2013 BOOK CHALLENGE! Are you in?

[dismom301930]

Book #21
New Goal = 50
(OP, since I am more than halfway to my original goal of 40, I am updating my goal to 50! Can you please make the change for me? Thanks!)

Signs of Life by Natalie Taylor (http://www.amazon.com/Signs-Life-Me...&qid=1366561750&sr=8-1&keywords=signs+of+life)
Natalie Taylor was 24 years old and 5 months pregnant when her husband died unexpectedly. This is her moving, heartbreaking, and yet at times funny account of her first year as a widow.

 

[Kathi OD]

OK, I can't remember when I last updated...I've been terribly irresponsible about it, sorry!

I just finished book #12 (I'm behind...maybe now that my busy time at school and mom & dad are back in their own home, I'll be able to read a bit more).

#12 - Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet - was pretty good. I gave it a 4/5 on Goodreads, but probably would have gone more 3.5, if I could. It's about a Chinese-American man who grew up in Seattle during WWII and became friends with and then fell in love with a Japanese-American girl, much to the displeasure of his father. Years later, after he has married a Chinese girl, he is encouraged to find his first love by his son and his fiance.

 

[ebtbmom]

I've been slack about posting, but I'm actually up to 5 books read (goal 15).

Five Children and It by E Nesbit: Loved it 4.5 stars! Children's story that is reminiscent of CS Lewis' work. Five siblings find a fairy that will grant them 1 wish per day. But as often happens, the wishes don't turn out as they hoped!

A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane: I'd give this 3, I finished it and was somewhat interested in the story, but I wouldn't say I loved it. It's basically about a PI hired to obtain stolen goods and he gets in the middle of a gang war. The theme of racial tension and dealing with one's own ideas was huge, but to me it kind of dated the book. He wrote Mystic River too, I think I'll try that before making a decision on this author.

Ghosts in the Graveyard by Kim Bowman: I'd give this 3.5. It is pretty short and an easy read. The story is not particularly original, but it held my attention. Every Halloween 3 siblings believe that ghosts are coming into their house from the nearby graveyard. They set out to prevent it this year.

 

[Swimnoid]

goal = 75

44. Totlandia: the Onesies (Book One) by Josie Brown
I got this as a free Kindle book. It was cute and funny. The story revolves around different people who are all trying to get their one year olds into an exclusive playgroup and what they have to do and the friendships they make. The only problem was that it is a series and of course I want to read more! But I dont want to read it enough to pay for all the installments. Supposedly the series will continue throughout their playgroup years.

45. Catch Me by Lisa Gardner
#6 of the DD Warren series. An interesting mystery about a woman who believes she is next in line to be murdered so she goes to the police first try to get help. There are some really good twists and turns but it was pretty easy to see where it would end up. Nonetheless I enjoyed it and will read more of this series.

 

[KrazyPete]

Goal - 24 books

Book #7 - Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson - I've read some Christian fiction and this felt a bit like that. It was a really good story but I sensed a bit of a religious agenda knitted through it. Here it's Islam rather than Christianity. The story is predictable at times. It takes so many turns that you have to be caught off guard by some of them even if you can see others coming from a mile away. It's the story of a computer hacker in a Middle Eastern nation who falls in love with a woman above his own social class, gets in trouble with the government and ends up in possession of an ancient manuscript that causes him to cross back and forth between our world and the unseen world of genies. I enjoyed it.

Next up - How about little help?
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
or
Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
or
On Writing by Stephen King

 

[threeboysmom]

Book #21
New Goal = 50
(OP, since I am more than halfway to my original goal of 40, I am updating my goal to 50! Can you please make the change for me? Thanks!)

Off to update you now! Nice work on your reading so far!

Goal - 24 books

Next up - How about little help?
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
or
Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
or
On Writing by Stephen King

Hmmm... I'd say Mystic River only because I have that same book on my "to read" and I'm wondering if it's any good (because I'm selfish like that, lol!)

Other than that, I'll throw an additional book in there since I know you enjoy magicians - The Night Circus.

Good luck!

 

[KrazyPete]

Other than that, I'll throw an additional book in there since I know you enjoy magicians - The Night Circus.

Are there any clowns in that circus book? Magicians are cool but I REALLY like clowns.

 

[nemofans]

Is The Host by Stephanie Meyer good?

 

[Ginny Favers]

I got on a New Adult kick for a little while there, so I read:

24/50: GOING UNDER by someone I can't remember
25/50: WAIT FOR YOU by J. Lynn

Okay, I think I am done with New Adult for the time being. They're all starting to run together. Girl gets with amazing and hot sexy guy who used to be a complete player and is now mysteriously obsessed with her, but she harbors some deep dark secret that is tearing them apart, so all she does is whine. Yet everyone still loves her, despite her whining, including the gay best friend whose main purpose is to provide comic relief.

