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

[Glynis]

Ok. I've totally lost count! I think this is number 17 or 18 or maybe it's only 16. Not sure. Anyway, I just finished reading "To Run With the Swift" by Gerald N. Lund. This is the second in a series. The author is a family friend and I've enjoyed his work!

From Goodreads: "After Danni McAllister and her family escaped from El Cobra and his kidnapping ring, they thought life would basically return to normal. Little did they know that their peril had just begun.

As secrets from the past begin to unfold, it becomes evident that the motives driving the attacks on the McAllister family go much deeper than money—and they're not going to stop anytime soon. Now, as Danni faces evils even more sinister than before, she has to wonder if even the Guardian will be equal to the dangers ahead.

The whole family will love this page-turning conclusion to the story of Le Gardien, the enchanted pouch that guides, protects, and teaches those who have it in their keeping."

Next up: "Atlantia" by Ally Condie.

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #29/65 - Find Her by Lisa Gardner

This is a chilling, disturbing story about a girl who is kidnapped and held for 472 days. What she went through is horrible and how she chooses to deal with it is intriguing. Decent mystery, quick read.

Flora Dane is a victim.
Seven years ago, carefree college student Flora was kidnapped while on spring break. For 472 days, Flora learned just how much one person can endure.
Flora Dane is a survivor.
Miraculously alive after her ordeal, Flora has spent the past five years reacquainting herself with the rhythms of normal life, working with her FBI victim advocate, Samuel Keynes. She has a mother who’s never stopped loving her, a brother who is scared of the person she’s become, and a bedroom wall covered with photos of other girls who’ve never made it home.
Flora Dane is reckless.
. . . or is she? When Boston detective D. D. Warren is called to the scene of a crime—a dead man and the bound, naked woman who killed him—she learns that Flora has tangled with three other suspects since her return to society. Is Flora a victim or a vigilante? And with her firsthand knowledge of criminal behavior, could she hold the key to rescuing a missing college student whose abduction has rocked Boston? When Flora herself disappears, D.D. realizes a far more sinister predator is out there. One who’s determined that this time, Flora Dane will never escape. And now it is all up to D. D. Warren to find her.

 

[BonnieF]

15/40 - Shelter, Jung Yun - well written story of dark events that lead to self-discovery.
16/40 - Miller's Valley, Anna Quindlen - one of my favorite authors (check out her columns in the New York Times from years ago - so on the mark regarding day-to-day parenting). This is a terrific book about all the changes life throws at us. I highly recommend it!
17/40 - The Nest, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney - a terrific debut novel about family politics - well written and well drawn characters. I'm looking forward to more from this author.

I'm compiling my summer reading list (yes, teacher here) from everyone's posts - that's the best part of this thread!

 

[BonnieF]

Finished book #29/65 - Find Her by Lisa Gardner

This is a chilling, disturbing story about a girl who is kidnapped and held for 472 days. What she went through is horrible and how she chooses to deal with it is intriguing. Decent mystery, quick read.

Flora Dane is a victim.
Seven years ago, carefree college student Flora was kidnapped while on spring break. For 472 days, Flora learned just how much one person can endure.
Flora Dane is a survivor.
Miraculously alive after her ordeal, Flora has spent the past five years reacquainting herself with the rhythms of normal life, working with her FBI victim advocate, Samuel Keynes. She has a mother who’s never stopped loving her, a brother who is scared of the person she’s become, and a bedroom wall covered with photos of other girls who’ve never made it home.
Flora Dane is reckless.
. . . or is she? When Boston detective D. D. Warren is called to the scene of a crime—a dead man and the bound, naked woman who killed him—she learns that Flora has tangled with three other suspects since her return to society. Is Flora a victim or a vigilante? And with her firsthand knowledge of criminal behavior, could she hold the key to rescuing a missing college student whose abduction has rocked Boston? When Flora herself disappears, D.D. realizes a far more sinister predator is out there. One who’s determined that this time, Flora Dane will never escape. And now it is all up to D. D. Warren to find her.

