ANNUAL READING GOAL CHALLENGE for 2015!

[nemofans]

Finished book #33 - Inside The O'Briens by Lisa Genova

This is a moving story about a father who discovers he has Huntington's Disease and how it affects him and his family. It's a sad story, yet uplifting in how they are there for each other. Too much baseball talk for me though and not crazy about being left hanging at the end. 3 stars

Joe O’Brien is a forty-four-year-old police officer from the Irish Catholic neighborhood of Charlestown, Massachusetts. A devoted husband, proud father of four children in their twenties, and respected officer, Joe begins experiencing bouts of disorganized thinking, uncharacteristic temper outbursts, and strange, involuntary movements. He initially attributes these episodes to the stress of his job, but as these symptoms worsen, he agrees to see a neurologist and is handed a diagnosis that will change his and his family’s lives forever: Huntington’s Disease.
Huntington’s is a lethal neurodegenerative disease with no treatment and no cure. Each of Joe’s four children has a 50 percent chance of inheriting their father’s disease, and a simple blood test can reveal their genetic fate. While watching her potential future in her father’s escalating symptoms, twenty-one-year-old daughter Katie struggles with the questions this test imposes on her young adult life. Does she want to know? What if she’s gene positive? Can she live with the constant anxiety of not knowing?

Next Book: Envy

 

[willowsnn3]

Goal 72

#31 Home to Harmony by Philip Gulley

From the jacket:
'Welcome to Harmony.....a tiny town hidden beneath the staple in the Rand McNally Atlas. In these delightful stories, Sam Gardner, pastor of Harmony Friends Meeting, describes in a warm, down home style the moving and humorous adventures of his first year leading his hometown church. Along with Sam, partake of the Friendly Women's Circle's Chicken Noodle Dinner. Experience small town revival and the antics of Billy Bundle, the world's shortest evangelist. Drop in at the Coffee Cup, where a painting of The Last Supper overlooks the salad bar....

Nice little book. The whole time I was reading this book, I could just imagine someone like Paul Harvey narating it.

 

[zippitydoo]

Book #31 of 50: Wicked Game by Lisa Jackson

From Goodreads:
One By One, They'll Die. . .

Twenty years ago, wild child Jessie Brentwood vanished from St. Elizabeth's high school. Most in Jessie's tight circle of friends believed she simply ran away. Few suspected that Jessie was hiding a shocking secret-one that brought her into the crosshairs of a vicious killer. . .

Until There's No One Left. . .

Two decades pass before a body is unearthed on school grounds and Jessie's old friends reunite to talk. Most are sure that the body is Jessie's, that the mystery of what happened to her has finally been solved. But soon, Jessie's friends each begin to die in horrible, freak accidents that defy explanation. . .

But Her. . .

Becca Sutcliff has been haunted for years by unsettling visions of Jessie, certain her friend met with a grisly end. Now the latest deaths have her rattled. Becca can sense that an evil force is shadowing her too, waiting for just the right moment to strike. She feels like she's going crazy. Is it all a coincidence-or has Jessie's killer finally returned to finish what was started all those years ago?

 

[keiraliz]

Book #2 - Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner

From GoodReads: "Current day, Oxford, England. Young American scholar Kendra Van Zant, eager to pursue her vision of a perfect life, interviews Isabel McFarland just when the elderly woman is ready to give up secrets about the war that she has kept for decades...beginning with who she really is. What Kendra receives from Isabel is both a gift and a burden--one that will test her convictions and her heart.

1940s, England. As Hitler wages an unprecedented war against London’s civilian population, one million children are evacuated to foster homes in the rural countryside. But even as fifteen-year-old Emmy Downtree and her much younger sister Julia find refuge in a charming Cotswold cottage, Emmy’s burning ambition to return to the city and apprentice with a fashion designer pits her against Julia’s profound need for her sister’s presence. Acting at cross purposes just as the Luftwaffe rains down its terrible destruction, the sisters are cruelly separated, and their lives are transformed..."

I was supposed to read In Cold Blood next, but I got busy and didn't finish the last third of it. Instead, when things slowed down, I picked up Secrets of a Charmed Life. What a beautiful story! I enjoy historical fiction, and this book was one of the best I've read in a long time. I thought the writing was well done, and I kept turning the page to find out what happened next. I gave it four stars on GoodReads because I would have preferred more details in a few areas of the book, but overall I really loved the book. I'd like to read more of Susan Meissner's books because I enjoyed her writing.

