Annual Reading Goal Challenge for 2016 - Come and join us!

[wilma-bride]

Book #7 of 50 - The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson

In this fantastical novel, Disney's Magic Kingdom suddenly becomes a bit eerie. Finn Whitman and four other teens have been hired as Disney World guides, but with an odd twist: With cutting-edge technology, they have been transformed into hologram projections capable of leading guests around the park. What begins as an exciting theme park job turns into a virtual nightmare as Finn and his pals attempt to thwart an uprising by a menacing group of Disney villains.

Even though this is billed as a YA novel, I have to admit I was looking forward to it, purely for the fact that it is set at Walt Disney World. I actually have all 7 books on my Kindle but just hadn't got around to reading them before. I honestly didn't enjoy it that much. It was a quick read, mainly because it is aimed at the younger audience, but it also reads as though it was written by a teenager. I finished it, mainly because I hate to not finish a book unless it is really unbearable, but I didn't find it that great a book.

Having said that, I am currently reading the second one, because my friend told me that one was better that the first. I am not enjoying this one either (about quarter of the way through) so I don't know that I will bother to read any more of them.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Book #7 of 50 - The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson

In this fantastical novel, Disney's Magic Kingdom suddenly becomes a bit eerie. Finn Whitman and four other teens have been hired as Disney World guides, but with an odd twist: With cutting-edge technology, they have been transformed into hologram projections capable of leading guests around the park. What begins as an exciting theme park job turns into a virtual nightmare as Finn and his pals attempt to thwart an uprising by a menacing group of Disney villains.

Even though this is billed as a YA novel, I have to admit I was looking forward to it, purely for the fact that it is set at Walt Disney World. I actually have all 7 books on my Kindle but just hadn't got around to reading them before. I honestly didn't enjoy it that much. It was a quick read, mainly because it is aimed at the younger audience, but it also reads as though it was written by a teenager. I finished it, mainly because I hate to not finish a book unless it is really unbearable, but I didn't find it that great a book.

Having said that, I am currently reading the second one, because my friend told me that one was better that the first. I am not enjoying this one either (about quarter of the way through) so I don't know that I will bother to read any more of them.

That is one of my favs

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Welcome to the newcomers

Sorry, I got a bit behind with this thread. I had a minor operation on my shoulder a few days ago so have been drugged up and sleeping most of the time. The good news is I now have a week off to recover and so I am hoping to get plenty of reading done.

Hopefully I have got everybody's book count up to date now.

Get well soon

 

[zippitydoo]

Book #5/50: Almost Dead (Lizzy Gardner, #5) by T.R. Ragan

From Goodreads:
Life for private investigator Lizzy Gardner will never be the same. It’s been three weeks since her fiancé, Jared, was shot on what was supposed to be their wedding day. He’s in a coma now, and Lizzy is being forced to make a decision she might not be able to live with.

But a string of deaths has forced her to get back to work. While they appear to be unrelated accidents at first glance, a closer look shows they all have something in common. More than a decade earlier, the victims were all members of the Ambassador Club at a Sacramento high school: a posh posse that bullied other students, one of whom remains tormented years later.

In this pulse-pounding thriller from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author T.R. Ragan, Lizzy will need her colleagues and what’s left of her wits to help her track down a cunning killer with a deadly revenge list before the next name—maybe hers—is crossed off for good.

 

[wilma-bride]

That is one of my favs

I really, really wanted to like it.

Get well soon

Thank you

 

[wilma-bride]

Book #5/50: Almost Dead (Lizzy Gardner, #5) by T.R. Ragan

From Goodreads:
Life for private investigator Lizzy Gardner will never be the same. It’s been three weeks since her fiancé, Jared, was shot on what was supposed to be their wedding day. He’s in a coma now, and Lizzy is being forced to make a decision she might not be able to live with.

But a string of deaths has forced her to get back to work. While they appear to be unrelated accidents at first glance, a closer look shows they all have something in common. More than a decade earlier, the victims were all members of the Ambassador Club at a Sacramento high school: a posh posse that bullied other students, one of whom remains tormented years later.

In this pulse-pounding thriller from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author T.R. Ragan, Lizzy will need her colleagues and what’s left of her wits to help her track down a cunning killer with a deadly revenge list before the next name—maybe hers—is crossed off for good.

This sounds interesting, did you enjoy it?

 

[Glynis]

Got 2 more books to report on.

