ANNUAL READING GOAL CHALLENGE for 2015!

[PigletsPal2]

Cain His Brother by Anne Perry makes 11/100. I've yet to read a William Monk novel that I didn't enjoy.

"In his family life, Angus Stonefield had been gentle and loving; in business, a man of probity; and in his relationship with his twin brother, Caleb, a virtual saint. Now Angus is missing, and it appears more than possible that Caleb--a creature long since abandoned to depravity--has murdered him. Hired to find the missing man, William Monk puts himself into his shoes, searching for clues to Angus's fate and his vicious brother's whereabouts. Slowly, Monk inches toward the truth--and also, unwittingly, toward the destruction of his good name and livelihood."

I've also enjoyed Anne Perry's books. Have you read any of the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series or the WWI series? They're both excellent! My only complaint is that she doesn't write fast enough!

Goal: 30 books this year

#7 (I think - it may be #8) - Mulled Murder by Kate Kingsbury. As the Christmas holidays approach, one of Cecily Baxter's housemaids is leaving to get married, and two of her most dependable male staff members have only just recently left to start their own businesses. But as she scrambles to hire and train new staff for the Pennyfoot Hotel, one of her guests is found stabbed to death on the beach. Cecily soon discovers that he was a private investigator from London looking into dark doings involving the Pennyfoot. Who among the staff or guests is being pursued, and what secret drove that person to cold-blooded murder?

Kingsbury says this is the last of the Pennyfoot series. She has a dozen Pennyfoot Hotel mysteries, and another nine Pennyfoots with a holiday theme. They're all well-written enjoyable light reads.

Queen Colleen

 

[kmb584]

I've also enjoyed Anne Perry's books. Have you read any of the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series or the WWI series? They're both excellent! My only complaint is that she doesn't write fast enough!

Yes! I've read about 90% of the Pitt series and just started the WWI series last night.

 

[kt_mom]

I finished book 18 yesterday The Girl on the Train I think its already been reviewed on this thread (I've picked up a lot of books from here) so I won't give a detailed review, but I did really enjoy it.

Now I'm reading number 19 The Autoimmune Solution by Amy Myers. DD is Type 1 diabetic, my mom has fibromyalgia and I had JRA as a teen so we have quite a bit of autoimmune issues in our family. So far its an easy read, she's definitely writing this for the average person not the medical community.

 

[Deffenm]

Finished book #3 and #4 this weekend. I read 50 shades of grey and Orphan Train. I really liked Orphan Train. 50 Shades of Grey was ok. Of course now I feel obligated to finish reading the series to see how it ends. I hate when books do that.

 

[SallySkelington]

I finally finished Gone Girl. Book numbah 4. (I'm so behind).

I started it last year and picked it back up. Whoa... I was not expecting the ending at all. The book was super good but I wanted to throttle someone afterwards. How can you leave a book ending like that??????

 

[Christine]

I finally finished Gone Girl. Book numbah 4. (I'm so behind).

I started it last year and picked it back up. Whoa... I was not expecting the ending at all. The book was super good but I wanted to throttle someone afterwards. How can you leave a book ending like that??????

That's a common sentiment/feeling about Gone Girl.

 

[MeeskaMooska13]

Now I'm reading number 19 The Autoimmune Solution by Amy Myers. DD is Type 1 diabetic, my mom has fibromyalgia and I had JRA as a teen so we have quite a bit of autoimmune issues in our family. So far its an easy read, she's definitely writing this for the average person not the medical community.[/QUOTE]


I'm interested in hearing about your thoughts on this book when you have finished. I too have a child with Type i and another child with celiac.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

2 / 12 Festive in Death by J. D. Robb

Personal trainer Trey Ziegler was in peak physical condition. If you didn't count the kitchen knife in his well-toned chest.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas soon discovers a lineup of women who’d been loved and left by the narcissistic gym rat. While Dallas sorts through the list of Ziegler’s enemies, she’s also dealing with her Christmas shopping list—plus the guest list for her and her billionaire husband’s upcoming holiday bash.

Feeling less than festive, Dallas tries to put aside her distaste for the victim and solve the mystery of his death. There are just a few investigating days left before Christmas, and as New Year’s 2061 approaches, this homicide cop is resolved to stop a cold-blooded killer.

I love the humor in these books, and this to me was one of the funnier ones in the series. I liked the fact that the the victim in this case is not a likable guy, and Dallas admits that, but does her job anyway. I tuned out a little when the book veered into Christmas festivities. To my great relief, however, the Roarke/Dallas Christmas party did not take up more than a chapter of the story.

