52 Books in 52 Weeks (2011) discussion

I should have started this thread yesterday, but yeah. Here's the fifth week! Already! :D

Ice
5/5 stars.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/78...
I read the book Ice in less than 12 hours. It is a modern version of the Norwegian fairytale "East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon". I loved it. At first I was completely weirded out but I got into the flow of the book and it was amazing. A girl named Cassie has always been told by her grandmother that her mother was the daughter of the North Wind and the Polar Bear King had kidnapped her to bring her to him so one day Cassie's mother would be his bride. In that story things went wrong an...moreI read the book Ice in less than 12 hours. It is a modern version of the Norwegian fairytale "East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon". I loved it. At first I was completely weirded out but I got into the flow of the book and it was amazing. A girl named Cassie has always been told by her grandmother that her mother was the daughter of the North Wind and the Polar Bear King had kidnapped her to bring her to him so one day Cassie's mother would be his bride. In that story things went wrong and her mother was blown away to the Troll Castle beyond the ends of the earth. And now on Cassie's 18th birthday all she knows will be questioned and she will decide between leaving hr mother or saving her at the price of being Polar Bear King's wife.

.
.



Title: Alchemist
Author: Paulo Coelho
5/5

"My first encounter with Paulo was "The Zahir"
I did not really like that book and
kind of held me back from reading another
book by him.
but with " The Alchemist" it is the complete opposite.
I simply loved it , it's inspirational.
Makes you wonder to yourself "have i gave up perusing my dreams ? " "

Link to review

The Man in the Brown Suit
Agatha Christie
4/5

Unpredectable plot and beautiful characters!
A must.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

عذراً على إعادة الكتابة. اكتشفت أني أضفت مراجعتي لموضوع الأسبوع الرابع، وأنا قرأت هذا الكتاب في هذا الأسبوع.

ألزهايمر
غازي القصيبي
٥/۳


كتاب خفيفٌ أنهيتهُ في أقل من ساعة يستعرض فيه الكاتب عدة رسائل أرسلها يعقوب العريان -الذي عرفناه سابقاً في روايتي "حكاية حب" و"رجلٌ جاء وذهب" لنفس الكاتب-
لزوجته وهو في مصحة فاخرة في أمريكا خاصة بمرضى مرض ألزهايمر التي أدخل نفسه فيها طوعياً بعد تأكده من إصابته بالمرض.

بما أن شهادتي مجروحة في كتب القصيبي كونه أحد اكثر الكتاب تفضيلاً لدي فسأسرد
السلبيات التي وجدتها في هذا الكتاب فقط ولن أتحدث عن مواطن القوة والجمال لأني إن فعلت، فلن أنتهي.

- في رواية رجل جاء وذهب كان اسم المرأة التي يحبها "روضة". كيف أصبح هنا زوجاً لأخرى اسمها "نرمين"؟
هل جاءت نرمين بعد روضة ؟ وإذا كانت الإجابة بنعم، فمتى وكيف؟ وماذا حدث لروضة؟

- ترابط الأفكار وتسلسلها كان ضعيفاً في بعض المواضع، وخصوصاً في الفصل التاسع الذي يحكي فيه عن فكرة نسيان الذكريات السيئة. أعدتُ قراءته ظانةً أني لم أنتبه، لكنه فعلاً بدأ بفكرة، ولم ينهها.

- للقصيبي أسلوبٌ مميز يعرفه كلُ من يقرأ كتبه، أسلوب السخرية اللاذعة المشوبة بالحزن المرير في مواضع ، والبهجة العارمة في مواضع أخرى، والمليء بالكثير، الكثير من أبيات الشعر والحكم والامثال وغيرها من التلميحات الذكية التي تنّم عن ثقافة شديدة الإتساع وبالغة العمق. في هذا الكتاب كان هذا الأسلوب موجوداً ولكنه كان موارباً بغلافٍ لا أعرف كيف أصفه. ليس حزيناً، فمن قرأ كتاب "المواسم" للقصيبي يعرفُ متى يكون أسلوبه حزيناً حزناً يقطّع نياط القلوب.أظنني سأكتفي بالقول أنه كان مغلفاً بغلافٍ غريبٍ باردٌ قاتم ولهذا لم يصطبغ الكتاب
-بالنسبة لي على الأقل- بصبغة الحميمية التي أحس بها عادةً تجاه جميع كتب القصيبي، رحمه الله.

