Annual Reading Challenge--2020

[TammyNC]

Do audiobooks count?

I am counting audiobooks like I do a hand held book or e-book.

 

[JayMass]

If audiobooks count, though I'm late to game, I could set a goal of around 30. I've already read the following books this year:

1. The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides

Really fun, slow burning thriller with some twists and turns. Similar to Girl on the Train or Gone Girl.

2. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green

Great YA novel about a two kids who are both named Will Grayson. It's a story about friendship among boys that is discussed in a way that is not typically shown in pop culture. It also helps normalize LGBTQ youth (which I wish didn't have to done--being gay IS normal) but that isn't the point of the book.

3. Gwendy's Button Box by Stephen King

More a novella than a full-on King novel. It kept me reading and thinking. Characters, as always, are great.

4. Paradise Lost by John Milton

A book I had never read before but should have. Never thought I would sympathize with Satan. However, you do feel for him.

5. Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

Didn't like it. Boring.

 

[melk]

9/25 Kicking & Dreaming by Ann and Nancy Wilson

This was written by the members of Heart and goes through their childhood in a military family, to their careers as members of Heart, to their personal lives, touching on Ann’s alcoholism and Nancy’s battle with infertility. It was published in 2012 so the story ends there.

This was an okay book. I’m not a huge fan but definitely know their music and saw them in concert back in the 80’s. It had some interesting stories from when they were at the height of their career and I found their personal stories interesting. But wow, sounds like they did a lot of drugs. I ended up googling them just to see what they’ve been up to for the last eight years and turns out Ann’s husband was arrested for assaulting (hitting) Nancy’s twin sons when they were 16. So maybe they’ll be a sequel.

 

[willowsnn3]

I haven't read a King book in such a long time and not sure I ever read this one...will be adding to my list.

The Stand is one of my all time favorite Stephen King books. The Green Mile & The Dark Tower series are also really good.
I love the was King develops his characters. He makes them seen like they could be one of your neighbors (albeit weird neighbors, lol)

 

[willowsnn3]

Do audiobooks count?

If audiobooks count, though I'm late to game, I could set a goal of around 30. I've already read the following books this year:

Welcome!
Adding you to list of readers on first page & yes audiobooks count.

 

[bobbiwoz]

#14/60 We Are Called To Rise by Laura McBride
Avis thought her marriage had hit a temporary rut. But with a single confession in the middle of the night, her carefully constructed life comes undone. After escaping a tumultuous childhood and raising a son, she now faces a future without the security of the home and family she has spent decades building.
Luis only wants to make the grandmother who raised him proud. As a soldier, he was on his way to being the man she taught him to be until he woke up in Walter Reed Hospital with vague and troubling memories of how he got there. Now he must find a new way to live a life of honor.
Every day, young Bashkim looks forward to the quiet order of school and the kind instruction of his third grade teacher. His family relocated to Las Vegas after fleeing political persecution in their homeland. Now their ice cream truck provides just enough extra income to keep them afloat. With his family under constant stress, Bashkim opens his heart to his pen pal, a US soldier.

When these lives come together in a single, shocking moment, each character is called upon to rise.

I really liked this one. One of my favorites so far this year.

22/80 We are Called to Rise by Laura McBride

When I read this review, I knew I would like to read it. I thought the book was excellent!

 

[Disney_Alli]

16/75 - The Ride of a Lifetime: Robert Iger

I really enjoyed this - I don't usually mention which books I "read" via audiobook and which ones I physically read but I have to say that I listened to this one while listening to Bianca Sommerland's menage romance series and switched back and forth which became surprisingly confusing considering the disparate topics because all of this books are narrated by the same person (Jim Frangione) which lead to a few moments of minor hilarity in my head when my book would start and it would take me a minute to remember which one I'd left off listening to because the voice was basically the same for all.

 

[JayMass]

Welcome!
Adding you to list of readers on first page & yes audiobooks count.

Thank You!

 

[JayMass]

#14/60 We Are Called To Rise by Laura McBride
Avis thought her marriage had hit a temporary rut. But with a single confession in the middle of the night, her carefully constructed life comes undone. After escaping a tumultuous childhood and raising a son, she now faces a future without the security of the home and family she has spent decades building.
Luis only wants to make the grandmother who raised him proud. As a soldier, he was on his way to being the man she taught him to be until he woke up in Walter Reed Hospital with vague and troubling memories of how he got there. Now he must find a new way to live a life of honor.
Every day, young Bashkim looks forward to the quiet order of school and the kind instruction of his third grade teacher. His family relocated to Las Vegas after fleeing political persecution in their homeland. Now their ice cream truck provides just enough extra income to keep them afloat. With his family under constant stress, Bashkim opens his heart to his pen pal, a US soldier.

