I cannot think of a clever title for this one.
Last year, I signed up on
Goodreads and
forced encouraged myself to read a few books, rated them and gave my thoughts on them.. I read them randomly, I picked them because they interest me in one way or another..
My 2012 book-that-I-read list, latest to oldest
The Paris Wife (Paula McLain)
Me said:
2/5 stars
Just another "relationshit" story.. The author once again proves that men are jerk since 1920s, and earlier... Don't read if you don't wanna be upset, that's all.
Note: I didn't actually read the book but I listened to the audio of the BBC version/dramatization
Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir author (Jenny Lawson)
Me said:
3/5 stars
Hilarious! Some families are dysfunctional, others seem fine. If you think your family is fucked-up, well you should read this book and see Jenny's...
Insurgent (Divergent #2) (Veronica Roth)
Me said:
4/5 stars
**spoiler alert** While reading the first few pages of this book, I was kinda having a feeling that this is a story within a story like Sophie's World or something like The Truman Show movie which is about finding out later that his whole life is a TV show. Well, I can say, in some ways, I'm right.
The whole book Tris character keeps disappointing me for doing something stupid over and over, like fighting for a reason she doesn't even know. LOL, yeah I got carried away with Veronica Roth's very nicely written story.
Divergent (Divergent #1) (Veronica Roth)
Me said:
5/5 stars
Wow! I never thought I could finish the book this fast. It's too good to be left unfinished. At first I thought it's like Hunger Games (didn't read the book, I just watched the movie), but it's not. It's too divergent ;-)
The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution (Richard Dawkins)
Me said:
3/5 stars
"This is a book about a the positive evidence that evolution is a fact. It is not intended as an anti-religious book."
My first Dawkins' book and I can say being a science ignoramus, I wish it was explained in simplified terms, though I feel it is already simplified it's just that science is not my cup of tea. I think it's not suitable for "beginners"... I should have read The Magic of Reality first.
Lying (Sam Harris)
Me said:
5/5 stars
"I came away convinced that LYING, even about the smallest matters, needlessly DAMAGES personal relationships and public trust."
"I now knew that endless forms of suffering and embarassment could be easily avoided by SIMPLY TELLING THE TRUTH."
Very well said and nicely written.
This essay opened my eyes that by lying (whether small or big, white lies or not) you are not only depriving people of their right to the truth but also you are depriving them to live the reality of life. And if you just simply tell the truth (even if it will hurt their feelings), a lot of time and effort would be saved and you won't feel guilty/sick when you're with them.
The Yacoubian Building (Alaa Al Aswany)
Me said:
2/5 stars
Depressing, sad and heartbreaking.. I thought the tragedy won't end till the last page of the book.. I'm glad it didn't leave me with a heavy heart.
The Complete Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi)
Me said:
5/5 stars
I've seen the French film before I read the English book. All I can say is the film is good but the book is better.
Sophie's World (Jostein Gaarder)
Me said:
5/5 stars
It is not a bagatelle. I'll say no more. cover
Atonement (Ian McEwan)
Me said:
5/5 stars
Well written.. sad.. tragic..
Both Right and Left Handed: Arab Women Talk about Their Lives (Bouthaina Shaaban)
The George Carlin Letters: The Permanent Courtship of Sally Wade (Sally Wade)
Chicago (Alaa Al Aswany)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Four Book Set (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, #1-4) (Jeff Kinney)
The Tiger's Wife (Téa Obreht)
Me said:
1/5 stars
That's all folks! :p
