2013 BOOK CHALLENGE! Are you in?

[PigletsPal2]

Congrats!!

Congratulations on the new baby! Now, have your doctor tell your family that for your health, you must have one hour of uninterrupted quiet time all to yourself every day. Then you can read the rest of your books!

Queen Colleeb

 

[CaliBear]

Goal: 40

Book 6 The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

First, here's Amazon's summary:

When Barry Fairbrother dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…. Pagford is not what it first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the town’s council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations? Blackly comic, thought-provoking and constantly surprising, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults.

I'm giving this 4 stars. There are some issues: the sexual references are often comical when I don't think they were supposed to be and their inclusion plus excessive social issues thrown into the plot make it seem like Rowling was trying a bit too hard to prove she could write something edgier than Harry Potter. On the plus side, Rowling writes great characters and is skillful at managing a large cast. Not surprisingly, her best characters are the teenagers that populate the story. A likable adult might have made the book a little stronger.

 

[jenny105]

Ohhhhh just noticed this! I just preordered the collectors set for 10! Can't wait till the show this summer!

I'm going to see them too. Which show are you going to?

I'm giving this 4 stars. There are some issues: the sexual references are often comical when I don't think they were supposed to be and their inclusion plus excessive social issues thrown into the plot make it seem like Rowling was trying a bit too hard to prove she could write something edgier than Harry Potter. On the plus side, Rowling writes great characters and is skillful at managing a large cast. Not surprisingly, her best characters are the teenagers that populate the story. A likable adult might have made the book a little stronger.

That's exactly how I felt about this book except I didn't like it half as much as you did. I thought it was depressing and I didn't like many of the characters. Hard to like a book when you're not rooting for anyone in it!

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Book 12 sweet dreams

As Christy's senior year draws to a close, life becomes a mixture of happy days and-Sweet Dreams
After a difficult year full of tension, hard work as yearbook photographer, and studying for finals, Christy Miller is relieved to see the school year come to an end. Christy and Katie have made a commitment to do their best to put the past behind them and move on, and Christy's long-held dreams of growing closer to Todd are coming true.

But despite the romantic turns the summer is taking, not all is sweetness and light. Christy begins to feel torn between her desire to be with Todd and to support Katie through some difficult decisions. And the hardest of all sneaks up and catches Christy by surprise. Suddenly she finds herself having to make what might be the most difficult decision of her life one that could bring an end to every sweet dream she ever possessed. Will Christy find the strength to do what she knows in her heart is right?

 

[willowsnn3]

Goal 72

#21 Into The Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes
I really enjoyed this book. Well as much as you can enjoy a book with this subject matter. Kept me interested all the way thru. I think it has been recommeded & reviewed already so I'll just say that I give it 5 stars.

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #18: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Great book! It has a similar feel to Hunger Games. I liked that it takes place in a Chicago that is destroyed. Looking forward to reading the next book in this series. Those of you interested, the 3rd book in this series will be released in Oct.

In Beatrice Priors dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtueCandor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really isshe cant have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really areand where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

 

[nemofans]

I think I need to bump up my goal to 50 since I am already almost half way through by April.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

If I can I want to bump my goal up to 22 I found a really cool author

 

[WowLookAtThat]

Book #25 War Brides by Helen Bryan

Review: I got this one for free and usually I don't expect much from the free kindle books (I just got a new one after an accident with the last Kindle) but War Brides wasn't so bad. I did find some of the phrasing the author used to be a bit off and some parts of the story is rushed but all in all I did like this one. There are some editing issues in the Kindle version. The story is engaging and always changing.

The book is about five women who live in a small town in England during WWII. Elsie, Tanni,Evangeline, Alice and Frances face difficulties such as rations, husbands leaving for the war and their own personal struggles. The women are independent and diligent in the war effort. However, this book is described as a romance novel but I didn't see it that way. There are romances in the story but I felt it was in the back round and it is really the story of the five women that is more prevalent.
I totally suggest it!

 

[runsandjumps]

Found a new author I really enjoy. Meg Cabot.

I think I just read about 5 of her books in a row- and I am about to start another.

I think I have definitely made my goal of 25 books. I just can't remember all the titles.

Don't you hate that? I often forget the title right away, I just remember the story line. I often check out the same books and then read a few pages only to realize my mistake.

 

[CaliBear]

That's exactly how I felt about this book except I didn't like it half as much as you did. I thought it was depressing and I didn't like many of the characters. Hard to like a book when you're not rooting for anyone in it!

That's interesting that we came to the same conclusion, but had such different liking of the book. I think it helped that I had very low expectations. I knew it had received mixed reviews and I put off reading it for months as a result. I agree there are no likable adults, but I rooted for all but one of the teenagers. I think JK should do YA lit. She really seems to get the teenage mindset and her pet issue of empathy would resonate with a lot of teens, I believe.

 

[Ginny Favers]

My book #16/50 was PANIC by Sharon Draper

Diamond knows not to get into a car with a stranger.



But what if the stranger is well-dressed and handsome? On his way to meet his wife and daughter? And casting a movie that very night—a movie in need of a star dancer? What then?



Then Diamond might make the wrong decision.



It’s a nightmare come true: Diamond Landers has been kidnapped. She was at the mall with a friend, alone for only a few brief minutes—and now she’s being held captive, forced to endure horrors beyond what she ever could have dreamed, while her family and friends experience their own torments and wait desperately for any bit of news.



From New York Times bestselling author Sharon Draper, this is a riveting exploration of power: how quickly we can lose it—and how we can take it back.

