Here it is - the OFFICIAL 2014 READING GOAL CHALLENGE THREAD

[BeckyEsq]

Reading Book #3 (of 40) Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon. It's about one of the side characters in the Outlander series and takes place in London in 1757.

 

[wgeo]

#7 Six Years by Harlan Coban

I'm not sure how I missed Coban all this years, but I really enjoyed this book. I didn't find it to be predictable, and although the plot was a bit convoluted I did find it a very enjoyable read. I'll certainly read more of his books.

 

[mumloveseeyore]

book 12/150 The 1950s housewife by sheila hardy
from amazon
Getting married in the 1950s was quite a different experience to how it is today. After the independence of the wartime years, women now had to leave their jobs when they married and support their husband by creating a spotless home, delicious meals and an inviting bedroom. From ingenious cleaning tips, ration-book recipes and home decor inspiration, the homemaking methods of the 1950s give a hilarious and poignant insight into the lives of women in that decade. In A 1950s Housewife, author, wife, mother and grandmother Sheila Hardy collects heart-warming personal anecdotes from those women, many of whom are now in their eighties, who embarked on married life during this fascinating post-war period and provides a heart-warming trip down memory lane for any wife or child of the 1950s.
this was ok but i expected it to be more personal reminiscences of the period rather than a factual study. i got it when it was reduced on amazon but wouldnt pay the full price

 

[zippitydoo]

Book 6 of 50

The One You Love(Emma Holden Suspense Mystery #1) by Paul Pilkington

From Goodreads:

Emma Holden's nightmare has just begun. Her fiancé vanishes, leaving the battered and bloodied body of his brother in their London apartment. Someone is stalking her, watching her every move. And her family are hiding a horrifying secret; a secret that threatens all those she loves. In a desperate race against time, Emma must uncover the truth if she ever wants to see her fiancé alive again.

 

[willowsnn3]

Goal 72

#6 Killing Jesus by Bill O'Rielly & Martin Dugard

This was a hard read for me but it was really interesting.

 

[xlsm]

Finished book 8 of 45, Murder Past Due (Cat in the Stacks Mystery #1) by Miranda James.

Sometimes I get on a cozy mystery streak...this seems to be one of those times. Mainly b/c a lot of series starters were 99 cents in the nook store recently, LOL!!

That being said, I really enjoyed this sweet little book!

Charlie Harris has moved back to his hometown after losing his wife and favorite aunt within three weeks of each other. He's inherited his aunt's house and works for the university library as an archivist. He also takes on boarders from the university. He's a comfortable character, and you really just want him to be happy, but the real star of the book is his cat (the titular 'cat in the stacks') Diesel, a Maine Coon cat overflowing with personality.

An old high school rival, and now famous author Godfrey Priest, is coming back to town for a banquet,and gets everyone riled up. He has made many more friends than enemies along the way, and aside from the novelty of his fame, no one is excited to see him back in town.

He's murdered and Charlie happens to be the one to find the body.

I rate this a 3ish/5. The style of writing makes the characters seem fairly formal when speaking, but it's a neat little mystery with well developed characters. I will be reading more of this series in the future.

 

[DisneyWalle]

Well I'm a little late for the party!

I met my initial reading goal last year of 30 books, but did not reach my amended goal of 50. So I will start my 2014 reading goal at 40.

I look forward to reading suggestions that everyone makes this year. In fact, someone in the challenge last year suggested some zombie books but I can't remember what they were. Does anyone remember? If I'm not mistaken they had relatively silly titles.

 

[allenfane]

I finished number 3 of 50 last night: The Begum's Millions written by Jules Verne in 1879. It's about a Frenchman and a German, distantly related, who inherit a fortune from an Indian aristocrat. The Frenchman, a doctor, puts his into building a model city of health, while the German builds an industrial city producing weapons of mass destruction, with the intent on using them against the French city.

This turned out to be a really good book (I think), although France-ville and its people seem a bit too utopian. There are a number of stereotypes in the book that are definitely not PC, that is a reflection of the time it was written.

