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

[Christine]

Finished book #23/65 - The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

This author also wrote Cloud Atlas which I have not read. This book is 6 interconnected stories with the main character Holly that progress through her life in 10 to 20 year jumps. Some of the stories are better than others and b/c this is over 600 pgs, I did some skimming through the boring story lines. They could have been cut down some to keep the reader interested. 3/5 stars

Following a scalding row with her mother, fifteen-year-old Holly Sykes slams the door on her old life. But Holly is no typical teenage runaway: a sensitive child once contacted by voices she knew only as “the radio people,” Holly is a lightning rod for psychic phenomena. Now, as she wanders deeper into the English countryside, visions and coincidences reorder her reality until they assume the aura of a nightmare brought to life. For Holly has caught the attention of a cabal of dangerous mystics—and their enemies. But her lost weekend is merely the prelude to a shocking disappearance that leaves her family irrevocably scarred. This unsolved mystery will echo through every decade of Holly’s life, affecting all the people Holly loves—even the ones who are not yet born.
A Cambridge scholarship boy grooming himself for wealth and influence, a conflicted father who feels alive only while reporting from occupied Iraq, a middle-aged writer mourning his exile from the bestseller list—all have a part to play in this surreal, invisible war on the margins of our world. From the medieval Swiss Alps to the nineteenth-century Australian bush, from a hotel in Shanghai to a Manhattan townhouse in the near future, their stories come together in moments of everyday grace and extraordinary wonder.

This is one of the few books I had to give up. I couldn't make it through!

 

[MochaDrinker]

32/200 f*ck feelings by dr Michael I Bennett and Sarah Bennett.

33/200 bad faith by Paul offit

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

I felt the same way about the series. For me, I think the translation was better in the 2nd and 3rd books. They used someone different for those and I think it made a difference.

You are probably right, it might have been the translator. I only read s few translations, but most were much older works. Favorite translation ever was Outlaws of the Marsh, but that was a translation of a 15th century chineese work. It one of the earliest chineese works and one of my favorite reads.

 

[jenny105]

Finished book #8 - Shopaholic to the Rescue by Sophie Kinsella.

 

[wilma-bride]

I'm ba-ack, had a fabulous time but didn't read a single book (only picked my Kindle up half a dozen times). Will try and get caught up on the thread and everybody's book count in the next few days.

 

[zippitydoo]

Book #15/50: Kill Me Again by Rachel Abbot

From Goodreads:
When Maggie Taylor accepts a new job in Manchester, she is sure it is the right move for her family. The children have settled well although her husband, Duncan, doesn’t appear to be so convinced.

But nothing prepares her for the shock of coming home from work one night to find that Duncan has disappeared, leaving their young children alone. His phone is dead, and she has no idea where he has gone, or why. And then she discovers she’s not the only one looking for him.

When a woman who looks just like Maggie is brutally murdered and DCI Tom Douglas is brought in to investigate, Maggie realises how little she knows about Duncan’s past. Is he the man she loves? Who is he running from?

She doesn’t have long to decide whether to trust him or betray him. Because one thing has been made clear to Maggie – another woman will die soon, and it might be her.

 

[Swimnoid]

19. Three Day Town by Margaret Maron
How have I never read this author before? She writes the exact kind of book I like best and has written a million of them. Anyway, Three Day Town is a series that actually brings the two series this author writes together. The protagonists of each series are distantly related; one a detective in the NYPD, the other a judge from North Carolina. The judge is visiting NYC for her honeymoon but also need to deliver a package to her cousin. Someone is murdered in the apartment in which she is staying and the package has disappeared. So the two must team up to solve the murder and find the package. It was a quick read and pretty interesting. I'll probably try to find more of the series.

20. Emory's Gift by W Bruce Cameron
I loved A Dog's Purpose by this author so I was looking forward to reading this book. This is about a boy and a bear who the boy swears is communicating with him. Of course nobody believes him at first but things happen to turn around the town. I enjoyed the book.

21. Oath of Office by Michael Palmer
From Goodreads: When Dr. John Meacham goes on a shooting spree the office, his business partner, staff, and two patients are killed in the bloodbath. Then Meacham turns the gun on himself.

The blame falls on Dr. Lou Welcome. Welcome worked with Meacham years before as a counselor after John's medical license had been revoked for drug addiction. Lou knew that John was an excellent doctor and deserved to be practicing medicine and fought hard for his license to be restored. After hearing the news of the violent outburst, Lou is in shock like everyone else, but mostly he's incredulous. And when he begins to look into it further, the terrifying evidence he finds takes him down a path to an unspeakable conspiracy that seems to lead directly to the White House and those in the highest positions of power.

