2013 BOOK CHALLENGE! Are you in?

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Finished 8 a heart full of hope


A new school year, a new boyfriend, an old wish come true. Christy has every reason to have-A Heart Full of Hope

About to begin her junior year, Christy Miller feels optimistic. After all, she's starting the school year going steady with a romantic, handsome guy who carefully plans each date to assure Christy he thinks she's wonderful even dazzling. And Christy is dazzled by him.

But somehow all her optimism can't make the details of her life go the way she wants. When her parents restrict her activities and insist Christy find a job, her boyfriend is upset by her parents' strict rules. Can he and Christy work out their problems? Or will her parents' rules ruin everything? What does God want her to hope for?

 

[CaliBear]

Goal 40

Book 4: Snodgrass Vacation by Dave Conifer

This is a WDW vacation spoof. Most of it reads kind of like a trip report but with all the names of the parks and the rides changed to the most obvious counterparts. The characters are all pretty unlikable, but I guess that's the point, and there's a side story with the two main characters chasing a guy they believe has filed a fraudulent law suit against someone they know. It's just ok as a book, but it was what I needed at the moment- a quick, fluffy read, and hey, why not have my favorite place in the world as the setting while I'm at it? 3 stars

Next up: The Hangman's Daughter (book 1) by Oliver Potzch

 

[RunningGirl]

21 done - Sand Sharks by Margaret Maron. Not one of her best.

 

[willowsnn3]

Goal 72

#18 Don't Tell a Soul by David Rosenfelt

Tim's wife Maggie died in a boating accident six months ago. Local cop still trying to prove Tim did it. Lots of twists and turns.
I give this maybe a 3 out of a 5 rating. Interesting enough to keep reading but not a favorite.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Goal 25

#5 Living Dead in Dallas
By Charlaine Harris

This is the second book in the Southern Vampire Series(Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood series). I have read these before, but I wanted to reread them before I tackle the last two. I had to really force myself through them around #8 or #9, but I need a refresher on the different mythology and characters since it is so different than the show True Blood.

I won't post the summary since a lot of you have read it. It's not one of my favorites, and truth be told, I skimmed the last few chapters, but I'm going to count it as done.

 

[zippitydoo]

Book 12 of 30

Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery

 

[portia9]

Goal 100

Book #36 The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier

I always enjoy her books and this one was no exception.

 

[BearcatsFan]

10/30

Pearl, by C. E. Weisman

From Amazon:

Pearl Water's childhood was shattered the night she stood at her bedroom window and watched her mother run away without a glance back. Only ten years old, Pearl was left to care for the family and take over her mother's responsibilities.

Eight years later as the approach of midnight beckons, Pearl finds herself on the edge of eighteen and running, as her mother did, in search of freedom and the youth she'd been denied.

But freedom has a price.

She ends up on foreign turf; a farm in Oregon with her volatile boyfriend, Roy and his family, who seem to hold even more secrets than her own. As time goes by, Pearl is drawn into beautiful but also tumultuous relationships with these strangers in Oregon, all the while losing a bit of herself with each drop of booze Roy drinks.

As secrets unfold, Pearl wonders how much of her own past is truth and what has been a lie.

And would the answer come too late, as her world spirals down into a path of destruction?

I really enjoyed this. It's very dark and depressing for a good portion of the book. The ending was kind of predictable, but it ended the way I wanted it to. 4/5 stars

 

[wvjules]

I finished "Before I Go to Sleep" over the weekend. I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. I give it a 4/5.

 

[debg]

Ok, I've not set an official goal but have been reading along with this thread from the very beginning. I wanted to pass this along since it's rare that I rate a book 5 stars. I loved this book! Great debut novel! I think I came across the title on Goodreads - can't really remember. Way more ratings and reviews on Goodreads than on Amazon, but very high on each. This book will go on my bookshelf right next to Rush Home Road, one of my other very few 5 star rated books. Of course that means I have to go out and buy it as I read a library copy, haha!

from amazon.com:
Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler is a soaring debut interweaving the story of a heartbreaking, forbidden love in 1930s Kentucky with an unlikely modern-day friendship.

Eighty-nine-year-old Isabelle McAllister has a favor to ask her hairdresser Dorrie Curtis. It's a big one. Isabelle wants Dorrie, a black single mom in her thirties, to drop everything to drive her from her home in Arlington, Texas, to a funeral in Cincinnati. With no clear explanation why. Tomorrow.

Dorrie, fleeing problems of her own and curious whether she can unlock the secrets of Isabelle's guarded past, scarcely hesitates before agreeing, not knowing it will be a journey that changes both their lives.

Over the years, Dorrie and Isabelle have developed more than just a business relationship. They are friends. But Dorrie, fretting over the new man in her life and her teenage son's irresponsible choices, still wonders why Isabelle chose her.

Isabelle confesses that, as a willful teen in 1930s Kentucky, she fell deeply in love with Robert Prewitt, a would-be doctor and the black son of her family's housekeeper--in a town where blacks weren't allowed after dark. The tale of their forbidden relationship and its tragic consequences makes it clear Dorrie and Isabelle are headed for a gathering of the utmost importance and that the history of Isabelle's first and greatest love just might help Dorrie find her own way.

