Annual Reading Challenge 2019

[willowsnn3]

34/75 Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly

Oh! I saw that at the Library this morning in the new book section & started to grab it but was in such a hurry to pick up one I had on hold before heading to work. Wish I had now.

 

[willowsnn3]

#31/50
The Road is a River by Nick Cole
Third & final book in the Wasteland Saga. Was pretty good but after reading all 3 books back to back I am ready to start something new.

 

[Simba's Mom]

34/75 Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly

I read this after a recommendation here. It’s the story of a Russian aristocratic family and their wealthy American friends and how both families survived WWI. Revolutions are frightening, the czarist regime wasn’t a good one for the Russian people, and the period covered by the book is full of atrocities. It’s also the story of a woman’s search for her young son who was taken from her in Russia during the early stages of the revolution.

It is a good book, I liked it very much.

Thanks! I just put my name on the waiting list for it at the library.

 

[OKW8297]

18. Would you Like Magic With That: Working at Walt Disney World Guest Relations by Anne Salisbury
Easy read, started on return flight from WDW. Parts were pretty funny.

 

[Conkozan]

I often come here to look for good books even though I am not in the challenge, so I thought I would list one that I found to be really good

City of Thieves by David Benioff

It is historical fiction set in the Soviet Union around 1941 or 1942. I enjoyed it immensely

 

[Disney_Alli]

25/50 Crewel World - Monica Ferris I saw a bunch of recommendations on the "I need a new book series" thread for bakery and tea shop "cozy" murders and decided to look up some knitting and needlework ones and Monica Ferris' series came up a few times. This is the first book from the series and while obviously a bit dated it was enjoyable - and I'm always happy when I figure out who the killer is before it's stated in the book!

 

[Colleen27]

#69/130 - Because of You by Mari Carr
#70 - Because You Love Me
#71 - Because It's True

A trilogy of romances centering around a single family, these were quick, fun reads but not the best written and rather on the short side - a bit too long to package the three together as a collection of novellas but really too short to stand on their own, especially since there is quite a bit of overlap between the stories' timelines and events. But after two serious, politically-oriented reads I was in the mood for something light, and these certainly fit that bill.

#72 - The Stonewall Riots: Coming Out in the Streets by Gayle Pitman

I was talking with my girls about Stonewall and the origins of June as Pride month, and that sent us looking for a book that was suitable for the youngest that covered the history. And we found this. It was really well done, age-appropriate for middle-grades readers without being childish or evasive and told through the lens of artifacts from the time, including leaflets, police reports and newspaper articles. That format broke up the narrative into manageable pieces for younger readers, and let the author cover about 20 years of a very weighty subject - discrimination against the LGBT community and the origins of the gay rights movement - without producing the dense wall of text that too often characterizes history books.

#73 - A Rogue's Downfall by Mary Balough

Another attempt to find a light, poolside read from Hoopla's catalog, and another that fell a bit flat. This was a trio of historical romance novellas written early in Balough's career and republished as a collection, and none of them really grabbed me. The first, in particular, left out essential parts of the story - like how the main characters met and fell in love! - to focus on a farcical misunderstanding that had separated them, and all three felt short on character development and 'connection' between the reader and the characters. It didn't help that Hoopla seems to be having some formatting issues of late; as you read, the framing of the page shifts just a little bit with each page turn, until the ends of the lines are starting to get cut off. Since the rendering sort of refreshes with each chapter, this isn't a big problem with most books, but since there were no chapters within the novellas, the formatting made them all hard to read by the end.

 

[bobbiwoz]

35/75 The Butterfly’s Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe

A friend recommended this, and I enjoyed it very much. It is the story of a family coming together to mourn the loss of a member. It’s also the story of the Monarch butterflies who make the journey to Mexico every fall. That’s a migration that’s nearly unbelievable, but it’s true.

There’s a Mother and Child Reunion in the story.....worthy of the song.

 

[willowsnn3]

#32/50
The Farm by Joanne Ramos
Nestled in the Hudson Valley is a sumptuous retreat boasting every amenity: organic meals, private fitness trainers, daily massages—and all of it for free. In fact, you get paid big money—more than you've ever dreamed of—to spend a few seasons in this luxurious locale. The catch? For nine months, you belong to the Farm. You cannot leave the grounds; your every move is monitored. Your former life will seem a world away as you dedicate yourself to the all-consuming task of producing the perfect baby for your überwealthy clients.

Jane, an immigrant from the Philippines and a struggling single mother, is thrilled to make it through the highly competitive Host selection process at the Farm. But now pregnant, fragile, consumed with worry for her own young daughter's well-being, Jane grows desperate to reconnect with her life outside. Yet she cannot leave the Farm or she will lose the life-changing fee she'll receive on delivery—or worse.

Good book, little drawn out in places tho.

 

[Kirby]

21/50 - Tower of Dawn: A Throne of Glass Novel by Sarah J. Maas. Genre - Young Adult Fantasy
Years in the making, Sarah J. Maas's number-one New York Times best-selling Throne of Glass series draws to an epic, unforgettable conclusion. Aelin Galathynius's journey from slave to king's assassin to the queen of a once-great kingdom reaches its heart-rending finale as war erupts across her world....

Aelin has risked everything to save her people - but at a tremendous cost. Locked within an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. Aware that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, though her resolve begins to unravel with each passing day....

With Aelin captured, Aedion and Lysandra remain the last line of defense to protect Terrasen from utter destruction. Yet they soon realize that the many allies they've gathered to battle Erawan's hordes might not be enough to save them. Scattered across the continent and racing against time, Chaol, Manon, and Dorian are forced to forge their own paths to meet their fates. Hanging in the balance is any hope of salvation - and a better world.

