Annual Reading Challenge 2019

[virge]

51. Remember Me by Christopher Pike

I LOVED that book as a teenager. Now I want to reread it!

 

[virge]

24/50 Beartown by Fredrik Backman I loved everything about this book. I connected to it as a mother, as a sports mom, as someone who lives in a small town that is struggling economically, and as someone who was once a teenage girl.

 

[rigs32]

I LOVED that book as a teenager. Now I want to reread it!

I have a lot of YA horror on my list because I've been reading the books they talk about on the Teen Creeps podcast. It's definitely a flashback to my younger days! It's fun to listen to them talk about the books from a modern and adult point of view compared to what we thought of them when we were younger.

 

[KevM]

Light month. Only read 3 books, bringing my total for the year to 31. The books I read this month were:

29) The Wreck of the Titan: Or, Futility by Morgan Robertson - Novella. The story of the sinking of the greatest “unskinable” ship in the world (by hitting an iceberg) and it’s aftermath. Written in 1898, 14 years before the Titanic. 3.5/5

30) Pirates by Morgan Robertson - Novella. Ok Pirate story. It came along with The Wreck if the Titan which is why I got it/read. 2.75/5

31) Mind and Matter: A Life in Math and Football by John Urschel & Louisa Thomas - Memoir. Urschel’s memoir on his two passions football and math. While at Peen State on a football scholarship he pursued his BA & Masters in Mathematics. He then went on to spend 11 years as a offense lineman for the Baltimore Ravens. He’s currently getting his PhD in Mathematics at MIT. 4.5/5

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

I have not forgotten about you guys my life is just crazy

 

[Tiggerish]

Cookies and Scream by Ceecee James. A Baker Street Mystery. Plucky, quirky young woman solves a murder for the police. A fluffy read.

Requiem For a Dream by Hurbert Selby, Jr. Jewish widow gets addicted to diet pills, her son, his girlfriend and their best friend are all heroin addicts. It does not have any happy endings.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. This will be coming out as a movie in August. The story of a formula one racer, the loves of his life-his wife, his daughter, racing and his dog. The story is narrated by the dog. Not sure how it will be as a movie but it was a good book.

50, 51 and 52 of 104

 

[Disney_Alli]

20/50 - Battleground: The Corps Book IV - W.E.B. Griffin

Working my way through the series. Man I love these books

 

[Christine]

Finally getting around to posting some of my reads this year!

1. The Next Always - Nora Roberts
2. Baby Teeth - Zoje Stage
3. Raven Black - Ann Cleaves
4. Until Proven Guilty - J.A. Nance
5. A Well-Behaved Woman - Therese Ann Fowler
6. The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides
7. The Island of Sea Women - Lisa See
8. Personal Finance for Dummies - Eric Tyson
9. Investing for Dummies - Eric Tyson
10. Cemetery Road - Greg Iles

 

[luvmarypoppins]

10/30 - The Farmers Market Mishap by Wanda and Jean Brunstetter - Amish story with the usual marriage and happy ending

11/30 - Rarity Mountain by Sara Foust - Survivor type story. Was ok.

 

[OKW8297]

14. Christianity and World Religions by Adam Hamilton. Very good overview.
I read this for a class at church.

 

[bobbiwoz]

32/75 Well-Offed in Vermont by Amy Patricia Meade

Light murder mystery, just OK IMO.

 

[mini22]

21/30- Facets by Barbara Delinsky

 

[OKW8297]

15. Fortune’s Daughters by Consuelo Saah Baehr set against the infancy of the stock market, it’s a story of the coming of age of two women with two very different starts. I’ld give it 3/5. It was a good read.

 

[Colleen27]

#65/130 - Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

A book I hadn't read by an author I adore, I picked this one up solely because I had to wait for the title I really wanted to be returned to the library and I'm very glad I did. I'm not sure how I haven't read it before - set in the same world as American Gods, which is one of my all-time favorite books and among the few TV shows I actually have the attention span to follow (all of which are based on books I enjoyed, come to think about it...), it is about the journey of the two sons of the god Anansi, known as Mr. Nancy in the human world. Mr. Nancy is one of the more colorful gods in American Gods, and his sons' stand-alone story does not disappoint, spanning the nexus of human nature and magic as so many of Gaiman's books do and populated by characters that are simultaneously very human and just a bit mystical/divine.

#66 - Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

The book I was waiting for at the library. I love Neil Gaiman and I love David Tennant (from Doctor Who), so when Amazon announced that they were making this into a series with David Tennant as Crowley, I was somewhere just past excited into "embarrassing fangirl" territory. I read the book a long time ago, maybe 25 years or so, and I wanted to re-read it before I started watching the series. It was even better than I remember, one of the funniest, oddest and most entertaining books I've read in a very long time, insightful in the way good comedy is and just plain fun. Who can resist the adventures of an 11yo antichrist, really? And so far, it looks like the show might just do it justice. I'm only one episode in but so far, so good.