- اللوحات المُختارة كأغلفةٍ للفصول كانت تفتقر للكثير من الذوق والحس الفني. لم تعجبني أبداً.


باختصار, كان كتاباً جيداً، ولكنه لم يكن "ممتازاً". ولهذا لا أنصحُ أبداً بقراءته أولاً إذا كنت لم تقرأ للقصيبي من قبل أو قرأتَ له كتباً قليلة. ثق بان هذا الكتاب لن يقدم لك الصورة الكاملة عن لغة القصيبي الرائعة، وإن كان سيعطيك بعضاً من نفحاتها بين الصفحة والاخرى.

http://bit.ly/hVFHf3

تاريخ القراءة
by Alberto Manguel

4/5

مراجعتي
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

واحة الغروب
لـ بها طاهر
5/5

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Title: طعام صلاة حب
Author: Elizabeth Gilbert
4/5

Although this is my first book by Elizabeth Gilbert, she is already one of my favourite authors.
I got bored a little while reading the india journey, but her beautiful way of narrating -even the boring- events kept me as excited as I was in the italy part.

Food Rules: An Eater's Manual by Michael Pollan

4/5

A short collection of 64 rules, mostly common sense, for eating better. I like the fact that he keeps it simple. It's a lite version of In Defense of Food.

Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott

2/5

So I was really kinda disappointed in this book. I think the version I read was an abridged version which I didn't know until I finished and was looking up some information. I had always heard that a character died but no character died in this one? (wtf?)

The book was WAY too preachy for my taste and I didn't like all the "lessons" that the mom was always trying to teach the girls.

I liked Jo and Laurie a lot but they were the only good characters. There were some interesting chapters and some good parts but honestly I don't really get the appeal of this book at all.

Malika Oufkir
4.5/5

كتاب جميل و جمال الرواية واللي يشدك تكملها هو ان الاحداث حقيقية.. و من اول فصل في الكتاب و انا انتظر النهاية حتى اعرف كيف اهربوا من هذا السجن ذو الحراسة المشددة بدون اي ادوات..

اتوقع الكتاب فيه نوع من المبالغات في البداية عند الحديث عن الحياة في القصر لكن هذه مجرد توقعات!!

01: الرسولة بشعرها الطويل حتى الينابيع | أنسي الحاج
2\5
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/82...


" هذه قصّة الوجه الآخر من التكوين
أكتبها
بحبرٍ ضاع
أكتبُ عكس الكلمة
أكتبُ
عكس الذاكرة
وكلّ شيء صار
كيف صار.

كيف ذهبَ إلى الموعد بلا لقاء
عوض أن يذهبَ إلى اللقاء بلا موعد
كيفَ انحدرتُ
وما كنتُ لأصعد"
،
،
شغلانة صغيرة،
خفيفة
..
ماشي حالو

\
\


أغنيك حبيبي

كلمات: أنسي الحاج

غناء:هبة القواس




أغنيكَ حبيبي
من أجل أن ألامسَ حياتهم
شيئا ً مما تلامس حياتي
من أجل أن أغمرَهم بالأسرار التي تضيء القلب
وبالقلبِ الذي يضيءُ الأسرار
يا حبيبي أقسمُ أن أكونَ لعبتك
أقسمَ أن أسمعَ نداءَ عينيك
فأعصى حكمة شفتيك
أقسمُ أن أنسى قصائدي لأحفظك
أن أركضَ وراء حبِّي
وأنه سيظلُّ يسبقني
أقسمُ أن أسكنَ دموعي في يديك
أقسم أن أكون المسافة بين كلمتي
أحبك
أحبك
أن أكون قصام العالم بينك
وبينك لأكونَ وحدته فيك
أقسمُ
كلما عثرتُ على قلبي
بين السطور
أن أهتف وجدتك

http://www.4shared.com/file/80559301/...?

