2013 BOOK CHALLENGE! Are you in?

[StephMK]

Ok, got my card renewed and my hold list was intact. Wish I had done that before Sharp Objects hold time was up so I could have checked it out!

#30 - Elly in Bloom - cute summer read. Woman leaves husband, starts new life owning a florist shop. It's about figuring out her future and coming to terms with her past. I worked in a flower shop years ago and liked reading about the arrangements. Light, easy read.

Anyway, I started Dark Places - wow, it is really, really dark. I love dark books & Gone Girl is one of my favs. But this one is dark in a different way somehow and I'm having trouble reading it in some parts. I'm going to finish it but don't think I'm going to like this one as much.

 

[BearcatsFan]

33/50 - The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman

I liked the book, the writing was great, but the storyline was so sad. The ending was as expected. I wish the author had ended it a little differently, at least made it slightly more upbeat.

4/5 stars

 

[Cantw8]

Just finished Lisa Gardner's Touch and Go. What a fantastic book, I loved it. So many twists and turns and never a dull moment. I never saw that ending coming. I can't wait to read some of her other books. Right now I am reading Ladies Night. It's ok, I'm hoping it gets better. I'm 29% through but seems the very beginning was as good as it gets

 

[phorsenuf]

#28 of 52
1930 by M.L. Gardner.
This is the second book in a series. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I do recommend the series so start with 1929. Looking forward to the next book.

From Amazon;
The long awaited second book in the 1929 Jonathan’s Cross trilogy.
It’s June, 1930 and life is harder than ever. The residents of Rockport, Massachusetts have just held a memorial service for Aryl Sullivan. Everyone searches for ways to cope and continue on with life, except his pregnant widow, Claire, who is devastated. Caleb drowns his sorrow in a bottle of whiskey and Jonathan anxiously awaits the birth of his child. Once again, Maura is put to work to see them past the worst of it, facing setbacks of her own.
As the gears of life slowly start to move again, new friends are made and old enemies return to finish what they started. At Maura’s inarguable insistence, Claire meets Gordon, a widower, and they begin to forge a bond through a common sorrow. As Claire begins to move on and accept her new life, Aryl returns. While a happy reunion at first, all is not as it seems with Aryl. As his self destruction becomes obvious to everyone, Jonathan and Caleb must do what they can to save their friend.

#29 of 52
Unintended Consequences by Marti Greene.
When I first started it I was a bit wishy washy as I didn't care for the writing and some of the repetitiveness. But as I went on it got so good and I couldn't put it down. Some things were pretty obvious of how things were going to go but it didn't really matter because it was so engrossing. Ended up staying up until 2:30 the other night to finish it. I'm really glad I stuck with it!

From Amazon;
Nineteen years ago, Indiana police found the body of a young girl, burned beyond recognition and buried in the woods. They arrested George Calhoun for murdering his daughter, and his wife testified against him at the trial. The jury convicted him. Now his appeals have been exhausted, and his execution is just a few weeks away.

George said he didn’t do it. That the body isn’t his little Angelina. But that’s all he’s ever said – no other defense, no other explanation.
Dani Trumball, an attorney for the Help Innocent Prisoners Project, wants to believe him. After all, there was no forensic evidence that the body in the woods was George’s daughter. But if the girl isn’t Angelina, then who is it? And what happened to the Calhouns’ missing daughter?
For nineteen years, George Calhoun has stayed silent. But that’s about to change, and the story he tells Dani—if it’s true—changes everything.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Goal-25 Completed-14

Inferno
Dan Brown

It has been summarized here already so I'll just give my review.

I did enjoy this book. It was the usual Dan Brown novel and I felt like this one kind of fizzled out in the end. It started off great...then slowed way down and I think the ending was rushed. Dante's Divine Comedy is some of my favorite reading so I LOVED the history and mystery of this story.

