Annual Reading Challenge 2019

[Kirby]

6/50 - The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan, genre - General Fiction
A breathtaking secret that will change everything...
As young girls, Laura and Casey were inseparable in their small California lakeside town, playing scavenger hunts under the starry skies all summer long. Until one night, when a shocking betrayal shatters their friendship seemingly forever...

But after seventeen years away, the past is impossible to escape and Laura returns home. Tthis time, a bittersweet trail of clues leads brings back her most cherished memories with Casey. Yet just as the game brings Laura and Casey back together, the clues unravel a stunning secret that threatens to tear them apart...

This book was okay, it was her first to be published. I didn't like it enough to purchase her second book.

A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy. This is the last book she wrote before her death and it is her classic style. It intertwined the stories of the guests coming for opening week at an inn on the Atlantic coast of Ireland. The individual stories were very diverse and some were more interesting than others.

8 of 104

I love her books and was so sad to hear she had passed away.

6. The Gunslinger by Stephen King
First of the Watchtower series. This is supposed to be King's crowning glory series. I found it muddy, vague and hard to finish. But people say the series gets better and read the second one before I give up.

I tried to read this and could not get through it. Didn't even try the second.

We found that going around asking if you liked/disliked the book and why starts better conversations than just using the provided questions for a book.

That's what the book club I'm involved in does though sometimes social stuff does get in the way.

 

[CallieMar]

6/50 Visions In Death by J.D. Robb (In Death #19)

7/50 Survivor In Death by J.D Robb (In Death #20) - I didn't think I liked crime novels...turns out I do if they're written by authors whose other works I already like. I really enjoy Robert Galbraith/JKR's Cormoran Strike novels so I figured I'd give the In Death series a try since I like Nora Roberts. Working my way through the series, it can be repetitive but I generally finish one book, put the next one on hold at the library and read something else in the meantime.

Also, I am squeamish about really gory violence (like I'll turn away from the screen if it's really gross) but for some reason I have no problem reading the gory descriptions when I'm eating, which is when I get a lot of my reading done lol. I have no idea what this says about me lol.

8/50 Someone to Trust by Mary Balogh (Westcott #5) - This centered around an older woman (35 and widowed) and younger man (26, handsome and titled) falling in love with each other, which is very unusual in historical romance. There's growth in the characters, they start out idealizing the other and eventually help each other work through their internal struggles and really falling in love. Really sweet book, Mary Balogh does slice of life quite well.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

2) An abundance of Katherine's by John Green
Third John Green book I have read. I liked them all though the character all seem the same really smart elder teens who have some oddities.
His books to me are weird as I really like the dialogue but so little happens for 3/4 of the book then suddenly things go off the rails. That said I thought most of it was very predictable so predictable I was not sure if I was supposed to know or if I was supposed to be surprised.

As always 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 link to view books). If you are interested in reading any just message me here or at Goodreads.

 

[TexasBee]

5/115 - Legend Has It - James, Elliott - 5th in the Pax Arcana series and one I'd been waiting ages for on audio. It was pretty good but I did find myself zoning out. Maybe I would have been more invested if I'd re-listened to the first 4 again. Still had some good snarky moments. 4 out of 5, mostly for sentimental reasons.

6/115 - The Escape Artists - Bascomb, Neil - real life stories of prison break attempts in WWI. I enjoyed it although I thought it was a bit choppy. Also, the descriptions of the things the officers had in prison (lounges, badminton games, care packages full of contraband from home) was kind of amazing - things changed DRASTICALLY after that war. 3 out of 5.

7/115 - The Wizards of Once - Cowell, Cressida - YA Fantasy - I wasn't sure I would like this one very much and it's relatively short. However, by the end I did enjoy the characters and story and David Tennant did a great job narrating (of course he did.) I'll continue on to book 2. 4 of 5 stars.

8/115 - The Lines We Leave Behind - Graham, Eliza - Thriller. The fictional story of a secret agent who operated in Croatia during WWII, and subsequently was sent to a series of asylums. Very interesting but should carry a trigger warning for emotional abuse. 4 of 5 stars.

 

[design_mom]

#6/24 - Hardcore Twenty-four by Janet Evanovich. This one took me longer to get through than most of her books do. It just didn't grab me. I don't think I like the ones with Diesel. The zany antics of the main characters are unbelievable enough, but the supernatural stuff just kind of throws it over the top.

I put a hold on "Code Girls" from my local library based on all the recommendations in this thread. The wait time is about 10 weeks though. With any luck, maybe it will come my way around Spring Break.

 

[virge]

4/50 Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
This was a fun book and I have the 2nd on hold at the library.

 

[bobbiwoz]

8/75. The Knowledge by Martha Grimes...newest Richard Jury. I had forgotten about this series until I read some earlier posts here. It’s a good read.

