Here it is - the OFFICIAL 2014 READING GOAL CHALLENGE THREAD

[Pig Pen]

#23 of 25: Divergent.
I liked this much better than Maze Runner, but not as much as Hunger Games. I am not sure if I will read the rest of the series. There's like a year's wait for the library books and I don't want to tie up my hold list for that long.

I already started a kindle freebie: Ill Wind: A Caribbean Pirate Adventure It's okay so far. Fourteen year old Gabriella leaves the Massachusetts Bay Colony for the Caribbean to marry a man she has never met.

 

[dizluvah]

#22 (I think) - "What Alice Forgot"

Alice wakes up after hitting her head at the gym and cannot remember the last 10 years of her life. She thinks she is 29, newly married and pregnant when in reality she is almost 40 with three unruly kids and on the brink of divorce. After "lying" to her doctors about her memory, she returns home and tries to piece together her life. Besides being totally unrealistic, it was also not memorable (no pun intended).

Next up "Divergent."

Wow..What Alice Forgot was one of my favorite books that I read last year. Sorry you didn't enjoy it. Everyone's varying tastes is part of what I love about this thread.

Hope my review in last year's thread didn't convince you to add it to your to-read list.

 

[wilma-bride]

Book #28 - Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

Lottie just wants to get married - to the right man, of course. She's sure her boyfriend is about to propose.

So when the proposal doesn't happen and she meets her first love from long ago, Lottie decides on drastic action. They'll get married right now, with no engagement, no fuss and above all no sex until after they're safely married. It's the perfect plan!

On the other hand.

Fliss is in the middle of a nightmare divorce and just wants her little sister to avoid the mistakes she made. She decides Lottie's marriage has to be stopped at all costs and chases the (un)happy couple to their romantic honeymoon venue on a Greek Island.

Will Lottie have a wedding night to remember? Or one to forget?

Who doesn't love Sophie Kinsella? Chick lit at its best. A nice, quick, easy read. One that I didn't have to concentrate too hard on and even gave me a few laughs along the way. it's not going to win the Man Booker Prize any time soon but still a good light-hearted read.

On another positive, I am back on track to at least get somewhere near to my target now I have my nice new Kindle

 

[Simba's Mom]

Book #28 - Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella


Who doesn't love Sophie Kinsella? Chick lit at its best. A nice, quick, easy read. One that I didn't have to concentrate too hard on and even gave me a few laughs along the way. it's not going to win the Man Booker Prize any time soon but still a good light-hearted read.

On another positive, I am back on track to at least get somewhere near to my target now I have my nice new Kindle

wilma-bride, that was exactly my reaction to Wedding Night also! I'm going to keep an eye on your recommendations. Enjoy your new kindle!

Right now I'm reading A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick. It's kind of a friendship, feel-good story of mature women during a crisis, and I'm really feeling good!

 

[portia9]

#69 Come and Tell Me Some Lies by Rafaella Barker-a bit choppy.

#70 How Many Camels are the in Holland? by Phyllida Law-not sure how I feel about her as a writer. However short and easy to get through.

#71 The Sisterhood by Helen Bryan-this was disappointing. It had potential to be a great story but it was disjointed and needed more depth.

 

[willowsnn3]

Goal 72

#56 Mother Road by Dorothy Garlock

Pretty good. Sweet, homespun story centering around a country gas station on Route 66 in depression era America and the people stopping there.

 

[Pig Pen]

Wow..What Alice Forgot was one of my favorite books that I read last year. Sorry you didn't enjoy it. Everyone's varying tastes is part of what I love about this thread.

Hope my review in last year's thread didn't convince you to add it to your to-read list.

NO WORRIES! I tend to over-analyze sometimes. I didn't dislike it...and I finished it which is always a good thing!

 

[Pig Pen]

#23 of 25: Divergent.
I liked this much better than Maze Runner, but not as much as Hunger Games. I am not sure if I will read the rest of the series. There's like a year's wait for the library books and I don't want to tie up my hold list for that long.

I already started a kindle freebie: Ill Wind: A Caribbean Pirate Adventure It's okay so far. Fourteen year old Gabriella leaves the Massachusetts Bay Colony for the Caribbean to marry a man she has never met.

Finished Ill Wind. Gabriella finds herself in the Caribbean surrounded by evil sugar plantation owners (including her sadistic husband), cruel pirates, and down-trodden slaves. She is struggling to fit in and make a place for herself.

This was a novella and part 1 of a series. I enjoy pirate tales and historical novels so I will probably check out the rest of the series. It appears that each book tells the story from the viewpoint of a different character which I find intriguing.

Next up "The Mountains Echoed." That will be 25 - meeting my goal already! I guess I underestimated the power of the kindle library book due dates.

