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

[threeboysmom]

Well, I stuck with it and finished We Need to Talk About Kevin, and I'm happy that I did! For ONCE, I actually did not regret my decision to continue on (usually books that start badly, continue on with the badness and then end badly). Anyways, once I got past the letter writing and the misuse of every big word under the sun (OK, I may not have ENTIRELY gotten over that, but I became less irritated by it as I became more engrossed in the story).

I have to say I enjoyed Eva's character. I know a lot of people hated her character, but I felt like I could connect on a very subtle level. I didn't just fall into motherhood with my first child. I struggled with loving this "darling" new baby of mine that cried all the time and kept me up all night. I really enjoyed the tension & the undercurrents between Eva and Kevin. I thought the author played that very well. The "shocking" ending was spoiled for me before I even started the book, but I don't think that really changed anything for me. I've finished... but I can't stop thinking about that last interaction between Eva and Kevin. I'm not sure who to feel sorry for...lol.

This is why I don't like to quit books!!

Also read Hold Tight by Harlan Coben. Really enjoyed this one. Was a fast read for me. I think this is the 2nd book of his that I read. Will definitely be reading more.

Tia and Mike Baye never imagined they'd become the type of overprotective parents who spy on their kids. But their sixteen-year-old son Adam has been unusually distant lately, and after the suicide of his classmate Spencer Hill - the latest in a string of issues at school - they can't help but worry. They install a sophisticated spy program on Adam's computer, and within days they are jolted by a message from an unknown correspondent addressed to their son - 'Just stay quiet and all safe.'

Meanwhile, browsing through an online memorial for Spencer put together by his classmates, Betsy Hill is struck by a photo that appears to have been taken on the night of her son's death and he wasn't alone. She thinks it is Adam Baye standing just outside the camera's range; but when Adam goes missing, it soon becomes clear that something deep and sinister has infected their community. For Tia and Mike Baye, the question they must answer is this: when it comes to your kids, is it possible to know too much?

Just started The 5th Wave, but haven't done much reading lately since knitting has taken over my life, lol.

 

[Christine]

Well, I stuck with it and finished We Need to Talk About Kevin, and I'm happy that I did! For ONCE, I actually did not regret my decision to continue on (usually books that start badly, continue on with the badness and then end badly). Anyways, once I got past the letter writing and the misuse of every big word under the sun (OK, I may not have ENTIRELY gotten over that, but I became less irritated by it as I became more engrossed in the story).

I have to say I enjoyed Eva's character. I know a lot of people hated her character, but I felt like I could connect on a very subtle level. I didn't just fall into motherhood with my first child. I struggled with loving this "darling" new baby of mine that cried all the time and kept me up all night. I really enjoyed the tension & the undercurrents between Eva and Kevin. I thought the author played that very well. The "shocking" ending was spoiled for me before I even started the book, but I don't think that really changed anything for me. I've finished... but I can't stop thinking about that last interaction between Eva and Kevin. I'm not sure who to feel sorry for...lol.

Oh, I am *so* glad you stuck with it. At the time, it really affected me. I think as a mother, it's hard to know what or how to feel when you have a child that is just not quite right from the beginning. Throughout the book, especially during Kevin's infancy and toddlerhood, I felt really awful for Eva. To go into motherhood with such hopes and to have to deal and know deep down that something is wrong, almost from the beginning. It was just a devastating book.

 

[threeboysmom]

Oh, I am *so* glad you stuck with it. At the time, it really affected me. I think as a mother, it's hard to know what or how to feel when you have a child that is just not quite right from the beginning. Throughout the book, especially during Kevin's infancy and toddlerhood, I felt really awful for Eva. To go into motherhood with such hopes and to have to deal and know deep down that something is wrong, almost from the beginning. It was just a devastating book.

Yes, and the fact that her husband did not see it at all (or chose not to... I'm still deciding whether he knew and just stuck his head in the sand or if he was truly that ignorant) and thought she was making it up was just so wrong. But apparently a lot of readers think Eva was a bad mother. I didn't get that vibe at all.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Well, I stuck with it and finished We Need to Talk About Kevin, and I'm happy that I did! For ONCE, I actually did not regret my decision to continue on (usually books that start badly, continue on with the badness and then end badly). Anyways, once I got past the letter writing and the misuse of every big word under the sun (OK, I may not have ENTIRELY gotten over that, but I became less irritated by it as I became more engrossed in the story).