 

[TexasBee]

9/115 - Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities - Robbins, Alexandra - This was really interesting. I did not join a sorority in college and while I wasn't happy about it at the time, now I am! I plan to make my daughter read this before she goes to college and I may just give a bunch of copies to her friends as well. Really pretty eye-opening. 4 of 5 stars.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

Can I count the books I edit as having been read? Some of them haven't been published yet, but trust me, I read them! I'm not going to set a goal, because I can't determine in advance how busy I'm going to be editing. I'll start out with the ones I've actually already read for pleasure (I'm an insomniac, which is how I was able to read six hardback books in 19 days!):

Queen Colleen

I have included books I write so you should be able to include ones you read to edit.
I updated top title and author lists on page 1 aside from the one person reading books in another language.

 

[scrhsa]

#4 of 15

That's Amore
A Son Remembers Dean Martin

It was less about Dean than about his son remembering( pretty much says that in the title ) him and his own childhood. He spent the most time on himself and his brother Dean-Paul. It was interesting to see how the boozie, womanizer was pretty much just a persona he put on.

 

[sjrec]

Clock Dance by Anne Tyler 3/52

Willa, a 62 year old woman flies across the country to take of her son’s ex girlfriend and her young daughter after a terrible accident. Like many of Tyler’s books, it’s a journey of self discovery. Her characters can be quirky and endearing, but always ring true.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

#6/24 - Hardcore Twenty-four by Janet Evanovich. This one took me longer to get through than most of her books do. It just didn't grab me. I don't think I like the ones with Diesel. The zany antics of the main characters are unbelievable enough, but the supernatural stuff just kind of throws it over the top.

I put a hold on "Code Girls" from my local library based on all the recommendations in this thread. The wait time is about 10 weeks though. With any luck, maybe it will come my way around Spring Break.

I agree read last year, it was also very similar to another one I had read(I don't read in order I think #17).

 

[Colleen27]

#15/130 - Smoke & Summons by Charlie N Holmberg

I got this one from Amazon First Reads because it sounded like a nice bit of escapist fiction, and it certainly lived up to that expectation. The world the story is set in has a steampunk vibe - some level of technology combined with literal magic and demon possession - which is what first caught my eye, and it is written from the perspective of a young woman with unique powers. The series is written for a YA audience but has some of the all-ages appeal of The Mortal Instruments in the engrossing world, broader though a bit heavy-handed themes and fast-paced writing. I'm looking forward to the sequel.

#16/130 - The Forgotten Hours by Katrin Schumann

Another Amazon First Reads freebie, this one was the kind of book that makes you wish for a good book club because there was just so much to unpack. The storyline revolves around the fallout from a statutory rape accusation and conviction one childhood friend makes against the other's father, and how the daughter copes with all the changes in her life and finally finds the courage to uncover the truth of what happened. Over the course of the story it deals with the permutations of consent and the power dynamics that shape relationships, without ever losing the thread of a good, engrossing story as some "big picture" fiction can.

#17/130 - The One You Fight For - Roni Loren

This is the third book in a series of romances centering around the survivors of a school shooting, which really doesn't sound like a setup that would lend itself to romantic storytelling but one that gives the author a lot of room to write about the ways people process grief and guilt, and the ways past traumas impact relationships. This story, which centered around the shooter's brother and one of the survivors, was probably the best of the three. I thought the perspective, which focused largely on what it is like for the families of those who commit such high-profile acts of violence, added a depth and degree of social commentary that the other stories (though enjoyable) lacked.

#18/130 - Bird Box by Josh Malerman

This one checked a box on my reading challenge - a book from an author from my state - which was part of why I checked it out on Hoopla. The other part was a deep curiosity about whether the book was better, after the hype convinced me to watch the movie on Netflix only for it to leave me wondering what the fuss was about. The book was infinitely better, as is often the case, and the fact that the setting of the book is in my immediate vicinity added another layer of interest (I suspect the "scary" part of the river journey, which was the need to navigate to the right channel at a point where the river splits rather than the rapids that were used in the movie, was inspired by a spot about 10 miles downriver from me on the river that runs past my kids' school).It sort of reminded me of Cormac McCarthy's The Road, in that the actual catastrophe is never fully revealed or explained while the very narrow experiences of a single character drives the entire story.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

6 abi and the boy next door

 

[willowsnn3]

#6/50

The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter
Twenty-eight years ago, Charlotte and Samantha Quinn's happy small-town family life was torn apart by a terrifying attack on their family home. It left their mother dead. It left their father—Pikeville's notorious defense attorney—devastated. And it left the family fractured beyond repair, consumed by secrets from that terrible night.