Next book: White Gardenia by Belinda Alexandra

 

[zippitydoo]

Book #32 of 50: The Forgotten Girls by Alexa Steele

From Goodreads:
In an elite suburb of New York City, girls are dying. That doesn’t happen in Greenvale, with its immaculate lawns, exclusive yacht clubs and multi-million dollar mansions. But behind its perfect façade, its trimmed hedges and luxury cars, a darkness lies. Girls, dependent on Adderall, outmaneuver each other to get into top colleges, while the mothers’ need to live vicariously only makes it worse.

Bella DeFranco is one of the Bronx’s top SVU detectives. At only 37, she disarms everyone with her stunning good looks, yet she is as tough as most men—and a lot smarter, too. Yet when is summoned to Greenvale, she finds herself getting lost in a case that even she can’t comprehend. She stumbles into a land of secrets, a place where husbands hide their pasts from their wives, where friends are not what they seem, and where no one wants to know too much. As she digs deeper into layers of suburban dysfunction, she comes to learn that, behind all the fake smiles, there is a subtle violence--rivaling even her crime-ridden streets of the Bronx.

With a killer on the loose, time running out, and a new partner who never recovered from his washed-up alcoholic days, the odds are stacked against Bella. She is determined, though, to save these girls, whatever the cost. Yet as she gets close, the depth of psychosis she discovers shocks even her…

 

[superme80]

Currently reading "A Wrinkle In Time". I understand why I didn't read it as a kid, but I have such an appreciation for it as an adult.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

#13
The Resort
Bentley Little

Welcome to The Reata, an exclusive spa isolated in the Arizona desert. Please ignore the strange employees and that unspeakable thing in the pool. And when guests start disappearing, pretend it isn't happening. Enjoy your stay, and relax. Oh...and lock yourself in after dark.

I have read a few books by this author and I find them to be hit or miss. They are either pretty good, or outlandish and dumb. This is a good one. Very creepy.
I am getting more into horror books this year, but one thing I always find is that I love them 3/4 through and then start to lose interest as they are "solved" or whatever conclusion happens.

 

[Simba's Mom]

#26 of 65-"Wild Iris Ridge" by Reanne Thayne. The ultimate feel good "and they all lived happily ever after" romance. It even had the required cute little kids, cute little puppies, friendly little small town. Lovers of Sherryl Woods, Debbie Macomber, and Susan Mallery will love this book. I gave it 5 stars.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

#8 Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
I was slightly disappointed with it.
I loved Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, was one of my favorite recently written books but Hollow City to me was not nearly as strong. Where I loved the images both writing and actual and how brilliantly they were tied together in the first book, this time to me they seemed much more forced together. The story picks up on cliff hanger of the heroes being tracked down but this really losses steam. The ending picked back up and I will read the last book but not nearly as excited about the series anymore. Was able to pick up the book without a problem even though it had been around 2 years since I read first, in case anyone was in that boat.

As always anyone who might want to read any of my works(Written for You, Three Twigs for the Campfire or Cemetery Girl, I would be glad to send free Kindle or Nook copies. Message me or like this if you might be interested. Also Cemetery Girl is currently having Goodreads Givaway that ends today.

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #34 - Envy by Sandra Brown

Great book! Even as I started to figure out how the book was going, there were still some surprises along the way. Not only did I enjoy the plot of this story, I also enjoyed the novel being shared in this story as well. I have another of Sandra Brown's books to read next & I hope it's a s good as this one.

When New York publisher Maris Matherly Reed receives a tantalizing manuscript from someone identified only as P.M.E., its blockbuster potential-and perhaps something else-compels her to meet its author. On an eerie, ruined cotton plantation on a remote Georgia island she finds Parker Evans, a man concealing his identity and his past. Maris is drawn into his tale of two young friends and a deadly betrayal ... and to Parker himself. But there's something especially chilling about this novel, its possible connection to Maris's own life, and the real-life character who uses her, or anyone, to get what he wants.

Next Book: Mean Streak

 

[Christine]

#12/50 - Between You and Me, Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary Norris

I'd give this book 3 out of 5 stars. I enjoy books about grammar/punctuation and its proper use. Mary Norris was once a copy editor for the New York Times and her book relates various stories from her career in editing as well as providing the history/reasoning on why we do what we do when writing. There were some interesting facts in the book and some humorous stories (especially if editing is your job, I'm sure) but much of the book was a little to dry for me. However, if this sort of information is your "thing," you will probably enjoy this book.