I was hoping for a book per month, but at this rate I might hit 15 this year.

Up next: Undecided. I bought The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler late last year, and just bought Neil Gaiman's new book of short stories, Trigger Warning yesterday. Neal is my favorite author, but the next book in the In Death series (Obsession) comes out at midnight. My wife will be reading that next, so I might just go ahead and read that one win her, albeit slower.

 

[kt_mom]

Now I'm reading number 19 The Autoimmune Solution by Amy Myers. DD is Type 1 diabetic, my mom has fibromyalgia and I had JRA as a teen so we have quite a bit of autoimmune issues in our family. So far its an easy read, she's definitely writing this for the average person not the medical community.

I'm interested in hearing about your thoughts on this book when you have finished. I too have a child with Type i and another child with celiac.[/QUOTE]

I finished this last night, quite a bit of it towards the end was recipes and meal plans to follow her Myers Way plan. I kind of knew going into this that it was going to be very diet oriented and definitely a gluten free plan based on who recommended the book to me. And I was right. But she goes farther than that and cuts out not only gluten but grains of all kinds, all sugar, all dairy, caffeine and alcohol. She has a long list of suplements to take as well. Then she has lifestyle/environment changes she wants you to make such as HEPA air filters, whole house water filters and cutting out the use of any plastics and teflon. She also encourages switching out all makeup and body products over a 3 month period.

My first thought is that it would be pretty expensive to do everything she is asking all at once. She does a good job of explaining her reasons for everything and I think she is right that in a few years this will be more common advice/treatment in medical practices. But it would be really tough to implement especially for kids. There is no way my DD11 would go for a diet like this. I could possibly do it for the initial 30 days but it would be a tough life long lifestyle, at least for me. And although she says some people may be able to add some things back into your diet, most things are out for good. She says that even small slips can set you back months.

It was an easy read and I'll probably try to get my mom to borrow it and read it. She has struggled for years with fibromyalgia pain as well as RA, and might be interested in trying some of it. But again I'm not sure she could stick to the diet either, its very restrictive. There is a whole meal plan in the book with lots of recipes many of which look really good but it also looks like alot of work.

 

[threeboysmom]

Finished #4 of 30

Pines (Wayward Pines #1) by Blake Crouch

Read this book because of the good reviews on the DIS and wow, I could not put this book down! It grabbed me from the very first page and just kept going from that point on! I got a little lost there at the ending though... Still a little confused... but that's not hard for me to become, lol.

Will eventually read #2 and #3, but first I need to get back to Jamie & Claire (Outlander series)...

Currently reading: Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (and I think All the Light We Cannot See is going to be available to me in a few days so will start that one as well)

 

[CajunMomof3]

4/35
Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult
Great read. I don't often like books told from alternating perspectives, but it truly worked for this story. It touched on many uncomfortable topics like parental abduction, jailhouse violence, and the lies we tell ourselves and others. I definitely recommend this book.

5/35
Holding Out For a Hero by Amy Andrews
This was a freebie on my Kindle. The storyline was pretty predictable- damsel in distress, bad boy turned hero, underdog triumphs in the end. Sex and language were a bit over done in my opinion.

 

[MeeskaMooska13]

I'm interested in hearing about your thoughts on this book when you have finished. I too have a child with Type i and another child with celiac.

I finished this last night, quite a bit of it towards the end was recipes and meal plans to follow her Myers Way plan. I kind of knew going into this that it was going to be very diet oriented and definitely a gluten free plan based on who recommended the book to me. And I was right. But she goes farther than that and cuts out not only gluten but grains of all kinds, all sugar, all dairy, caffeine and alcohol. She has a long list of suplements to take as well. Then she has lifestyle/environment changes she wants you to make such as HEPA air filters, whole house water filters and cutting out the use of any plastics and teflon. She also encourages switching out all makeup and body products over a 3 month period.

My first thought is that it would be pretty expensive to do everything she is asking all at once. She does a good job of explaining her reasons for everything and I think she is right that in a few years this will be more common advice/treatment in medical practices. But it would be really tough to implement especially for kids. There is no way my DD11 would go for a diet like this. I could possibly do it for the initial 30 days but it would be a tough life long lifestyle, at least for me. And although she says some people may be able to add some things back into your diet, most things are out for good. She says that even small slips can set you back months.