 

[cousinbb]

I am going too slow with my book reading but I just finished book 4 of 13. Title: Brother band. Author: John Flannagin. Loooooooove e book. Can't wait to read the next one.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

The Magicians
Lev Grossman

Like everyone else, precocious high school senior Quentin Coldwater assumes that magic isn't real, until he finds himself admitted to a very secretive and exclusive college of magic in upstate New York. There he indulges in joys of college-friendship, love, sex, and booze- and receives a rigorous education in modern sorcery. But magic doesn't bring the happiness and adventure Quentin thought it would. After graduation, he and his friends stumble upon a secret that sets them on a remarkable journey that may just fulfill Quentin's yearning. But their journey turns out to be darker and more dangerous than they'd imagined. Psychologically piercing and dazzlingly inventive, The Magicians, the prequel to the New York Times bestselling book The Magician King and the forthcoming The Magician's Land, is an enthralling coming-of-age tale about magic practiced in the real world-where good and evil aren't black and white, and power comes at a terrible price.

This book has left me. I really liked the beginning. I wanted so badly to love it as much as Harry Potter(which it has been compared to) and I KIND of did at certain parts. But then the middle/end happened. I don't know if it is corny, or just not my typical way to delve so far into the fantasy genre. I like my magic grounded in the real world, something that I could really see happening. This wasn't that to me. It was a good story though and I will pick up the next one. Just not right now

 

[PigletsPal2]

Goal: 100 books this year.

#31 - The Care and Management of Lies by Jacqueline Winspear.

I grabbed this off the new book rack at the library, thinking it was the new Maisie Dobbs, which is due out right about now. Well, it's not. I was kind of disappointed and cutting off my nose to spite my face, I said "Well, I'm just not going to read it."

Better sense prevailed, and I did read it. I'm very glad I did. It's the story of two friends and how they handled their lives during the first World War. I'm fascinated with that era in history, and even though the story didn't end as I had hoped, it was a logical satisfactory ending, and nothing else would have sufficed.

I'm still eagerly awaiting the new Maisie Dobbs.

Queen Colleen

 

[Glynis]

Goal - 70 books

Book #36 - The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

From Goodreads: Author Erik Larson imbues the incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with such drama that readers may find themselves checking the book's categorization to be sure that 'The Devil in the White City' is not, in fact, a highly imaginative novel. Larson tells the stories of two men: Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the fair's construction, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer masquerading as a charming doctor.

My review: This was my book club pick for this month. I have to say that I really enjoyed it. I always like true crime stories, and this was a doozy! It was made more interesting by the back story of the building of the World's Fair in Chicago. It's amazing to see the difference between the beginning of the 20th century and today. How young girls could just vanish, and no one question it was haunting to me! I really enjoyed this book!

Next up: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

 

[WowLookAtThat]

#59 Wild Stars of Heaven by Victor Villasenor

#60 With this Ring by Celeste Bradley

#61 Heaven by VC Andrews

#62 Dark Angel by VC Andrews

#63 Fallen Hearts by VC Andrews

#64 Gates of Paradise by VC Andrews

One more until goal hit!

 

[CourtasanSatine]

Does "The Leftovers" pick up at all? I'm so close to giving up and sticking with the show.

 

[PigletsPal2]

Goal - 70 books

Book #36 - The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

From Goodreads: Author Erik Larson imbues the incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with such drama that readers may find themselves checking the book's categorization to be sure that 'The Devil in the White City' is not, in fact, a highly imaginative novel. Larson tells the stories of two men: Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the fair's construction, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer masquerading as a charming doctor.

My review: This was my book club pick for this month. I have to say that I really enjoyed it. I always like true crime stories, and this was a doozy! It was made more interesting by the back story of the building of the World's Fair in Chicago. It's amazing to see the difference between the beginning of the 20th century and today. How young girls could just vanish, and no one question it was haunting to me! I really enjoyed this book!

Next up: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

If you like true crime and enjoy Erik Larson's writing, you may want to read Thunderstruck, the story of Hawley Crippen, an unlikely murderer and Guglielmo Marconi, the creator of a seemingly supernatural means of communication (the telegraph), whose lives intersect during one of the greatest criminal chases of all time. Fascinating stuff!

Also by Larson, although not true crime in the usual sense of the expression, is In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin. This is the true story of William E. Dodd, the unlikely first U.S. Ambassador to Hitler's Nazi Germany and his family's life in a year that proved to be a turning point in history. I love to learn about this period in history, and this book provides info you'll not likely find elsewhere. Good reading!

Queen Colleen

Don't know why things are underlined. Glitch in my computer I suspect. Just ignore them.

 

[Glynis]

If you like true crime and enjoy Erik Larson's writing, you may want to read Thunderstruck, the story of Hawley Crippen, an unlikely murderer and Guglielmo Marconi, the creator of a seemingly supernatural means of communication (the telegraph), whose lives intersect during one of the greatest criminal chases of all time. Fascinating stuff!

Also by Larson, although not true crime in the usual sense of the expression, is In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin. This is the true story of William E. Dodd, the unlikely first U.S. Ambassador to Hitler's Nazi Germany and his family's life in a year that proved to be a turning point in history. I love to learn about this period in history, and this book provides info you'll not likely find elsewhere. Good reading!