 

[Carstairs38]

I know May is almost over, but can I jump in and play, too? I'm officially going for 100 books this year (just upped my challenge at Goodreads, in fact), but I am sure I will go further than that.

And I just finished book 51.

Book of the Dead by Michael Northrop (TombQuest #1) – 4

Alex Sennefer has never been healthy, but recently he’s taken a turn for the worse. Just when things look their darkest, he makes a miraculous recovery. However, the world he wakes up to includes some dangerous long dead mummies come to life as well. Can Alex help stop them?


The book started a little slowly thanks to the set up taking some time, but once the story got going, I was turning pages as quickly as I could. A couple scenes in the second half especially left me with sweaty palms. The characters and good, and this book ends with a set up for the next book. The target middle grade audience will be thrilled.

 

[Deffenm]

16/30 - Last time we say goodbye.

 

[timsprincess]

#28/75

A Duty to the Dead -- Charles Todd
2/5 stars

From Goodreads:
The daughter of a distinguished soldier‚ Bess Crawford follows in his footsteps and signs up to go overseas as a nurse during the Great War‚ helping to deal with the many wounded. There‚ serving on a hospital ship‚ she makes a promise to a dying young lieutenant to take a message to his brother‚ Jonathan Graham: "Tell Jonathan that I lied. I did it for Mother′s sake. But it has to be set right." Later‚ when her ship is sunk by a mine and she′s sidelined by a broken arm‚ Bess returns home to England‚ determined to fulfill her promise.

It′s not so easy‚ however. She travels to the village in Kent where the Grahams live and passes on to Jonathan his brother′s plea. Oddly‚ neither Jonathan‚ his mother‚ nor his younger brother admit to knowing what the message means. Then Bess learns that there′s another brother‚ incarcerated in a lunatic asylum since the age of 14 when he was accused of brutally murdering a housemaid.

Bess rightly guesses that the dying soldier′s last words had something to do with the fourth brother. Because the family seems unwilling to do anything‚ she decides that she will investigate. It′s her own duty to the dead.

#29/75
Naughty Bits Part 1: The Lingerie Shop by Joey Hill
2/5 stars

From Goodreads:
Madison is a control freak with one wish—to lose control. Her hidden submissive cravings have led to a string of disastrous relationships. So when she inherits her sister’s North Carolina lingerie shop, Naughty Bits, she jumps at the opportunity to dump her boring finance career and bad history and try her luck down South.

But before Madison can settle in, she catches the attention of the owner of the neighboring hardware store. Sexually dominant Logan Scott can see the hunger for command in Madison’s eyes and is anxious to help unleash her submissive desires. He presents her with three very tempting gifts—handcuffs, erotic cards, and an open invitation to join him at a submissive’s training session.

Faced with the realization that she can’t sell fantasies to her lingerie customers without embracing her own, Madison accepts Logan’s offer. Now, she’s about to discover just how far her desire can take her…

#30/75
Before He Finds Her by Michael Kardos
3/5

From Goodreads:
Everyone in the quiet Jersey Shore town of Silver Bay knows the story: on a Sunday evening in September 1991, Ramsey Miller threw a blowout block party, then murdered his beautiful wife and three-year-old daughter.

But everyone is wrong. The daughter got away. Now she is nearly eighteen and tired of living in secrecy. Under the name Melanie Denison, she has spent the last fifteen years in small-town West Virginia as part of the Witness Protection Program. She has never been allowed to travel, go to a school dance, or even have internet at home. Precautions must be taken at every turn, because Ramsey Miller was never caught and might still be looking for his daughter. Yet despite strict house rules, Melanie has entered into a relationship with a young teacher at the local high school and is now ten weeks pregnant. She doesn’t want her child to live in hiding as she has had to. Defying her guardians and taking matters into her own hands, Melanie returns to Silver Bay in hopes of doing what the authorities have failed to do: find her father before he finds her. Weaving in Ramsey’s story in the three days leading up to the brutal crime,

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #35 - Mean Streak by Sandra Brown

I didn't care for this one as much as Envy. Both books have the same storyline with different scenarios so the twists were more obvious. The strong successful woman who is also compassionate and generous is married to a self centered *** who is cheating on her and either trying to take over her business/kill her/ruin her life. Then the woman meets the rough manly stranger who is cold and secretive, who you are to assume is a criminal of some kind. She sees the stranger softer side, they both fall in love (some steamy scenes), and he saves her from her husband. I am guessing most of her books follow this format so I won't bother reading others. I am glad I read Envy first as I really enjoyed it and may not have enjoyed it as much if I had read it second.