Plus...What a scary notion that WHOLE thing is!!!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Currently reading Book #44 of 65, "Sand Castle Bay". I'm ordinarily a Sherryl Woods fan and this doesn't disappoint-I know within the first few pages who's pairing up (either in this book or subsequent ones), I'm almost 40% thru and so far no steamy scenes, and it takes place near the ocean. What's not to love!? I think I might raise my goal to 75 books, but I'm thinking it should stay at 65 and I'll just secretly (well, it's no secret now!) hope for 75.

 

[SideshowBob]

Ok, got my card renewed and my hold list was intact. Wish I had done that before Sharp Objects hold time was up so I could have checked it out!

#30 -.

What a great thread ... had fun reading through and seeing many books that I have read/enjoyed and others that I was not aware of. I did like Gone Girl and thought about checking out the above. Would be great to hear what you think. I just finished Earth Afire by Orson Scott Card.

 

[Ginny Favers]

I was in a rut for awhile there! I think I left off at....

37/50: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Meh.

38/50: Wicked Games by Jessica Clare

Abby Lewis never pictured herself on the survival game show, Endurance Island. She's just not the 'survival' type. But when her boss offers her a spot on the show and the opportunity of a lifetime, she packs her bags and heads to the tropics to be a contestant.

Once in the game, it's clear that Abby's in over her head. The game itself is full of competitive, aggressive people, and no one's more aggressive than sexy, delicious - and arrogant - Dean Woodall. Sure he's clever, strong, good at challenges, and has a body that makes her mouth water. He also hates Abby just as much as she hates him. That's fine with her; she'll just ignore the jerk.

But the rules of Endurance Island are working against them. Abby and Dean are teamed up - alone - on the beach. It's either work together, or go home. Stuck with no one else's company but their own, they learn they do make a good team after all.

And that with just a little bit of kindling, the flames of hate can quickly turn to flames of passion. This book features enemies, lovers, enemies who become lovers, and lots and lots of tropical heat...

I read this because I love SURVIVOR, and it's pretty good, for a Kindle freebie!

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I was in a rut for awhile there! I think I left off at....

37/50: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Meh.

38/50: Wicked Games by Jessica Clare

Abby Lewis never pictured herself on the survival game show, Endurance Island. She's just not the 'survival' type. But when her boss offers her a spot on the show and the opportunity of a lifetime, she packs her bags and heads to the tropics to be a contestant.

Once in the game, it's clear that Abby's in over her head. The game itself is full of competitive, aggressive people, and no one's more aggressive than sexy, delicious - and arrogant - Dean Woodall. Sure he's clever, strong, good at challenges, and has a body that makes her mouth water. He also hates Abby just as much as she hates him. That's fine with her; she'll just ignore the jerk.

But the rules of Endurance Island are working against them. Abby and Dean are teamed up - alone - on the beach. It's either work together, or go home. Stuck with no one else's company but their own, they learn they do make a good team after all.

And that with just a little bit of kindling, the flames of hate can quickly turn to flames of passion. This book features enemies, lovers, enemies who become lovers, and lots and lots of tropical heat...

I read this because I love SURVIVOR, and it's pretty good, for a Kindle freebie!

I think I'd like this one! Thanks!

 

[tinkerbellfan6880]

Still on 41 out of 80 books. Didn't get to finish reading the books I mentioned in a previous post on here. Had to bring them back to the library because there couldn't be renewed again.

Now I am reading: The House Girl by Tara Conklin and The Giving Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini.

 

[Christine]

I just completed A Girl Like You by Maureen Lindley. I really enjoyed this book. It is about a half-Japanese girl who is a tough upbringing under her harsh father but loving Japanese mother. Her father enlists in World War II and ends up being killed at Pearl Harbor. The girl and her mother are sent of to a "camp" for anyoen with a drop of Japanese in their blood.

This story shows a shameful part of the U.S. history as well as showing the predjudices the girl must deal with for being half Japanese/half white.

The book has a quite a bit of sadness in it but also some hope, joy and recovery.