Plus, so many typos!! Why do I keep going by the reviews on Amazon? Obviously all those reviewers don't mind derivative books with typos the way I do.

Now I am moving onto THE DEATH CURE by James Dashner but it's already driving me crazy because I read the first two books in the series too long ago and have absolutely NO CLUE what is going on!

 

[amberg93]

Is The Host by Stephanie Meyer good?

It's amazing. I seriously re-read half of the book after I finished because I enjoyed it that much. It takes a little bit to get into it, but you'll be glad that you did.

Finished number 12: City of Glass by Cassandra Clare. I enjoyed it and was surprised at some of the twists and turns that were thrown in. Overall, I'd recommend.

Up next: City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

 

[BearcatsFan]

13/30 - Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I loved this ... right up until the end. It was so exquisitely detailed I could see everything in my head throughout the entire book. The Midnight Dinners, the circus tents themselves, just everything was described in such great detail.

The ending was just ehhh. I don't know what happened. It's like the author was in a hurry and didn't know how to wrap it up. Up until about 90% in, I was completely absorbed, and then it just fell apart. I would love to see this as a movie (but with a slightly altered ending).

3.5/5 stars

I don't know what I'll read next. I'm waitlisted for a bunch of stuff at the library - hopefully something good will come through soon!

 

[PigletsPal2]

Goal: 52 books this year.

#s 27, 28, and 29 down and done.

#27 - The World According to Clarkson, Volume Three, For Crying Out Loud by Jeremy Clarkson. For anyone who's been driven to wonder just what is the matter with people these days, this is the perfect riposte. Surprising, fearless, and always laugh-out-loud funny, Clarkson's back. And he's got a point...

#28 - The Kingdom Keepers, Book V - Shell Game by Ridley Pearson. As the Kingdom Keepers enter high school, everything is about to change. As guests on the maiden voyage of the Disney Dream through the Panama Canal, the KKs are again charged with keeping the Overtakers (Disney villians and their recruits, distinguished by their emerald green eyes) from establishing their own evil kingdom within the Happiest Place on Earth. Warning! The ending is a cliff-hanger, practically guaranteeing that you must read Volume VI - Dark Passage.

#29 - Florida Heat by Rainy Kirkland. OK, I admit it. I only started reading this because it was a free Kindle download and because it was written by a dear childhood friend. Well, I was pleasantly surprised! Living in Central Florida (where I live!), best friends Jo (a probation officer) and Kate (a Sheriff's Office detective) often work on overlapping cases. Their current cases, however, are particularly nasty: a missing child and his murdered father. As they follow lead after lead with no results, the friends pick up new cases, which turn out to be connected with the child and his father

When I started this book, I wasn't very impressed but I vowed to finish it because I wanted to arrange to meet my friend for lunch and I couldn't face her if I hadn't completed the book. Well, I'm VERY glad I finished it. It was a good story, well-crafted and characters well developed. WARNING though: It's another cliff-hanger! I have to buy her next book to find out what happened!

Queen Colleen

 

[WowLookAtThat]

Book #34 The Confessions of Queen Cinderella by Anton Hur

Review: This book was such a waste of time and Kindle space. The concept could have been good. Years after Cinderella has married Charming,their country is under siege and at war. Cinderella is held in exile and her journal tells of how her life had been before and after the famed ball and is reflective. Now, this alone caught my attention but reading it was a different story.

Ok, let's start off that I felt that the book was not written with a conclusion in mind. The journal is supposed to be on the thoughts of Cinderella and how the fairy tale was not true but I found the writing to be disjointed, repetitive and dull. It dragged on and was just tedious. There is really no plot to speak of until more than halfway through the story and it felt rushed.

I do not feel that the story was well-written and it didn't go anywhere. Some reviews have mentioned that there was some philosophy in 'Confessions' but I found this to be uninteresting and only made me see that Cinderella as a useless consort.

 

[BearcatsFan]

14/30 - A Smudge of Gray by Jonathan Sturak

Thank goodness this was a freebie. I've been working on reading it for a while now and finally decided today to power through it. UGH. The storyline was interesting enough, but it started getting unbelievable in every sense of the word towards the end. I nearly gave up, but I had to find out how it ended ... I wish I had just given up.

In other words, don't bother!

1/5 stars

 

[PigletsPal2]

Goal: 52 books this year

#30 down and done.

