2013 BOOK CHALLENGE! Are you in?

[Cogswel_Cogs]

This is the last day that I could gift copies away(Kindle), as I am raising prices and it would be to costly to do so afterward.
If anyone is interested please let me know.

You can see reviews for at Goodreads or Amazon.

Cemetery Girl by J Cognard(there are two)
Three Twigs for the Campfire

You can see reviews for them at Goodreads or Amazon.

 

[Kewz1]

Finished book 5/24 the other day!

New York by Edward Rutherfurd - I enjoyed it but I have enjoyed all his books like this. Here's the info from bn.com:

Edward Rutherfurd celebrates America’s greatest city in a rich, engrossing saga, weaving together tales of families rich and poor, native-born and immigrant—a cast of fictional and true characters whose fates rise and fall and rise again with the city’s fortunes. From this intimate perspective we see New York’s humble beginnings as a tiny Indian fishing village, the arrival of Dutch and British merchants, the Revolutionary War, the emergence of the city as a great trading and financial center, the convulsions of the Civil War, the excesses of the Gilded Age, the explosion of immigration in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the trials of World War II, the near demise of New York in the 1970s and its roaring rebirth in the 1990s, and the attack on the World Trade Center. A stirring mix of battle, romance, family struggles, and personal triumphs, New York: The Novel gloriously captures the search for freedom and opportunity at the heart of our nation’s history.

I picked up The Other Boleyn Girl by Philipa Gregory from B&N for about $4 yesterday. It's a bit longer than what I was looking for after reading the one above but here I go anyways...

Kristen

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

It's SNOWING like crazy here today, a perfect day for curling in front of the fire with a book all day!!

 

[wvjules]

I just finished #11 - Into the Darkest Corner.

Next up is Before I Go to Sleep.

 

[PigletsPal2]

Finished book 5/24 the other day!

New York by Edward Rutherfurd - I enjoyed it but I have enjoyed all his books like this. Here's the info from bn.com:

Edward Rutherfurd celebrates America’s greatest city in a rich, engrossing saga, weaving together tales of families rich and poor, native-born and immigrant—a cast of fictional and true characters whose fates rise and fall and rise again with the city’s fortunes. From this intimate perspective we see New York’s humble beginnings as a tiny Indian fishing village, the arrival of Dutch and British merchants, the Revolutionary War, the emergence of the city as a great trading and financial center, the convulsions of the Civil War, the excesses of the Gilded Age, the explosion of immigration in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the trials of World War II, the near demise of New York in the 1970s and its roaring rebirth in the 1990s, and the attack on the World Trade Center. A stirring mix of battle, romance, family struggles, and personal triumphs, New York: The Novel gloriously captures the search for freedom and opportunity at the heart of our nation’s history.

I picked up The Other Boleyn Girl by Philipa Gregory from B&N for about $4 yesterday. It's a bit longer than what I was looking for after reading the one above but here I go anyways...

Kristen

I've read The Other Boleyn Girl, but New York sounds right up my alley! Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[threeboysmom]

I'd love to join! My goal for 2013 is 25 books!!

Currently reading The Hobbit.

Welcome!! So glad you could join us! I've added you to the list!

 

[tiggrbaby]

I think I'll try to find that one, although I left middle age many years ago (I'm 66 y.o.!) Thanks for the recommendation.

Queen Colleen

Believe it or not, she was talking about turning 60! But many of her observations apply to any changes in life.

 

[Swimnoid]

25 of 75

Magic Street--Orson Scott Card

From Card's website (hatrack.com)

"In a peaceful, prosperous African American neighborhood in Los Angeles, Mack Street is a mystery child who has somehow found a home . Discovered abandoned in an overgrown park, raised by a blunt-speaking single woman, Mack comes and goes from family to family -- a boy who is at once surrounded by boisterous characters and deeply alone. But while Mack senses that he is different from most, and knows that he has strange powers, he cannot understand how unusual he is until the day he sees, in a thin slice of space, a narrow house. Beyond it is a backyard -- and an entryway into an extraordinary world stretching off into an exotic distance of geography, history, and magic.

Passing through the skinny house that no one else can see, Mack is plunged into a realm where time and reality are skewed, a place where what Mack does seems to have strange effects on the "real world" of concrete, cars, commerce, and conflict. Growing into a tall, powerful young man, pursuing a forbidden relationship, and using Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream as a guide into the vast, timeless fantasy world, Mack becomes a player in an epic drama. Understanding this drama is Mack's challenge. His reward, if he can survive the trip, is discovering not only who he really is . . . but why he exists.

Both a novel of constantly surprising entertainment and a tale of breathtaking literary power, Magic Street is a masterwork from a supremely gifted, utterly original American writer -- a novel that uses realism and fantasy to delight, challenge, and satisfy on the most profound levels."


Card writes on a lot of different subjects. Some of his books I love and some not so much. This was a really good one. Although at times in the middle it would get kind of boggy.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

I highly recommend today's NOOK deal, "Running for my Life" by Lopez Lomong for $2.99.

Lopez was a Lost Boy from the Sudan whose dream was to run in the Olympics. Thanks, in part, to being adopted by American parents, Lopez was able to fulfill his dream. Just this week, Lopez broke the American record for the indoor 5000 meter!

The book is great for runners or just anyone interested in a great inspirational and uplifting story. I can't begin to tell you what an amazing individual Lopez is, and his story is as amazing as the individual!!!!

Enjoy!

 

[RunningGirl]

I highly recommend today's NOOK deal, "Running for my Life" by Lopez Lomong for $2.99.

