2013 BOOK CHALLENGE! Are you in?

[3smithboys]

#47 Mistress by James Patterson and David Ellis

I thought this was a fun book... It got a bit slow in parts, but I wanted to keep on reading to see how it was going to end. The final 1/3 of the book picked up and really kept my interest. (It could have been that I was reading the book before I went to bed every night and was super tired too....) You could tell that David Ellis wrote most of this book or where the authors changed...this was not typical Patterson style....

***Ben isn't like most people. Unable to control his racing thoughts, he's a man consumed by his obsessions: movies, motorcycles, presidential trivia-and Diana Hotchkiss, a beautiful woman Ben knows he can never have.

When Diana is found dead outside her apartment, Ben's infatuation drives him on a hunt to find out what happened to the love of his life.

Ben soon discovers that the woman he pined for was hiding a shocking double life. And now someone is out to stop Ben from uncovering the truth about Diana's illicit affairs.

In his most heart-pumping thriller yet, James Patterson plunges us into the depths of a mind tortured by paranoia and obsession, on an action-packed chase through a world of danger and deceit.

 

[willowsnn3]

Finished book #72- Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

I did not care for this book (1.5/5 stars). Instead of having the story told by a narrator or 2, it is told through emails, letters, reports, any correspondence between a bunch of different characters. There is some narration from Bernadette & her daughter. I found this type of storytelling to be too choppy. There are also typing errors through it. I found this plot to be far fetched & ridiculous too.

I tried reading it a few months ago. Couldn't get past the first chapter. Not my cup of tea either.

 

[Glynis]

Goal - 100 books

Book #61 - "What Happened to Hannah" by Mary Kay McComas

From Goodreads: "As a teenager, Hannah Benson ran away from home in order to save herself. Now, twenty years later, the past comes calling and delivers life-changing news: her mother and sister have passed away, leaving Hannah the guardian of her fifteen-year-old niece.

Returning home to bitter memories and devastating secrets, Hannah must overcome her painful past to pave a future with her niece, the last best chance at a family for both of them. She begins to create a new, happier life with her niece and rekindles a relationship with Grady Steadman, one of the few people she's ever called a friend.

But she can't forget what she cannot forgive, or lay to rest those ghosts that will not die. Will love and trust--and the truth--give her the strength to stand her ground and fight for what she deserves?"

I enjoyed this book. The writing was really compelling, and captivating! I enjoyed the characters, and the resolution. It was a very satisfying book.

Next up: The Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns by Margaret Dilloway.

 

[KrazyPete]

Goal - 28 books

Book #27 - On Writing by Stephen King - What this book explains the best is exactly why you can never be Stephen King. It's a revelation that is at once depressing and motivating. I love it when creative people explain how they create and now that I have this new insight...

Next up - 11/22/63 by Stephen King - So, I'm pretty sure I already explained why I'm reading this one next. Click the link if you want a synopsis.

 

[keenercam]

I am really far behind on posting here. I have started so many books and abandoned them. Life is too short to read a bad book. I've found some great new authors by reading Kindle free books, but sometimes, the free ones are worth as much as you pay for them.

#121/150 - Shore Lights by Barbara Bretton. I really like this author. She does a good job of creating complex characters and heart-warming stories. And so far, they've all taken place in NJ, which is fun for a Jersey girl.

122/150 - Out of Line by Jen McLaughlin

123/150 - You Belong With Me by Shannon Guymon (first in a series. I liked the author and her writing style. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series.

124/150 - After Tuesday by Renee Ericson.

125/150 - Cade by Liliana Hart

126/150 - Allegiant by Veronica Hart. This is the third and final installment of the Divergent series. I thought the author did a good job of further developing the characters and their relationships and advancing the story. I don't want to say anything more that might constitute a spoiler. I'll just say I'm glad I read the series and it was worth every penny.

127/150 - Off Chance by Sawyer Bennett. I really like this author. The characters are so loveable!

