2013 BOOK CHALLENGE! Are you in?

[BearcatsFan]

#32- The Other Boleyn Girl. Loved this book and I'm recommending it all the time! Thanks to those who suggested it to me.

#33- The Stand by Stephen King. An oldie but a goodie.

Not sure what's next.....

I loved The Stand! One of the few books that I can read more than once.

I also loved The Stand. I've read it over and over - it's my go-to if I have nothing else.

As far as what I've been reading, I haven't had much time lately but I have managed to get a few books in.

44/50 - Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

45/50 - Eerie by Jordan Crouch and Blake Crouch

46/50 - Two Shots by Joe Albert

I'm currently reading Les Miserables, but I had three books come through on my library waitlist today, so I'm going to have to put it on the backburner.

 

[portia9]

Goal 100

#87 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

And Harry Potter done.

I don't know what next.

 

[ThereAndBackAgain]

Oh this sounds like so much fun!!! I know it's the middle of the year but is it too late to join?

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

I have my books on sale for a couple of days and would gladly send free Kindle gift copies to anyone interested in reading.

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5299886.Joseph_Cognard

 

[PigletsPal2]

Goal 100

#87 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

And Harry Potter done.

I don't know what next.

Do you like historical spy/espionage stories? I've really enjoyed the series by Susan Elia Macneal. Her protagonist, Maggie Hope, started out as a secretary in the British Secret Service at the beginning of WWII, but her math and language skills, combined with her uncanny ability to break codes, led her to training and deployment to Germany as a spy for the British government. It's probably best to read them in order to get a better understanding of the background in this series.

#1 - Mr. Churchill's Secretary
#2 - Princess Elizabeth's Spy
#3 - His Majesty's Hope (this is the one I'm reading now; it's very good!)

Happy reading!

Queen Colleen

 

[3smithboys]

# 35 - Second Honeymoon by James Patterson and Howard Roughan

# 36 - Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko (This was my twins summer reading book, but hey, I read it!)

 

[portia9]

Piglet's Pal-I don't usually read that kind of genre but I trust your recommendation and will download the first one.

 

[KrazyPete]

Goal - 28 books

Book #21 - Alice in Zombieland by Nickolas Cook, Lewis Carroll - I guess this was supposed to be a parody of "Alice in Wonderland." The story was very similar. It was "Alice in Wonderland" with zombies and that's really all it was. It was comic in the same way that "Alice in Wonderland" is, with a lot of a puns and clever word play. There was really no horror/thriller aspect to the story at all (there was a little gore). If you're a big Alice fan then maybe you'd enjoy this take on it. If you're a zealot about all things Lewis Carroll... then, why are you hanging out on a Disney site?

Oh, if you don't really care about Alice either way but you do like zombie stories, skip this one.

Next up - Zoo by James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge - I've had three dud books in a row but I'm feeling good about this one.

 

[zippitydoo]

Book 31 of 45

If It Kills Me(Book 2 of Starborn Saga) by Jason D. Morrow

Overconfidence has no place in a world where the dead rule. Nineteen-year-old Mora has learned this the hard way. After a conflict in the colony of Salem that left hundreds of people dead, Mora and her Starborn allies have been branded as fugitives by Jeremiah, the leader of Screven.

Now, Mora must prove to the world that she isn't the enemy, and that hope for the future lies with the Starborns, not Jeremiah. To do that, she must find out the truth behind the origins of the dreaded greyskins that roam the Earth, attacking villages relentlessly.

But more than that, she must protect her family. The Starborns attempt to set up a base at her home, Springhill, but it only brings more turmoil. With a mentor channeling her dreams of the past, and two rival brothers fighting for her love, Mora learns of a new enemy that threatens to bring them down before the revolution can even begin.

 

[Glynis]

Goal - 100 books
Book - 53 "Prairie Tale" by Melissa Gilbert

I read this book because I am a huge Little House on the Prairie fan! However, I was a bit disappointed in it. There were a few stories about life on the set, and Michael Landon, but overall, it was a confessional of who she slept with, had a fling with, did cocaine with, and other stuff like that. I really had a hard time enjoying it.

Next up: "Miss Dreamsville and the Collier County Women's Literary Society" by Amy Hill Hearth

Looks fun and easy.

 

[threeboysmom]

Oh this sounds like so much fun!!! I know it's the middle of the year but is it too late to join?

It's never too late! What's your book goal?

 

[wilma-bride]

Goal 116

Books #70 and #71 - A Baby's Cry and Cut - Cathy Glass

More books in the series of books by Cathy Glass, a foster carer in the UK. The first one, A Baby's Cry, was intriguing in that there was a story behind why the baby was taken in to care the day after he was born and I was dying to know what the story was. In actual fact, when it was revealed, it was a tad disappointing. But the book had a happy ending, which was a nice change.

The second one, Cut, was not as good. It was about a teenage girl who had some serious issues, including self-harm. I wanted to shake both Cathy and the girl at various points throughout the book, Cathy for not being firm enough and Dawn (the teen) for being a bit of a brat. Again, this one had a (slightly) happy ending but I think I am ready for a break from her books now and am currently searching through the 155 books on my Kindle for something appropriate to read next.

 

[Swimnoid]

I spent a few days "cleaning up" my list by finishing a few books I have had sitting on tables and just reading a few pages at a time in and got caught up in my holds list.

77. Deeply Odd by Dean Koontz
This is the 6th Odd Thomas book. It was not as good as his previous ones. I love the characters he adds in each book and Odd's sidekick in this installment is a keeper. The story line and action are pretty good in this one but the author stops in the middle of the action to veer off into description of mundane things and promote his own agenda on subjects. Those instances really held back the book.