 

[tiggrbaby]

#65/130 - Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

A book I hadn't read by an author I adore, I picked this one up solely because I had to wait for the title I really wanted to be returned to the library and I'm very glad I did. I'm not sure how I haven't read it before - set in the same world as American Gods, which is one of my all-time favorite books and among the few TV shows I actually have the attention span to follow (all of which are based on books I enjoyed, come to think about it...), it is about the journey of the two sons of the god Anansi, known as Mr. Nancy in the human world. Mr. Nancy is one of the more colorful gods in American Gods, and his sons' stand-alone story does not disappoint, spanning the nexus of human nature and magic as so many of Gaiman's books do and populated by characters that are simultaneously very human and just a bit mystical/divine.

#66 - Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

The book I was waiting for at the library. I love Neil Gaiman and I love David Tennant (from Doctor Who), so when Amazon announced that they were making this into a series with David Tennant as Crowley, I was somewhere just past excited into "embarrassing fangirl" territory. I read the book a long time ago, maybe 25 years or so, and I wanted to re-read it before I started watching the series. It was even better than I remember, one of the funniest, oddest and most entertaining books I've read in a very long time, insightful in the way good comedy is and just plain fun. Who can resist the adventures of an 11yo antichrist, really? And so far, it looks like the show might just do it justice. I'm only one episode in but so far, so good.

I also read the book ahead of the Amazon release...it had me laughing out loud! I'm 4 episodes in and enjoying it, although the book was better.

 

[bobbiwoz]

17/50 - Her Secret: The Amish of Hart County by Shelley Shepard Gray. Genre - Inspirational
After a stalker went too far, Hannah Hilty and her family had no choice but to leave the bustling Amish community where she grew up. Now she's getting a fresh start in Hart County, Kentucky... if only she wasn't too scared to take it. Hannah has become afraid to trust anyone - even Isaac, the friendly Amish man who lives next door. She wonders if she'll ever return to the trusting, easy-going woman she once was.

For Isaac Troyer, the beautiful girl he teasingly called "The Recluse" confuses him like no other. When he learns of her past, he knows he's misjudged her. However, he also understands the importance of being grateful for God's gifts, and wonders if they will ever have anything in common. But as Hannah and Isaac slowly grow closer, they realize that there's always more to someone than meets the eye.

Just as Hannah is finally settling into her new life, and perhaps finding a new love, more secrets are revealed and tragedy strikes. Now Hannah must decide if she should run again or dare to fight for the future she has found in Hart County.

I read it too after reading this!

Her Secret by Shelly Shepard Gray 33/75

 

[Disney_Alli]

21/50 - The Savior J.R. Ward (Black Dagger Brotherhood Book 17) completely obsessed with this series but my sister bought the new release (and we share this series) so I waited until I could finally borrow it to read it. Amazing. One of my favorites in the series so far though I was slightly lost on the timeline for the first chapter or so until I had it sorted in my mind as the lead character is someone we haven’t met yet in the series.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Update time!
#19-Silent Night, Danielle Steel 4 Stars
#20-Uncles and Ants, Marc Jedel 3 Stars. I keep reading these cozy mysteries occasionally hoping I'll like them, but then afterwards I ask myself why.
#21-Robin, Dave Itzkoff 4 Stars. Very interesting and factual biography of the comedian's life. I never knew Robin Williams made so many movies!
#22-Blowout, Mario Garcia 3 Stars. Concerned the radical movement of Chicano students in California in the late 60s, lead by a teacher.
#23-Dave Barry Turns 40 4 Stars

Right now I'm reading "The Huntress" and since it's over 500 pages, I'm sure I'll be at it a while. Very interesting so far.

 

[Tiggerish]

I keep reading these cozy mysteries occasionally hoping I'll like them, but then afterwards I ask myself why.

This is exactly how I feel about them but I justify reading them because they are always free and they require no effort of thought or concentration so they are good for going to sleep.

Right now I'm reading "The Huntress" and since it's over 500 pages, I'm sure I'll be at it a while. Very interesting so far.

This book is definitely a task and unlike the cozy mystery takes both thought and concentration. I am waiting to hear what you thought of it when you finish.

 

[Tiggerish]

Half of What You Hear by Kristyn Kusek Lewis. This one came highly recommended by a friend and was an interesting read. Set in a small town in Virginia it has a newcomer trying to figure her place when after her well publicized fail at a high profile career, her husband moves the family back to his small town to live next door to his parents. She accepts a magazine assignment to write an article about one of her new neighbors, another hometown returnee who has come back after the death of her famous and rich husband.

Night Light by Terri Blackstock. The second book in the Restoration Series.

True Light by Terri Blackstock. The third book in the Restoration Series.

Dawn's Light by Terri Blackstock. The fourth and final book in the Restoration Series. I posted a review of the first book earlier and concluded:

The premise of the series is that there was some type of electromagnetic pulse that is ongoing so there is no technology, no electricity, nothing motorized, etc. How I ended up with another dystopian type book, I am not quite sure but now that I have started the Restoration series, I did order the next one from the library. So I guess I am hooked on her writing style and the context is secondary.

And yes, I did binge read the remaining books in the series. I think the story was unnecessarily dragged out but I still enjoyed them enough that will probably pick up another of her series after an appropriate time out.

53, 54, 55 and 56 of 104