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

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Franz Kafka[/QUOTE

Thank you

 

[tiggrbaby]

I thought she did name them; it was very briefly mentioned, maybe a paragraph. The girl was Olympia after her mom, and the boy was Tom.

Yes.

I thought she referred to them as "Boy" and "Girl" because it was easier for her to detach should something happen and I thought she mentioned it was for ease of communication.

I wanted more info too but it wouldn't have been possible with the way it was written I guess.

Still a great read though. One of my favorites from last year.

Yes, those were the names. It was after she was in a place where she felt safer, I think.

 

[tiggrbaby]

#7/50: Amelia's Secrets: An Historical Novel by Maggie Carter-de Vries (4/5) (late 1800s historical fiction)

I got this from the library from my new home town; it is based on actual events that took place here. She has another book and I think I will check it out next time I am at the libray.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

1/30 The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty.

I have read other books by this author and really enjoyed them. This one, not so much. For the first quarter of the book I had a hard time keeping the characters straight. Not a "bad" book, but I would not necessarily recommend it to a friend either.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

#6 - China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan - This is the sequel to Crazy Rich Asians which I really enjoyed as a fun, easy read. I liked this one but not near as much. The main characters of the first novel spend their honeymoon trying to learn more about Rachel's family. There are a lot of characters and hard to keep track of them. Rachel and Nick are not the main focus, and I didn't really love any of the new stories.

 

[Swimnoid]

4. Fear Nothing by Dean Koontz
From Goodreads: Christopher Snow is different from all the other residents of Moonlight Bay, different from anyone you've ever met. For Christopher Snow has made his peace with a very rare genetic disorder shared by only one thousand other Americans, a disorder that leaves him dangerously vulnerable to light. His life is filled with the fascinating rituals of one who must embrace the dark. He knows the night as no one else ever will, ever can - the mystery, the beauty, the many terrors, and the eerie, silken rhythms of the night - for it is only at night that he is free. Until the night he witnesses a series of disturbing incidents that sweep him into a violent mystery only he can solve, a mystery that will force him to rise above all fears and confront the many-layered strangeness of Moonlight Bay and its residents.

The synopsis makes this book sound like a page turner but it does not live up to the typical Koontz horror. I found it kind of slow. This is an early book of his and you can see the development of some characters he will use in late books.

5. Terminal by Kathy Reichs and Brendan Reichs
this is the conclusion to a 5 book YA series about teens who get infected with a virus that gives them enhanced powers. In each book they must solve a mystery during which their lives are in grave danger. All the books are full of action and intrigue and fun to read. This one draws everything to a conclusion which is kind of sad because I like the characters and would enjoy more adventures.

6. Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo
This is the 3rd of a series starring Kate Burkholder who is the chief of police in an area highly populated by Amish. There is a tragedy on an Amish farm which turns out to be suspicious and she must solve the crime. Kate is ex-Amish so has insights into the Amish community that others in the police force do not. This book was good and kept me entertained throughout. I did not read the first two books but this story stands alone although the author does refer to a little bit of background from earlier books. I will probably go bac and read the first two. The first book was made into a Lifetime movie.

7. The Orchard: A Memoir by Theresa Weir
From Goodreads: THE ORCHARD is the story of a street-smart city girl who must adapt to a new life on an apple farm after she falls in love with Adrian Curtis, the golden boy of a prominent local family whose lives and orchards seem to be cursed. Married after only three months, young Theresa finds life with Adrian on the farm far more difficult and dangerous than she expected. Rejected by her husband's family as an outsider, she slowly learns for herself about the isolated world of farming, pesticides, environmental destruction, and death, even as she falls more deeply in love with her husband, a man she at first hardly knew and the land that has been in his family for generations. She becomes a reluctant player in their attempt to keep the codling moth from destroying the orchard, but she and Adrian eventually come to know that their efforts will not only fail but will ultimately take an irreparable toll.

I enjoyed this story although I put it down for a month and picked it up again to finish it.

8. Lethal by Sandra Brown
From Goodreads: When her four year old daughter informs her a sick man is in their yard, Honor Gillette rushes out to help him. But that "sick" man turns out to be Lee Coburn, the man accused of murdering seven people the night before. Dangerous, desperate, and armed, he promises Honor that she and her daughter won't be hurt as long as she does everything he asks. She has no choice but to accept him at his word.