Queen Colleen

Don't know why things are underlined. Glitch in my computer I suspect. Just ignore them.

Definitely adding to my growing list!!! Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

#9 The Killing Hour by Lisa Gardner.

This is one of the best novels I have read by Gardner. It is a great suspense novel... there is a furious search for a serial killer. Her characters are very real and complex, and they have also returned from her earlier books.
The novel is set in the south and you get a real feel for the state of Georgia.

Anyone whom might be interested in reading any of my works, I would gladly send nook or kindle gift versions.
Below is a list:
https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=✓&query=joseph+cognard

 

[wilma-bride]

Book #29 - Three Girls and a Leading Man by Rachel Schurig

Annie Duncan has never put much stock in true love. Sure, she loves dating, but she gets more than her share of drama working as a struggling actress--she can live without the romantic kind, thank you very much.

Instead, Annie focuses her energy on her two best friends, Jen and Ginny. And now that she finally appears to be getting her big break, Annie couldn't be happier with the way things are going. When she meets Nate during a weekend away in Vegas, she figures she'll just have an exhilarating fling--even if he is totally adorable and clearly into her. But when Annie finds herself falling for Nate, she's faced with a choice she never wanted to make.

In Three Girls and a Leading Man, Annie Duncan attempts to chase her dreams and keep her heart under control. Her heart, however, may have different ideas!

Having read the first two books in the 'Three Girls' series, I probably didn't really need to read this book to know exactly how it would go. Which is probably the reason it's been on my 'to read' collection on my Kindle for some time now. Predictable yet light-hearted, I still found myself getting drawn in to the story and praying that things would work out in the end so I guess that is pretty much all you need in a book sometimes. I just found out tonight that there is a fourth book so I am probably going to have to read that one too, if only to find out how it's all going a few years down the line (haven't even read the synopsis but guessing that is the gist of it).

Book #30 - Close My Eyes by Sophie McKenzie

It's been eight years since Geniver Loxley lost her daughter, Beth. Since that day, Gen has been floundering. While her husband Art builds his business reputation and their fortune, she can't let go of Beth.

And then one day, everything changes. A strange woman shows up on Gen's doorstep, saying the very thing she longs to hear: that Beth is alive. That she is out there somewhere, waiting for Gen to find her . . .

It's insane. Unthinkable. But why would someone make up such a story? Ignoring the warnings of her husband and friends, Gen begins to hope - hope that quickly turns into fear and paranoia.

With questions swirling around her head, Gen is determined to uncover the truth. But who can she trust? Why is Art so reluctant to get involved? To save his wife from further hurt? Or something much more sinister? Is Beth even really out there? And, if so, who is responsible for taking her? What is the truth about Beth Loxley?

Well, if ever I have read two books in such direct contradiction, I can't remember the time. From the predictable and light-hearted to the thrilling and exciting. I started this book late on Saturday night and in the early hours of Sunday morning, I was still reading. Just one more chapter and I'll put the book down...So many twists and turns, so many unanswered questions, so much tension, all culminating in an ending which, although you can probably guess it before you get there, you can't quite believe it until you see how it all fits together. Probably one of my favourite books of the year so far.

 

[Glynis]

Goal - 70 books

Book #37 "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry

From Goodreads: In her strongest work to date, Lois Lowry once again creates a mysterious but plausible future world. It is a society ruled by savagery and deceit that shuns and discards the weak. Left orphaned and physically flawed, young Kira faces a frightening, uncertain future. Blessed with an almost magical talent that keeps her alive, she struggles with ever broadening responsibilities in her quest for truth, discovering things that will change her life forever.

My review: I loved this book! I read "The Giver" earlier this year in anticipation of the movie. When this book came up on my hold list at the library, I dropped everything to read it! I'm so glad that I did! The questions it raised are many, and I can't wait to read the next book to watch the story continue! Definitely recommended!!!

Next up: "Messenger" by Lois Lowry and "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

 

[zippitydoo]

Book 42 of 50: To Kill For By A.J. Carella
From Goodreads:
Families can be murder ... do you trust
yours?

Money and a handsome fiancé from a good family. What more could a girl want?

Jamie McKay appears to have the perfect life, but things suddenly start to go
horribly wrong. A sudden death and a run-in with a would-be killer leave her
alone, afraid and a long way from home.

Kat McKay, long estranged from her family, returns to the small town she hasn't
been back to since she walked away as a teenager. Determined to find out what
happened to her niece, she must face the demons from her past and enlist the
help of the man she left behind.

Can the McKay's survive the explosive results?

Book 43 of 50: Awakening(Children of the After, #1) by Jeremy Laszlo
From Goodreads:
It has been six months since their father locked them in the security vault with a promise to return. But he never came back. With supplies running out and vital life support systems failing, Jack, Samantha, and Will have no choice but to ignore their father’s warnings and leave the vault. With no knowledge of what befell the world outside, or what they might expect once the door is opened, they find themselves in a world they do not recognize.

Thrust into the remains of the world they remember, how will they survive on their own, not knowing what or who else remains amongst the ruins?