In the 1930s and '40s in Angelina, California, Satomi is the only girl with one white parent and one Japanese parent. There are Japanese families, but Satomi is neither a part of the white community nor the Japanese one. She is "other" to both. Things get worse for Satomi--and all people with even a drop of Japanese blood--when Japan poses a threat to the United States. Her father joins the Navy, in part to fight for his country, and in part to protect his wife and daughter from racist citizens, but dies in the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Rather than being celebrated as a hero, his death is ignored by the neighbors who shun Satomi and her mother. Shortly thereafter, they are taken to internment camps where they are treated like animals. Satomi's sudden loss of freedom is a terrible thing to bear, and she is disgusted by the utter lack of privacy, the open latrines, the sewage that runs behind their barrack, and the poorly built hovels that allow stinging dirt and dust to enter during frequent storms. But in the camp she finds a community for the first time. Not all of the Japanese residents welcome her, but Satomi and her mother find good friends in the family housed next to them in the barracks, and in the camp doctor, who is drawn to Satomi's spirit and her mother's grace. Satomi cares for Cora, one of the young orphans at the camp, as a daughter. Throughout it all, Satomi yearns for love. When she is finally freed from the internment camp, she heads east, finding a job, a shabby room, and several suitors in New York. There are men who would make her life easier, those who would take care of her, but Satomi insists on love--and finds it, in unexpected places.

 

[Caseheidi]

Been too long since I posted my updates here. Also, I have not been in much of a reading mood lately, so have fallen way behind on my reading goal.

Books 37, 38 & 39 of 100

Book 37: Happy Ever After (Bride Quartet #4) by Nora Roberts

Summary by Goodreads:
Parker Brown turned the quartet's childhood game of Wedding Day into their dream jobs. And now she's the face of Vows—the one who meets every bride's demands; keeps every event on schedule; and brings Emma's romantic flowers, Laurel's delicious treats, and Mac's stunning photgraphy together in one glorious package. She knows how to make dreams come true...

Mechanic Malcom Kavanaugh loves figuring out how things work, and Parker Brown—with her mile-long legs—is no exception. But as a good friend to Parker's brother, Mal knows that moving from minor flirtation to major hookup is a serious step.

No man has rattled Parker in a long time, but the motorcycle-riding, raven-haired Mal seems to have a knack for it. His passionate kisses always catch her of guard, much like her growing feelings for him. Parker's business risks have always paid off, but now she'll have to take the chance of a lifetime with her heart

As with the rest, I love these books.

Book 38: Pros and Cons (O'Hare and Fox #0.5) By Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg

Summary from Goodreads: Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg have teamed up for a dynamic new series featuring an FBI agent who’s on the hunt—and a master con artist who’s enjoying the chase. The con is on in this eBook original short story that’s a triumphant prequel to The Heist.

FBI special agent Kate O’Hare has made it her mission to nail international con artist Nicolas Fox. When she discovers his plot to plunder a venture capitalist’s twentieth-story Chicago penthouse of all its cash and treasures at the same time that the self-proclaimed “King of Hostile Takeovers” is getting married, Kate is 85 percent—okay maybe 92 percent—sure that she’s finally going to bag Nick Fox.

Problem is, first Kate has to convince her boss, building security, and maybe even herself, that wedding planner Merrill Stubing is actually Nicolas Fox. Second, she has to figure out how to corner and capture him without disrupting the event of the year. And third, what’s going to happen once O’Hare finally gets her hands on Fox? It’s going take a pro to catch a con before the fireworks over Lake Michigan go off.

Includes a sneak peek of The Heist, the first novel in the highly anticipated new series from Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg!

This was a short story, and I had to turn around and buy the new book out The Heist, which I am now reading.

