2013 BOOK CHALLENGE! Are you in?

[willowsnn3]

Goal 72

#23 Frenzy by Robert Liparulo

Sigh, the fifth and final book in the Dreamhouse Kings series. These are YA books and are very easy/quick reads but very interesting. Basically the books are about the King family who move into a huge house with a third floor that has many rooms that lead to other times and places. But the same room doesn't open to the same time/world every time. Great books.

 

[zippitydoo]

Book 16 of 30

Anne’s House of Dreams by Lucy Maud Montgomery

 

[lovin'fl]

Just finished #1- Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult and OMG it was painful to finish. The wolf stuff was beyond ridiculous and her characters are so self centered and all 'wha wha, poor me, I was so wronged'. Blech! Now on to the book DH got me for Xmas- The 12 Tribes of Hattie.

Read #2- Thirteen Reasons Why- easy read, but the things Hannah went through were no reason to do what she did IMO and the tapes getting passed around w/out any adult or police discovering them (and to get passed around each person had to listen...not sure that would really happen...would think someone would dump the tapes in the trash...and Clay's reaction seemed extreme).

and #3- Gone Girl- easy read, interesting and suspenseful-ish...she was one crazy wackadoo.

So, they were ok...Gone Girl was definitely better than Thirteen Reasons Why and they were both better than Lone Wolf.

I am about to start The Dovekeepers...we'll see if I can finish it (I hear it may be a tough read...overly poetic). Keeping with my goal of 12...1 per month.

 

[Caseheidi]

Book 23 of 100 - Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Summary from Goodreads:
In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.
Ender's Game is the winner of the 1985 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1986 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a little intense in places, and was very hard to put down. Very thought provoking as well.

 

[dizluvah]

I didn't finish two books, The Art of Racing in the Rain and The Light Between Oceans...so I moved on to others:

Book 30 The Perfect Hope by Nora Roberts

Book 31 A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Book 32 Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Up next (my book club selections) The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth and The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

 

[PigletsPal2]

Goal: 52 books this year

#23 down and done.

The Tale of Castle Cottage by Susan Wittig Albert is the eighth in the series Albert has written about Beatrix Potter. These are sweet little novels about Beatrix's life at her farms in the Lake District of England, her struggles to convince her parents to allow her to marry, with the fictionalized accounts of crimes and misdemeanors that she manages to solve while writing her books and managing her farms.

While these are an easy read, they're well thought out and well-written stories, a nice break from my usual selections of murder and mayhem.

Queen Colleen

 

[tiggrbaby]

I didn't finish two books, The Art of Racing in the Rain and The Light Between Oceans...so I moved on to others:

Book 30 The Perfect Hope by Nora Roberts

Book 31 A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Book 32 Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Up next (my book club selections) The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth and The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

Uh, oh, my book club is reading The Light Between Oceans next month! What didn't you like about it?

 

[Swimnoid]

Book 23 of 100 - Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Summary from Goodreads:
In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.
Ender's Game is the winner of the 1985 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1986 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a little intense in places, and was very hard to put down. Very thought provoking as well.

Now read Ender's Shadow. Its the same story written through Bean's point of view. I liked it even better!

 

[dismom301930]

Uh, oh, my book club is reading The Light Between Oceans next month! What didn't you like about it?

Mine too! I would also be interested to hear why you didn't like it/finish it.

 

[nemofans]

Same here. I have to read that for this month's book club.

I had Insurgent on Hold & it came available for me yesterday. I have been reading it any chance I get.
My question for those of you who have read this series- Wouldn't Tris know Tobias already? They were in the same faction & only 2 yrs apart? She mentions remembering him as a boy, but she should know him up to him transferring to Dauntless, right? I understand he could have changed some being in Dauntless, but she would have still recognized him.

 

[Caseheidi]

I will have to give Ender's Shadow a try. This is a new genre for me, and so far a good introduction! Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Book 15 in your dreams

Everything important seemed to elude Sierra a job to supply her with ready cash, good friends at her new high school and, most importantly, love.
Sierra Jensen is determined her junior year is going to be a wonderful dream. But, she has to admit, since her family moved to Portland a few months ago, her address book hasn't seen the entry of even one new name.

So Sierra sets out to find a job and new friends. The road to accomplishing her goals is bumpy until she is left at home for the weekend with her grandmother. Full of startling surprises, those two days turn Sierra's life topsy-turvy and propel her down a path that leads to a job, her first date and an encounter with a mysterious stranger.

Read more about Sierra's ups and downs in the other Sierra Jensen Series books, including Only You, Sierra.

 

[Glynis]

Goal - 50 books (But I really need to up it to 100, please!)

