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

[intelligentsiagirl]

Read ...

CRUSADERS
THE EPIC HISTORY OF THE WARS FOR THE HOLY LANDS
Dan Jones
Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House, copyright 2019

8/10

I think I have read every Dan Jones books. The next book should be out in 2022, and I will purchase the book the first week it is released to the general public.

[Oliver_books]

Empowered by Dominica Lumazar
Rating: 3 out of 4

[Patrick Nandi]

Man Mission by Etyan Uliel is a great adventure book to read it

[Barshali]

I just finished the book, "Terror in Manila". I gave it 3 out of 4 star. It was a good historical fiction.

[Deepa09k]

I completed the much awaited fourth book "Survive" from the series The Atlantis Grail. I so so loved the book and now again my waiting begins for the prequel and the novellas.

[gali]

I finished the first book in the "Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children" series and liked it. 4/4

[Sonassh]

I read 5 five books at the same time. Because I can not concentrate in one book when I have a collection of really good books. The last one was ray bradbury fahrenheit 451. I think not everyone can understand the invisible meaning of this book. There are a lot of hidden hints it that book. And if yo can understand all of those and can feel that emotion you are the real reader.

[Redlegs]

Two books completed in the last day or so. Firstly, SS-GB by Len Deighton, which imagines that the German invasion of Great Britain in WWII was successful, and that Britain is being ruled by German occupation.

When a man is found murdered in mysterious circumstances in a London flat, SS Standartenfuhrer Huth arrives from Berlin to oversee the investigation.

What ensues involves the British Resistance movement, a plot to release the King from the Tower and relocate him to America, and German efforts to develop an atomic bomb.

A reasonable effort, but I was expecting a lot more excitement. 3.5 stars out of 5

Secondly, Perfect Reader by Maggie Pouncey, which follows Flora Dempsey in her efforts to be her deceased father's literary executor in a small American college town called Darwin.

The story drags a bit, and gets a bit reflective on literary matters. Flora's personality and strange behaviours are somewhat wearing, and I struggled to really like this story at any stage.

Pouncey's writing is generally elegant and pleasant to read, and some of her dialogue is especially good, but the plot left me feeling less than satisfied.

3 stars out of 5

[sadya]

Just finished 'Cakes and Ale' by Somerset Maugham and gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

[intelligentsiagirl]

Read ...

THE RISE AND FALL OF THE THIRD REICH
A HISTORY OF NAZI GERMANY
William L Shirer
Simon & Schuster, published 1960

Rating 6/10

I have been thinking of reading this book for over a decade. The reason I did not, because it has 1,143 pages to read. The problem with the book, it is really dated to the 1950's and the information that the author could get at that time. Plus, if this was the only book I read about World War II. The author did not say it outright, but, reading between the lines. It drives me to feel, (a theory I do not support) if Hitler was never born than World War II would have been prevented. It skips the European history of the 19th century, and the ideologies of Europe all together.

The book reminds me of Stephen King book The Dead Zone, were Johnny Smith was talking with a man about Hitler. The debate was about if you could go back in time and kill Hitler. Johnny Smith has this special power to see what a person can do. He shakes hands with a political leader, and knows he will become president of the United States of America: and he starts a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. So he tried to assassinate him, but he stops him anyway, when he knows the political leader will take his own life.

True, the book I read came out in 1960, and The Dead Zone came out in 1979. But reading the book, really makes me feel if Hitler was never born, it would have stopped World War II. With a post 9/11 world, I do not believe this theory. We can kill one terrorist leader after another, and terrorism is still there. If Hitler was never born, I believe there would still have been a World War II

[Patrick Nandi]

Conflict in Yangtze by Greg Kater a historical fictional story about how the M16, the CIS and the OSS collaborated to eliminate the operations of a number of gangs involved in criminal activities in the aftermath of war. A great book to read.

[sevencrows]

I've read Stephen King's The Shining (about a writer who encounters dark forces when looking after a hotel in the winter!) and it's a solid 4/4 stars - not a surprise because it's one of the horror classics, and definitely worth a read!

[Patrick Nandi]

Conflict in Yangtze by Greg Kater a historical fictional story about how the M16, the CIS and the OSS collaborated to eliminate the operations of a number of gangs involved in criminal activities in the aftermath of war. A great book to read. I rated it 3 out of 4 stars

[vmarie+]

I just finished reading Ladies' Night by Mary Kay Andrews. It's a relatively long novel of 456 pnges. While the author moved the storyline along, I personally did not relish this novel. The theme is predominantly about divorce and the family law system in Florida. The characters are presented well enough, but I did not make a strong connection with any of them, primarily because of the spousal conflict involved.

If the reader likes juicy gossip and spousal conflict, it's a great book. There are two intimate scenes described a little over halfway and about three-quarters through the story.

Voice is traditional third person. The main character is female, an interior designer and blogger. Dialogue dominates the narrative.

I only found one necessary grammar change on page 298: And those was[were] just the accessories. I also picked up a few new vocabulary words for my use, as well as several unfamiliar plants to research. All in all, I gave this 3:4.

[Ryan L]

The last book that I have read was The History of the Decline: And Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon. I would give it a 3 out of 4 due to its ability to present the history of Rome effectively. It did get mundane at times, but I believe that it made up for it with how in-depth the information it gave was. Overall, The History of the Decline: And Fall of the Roman Empire is an informative book that I would recommend to anyone with a sliver of interest in Rome.