2013 BOOK CHALLENGE! Are you in?

[mike92]

Reading more is a great New Year "New Me" Goal! Count me in. Maybe a book a month for me

 

[PigletsPal2]

Books #2 and #3 down and done!

2. A Sunless Sea by Anne Perry. As Commander of the River Police, William Monk is accustomed to violent death. But the mutilated female body found on Limehouse Pier one chilly December morning moves him with horror and pity. She must be a prostitute, but described by her neighbors as quiet and kempt, she doesn't appear to be a fallen woman. What sinister secrets would have made poor Zenia Gadney worth killing? And why does the government keep interfering in Monk's investigation? Set in 1864 London, this book, like all of Perry's books, is rich in character development, environment, and deeply knowledgeable of British police and private investigations. The courtroom scenes are spellbinding. This book is five stars out of five stars.

3. Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear, second in the Maisie Dobbs series, finds Maisie in London in the Spring of 1930 being hired to find a runaway heiress. When three of the heiress' old friends are found dead, Maisie must race to find out who would kill these seemingly respectable young women before it's too late. As Maisie investigates, she discovers that the answers lie in the unforgettable agony of the Great War. Again, five stars out of five stars.

Note: If these series look interesting to you, I'd suggest starting with the first one in each, in order to really understand the major characters. They're quite complex and knowing their backgrounds greatly enhances one's enjoyment of future books in the series.

Jacqueline Winspear - Maisie Dobbs
Anne Perry - The Face of a Stranger

Anne Perry also has another series featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, set in the late 1800's; the first novel of this series is The Cater Street Hangman, which recounts Thomas and Charlotte's first meeting. It was also made into a BBC made-for-TV movie, which is occasionally available on Amazon.

I think there are nine Maisie Dobbs books and there are 18 William Monk and 25 Thomas and Charlotte Pitt books.

Hey, I could complete my goal of 52 books with just these two authors! (But that would be cheating as I've already read all the Anne Perry books.)

Anyway, happy reading! Off to start #4!

Queen Colleen

 

[chiefmickeymouse]

I finally finished 11/22/63 my #1. I enjoyed this book and it reminded me of the Stephen King of old. I especially loved the ending.

Next up for my #2 book is Preston and Childs latest Agent Pendergast book ~ Two Graves

ETA ~ I read 11/22/63 on my kindle

I just finished this one two. I think I'm going for Gone Girl next. It took me longer than I expected to finish 11/22/63. I might have to adjust my goal or find shorter books....

 

[Swimnoid]

I finally finished 11/22/63 my #1. I enjoyed this book and it reminded me of the Stephen King of old. I especially loved the ending.

Next up for my #2 book is Preston and Childs latest Agent Pendergast book ~ Two Graves

ETA ~ I read 11/22/63 on my kindle

I love the Pendergast books! I love anything by Preston/ Childs or even the books they write on their own. All of them are so interesting and on many different topics. I have to catch up on the Pendergast series though before I get to Two Graves. Have you tried the Gideon series?

 

[disneyfanforever]

#3 11/22/63 Stephen King

I finally finished 11/22/63 as well. What a fantastic book! It was one of the longest books I have read in quite some time, but it was well worth it.

Definitely a 5 star rating!

 

[nancycg56]

I love the Pendergast books! I love anything by Preston/ Childs or even the books they write on their own. All of them are so interesting and on many different topics. I have to catch up on the Pendergast series though before I get to Two Graves. Have you tried the Gideon series?

I haven't tried the Gideon series although it's on my list ~ have you tried it?

 

[kimblebee]

#1 50 Shades of Grey

I mostly read this book to see what the hype was about. Now that I've read it, all I can say is meh. I have no need to read the second and third books. I just don't care if they end up together. I'm not a prude by any stretch but the sex got to be too much for me. It was like oh good, here they go again LOL.

At first, it felt like there were parallels to the Twilight series ( which I loved btw..judge if you must ) and I found out later that this did start our as fan fiction.

I will give the book 3/5. I probably will read the rest of the series but I don't feel the same way as when I was reading Twilight or even HP. With those I'd finish the book and NEED to know what happened in the next book. Not so much with this.

