Annual Reading Challenge 2019

[Kirby]

#2 - All the Beautiful Girls by Elizabeth J. Church. Genre - Historical. It's a trip back in time to the Rat Pack era. About a little girl whose family is all killed in a car accident, her life raised by her aunt and uncle and then traveling to Las Vegas to become a dancer. I enjoyed the book for the historical value and the descriptions of life back in that era. If you belong to a book club that actually discusses the books (I don't), then I think this one would be a good choice.

 

[willowsnn3]

Goal 50

#1 Close to Home by Robert Dugoni
Latest in the Tracy Crosswhite series

#2 Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter
One of my favorite authors. This is a bit different from her Grant County/Will Trent series but still a good crime drama.

 

[Tiggerish]

A Book of American Martyrs by Joyce Carol Oates. This book is getting a lot of high praise. But I struggled through it. It was well written which is probably why I kept coming back to it and sloughing on thru its over 700 pages. The book tells the story of two very different and yet intimately linked American families. Luther Dunphy is an ardent Evangelical who envisions himself as acting out God’s will when he assassinates an abortion provider in his small Ohio town while Augustus Voorhees, the idealistic but self-regarding doctor who is killed. A large portion of the books is devoted to how these events changed the lives of the families of each of the men.

1 of 104

 

[mini22]

#2 Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich

 

[Disney_Alli]

#1 - JR Ward “Consumed”
#2 - Sherrilyn Kenyon “Fantasy Lover” (I’m re-reading this series for the first time in years)

I also picked up two new books at Costco yesterday that I cannot wait to read. Both are by Canadian authors and both are set during or immediately following WWII which is one of my favorite fiction (and nonfiction) subjects.

 

[Tiggerish]

Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani. Fictionalized current events. An unnamed young Nigerian girl is the narrator of this novel, Despite her loving family and academic aspirations, she is kidnapped by Boko Haram along with many other girls and women from her village. The book tells the story of the girl’s life from dutiful Christian daughter and loyal friend to becoming a slave under her kidnappers’ radical rule—and pays tribute to the fortitude and grace it takes to not only survive such an ordeal, but to escape it. It is based on the horrendous 2014 Boko Haram kidnapping of 276 Chibok girls.

It is a good thing this is a small book because I became so engrossed in it, I read it from cover to cover in one "up too late" night. And yes, the Baobab tree is the upside down tree on the safari at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

2 of 104

 

[bobbiwoz]

I will set 75 as my goal.

1/75
A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline

Fictional story of the woman in the Wyeth painting, Christina’s World. A wonderful story.

2/75 Cruising to Murder by Mark McCrum
Until we got bronchitis, we were going on a NYE cruise and I thought it would be fun to read. It is about Murder of Rich elderly people on board cruise ships.

 

[Disney_Alli]

3/50 Night Pleasures - Sherrilyn Kenyon
3.5/50 Dragonswan - Sherrilyn Kenyon. A short story in between two of the novels but I read it so I’m counting it. Kinda.
4/50 Night Embrace - Sherrilyn Kenyon. It’s amazing how much I don’t remember considering how many times I read these books when they were first released (my first tattoo is even from this book series). So nice to be reading again!

 

[dolewhipdreams]

#2/30: The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World by Susan Veness (4/5). This was a Christmas gift from my DH and I read it in preparation for our trip this month. It's got lots of great little facts and details. It was a fun read but it's a few years out of date so there are some things it talks about that don't exist anymore and it's missing the newer lands/attractions.

 

[TexasBee]

I'm going to join in this year. My goal is 50. I've already read 1. Now I just need a way to knit and read at the same time to achieve my goal for reading and for another handmade Christmas... (12 pairs of socks, at least 10 dishcloths and maybe a blanket...)

Audio books!!

 

[TexasBee]

2 / 115 - Stolen Magic - Marina Finlayson - Urban Fantasy. I did not care for this book. The world-building is too aggressive, there's too much romance novel type stuff, and it ends abruptly with what is supposed to be a major bang that is just irritating.