And across the sea, his companions unwavering beside him, Rowan hunts to find his captured wife and queen - before she is lost to him forever.

As the threads of fate weave together at last, all must fight, if they are to have a chance at a future. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever in the explosive final chapter of the Throne of Glass series.

This is the next to last book of this series. I have thoroughly enjoyed them. I plan to purchase the last book in the series soon.

 

[Disney_Alli]

26/50 - Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder - Joanne Fluke

Another one recommended in the "I need a new book series thread" and another one I really enjoyed and as a bonus there were some awesome sounding cookie recipes included! I'm saving a bunch for later as I love baking cookies! I did not figure out who the murderer was in this one which kind of surprised me.

 

[Disney_Alli]

27/50 - Sins of the Night Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dark-Hunters book 8ish)

When I started this one I had forgotten absolutely EVERYTHING about the plot so it was a nice surprise By about the midway point I finally remembered what was going on and who made it through - more or less - so then it was back to my comfortable old friend.

 

[virge]

27/50 Ghost Story by Jim Butcher
The 13th book from The Dresden Files series. Not my favorite in the series, but I’ll continue with the series. I’m not rushing to read the next book.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

#9 The End Game by Catherine Coutler

This went a little to far. I would have enjoyed it more if they had kept it to new type of explosive smaller and undetectable and how to find people using such a new technological bomb.. But it became much more tangled with hackers and disguise artists and almost completely gave up on what I thought was the most interesting part, how to stop someone intent on wiping out the upper people in government with an undetectable powerful explosive. .
The hacking part and the other espionage parts seemed generic to the genre and completely over the top to me.

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

 

[virge]

28/50 Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit
This story is set during WWII and tells the story of a 7 year old Polish girl whose father has been taken by the Germans. The story tells of her time as she travels through the woods and countryside with The Swallow Man trying to stay safe. The Swallow Man is an interesting character and I enjoyed how the author slowly revealed more about him as Anna, the narrator, matured.

 

[Kirby]

22/50 - Year One: Chronicles of The One Book 1 by Nora Roberts. Genre - Fantasy
It began on New Year's Eve.

The sickness came on suddenly, and spread quickly. The fear spread even faster. Within weeks, everything people counted on began to fail them. The electrical grid sputtered; law and government collapsed - and more than half of the world's population was decimated.

Where there had been order, there was now chaos. And as the power of science and technology receded, magick rose up in its place. Some of it is good, like the witchcraft worked by Lana Bingham, practicing in the loft apartment she shares with her lover, Max. Some of it is unimaginably evil, and it can lurk anywhere, around a corner, in fetid tunnels beneath the river - or in the ones you know and love the most.

As word spreads that neither the immune nor the gifted are safe from the authorities who patrol the ravaged streets, and with nothing left to count on but each other, Lana and Max make their way out of a wrecked New York City. At the same time, other travelers are heading west too, into a new frontier. Chuck, a tech genius trying to hack his way through a world gone offline. Arlys, a journalist who has lost her audience but uses pen and paper to record the truth. Fred, her young colleague, possessed of burgeoning abilities and an optimism that seems out of place in this bleak landscape. And Rachel and Jonah, a resourceful doctor and a paramedic who fend off despair with their determination to keep a young mother and three infants in their care alive.

In a world of survivors where every stranger encountered could be either a savage or a savior, none of them knows exactly where they are heading, or why. But a purpose awaits them that will shape their lives and the lives of all those who remain.

The end has come. The beginning comes next.

This was an easy read. I enjoyed it and am buying the second book in the series. This was my book club's pick for July.

 

[bobbiwoz]

36/75 One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
This is a spiritual journey of a woman trying to come to grips with loss of a child. However, it’s a powerful read, and I have begun my list of 1000 things I am thankful for in my spiritual journey.

 

[OKW8297]

19. The Gods of Newport by John Jakes a Novel about Newport society late 19 th century with high society and summer um cottages. I love historical fiction and know Newport RI so I really liked this.

 

[virge]

29/50 When the English Fall by David Williams
Explores how an Amish community fares when civilization falls apart across the world. This was an unusually calm & reflective apocalyptic book. It didn’t contain the action filled frantic pace I expected, and I really enjoyed that. It was interesting to see how the characters struggled with living their faith when the outside world began to want what they had. One of my favorite reads from the past few years.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

7 of 20: Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. It was founded by Albert Ellingham, an early twentieth century tycoon, who wanted to make a wonderful place full of riddles, twisting pathways, and gardens. "A place" he said, "where learning is a game."

Shortly after the school opened, his wife and daughter were kidnapped. The only real clue was a mocking riddle listing methods of murder, signed with the frightening pseudonym, Truly Devious. It became one of the great unsolved crimes of American history.

True-crime aficionado Stevie Bell is set to begin her first year at Ellingham Academy, and she has an ambitious plan: She will solve this cold case. That is, she will solve the case when she gets a grip on her demanding new school life and her housemates: the inventor, the novelist, the actor, the artist, and the jokester. But something strange is happening. Truly Devious makes a surprise return, and death revisits Ellingham Academy. The past has crawled out of its grave. Someone has gotten away with murder.

A YA mystery novel set at a private school in Vermont. I really like all of the characters, especially Stevie, Nate, Janelle, and David. Interesting premise for a trilogy -- a high school girl obsessed with an 80 year old crime. While I read a lot of YA novels and can relate to the characters, this one is pretty teenage specific. Still, it's good. I'll read the other two in the series. 3.5 out of 5 stars.