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

Finished book 10 out of 30, All American Girl part 2 by Meg Cabot. YA - I get she was only 16 but for god sake talk to your freakin boyfriend!

I just started book 11 - And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.
 
Hi - it's been a while since I've posted.
12/40 - The Burgess Boys, Elizabeth Strout - I listened to this while on vacation and realized I simply do not like the way Strout writes. The story was interesting, but then she goes on tangents and just took too long to wrap up the family's issues.
13/40 - The Orchardist, Amanda Coplin - set in the Pacific Northwest at the turn of the 20th century, a man establishes an orchard, and lives a solitary life until two young girls arrive and upset the apple cart (pun intended!) A wonderful book of quiet devotion and a window into the type of people who settled the wilds of the U.S.
14/40 - Boys in the Trees, Carly Simon - her memoir of her childhood and earl adulthood - if half of this is true, I'll eat my hat. I read it because I love her music , and JT's, of course. I was actually at his concert at Radio City when he announced they had gotten married. This book really lives up to the old adage "The rich are different" - some episodes seem too wild to be true.

Next up, the new Anna Quindlan - it's terrific!

I was also disappointed by the Carly Simon memoir.
 
#19 - 24/50:

Maisie Dobbs #5 & 6: An Incomplete Revenge and Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear (1930s England/historical fiction) (4/5 stars)

Kindle First April selection: Blood Defense by Marcia Clark (legal thriller)(3.5/5)

Memoirs (I would suggest not borrowing the Kindle version; many pictures/notes difficult to see): Yes Please by Amy Poehler and Bossypants by Tina Fey (4/5)

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (4.5/5)
 
39/200-Clementine by Sonia Purcell. A biography of Clementine Churchill, Winston s wife.

40/200-rising strong by Brene brown
 
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I've read several since I last updated...

As If! The oral history of Clueless - it was ok. It was fun reading about the movie.
Awake by Natasha Preston - about a girl that doesn't have memories before the age of 4 and how she ends up learning about her past after being in a car accident. I didn't like this much, but we read it for book club so I had to get through it!
The Way I used to Be by Amber Smith - about a girl who was raped by her brother's best friend and didn't tell anyone for years and how it took its toll on her. This one was good but the ending seemed very rushed.
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - about a girl who is a huge Simon Snow fan (like Harry Potter) and she writes fanfiction about it. I liked this one. It was an easy read.
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton - this book was incredible. The way the author writes and gives so much detail to every character. It's about a girl (Ava Lavender) who is born with wings and no one understands how this happened, and she looks back into her past to look for answers. So good!! It has become one of my favorite books ever!!! :goodvibes

And I reread the Hunger Games Trilogy. Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. Always good reads!
 
41/200- Young Elizabeth by Kate Williams

42/200-A Queer and Pleasant Danger by Kate Bornstein
 
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#27 - The Martian by Andy Weir

This one lived up to the hype for the most part. I didn't want to put it down. Can't wait to see the movie now.

#28 - Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari

This was a fun, humorous read. I most enjoyed the discussions of modern dating in different countries. I was disappointed that I'd heard several chunks before in podcasts, etc, but that's how you promote stuff, so I understand.
 
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Ive not done very well so far in the challenge I set myself however a long train journey on my own this weekend has meant I have finished the latest Jeffrey Archer book - Cometh the Hour. (Book Number 3)
I also started Girl on a Train and am really enjoying it so far so will be hopefully finishing it soon as well
 
#24/72

Silent Scream by Angela Marsons

Five figures gather round a shallow grave. They had all taken turns to dig. An adult sized hole would have taken longer. An innocent life had been taken but the pact had been made. Their secrets would be buried, bound in blood.

Years later a headmistress is found brutally strangled, the first in a spate of gruesome murders which shock the Black Country.

But when human remains are discovered at a former children's home, disturbing secrets are also unearthed.


This one was just ok.
 
Book / 16: The Troop by Nick Cutter
Once a year, scoutmaster Tim Riggs leads a troop of boys into the Canadian wilderness for a three-day camping trip—a tradition as comforting and reliable as a good ghost story and a roaring bonfire. But when an unexpected intruder—shockingly thin, disturbingly pale, and voraciously hungry—stumbles upon their campsite, Tim and the boys are exposed to something far more frightening than any tale of terror. The human carrier of a bioengineered nightmare. An inexplicable horror that spreads faster than fear. A harrowing struggle for survival that will pit the troop against the elements, the infected...and one another.

This read was quite surprising! One of the best horror novels I have read in a long while. The revolting parts actually left me feeling revolted, which is hard to do.

Nick Cutter is an author who has an uncanny ability to describe things perfectly, making them seem so real.

Each character has his own fatal flaw, making it easy for you to feel both sad and aloof when something bad happens to him. Yet you're routing for at least one or two of them to make it through his terrifying ordeal. But will they be able to?

Read it to find out.

I highly recommend this to those who like scary things that go bump in the night.
 
