52 Books in 52 Weeks (2011) discussion

Book reviews for week 41.

3.5/5

I liked this even though it was different than what I thought. I liked Freya a lot but could have done without Joanna's story

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

3.5/5

I had high expectations. I started reading it, then I put it off because it .. bored me. It got better the last 100 pages. Overall: it was OK.

Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam by Omar Khayyám

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


If you love poetry, then this is a must-read. Omar Khayyam was absolutely brilliant.
Nevertheless, I could summarize the full Rubaiyat in one line:
Drink more wine. There is no afterlife. Be happy in this life.

But hey, who reads poetry for anything but pleasure, right? It's never in the point.






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The French Revolution - in a Nutshell
Neil Wenborn

3/5

Such a broad subject to be covered in so small a book, but still better than nothing. They should've addressed this topic in history classes in school instead of teaching the history of the Islamic then Saudi states _three_ times. Sigh.. Saudi schools..

Anyway. Good overview on the topic. It's also timely right now, Arab spring and all.. Such a bloody affair. Understanding the French Revolution demystifies parts of the European mindset. Here's hoping the Arab revolutions produce democratic states.

بيكاسو وستار بكس
ياسر حارب
5-5

كتاب جميل يتحدث عن الفلسفة ببساطة ، وعن البساطة بفلسفة وعمق ..
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10...

After the Funeral by Agatha Christie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved this particular title from Agatha Christie. Hercule Poirot is one of my favorite fictional detectives, and the entire premise of the story was full of suspense and interesting characters. I might have kinda guessed whodunnit early on, but I think it's because I might have seen the BBC adaptation, I'm not sure. Anyway, great mystery book if you're into that sort of thing.



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The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
Rating: 3.5/5

Very inspirational book.