________________________________________________________________

02: قبعات التفكير الست | ادوارد دي بونو
2\5
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/97...


لم يكن كتاباً سيئاً
لكنني لم أجدني فيه

تذكرتُ قراءاتي لهذه النوعية من الكتب لما قبل العشر سنوات من الآن
كتب التطويرالذاتي
أو ك كتب جرير الأكثر مبيعاً !
،

الكتب التطويرية التي سنوافقها الرأي
ولن نتبعها يوماً !

____________________________________________________


03: ليتها تقرأ | خالد الباتلي
1\5
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/78...

اممممممم

أوَيعقل أنها لم تقرأ !
،
فعلاً ... تبدأُ بـ ابتسامة من يتلصص على عاشقين
ولكنك ما تلبث أن تملهما معاً!
..
..


__________________________________________________________

04: الذكريات الصغيرة | جوزيه ساراماغو
2\5
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62...

كان حماسي لتصفح هذه الذكريات كبيراً - حسبما أذكر -
لم يكن بحجم رغبتي فيه، ولكن.. لابأس به.
،

" يسرد ساراماغو وقائع السنوات الخمسة عشرة الأولى في حياته، ويقف عند هذا السن، مسترجعا حكاياته الصغيرة؛ والبريئة حول تسلق الأشجار، والخوف الذي كان ينتابه من بعض الحيوانات، وسقوطه جريحا هنا أو هناك، وتنقلاته بين دروب القرية حافيا؛ معزولا عن أقرانه الصغار، ومهاراته الضعيفة في الصيد "لم أكن صيادا ماهرا...كنت اقضي ساعات طويلة بلا فائدة" خلافا لغيره من الصيادين. لكنه يستدرك بأنه كان يصطاد أشياء ثمينة أخرى وظّفها لاحقا في أعماله: الصور، الروائح، الأصوات، النسائم، الأحاسيس...".
،

ربما أكثر ما أحببت خاتمة الكتاب، الصور المُذيّلة بتعليق بسيط وبليغ
وربما أيضاً وجدتُ في هذه الصور البسيطة ذكرياته الصغيرة المؤطّرة بالحنين


____________________________________________________________

05: مزاح ثقيل مع كائنات عاقلة | محمد رضا
2\5
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/99...

مزاح ثقيل ربما..
إلا أنه وجبة صباحية خفيفة وسريعة
،
..
" خمس وعشرون عاماً وأنا أغني
لدرجة أنّ البلابل قد تلاحقني في المحاكم
وأتسائل كحارس حديقة شابَ عقله
هل العصفورة عند نافذتي
حقاً كما هي بلهاء
أم أنها في مهمة جاسوسية "
..
،

كما قيل.. جيّداً وإنما مُبهماً

Book 1:


3/5

This book tells us a story about a shopaholic, Rebbecca Bloomwood. She can't manage her money because she constantly buys a lot of stuff even if she doesn't need them, and is constantly in dept. Whenever she buys something expensive she refers to it as an 'investment'. Her father gave her an advice; Cut back, or make more money. What I found ironic about it all, is that she is a finance journalist, and is constant asked about advice in Finance.
Whenever normal people are sad, happy, depressed, they experience it in many ways; like eating ice-cream or chocolate if you're sad. Becky solves them all by buying stuff. Even if she's depressed about being in dept, she goes buys more to make herself happy. I found this stupid.
One quote I found hilarious and idiotic was: "If everyone could just wear new clothes everyday, depression won't exist anymore."


Book 2:


4/5

I've read the 2 books before this one, and they weren't like this one at all. Too much stalling and repeating the same thing, didn't really enjoy it.
It's been a while since I read the 2 books before this one, so as I read it, I got confused. Every chapter it's a different character's prespective which is slightly annoying. The end of this book was dramatic and not expected, I liked that about it. Can't wait to read the fourth!

Can You Keep a Secret ?
by Sophie Kinsella.
4/5

Kinsella's dialog is brilliant! It made me laugh out loud several times. I loved Emma, and her struggle with her work and love. Romantic. Enjoyed it.

