Summer Books 2010

I haven't read as much as I'd have liked this Summer but I've read a lot of books on my to-read-list so I'm happy! :)

Middlemarch - George Eliot

One of the best classics I've ever read, the story is amazing and the characters are so very deep and fascinating. I just loved it, and it kicked off my Summer reading spirit. I recommend it highly if you care for classics. Here is my full review: http://umazazing-wateva-ido.blogspot.com/2010/06/middlemarch-george-eliot.html

The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga

My first thoughts were that I liked it, the beginning was very interesting and it was original. I finished it without thinking too much of it, but after a while I started thinking and I came to believe that the book started off so well it didn't deliver at the end, it promised so much more and it could have been so much better.

Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer

It was a failure! I can't say more, because I'll just criticize it more and more. The author could have done SO much better.


The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
It was different, and so.... serene if that's the word. I have a few objections to the book, specially the ending but it is a book definitely worth reading. And as you watch how people go on after the death of a loved one, it really moves you deep down.


A Painted House - John Grisham
It was an interesting read. Grisham proved he can write a novel about the cotton farmers in the US back in the 1940s and do it so well. I enjoyed it because the theme of the novel was something new.


The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer
One of the best books I read this summer, beautifully written and just makes you feel good. The idea of the book is just brilliant, and I was so happy for a few days after reading it. It's so very interesting, and really worth your time. I loved it, and its weird long name!


The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank
It's one of those books that really show you that no matter how different we are, we grow through the same things. Anne Frank writes her diary thinking nobody will probably ever read it but yet she makes you think and gives you hope at times. It's a story that should be read.


War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
My proudest achievement this summer! I didn't think I'd get it but it slowly grew on me and I was really interested. It's an epic and it's scary but it's just amazing. The characters are wonderful! You'll need a long holiday if you think about picking it up, but it's definitely something very enjoyable and a treat to all of us classic-book-lovers! For a full review see this: http://umazazing-wateva-ido.blogspot.com/2010/09/war-and-peace-leo-tolstoy.html


1984 - George Orwell

It's frightening, yet amazingly so. The author is so brilliant you can see the point he wants you to see (for the most part that is). I am lost for words, so I just say put it on your must-read list. It'll get you thinking about the world.

The Trial - Franz Kafka
It was interesting but I honestly failed to understand the point the author was aiming at, so I will say no more.

واحة الغروب - بهاء طاهر

كتاب صعب و لكنه ممتع في نفس الوقت، يأخذك لعالم آخر تماماً. و كان إحساس جميل في نفس الوقت لأنه مختلف بالفعل عن الكتب الاخرى
و لقد كتبت عن الكتاب بتفصيل أكثر هنا:
http://morethan1life.blogspot.com/2010/07/blog-post_07.html

عائد إلى حيفا - غسان كنفاني
غسان كنفاني يعرض القضية بصورة مؤلمة للغاية و لكن برقي. يأخذك الكتاب إلى مكان آخر تماماً و يجعلك تفكر بالتضحيات التي قام بها الكثير من الفلسطينيون في حياتهم. أنا ممتنة لأني قرأته
بين القصرين - نجيب محفوظ
قصة ممتعة و مشوقة تتحدث عن زمان لا نعرف الكثير عنه و بذلك تدخل حياة أسرة مصرية و تعيش معهم، نجح نجيب محفوظ في هذه الرواية.

قصر الشوق - نجيب محفوظ
هذا الجزء كان يتحدث يعمق أكثر عن بعض الشخصيات.

السكرية - نجيب محفوظ
لم تعجبني السكرية لأنها ركزت على السياسة كثيراً، و لم يكن هناك أي تحسن للأفضل لدى أي الشخصيات و لكنها كانت تدور في حلقة مفرغة تتكرر نفس التصرفات و نفس الأفكار.

Thanks to Ruqaiya, Waed, Mohammed, and Saudamini for their recommendations! Also a huge thanks for the wonderful blog http://morethan1life.blogspot.com/ that helped with recommending great Arabic books and offering opportunities for us to get free books!