Continuing on my quest to read more classics and more Verne in particular, on to number 4: The Marriage of a Marquis. This short book (127 pg) contains the first English translations of two of Verne's short stories: The Marriage of Mr. Anselme des Tilleuls, and Jededias Jamet, or the Tale of an Inheritance.

allenfane

 

[DisneyWalle]

I completed these books last week:

#1 - Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

At the top of the stairs there are four secrets hidden. Blond, beautiful, innocent, and struggling to stay alive…
They were a perfect family, golden and carefree—until a heartbreaking tragedy shattered their happiness. Now, for the sake of an inheritance that will ensure their future, the children must be hidden away out of sight, as if they never existed. Kept on the top floor of their grandmother’s vast mansion, their loving mother assures them it will be just for a little while. But as brutal days swell into agonizing months and years, Cathy, Chris, and twins Cory and Carrie realize their survival is at the mercy of their cruel and superstitious grandmother…and this cramped and helpless world may be the only one they ever know.

Great Book. Interesting and fast read.

#2 - Petals on the Wind by V.C. Andrews

For Carrie, Chris and Cathy the attic was a dark horror that would not leave their minds. Of course mother had to pretend they didn't exist and grandmother was convinced they had the devil in them.
But that wasn't their fault. Was it? Cathy knew what to do. She knew it was time to show her mother and grandmother that the pain and terror of the attic could not be forgotten...Show them. Show them -- once and for all.

Better than the first book!

#3 - If There Be Thorns by V.C. Andrews

Chris and Cathy made such a loving home for fourteen-year-old Jory -- so handsome, so gentle. And for Bart,who had such a dazzling imagination for a nine year old. Then the lights came on in the house next door. Soon the Old Lady in Black was there, watching them, guarded by her strange old butler. Soon she had Bart over for cookies and ice cream and asked him to call her "Grandmother". And soon Bart's transformation began...
Fed by the hint of terrible things about his mother and father...leading him into shocking acts of violence. Now while this little boy trembles on the edge of madness, his anguished parents await the climax to a horror that flowered in an attic long ago, a horror whose thorns are still wet with blood, still tipped with fire.

This book wasn't as good; in fact, after reading it I decided I wasn't interested in reading the last two in the series --- at least for now.

#4 - The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Former slave, impassioned abolitionist, brilliant writer, newspaper editor and eloquent orator whose speeches fired the abolitionist cause, Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) led an astounding life. Physical abuse, deprivation and tragedy plagued his early years, yet through sheer force of character he was able to overcome these obstacles to become a leading spokesman for his people. In this, the first and most frequently read of his three autobiographies, Douglass provides graphic descriptions of his childhood and horrifying experiences as a slave as well as a harrowing record of his dramatic escape to the North and eventual freedom.


I have assigned this for my son to read next year in American Literature. So, I needed to read it to prepare the discussion questions. This is a great first-hand account that should be on any reading list especially at the high school level. Highly recommended to anyone especially those interested in American history.

Next on my reading list:

The Wildflowers: Misty by V.C. Andrews

 

[tiggrbaby]

#5/40: The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

From Amazon:
When a white servant girl violates the order of plantation society, she unleashes a tragedy that exposes the worst and best in the people she has come to call her family.

Orphaned while onboard ship from Ireland, seven-year-old Lavinia arrives on the steps of a tobacco plantation where she is to live and work with the slaves of the kitchen house. Under the care of Belle, the master's illegitimate daughter, Lavinia becomes deeply bonded to her adopted family, though she is set apart from them by her white skin.
Eventually, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, where the master is absent and the mistress battles opium addiction. Lavinia finds herself perilously straddling two very different worlds. When she is forced to make a choice, loyalties are brought into question, dangerous truths are laid bare, and lives are put at risk. The Kitchen House is a tragic story of page-turning suspense, exploring the meaning of family, where love and loyalty prevail.


The novel is told in alternating chapters from the viewpoint of Lavinia and Belle. I enjoyed the book enough to read it while I was enjoying a snow day. However, I was not crazy about the ending. 4/5

 

[PigletsPal2]

#5 Pride and Prejudice: The Scenes Jane Austen Never Wrote

This is written as a series of short behind the scenes stories from Pride and Prejudice by various authors that write Austen fan fic. I really liked this.

Goal: 100 books this year, including the Bible in its entirety.

#3 - Pride and Prejudice: The Scenes Jane Austen Never Wrote. Thanks so much for this recommendation! I loved this book! Each little scene seemed to flow seamlessly into the next, by a different author. They all seemed to have "Austenism" down pat. Don't know if you noticed, but at the end of the book, there is an alphabetical list of all the contributing authors. I've tucked the list in my purse, ready anytime I hit a bookstore.

Queen Colleen

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

#1
Galapagosby Kurt Vonnegut

Always meant to read it and never got around to it. It was good I like other Vonnegut's books more.
Told by a Kilgore Trout's son million years in the future it was definitely not one of my favorites by him.