It was an easy read and I'll probably try to get my mom to borrow it and read it. She has struggled for years with fibromyalgia pain as well as RA, and might be interested in trying some of it. But again I'm not sure she could stick to the diet either, its very restrictive. There is a whole meal plan in the book with lots of recipes many of which look really good but it also looks like alot of work.[/QUOTE]

Thank you so so much for this indepth synopsis! Yes, my kid with T1 is a very picky eater, not in a good way, so I agree, that it doesn't sound easy for kids. I really appreciate your honesty! Thanks again!

 

[kmb584]

I finished 12/100, Insurgent by Veronica Roth. From Goodreads:

Insurgent is a 2012 science fiction young adult novel by American novelist Veronica Roth, the second book in the Divergent trilogy. As the sequel to the 2011 bestseller Divergent, it continues the story of Tris Prior and the dystopian post-apocalyptic version of Chicago. Following the events of the previous novel, a war now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. While trying to save the people that she loves, Tris faces questions of grief, forgiveness, identity, loyalty, politics, and love.

 

[kt_mom]

DD stayed home from school sick yesterday so I spent most of the day reading while she was sleeping. I finished book 20 - Becoming Myself by Stasi Eldredge. I really enjoyed this book and her honesty about her struggles with her self worth and identity and her journey towards seeing herself through God's eyes.

Next up Killing Jesus by Bill O'Reilly. I read and really enjoyed Killing Lincoln and Killing Kennedy so I'm looking forward to reading this one.

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #10 - The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewel

What a strange family! I could never deal with this mother. She would drive me crazy. I most related to the oldest daughter, Meg. I did enjoy this book and would recommend reading it.

Meet the Bird family. They live in a simple brick house in a picture-perfect Cotswolds village, with rambling, unkempt gardens stretching just beyond. Pragmatic Meg, dreamy Beth, and tow-headed twins Rory and Rhys all attend the village school and eat home-cooked meals together each night. Everybody in town gushes over the two girls, who share their mother’s apple cheeks and wide smiles. Of the boys, lively, adventurous Rory can stir up trouble, moving through life more easily than little Rhys, his slighter, more sensitive counterpart. Their father is a sweet gangly man, but it’s their mother, Lorelei, a beautiful free spirit with long flowing hair and eyes full of wonder, who spins at the center.
Time flies in those early years when the kids are still young. Lorelei knows that more than anyone, doing her part to freeze time by protecting the precious mementos she collects, filling the house with them day by day. Easter egg foils are her favorite. Craft supplies, too. She insists on hanging every single piece of art ever produced by any of the children, to her husband’s chagrin.
Then one Easter weekend, tragedy occurs. The event is so devastating that, almost imperceptibly, it begins to tear the family apart. Years pass and the children have become adults, found new relationships, and, in Meg's case, created families of their own. Lorelei has become the county’s worst hoarder. She has alienated her husband, her children, and has been living as a recluse for six years. It seems as though they’d never been The Bird Family at all, as if loyalty were never on the table. But then something happens that calls them home, back to the house they grew up in—and to what really happened that Easter weekend so many years ago.

Next book: The Magician's Lie

 

[xlsm]

finished book 5, The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. This was another that I read together with my kids as our nighttime book. I had a hard time reading this aloud. I felt like it took FOREVER. Many nights spent chugging water and cough drops to get through more than one chapter at a time. It wasn't that long, so I don't know why we struggled. Otherwise, the story was good!

A group of exceptional children are sent by Mr. Benedict to a special school on a recon mission...to save the world from being taken over with mind control by the leader of the school.

Bright, realistic children are the main characters, and the overlying theme is that sometimes children are capable of more than they can ever imagine, and grown ups don't have all the answers. Sometimes you have to figure things out for yourself.

We enjoyed it! I'd say this is appropriate for 3rd grade and up (note: maybe advanced 3rd grade readers, simply for the elevated concepts and "grown up" words. Very good for vocabulary building though!!)

 

[Swimnoid]

13. Revival by Stephen King
I really enjoyed this book. I have always loved King's books since reading Carrie many, many years ago. I really have enjoyed some of his latest that are more wonder than horror. (ie. Joyland, 11/22/63) He can write a compelling story!

 

[Sgt Mickey]

Is it too late?

I would love to join even if I am a month behind.
Log me in at 45 if so. I am currently reading American Sniper.

 

[threeboysmom]

Is it too late?

I would love to join even if I am a month behind.
Log me in at 45 if so. I am currently reading American Sniper.

Gotcha! So glad you could join us here! Here's to a GREAT year of reading!!

 

[Sgt Mickey]

Gotcha! So glad you could join us here! Here's to a GREAT year of reading!!

Thank you!!!