This was good. It is mostly thriller with a little romance thrown in for good measure. It has an interesting plot and lots of good action to keep you reading.

 

[rigs32]

#10 Drinking and Dating: PS Social Media is Ruining Romance by Brandi Glanville

I wanted a quick, silly read. I had no idea she was a Real Housewife as I don't have cable. It was OK. Her writing included hashtags, which was annoying and made me think less of her intelligence. I mean, I use them once and awhile to be funny, but in the context of a book? On most pages? Ugh. I finished it because it didn't take long.

 

[E&Cmom]

Book # 6 / 50 City of Bones ( Mortal Instrument #1) by Cassandra Clare

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.(less)

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Another YA. I enjoyed it and will continue with the series but first after 2 YA books in a row need to read something my own age. Lol.

 

[BumbleB]

13/100 - I Wish You Were Mine - Lauren Layne 3/5 stars

14/100 - Star Wars: Jedi Academy 4.5/5 stars

 

[moniqueand2]

4/30 - Open House by Elizabeth Berg

5/30 - Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons

 

[hulagirl87]

I just read 3 graphic novels by Raina Telgemeier. She is such a great artist! I read Smile, Sisters, and Drama. Smile and Sisters are about the author when she was growing up. Smile is about when she knocked out her 2 front teeth and all the dental work she had to go through to get it fixed, all while being in middle school and getting teased about it. Sisters is about her relationship with her younger sister. Drama is a separate book, not about her, but about a girl in middle school in the drama club and working behind the scenes on the stage crew. They are all so good!

 

[Colleen27]

#17 - A Fighting Chance by Elizabeth Warren

An unlikely political star tells the inspiring story of the two-decade journey that taught her how Washington really works—and really doesn't—in A Fighting Chance

As a child in small-town Oklahoma, Elizabeth Warren yearned to go to college and then become an elementary school teacher—an ambitious goal, given her family's modest means. Early marriage and motherhood seemed to put even that dream out of reach, but fifteen years later she was a distinguished law professor with a deep understanding of why people go bankrupt. Then came the phone call that changed her life: could she come to Washington DC to help advise Congress on rewriting the bankruptcy laws?

Thus began an impolite education into the bare-knuckled, often dysfunctional ways of Washington. She fought for better bankruptcy laws for ten years and lost. She tried to hold the federal government accountable during the financial crisis but became a target of the big banks. She came up with the idea for a new agency designed to protect consumers from predatory bankers and was denied the opportunity to run it. Finally, at age 62, she decided to run for elective office and won the most competitive—and watched—Senate race in the country.

In this passionate, funny, rabble-rousing book, Warren shows why she has chosen to fight tooth and nail for the middle class—and why she has become a hero to all those who believe that America's government can and must do better for working families.

This was a surprisingly enjoyable read considering the subject matter. At times frustrating, infuriating, and deeply disheartening, but Warren keeps such an upbeat and forward-looking tone throughout the entire book that it never really gets bogged down in all those unpleasant realities of our political culture. But at the same time, her perspective as a political outsider who got involved in the legislative process rather unintentionally gives a unflinching look at the dysfunction and corruption that we all know is there but have never seen in action.

#18 - The Eternal Highlander by Lynsay Sands and Hannah Howell

Cathal MacNachton and Connall MacAdie are cousins bound by far more than blood ties and the rugged Highland landscape their clan calls home. The ancient curse of their ancestry has fated them to live by night with an unquenchable thirst that neither can tame. The only thing that can save their souls is marriage to Outsiders - mortals whose untainted blood will weaken the curse in their children and break the chains of fear that have made their clan a breed apart. Bridget Callan and Exa Caxton are the women who will shape the clan's destiny. Marriage to these strange and mysterious men will rescue each of them from desperate circumstances - and draw them into a web of danger, desire, and intrigue...

Typical series romance with a supernatural twist. Both stories were quick reads, well paced and just steamy enough without being cheesy or entirely predictable in the way that some romance novels can get.

#19 - Queen of Zombie Hearts by Gena Showalter

In the stunning conclusion to the wildly popular White Rabbit Chronicles, Alice "Ali" Bell thinks the worst is behind her... until Anima Industries, the agency controlling the zombies, launches a zneak attack, killing four of her friends. It's then she realises only the worst has only begun.