128/150 - Finding Cinderella by Colleen Hoover. For those of you who read and enjoyed "Hopeless" and "Losing Hope", I think you will really enjoy this novella.

129/150 - Naked in Death by J.D. Robb (forgot to list this one). I've gone back to the beginning of this series and will work my way through these books again. Truly my favorite author: Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb

130/150 - Thankless in Death by J.D. Robb. LOVE the latest installment in this series. It never gets boring!

131/150 - Close to Home by Jeremy Asher. This is another in the Jesse and Sarah series and it's the last I'll read. It was just a bit too far-fetched. I don't think any couple could go through what this couple went through. They seem to be magnets for dysfunctional, dangerous people. I really liked the first story and the second. This one, not so much.


Well, those are the books I remember, that I finished, and that I'm willing to admit to on a public forum. I really do try to give indie authors a try but sometimes I just can't believe the stuff that is published. If I counted every book I couldn't finish, I'm sure I'd be well past my goal by now. LOL!

 

[portia9]

Goal 120

#111 Thursday's Child by Pat Santarsiero

A P & P spin off. I am a bit conflicted about this one. It was written pretty well for fan fiction but I am still unsure about where she took the plot.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

Anyone interested in reading Cemetery Girl, Three Twigs for the Campfire or Written for You. I will gladly send a couple of kindle gift versions.

 

[willowsnn3]

Goal 72

#73 The Edge of Normal by Carla Norton

A story about abduction. The first third of the book had too much 'physological' mumbo jumbo. Felt like the author was just throwing out medical terms about the different syndromes of people who had been abducted. Then the story actually got better, the characters began being developed and I really enjoyed the rest of the book.

 

[PigletsPal2]

Goal 120

#111 Thursday's Child by Pat Santarsiero

A P & P spin off. I am a bit conflicted about this one. It was written pretty well for fan fiction but I am still unsure about where she took the plot.

Which P&P characters are featured? I'm always ready to give P&P spin-offs a try!

Queen Colleen

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #73: Lost Boy Lost Girl by Peter Straub

This is about an old vacant house & a serial killer. This story is creepy, especially the house. I liked this book up till the ending, which was ridiculous. It ruined the story. Oh well, that's what I get for pulling a random book off the shelf at the library.

A woman commits suicide for no apparent reason. A week later, her son fifteen-year-old Mark Underhillvanishes. His uncle, novelist Timothy Underhill, searches his hometown of Millhaven for clues that might help unravel this horrible dual mystery. He soon learns that a pedophilic murderer is on the loose in the vicinity, and that shortly before his mothers suicide, Mark had become obsessed with an abandoned house where he imagined the killer might have taken refuge. No mere empty building, the house whispers from attic to basement with the echoes of a long-hidden true-life horror story, and Tim Underhill comes to fear that in investigating its unspeakable history, Mark stumbled across its last and greatest secret: a ghostly lost girl who may have coaxed the needy, suggestible boy into her mysterious domain.

Next book: City of Ashes (waiting on hold for it)

 

[phorsenuf]

I am very far behind on reviews, but I'm at 50 for the year so far. My goal was 52 and I thought that was really stretching it!

 

[jenny105]

Finished the Death Cure during my cruise (book 23 of 25). I thought that was the last one of the Maze Runner series but apparently there's a prequel? I'll have to add that to the list.

I'm currently about 10% through Gone Girl.

 

[wvjules]

128/150 - Finding Cinderella by Colleen Hoover. For those of you who read and enjoyed "Hopeless" and "Losing Hope", I think you will really enjoy this novella.

This is a freebie if anyone is interested. I downloaded it about a week or so ago. I'm waiting until I finished my current book (Skeletons at the Feast) then I will read it. I'll probably need a light romance after I finish Skeletons at the Feast.

 

[keenercam]

132/150 - I forgot one. Intervention by Terri Blackstock. Very good suspense. Fresh story line and very believable plot.