First: "Counting by 7's" by Holly Goldberg Sloan. From Goodreads: "Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn’t kept her from leading a quietly happy life... until now.

Suddenly Willow’s world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. The triumph of this book is that it is not a tragedy. This extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl manages to push through her grief. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and fully believable surrogate family is a joy and a revelation to read."

I enjoyed it, but it truly is a middle reader book. I read this, as one of my students recommended it, and I told them I would read whatever books they recommend. There was a lot to like about this book, but a lot that was unrealistic. Still, an enjoyable read.

Second: "Jewels of the Sun" by Nora Roberts. From Goodreads: "Determining to reevaluate her life, Jude Murray flees America to take refugee in Faerie Hill Cottage, immersing herself in the study of Irish Folk and discovers hope for the future of the magical past.

Finally back home in Ireland after years of traveling, Aidan Gallagher possesses an uncommon understanding of his country's haunting myths. Although he's devoted to managing the family pub, a hint of wildness still glints in his stormy eyes--and in Jude, he sees a woman who can both soothe his heart and stir his blood. And he begins to share the legends of the land with her--while they create a passionate history of their own..."

I really liked this one. I enjoy Nora Roberts, as a general rule, and was glad to find this one a nice, easy read. A bit predictable, but that's kind of what I like about her writing.

 

[Kirby]

Welcome to the newcomers

Sorry, I got a bit behind with this thread. I had a minor operation on my shoulder a few days ago so have been drugged up and sleeping most of the time. The good news is I now have a week off to recover and so I am hoping to get plenty of reading done.

Hopefully I have got everybody's book count up to date now.

Wishing you a smooth recovery!

Second: "Jewels of the Sun" by Nora Roberts. From Goodreads: "Determining to reevaluate her life, Jude Murray flees America to take refugee in Faerie Hill Cottage, immersing herself in the study of Irish Folk and discovers hope for the future of the magical past.

Finally back home in Ireland after years of traveling, Aidan Gallagher possesses an uncommon understanding of his country's haunting myths. Although he's devoted to managing the family pub, a hint of wildness still glints in his stormy eyes--and in Jude, he sees a woman who can both soothe his heart and stir his blood. And he begins to share the legends of the land with her--while they create a passionate history of their own..."

I really liked this one. I enjoy Nora Roberts, as a general rule, and was glad to find this one a nice, easy read. A bit predictable, but that's kind of what I like about her writing.

I enjoyed that book too and also the other two books that go with it. I had to look them up though to remember if I had read them or not. It's been awhile.

 

[CallieMar]

Second: "Jewels of the Sun" by Nora Roberts. From Goodreads: "Determining to reevaluate her life, Jude Murray flees America to take refugee in Faerie Hill Cottage, immersing herself in the study of Irish Folk and discovers hope for the future of the magical past.

Finally back home in Ireland after years of traveling, Aidan Gallagher possesses an uncommon understanding of his country's haunting myths. Although he's devoted to managing the family pub, a hint of wildness still glints in his stormy eyes--and in Jude, he sees a woman who can both soothe his heart and stir his blood. And he begins to share the legends of the land with her--while they create a passionate history of their own..."

I really liked this one. I enjoy Nora Roberts, as a general rule, and was glad to find this one a nice, easy read. A bit predictable, but that's kind of what I like about her writing.

This is one of my all time favorite Nora trilogies. I'm glad you enjoyed it as well!

 

[mummabear]

This sounds really little silly but 5 books.
I used to read a book a week before kids but with 3 little ones I have only done 5 in 6 years!
First on my list is a book being released tomorrow called Evidence then A Helmet for my pillow.

 

[kmb584]

#5: Enchantress (Everman Saga, Book 1) by James Maxwell. From Goodreads:

Ella and her brother, Miro, are orphans, their parents killed long ago in the ongoing struggle against the mad Emperor.

From the day Ella witnesses an enchanter using his talents to save Miro from drowning, she knows what she wants to be. But the elite Academy of Enchanters expects tuition fees and knowledge. Determined, Ella sells flowers and studies every book she can. Meanwhile, Miro dreams of becoming one of the world's finest swordsmen, wielding his nation’s powerful enchanted weapons in defense of his homeland.

A dark force rises in the east, conquering all in its path, and Miro leaves for the front. When the void Miro left is filled by Killian, a charming stranger from another land, Ella finds herself in love. But Killian has a secret, and Ella’s actions will determine the fate of her brother, her homeland, and the world.

