Here it is - the OFFICIAL 2014 READING GOAL CHALLENGE THREAD

[K and K's Mommy]

76/150aunty dimity digs in by nancy atherton fun fluff read
80/150 the ten second staircase by christopher fowler
81/150the white corridor by christopher fowler more from Bryant and May and the peculiar crimes unit
82/150the poisonwood bible by Barbara Kingsolver
from Amazon
when Barbara Kingsolver sends missionary Nathan Price along with his wife and four daughters off to Africa in The Poisonwood Bible, you can be sure that salvation is the one thing they're not likely to find. The year is 1959 and the place is the Belgian Congo. Nathan, a Baptist preacher, has come to spread the Word in a remote village reachable only by airplane. To say that he and his family are woefully unprepared would be an understatement: "We came from Bethlehem, Georgia, bearing Betty Crocker cake mixes into the jungle," says Leah, one of Nathan's four daughters. But of course it isn't long before they discover that the tremendous humidity has rendered the mixes unusable, their clothes are unsuitable and they've arrived in the middle of political upheaval as the Congolese seek to wrest independence from Belgium. In addition to poisonous snakes, dangerous animals, and the hostility of the villagers to Nathan's fiery take-no-prisoners brand of Christianity, there are also rebels in the jungle and the threat of war in the air. Could things get any worse?

In fact they can and they do. The first part of The Poisonwood Bible revolves around Nathan's intransigent, bullying personality and his effect on both his family and on the village they have come to. As political instability grows in the Congo, so does the local witch doctor's animus toward the Prices, and both seem to converge with tragic consequences about halfway through the novel. From that point on, the family is dispersed and the novel follows each member's fortunes across a span of more than 30 years.

I just finished Poisonwood Bible! Did you like it? The last 1/4 of the book got a little long for me. I need to update here, but I'm almost done with another, so I think I will wait.

 

[mumloveseeyore]

i agree with you! the last part of the book could have been a lot shorter, very well written but i was ready for it to be over.

 

[willowsnn3]

Goal 72

#48 The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

Third book in the Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy.

I really enjoyed books 1 & 2, but this one just drug on & on. Then the last 100 or so pages picked up and I finally got thru it. I would recommend the series tho.

 

[quietgirll]

Thanks for the recommendation on this. Unfortunately this book wasn't in the Ebooks at my library, but lots of other Charlaine Harris books were. She sounds like an author I'd like to read. I like cozy mysteries, but the ones I've read lately haven't been too funny. Are there any others that are kind of light on the supernatural aspect? Any particularly heavy?

You must read the aurora Teagarden real murder series....they are AWESOME!

 

[ksjayhawks]

I don't think I have ever updated. My goal is 52 and I just finished #29. I primarily read on my kindle and whatever free books I have downloaded, so not always the latest and most touted books. I am on a murder mystery kick right now and have read books that part of series that are set in New Orleans, Michigan, New York lately.

 

[xlsm]

Finished 30/45 - Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs

3.5/5 stars

I enjoyed this book more than the first of this series, I'll say that for sure!

I'm still not sure if I care for her style of writing, it seems a bit disjointed.

At any rate, I'm attached enough to Temperance Brennan to read more of these novels!

In this one, Tempe is back in North Carolina, and after investigating a crime scene that looks like it involves Santeria, dramatic events unfold involving seemingly satanic rituals, more dead bodies,a blowhard politician, a nosy true crime writer, and messy love affairs.

If you like procedural crime dramas, I'd recommend this!

 

[willowsnn3]

Goal 7s

#49 The Scoop by Fern Michaels

Not much to say. 60 something, 8 x widowed, multi millionaire "Toots" sets out for adventure with 3 of her friends and gets a little more than she bargained for but all turns out well in the end.