Leaving Everything Most Loved by Jacqueline Winspear, is the latest in Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series.

In her latest case, Maisie is hired by an Indian businessman to investigate the death of his sister, who was in England employed as a governess to the children of a diplomat who had been posted to India. Mr Pramal feels that Scotland Yard has not been very proactive in their investigation, believing that one dead Indian woman in London is very much like another.

As Maisie conducts her investigation with the help of her assistants Billy and Sandra, she begins to have second thoughts about continuing her career and marrying James, the son of the aristocratic family for whom she worked many years ago as a maid. James' mother, the forward-thinking Lady Rowan, recognized a rare intelligence in the child Maisie and undertook to sponsor her education, from primary school through university.

As the investigation wraps up, Maisie must make several life-changing decisions: should she close her agency, putting Billy and Sandra out of work? Should she marry James? Should she succumb to her desire to travel, with a new-found special focus on India?

I love this series, one of three (I think) written by this author. The time frame in history interests me very much (the years between the two world wars), and Windspear is an excellent writer. I highly recommend this author and series; I would suggest that they be read in order as later books refer to events and people in earlier books.

Queen Colleen

 

[RunningGirl]

#25 done - a YA book that DS just finished and told me to read - "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak (author of "The Book Thief")

Here's the description:

protect the diamonds
survive the clubs
dig deep through the spades
feel the hearts

Ed Kennedy is an underage cabdriver without much of a future. He's pathetic at playing cards, hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey, and utterly devoted to his coffee-drinking dog, the Doorman. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery.

That's when the first ace arrives in the mail.

That's when Ed becomes the messenger.

Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary) until only one question remains: Who's behind Ed's mission?
A 2005 Michael L. Printz Honor Book and recipient of five starred reviews, I Am the Messenger is a cryptic journey filled with laughter, fists, and love.
​

This was a very interesting book, worth a read.

 

[Glynis]

Goal - 100 books

Book #28 "The Kingdom Keepers 5: Shell Game" by Ridley Pearson

I'm not going to review this book, as it was reviewed just a couple of days ago. I will say that I really enjoyed this book! This was darker and more tense than any of the other books. I can't wait for the next (last) book to be released! Does anyone know when that will be?

Next book: ??? I have 3 on hold at the library, but none have come in, yet. I suppose I could go back to "Team of Rivals", but I really haven't been enjoying it. So, I put it down for weeks at a time. I suppose I'll find something.

 

[stacy347]

Goal 45
Book #18

Chasing Windmills by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Amazon description:
From the bestselling author of Pay It Forward comes a provocative and unlikely love story that starts on a New York subway car and blossoms under the windmills of the Mojave Desert.Both Sebastian and Maria live in worlds ruled by fear. Sebastian, a lonely seventeen-year-old, is suffocating under his dominant father's control; Maria, a young mother of two, is trying to keep peace at home despite her boyfriend's abuse. When their eyes meet across a subway car one night, these two strangers find a connection that neither can explain or ignore. They dream of a new future and agree to run away together, only to find that each has kept a major secret from the other. In this tremendously moving novel, Catherine Ryan Hyde shows us how two people trapped by life's circumstances can break free and find a place in the world where love is genuine and selfless.


My thoughts:
This book could not have come into my life at a more opportune moment. It practically jumped out at me from the library shelf, as I was walking through the aisle.
This author is extremely intuitive (or possibly experienced?) when it comes to the psyche of damaged people.
When I got the book, I did not realize that she had also written Pay It Forward (I only saw the movie version of that one).
While two very different stories, she once again manages to balance tragedy with the ability to keep living life.

5/5 is my rating on this one.

 

[Ginny Favers]

26/50: THE TRUTH ABOUT YOU AND ME by Amanda Grace

Smart girls aren't supposed to do stupid things.

Madelyn Hawkins is super smart. At sixteen, she's so gifted that she can attend college through a special program at her high school. On her first day, she meets Bennet. He's cute, funny, and kind. He understands Madelyn and what she's endured—and missed out on—in order to excel academically and please her parents. Now, for the first time in her life, she's falling in love.

There's only one problem. Bennet is Madelyn's college professor, and he thinks she's eighteen—because she hasn't told him the truth.

The story of their forbidden romance is told in letters that Madelyn writes to Bennet—both a heart-searing ode to their ill-fated love and an apology.

This YA was so good, I could not stop reading. I read it in a few hours and cried at the end.

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #26- Kingdom Keepers 3-Disney in Shadow by Ridley Pearson

I am on to the 4th book in this series.