This was, how shall I say it, "old-school YA". For those of you who haven't read YA since you were a kid, you won't know what I'm talking about. YA has come a long way in only a few years. Even as recently as 7 or 8 years ago, YA books were either very light and cute, or problem novels, with a definite "lesson" to be taught to the reader. Now, the YA out there is much more mature, and treats young people with a lot more respect.

I read this novel quickly, but I found the teen slang to be so annoying, and some of the things the characters did and said were pretty unbelievable and like they were 6 instead of 16... so it reminded me a lot of the old type of YA. But I was still entertained!

 

[Glynis]

Goal - 50 books

Book #24 - "The Candy Shop War: the Arcade Catastrophe" by Brandon Mull

This book picks up where the first one ends. 4 friends, joined by a new girl, continue with their quest to rid their town of evil magicians. There are adventures, danger, and a lot of fun in this book.

I recommend this book highly! Brandon Mull is a gifted author who knows his audience, and how to keep them hooked! My 13 year old son and I read this together, and it became one of our favorites!

Book #25 - "The Witches" by Roald Dahl.

Real witches look just like everyone else! That's what makes this book so fun! Luke and his Grandma have no idea they've gone on holiday to the very resort where the Grand High Witch is holding a retreat with all the witches in England. Luke becomes a victim of the witches, and then turns the tables on them!

If you like Roald Dahl, you'll find this a very typical book by him! It's engaging, and delightful. My 11 year old twin girls and I read this book together, and it inspired my non-reader to check out more of his books, and my avid reader to continue on with books a little more on her level. Love that!

Next up: finishing "Oracle Bones" and "Team of Rivals" I just have to force myself to do it! I also need to read "Emma" for my book club.

 

[amberg93]

Finished two books since the last time I was here.

4) Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. Took a while to get into it, but it was good once I found a character I liked. It does have two sequels which I will read at a later point but am currently holding off on.

5) The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks. Such a great book. I'm a huge Sparks fan.

And I started on Divergent by Veronica Roth.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

I just finished #4 Above All Love by Julie Ackerman Link.

Its a faith based book and it was very encouraging to me.

I won it from the publisher and they asked me to do a little review on their facebook page. I have never done a book review before so I hope what I wrote was ok for them.

Gotta get reading. I have won so many books lately (none from Goodreads) so I have a lot on my TBR pile!

 

[jenny105]

Finished book #18: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Great book! It has a similar feel to Hunger Games. I liked that it takes place in a Chicago that is destroyed. Looking forward to reading the next book in this series. Those of you interested, the 3rd book in this series will be released in Oct.
[/I]

Wait until you read Insurgent! Great book!

 

[dismom301930]

Goal = 40

Book #14 - Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (http://www.amazon.com/Between-Shade...485823&sr=8-1&keywords=between+shades+of+gray)
Excellent historical fiction, set in Russia during WWII. Main character is a 15 year old girl Lina who is deported from Lithuania, along with her family. It is a YA book, but I highly recommend for all ages.

 

[nemofans]

Jenny105- I can't wait to read Insurgent, but I am #6 on the waiting list for it.

 

[Caseheidi]

Book 20 of 100

Isolation (Partials Sequence #0.5) by Dan Wells

Summary by Goodreads:
Two decades before the events of Partials, the world was locked in a different battle for survival: a global war for the last remaining oil reserves on the planet. It was for the Isolation War that the American government contracted the ParaGen Corporation to manufacture the Partials—our last hope in reclaiming energy independence from China. And it was on these fields of battle that the seeds of humanity's eventual destruction were sown.

Isolation takes us back to the front lines of this war, a time when mankind’s ambition far outstripped its foresight. Heron, a newly trained Partial soldier who specializes in infiltration, is sent on a mission deep behind enemy lines. What she discovers there has far-reaching implications—not only for the Isolation War, but for Partials and humans alike long after this war is over.

A powerful take of our world on the brink, Isolation gives readers a glimpse into the history from which Partials was born—as well as clues to where the Partials Sequence is heading next.

This story happens before book 1 began, but helps to introduce a new character for book 2. It is a short read, and to be honest, if I had read this before book 1, I am not sure how I would have felt about going on in the series. It is good, intriguing even, but a little different. Having read it after book 1, it helps to understand a whole group of people better. I would recommend reading it out of order (or in the order it was written) the whole series is worth reading.

 

[Caseheidi]

Book 21 of 100 - Fragments (Partials Sequence book #2) by Dan Wells

Summary by Goodreads:
Kira Walker has found the cure for RM, but the battle for the survival of humans and Partials is just beginning. Kira has left East Meadow in a desperate search for clues to who she is. That the Partials themselves hold the cure for RM in their blood cannot be a coincidence--it must be part of a larger plan, a plan that involves Kira, a plan that could save both races. Her companions are Afa Demoux, an unhinged drifter and former employee of ParaGen, and Samm and Heron, the Partials who betrayed her and saved her life, the only ones who know her secret. But can she trust them?

Meanwhile, back on Long Island, what's left of humanity is gearing up for war with the Partials, and Marcus knows his only hope is to delay them until Kira returns. But Kira's journey will take her deep into the overgrown wasteland of postapocalyptic America, and Kira and Marcus both will discover that their greatest enemy may be one they didn't even know existed.

The second installment in the pulse-pounding Partials saga is the story of the eleventh hour of humanity's time on Earth, a journey deep into places unknown to discover the means--and even more important, a reason--for our survival.

This is a story that leaves you wanting more. I am ready for book 3, but book 2 came out last month. I really hate waiting for the next book!