This is the first in the "Godmothers" series, and is pretty much just pure fluff/fun reading but I won't be reading any of the others. Not enough excitement for me, lol.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

The Fault in Our Stars. by John Green

I loved his videos with his brother. I usually avoid this kind of book because I get to emotional. I got to emotional but still I kept reading though I will not go near another book like this for a real long time. I am going to read his other stuff though

Two of my books are having Goodreads giveaways this month, and if anyone is interested would gladly send kindle gift versions to any readers interested in any of my works.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5299886.Joseph_Cognard?from_search=true

 

[Glynis]

Goal - 70 books

Book #21 - "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand

From Goodreads: When The Fountainhead was first published, Ayn Rand''s daringly original literary vision and her groundbreaking philosophy, Objectivism, won immediate worldwide interest and acclaim. This instant classic is the story of an intransigent young architect, his violent battle against conventional standards, and his explosive love affair with a beautiful woman who struggles to defeat him.

My review: This is a difficult book to review. It is filled with absolutely loathsome people, each trying to destroy someone else. I really didn't find any redeeming qualities in any of the characters. However, there was something compelling about the book, and every time I would put it down I would think "I'm not going to finish it." But then, I'd pick it up and continue on. Ultimately, I'm glad I read it, but I don't think it's one that I would recommend. Don't know why people think it's a classic????

Next up: "Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut

 

[zippitydoo]

Book 33 of 50

Moving Day by Jonathan Stone

From Goodreads:
Forty years’ accumulation of art, antiques, and family photographs are more than just objects for Stanley Peke—they are proof of a life fully lived. A life he could have easily lost long ago.

When a con man steals his houseful of possessions in a sophisticated moving-day scam, Peke wanders helplessly through his empty New England home, inevitably reminded of another helpless time: decades in Peke’s past, a cold and threadbare Stanislaw Shmuel Pecoskowitz eked out a desperate existence in the war-torn Polish countryside, subsisting on scraps and dodging Nazi soldiers. Now, the seventy-two-year-old Peke—who survived, came to America, and succeeded—must summon his original grit and determination to track down the thieves, retrieve his things, and restore the life he made for himself.

Peke and his wife, Rose, trace the path of the thieves’ truck across America, to the wilds of Montana, and to an ultimate, chilling confrontation with not only the thieves but also with Peke’s brutal, unresolved past.

 

[wgeo]

#12 The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

This book came highly recommended to me, but it just didn't work for me. The first few hundred pages really got to me and I was sneaking away to find more time to read. But by he middle I was only reading because I kept thinking it was going to get better or there would be some resolution. By the last couple hundred pages I was skimming, which I really hate to do, but the "mystery" wasn't exciting enough and I didn't like the main characters anymore.

Next up, The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd.

 

[Colleen27]

I decided to take a little break from the Game of Thrones series to get to a couple of library holds that came through. As much as I'm enjoying the series, it was nice to change up the pace a bit for a while. I'm sure I'll be right back into book five before too long.

#40 - Unstoppable by Ralph Nadar

Meh. Extremely cynical on one hand and unreasonably optimistic on the other, I just didn't find this a very compelling read. The premise is interesting - identifying the common ground between the two major parties' philosophies and using that common ground as a basis for action against corporate-sponsored, big-money politics - but the case for such alliance as a realistic possibility isn't especially strong.

#41 - The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

This book was simply beautifully crafted, a journey in memory through the events in a young boy's life that challenge the nature of reality, of memory, and of good and evil with a fanciful, fairy tale tone. I really enjoyed this one, and found it compelling and easy to read but without being forgettable or mindless.

#42 - A Big Heart Open to God by Antonio Spadaro

An interview with Pope Francis, who I find oddly fascinating despite my conflicted feelings about the Catholic church as a whole, this book was an excellent read that gave unusual insight into the life and philosophy of this pope that has rocked so many boats in such a short time.

 

[Jafar30]

14/25

Han Solo and the Lost Legacy

 

[tiggrbaby]

# 12/40: The Juliet Club by Suzanne Harper

From Amazon:
Kate Sanderson has been burned by love. From now on, she thinks, I will control my own destiny, and I will be reasoned and rational. But life has other things in store for Kate. Namely, a summer abroad studying Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in the very town where the star-crossed lovers met, Verona, Italy. Kate is thrown together with two other American teens and three Italians for a special seminar—and for volunteer duty at the Juliet Club, where they answer letters from the lovelorn around the world. Can Kate's cool logic withstand the most romantic summer ever? Especially when faced with the ever-so-charming Giacomo and his entrancing eyes . . . ?