Re: Find her - I started that a while ago and had to stop. Just too scary for me!

 

[BonnieF]

#7/12 The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.

This is Ms. Morton's second book. I enjoyed her first book so much (House at Riverton) I could hardly wait to start this one. While her books are stand alone they are all written in the same manner: a mystery - or two - being discovered in present day is unfolded by storytelling from the past. I may have made it sound confusing but they are wonderfully written and easy to follow. I found myself struggling to put the book down and actually get things done.

Here's a brief summary from bn.com:

A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book—a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as their own. On her twenty-fi rst birthday, they tell her the truth, and with her sense of self shattered and very little to go on, "Nell" sets out to trace her real identity. Her quest leads her to Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast and the secrets of the doomed Mountrachet family. But it is not until her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the search after Nell’s death that all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled. A spellbinding tale of mystery and self-discovery, The Forgotten Garden will take hold of your imagination and never let go.


Enjoy!
Kristen

Loved The Forgotten Garden!

 

[zippitydoo]

Book #20/50: Harmony Black by Craig Schaefer

From Goodreads:
Harmony Black is much more than your average FBI special agent. In addition to being a practicing witch, she’s also an operative for Vigilant Lock, an off-the-books program created to battle occult threats—by any means necessary. Despite her dedication to fighting the monsters threatening society, Harmony has become deeply conflicted about her job. Her last investigation resulted in a pile of dead bodies, and she suspects the wrong people are being punished for it.

While on a much-needed vacation, Harmony gets pulled back into action. This time, though, she’s gone from solo work to being part of a team. Their target: the Bogeyman, a vicious and elusive figure…and the creature that destroyed Harmony’s childhood.

Surrounded by quirky, fascinating characters as dedicated to one another as they are to their new partner, Harmony must learn to trust her team—and a new romantic interest—on a dangerous and deadly mission that conjures up memories she’d much rather forget.

Book #21/50: Flight by Alyssa Rose Ivy

From Goodreads:
A summer in New Orleans is exactly what Allie needs before starting college. Accepting her dad’s invitation to work at his hotel offers an escape from her ex-boyfriend and the chance to spend the summer with her best friend. Meeting a guy is the last thing on her mind—until she sees Levi.

Unable to resist the infuriating yet alluring Levi, Allie finds herself at the center of a supernatural society and forced to decide between following the path she has always trusted or saving a city that might just save her.

 

[Kirby]

#22/80 - Kings of the North, Book 2 of the Paladin's Legacy by Elizabeth Moon. Genre: Fantasy

Elizabeth Moon returns to the fantasy world of the paladin Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter - Paks for short - in this second volume of a new series filled with all the bold imaginative flights, meticulous world-building, realistic military action, and deft characterization that readers have come to expect from this award-winning author. In Kings of the North, Moon is working at the very height of her storytelling powers.

Peace and order have been restored to the kingdoms of Tsaia and Lyonya, thanks to the crowning of two kings: Mikeli of Tsaia and, in Lyonya, Kieri Phelan, a mercenary captain whose royal blood and half-elven heritage are resented by elves and humans alike.

On the surface, all is hope and promise. But underneath, trouble is brewing. Mikeli cannot sit safely on his throne as long as remnants of the evil Verrakaien magelords are at large. Kieri is being hounded to marry and provide the kingdom with an heir - but that is the least of his concerns. A strange rift has developed between him and his grandmother and co-ruler, the immortal elven queen known as the Lady. More problematic is the ex-pirate Alured, who schemes to seize Kieri's throne for himself - and Mikeli's, too, while he's at it. Meanwhile, to the north, the aggressive kingdom of Pargun seems poised to invade.

Now, as war threatens to erupt from without and within, the two kings are dangerously divided. Old alliances and the bonds of friendship are about to be tested as never before. And a shocking discovery will change everything.

I stumbled over this author about a year ago. I enjoyed reading The Deed of Paksenarrion trilogy and this is just as good. For all of you that enjoy reading Fantasy, you should give this author a try.