78. From Cradle to Grave by Patricia McDonald
Synopsis from a Goodreads member:
Morgan Adair comes to West Briar to act as godmother to her best friend's new baby Drew. Her friend is obviously experiencing postpartum depression, but is able to pull it together for the ceremony. Morgan departs for the airport for a summer in England completing her Ph.D. While at the airport she gets a call from her friend telling her that Drew and her husband are dead, and she did it. Morgan cancels her trip and returns to West Briar. She can't believe it's true, and begins her own investigation, ultimately putting her own life at risk.

I liked this one. Typical of murder mysteries but good action and characters.

79. A Body in the Backyard by Elizabeth Spann Craig
Another "old Lady" mystery. Octogenarian Myrtle Clover finds a body in her backyard and she sets about trying to find the killer much to the chagrin of her son, the local Sheriff. Pretty soon there is an additional body discovered!

This was a freebie from Kindle and I had read one other Myrtle Clover mystery. It was an entertaining fun and easy read with many of the same characters involved. Myrtle always finds ways to cajole information from people and gets herself AND her friends in trouble.

80. Joyland by Stephen King
Others have provided a synopsis so I wont. I really liked this book. There is a lot more involved than just your typically crime novel and King always spins a good tale. It probably makes my top 10 of the year. There is the mystery of the crime plus the coming of age of the main character plus a little paranormal thrown in.

 

[Simba's Mom]

79. A Body in the Backyard by Elizabeth Spann Craig
Another "old Lady" mystery. Octogenarian Myrtle Clover finds a body in her backyard and she sets about trying to find the killer much to the chagrin of her son, the local Sheriff. Pretty soon there is an additional body discovered!

This was a freebie from Kindle and I had read one other Myrtle Clover mystery. It was an entertaining fun and easy read with many of the same characters involved. Myrtle always finds ways to cajole information from people and gets herself AND her friends in trouble.

This one sounds exactly my type of book, and I love the price! But sadly, when I went to Amazon, it's not free anymore. It must have been one of those deals I only hear about sometimes.

 

[WowLookAtThat]

Book #67 Anne's House of Dreams by LM Montgomery

Review: This is the 5th in the Green Gables series and is one of the best and it is a little different from the past books. In this book, we see Anne marry Gilbert Blythe and their early days of marriage. I think in this book we see more of Gilbert's personality and I did like how the book didn't end with their wedding.It's like the wedding was just the beginning for the rest of their lives.

Sure, there are still the beautiful descriptions of nature and Anne is still Anne but now there is a marked maturity about her that is different than the other stories. A new set of characters are introduced such as Captain Jim, Cornelia Bryant,Susan and Leslie Owens. However, the book is a lot darker than the other books with the story of Leslie Owens and how things turned out and even the tragedy of Anne and Gilbert's first child, Joyce.

 

[ElizK]

I just finished another YA series, Gregor the Overlander. I chose it because Suzanne Collins wrote it (she wrote The Hunger Games series). There are 5 books in the series, and they are meant for a little bit younger crowd than the Hunger Games. The main character is 11. Still, I THOROUGHLY enjoyed this series. They were hard to put down!

 

[nemofans]

I also read the Gregor series & felt they were more for the even younger crowd. I did enjoy it. My 8 yr old will love the series.

Finished book #59: NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

This is a very creepy book, like a Stephen King book. I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this b/c I don't like to read about violence towards children, but he doesn't go into alot of detail. There is also a supernatural part to it, again like Stephen King. I did think this was a well done book w/o crossing the line of inappropriate in my opinion. I will look at Christmas a little bit differently this year though. I would recommend it.

Victoria McQueen has a secret gift for finding things: a misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to unanswerable questions. On her Raleigh Tuff Burner bike, she makes her way to a rickety covered bridge that, within moments, takes her wherever she needs to go, whether its across Massachusetts or across the country.
Charles Talent Manx has a way with children. He likes to take them for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with the NOS4A2 vanity plate. With his old car, he can slip right out of the everyday world, and onto the hidden roads that transport them to an astonishing  and terrifying  playground of amusements he calls Christmasland.
Then, one day, Vic goes looking for troubleand finds Manx. That was a lifetime ago. Now Vic, the only kid to ever escape Manxs unmitigated evil, is all grown up and desperate to forget. But Charlie Manx never stopped thinking about Victoria McQueen. Hes on the road again and hes picked up a new passenger: Vics own son.

Next book: Me Before You

 

[ThereAndBackAgain]

It's never too late! What's your book goal?

Yay!

Since it's the middle of the year I'll put my goal to 25 books. I'll add on as I go hopefully!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Just finished book #55 of 75, "Mama Does Time", by Deborah Sharp. Enjoyable , light read. Next up "Larkspur Cove" by Lisa Wingate.

 

[phorsenuf]

Goal - 100 books
Book - 53 "Prairie Tale" by Melissa Gilbert

I read this book because I am a huge Little House on the Prairie fan! However, I was a bit disappointed in it. There were a few stories about life on the set, and Michael Landon, but overall, it was a confessional of who she slept with, had a fling with, did cocaine with, and other stuff like that. I really had a hard time enjoying it.

Next up: "Miss Dreamsville and the Collier County Women's Literary Society" by Amy Hill Hearth

Looks fun and easy.

Have you read Confessions of a Prairie ***** by Alison Arngrim? That was good. Had a lot of behind the scenes info.