Lopez was a Lost Boy from the Sudan whose dream was to run in the Olympics. Thanks, in part, to being adopted by American parents, Lopez was able to fulfill his dream. Just this week, Lopez broke the American record for the indoor 5000 meter!

The book is great for runners or just anyone interested in a great inspirational and uplifting story. I can't begin to tell you what an amazing individual Lopez is, and his story is as amazing as the individual!!!!

Enjoy!

Thanks for the recommendation! I've downloaded it, but I just got 2 library ebooks that I was waitlisted for, so it will be a while before I get to it.

 

[portia9]

Goal 100

Book #35 A Heart for Milton by Trudy Brasure

A continuation of Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South and fairly well done.

 

[portia9]

[/B]

Oooh, I'm the one who recommended this book, many posts ago! I do hope you enjoyed it and that you'll read Vols. 2-4! But if it wasn't your cup of tea, no worries; it's not for everyone.

Queen Colleen

I did like it. It was fascinating to see inside her thoughts. She was a grumpy one though and I did feel sorry for her husband at times

 

[RunningGirl]

Well, I put aside The Lemon Tree as I had some ebooks on hold at the library come in. I've now completed #20 - Rituals of the Season by Margaret Maron (Book 11 in the Deborah Knott series). I really enjoy these books - good stories but easy reads.

 

[willowsnn3]

Goal 72

#17 Touch & Go by Lisa Gardner

Absolutely the best book so far this year!! I love Lisa Gardner's books, she just can't write them as fast as I can read them, lol.

This is a story of a family of 3 kidnapped from their supposedly inpenetrable townhouse in Boston. Father had been having an affair but was trying to make amends to his wife who was trying to handle the news of the affair by taking prescription pain meds. Meanwhile 15 year old daughter has secrets of her own. Great book!!

 

[WowLookAtThat]

Book 19 Dear Zari: The Secret Lives of the Women of Afghanistan
by Zarghuna Kargar

Review: The book was fascinating and told the stories of the secret lives of Afghan women. The lives of these women are varied and there is so much heartbreak among the lives of the different women. One example is about a young mother who thought she was happy with her husband and daughter until an explosion took her leg. Thrown out of her home and barred from her child, the woman suffers but she survives. In a book about heartbreak, human suffering and anger the biggest message in Dear Zari is that despite everythig these women fought to survive.

This book was radically different for me because it is about a society that I know little about and so it was an eye-opener for me. Zari is a brave woman who shares her experiences and tells the story in a compassionate tone. I do suggest it for a different experience.

 

[PigletsPal2]

Goal: 52 books this year

#18 down and done.


The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny (yes, I'm back on that wagon!) Chaos is coming, old son. With those words, the peace of Three Pines is shattered. Everybody goes to Olivier's Bistro--including a stranger whose murdered body is found on the floor. When Chief Inspector Gamache is called to investigate, he is dismayed to discover that Olivier's story is full of holes.

Gamache follows a trail of clues and treasures--from first editions of Charlotte's Web and Jane Eyre to a spiderweb with a word mysteriously woven into it--into the woods and across the continent, before returning to Three Pines to confront the truth and the final, brutal telling.

Penny hits another home run with this novel and to put icing on the cake, Chapter One of her next book follows the ending of this one! No fair! I've gotta get to a bookstore!

Queen Colleen

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Island dreamer by amazon

With Island Dreamer, Christy is spending her sixteenth birthday in Hawaii with her entire family and her friend Paula. The beautiful weather, the gorgeous flowers-she can hardly believe her good fortune-especially when she discovers that her aunt and uncle have flown Todd out, too. What should be one of the happiest times of her life turns into disaster when Christy isn't the only one who is warmed by Todd's good looks. Paula is determined to win him over and Christy struggles not to let jealousy and fear overcome her love for her friend.

On to book 8 A heart full of hope

 

[threeboysmom]

Goal 72

#17 Touch & Go by Lisa Gardner

Absolutely the best book so far this year!! I love Lisa Gardner's books, she just can't write them as fast as I can read them, lol.

This is a story of a family of 3 kidnapped from their supposedly inpenetrable townhouse in Boston. Father had been having an affair but was trying to make amends to his wife who was trying to handle the news of the affair by taking prescription pain meds. Meanwhile 15 year old daughter has secrets of her own. Great book!!

Have added this one to my list. Thanks for the review!

 

[Caseheidi]

Book 12 of 100


He'll Hounds are for Suckers by Jessica McBrayer

I gave this one 2 stars. It was a quick, quirky read that I got free on Amazon. Hannah is a Vampire living in San Francisco who is lonely. She discovers a young dog one night in the cemetery who won't leave her alone. She soon discovers that her dog is really a Hell Hound who belongs to a Deamon named Diel.

I found the story to be predictable and poorly written. If your looking for a bit of fluff, and like vampires then you might enjoy it.

 

[Caseheidi]

Book 13 of 100


Breathe by Sarah Crossen

I gave this book 4 stars. Breathe is a YA Dystopian book. Not sure why, but I love this type of story. In Breathe, all the trees are gone, and society has killed the ocean, leaving Earth with only 6% oxygen. A corporation named Breathe found a way to make oxygen, and has created a pod for the survivors to live in while the planet recovers and produces enough oxygen to sustain life again. The resistance thinks that Breathe doesn't want the planet to recover, and is growing their own grove of trees to survive.
Quinn and Bea set out on a camping trip outside if the pod, when Alina begs for their help. Bea has loved her best friend Quinn for some time, but like most 16 yr old boys, he is oblivious. He is facinated by Alina and agrees to help her escape the pod. Quinn and Bea learn that life is not what they thought on their trip while Alina learns from them about caring for others.

I was hooked from the first chapter and really enjoyed this book.