I read this with the idea of checking it out a recommendation for the 8th grade girls who just finished A Midsummer Night's Dream. It was a light romance with plenty of Shakespearean references. Some of the vocabulary will be too much for some of my students, but I will definitely tell them to give it a try!

4/5 stars for young teens

 

[Simba's Mom]

Just finished #29-Relentless Pursuit by Kathleen Brooks, a contemporary romance, but too much emphasis on FBI, shoot 'em ups for me. Now reading Barefoot Season by Susan Mallery. So far, I'm loving this story of estranged friends who are forced to run an inn together.

 

[portia9]

#61 Demelza by Winston Graham-the second in the Poldark series. Really good series.

#62 The Innocence of Father Brown by C.K.Chesterton-these are short murder mysteries that are very cleverly written. Another older author that I found through the kindle.

 

[StephMK]

#21- The One I Left Behind - Jennifer McMahon - I just read another one by the author and decided to give her another try. I liked it but didn't love it.

Amazon's summary -"The summer of 1985 changes Reggie’s life. An awkward thirteen-year-old, she finds herself mixed up with the school outcasts. That same summer, a serial killer called Neptune begins kidnapping women. He leaves their severed hands on the police department steps and, five days later, displays their bodies around town. Just when Reggie needs her mother, Vera, the most, Vera’s hand is found on the steps. But after five days, there’s no body and Neptune disappears.

Now, twenty-five years later, Reggie is a successful architect who has left her hometown and the horrific memories of that summer behind. But when she gets a call revealing that her mother has been found alive, Reggie must confront the ghosts of her past and find Neptune before he kills again."

Like her other one, this held my attention and there was plenty of suspense and mystery going on. However, by the end, there were so many possible suspects and I was just really ready to be done with the book. It tied it up well but I don't know, all the plot twists seemed very deliberate and trying very hard to throw readers off track in several different directions.

I'm not sure what to read next and hoping something from my library hold list will open up.

 

[Glynis]

Goal - 70 books

Book #22 - "Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut

From Goodreads: Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut's cult tale of global destruction preys on our deepest fears of witnessing Armageddon and, worse still, surviving it ...

Dr Felix Hoenikker, one of the founding 'fathers' of the atomic bomb, has left a deadly legacy to the world. For he is the inventor of 'ice-nine', a lethal chemical capable of freezing the entire planet. The search for its whereabouts leads to Hoenikker's three ecentric children, to a crazed dictator in the Caribbean, to madness. Felix Hoenikker's Death Wish comes true when his last, fatal gift to mankind brings about the end, that for all of us, is nigh ...

My review: I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't expecting to, as this is not the kind of thing I generally enjoy reading. However, I really liked it. The characters were fun, and engaging, and the storyline was well paced. I can see why this is required reading in a lot of schools! Highly recommend.

Next Up: "Speaking From Among the Bones" by Alan Bradley

 

[Glynis]

Goal - 70 Books

Book #23 - "Speaking From Among The Bones" by Alan Bradley

From Goodreads: ""A churchyard in the March moonlight should be enough to give anyone the ging-gang-goolies, but not this girl." Chemist Flavia de Luce 11 finds masked body of angelic church organist Mr Collicott hidden in the tomb of St Tancred. Magistrate Quentin Ridley-Smith, adult son Jocelyn damaged, tries to stop the opening. Adam Tradescant Sowerby is a helpful flora-archaelogist."

My review: I absolutely love the Flavia DeLuce mysteries!!! This one was a joy to read. I flew right through it! I love Flavia; I love Inspector Hewitt; I even love Daffy and Feely!!! Can't wait for the next installment... talk about a cliffhanger!!! I highly recommend all these mysteries! Top notch!

Next up: "Death Comes to Pemberley" by P.D. James

 

[CourtasanSatine]

Right now I'm in the middle of "The Chopping Block" which is a Grimm tie-in novel, basically a book long episode but a lot of fun so far.