3 / 115 - One Second After - William Forstchen - Post-apocalyptic. And I HATED this book. The main character is condescending and unlikable, the secondary characters are idiots, and they killed the dog. (Spoiler alert.) Seriously, do not read this book.

4 / 115 - Code Girls - The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of WWII - Nonfiction. Thank god, one I actually liked a lot. I did expect there to be a bit more continuity / "story" to it, but it was a really interesting look behind the scenes of code breaking during that time period. You hear a lot about Enigma and the British, but you don't necessarily hear a lot about the American efforts, and the Japanese code breaking. This book gives you a lot of insight from that angle. Note that if you read the Kindle / ebook version, about the last 'hour' of it is pictures, glossary, reference, etc., so the actual book is about an hour shorter than it appears from the automated estimate.

 

[design_mom]

Can I join this year? I'm setting my goal at 24.

I got a Kindle for Christmas and have really enjoyed it so far... and recently figured out how to download library books. I'll be honest that I enjoy "light" reading.

I've read 4 books so far:
1/24 - Witchin' USA -- Amanda M. Lee
2/24 - Witch out of Water -- Amanda M. Lee. These were both on the "free" reading list with Amazon Prime. About a girl who inherits her grandmother's lighthouse and learns that the island she's moved to is full of paranormal creatures. it was reasonably cute. Definitely a "beach read" sort of thing.
3/24 - Origin -- Dan Brown
4/24 - Artemis -- Andy Weir. Didn't like it quite as much as The Martian, but still good. I think it's supposed to be turned into a movie someday.

 

[tazdev3225]

6/60 A Crime of Passion by Scott Pratt

7/60 Judgement Cometh: And That Right Soon by Scott Pratt

8/60 Due Process by Scott Pratt

Finished the Joe Dillard Series. Off to find something else before I read Outlander AGAIN for the third time through.

 

[KevM]

4 / 115 - Code Girls - The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of WWII - Nonfiction. Thank god, one I actually liked a lot. I did expect there to be a bit more continuity / "story" to it, but it was a really interesting look behind the scenes of code breaking during that time period. You hear a lot about Enigma and the British, but you don't necessarily hear a lot about the American efforts, and the Japanese code breaking. This book gives you a lot of insight from that angle. Note that if you read the Kindle / ebook version, about the last 'hour' of it is pictures, glossary, reference, etc., so the actual book is about an hour shorter than it appears from the automated estimate.

Since you liked this, my I suggest
The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine who Outwitted America’s Enemies. It’s the biography of Elizabeth Smith, one fo the women talked about in Code Girls.

 

[TexasBee]

Thank you, I will put that on my list!

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

4 / 115 - Code Girls - The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of WWII - Nonfictio

My brother in law is lending me this next/ Looking forward to it.

I am going to with 30 myself.
Updated everybody, if I spelled your name wrong let me know.

If anyone is interested, I would gladly send a kindle gift version of any of my works “Written for You”, “Three Twigs for the Campfire”, “Cemetery Girl” or “Reigning”. You can see them all reviewed at Goodreads (Click to see). If you are interested in reading any just message me here or at Goodreads.

 

[Colleen27]

3 / 115 - One Second After - William Forstchen - Post-apocalyptic. And I HATED this book. The main character is condescending and unlikable, the secondary characters are idiots, and they killed the dog. (Spoiler alert.) Seriously, do not read this book.

You made me literally LOL with this review. I loved the premise and thought it was one of the most realistic and therefore alarming post-apocalyptic premises I ever encountered... but I felt the Exact. Same. Way. as you about the characters. They were so unlikable and two dimensional that they ruined what could have been a very disturbing chronicle of life after an alarmingly possible apocalyptic event. As it is, the foreword talking about the science and politics behind the scenario was the best part of the book.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

2 I love you Michael Collins

 

[mmouse37]

Ok, I am in for this year for 30 books.

MJ

 

[Disney_Alli]

Audio books!!

I do a lot of audiobooks at work and love them but I want to hold more books in my hands this year. I’m making good progress at least!