 

[joannamet]

Joining late and I haven't set a goal or read all of the pages but I can't believe Justin Cronin's City of Mirrors isn't on the list for 2016. It comes out in 10 days. Its the third book in the trilogy that started with The Passage, an incredible series about a group of people trying to survive in a world that's been decimated by a vampire virus. I know, I know, not your cup of tea at all, but its not dark or bloody. It's not a typical horror book. The books have very strong, sympathetic characters and a wonderfully original story line.

Anyway, I highly recommend The Passage, The Twelve and City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin. I'll post again after I've finished the new one which will probably be...(doing the math....get the book in 10 days so I'll be done with it in...) 11 days!

 

[Swimnoid]

Catching up on posting...

23. Blind Your Ponies by Stanley Gordon West
Set in willow Creek, Montana this story follows the season of the high school basketball team which consists of only 5 members. Sounds like the same old sports book, but it's not. The author delves deeply into the town's different residents and their dreams and sorrows. The story is engaging but a little too long. I really enjoyed it.

24. Host by Robin Cook
From Goodreads: Lynn Peirce, a fourth-year medical student at South Carolina’s Mason-Dixon University, thinks she has her life figured out. But when her otherwise healthy boyfriend, Carl, enters the hospital for routine surgery, her neatly ordered life is thrown into total chaos. Carl fails to return to consciousness after the procedure, and an MRI confirms brain death.

This is the typical Cook formula and it is too similar to Coma. It was good but not a "don't miss".

25. Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo
From Goodreads: When a serial killer strikes bucolic Painters Mill, Ohio, the killer's signature -—Roman numerals ritualistically carved into each victim's abdomen- —matches the MO of four unsolved murders from 16 years earlier. Police chief Kate Burkholder, who's reluctant to dredge up the past, must keep secret that she knows why the old murders stopped. Not satisfied with the case's progress, local politicos set up a multi-jurisdictional task force to assist, including a law-enforcement agent battling his own demons. The added scrutiny and the rising body count threaten to push the chief over the edge. Adept at creating characters with depth and nuance, Castillo smoothly integrates their backstories into a well-paced plot that illuminates the divide between the Amish and English worlds.

I had read the second book of this series and liked it so decided to try some more. This had a good plot and action and introduced the characters well.

26. Cross Justice by James Patterson
Alex Cross #23. I love the Alex Cross series. In this one Alex's cousin is accused of murder so Alex returns home to small town North Carolina to find the truth. Good story. The problem I had with it was that in describing the town it couldn't possibly be where he vaguely put it. Being from North Carolina I just couldn't get around that!

27. The Bungalow by Sarah Jio
Set in World War II this tells the story of a nurse stationed in Bora Bora for a year. I'm not a big fan of romantic fiction but I loved this.

28. Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock Gilbert
This is a YA series about a teenage girl who lives on a farm and wants to play football on her high school team. Well, a lot of things happen to lead up to that. It was enjoyable, however.

 

[moniqueand2]

#20/30 - The Prophets of Eternal Fjords by Kim Leine (translated from Danish)

A few books ago, I read The Moor's Account and discussed how it was kind of depressing as the story was one of colonialism and conquest in North America. Now this book Prophets of Eternal Fjord was more of the same but the colonization of Greenland by Denmark during the very late 1700's. Gosh, was this a downer. The characters were not redeeming at all and I learned very little of the native Greenlandic culture. This was also very long so be warned, if you read this you will spend a long time with characters you will probably not like very much.

From amazon.com
Idealistic, foolhardy Morten Falck, the hapless hero, is a newly ordained priest sailing to Greenland in 1787 to convert the Inuit to the Danish church. He's rejected the prospect of a sleepy posting in a local parish and instead departs for the forsaken Sukkertoppen colony, where he will endeavor to convert the locals. A town battered by unremittingly harsh winters and simmering with the threat of dissent, it is a far cry from the parish he envisioned; natives from neighboring villages have unified to reject colonial rule and establish their own settlement atop Eternal Fjord. A bumbling and at times terrifically destructive mix of Shakespeare's Falstaff and Nathaniel Hawthorne's Arthur Dimmesdale, he's woefully ill prepared to confront this new sect. Torn between his instinctive compassion for the rebel congregation perched atop Eternal Fjord and his duty to the church, Falck is forced to decide where he belongs. His exploits in this brutal backwater include an accidental explosion after a night curled around a keg, a botched surgery, a love affair with a solitary and fatalistic widow, and an apprenticeship with an eager young scholar that ends in tragedy.

