2013 BOOK CHALLENGE! Are you in?

[Ginny Favers]

Goal 72

#25 The Birthing House by Christopher Ransom


To be blunt, this was just a stupid book, lol. I think the author must have started out with a good idea then started doing crack. Oh, wait, maybe it would have been better if he was smoking something, lol.
Do you ever wonder about the reviews on the back jacket of a book that are written by other authors??? The ones that rave about how good the book is??
I give this a minus 5 stars..

Tell us what you really think about it!

No, I do not wonder. There is a lot of "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" in the world of blurb-writing for authors. I know of one author who was given a 6-figure advance for a book she hadn't written, just because one of her best friends was a well-known author who could promise a blurb for the book. I NEVER read those blurbs-- whenever I see one, I just assume that the author is friends with whomever gave the blurb.

My updates:

22/50: Secret book that shall not be named
23/50: UNDEAD by Kristy McKay

This is a good YA book for anyone who is missing THE WALKING DEAD while it's on hiatus. It's a fun, campy book about a bunch of teens trapped on a bus during the zombie apocalypse. I liked it, but again... another series!! Gah. It ended with such a cliffhanger... I think I need to read the next book, whenever it comes out.

 

[KrazyPete]

Goal - 24 books

Book #6 - Defending Jacob by William Landay - It's a legal drama/family drama/murder mystery. I like a book that keeps me guessing and this one managed to surprise me several times. I liked it well enough to recommend it without reservation.

Next up - Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson - It was the book of the month on The Verge (tech blog) a while back and it sounded interesting. I'm feeling like I want to read something a little different and this one might be just what I need.

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #23- Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson

This is a fun YA book that takes place in Disney World. Great to read their adventures thru the parks & rides while being chased by villains & such.

In this fantastical thriller, five young teens tapped as models for theme park "guides" find themselves pitted against Disney villains and witches that threaten both the future of Walt Disney World and the stability of the world outside its walls. Using a cutting-edge technology called DHI--which stands for both Disney Host Interactive and Daylight Hologram Imaging--Finn Whitman, an Orlando teen, and four other kids are transformed into hologram projections that guide guests through the park. The new technology turns out, however, to have unexpected effects that are both thrilling and scary. Soon Finn finds himself transported in his DHI form into the Magic Kingdom at night. Is it real? Is he dreaming?
Finn's confusion only increases when he encounters Wayne, an elderly Imagineer who tells him that the park is in grave danger. Led by the scheming witch, Maleficent, a mysterious group of characters called the Overtakers is plotting to destroy Disney's beloved realm, and maybe more.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Finished book #23- Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson

This is a fun YA book that takes place in Disney World. Great to read their adventures thru the parks & rides while being chased by villains & such.

In this fantastical thriller, five young teens tapped as models for theme park "guides" find themselves pitted against Disney villains and witches that threaten both the future of Walt Disney World and the stability of the world outside its walls. Using a cutting-edge technology called DHI--which stands for both Disney Host Interactive and Daylight Hologram Imaging--Finn Whitman, an Orlando teen, and four other kids are transformed into hologram projections that guide guests through the park. The new technology turns out, however, to have unexpected effects that are both thrilling and scary. Soon Finn finds himself transported in his DHI form into the Magic Kingdom at night. Is it real? Is he dreaming?
Finn's confusion only increases when he encounters Wayne, an elderly Imagineer who tells him that the park is in grave danger. Led by the scheming witch, Maleficent, a mysterious group of characters called the Overtakers is plotting to destroy Disney's beloved realm, and maybe more.

I have to put that book on my list

 

[jenny105]

Finished book #23- Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson

This is a fun YA book that takes place in Disney World. Great to read their adventures thru the parks & rides while being chased by villains & such.

In this fantastical thriller, five young teens tapped as models for theme park "guides" find themselves pitted against Disney villains and witches that threaten both the future of Walt Disney World and the stability of the world outside its walls. Using a cutting-edge technology called DHI--which stands for both Disney Host Interactive and Daylight Hologram Imaging--Finn Whitman, an Orlando teen, and four other kids are transformed into hologram projections that guide guests through the park. The new technology turns out, however, to have unexpected effects that are both thrilling and scary. Soon Finn finds himself transported in his DHI form into the Magic Kingdom at night. Is it real? Is he dreaming?
Finn's confusion only increases when he encounters Wayne, an elderly Imagineer who tells him that the park is in grave danger. Led by the scheming witch, Maleficent, a mysterious group of characters called the Overtakers is plotting to destroy Disney's beloved realm, and maybe more.

As much as I love Disney I just could not get into this book.

