaves for life. The other factor, the flag or flags of the House of Habsburg, as Charles V was a member of the House of Habsburg. That flag is very much like the state flags of Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. And very common with the flags of the Confederate battle flag and the two national flags of the Confederate States of America. Reading the book, and to infer with American history: that the man that made slavery with Africans to be past on from generation to generation as a law in 1526. The flag of his House of Habsburg, is still being mirrored in three states.

[Oliver_books]

Randy Love...at your service
by Shay Carter
Rating: 3 out of 4

[HanSmith97]

Just finished “The Giver of Stars” by Jojo Moyes. While I wasn’t crazy about “Me Before You,” I consider Moyes a brilliant author after reading her latest novel. It just replaced “the nightingale” by Kristin Hannah as my favorite book. This book has all the things you could possibly want in a novel- strong (female) characters, historical setting, crystal-clear imagery, betrayal, triumph, joy, despair, hatred, love, heartbreak, friendship, brawls, birth, death, lovable animals, corruption, heroes, villains, humanity, as well as humor. Moyes intricately, and masterfully wove in so many character’s backstories, that I became attached to each one. Throughout the book I was in awe of Moyes ability to create such a riveting epic.

I really enjoyed reading the "Me Before You" series and was considering this one but didn't know if it would live up to the same standard. Really interesting to see that you thought it was even better. I'll have to move it higher up on my to buy list

[Redlegs]

The Last Painting of Sara De Vos by Dominic Smith is a story told in three locations and three time periods.

In 17th century Netherlands, Sara De Vos and her husband are painters fallen on hard times. Abandoned by her husband after he broke the rules of the local Guild to sell paintings illegally, Sara tries her hand at landscapes instead of her usual still life paintings.

In 1950s Manhattan, Marty de Groot is the owner of the only known De Vos landscape. The painting is stolen from his house and copied by a young Australian art restorer, Ellie Shipley. Using an alias, de Groot tracks Ellie down, seduces her and then abandons her.

In Australia, in the year 200, a Sydney art gallery is holding an exhibition of 17th century Dutch artists, curated by a much older Ellie Shipley, and both the original and the copy of the De Vos landscape are arriving for the exhibition.

By moving between these scenarios, Dominic Smith has created a well-structured novel about the art world and the nature of art forgery. Because Smith gives the plot away early, the novel lacks an element of dramatic tension and suspense, and the novel drifts towards a fairly tame conclusion.

Overall, it was enjoyable and well-crafted and well-researched, but there was room for a tighter and more engaging plot line.

4 stars out of 5

Also finished Confessions by Jean-Jacques Rousseau - it was long and tedious and a chore. 2 stars out of 5

[Popcorn1]

The last book that i have read is titles as Cooperative Lives by Patrick Finegan. I rated this book as a 2 out of 4 stars.
An other diction genre depicting some of the many struggles of the human heart and mind.

[Oliver_books]

Mixed Blessings by J.M. Muse
Rating: 2 out of 4