 

[threeboysmom]

I know May is almost over, but can I jump in and play, too? I'm officially going for 100 books this year (just upped my challenge at Goodreads, in fact), but I am sure I will go further than that.

And I just finished book 51.

Book of the Dead by Michael Northrop (TombQuest #1) – 4

Alex Sennefer has never been healthy, but recently he’s taken a turn for the worse. Just when things look their darkest, he makes a miraculous recovery. However, the world he wakes up to includes some dangerous long dead mummies come to life as well. Can Alex help stop them?


The book started a little slowly thanks to the set up taking some time, but once the story got going, I was turning pages as quickly as I could. A couple scenes in the second half especially left me with sweaty palms. The characters and good, and this book ends with a set up for the next book. The target middle grade audience will be thrilled.

Awesome!! So glad you found us here! It's never to late to join - have added you to the first post of this thread. Good luck with your goal - I'm impressed!

 

[threeboysmom]

Did quite a bit of reading this holiday weekend! That's a sign of a GOOD weekend! (at least in my opinion!)

#16 Wayward (#2 in the Wayward Pines series) - loved this one! I really didn't think I'd like the continuing books after finding out why the town is the way it is at the end of book #1, but I think I actually liked it more! So looking forward to reading #3, but I can't find it anywhere!! Might have to bite the bullet and just buy the book from Amazon so I can finish the series!

#17 An Echo in the Bone - it was "okay" - not one of my favorite Outlander books. Going to give myself a few weeks' break before starting in on the last book of the series.

#18 How to Eat a Cupcake - meh. Cute, but shouldn't have wasted my time when I have too many other books on my "to read" list.

Currently reading #19 Life After Life - I'm not sure on this one. Sounds promising (if you could live your life over and over again until you can "fix" all your mistakes and make your life perfect, would you?), but it's frustrating as anything when the main character dies and the story starts all over again at the beginning... I feel like a mouse on a wheel making absolutely no progress - I'm reading and reading... and before I know it I'm back at the beginning again, lol. I see her about to die, and I'm screaming inside, "Nooooooooooooo!!!!"

 

[MeeskaMooska13]

I'm seriously behind!

#5/25 - 33 Days to Morning Glory by Michael E. Gaitely, MIO (had to read this for a church group)

#6/25 - This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Padgett - A book of her essays. The first chapter is the story of how she became a published author. It's very candid and filled with great advice.

 

[WowLookAtThat]

Book #38 The Royals by Kitty Kelly

Book #39 A Western Romance by Morris Fenris

Book #40 The Royal We by Heather Cooks

Book #41 Room by Emma Donogue

Book #42 Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

 

[willowsnn3]

Goal 72

#32 Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Easily the best book this year so far! Hard to put down.

1st page: 'They were taking Jonas. My beautiful, sweet brother who shooed bugs out of the house instead of stepping on them, who gave his little ruler to splint a crotchety old man's leg. "Mama! Lina!' he cried, flailing his arms. "Stop!' I screamed, tearing after them. Mother grabbed the officer and began speaking in Russian---pure, fluent Russian. He stopped and listened. She lowered her voice and spoke calmly. I couldn't understand a word. The officer jerked Jonas toward him. I grabbed on to his other arm. His body began to vibrate as sobs wracked his shoulders. A big wet spot appeared on the front of his trousers. He hung his head and cried.
Mother pulled a bundle of rubles from her pocket and exposed it slightly to the officer. He reached for it and then said something to Mother, motioning with his head. Her hand flew up and ripped the amber pendant right from her neck and pressed it into the NKVD's hand. He didn't seem to be satisfied. Mother continued to speak in Russian and pulled a pocket watch from her coat. I knew that watch. It was her father's and had his name engraved in the soft gold on the back. The officer snatched the watch, let go of Jonas, and started yelling at the people next to us.
Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth? That morning, my brother's was worth a pocket watch.'