 

[KimR]

I'm reading 'If She Only Knew' by Lisa Jackson. Thank goodness I'm almost finished with it. The premise sounded like it could be interesting: "left with fractured memories following the car accident that nearly took her life, Marla Cahill finds herself surrounded by a family of strangers and in deadly danger from a twisted killer who fears what she may remember."

The plot itself it relatively compelling, however that is overshadowed by the amateurish writing, stilted dialog, boring 2-dimensional characters and cheesy romance. No more Lisa Jackson for me.

 

[Swimnoid]

Goal = 75

#28 Night Circus--Erin Morgenstern

From Goodreads:
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underwaya duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors.

I really liked this book! It's a very different and compelling read.


Now I'm off to the library. Three books I had on hold all came in on the same day! Lots of reading in store for me for the next few days.

 

[RunningGirl]

22 complete - Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him by Luis Carlos Montalvan

Didn't like it as much as I expected to. Glad I got it from the library and didn't buy it.

 

[Caseheidi]

Book 14 of 100

Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson book #7) by Patricia Briggs

Summary from Amazon: Mercy Thompson’s life has undergone a seismic change. Becoming the mate of Adam Hauptman—the charismatic Alpha of the local werewolf pack—has made her a stepmother to his daughter Jesse, a relationship that brings moments of blissful normalcy to Mercy’s life. But on the edges of humanity, what passes for a minor mishap on an ordinary day can turn into so much more…

After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and Jesse can’t reach Adam—or anyone else in the pack for that matter. They’ve all been abducted.

Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. With the werewolves fighting a political battle to gain acceptance from the public, Mercy fears Adam’s disappearance may be related—and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outclassed and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely.

I really enjoy this series and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys urban fantasy. As always, I found myself wanting to read more and finished this book rather quickly. I would give it 5 stars.

 

[StephMK]

Goal = 75

Now I'm off to the library. Three books I had on hold all came in on the same day! Lots of reading in store for me for the next few days.

That happened to me too! 3 ebooks came up on my hold list at the library. The number of people in line was different so I didn't expect to get them all at once! I let one go that didn't have a long line since I knew I couldn't get through 3 this week. Ebooks only get 7 days.

#11 Reinventing Claire, Darien Wilk - it was ok, fairly predictable, little too sweet. Divorced woman has to reinvent herself & looks for romance. Fluff, quick read & free from Amazon. Read this last week while waiting for some ebooks to become available.

#12 - Defending Jacob - excited to see this come up on my holds since it had a long wait list at the library. Definitely one I didn't want to put down and thanks to a snow day, I finished it today! Great writing, gave me some clues but kept me guessing enough that I didn't quite put everything together for awhile. Great ending. I love these kind of ethical, what would you do in this situation type of book! Reminds me of the books I like by Jodi Piccoult.

 

[tiggrbaby]

Finished #7

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I'm not going to add a description as I think this has been mentioned before on this thread. I really did not like this book! I guess it's my inability to connect to/feel for the characters.

 

[nemofans]

Finished #15: A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

I read this for my book club. I did not like this book. Not a whole lot actually happens in this book. Most of it is filled w/descriptions of their feelings again and again and again that don't change much. I didn't feel much for the characters either. I got bored & started skimming through it to finish it. I would give it a 1.5/5 at best.

Rural Wisconsin, 1909. In the bitter cold, Ralph Truitt, a successful businessman, stands alone on a train platform waiting for the woman who answered his newspaper advertisement for "a reliable wife." But when Catherine Land steps off the train from Chicago, she's not the "simple, honest woman" that Ralph is expecting. She is both complex and devious, haunted by a terrible past and motivated by greed. Her plan is simple: she will win this man's devotion, and then, ever so slowly, she will poison him and leave Wisconsin a wealthy widow. What she has not counted on, though, is that Truitt  a passionate man with his own dark secrets has plans of his own for his new wife. Isolated on a remote estate and imprisoned by relentless snow, the story of Ralph and Catherine unfolds in unimaginable ways.

 

[Ginny Favers]

Just finished my book #13. Gravity by Melissa West

In the future, only one rule will matter:

Dont. Ever. Peek.

Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed  arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die.

Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what shes been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, shes falling for him. But Ari isnt just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. Shes a military legacy whos been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know  especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.

It was very different! Where do these writers come up with these ideas? Oh, heck, I'm never going to get to 50! I am slowly working on revisions to one and trying to write the sequel now by October. It's hard, especially when there are all these other awesome post-apocalyptic books out there. I keep thinking the world probably does not need any more.

 

[PigletsPal2]

Goal: 52 books this year

#19 down and done.

The Shadow Queen by Rebecca Dean is a novel based on the life of Wallis Simpson, the American for whom King Edward VIII gave up the British throne in 1936, shocking the world. As it's a novel, the author was able to take liberties, mixing fact with fiction, introducing characters where devised story lines and dialogue required them. Dean is very clear that this is not a biography, but I found it to be an interesting read, a "well, it might have happened that way!" story.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm a huge Anglophile and I love that time in history, so this was a very pleasant way to spend today.

Queen Colleen

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Sorry miss counted finished 9 not 10


"The seventh book in the series takes a different, and maybe a somewhat refreshing turn, as Christy no longer has a guy to prop her up. Just what she needs, if you ask me. She realizes what a friend she has in Katie and the two go on a ski trip together -- of course, finding their friendship tested along the way.

The storyline is quieter -- the source of tension is almost silly -- but delving into the meaning of friendship is something Robin Jones Gunn does best."