Title: In Search of Schrodinger’s Cat: Quantum Physics and Reality
Author: John Gribbin
Rating: 3.75/5.00

In a quest to search for quantum reality, this astrophysicist paves the road for the reader by presenting a historical background on physicists and theories that have lead to investigations in quantum physics. He starts off with the most basic topics that usually introduce quantum physics to undergraduate students. From Young’s double slit experiment and the wave-particle duality to black body radiation, Planck’s quantization, Bohr’s atom, Einstein’s theory and the wave function; the foundations leading up to quantum physics theory are laid.

He then begins explaining some of the implications of this new branch of physics. What I found very interesting about this section is the applications of quantum theory. During the courses we took in our undergraduate years, the curriculum focused on mathematical models and proofs. Although if questioned, we could deduce the scientific principles behind recent inventions and applications, it was refreshing to allow one’s mind to wander while reading through pages worth of various applications in various fields that all could not have been possible if it weren’t for the development of quantum theory.

In the third part of the book, Gribbins presents his views and discusses the philosophical implications of this relatively new theory. Some of the topics he presents here are Cophenhagen’s Interpretation, Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle and Time Travel and the Spin Paradox. He uses examples of thought experiments to make it easier for the reader to follow the explanations, and explains the scientific objective of the infamous Schrodinger’s Cat.

After what will seem as strange new ideas, Gibbins leaves the reader with a trail of loose ends, a new perspective of the world, and a pile of more questions!


http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

جانجي
طاهر الزهراني
2/5

رواية من الحجم الصغير.
تصف الرواية جزء صغير جداً مما حدث لبعض الشباب المجاهدين في أفغانستان،وأسبوعاً كاملاً من حبسهم في قلعة جانجي.
ومعاناة صديق أحد المجاهدين في البحث عنه.

Christopher Moore
4/5

This is the first time I've read Moore's books and did thoroughly enjoy. Had a few laughs along the way will definitely read more of his books.

Relentless by Robin Parrish

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Got this as a Kobo freebie. Must stop downloading these free titles they're worth exactly what I paid for them



View all my reviews

فسوق
عبده خال

5 / 5

تبدأ الروايه ببلاغ بهروب فتاه من قبرها !!
روايه رااائعه .. الحبكه , الاسلوب , الاقتباسات اللي فيها والنهايه الغير متوقعه !
استمتعت فيها كثيير

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I am still not sure how I feel about The Road.
I did enjoy it at times and the ending made me feel emotional, but not as much as I expected. Is it normal to feel guilty for not absolutely loving this highly praised post-apocalyptic novel? Cormac McCarthy is a talented writer and he has a unique style; However, reading this book was kind of like reading a movie script. It was, I dare say, kind of dull at the beginning with his endless description of gray landscape (till reading this book, I had no idea that you could use that many words to describe how gray ashes are). It was also depressing (which I don't mind) and slow-paced. It had a lot of potential to be MUCH more engrossing. There are good things about this book but I can't quite put my finger on them. You definitely find yourself attached to the main characters by the end of it. It surprised me.
Overall, it was a good read. I cannot recommend it nor not recommend it. Just read it if you like post-apocalyptic novels and see for yourself.



View my review.

The Other Side of the Island

5/5

This is another dystopian book. This book was more frightening than the other dystopian books I have read. I was really scared for the characters and as a teacher, I wanted to slap the educational system in the book. I felt for the characters and cheered when they were successful. Overall, a great read.

A Gathering of Old Men
By Ernest J. Gaines
3.5/5 stars

A quick, okay read about a group of old men taking a stand against years of discrimination and abuse in Louisiana. Not as good as Gaines other work, A Lesson Before Dying, but still a decent read.

.
.
Title: The Gripping Hand
Authors: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
Rating: 2/5

A disappointing sequel to The Mote in God's Eye, which was a terrific first-contact scifi. I started reading it right after finishing The Mote, and didn't look at any reviews. I kinda wish I had.

The pace is slow, story drags on, not much character development, and a lot of uninteresting alien politics and space battles.

A Year in Japan

4/5

The author spends a year in Japan and captures her experiences in the traveler’s journal style. This is more like a picture book containing beautiful watermark sketches of various cultural objects and wonders with handwritten notes by the author.
As I am getting ready for my trip to Japan I’ve found this beautiful book very inspiring.