Book 2 will be defending Jacob, base on recommendations made here.

 

[Swimnoid]

I haven't tried the Gideon series although it's on my list ~ have you tried it?

Yes. I like them. Not as good as Pendergast but still interesting.

 

[diznee25]

#1 50 Shades of Grey

I mostly read this book to see what the hype was about. Now that I've read it, all I can say is meh.

Same here, read it because everyone was talking about it, but I thought 'meh' too! And I didn't even get through the whole book. I just didn't care for it.

diznee25

 

[nancycg56]

Yes. I like them. Not as good as Pendergast but still interesting.

Good ~ I'll give them a try!

 

[phorsenuf]

Finished book #2 of 26
I Want it Now! A Memoir of Life on the Set of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

I'll give this 2.5 stars out of 5.

It was a quick read for sure. It contained copies of pictures and letters but they were not really suited to my kindle. If you have a kindle fire (or other tablet), then it would be better. Regardless, I didn't think it was all that well written and compared to other memoirs I've read it certainly paled in comparison. But if you are a Willy Wonka fan then you will find parts of the book interesting. Glad I got it for free and not for $9.99 because I don't think it was worth that.


(from Amazon)
Julie Dawn Cole has written an enchanting and richly illustrated memoir that offers a rare look behind the stage curtain to this ageless film. Splendidly illustrated with personal letters, never-seen-before photographs and documents; her mesmerizing story chronicles the entire production experience and tells of the remarkable journey of how she became known worldwide as a really bad egg. Filled with countless funny and touching memories, her story takes readers behind-the-scenes of Willy Wonka and the resulting coming of age journey that brought the cast together again after nearly a quarter century. I Want it Now takes readers beyond the world of pure imagination and behind the scenes to this universally cherished motion picture. A true-to-life Charlie Bucket tale, Julie's story is unforgettable...

 

[BearcatsFan]

Finished book #2 of 26
I Want it Now! A Memoir of Life on the Set of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

I'll give this 2.5 stars out of 5.

It was a quick read for sure. It contained copies of pictures and letters but they were not really suited to my kindle. If you have a kindle fire (or other tablet), then it would be better. Regardless, I didn't think it was all that well written and compared to other memoirs I've read it certainly paled in comparison. But if you are a Willy Wonka fan then you will find parts of the book interesting. Glad I got it for free and not for $9.99 because I don't think it was worth that.


(from Amazon)
Julie Dawn Cole has written an enchanting and richly illustrated memoir that offers a rare look behind the stage curtain to this ageless film. Splendidly illustrated with personal letters, never-seen-before photographs and documents; her mesmerizing story chronicles the entire production experience and tells of the remarkable journey of how she became known worldwide as a really bad egg. Filled with countless funny and touching memories, her story takes readers behind-the-scenes of Willy Wonka and the resulting coming of age journey that brought the cast together again after nearly a quarter century. I Want it Now takes readers beyond the world of pure imagination and behind the scenes to this universally cherished motion picture. A true-to-life Charlie Bucket tale, Julie's story is unforgettable...

ITA with your rating of this - I read it also (got it for free). I thought the pics would look better on a Kindle Fire or something in color (I have a keyboard). I thought it read more like her personal resume.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

scuse me while I kill this guy
Actully a good book. who knew a whole book about assains and turning there kids into assons could be so darn funny~!

blood sweat and tea
A good book if you enjoy reading about medics. This book is based on londons ambulance (true stories)and actully pretty good

curently reading... Im not sure LOL! I havent quite settled into a book

 

[Friend of a Mouse]

Book #2 out of 52: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
5 out of 5 stars.

This is the first book in the Mortal Instruments series and will be a movie in August. It is teen fantasy/romance. Clary is an ordinary girl who suddenly finds that she can see things most humans cannot see. After her mother is attacked, Clary learns that she is a Shadow Hunter, a race of people whose lives are devoted to protecting the "mundanes" from demons as well as other members of the Shadow World. Clary must learn about her past and her new identity in order to save her mother. I was rereading the book

Next book: Meg Origins by Steve Alten. This will be my first new book of the new year. This is a prequel to the Meg series. To me his books are god mindless reads. He focuses on a lot of cryptozoology and science fiction topics. His conspiracy theory books are over the tope and I won't read those, particularly because he claims to believe the premises. I do like his cryptozoology books (the Loch and the Meg series), but his Meg series gets a just a little more ridiculous with every book. I'm hoping since this is a prequel it won't be quite so ludicrous.