#6: The Hidden Relic (Everman Saga, Book 2) by James Maxwell. From Goodreads:

With the fate of their homeland still in jeopardy, siblings Ella and Miro must face the Primate’s evil as he discovers a new technique: a way to extract essence from human blood.

The Primate has been temporarily defeated, but his home was once inhabited by the Evermen, and their ancient secrets still remain there. As the mysterious Evrin sets out to destroy everything he can, the Primate stumbles upon an ancient book that tells of a hidden relic with unfathomable power—and he will stop at nothing to find it.

Realizing the solution to defeating the Primate and saving the Empire is tied to the hidden relic, Ella, Miro, Killian, and the desert prince Ilathor must race to reach the relic before the Primate…or suffer disastrous consequences.

 

[Kogo Shuko]

Book number three. I finished it real quick after slogging through Dragonfly in Amber!

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine—Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart.



As a bigger woman I decided to pick this hope because it sounded like it would be a positive read.

Turns out I really hated the main character. She was extremely judgmental about everyone in her life. She also heard negativity toward her weight when there was none. She thought she didn't judge others on their weight, but she was always thinking negative things about them... she just managed to keep her thoughts to herself most of the time.

However, the plot was interesting and the writing style was very addictive. A quick little sometimes romance teen novel.

 

[jenny105]

Book #7 of 50 - The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson

Even though this is billed as a YA novel, I have to admit I was looking forward to it, purely for the fact that it is set at Walt Disney World. I actually have all 7 books on my Kindle but just hadn't got around to reading them before. I honestly didn't enjoy it that much. It was a quick read, mainly because it is aimed at the younger audience, but it also reads as though it was written by a teenager. I finished it, mainly because I hate to not finish a book unless it is really unbearable, but I didn't find it that great a book.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I heard so much hype about these books on the boards and was disappointed when I read the first one. I wasn't into it at all.

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #5/65 - In The Woods by Tana French

As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.
Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox—his partner and closest friend—find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.

There are 2 mysteries going on in this story: 1st, present time murder of a girl and 2nd, a disappearance of 2 kids 20 yrs ago. It's a decent story and was able to pick up the clues pretty easily for the 1st mystery. It was the 2nd mystery, the 2 kids missing, that had me hooked. I really wanted to find out what happened. Well, you never find out!!! I was so disappointed when I got to the end that I had to reread the last few pages to make sure I didn't miss it. That was what kept me reading this book and then left hanging. This author had written 5 more books in this series, so I was hoping there would be more info in those to what happened, but no, she hasn't mentioned it at all. So annoying!

 

[miksilver]

Book #7 of 50 - The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson

In this fantastical novel, Disney's Magic Kingdom suddenly becomes a bit eerie. Finn Whitman and four other teens have been hired as Disney World guides, but with an odd twist: With cutting-edge technology, they have been transformed into hologram projections capable of leading guests around the park. What begins as an exciting theme park job turns into a virtual nightmare as Finn and his pals attempt to thwart an uprising by a menacing group of Disney villains.

Even though this is billed as a YA novel, I have to admit I was looking forward to it, purely for the fact that it is set at Walt Disney World. I actually have all 7 books on my Kindle but just hadn't got around to reading them before. I honestly didn't enjoy it that much. It was a quick read, mainly because it is aimed at the younger audience, but it also reads as though it was written by a teenager. I finished it, mainly because I hate to not finish a book unless it is really unbearable, but I didn't find it that great a book.

Having said that, I am currently reading the second one, because my friend told me that one was better that the first. I am not enjoying this one either (about quarter of the way through) so I don't know that I will bother to read any more of them.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I heard so much hype about these books on the boards and was disappointed when I read the first one. I wasn't into it at all.

You are not the only ones who wanted to like these books! I made it through the first and second one before giving up on the series. I wanted to like them, but just couldn't get into them at all.

 

[PigletsPal2]

Goal: Undetermined number of books:

#5 - Dreaming Spies - Laurie R. King. This is a new series to me, recommended by portia9, We've discovered that we have similar tastes in books, so I was eager to start the series.

This is the next-to-the-most-recent book in a long series but I wasn't able to find any of the older ones. Whenever I start a new series, I try to start with the fist book so that I have the backgrounds of all the characters as I progress through the series. Fortunately, King's writing allowed me to learn as much as I needed to understand and enjoy the story, the most part of which takes place in Japan. The premise that Sherlock Holmes was married was a little hard to wrap my head around, but I got used to it and by the end of the book it seemed natural.