When these lives come together in a single, shocking moment, each character is called upon to rise.

I really liked this one. One of my favorites so far this year.

The main character's name is Avis? That is my daughter's name! She was named for her maternal great-grandmother!!

 

[monarchsfan16]

18/30 The Good Neighbor by Maxwell King. This is a biography of Fred Rogers. Honestly, they could have told the same story of him in half the pages. It increased my respect for him and his work, but it was a VERY dry read.

 

[daydreamer101]

Every year I challenge myself to read one more book than I read last year. This year I'm aiming for 25 books, although I'm falling behind--I've only read 2 books so far in 2020.

1st book was On Writing Well by William Zinsser. It's a great writing craft book, especially if you want to dive more into nonfiction. I recently got a job editing nonfiction, so I found it helpful in that regard, as well. Very well-written, but can also be dense and thus hard to read a lot of in one sitting.

2nd book was Slammed by Colleen Hoover. I've loved other books by Hoover, but this one seemed poorly written, and the premise seemed too a little too far-fetched for me to suspend my disblelief. Now I'm torn between rereading her other books to see if my reading preferences have changed or if I'm just misremembering how good they actually are LOL.

I hope everyone is using this COVID chaos to catch up on their reading!!

 

[willowsnn3]

Every year I challenge myself to read one more book than I read last year. This year I'm aiming for 25 books, although I'm falling behind--I've only read 2 books so far in 2020.

Welcome. Added you to the list.

I hope everyone is using this COVID chaos to catch up on their reading!!

I get all my 'reads' from the library & yesterday they sent out a notice they were closing Monday due to the virus. I am about halfway thru the only book I have so going to have to stretch that one out, lol.

 

[Disney_Alli]

Does you library do ebooks? My library card allows me to check out a couple dozen ebooks at a time and I can read them on various devices.

 

[willowsnn3]

Does you library do ebooks? My library card allows me to check out a couple dozen ebooks at a time and I can read them on various devices.

Yes it does & the email did say all those would be available. If they are closed for any length of time I may do that. I just love to stop by there, the county headquarters library is huge & only a couple miles from my home (halfway between work & home) so it is so convenient.

 

[Disney_Alli]

Yes it does & the email did say all those would be available. If they are closed for any length of time I may do that. I just love to stop by there, the county headquarters library is huge & only a couple miles from my home (halfway between work & home) so it is so convenient.

It is sooo nice to be in a library - I wish I had one that convenient to me! - but at least you'll still be able to get some fresh reading material to consume while social distancing.

 

[Tiggerish]

The libraries here closed at the end of the day on Friday. I live across the street from the main library and it was strange to see their parking lot completely empty at opening time on Saturday and stay empty. Except for the occasional car that would park, get out and be back in less than a minute because it wasn't open or they just used the book drop to return stuff.

I, however, have one booked checked out, one I was given for Christmas and 19 loaded onto my Kindle. Plus the library would give me 19 more online. I have no excuses for not reading.

 

[Swimnoid]

Time to catch up on posting reads! It looks like I'll have plenty of time to read and post over the next few weeks with everything closing down!

8. Red Alert by James Patterson and Marshall Karp
4th in the NYPD Red series. I read this a month ago and don't even remember it so I guess that says it all.

9. The Burning Room by Michael Connelly
Part of the Harry Bosch series. Harry is about to retire and has a new rookie partner he is mentoring. There is the main case and a backstory that are tied together. The story is OK but more of the same.

10. The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman
From Goodreads: A captivating, beautiful, and stunningly accomplished debut novel that opens in 1918 Australia - the story of a lighthouse keeper and his wife who make one devastating choice that forever changes two worlds. Very good!

11. First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen
From Goodreads: It's October in Bascom, North Carolina, and autumn will not go quietly. As temperatures drop and leaves begin to turn, the Waverley women are made restless by the whims of their mischievous apple tree... and all the magic that swirls around it. But this year, first frost has much more in store. I love her books and this one does not disappoint.

12. I'm Not Dying With You Tonight by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal
From Goodreads:
Lena and Campbell aren't friends.
Lena has her killer style, her awesome boyfriend, and a plan. She knows she's going to make it big. Campbell, on the other hand, is just trying to keep her head down and get through the year at her new school.
When both girls attend the Friday-night football game, what neither expects is for everything to descend into sudden mass chaos. Chaos born from violence and hate. Chaos that unexpectedly throws them together.
They aren't friends. They hardly understand the other's point of view. But none of that matters when the city is up in flames, and they only have each other to rely on if they're going to survive the night.

