Here it is - the OFFICIAL 2014 READING GOAL CHALLENGE THREAD

[portia9]

#80 An Unsuitable Attachment by Barbara Pym-such a good writer. She really explores characters well.

#81 The French for Always by Fiona Valpy-light, fun chick lit. A good read if you like lighter fiction.

#82 Room for Love by Sophie Pembroke-another light read. Only halfway through but so far so good.

 

[Kinziepoohsmom]

#21 Invisible by James Patterson
Yes, I am a Patterson fan! This book kept me guessing right up to the last few pages. Never saw the plot twist coming!

 

[Glynis]

Goal - 70 books

Book #46 - "Last Chance Knit and Stitch"

From Goodreads: Molly Canaday wishes she could repair her life as easily as she fixes cars. She was all set to open her own body shop in Last Chance when her mother ran off and left her to manage the family yarn shop instead. Now guided by the unsolicited-though well-intended-advice of the weekly knitting club, Molly works to untangle this mess. But her plan unravels when the new landlord turns out to be difficult-as well as tall, dark, and handsome.

My review: Ok, not spectacular. Definitely predictable, but fun! It's nice to read these kinds of books for a while, but I definitely feel like my brain is turning to mush. I'm starting grad school in a month, and need to get my brain back in shape, so I'm heading into some more challenging stuff.

Next up: "The World According To Garp"

 

[CallieMar]

#32 through 35 - Chesapeake Bay Saga by Nora Roberts (Sea Swept, Rising Tides, Inner Harbor and Chesapeake Blue)

Great oldie but goodie family series from Nora Roberts. Love the Quinn brothers! I am a big fan of Nora and still haven't read a lot of her older books but I need to take a break from her for a bit.

#36 - Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

I really liked this, although the fact that the main character falls in love with someone by reading her email is pretty creepy! But somehow Rowell makes it work.

 

[threeboysmom]

Book #37 - The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R. Carey

NOT EVERY GIFT IS A BLESSING

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class.

When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite. But they don't laugh.

Melanie is a very special girl.

This has to be one of my favourite reads of this year so far! This is absolutely one of those books I never would have dreamed of reading before I got a Kindle (there is something about cheaper, electronic books that makes me more daring with my reading choices). When it popped up on my friend's Goodreads update and I read her review, I knew i had to read it. I started it in the middle of the night, when I was having difficulty sleeping, and read for an hour solid, before I had to physically force myself to put the Kindle down and get some sleep. I read it on and off for much of yesterday and eventually finished it last night, less than 24 hours after having started it.

I won't go into detail about the story - let's just say that I am not a lover of sci-fi but this was like no sci-fi book I have ever read. One of the reviews I read said "If you are only going to read one book this year, make it this one" and I would definitely second that recommendation

I have this one on my fall/winter "to read" list - cannot wait to get to it after reading your review!

 

[threeboysmom]

Book #43-48 0f 50

The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare
43. City of Bones
44. City of Ashes
45. City of Glass
46. City of Fallen Angels
47. City of Lost Souls
48. City of Heavenly Fire

Since I am almost to my goal I was wondering if I could up my goal to 75 please.

Gotcha! Good work!!

 

[wilma-bride]

Book #38 - We Were Liars by E Lockhart

We are the Liars.

We are beautiful, privileged and live a life of carefree luxury.

We are cracked and broken.

A story of love and romance.

A tale of tragedy.

Which are lies?

Which is truth?

The best thing I can say about this book is "hmmmm". All the reviews say how clever it is, how beautifully written. I must be a complete cretin, then, because I just didn't get it

Yes, the storyline is quite good, there are a few twists along the way but, really, once you strip away the words and the weird (to me) writing style, there is not much substance. Having just looked at the description again on Amazon, it says something about the author having won a Young Adult award (not for this book but for another). That might explain it as this book would definitely be more suitable for a teenage reader.