 

[threeboysmom]

#17 - The Dinner, Herman Koch -
Per Amazon - "An internationally bestselling phenomenon: the darkly suspenseful, highly controversial tale of two families struggling to make the hardest decision of their lives -- all over the course of one meal.

They call it a "European Gone Girl" but it is much more similar to Defending Jacob if anything. It was good but not as good as Gone Girl or Defending Jacob. I could not get as wrapped up in the suspense as the description.

Thanks! I added it to my summer list. Reviews weren't all that great on Goodreads, but I enjoyed both Gone Girl and Defending Jacob so much so I'll give it a try to form my own opinion.

Finished #14 of 50

Wheat Belly by William Davis

Having been a fan of Dr. Atkins and his way of eating, this book didn't really surprise me too much with his findings. I'm a huge advocate of eating low carb for a healthy diet/lifestyle. He goes one step further in that it's not necessarily "carbs" that are bad, but wheat (and other whole grains) are the main cause of diabetes and all sorts of other maladies/diseases.

Such a shame that diabetics are told to eat more whole grains when that is at the root of what caused their diabetes in the first place.

One note of surprise to me - 2 slices of whole wheat bread spikes your blood sugar more than eating a Snickers bar!!!!!! Wow, just wow. And yet here we are in America being told to consume unlimited quantities of whole wheat bread, pasta, crackers, cereals, etc.

I don't have a wheat allergy, nor do I have diabetes, but I will say this. Eliminating wheat from my diet has taken all my joint pain (elbows, knees, neck, hips) completely away!!

Next up: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

 

[Christine]

Thanks! I added it to my summer list. Reviews weren't all that great on Goodreads, but I enjoyed both Gone Girl and Defending Jacob so much so I'll give it a try to form my own opinion.

My mother REALLY enjoyed The Dinner so I put it on my list at the library. I'm anxious to get it.

 

[PigletsPal2]

Finished book #23- Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson

This is a fun YA book that takes place in Disney World. Great to read their adventures thru the parks & rides while being chased by villains & such.

In this fantastical thriller, five young teens tapped as models for theme park "guides" find themselves pitted against Disney villains and witches that threaten both the future of Walt Disney World and the stability of the world outside its walls. Using a cutting-edge technology called DHI--which stands for both Disney Host Interactive and Daylight Hologram Imaging--Finn Whitman, an Orlando teen, and four other kids are transformed into hologram projections that guide guests through the park. The new technology turns out, however, to have unexpected effects that are both thrilling and scary. Soon Finn finds himself transported in his DHI form into the Magic Kingdom at night. Is it real? Is he dreaming?
Finn's confusion only increases when he encounters Wayne, an elderly Imagineer who tells him that the park is in grave danger. Led by the scheming witch, Maleficent, a mysterious group of characters called the Overtakers is plotting to destroy Disney's beloved realm, and maybe more.

Glad to see another Kingdom Keepers fan! I'm on book #5, Kingdom Keepers - Shell Game. One of the many things I like about this series is that the characters age appropriately throughout the books; their "magic powers" also evolve through computer program upgrades, rather than just appearing when they happen to need them, as I found they did from time to time in the HP books (which I loved anyway!). I hope you enjoyed Disney After Dark enough to go on to #2, Disney at Dawn.

Queen Colleen

 

[ElizK]

I just finished Moon Over Manifest, which is actually YA fiction. I REALLY enjoyed this book. Just wanted to pass along the recommendation in case someone is looking for a book.

 

[Caseheidi]

Book 26 of 100 - Fairest (An Unfortunate Fairytale #2) by Chanda Hahn

Summary by Goodreads
In the sequel to UnEnchanted, Mina Grime discovers that all is not fair when it comes to the Fae and their tales, especially when they don’t all play by the rules. Barely surviving the Story’s first fairy tale quest, Mina still has hundreds to go before she can end the curse on her family. But a new player arises to challenge Mina while new rules revamp the game she has just barely begun to understand.
All the while, people are mysteriously disappearing, including Jared, whom Mina must finally determine to be friend or foe. And with the loss of her greatest weapon, Mina must try to outwit a deadly hunter. Can Mina survive the most difficult quest yet while protecting those she loves from falling victim to one of the lethal tales of all? Or will she become a pawn when she strikes a bargain with the Queen of Fae?

I enjoy this series. It is a quick read, and fun trying to figure out what stories are being told.

 

[nemofans]

Queen Colleen- Yes, I am already half way thru Kingdom Keepers #2. I will read all of them. It is a typical YA book w/the repetitiveness & all, but I love that I can picture exactly what they are talking about. I do wonder if the info in the book about all the behind the scenes stuff is accurate too. I find that interesting to read. I will look at Small World ride in a different light now!