Book 39: Justice In Her Funny Bone by Lolly Raliegh

Review from B&N Website: Meet loveable but quirky Detective Molly O’Brien.
And meet her next assignment… a serial killer loose in Cranberry County.
As the murder list grows, Molly’s problems grow just as fast; her partner Jake follows the letter of the law, and is ruthless in his pursuit to find the vigilante. Devilish FBI agent Luke Foreman is assigned to the case and carries his own secrets. A bumbling detective compromising crime scenes. A hyperactive Chippendale Dancer who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and worries he’s a suspect. And a gun found by Molly in her best friends closet that matches the one used in the crimes. Molly soon finds the boundaries of friendship, romance, and the law tested as justice fades to gray. This humorous mystery will keep you laughing and wondering ‘whodunit’ until the surprising conclusion.

This was a fun little summer read. I was kind of intrigued that it is a self published book, and as such has no chapter headings. If you are looking for for a thought provoking challenge, this is not it. If you want light fluff that will make you laugh, give it a try. Not the best book I have ever read, but certainly fun and kept me guessing throughout.

 

[Cantw8]

I just completed A Girl Like You by Maureen Lindley. I really enjoyed this book. It is about a half-Japanese girl who is a tough upbringing under her harsh father but loving Japanese mother. Her father enlists in World War II and ends up being killed at Pearl Harbor. The girl and her mother are sent of to a "camp" for anyoen with a drop of Japanese in their blood.

This story shows a shameful part of the U.S. history as well as showing the predjudices the girl must deal with for being half Japanese/half white.

The book has a quite a bit of sadness in it but also some hope, joy and recovery.

Wow, that sounds good...I'm putting it on my wishlist

 

[CaliBear]

Books 12 and 13 (goal of 40): Royal Assassin and Assassin's Quest

These are books 2 and 3 of The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. I really enjoyed this series, but the first book is my favorite. I enjoy books with lots of character development and dialogue, not so much action. The first book is all about relationship building, life at court, political intrigue- my cup of tea, completely. The next two books had a lot more action before returning to the relationships, plotting and intrigue that got me hooked on the series. A lot of the endgame was broadcast imo, but it still had an impact. I never cry at books and the last book did make me cry once. while reading. And, uh, once more when I thought about it again later that evening. I guess I consider that a good thing that the book moved me so.

Not sure what's next. Something not 800 plus pages, that's for sure.

 

[erincon23]

Argh! I can't find my last post with my numbers (if anyone know how to do that, please let me know). And I haven't been keeping really good track,anyway. But here are the latest:

36. Laguna Heat, T. Jefferson Parker (decent, I may look for others by him)
37. Inferno, Dan Brown (better than his last one, the one set in DC, which I never finished)
38. Whiskey Beach, Nora Roberts (OK, so I like Nora Roberts -this was good)

There are a couple more - I'll have to find them.

Unfortunately for my reading, I've been on a Falling Skies tv show obsession lately. And I'd been working two jobs until earlier this week, so I'll get back to it! My stack of yet-to-reads is getting out of control.

ETA: I found it, so I put the numbers in. But if you know a better way than going through every page, please let me know!

 

[StephMK]

Thanks for the update! Hope you enjoy Zoo! I just picked up The Light Between Oceans at the Library and am going to start it tonight since it was recommended by a few people on this thread. I better get myself ready to cry!

Hope you enjoy it! I just recommended it to my MIL.

Just finished Lisa Gardner's Touch and Go. What a fantastic book, I loved it. So many twists and turns and never a dull moment. I never saw that ending coming. I can't wait to read some of her other books. Right now I am reading Ladies Night. It's ok, I'm hoping it gets better. I'm 29% through but seems the very beginning was as good as it gets

Thanks, sounds good! I couldn't find that particular book but my library had others by her. I checked out one and have another on hold. I like twists & turns that aren't obvious.

What a great thread ... had fun reading through and seeing many books that I have read/enjoyed and others that I was not aware of. I did like Gone Girl and thought about checking out the above. Would be great to hear what you think. I just finished Earth Afire by Orson Scott Card.

It's getting better! I think I had just come from a string of fluffy summer books and this tone is so dark. The beginning was disturbing but now I am enjoying the changes in perspective and time periods. Sometimes I get tired when books flip from character to character and change time periods but it works here. I'm halfway done.