Proven Guilty
by Jim Butcher
4 out of 5 stars

Yet another Dresden book.

3/5

This book was fun to read, kind of boring in the middle, but gets better at the end. I liked Jess' character, it felt lik a sister. And of course Heather's character, liked the fact that she's a photographer & she has lists which are so fun.

The Hammer of God
by Arthur C. Clarke
Rating: 2\5

رواية لواحد من اعظم كتاب الخيال العلمي أرثر سي كلاريك. الرواية لا تقارن برواياته السابقة أبدا لكنها جميلة نوعا ما.ـ
لم يعجبني الخيال الذي قدمه أرثر في هذا الكتاب فهو لم يحاكي للأسف التقدم العلمي الحاصل في تلك الفترة (التسعينات)ـ
لا انصح به

واسيني الأعرج

Rating: 1/5

السبب الذي جعلني أقرأ هذا الكتاب هو المديح الذي قرأته قبل ثلاث سنوات عنه.. لم يعجبني الكتاب واستثقلت قراءته حتى الصفحات الأخيرة.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33...
can you keep a secret
by Sophie Kinsella
4/5
it's the funniest book i've ever read. I really couldn't leave it till i finished it. Emma's character is GREAT and her imaginative mind is so funny.

By the river Piedra I sat down and wept

Paulo Coelho

4/5

A quick read.I could not put it down.
I haven't read a romantic novel in quite a while so this was a change.

by Emma Donoghue

I absolutely loved this book. It was perfect. It had just the right amount of humor, excitement, eccentricities...

It's about a little boy who is confined in a room with his Mother. He narrates the story carefully just like if you were listening to a child. He knows nothing outside of Room, the world, which makes it interesting to know what he thinks of things. He refers to everything by their name, which I found amusing, like Bed, Sink, Bath... I love how his Mother speaks to him just like an adult, it makes their conversations entertaining.

It was a very unputdownable story, I finished it in two days and I regret it. I highly recommend this story to everyone. It's an easy read, although I have read reviews on how it's hard to read it because it was all in "childs-speak", I couldn't disagree more.

I give it five stars.

Many and Many A Year Ago by Selçuk Altun

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I was in Istanbul recently, and decided to pick up some Turkish literature while I was there. I liked the cover on this one, and the synopsis on the back, so I chose it.



Now, on the book itself. I could go into a lengthy and quite wordy description of the plot and a dissection of the characters, but I've decided not to. I think the novel might have lost a lot of its potential magic when it was translated from Turkish to English. I didn't warm up to the main character much, and I felt the story was a bit too rushed. There were continous references to remind us that Kemal was Turkish, and I felt that there was no need for such a thing had the author not used so many Western references.

I especially found fault with the ending, as the mystery that had been prevalent as a theme in the entire length of the book was left unexplained. The references to Edgar Allen Poe was few and far between.



Again, I do think this novel would be a lot better had it been read in its original language (which I am unfortunately incapable of).



I'm going to keep trying until I find a Turkish novel I love, as the rich history and culture in Turkey makes for interesting material, and I would love to see how the authors of this wonderful country interpret their culture in words.



View all my reviews

Ignorance by Milan Kundera

3 / 5

I really think this book is beautifully written or could I say beautifully translated? Either way, it made me want to learn French so bad because I have always wanted to read French literature for it is so beautiful, and it would be awesome to discover a new culture. The story is a bit complicated at first, I felt it was so fragmented I couldn't relate any flashback to the characters. I'm not sure how Irena and Josef knew each other and the ending did not help. I think the ending would be better if it work on clearing things up rather than steaming up things up with sexual scenes. It's still a pleasant read, the words are so delicate and smooth. It's definitely a gateway book. It's my first French book, I can't wait to read it in French!

Hi

Reading Lolita in Tehran
Azar Nafisi

5/5

It actually took me some time to complete this book, it wasn't until I read her other book The Things I've Been Silent About ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/66... )
that I was able to come back and read through this one, I did enjoy it though more the second time through =)