A good medical thriller.

22. Thunder and Rain by Charles Martin
From Goodreads: Third generation Texas Ranger Tyler Steele is the last of a dying breed-- a modern day cowboy hero living in a world that doesn't quite understand his powerful sense of right and wrong and instinct to defend those who can't defend themselves. Despite his strong moral compass, Ty has trouble seeing his greatest weakness. His hard outer shell, the one essential to his work, made him incapable of forging the emotional connection his wife Andie so desperately needed.

Now retired, raising their son Brodie on his own, and at risk of losing his ranch, Ty does not know how to rebuild from the rubble of his life. The answer comes in the form of Samantha and her daughter Hope, on the run from a seemingly inescapable situation. They are in danger, desperate, and alone. Though they are strangers, Ty knows he can help-- protecting the innocent is what he does best. As his relationship with Sam and Hope unfolds, Ty realizes he must confront his true weaknesses if he wants to become the man he needs to be.

Part action/suspense, part romance. I really enjoyed it.

 

[Colleen27]

#34 - My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem

Gloria Steinem—writer, activist, organizer, and one of the most inspiring leaders in the world—now tells a story she has never told before, a candid account of how her early years led her to live an on-the-road kind of life, traveling, listening to people, learning, and creating change. She reveals the story of her own growth in tandem with the growth of an ongoing movement for equality. This is the story at the heart of My Life on the Road.

I wasn't sure what to expect of this one. I have a love-hate relationship with Steinem's work and her recent comments about the presidential election didn't have me feeling very warmly about her when my waitlist on this book came through, but I'm glad I gave it a chance. It is a wandering, rambling, disorganized bit of memoir, but that sort of fit with the whole story being about traveling because even the best planned travel has a way of turning into a wandering, rambling thing. The anecdotes she relates are mostly fascinating and full of a sense of unfulfilled promise that gives insight into both our recent history as a nation and the state of the current feminist movement, but more than that it is just an interesting travelogue full of random, fascinating, and occasionally significant personalities.

#35 - Under the Affluence by Tim Wise

Tim Wise is one of America's most prolific public intellectuals. His critically acclaimed books, high-profile media interviews, and year-round speaking schedule have established him as an invaluable voice in any discussion on issues of race and multicultural democracy.

In Under the Affluence, Wise discusses a related issue: economic inequality and the demonization of those in need. He reminds us that there was a time when the hardship of fellow Americans stirred feelings of sympathy, solidarity for struggling families, and support for policies and programs meant to alleviate poverty. Today, however, mainstream discourse blames people with low income for their own situation, and the notion of an intractable "culture of poverty" has pushed our country in an especially ugly direction.

Tim Wise argues that far from any culture of poverty, it is the culture of predatory affluence that deserves the blame for America's simmering economic and social crises. He documents the increasing contempt for the nation's poor, and reveals the forces at work to create and perpetuate it. With clarity, passion and eloquence, he demonstrates how America's myth of personal entitlement based on merit is inextricably linked to pernicious racial bigotry, and he points the way to greater compassion, fairness, and economic justice.

This was exceptionally well researched, only slightly less well organized, but not a very compelling read. Too academic and not engaging, while at the same time leveling that as a criticism of efforts to counteract the forces he critiques. He makes a lot of great points and backs them up with hard numbers, statistics, and historical anecdotes, but the narrative frequently bogs down in all this evidence which detracts from the impact of the things he's saying. All in all I was left feeling like it was an excellent idea dealing with a facet of our modern cultural mythology that deserves as long hard look, but one that fell short in the execution and therefore won't reach the kind of audience needed to spark the conversations the author would like us as a society to be having.

 

[NHdisneylover]

#34 - My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem

Gloria Steinem—writer, activist, organizer, and one of the most inspiring leaders in the world—now tells a story she has never told before, a candid account of how her early years led her to live an on-the-road kind of life, traveling, listening to people, learning, and creating change. She reveals the story of her own growth in tandem with the growth of an ongoing movement for equality. This is the story at the heart of My Life on the Road.