 

[CaliBear]

Argh! I can't find my last post with my numbers (if anyone know how to do that, please let me know). And I haven't been keeping really good track,anyway. But here are the latest:

Go to your profile. There's a tab titled "statistics" where you can look up all of your posts. If you post frequently, you will still have many pages of posts to go through, but at least you can skim the thread titles in the list to find it more easily than skimming pages of this thread. I keep track in my sig, as do several others. That's the easiest way.

 

[threeboysmom]

Thanks for the update! Hope you enjoy Zoo! I just picked up The Light Between Oceans at the Library and am going to start it tonight since it was recommended by a few people on this thread. I better get myself ready to cry!

I've only just started Zoo, but it has my interest so far! Last night I was out driving in the dark and started imagining lions, LOL! I have an overactive imagination!

Currently reading Book #44 of 65, "Sand Castle Bay". I'm ordinarily a Sherryl Woods fan and this doesn't disappoint-I know within the first few pages who's pairing up (either in this book or subsequent ones), I'm almost 40% thru and so far no steamy scenes, and it takes place near the ocean. What's not to love!? I think I might raise my goal to 75 books, but I'm thinking it should stay at 65 and I'll just secretly (well, it's no secret now!) hope for 75.

Oh no! You can't just "secretly" mention you are hoping for 75! You're already well over halfway there! I'm updating your goal!

 

[threeboysmom]

Finished #23 out of 50 (and still behind schedule, sigh).

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

Set in the present day and in the past in Hollywood and Italy, BEAUTIFUL RUINS is the story of a small group of men and women whose lives become entangled and forever joined from a scandal on the set of the legendary Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor film, CLEOPATRA.

The epicenter of the novel occurs on the coast of Italy in a forgotten town where a young man dreaming of becoming a hotelier and transforming his forgotten land into a tourist destination meets a dying actress who comes to stay with him. The time they spend together has a profound effect on both of their lives.

I'm not sure where to begin with this book. It was sad, but rewarding, poignant, full of regret, but yet with promise too. I only wish that the author would have developed the main characters of Dee and Pasquale more and spent less time on minor characters such as Claire and Shane.

I will probably reread this book at some point. It had so many great lines and messages contained within such as living in the moment rather than always waiting for the next big thing to happen in your life (a fault of mine). Some of my favorite quotes are:

Sometimes what we want to do and what we must do are not the same. Pasquale, the smaller the space between your desire and what is right, the happier you will be.

This is what happens when you live in dreams, he thought: you dream this and you dream that and you sleep right through your life.

And the biggest message of all that I absolutely hold dear to my heart because I personally struggle with this is this.

All we have is the story we tell. Everything we do, every decision we make, our strength, weakness, motivation, history, and character-what we believe-none of it is real; it's all part of the story we tell. But here's the thing: it's our *******ed story! (or goshdarnned since it asterisked out, lol)

The message here was not to let anyone else write YOUR story for you. Nobody has that right, but YOU. Nobody else gets to tell you WHO you are and how your life should be. Not your spouse nor your children nor your best friend nor your boss... and the list goes on and on.

And the saddest of all... and what I think is the main crux of the book:

His life was two lives now: the life he would have and the life he would forever wonder about.

OK, I should quit now, but it's hard. This book had so many gems!!

Next up: Zoo by James Patterson (I'm really excited to jump into this one!)

 

[dizluvah]

Last post of mine I could find was book 46 so to continue....

47 sweet stuff by donna kauffman
48 before i fall by lauren oliver
49 night circus by erin morgnenstern
50 match me if you can by susan elizabeth perkins (3 stars)
51 what stays in vegas by beth labonte (4 stars - great light read)
52 this tangled thing called love by marie astor
53 dark chocolate by love barkhurst (3 stars)
54 a wedding in apple grove by c.h. admirand (3 stars)
55 admission by jean hanff koreliltz (2 stars)