As the surviving slayers prepare for war, Ali discovers she, too, can control the zombies... and she isn't the girl she thought she was. She's connected to the woman responsible for killing — and turning — her boyfriend's mother. How can their relationship endure? As secrets come to light, and more slayers are taken or killed, Ali will fight harder than ever to bring down Anima — even sacrificing her own life for those she loves.

I hated to see this series come to an end. It was a lot of fun from start to finish.

#20 - Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

Things between cocktail waitress Sookie and her vampire boyfriend Bill seem to be going excellently (apart from the small matter of him being undead) until he leaves town for a while. A long while. Bill's sinister boss Eric has an idea of where to find him, whisking her off to Jackson, Mississippi to mingle with the under-underworld at Club Dead. When she finally catches up with the errant vampire, he is in big trouble and caught in an act of serious betrayal. This raises serious doubts as to whether she should save him or start sharpening a few stakes of her own ..

The third Sookie Stackhouse book. It didn't grab me the way the first two did; the drama in some of the relationships has gotten a bit repetitive and some of the plot twists are annoyingly predictable with the characters oblivious to things that should be glaringly obvious. But there's enough I still like about the characters that I've requested the next one from the library already. LOL

 

[Colleen27]

Book # 6 / 50 City of Bones ( Mortal Instrument #1) by Cassandra Clare


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Another YA. I enjoyed it and will continue with the series but first after 2 YA books in a row need to read something my own age. Lol.

I loved this series. My daughter and I both read it, and then the spin-off trilogy set in the same world. Don't bother with the movie version, though - it was terrible! The TV adaptation has, so far, been much more faithful to the books.

 

[Kirby]

6/80 - The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs.

Casting on! It starts almost by accident: the women who buy their knitting needles and wool from Georgia's store linger for advice, for a coffee, for a chat and before they know it, every Friday night is knitting night. Finding a pattern! And as the needles clack, and the garments grow, the conversation moves on from patterns and yarn to life, love and everything. These women are of different ages, from different backgrounds and facing different problems, but they are drawn together by threads of affection that prove as durable as the sweaters they knit. The Friday Night Knitting Club - don't you want to join?

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the rest of the series. I rate it 5/5 and would recommend it.

 

[E&Cmom]

I loved this series. My daughter and I both read it, and then the spin-off trilogy set in the same world. Don't bother with the movie version, though - it was terrible! The TV adaptation has, so far, been much more faithful to the books.

Thanks for letting me know to skip the movie. I am watching the series on Netflix.

 

[nemofans]

Finished book # 9 - The Martian by Andy Weir

I enjoyed this book. Some science stuff was over my head but was kept pretty light which helped to not bog down the story. The personality of the astronaut definitely was entertaining. Looking forward to seeing the movie. I think Matt Damon was a good choice to play Mark Watney.

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.
Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there.
After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.
Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first.
But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

 

[jenny105]

Finished Every Boy's Got One by Meg Cabot. I'm waiting for some books to come through so I started another one of her books, Queen of Babble. They're light, easy reads.

 

[Neesy228]

I keep forgetting to update. I finished Lets Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson. (Book 1/12) Hilarious. And a great read if you don't mind some NSFW language.

I have moved onto So You Think You Know Baseball by Peter Meltzer.(book 2/12)

This is purely a book I have to read to wow my youngest DS once baseball season starts. It's all about the rules and intricacies of the game. It's not a page turner, but I like that it gives you real examples of plays so that you can see the rules in action.

 

[MochaDrinker]

17/200 Devil in Winter by Lisa Klepas. Another historical romance. This was had an interesting backdrop and likable characters.

 

[willowsnn3]

#10/72

Fatal Burn by Lisa Jackson
Two of the secondary characters of Deep Freeze are the main characters in this one.

13 year old Dani Settler was adopted as an infant and her adoptive mother passed away when she was 10 so it has just been her and her adoptive father, Travis. Lately tho, Dani has been wondering about her biological mother and has secretly been searching the internet for her, including joining forums for adopted people who are searching for their bio parents. She has been doing all this "undercover" at a local internet cafe not letting on to Travis what she is doing. She meets a poster on one of the forums that claims to work with people searching for leads.....this poster tells Dani that she has some documents she found and is emailing them to her, knowing just where Dani will have to go to check and print out the email.
So we all know where this is headed right?????
Dani skips last period at school and heads to the internet cafe where she is abducted along the way. Lots of action and secrets to this one.
I thought it was pretty good.