This is told from both girls viewpoints alternating chapters. Very good

13. The Weekenders by Mary Kay Andrews
Good beach read with the typical friends and family problems.

14. Roar by Emma Clayton
First book of a series. Mika and Ellie are twins who live in a futuristic walled in London where all animals are extinct and millions of people live squished together. Ellie disappeared a year ago and is presumed dead but Mika doesnt believe it. Suddenly MIka's school is changing its curriculum and most of their time is spent on video games. What is going on? Interesting read and I want to read the next book.

15. The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain
From Goodreads: In The Silent Sister, Riley MacPherson has spent her entire life believing that her older sister Lisa committed suicide as a teenager. Now, over twenty years later, her father has passed away and she's in New Bern, North Carolina cleaning out his house when she finds evidence to the contrary. Lisa is alive. Alive and living under a new identity. But why exactly was she on the run all those years ago, and what secrets are being kept now? As Riley works to uncover the truth, her discoveries will put into question everything she thought she knew about her family.
Good family saga with a few twists and turns. You can see where it is going early on but it is fun to see how they get there.

16. The Two Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman
From Goodreads: Brooklyn, 1947: in the midst of a blizzard, in a two-family brownstone, two babies are born minutes apart to two women. They are sisters by marriage with an impenetrable bond forged before and during that dramatic night; but as the years progress, small cracks start to appear and their once deep friendship begins to unravel. No one knows why, and no one can stop it. One misguided choice; one moment of tragedy. Heartbreak wars with happiness and almost but not quite wins
Very enjoyable read

 

[daydreamer101]

The libraries here closed at the end of the day on Friday. I live across the street from the main library and it was strange to see their parking lot completely empty at opening time on Saturday and stay empty. Except for the occasional car that would park, get out and be back in less than a minute because it wasn't open or they just used the book drop to return stuff.

I, however, have one booked checked out, one I was given for Christmas and 19 loaded onto my Kindle. Plus the library would give me 19 more online. I have no excuses for not reading.

My library just announced today that they’re closing starting tomorrow because of COVID. Luckily my years lacking self control and trips to the bookstore have left me with one heck of a backlog so I certainly won’t run out of things to read

 

[bobbiwoz]

2/40 - Chatham School Affair by Thomas Cook -Attorney Henry Griswald has a secret: the truth behind the tragic events the world knew as the Chatham School Affair, the controversial tragedy that destroyed five lives, shattered a quiet community, and forever scarred the young boy. Layer by layer, in The Chatham School Affair, Cook paints a stunning portrait of a woman, a school, and a town in which passionate violence seems impossible...and inevitable.

3/40 - The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harman - A remarkable new voice in American fiction enchants readers with a moving and uplifting novel that celebrates the miracle of life. In The Midwife of Hope River, first-time novelist Patricia Harmon transports us to poverty stricken Appalachia during the Great Depression years of the 1930s and introduces us to a truly unforgettable heroine. Patience Murphy, a midwife struggling against disease, poverty, and prejudice—and her own haunting past—is a strong and endearing character that fans of the books of Ami McKay and Diane Chamberlain will take into their hearts, as she courageously attempts to bring new light, and life, into an otherwise cruel world.

4/40 - Long Bright River by Liz Moore - In a Philadelphia neighborhood rocked by the opioid crisis, two once-inseparable sisters find themselves at odds. One, Kacey, lives on the streets in the vise of addiction. The other, Mickey, walks those same blocks on her police beat. They don't speak anymore, but Mickey never stops worrying about her sibling. Then Kacey disappears, suddenly, at the same time that a mysterious string of murders begins in Mickey's district, and Mickey becomes dangerously obsessed with finding the culprit--and her sister--before it's too late. Alternating its present-day mystery with the story of the sisters' childhood and adolescence, Long Bright River is at once heart-pounding and heart-wrenching: a gripping suspense novel that is also a moving story of sisters, addiction, and the formidable ties that persist between place, family, and fate.

I enjoyed all these books.

MJ

23/80. Long Bright River by Liz Moore

The fact that Philadelphia was the city in this review made me interested. It’s a good book.

 

[OKW8297]

11. A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams Set in a seaside town of Rhode Island during the summer of 1938, it’s a story about love, family secrets and culminates in the 100 year Hurricane of ‘38. The story was good but I’ll confess that I read it for the Hurricane which lives large in my family folklore.