I have to say I enjoyed Eva's character. I know a lot of people hated her character, but I felt like I could connect on a very subtle level. I didn't just fall into motherhood with my first child. I struggled with loving this "darling" new baby of mine that cried all the time and kept me up all night. I really enjoyed the tension & the undercurrents between Eva and Kevin. I thought the author played that very well. The "shocking" ending was spoiled for me before I even started the book, but I don't think that really changed anything for me. I've finished... but I can't stop thinking about that last interaction between Eva and Kevin. I'm not sure who to feel sorry for...lol.

This is why I don't like to quit books!!
.

I'm glad you ended up really liking it

 

[Kogo Shuko]

Book #5: Seeking Spirits: The Lost Cases of The Atlantic Paranormal Society by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson

TV's popular Ghost Hunters reveal all-new, never-before-told stories from their spooky early investigations!

For the first time ever, Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, founders of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (T.A.P.S.), share their most memorable and spine-tingling early cases -- none of which has ever appeared on television. Beginning with the previously untold experiences that sparked their passion for ghost hunting, Jason and Grant's bone-chilling investigations uncover:

• A Connecticut woman who seems to exist in two places at once
• A little girl whose invisible playmate retaliates against her father's punishments
• A man overcome by an evil entity as Jason and Grant survey his home
• A distraught woman who dreams of paranormal events before she experiences them...and much more!

Jason and Grant didn't always have the fancy scientific equipment and experienced team that fans now watch on their smash-hit television show. As they share their hair-raising first experiences, they offer essential tips for budding paranormal investigators -- including how to use an electromagnetic field (EMF) meter and an infrared camera, determine if a supernatural phenomenon is good or evil, and deal with spirits. Whether you're a skeptic or a believer, these fascinating and frightening true stories will keep you up at night!



I love the Ghost Hunters shows, so I decided to read this book.

The stories in it are pretty interesting, and it definitely gives me the same impression the show does. Not every case ends in a haunting, but there's always descriptions of why.

The writing is mediocre, but the subject matter is interesting.

 

[rigs32]

#11 Maybe We'll Have You Back: The Life of a Perrenial TV Guest Star, by Fres Stroller

Another quick, easy read. The story of what it's like to piece together a living in show business one gig at a time. Was entertaining and somewhat informative.

 

[KateP85]

Finished Book #2: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

From Goodreads:

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

I have only ever said this once before in my life...but I preferred the movie to the book here (the other book I felt this way about was Bridget Jones Diary). I NEVER feel this way, but this book just could not hold my interest, even though I really enjoyed the movie. It might have been that I chose to read it at a chaotic time (we moved house last week and I'm trying to get ready for baby number 2 arriving soon) and perhaps if I had less going on, I would have finished it sooner, but I really was sort of praying for the book to end by the time it was halfway through. The actual story was wonderful, and I really connected with the characters, it was the narration that I didn't care for. I felt like the way it was narrated, the story stopped and started, and just didn't flow for me. 3/5 stars.

 

[rsagusti]

First time for this challenge (new to disboards) I love reading,
My goal this year is 52 books (it always is) last year I completed 67 books I think.

So far I've completed 6 books:

The Fiery Cross (Outlander #5) - LOVE this series, there isn't much to say other than its fantastic, the first book was hard to get into at first and they are big books but a great series once you get into it.

California - end of the world survival type book

Cop Town - 1970s women cops and struggles. eh it was okay

Every Fifteen Minutes - Thriller and pretty good

Luckiest Girl Alive - pretty good

Keep Your Friends Close - Just finished this one, really liked it, but definitely a chick novel.

I will try to do better reviews in the future just wanted to put all those out there that I've finished already this year.