I'm still on the lookout for the first several books in this series and will read and review as soon as I get them.

Queen Colleen

 

[zippitydoo]

This sounds interesting, did you enjoy it?

Yeah, it is a fun read. I am now reading the last book of the series Evil Never Dies.

 

[willowsnn3]

You are not the only ones who wanted to like these books! I made it through the first and second one before giving up on the series. I wanted to like them, but just couldn't get into them at all.

Same here!

 

[willowsnn3]

#6/72

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison
Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage. Much is at stake, including the affluent life they lead in their beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, as she, the killer, and he, the victim, rush haplessly toward the main event. He is a committed cheater. She lives and breathes denial. He exists in dual worlds. She likes to settle scores. He decides to play for keeps. She has nothing left to lose. Told in alternating voices, The Silent Wife is about a marriage in the throes of dissolution, a couple headed for catastrophe, concessions that can't be made, and promises that won't be kept.

Pretty good, quick read.

 

[Colleen27]

#10 - The Queen is Dead by Kate Locke

Nothing lasts forever---and immortality isn't all its cracked up to be.

When her brother Val gets in over his head in an investigation of Half-Blood disappearances and goes missing himself, it's up to Xandra, newly crowned Goblin Queen, to get him back and bring the atrocities to light. Xandra must frequent the seediest parts of London, while also coping with what she is, the political factions vying for her favor, and the all too-close scrutiny of Queen Victoria, who wants her head. Add this to being a suspect in a murder investigation, a werewolf boyfriend with demands of his own, and a mother hell bent on destroying the monarchy, and Xandra barely knows which way is up. One thing she does know is that she's already lost one sibling, she's not about to lose another.

#11 - Long Live the Queen by Kate Locke

Xandra Vardan thought life would be simpler when she accepted the goblin crown and became their queen, but life has only become more complicated. Everyone -- vampires, werewolves and humans -- wants the goblins on their side, because whoever has the goblins -- wins.

Queen Victoria wants her head, Alpha wolf Vex wants her heart, and she still doesn't know the identity of the person who wanted her blood. What she does know is that a project from one of the 'secret' aristocrat labs has gotten free and she's the only one who can stop the perfect killing machine -- a sixteen year-old girl. With human zealots intent on ridding the world of anyone with plagued blood and supernatural politics taking Britain to the verge of civil war, Xandra's finding out that being queen isn't all it's cracked up to be, and if she doesn't do something fast, hers will be the shortest reign in history.

Books 2 & 3 in this trilogy definitely lived up to the promise of the first. I loved every bit of these stories, from the fantastic world the author creates to the fascinating characters that populate it. All three books were "stay up till midnight" page turners that I read one after another to the point of distraction and procrastination. Not a lot of series can suck me in so well while keeping the story moving at a just-keep-reading pace - usually worlds so engaging tend to come in much longer, heavier novels (Game of Thrones or Outlander worlds) that I need a bit of a break from binge-reading.

#12, 13, 14 - The Fifty Shades Trilogy by E.L. James

I'm not even going to bother with a summary, I think everyone knows what these are about. I didn't read them when they first came out and was a bit perplexed at the popularity of a book from such a fringe genre (erotica not being particularly mainstream). But one of my daughter's friends was talking about the book/movie and it got me wondering because she and I read a lot of the same things. And I caught the movie while I was sick and sleepless earlier this month, which held my interest well enough that I figured I'd give the books a shot. I'm still perplexed about how this series got so popular! The love story borders on creepy but wasn't the worst I've ever read. The writing, on the other hand... I get that there are only so many ways to write sex scenes, but even by trashy-romance standards the descriptions were repetitive and often cliched. And by the last book, the plot seemed like nothing more than a flimsy device to excuse the long-winded bedroom scenes. I found myself skimming whole pages of pointless, repetitive sex to get to what was actually going on with the story. I was left feeling like this series fell short both as romance, which I like as much as the next girl, and as erotica, which I also enjoy when it is done well. I think they're the rare books that are actually better as movies because the translation to a visual medium and the need to keep it no worse than R-rated cuts out a lot of the repetition I found so annoying/distracting about the books.

Up next, a break from the fluff to read A Fighting Chance by Elizabeth Warren. But I also have the second Sookie Stackhouse book and the sequel to Alice in Zombieland waiting for me.