 

[PigletsPal2]

Goal: 100 books this year.

#83 down and done.

Blind Justice by Anne Perry. Charismatic preacher Abel Taft is accused of extortion when his church members' hard-earned charitable gifts appear to have ended up in his pocket, paying for his elegant home and the stylish outfits of his wife and daughters.

Brilliant barrister Sir Oliver Rathbone, newly appointed a judge, is chosen to preside over Taft's trial. It seems clear that Taft is indeed guilty, but at the last second the defense produces a witness who completely undermines the charges. Then Rathbone makes a well-meaning but reckless move that could ruin his career, his reputation and his life.

In my opinion, Anne Perry is the finest mystery writer of our time. Her 19 William Monk mysteries, 26 Thomas and Charlotte Pitt mysteries, 11 Christmas novels and five WWI novels are meticulously researched, carefully plotted, and vividly descriptive. Fans of Victorian mysteries will feel they've died and gone to heaven reading her books. I just wish she wrote faster!

Queen Colleen

 

[Glynis]

Goal - 100 Books

Book #62 - "The Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns" by Margaret Dilloway

From Goodreads: Thirty-six-year-old Gal Garner lives a regimented life. Her job teaching biology and her struggle with kidney disease keep her toggling between the high school, the hospital, and her home on a strict schedule.

Only at home, in her garden, does Gal come alive. It's here that she experiments with Hulthemia roses, painstakingly cross-pollinating various specimens in the hopes of creating a brand-new variation of spectacular beauty. But even her passion has a highly structured goal: Gal wants to win Queen of Show in a major competition and bring that rose to market.

Then one afternoon Gal's teenaged niece Riley, the daughter of her estranged sister, arrives. Unannounced. Neither one of them will ever be the same.

My review: I really wasn't in love with this book. I didn't care for any of the characters until about 2/3 into the book. Then they finally got interesting and sympathetic. It felt like a chore to read this book, and I don't like that. Overall, it was a good plot line, but I don't think I'd recommend this to people.

Next up: "The Giver" by Lois Lowry. My 11 year old daughters are reading this, and I never have, so I wanted to give it a chance.

 

[3smithboys]

#48/50 - Allegiant by Veronica Roth

It was ok... Many young adult books are now being written from dual or mutiple perspectives, and I usually like seeing how the plot is developed through multiple eyes. However, I don't think she did a very good job transitioning back and forth from character to character and made the reading for me disjointed and choppy. (My DH said the same thing to me when he was reading, and I had not voiced my opinion to him...) The premise of the story was interesting, and I'm glad I read it...

 

[tiggrbaby]

#29/35: In a Strange City by Laura Lippman

from Amazon:
It is a treasured Charm City tradition. Every year on Edgar Allan Poe's birthday a figure wrapped in a dark cloak visits the renowned author's Baltimore gravesite and leaves behind three roses and half a bottle of cognac. No Baltimorean worth his or her salt would ever dream of trying to determine the true identity of the "Poe Toaster," thereby possibly destroying a cherished ritual. That's why Tess Monaghan refuses to help the odd, piglike man who wants to hire her to unmask the Visitor, who the Porcine One claims has deceived and cheated him.
If nothing else, the rejected client's story has whetted Tess's curiosity—and so the following evening she and her enthusiastic boyfriend, Crow, are braving the winter chill and the graveyard dark to observe the strange, beloved rite from a respectful distance. But on this particular January 19, two caped figures approach Poe's resting place. One leaves the tribute and escapes into the night. The other dies there, felled by an assassin's bullet.
Tess sees nothing that the other witnesses didn't see. She isn't working for anyone at the moment—and the homicide detective who caught this particular "red ball" is an old and dangerous nemesis—so it might be worth her while to avoid this case like the plague. But someone else wants Tess involved in the worst way. A stranger is surreptitiously leaving her roses and cognac and bizarre, cryptic clues—someone who knows Tess's habits, someone who knows who she knows and where she lives. And suddenly home is a safe haven no longer.
Like it or not, Tess Monaghan is now a prime player in the murderous drama. And as the body count rises even higher, she uncovers links in a chain of greed, lies, false histories, and deadly acquisitiveness, a dangerously twisted mystery worthy of Poe himself.