Book #26 - Oracle Bones by Peter Hessler

From the book jacket, "Peter Hessler excavates the past and puts a remarkable human face on the history he uncovers. In a narrative that gracefully moves between the ancient and the present, the East and the West, Hessler captures the soul of a country that is undergoing a momentous change before our eyes."

I started out wondering where this book was going. It was slow reading, and I really had to slog through it. However, by the last third of the book, I was engaged, and wanted to finish. The Chinese culture is so unique, that it takes some time getting used to the way he writes about it.

Next up: Jimmy Buffet's "A Salty Piece of Land".

 

[Simba's Mom]

I recently finished "Water for Elephants" and although I liked it, I didn't love it. I thought everyone thought this book was great. So I kept waiting for some big event but nothing extrodinary happened. I did like the ending though. Eight now I'm reading a cozy mystery, one of the Puzzle Lady books. Goodreads mentioned that the puzzle lady wasn't too likeable, because she drank too much-I should have paid attention and vetoed the book!

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #20: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Even though the book is thick, I finished it quickly. I liked how it started right where the 1st book ended. Can't wait to read the 3rd book. Wish I didn't have to wait til Oct.

Next Book: Into the Darkest Corner

 

[StephMK]

I recently finished "Water for Elephants" and although I liked it, I didn't love it. I thought everyone thought this book was great. So I kept waiting for some big event but nothing extrodinary happened. I did like the ending though. Eight now I'm reading a cozy mystery, one of the Puzzle Lady books. Goodreads mentioned that the puzzle lady wasn't too likeable, because she drank too much-I should have paid attention and vetoed the book!

I couldn't get into Water for Elephants. My library loan ended up before I got very far. Kinda glad to hear it didn't get more exciting later.

Life of Pi just came up on my hold list so I hope to read that this weekend. Also working on another book but haven't had time to read much this week.

 

[WowLookAtThat]

Book #28 Eve by Elissa Elliot

Review: This book is a retelling of the story of Adam and Eve through the narrative of Eve and her three daughters, Aya, Naava and Dara. Although the daughters talk about the present, Eve's story also discusses life in the garden and how she and Adam survived after the Tree of Knowledge incident.The book also includes the murder of Abel through Cain. I found the book raised some theological thought I hadn't thought of for many years. The interesting part is the chapter of Eve as she discusses her family, her relationship with Elohim and the history as she knew it. I also liked the chapter of Dara as she almost betrays her mother but is innocent throughout this story.

The book isn't without its flaws. Even though the character of Aya could be thought of as noble I found her to be an insufferable martyr. She is jealous of her sister, Naava and they constantly fight. Naava is spiteful, beautiful, conniving and ambitious. Yet, the author didn't give her depth. So basically we have the "good girl" Aya whose actions can be seen as the consequences of the death of Able and Naava the "bad girl" who is almost a one-sided villian. These two almost ruined the book for me.

The plot is slow as the book mostly delves into theological and family issues. I also felt that there is little character development except for Eve who we see as first a naive and curious person who grows into a strong if tragic mother.
I wouldn't suggest this book for its plot and even if you wanted to read it for theological perspectives on the story of Adam and Eve, there are better ones out there.

 

[Caseheidi]

Book 24 of 100

Malice in Wonderland by H.P. Mallory

Review from Goodreads:
A broken relationship, tarnished with lies and deceit,
A father who wants her dead,
And a shocking surprise that could rock the very foundation of everything she believes in...

Fairy and law enforcement agent, Dulcie O'Neil, has to face the fact that her father, the Head of the Netherworld, is also Public Enemy Number One. In joining a group of rebels who would see her father dethroned, Dulcie will realize just what it means to go against her own blood. Throw in her tattered relationship with Knight Vander and the shock of a lifetime and Dulcie's life just went from bad to worse

I have found this series to be a fun light read. Nothing too thought provoking, but still a good read.

 

[Swimnoid]

Goal = 75

39. Last to Die--Tess Gerritsen

This is the latest of the Rizzoli/Isles series. I liked it. In this series you really need to read them in order because she carries over characters and plot lines from book to book. This one had a lot of the previous book in it and also some characters from farther back. It was a little different than the typical "somebody is murdered and now we solve it".

 

[CourtasanSatine]

Goal = 75

39. Last to Die--Tess Gerritsen

This is the latest of the Rizzoli/Isles series. I liked it. In this series you really need to read them in order because she carries over characters and plot lines from book to book. This one had a lot of the previous book in it and also some characters from farther back. It was a little different than the typical "somebody is murdered and now we solve it".

Are these anything like the show?