Book #39 - Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Jane hasn't lived anywhere longer than six months since her son was born five years ago. She keeps moving in an attempt to escape her past. Now the idyllic seaside town of Pirriwee has pulled her to its shores and Jane finally feels like she belongs. She has friends in the feisty Madeline and the incredibly beautiful Celeste - two women with seemingly perfect lives . . . and their own secrets behind closed doors.

But then a small incident involving the children of all three women occurs in the playground causing a rift between them and the other parents of the school. Minor at first but escalating fast, until whispers and rumours become vicious and spiteful. It was always going to end in tears, but no one thought it would end in murder...

I think this is the third book I have read by this author. The first, The Husband's Secret, I wasn't too impressed with. The second, What Alice Forgot, I really enjoyed. This one was fabulous. Cleverly written, I loved how the characters' lives intertwined, the relationships between them and the very real storylines. I love how the author keeps you guessing right until the end who exactly had been murdered but built the story up in such a way that it could be anyone. There were several plot twists in this story that I did not see coming. This would be a great holiday/vacation read

 

[mumloveseeyore]

sorry i havent updated for ages, i am stalled about 1/3 of the way through the luminaries but i will finish it
91 /150 anthem for doomed youth by carola dunn
92/150 gone west by carola dunn cosy mysteries set in the 1920's fun light reads
93/150 fated an alex verus novel by benedict jacks, first in this series of fantasy novels set in London, basically a british Harry dresden, i really enjoyed this
94/150 cursed, an alex verus novel by benedict jacka, next in the series.
95/150 Down on the farm by charles stross, a laundry files novellla
n Charles Stross’s novel The Atrocity Archive and its sequels, the “Laundry” is a secret British agency responsible for keeping dark interdimensional entitities from destroying the cosmos and, not incidentally, the human race. The battles with creatures from beyond time are dangerous; however, it’s the subsequent bureaucratic paperwork that actually breaks men’s souls. Now, in “Down on the Farm,” Laundry veteran Bob Howard must investigate strange doings at another obscure, moth-eaten government agency—evidently a rest home for Laundry agents whose minds have snapped…
96/150 the chissellers by brendan o carol, the second in the trilogy telling the backstory of agnes brown of mrs browns boys. this made me laugh and was moving on occasions

 

[jenny105]

Finished book 26/30 (almost there!) Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham. Yes, Lorelai Gilmore, that Lauren Graham. I needed a quick, easy read after trudging through The Goldfinch. It was super cute and Franny made me laugh!

 

[threeboysmom]

Book #38 - We Were Liars by E Lockhart


Book #39 - Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

I've been on hold for what seems forever for this book (really just a couple of months I think).

You've been on a "liar" kick - going to keep the streak going? lol

 

[threeboysmom]

#29/30
The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro

In the early morning hours of March 18, 1990, two men dressed as police officers bound and gagged two guards at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, and stole thirteen works of art worth today over $500 million. Despite thousands of hours of police work and a $5 million reward, the artwork has never been recovered. Claire Roth, a struggling young artist, is about to discover that there's more to this crime than meets the eye.

I really enjoyed this one - makes me want to visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston now! Loved learning about the art "underworld" - had no idea it existed to that extreme.

#30/30
One Plus One by JoJo Moyes

Another great book by this author, although I didn't enjoy it as much as Me Before You (still my favorite book of the year so far.... I think). Definitely would like to read more from this author. She creates such memorable and truly likeable characters. This is one of those feel good, heartwarming, and dare I say it... love stories.

Up Next: Double Whammy by Carl Hiasson. I'm not sure about this one... I'm halfway through and about ready to call it quits.

 

[PigletsPal2]

Goal: 100 books this year.

#50 - Circle of Treason: CIA Account of Traitor Aldrich Ames and the Men He Betrayed by Sandra Grimes and Jeanne Vertefuille.

This is the true story of how Aldrich Ames committed treason for the USSR (later Russia) and how he was unmasked as a mole in the CIA. The book goes into quite a bit of detail about the betrayed Russians and and the damage Ames caused to U.S. intelligence efforts.