 

[camreesmom]

I've been reading but I've been horrible about keeping up with posting! I just finished school for the semester so I should have a lot more time to read now.

4/15 The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain

From Amazon: Riley MacPherson has spent her entire life believing that her older sister Lisa committed suicide as a teenager. It was a belief that helped shape her own childhood and that of her brother. It shaped her view of her family and their dynamics. It influenced her entire life. Now, more than twenty years later, her father has passed away and she's in New Bern, North Carolina, cleaning out his house when she finds evidence that what she has always believed is not the truth. Lisa is alive. Alive and living under a new identity. But why, exactly, was she on the run all those years ago? What secrets are being kept now, and what will happen if those secrets are revealed? As Riley works to uncover the truth, her discoveries will put into question everything she thought she knew about her family. Riley must decide what the past means for her present, and what she will do with her newfound reality. Told with Diane Chamberlain's powerful prose and illumination into the human heart and soul, The Silent Sister is an evocative novel of love, loss, and the bonds among siblings.

I've enjoyed everything that I've read by Diane Chamberlain and this was no different.

 

[camreesmom]

5/15 Blue by Danielle Steel (3.5 * out of 5)
6/15 A Girl's Guide to Moving On by Debbie Macomber (4* out of 5) - this was the first book that I've read by this author and I really enjoyed it. It definitely won't be the last. I didn't realize that there was a book before this one with the some of the same characters so I've added it to my want to read list.
7/15 Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline (3.5* out of 5)
8/15 Country by Danielle Steel (4* out of 5)
9/15 Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (5* out of 5) - one of the best books that I've read in a while. I could not put this one down!

Next up: Somewhere Out There by Amy Hatvany

 

[MochaDrinker]

46/200-The Rival Queens by Nancy Goldstone

 

[Deffenm]

11/50 - The Wedding Tree - Hope Stevens thinks Wedding Tree, Louisiana, will be the perfect place to sort out her life and all the mistakes she’s made. Plus, it will give her the chance to help her free-spirited grandmother, Adelaide, sort through her things before moving into assisted living. Spending the summer in the quaint town, Hope begins to discover that Adelaide has made some mistakes of her own. And as they go through her belongings, her grandmother recalls the wartime romance that left her torn between two men and haunted by a bone-chilling secret. Now she wants Hope’s help in uncovering the truth before it’s too late.

12/50 - The Red Hot Chili Cookoff - In small-town Cadillac, Texas, Carlene Lovelle and her cousins' fancy panty business, Bless My Bloomers, is booming. But irony strikes when Carlene discovers another woman's silk bikini underwear in her husband's briefcase. Lenny Joe hasn't just crossed the line, he's left it in his dust, so Carlene's taking her revenge to the kitchen. For ten years, Lenny Joe's team has dominated Cadillac's Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off. But with Carlene's Bless My Bloomers team now in the ring, it's anyone's game—and when there's pride and food involved, things are bound to get messy

 

[Kirby]

#23/80 - My Best Man. Wasn't very good and I can't remember the author's name.

 

[Kogo Shuko]

Book # 17: Cometh the Hour by Jeffrey Archer

Cometh the Hour opens with the reading of a suicide note, which has devastating consequences for Harry and Emma Clifton, Giles Barrington and Lady Virginia.

Giles must decide if he should withdraw from politics and try to rescue Karin, the woman he loves, from behind the Iron Curtain. But is Karin truly in love with him, or is she a spy?

Lady Virginia is facing bankruptcy, and can see no way out of her financial problems, until she is introduced to the hapless Cyrus T. Grant III from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who's in England to see his horse run at Royal Ascot.