Hi y'all! I just found this, I hope it's okay if I hop on board late. I challenge myself to read at LEAST 52 books a year & keep track using the Book Catalogue app. I'm only at 14/52 right now (way behind where I'd like to be by this time of year...but it is what it is). I don't want to bore anyone with a long massive post talking about all of them, so for now I will just list them. If anyone wants more information I'd be happy to share, and from here on I'll give more information when I finish a book.
  1. The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
  2. My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni
  3. The Sanctuary by Raymond Khoury
  4. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King
  5. Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman
  6. Lost Lake by Phillip Margolin
  7. Disney After Dark (Kingdom Keepers 1) by Ridley Pearson
  8. Disney at Dawn (Kingdom Keepers 2) by Ridley Pearson
  9. California Girl by T. Jefferson Parker
  10. Doctor Who: The Stone Rose (The History Collection) by Jacqueline Rayner
  11. The Secret Supper by Javier Sierra
  12. Fractured by Karin Slaughter
  13. Undone by Karin Slaughter
  14. The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston & Mario Spetzi
Currently reading #15 The Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs and #16 Touch and Go by Lisa Gardener
 
Hi y'all! I just found this, I hope it's okay if I hop on board late. I challenge myself to read at LEAST 52 books a year & keep track using the Book Catalogue app. I'm only at 14/52 right now (way behind where I'd like to be by this time of year...but it is what it is). I don't want to bore anyone with a long massive post talking about all of them, so for now I will just list them. If anyone wants more information I'd be happy to share, and from here on I'll give more information when I finish a book.
  1. The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
  2. My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni
  3. The Sanctuary by Raymond Khoury
  4. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King
  5. Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman
  6. Lost Lake by Phillip Margolin
  7. Disney After Dark (Kingdom Keepers 1) by Ridley Pearson
  8. Disney at Dawn (Kingdom Keepers 2) by Ridley Pearson
  9. California Girl by T. Jefferson Parker
  10. Doctor Who: The Stone Rose (The History Collection) by Jacqueline Rayner
  11. The Secret Supper by Javier Sierra
  12. Fractured by Karin Slaughter
  13. Undone by Karin Slaughter
  14. The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston & Mario Spetzi
Currently reading #15 The Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs and #16 Touch and Go by Lisa Gardener

Welcome!
Sounds like my kind of list, lol. I've read several of those already so will try to check out some of the others.
Three of my favorite authors are on your list: Stephen King, Karin Slaughter & Lisa Gardner.
 
#25/72

Bloody Kin by Margaret Maron

'Deep in North Carolina Jake Honeycutt dies of a shotgun blast while hunting. No one mentions to Kate, his grieving and pregnant wife from New York, that just maybe his death wasn't an accident. With the exception of Lacy, the farm's old curmudgeon of a handyman, everyone from the slow talking local cop to Jake's slick attorney are as sweet as pecan pie But when the body of a murdered stranger turns up and a snapshot of Jake with his Vietnam army buddies disappears, Kate begins to hear a sinister undertone. Now in a world of ante bellum mansions, good ol boys, and steel magnolia women, Kate realizes she is an outsider and in trouble, looking Jakes's kith and kin for a friend to count on....or a killer to fear.'

Short quick read but pretty good.
 
Finished book #27/65 - A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

I loved this book! I just know this is going to be my favorite for 2016! My favorite book for last year was from this author too (My Grandmother Told Me To Tell You She's Sorry). I just love his characters. Some of the things the main character, Ove, said cracked me up. I could just hear my DH saying some of these things too. Such a sweet story. I made the mistake of reading the end of this book while waiting for an oil change. I just cried and cried, while trying to hide it from people. They must have thought I was weird.

A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.
Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?
Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.
 
Book #16 It's in His Kiss by Julie Quinn
Book #17 On the Way to the Wedding by Julie Quinn
Book #18 Happily Ever After: Bridgertons by Julie Quinn
Book #19 A Desperate Christmas Bride by Emma Morgan
Book #20 The New Year's Bride by Kit Morgan
Book #21 Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
Book #22 The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
Book #23 Perfect Wives in Ideal Homes by Virginia Nicholson
Book #24 Matilda Bone by Karen Cushman
Book#25 Alchemy and Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman
Book #26 A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
Book #27 Will Sparrow's Road by Karen Cushman

Book #28 Ramona Qumby Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
Book #29 After I'm Gone by Laura Lippman
Book #30 Shadow of the Titanic by Andrew Wilson
Book #31 Sarai by Jill Eileen Smith
Book #32 Cross-Country Quilter by Jennifer Chiaverini
Book #33 The Runaway Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini

A bit behind but with classes slowing down I can start getting back with my reading.
 
Finished book #27/65 - A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

I loved this book! I just know this is going to be my favorite for 2016! My favorite book for last year was from this author too (My Grandmother Told Me To Tell You She's Sorry). I just love his characters. Some of the things the main character, Ove, said cracked me up. I could just hear my DH saying some of these things too. Such a sweet story. I made the mistake of reading the end of this book while waiting for an oil change. I just cried and cried, while trying to hide it from people. They must have thought I was weird.

A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.
Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?
Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.

That book sounds right up my alley!

Book #28 Ramona Qumby Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
Book #29 After I'm Gone by Laura Lippman
Book #30 Shadow of the Titanic by Andrew Wilson
Book #31 Sarai by Jill Eileen Smith
Book #32 Cross-Country Quilter by Jennifer Chiaverini
Book #33 The Runaway Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini

A bit behind but with classes slowing down I can start getting back with my reading.

I love Jennifer Chiaverini's quilt books!
 













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