I wasn't sure what to expect of this one. I have a love-hate relationship with Steinem's work and her recent comments about the presidential election didn't have me feeling very warmly about her when my waitlist on this book came through, but I'm glad I gave it a chance. It is a wandering, rambling, disorganized bit of memoir, but that sort of fit with the whole story being about traveling because even the best planned travel has a way of turning into a wandering, rambling thing. The anecdotes she relates are mostly fascinating and full of a sense of unfulfilled promise that gives insight into both our recent history as a nation and the state of the current feminist movement, but more than that it is just an interesting travelogue full of random, fascinating, and occasionally significant personalities.

I am happy to read your review of Steinem's memoir. I have my name on the list at the library for the English edition and have been ambivalent about it for the same reasons you say you were not so certain about reading it.

 

[Kirby]

15/80 - The Missing Twin by Pamela Tracy

Angela Taylor knew her sister was in trouble. For anyone but a twin, her instincts would seem crazy, and her actions crazier. Picking up and moving herself and her daughter, Celia, to Scorpion Ridge and asking questions put them all at risk. Even more risky was trusting Jake Farraday, the handsome ex-cop turned forest ranger. Years in witness protection had taught Angela to trust no one. Yet with Abigail missing, Jake was her only hope, and she found herself wanting to share more of her past with him. And more of her future. But did Jake have his own motives for helping Angela?

This is a Harlequin Heartwarming. I haven't read Harlequin in such a long, long time and found myself enjoying it.

 

[Glynis]

Finished book #17: "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese. From Goodreads: "Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a brash British surgeon at a mission hospital in Addis Ababa. Orphaned by their mother’s death in childbirth and their father's disappearance, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution. Yet it will be love, not politics — their passion for the same woman—that will tear them apart and force Marion, fresh out of medical school, to flee his homeland. He makes his way to America, finding refuge in his work as an intern at an underfunded, overcrowded New York City hospital. When the past catches up to him — nearly destroying him — Marion must entrust his life to the two men he thought he trusted least in the world: the surgeon father who abandoned him and the brother who betrayed him.

An unforgettable journey into one man's remarkable life, and an epic story about the power, intimacy, and curious beauty of the work of healing others."

I really enjoyed this book! It started off very slowly, but once I got used to the author's style and tempo, I found it quite enjoyable. I was ugly crying by the end of the book!

 

[K and K's Mommy]

Finished book #17: "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese. From Goodreads: "Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a brash British surgeon at a mission hospital in Addis Ababa. Orphaned by their mother’s death in childbirth and their father's disappearance, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution. Yet it will be love, not politics — their passion for the same woman—that will tear them apart and force Marion, fresh out of medical school, to flee his homeland. He makes his way to America, finding refuge in his work as an intern at an underfunded, overcrowded New York City hospital. When the past catches up to him — nearly destroying him — Marion must entrust his life to the two men he thought he trusted least in the world: the surgeon father who abandoned him and the brother who betrayed him.

An unforgettable journey into one man's remarkable life, and an epic story about the power, intimacy, and curious beauty of the work of healing others."

I really enjoyed this book! It started off very slowly, but once I got used to the author's style and tempo, I found it quite enjoyable. I was ugly crying by the end of the book!

Yes! One of my favorites!

 

[moniqueand2]

#17/30 - The Short Drop by Matthew Fitzsimmons
A mystery which was OK. If mysteries are your genre you would probably like this one.

 

[Kogo Shuko]

Book # 13: Blood Oath (Nathanial Cade #1) by Christopher Farnsworth

Zach Barrows is a cocky, ambitious White House employee until he's abruptly transferred out and partnered with Nathaniel Cade, a secret agent sworn to protect the president. But Cade is no ordinary civil servant. Bound 140 years ago by a special blood oath, Nathanial Cade is a vampire. On the orders of the president he defends the nation against enemies far stranger-and even more dangerous-than civilians like Zach could ever imagine.



This isn't my normal read. I generally don't do politics or military books. In fact, I rarely do books that are very American.

Technically this books encompasses all three of those things.

However, while the author clearly has done his research and knows what he's talking about, he smooths everything over. In fact, it doesn't feel very preachy at all, which is often the vibe I get with that kind of book.

Instead, the characters are what drives this novel. You get to know each individually. And while his character development is not on par with some of my favourite authors, I still enjoyed the characters he created.

The action was fast and on-the-edge-of-your-seat good. Often, I had a hard time putting this down.

 

[tiggrbaby]

#16/50: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (4.5/5) (historical fiction/WWI France)

#17/50: Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs #4) (3.5/5) (historical fiction/1930s England)

#18/50: In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume (4.5/5) (1950s setting)

 

[PigletsPal2]

Goal: Undetermined; as many books as possible.