Sebastian Clifton is now the Chief Executive of Farthings Bank and a workaholic, whose personal life is thrown into disarray when he falls for Priya, a beautiful Indian girl. But her parents have already chosen the man she is going to marry. Meanwhile, Sebastian's rivals Adrian Sloane and Desmond Mellor are still plotting to bring him and his chairman Hakim Bishara down, so they can take over Farthings.

Harry Clifton remains determined to get Anatoly Babakov released from a gulag in Siberia, following the international success of his acclaimed book, Uncle Joe. But then something unexpected happens that none of them could have anticipated.

Cometh the Hour is the penultimate book in the Clifton Chronicles and, like the five previous novels - which were all New York Times bestsellers - showcases Jeffrey Archer's extraordinary storytelling with his trademark twists.

I'm not entirely certain how Archer can make the lives of bankers on-the-edge-of-your-seat exciting, but my God he is able to do it, and do it well!! I found it very easy to slip back into this story without needing to reread the other novels.
And darn, I can't wait for the next book to come out!

 

[MochaDrinker]

47/200-Sex with the Queen by Eleanor Hermann

 

[willowsnn3]

#28/72

1 Step Away by Eric Wilson

Bret And Sara Vreeland have been targeted. Someone has plans for them, a plot that reaches into their past and threatens their future.
When one of Sara's patients dies, a mysterious old man, he leaves his fortune to her and her family. They have no idea they are part of an experiment. Satan once tested Job through trials, but failed to break him. Now Satan has sought God's permission to test the Vreelands with a $6,000,000 blessing.

As their lives take a turn for the better,
will their souls take a turn for the worse?

Sounded good but was actually boring. Glad to have finally finished it.

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #30/65 - He Will Be My Ruin by K.A. Tucker

This mystery kept me interested. I thought it was obvious, but the double twist got me. (3/5 stars)

Twenty-eight-year-old Maggie Sparkes arrives in New York City to pack up what’s left of her best friend’s belongings after a suicide that has left everyone stunned. The police have deemed the evidence conclusive: Celine got into bed, downed a bottle of Xanax and a handle of Maker’s Mark, and never woke up. But when Maggie discovers secrets in the childhood lock box hidden in Celine’s apartment, she begins asking questions. Questions about the man Celine fell in love with. The man she never told anyone about, not even Maggie. The man who Celine herself claimed would be her ruin.
On the hunt for answers that will force the police to reopen the case, Maggie uncovers more than she bargained for about Celine’s private life—and inadvertently puts herself on the radar of a killer who will stop at nothing to keep his crimes undiscovered.

 

[zippitydoo]

Book #22/50: Zombie Fallout by Mark Tufo

From Goodreads:
It was a flu season like no other. With fears of contracting the H1N1 virus running rampant throughout the country, people lined up in droves to try an attain one of the coveted vaccines. What was not known, was the effect this largely untested, rushed to market, inoculation was to have on the unsuspecting throngs. Within days, feverish folk throughout the country, convulsed, collapsed and died, only to be re-born. With a taste for brains, blood and bodies, these modern day zombies scoured the lands for their next meal. Overnight the country became a killing ground for the hordes of zombies that ravaged the land.

This is the story of Michael Talbot, his family and his friends. This is their story a band of ordinary people just trying to get by in these extra-ordinary times. When disaster strikes, Mike a self-proclaimed survivalist, does his best to ensure the safety and security of those he cares for.

Book 1 of the Zombie Fall-Out Trilogy follows our lead character in his self-deprecating, sarcastic best. What he encounters along the way leads him down a long dark road always skirting on the edge of insanity. Can he keep his family safe? Can he discover the secret behind Tommy's powers? Can he save anyone from the zombie Queen - a zombie that seems by all accounts to have some sort of hold over the zombies and Mike himself? Encircled in a seemingly safe haven called Little Turtle, Mike and his family together with the remnants of a tattered community while not fighting each other, fight against a relentless, ruthless, unstoppable force. This last bastion of civilization has made its final stand. God help them all.