Most interesting was the process of searching for the spy and how the CIA and FBI worked (and didn't work) together, the red herrings they followed, the false starts and the ultimate success. For the record, I've met both Sandy and Jeanne when I worked for the State Department, and I have nothing but the utmost respect for their single-minded dedication to the task of capturing Ames.

Yay! I'm half-way through to my goal! I'm way behind my pace of last year but I'll catch up.

Queen Colleen

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #63 - Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

This is the same author who wrote What Alice Forgot which I enjoyed so I picked this one up. I liked this book too. I read it rather quickly to find out who died & how. The mothers were a piece of work. I am glad I don't have to deal with women like that.

A murder… . . . a tragic accident… . . . or just parents behaving badly?
What’s indisputable is that someone is dead.
But who did what?
Sometimes it’s the little lies that turn out to be the most lethal. . . .

Next book: The Girl From the Well

 

[Cantw8]

Forced my way through Goldfinch. This book made Mr Mercedes the best book of the year for me. I hated both of them Ohhhhh, I need another page turner like 11/22/63..now that was a book I truly enjoyed. I'm going to give Silkworm a try next. Wish me luck

 

[jenny105]

Forced my way through Goldfinch. This book made Mr Mercedes the best book of the year for me. I hated both of them Ohhhhh, I need another page turner like 11/22/63..now that was a book I truly enjoyed. I'm going to give Silkworm a try next. Wish me luck

I hated Goldfinch too! Who gave this book such high ratings on goodreads??

 

[Pig Pen]

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.

I hate to admit it, but I loved this book. I started it last night at 8:30 pm, forced myself to put it down at midnight, and finished it after work today. I cried like a baby. It was full of clichés (bitter quadriplegic, cold mother, philandering father, ditzy caregiver) but it worked for me. I just went to my library queue and added Ms. Moyes' newest book to my hold list.

On another note, I have given up on Goldfinch at 74%. I am simply no longer interested in anything that might happen.

I am about halfway through a kindle freebie "The President's Henchman." The president is a woman and her husband is a former cop who is now a private investigator. It's kind of silly and far-fetched but more entertaining than the afore-mentioned Pulitzer Prize winner.

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #64 - The Girl From The Well by Rin Chupeco

This is a good creepy story that also is intertwined with Japanese legends. The girl from the well is a spirit of a girl who was murdered. She spends her afterlife hunting down men who kill children so the spirits of those children can be freed. This story of what happened to Okiku (the girl from the well) is an actual Japanese ghost legend. This author does a great job incorporating it into this creepy novel.

I am where dead children go.
Okiku is a lonely soul. She has wandered the world for centuries, freeing the spirits of the murdered-dead. Once a victim herself, she now takes the lives of killers with the vengeance they're due. But releasing innocent ghosts from their ethereal tethers does not bring Okiku peace. Still she drifts on.
Such is her existence, until she meets Tark. Evil writhes beneath the moody teen's skin, trapped by a series of intricate tattoos. While his neighbors fear him, Okiku knows the boy is not a monster. Tark needs to be freed from the malevolence that clings to him. There's just one problem: if the demon dies, so does its host.

 

[tiggrbaby]

#26: Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich

#27: King and Maxwell by David Baldacci

#28: The Lady of the Rivers by Phillipa Gregory

#29: Reasonable Fear by Scott Pratt

#30: The Racketeer by John Grisham

#31: Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

#32: A Perfect Evil by Alex Kava

#33: Split Second by Alex Kava (These last two sort of reminded me of the early Rizzoli and Isles)

All were enjoyable! Now I have to squeeze in 7 more to make my goal!

 

[zippitydoo]

Book #49 of 75

A Break of Day(A Shade of Vampire #7) by Bella Forrest

 

[wgeo]

#19 Skinny Dip by Carl Hiassen, I'm working my way through his books, they are so over the top, you have to be in the right mood for one of them.

#20 Help for the Haunted by John Searles. Read this because of hearing about it on this thread. I enjoyed it, didn't think it was the best book ever, but it was a good read.

#21 Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. Again, read because of this thread. Obviously a great book, it just grabs you right at the start and never lets go. Highly recommend, although of course there is quite a darkness in it.