I would give it 3.5 stars. It is not my favorite Tess Monaghan book, but I will definitely be back for more.


#30/35: Simple Genius by David Baldacci

from Amazon:
Near Washington, D.C., there are two clandestine institutions: the world's most unusual laboratory and a secret CIA training camp. Drawn to these sites by a murder, ex-Secret Service agent Sean King encounters a dark world of mathematicians, codes, and spies. His search for answers soon leads him to more shocking violence-and an autistic girl with an extraordinary genius.

Now, only by working with his embattled partner, Michelle Maxwell, can he catch a killer...and solve a stunning mystery that threatens the entire nation.

I have enjoyed this series so far, but I would only give this one 2 stars due to the way it wrapped up. I will, however, try the next one at some point.

 

[StephMK]

Goal 72

#71 Gone For Good by Harlan Coben

Review from the back jacket: A powerhouse of suspense and a haunting tale of love---the love between brothers, between lovers, between family members. It is one of those rare thrillers that not only make the pulse pound, but stir the heart as well.

Mmmm, not so much for me. Thought about putting it down a couple times, then it would get interesting so I decided to finish it.
The author has gotten such good reviews here and on another board that I had to try him. Maybe some of his other work is better. Not rushing out to pick another from him tho.....

I read one (or two, can't remember) of his and had the same reaction. I just know my expectations were higher based on all the reviews.

Goal 72---Met my goal.....

#72 Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
Annie was abducted and held captive for a year. This is her story as told in sessions with her therapist.
This is one of the best books I've read this year. I greatly recommend this author. She has written 3 books & the 2 I have read were really good.

I think that is on my wish list. Glad you liked it! I may have read another of these this year but don't remember. I'm going to have to list them in my sig next year.

I may have missed one but will have to check my Kindle. I know I need to add these two -

#40 - The Shopping Swap by Erin Brady - part of summary from Amazon -"Maggie has spent half of her salary on sexy black lingerie from Crandall’s Department Store that Richard won’t be able to resist. Except, once home, Maggie realizes she has someone else’s shopping bag and instead of her very expensive lingerie, she’s stuck with a housecoat that wouldn’t turn anyone’s head, least of all Richards. When Maggie goes back to the scene of the swap, she runs into Benjamin Saunders, a tall, dark and handsome stranger." Cute fluff book, predictable but fun, light read.

#41 - Finding Emma by Steena Holmes - family tries to cope with life after sister was abducted. Two years have gone by and they are still dealing with issues.

It had potential but it could have been so much better. I agree w/an Amazon reviewer who questioned all the positive reviews. The beginning & end are completely rushed with no reasoning behind how things happened. I get that the author wanted to explore the relationships in the aftermath and how life goes on but it lost so much of the build up at the beginning and any hope of suspense at the end. There is a sequel, I may or may not read.

At this point, I don't think there is any hope of making my 52 book goal but I am ok with that. I still read far more than I thought I would this year. Thanks to everyone for posting reviews & making this so much fun!

 

[willowsnn3]

Goal 72

#74 Save Me by Lisa Scottoline

From the jacket:
Rose is a volunteer lunch lady at her daughter's school. Her daughter runs to the restroom after being taunted by a classmate. Then an explosion causes a fire. Rose finds herself in a nightmare, faced with an emergency decision that no mother should ever have to make. What she decides in that split second derails Rose's life and jeopardizes everyone she holds dear, until she takes matters into her own hands and lays her life on the line to save her child, her family, her marriage and herself.

I liked this book for the most part. Just near the end it got to be like a tv movie with all the 'developements' and actions Rose took to solve the situation.