 

[erincon23]

Continuing my "finished" list here:

24. Dragonfly in Amber - Diana Gabaldon
25. Voyager - Diana Gabaldon (rereading the series before the next book comes out in December)
26. High Noon - Nora Roberts
27. A Week in Winter - Rosamunde Pilcher -- GREAT! I'm interested in life of people during WWII, and this was very interesting, as well as being a great story.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

I am glad I am not the only diser that enjoys the YA books

 

[WowLookAtThat]

Book #32 The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler

Review: This book is about young women who had surrendered children for adoption due to family and social pressure in the years 1945-1973. The many stories were sad and full of complex emotions that are often left unsolved. The women were teenagers or in some cases in their early twenties and often sent a Home where they would give birth and then the child would be given away sometimes without the mother's full consent. The stories are heartbreaking and the author alternates between the stories and issues such as social stigma, double standards and birth control. The stories the women told are varied.

 

[Maridw]

Okay I think I am going to have to change my number. I am really not reading anywhere near what I normally do. Also I have been really a Kindle serial. I like the book, but it is not downloaded all at once, it has been done in Episodes. I got to where it had been updated to date and then have to go and read something else until the next episode is available. I don't think I am going to start another serial until I have all episodes. When I go back to it, I forget where I was and what was going on.

I have read Encrypted, 30 Pieces of Silver, and Havoc by Carolyn McCray. They were all really good. I want to get finished with the serial I am reading so that I can start Under the Dome by Stephen King before the program comes on tv in June.

I am trying to read while I am at the doctor's office and such, but I am still not reading a lot. Hopefully I can get with it and reach my original goal.

 

[portia9]

Goal 100

#45 Daughter of the Bamboo Forest by Sheng-Shih Lin-wouldn't really recommend this. I enjoy stories about historical China but this wasn't great.

#46 Lavender Road by Helen Carey-set during WW2 in a London street called Lavender Road and follows the lives of the inhabitants. I downloaded this to my kindle along with two sequels. I really enjoyed this book and the characters in it. Often I like a break between books in a series but I wanted to keep reading about the characters so went straight onto the second one which is called Some Sunny Day.

 

[Glynis]

Goal - 100 books

Book #27 - "A Salty Piece of Land" by Jimmy Buffett

From the book jacket: "It's not on any chart, but the tropical island of Cayo Loco is the perfect place to run away from all your problems. If you're looking for a license to chill, come along as cowboy Tully Mars takes his pony to the shore - on an unforgettable Caribbean adventure as colorful and wonderfully bizarre as cocktail hour at your favorite expatriate bar."

This book is jammed full of wonderfully inventive characters. That makes it sound like they would be cartoonish, but really, they were so lifelike! I fell in love with this book very quickly! I was sad to see it end, even though the end was pretty formulaic. I didn't mind, though, because the rest of the story was so well put together, that it let me escape the dreary wintry days we've been experiencing, and took me to the tropics! Highly recommended!

Next up: The Kingdom Keepers 4: Power Play

 

[PigletsPal2]

Goal: 52 books this year

#26 down and done. Half-way there!

Foul Play at Four by Ann Purser is the twelfth in the series about Lois Meade, the owner of a house cleaning business in Long Farnden, an idyllic English village. A series of robberies, including one at Lois' own daughter's general store, begins to plague the little village, and when Lois' husband is severely injured when interrupting an attempted robbery at the local magistrate's house, things really get personal.

Working with the local police inspector, who is not-so-secretly in love with Lois, she must learn who's behind these robberies and clean up after a particularly violent crime spree.

This is a fun series, a lighter version of my usual murder-and-mayhem, death-and-destruction genre preference.

Queen Colleen

 

[willowsnn3]

Goal 72

#26 Songs of the Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult

A complex tale of love, friendship and family history told by 5 different characters in this book. Pretty good.
I never thought of reading Jodi Picoult because I thought her books were all just romance. So after hearing so many times about how good her books are I decided to start with her first novel and was pleasantly surprised how good it was.
Also currently reading (almost finished) Comes a Horseman by Robert Liparulo.

 

[RunningGirl]

I'm way behind on my posting and don't have much time to read, either! Here are my updates:

22: Brave New World - Aldous Huxley (read it way back in high school first)
23: I Know This Much is True - Wally Lamb
24: Flight Behavior - Barbara Kingsolver

I enjoyed Flight Behavior, although it was not my all time favorite Kingsolver book. I thought it had a rather slow start.

Up next? I don't know...