Does anybody have suggestions for other books of a similar nature? I really enjoyed The Loch, I think it is my favorite. I also like Roland Smith's Cryptid Hunters and Tentacles, although those are geared more towad the upper elementary/lower middle school crowd.

 

[penguin1102]

Goal 70

#3 City of Bones by Michael Connelly

From the back cover:
On New Year's Day, a dog finds a bone in the Hollywood Hills and unearths a murder committed more than twenty years earlier. It's a cold case, but for Detective Harry Bosch, it stirs up memories of his childhood as an orphan. He can't let it go. As the investigation takes Bosch deeper into the past, a beautiful rookie cop brings him alive in the present. No official warning can break them apart or prepare Bosch for the explosions when the case takes a few hard turns. Suddenly all of L.A. is in an uproar, and Bosch, fighting to keep control, is driven to the brink of an unimaginable decision.

I have never read anything by this author before so I had no expectations going in. I was really surprised with some of the twists and turns of this book. I would give it 5 stars.

 

[threeboysmom]

I want in! I plan on reading 25 books this year. So far I've finished two: If I Stay by Gayle Forman and Burned by Sara Shepard (yes I'm 30 and I'm a PLL fan lol). Next up is NKOTB: 5 Brothers and a Million Sisters.

I can't believe I kept forgetting to join! Is it too late???

Well, in case it's not, here's my goal...25. I don't read as much as I used to since my work hours have changed.

***I changed my original goal from 18 to 25 because 18 seemed to easy for me. That's my average for a slow reading year. I'm going to try to really challenge myself. I'm thinking I'll get myself a new Kindle if I reach it!

Reading more is a great New Year "New Me" Goal! Count me in. Maybe a book a month for me

Welcome to the three of you!

Updated up through this point. Please make sure your name & book count is listed and listed correctly!

I just finished this one two. I think I'm going for Gone Girl next. It took me longer than I expected to finish 11/22/63. I might have to adjust my goal or find shorter books....

Gone Girl is fairly short - I think it was around 350 pages. It's a quick read. You won't be able to put it down.

#1 50 Shades of Grey

Book 2 will be defending Jacob, base on recommendations made here.

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this book!

 

[Christine]

Updated up through this point. Please make sure your name & book count is listed and listed correctly!

I think you missed me a few pages back. I signed up for 24 books.

 

[Ginny Favers]

I just finished my 5th book, which is a book my friend wrote. I probably won't count books that I critique, since I do a lot of those, but since this one is published, I will count it!

Now... I have no clue what to read. I think Maybe The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa.

 

[threeboysmom]

I think you missed me a few pages back. I signed up for 24 books.

Arg! I'm so sorry! I didn't go back far enough on my last update!

Thanks for letting me know that I missed you!

24 books is a great goal - that's 2 books a month! That's about what I average, although I'm really pushing myself this year to read 30 because I just have way too many books on my "to read" list and it's BUGGING me! lol

 

[PigletsPal2]

Reading goal: 52

Book #4 down and done.

4. The Kingdom Keepers IV - Power Play by Ridley Pearson. This is a truly Disney-themed series about five kids (who age appropriately throughout the series), who are initially recruited to be the models for Digital Holographic Images (DHIs) which will serve as guides around the parks. As the series unfolds through books 1-4, the kids gradually learn of the special powers they have as DHIs and join forces with a select group of Imagineers who are trying to keep WDW from being taken over by a renegade group of Disney villians called, appropriately, the Overtakers. The Overtakers are led by Maleficent and Chernabog.

There's a lot of technical stuff in the books, but you also get a lot of looks behind the scenes. This is probably classified as a YA series, but I loved it. I'll buy #5 as soon as it comes out in paperback. I give it (and the whole series so far!) a five out of five.

Queen Colleen