#11-The Residence by Kate Andersen Brower. This book is a collection of memories about the White House and the families who lived there, recounted by many long-time staffers from the Head Ushers to the dishwashers. The anecdotes are mostly from the domestic staff, a few from the Presidents' or First Ladies' staffs. Not at all gossipy just interesting information presented is a very readable manner. Easy to pick up and put down at will.

Queen Colleen​

 

[willowsnn3]

#19/72

After She's Gone by Lisa Jackson

"Cassie Kramer and her younger sister, Allie, learned the hazards of fame long ago. Together, they'd survived the horror of a crazed fan who nearly killed their mother, former Hollywood actress Jenna Hughes. Still, Cassie moved to L.A., urging Allie to follow. As a team, the'd take the town by storm. But Allie, finally free of small town Oregon, and just that little bit more beautiful, also proved to be more talented..and driven. Where Cassie got bit parts, Allie rose to stardom, But now her body double has been shot on the set of her latest movie..and Allie is missing."

This book, while not a series, continues with the characters from the last 2 books I read by this author. I really liked the other 2 books but this one not so much. Only finished it because it was all I had on hand. This one was set a few years after the last one and all the characters seemed to have just completely changed, lol. Makes me kinda think there should have been a book between this one and the last one.

Anyway, hoping some of my others on hold will come in soon!

 

[rigs32]

It's been awhile since I posted. I guess because my read speed slowed down a bit. As I wrote out my list, I see I went on a disappointing run. That's probably why. Must make a library trip to get some really good stuff.

#21 - Crimson Shore by Douglas Preston.

This is the 15th book in the Agent Pendergast series. It was, as usual, a crime investigation with a supernatural twist. The story was not great, though. Almost as if the first 2/3 are one story and the last 1/3 was added to make it longer yet without a satisfying resolution. I'd read it if you like the series, but speed read the last 1/3.

#22 - Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner.

I like her books. I feel like she typically writes realistic female characters. The story here was OK, but I did consider quitting the book. It just seemed like the characters were making stupid choices and not communicating simply to force the plot to develop in a particular way.

#23 - The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

As typical of her writing, this story (not a true novel) has multiple twists. The set up was interesting, but the twists didn't fully pan out. They left me confused and curious as to why I should care and ultimately left wondering what happened after the last page. And not in a good way.

#24 - The First Counsel by Brad Meltzer

The second legal thriller by this author. I really didn't like it. I sped read the last half just to finish it. I hated the characters. People were dying for no good reason. Others were making stupid choices and running their mouths to anyone about what was going on just to create diversions. Do not recommend.

#25 - Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales from a Former Playboy Bunny by Holly Madison

This one I enjoyed. A memoir that didn't hold back yet was mostly respectful of others.

#26 - The Ride Delegate: Memoir of a WDW VIP Tour Guide by Annie Salisbury

I enjoyed this, but wished it was longer. I felt bad for some of the horrid behavior these tour guides had to put up with and annoyed at how much Disney charges for them compared to how the guides are compensated.

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #24/65 - The Gates of Evangeline by Hester Young

I enjoyed this story and couldn't put it down. This was one of those books that I found that I really liked some aspects a whole lot and other things in the book not as much. In the end, the good outweighed the bad for me. I figured out part of the mystery too, but I still liked it.

When New York journalist and recently bereaved mother Charlotte “Charlie” Cates begins to experience vivid dreams about children she’s sure that she’s lost her mind. Yet these are not the nightmares of a grieving parent, she soon realizes. They are messages and warnings that will help Charlie and the children she sees, if only she can make sense of them.
After a little boy in a boat appears in Charlie’s dreams asking for her help, Charlie finds herself entangled in a thirty-year-old missing-child case that has never ceased to haunt Louisiana’s prestigious Deveau family. Armed with an invitation to Evangeline, the family’s sprawling estate, Charlie heads south, where new friendships and an unlikely romance bring healing. But as she uncovers long-buried secrets of love, money, betrayal, and murder, the facts begin to implicate those she most wants to trust—and her visions reveal an evil closer than she could’ve imagined.

 

[TrustInPixieDust]

Is it too late to get in on this? I just got back into reading last month after being in a bit of a reading rut. I'm thinking 20 books would be a good goal to try to put a dent in my infinite to-read list. I'm currently reading the Mara Dyer trilogy by Michelle Hodkin. I've already finished the first two last month and I'm on the final one now! I really enjoy these books, which isn't surprising because YA is my guilty pleasure. Sad to be coming to the end of the trilogy.