 

[zippitydoo]

Book #7/50: The Mentor by Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli
Book #8/50: Mindspeak by Heather Sunseri

 

[hulagirl87]

I just finished I'll Give you the Sun by Jandy Nelson for our book club tonight. It was ok. It was told by twins, a brother and sister, and it alternated chapters between them. But his story was when they were 13 and her story was from when they were 16. I didn't like her story as much as I liked his. I'm anxious to hear what my friends in book club thought of it. I'm trying to pick what I'm going to read next. I just got a few books from the library, just not sure which one to read first!

 

[E&Cmom]

Book #7/50. True ( True Believer series book 1) by Erin McCarthy
Book #8/50 Sweet ( True Believer series book 2) by Erin McCarthy

I have been in a fluffy read mood lately and this series meets the criteria. They are " new adult" series of 4 books and I am enjoying them so I will probably just finish off the series. Very quick reads and fun characters.

 

[kmb584]

#9: Ashenden by Elizabeth Wilhide. From Goodreads:

"The house contains time. Its walls hold stories. Births and deaths, comings and goings, people and events passing through... For now, however, it lies suspended in a kind of emptiness, as if it has fallen asleep or someone has put it under a spell. This silence won't last: can't last. Something will have to be done."


When brother and sister Charlie and Ros discover that they have inherited their aunt's grand English country house, they must decide if they should sell it. As they survey the effects of time on the the estate's architectural treasures, a narrative spanning two and a half centuries unfolds. We meet those who built the house, lived in it and loved it, worked in it, and those who would subvert it for their own ends. Each chapter is skillfully woven into the others so that the story lines of the upstairs and downstairs characters and their relatives and descendants intertwine to make a rich tapestry. A beautifully written novel full of humor, heart, and poignancy, Ashenden is an evocative portrait of a house that becomes a character as compelling as the people who inhabit it.

#10: Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín. From Goodreads:

Eilis Lacey has come of age in small-town Ireland in the hard years following World War Two. When an Irish priest from Brooklyn offers to sponsor Eilis in America -- to live and work in a Brooklyn neighborhood "just like Ireland" -- she decides she must go, leaving her fragile mother and her charismatic sister behind.

Eilis finds work in a department store on Fulton Street, and when she least expects it, finds love. Tony, who loves the Dodgers and his big Italian family, slowly wins her over with patient charm. But just as Eilis begins to fall in love with Tony, devastating news from Ireland threatens the promise of her future.

By far Tóibín's most instantly engaging and emotionally resonant novel, Brooklyn will make readers fall in love with his gorgeous writing and spellbinding characters.

#11: The Forbidden Queen by Anne O'Brien. From Goodreads:

1415. The jewel in the French crown, Katherine de Valois, is waiting under lock and key for King Henry V. While he's been slaughtering her kinsmen in Agincourt, Katherine has been praying for marriage to save her from her misery. But the brutal king wants her crown, not her innocent love.

For Katherine, England is a lion's den of greed, avarice and mistrust. And when she is widowed at twenty-one, she becomes a prize ripe for the taking—her young son the future monarch, her hand in marriage worth a kingdom.

This is a deadly political game, one the dowager queen must learn fast. The players—the Duke of Gloucester, Edmund Beaufort and Owen Tudor—are circling. Who will have her? Who will ruin her? This is the story of Katherine de Valois.

 

[Christine]

#8/50 - A Death in Vienna by Daniel Silva - This is the second Daniel Silva book I've read. One or two years ago I read The English Girl. Both of these books are from the Gabriel Allon series. As you can see, I have not been reading in order and it seems to not matter; however, I think I'm missing out on a huge bit of Allon backstory by doing this. This particular book focused on the Holocaust and a Nazi war criminal in Austria. I had a hard time getting into the book at first, but I was okay after awhile. It never ceases to amaze me how much I don't know about the Holocaust and what went on and it's always very disturbing to find out new things about it.

Next up: The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende.

Oh, and where is wilma-bride? I don't think I've seen her on this thread in awhile. I know she had surgery a few weeks ago. Hope all is okay.

 

[CallieMar]

9/60 - The Arrangement by Mary Balogh - 2nd book in the Survivors' Club series. This was a very sweet book, looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

10/60 - If I Stay by Gayle Forman - Great book, I really felt for Mia and what she was going through.