Twenty-eight years later, Charlotte has followed in her father's footsteps to become a lawyer herself—the ideal good daughter. But when violence comes to Pikeville again, and a shocking tragedy leaves the whole town traumatized, Charlotte is plunged into a nightmare. Not only is she the first witness on the scene, but it's a case that unleashes the terrible memories she's spent so long trying to suppress--because the shocking truth about the crime that destroyed her family nearly thirty years ago won't stay buried forever.

Another great one from Karin Slaughter. She has long been a favorite author of mine & never disappoints. I'm missing her Grant County & Will Trent series but her stand alone books are really good also.

 

[Kirby]

7/50 - Desert Heat: A Brady Novel of Supense by J. A. Jance, genre - Mystery
Life is good for Joanna Brady in the small desert community of Bisbee. She has Jenny, her adored nine-year-old daughter, and solid, honest, and loving husband, Andy, a local lawman who's running for Sheriff of Cochise County. But her good life explodes when a bullet destroys Andy Brady's future and leaves him dying beneath the blistering Arizona sun.

The police brass claim that Andy was dirty--up to his neck in drugs and smuggling--and that the shooting was a suicide attempt. Joanna knows a cover-up when she hears one...and murder when she sees it. But her determined effort to track down an assassin and clear her husband's name are placing herself and her Jenny in serious jeopardy. Because, in the desert, the truth can be far more lethal than a rattler's bite.

This was an easy read and my book club's pick for February. I thought at first I would stop at this book but have decided to read the next book in the series.

9/115 - Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities - Robbins, Alexandra - This was really interesting. I did not join a sorority in college and while I wasn't happy about it at the time, now I am! I plan to make my daughter read this before she goes to college and I may just give a bunch of copies to her friends as well. Really pretty eye-opening. 4 of 5 stars.

When my daughter started college almost 10 years ago now I told her she shouldn't just jump into a sorority but hang back and year and look them over. But instead she joined on mid Freshman year and ended up regretting it. We didn't fund her spending money and she had to work part time, the sorority didn't want her to work and gave her so much flack because she wasn't spending all her free time on sorority stuff. She ended up leaving it.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Sometimes I get bad eye strain but I'm going to jump in for a modest 20, but hoping to do more.

 

[tiggrbaby]

January:

#1/90: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green (4/5) (science fiction)

A young woman discovers a robot sculpture in NYC that may or may not be from another planet. I thought that this would have been a great YA book except for the language.

#2/90: The Fallen (Memory Man #4) by David Baldacci (4/5) (mystery)

Decker and Alex get involved in solving a series of murders including the death of Alex’s brother-in-law.

#3/90: The Other Side of the Sun by Madeleine L’Engle (4/5) (historical fiction/post Civil War)

A young British bride is sent to the South to live with her husband’s family, and has to deal with a new lifestyle and family secrets.

#4/90: The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches (Flavia de Luce # 6) by Alan Bradley (4/5) (mystery)

The de Luce family must deal with the shocking return of Harriet, while Flavia must decipher cryptic messages.

#5/90: Serve and Protect (Daley and Fernandez #9) by Sheldon Siegel (4/5) (legal thriller)

Rosie reluctantly lets Mike take a leave of absence to defend his godson against murder charges.

#6/90: In Farleigh Field by Rhys Bowen (3.5/5) (historical fiction/WWII England)

A dead parachutist found on the estate begins a race to decipher his mission before it is carried through.

This was a little too romance-y for my tastes.

#7/90: The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni (5/5) (fiction)

The inspirational story of the trials and triumphs of a boy with ocular albinism as he negotiates life. This was a beautiful novel!

#8/90: The One That Got Away by Simon Wood (4/5) (thriller)

Zoe has been scarred by the brutal kidnapping that she escaped, and haunted by the unknown fate of her friend. Now she has to deal with the return of her tormentor.

#9/90: The Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust (Flavia de Luce # 7) by Alan Bradley (4/5) (mystery)

Flavia is sent to Canada to attend the boarding school that her mother once attended, and investigates to origin of a dead body and the disappearance of several students.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

My first and only January book, #1 Woman of God, James Patterson and Maxine Paetro.
Wow, I loved this book. It was so good. A fast easy read, found myself not being able to put it down. A deep complex interesting story with great characters, the lead a woman named Brigid a doctor, takes you through Africa - the Sudan, Italy - Rome, all over Europe and the US; a story about humanity, love and deep questions about faith etc. If you are a very conservative Catholic and don't like any fresh ideas on the church which also plays into this, you may not like some of the ideas but I LOVED this book. So different than other James Patterson stories. I never heard of Maxine Paetro, am going to look her up to see if I can find more books by her.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

#3/30: Paris by Edward Rutherford (5/5). It's a sweeping narrative history about Paris, focusing on a few families around the turn of the 19th/20th century but with several flashbacks to different timelines to cover important events in French history. I love Rutherford's style of writing and the way he uses the story of a few families to tell the history of an entire city.