 

[mommysaurus]

Finished book #8/65 - The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

My book club read this years ago & I never did, but they reference this book a lot in our discussions. So I thought I should finally read it. It's the story of how the author grew up with ridiculous parents that neglected them. I didn't really care for this book. I felt it was emotionless, just stating one event after another. There's no insight or reflection on surviving neglect and abuse or into her parents' state, possibly mentally ill. Just stating that it happened and it's bc her parents are eccentric. Then everything ends up wonderful in the end.

Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever.
Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the family -- Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.

I am halfway through the glass castle and I'm enjoying it. Perhaps it's because I grew up with an abusive/neglectful parent. It's making me think and reflect on my own experiences. Glad to know it all ends up well...there was a hint of that in the beginning with Jeannette living on park avenue.

 

[BonnieF]

7/40- Sheltering Rain, Jojo Moyes - an early book, tells the story of a teenage girl growing up in the shadow of a grandmother with a past, and a mother struggling with her present. Good, but kind of predictable.
8/40- My Name is Lucy Barton, Elizabeth Strout - although I didn't like Olive Kitteridge, I gave this a try. I'm still trying to make sense of it. Lucy tells her story in bits and pieces, but the unifying thread escapes me. If you're on the fence about this one, give it a pass.

 

[Glynis]

Ok, I think this is book 12. Just finished "The Library of Souls" by Ransom Riggs. From Goodreads: "A boy with extraordinary powers. An army of deadly monsters. An epic battle for the future of peculiardom.

The adventure that began with Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and continued in Hollow City comes to a thrilling conclusion with Library of Souls. As the story opens, sixteen-year-old Jacob discovers a powerful new ability, and soon he’s diving through history to rescue his peculiar companions from a heavily guarded fortress. Accompanying Jacob on his journey are Emma Bloom, a girl with fire at her fingertips, and Addison MacHenry, a dog with a nose for sniffing out lost children.

They’ll travel from modern-day London to the labyrinthine alleys of Devil’s Acre, the most wretched slum in all of Victorian England. It’s a place where the fate of peculiar children everywhere will be decided once and for all. Like its predecessors, Library of Souls blends thrilling fantasy with never-before-published vintage photography to create a one-of-a-kind reading experience."

I have really enjoyed this series. It's incredibly creative, and the vintage photos add quite a bit to the story, for me.

Next up: The Man Who Loved Books Too Much. This one is for book club. I'm really enjoying it! Mostly because one of the main players is the man who introduced me to rare books! I had no idea he was also a "detective!"

 

[Colleen27]

#21 - Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
#22 - Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

Books four and five of the Sookie Stackhouse series. Book four covers a storyline that was one of my favorites in the show - Eric's amnesia - and I liked the way the story was told in the book even better. Book five was a little less riveting but still engaging enough to be an enjoyable, quick read and I'm really loving the series as a whole. I pick up the next two books from the library on Tuesday.

 

[Kirby]

7/80 - The White Dragon: Volume III of Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey. Genre - Fantasy

Never has there been as close a bond as the one that exists between the daring and adventurous young Lord Jaxom and his white dragon, Ruth, as in this tale from the queen of fantasy.

Anne McCaffrey's Dragonflight was the first fantasy book that I read many moons ago. It's also what hooked me on fantasy books. We read Dragonflight last year in my book club and it has started me on a journey re-reading all her Pern books. I give it a 5/5.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

#21 - Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
#22 - Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

Books four and five of the Sookie Stackhouse series. Book four covers a storyline that was one of my favorites in the show - Eric's amnesia - and I liked the way the story was told in the book even better. Book five was a little less riveting but still engaging enough to be an enjoyable, quick read and I'm really loving the series as a whole. I pick up the next two books from the library on Tuesday.

After you read those try the Charley Davidson series (Last Grave on the Left I'd the first I think). The author's name is escaping me right now and I'm on my phone. I'm too lazy to open up a window and Google it.
They're entertaining. Kind of like Doogie Stackhouse and Stephanie Plum (from the Janet Evanovich series) mixed. I'm liking them right now.