Anyone who would like any of my books.
Written for You, Three Twigs for the Campfire or Cemetery Girl, I would gladly send Kindle or Nook gift version. You can see reviews at Gooodreads or Amazon.
Just send me a message.

 

[WowLookAtThat]

Book #10 Summer Fancy by Anne Avery

Book #11 Round Robin Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini

 

[Darcy03231]

Finished #10 of 52, High Noon by Nora Roberts. From Amazon:

"Police Lieutenant Phoebe MacNamara found her calling at an early age, when a violently unstable man broke into her family’s home, trapping and terrorizing them for hours. Now she’s Savannah’s top hostage negotiator, who puts her life on the line every day to defuse powder-keg situations. Phoebe knows when to reach out and when to pull back - and when to jump in and take action, even if it means risking everything. It’s satisfying work - and sometimes those skills come in handy at home when Phoebe deals with her agoraphobic mother, still traumatized by the break-in after all these years, and her precocious seven-year-old daughter, Carly. It’s exactly that heady combination of steely courage and sensitivity that first attracts Duncan Swift to Phoebe. After watching her talk one of his employees off a roof ledge, he is committed to keeping this intriguing, take-charge woman in his life. Phoebe’s used to working solo, but she’s finding that no amount of negotiation can keep Duncan at arm’s length. When she’s grabbed by a man who throws a hood over her head and brutally assaults her - in her own precinct house - Phoebe can’t help being deeply shaken. And when threatening messages appear on her doorstep, she’s not just alarmed but frustrated. How do you go face-to-face with an opponent who refuses to look you in the eye? Now, with Duncan backing her up every step of the way, she must establish contact with the faceless tormentor who is determined to make her a hostage to fear - before she becomes the final showdown.

I liked it. A typical Nora Roberts book. I'd give it a 4/5.

 

[mumloveseeyore]

book 12/150the white dragon by anne mccaffrey

from amazon
Never had there been as close a bonding as the one that existed between the young Lord Jaxom and his extraordinary white dragon, Ruth. Pure white and incredibly agile, Ruth possessed remarkable qualities. Not only could he communicate with the iridescent, fluttering fire lizards, but he could fly. Back in time to any WHEN with unfailing accuracy. Nearly everyone else on Pern thought Ruth was a runt who would never amount to anything, but Jaxom knew his dragon was special. In secret they trained to fight against the burning threads from the Red Planet, to fly Back in time as well as Between, and finally their close and special union was to result in the most startling and breathtaking discovery of all... THE WHITE DRAGON is one of the most unforgettable episodes in Anne McCaffrey's world-famous Chronicles of Pern.

This is one of my favourite episodes in one of my favourite fantasy series loved it!

 

[K and K's Mommy]

#5/40: The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom



The novel is told in alternating chapters from the viewpoint of Lavinia and Belle. I enjoyed the book enough to read it while I was enjoying a snow day. However, I was not crazy about the ending. 4/5

I read this book in 2012. I liked it but agree with you about the ending. I thought she rushed the last part.

 

[Momof3dogs]

8/50
Looking For Alaska---John Green

When I read The Fault In Our Stars last year, I figured I had found a fabulous author and that I should read more of his. This is the second book I've read from John Green and I'm not disappointed at all! I believe that the characters are very well developed and I found myself wanting to know what happens next. Luckily, we are in the middle of the snow-pocolypse and I can read all weekend. Finished this in 2 days. Wonderful book! It's already in my top five for the year and I see it staying there.

According to BN.com

Miles has a quirky interest in famous people's last words, especially François Rabelais's final statement, "I go to seek a Great Perhaps." Determined not to wait for death to begin a similar quest, Miles convinces his parents to let him leave home. Once settled at Culver Creek Preparatory School, he befriends a couple of equally gifted outcasts: his roommate Chip -- commonly known as the Colonel -- who has a predilection for memorizing long, alphabetical lists for fun; and the beautiful and unpredictable Alaska, whom Miles comes to adore.

The kids grow closer as they make their way through a school year filled with contraband, tests, pranks, breakups, and revelations about family and life. But as the story hurtles toward its shattering climax, chapter headings like "forty-six days before" and "the last day" portend a tragic event -- one that will change Miles forever and lead him to new conclusions about the value of his cherished "Great Perhaps."

 

[Dahly]

6/10 Another Life Altogether

From Good Reads
After years of living in the shadow of her mother's mental illness, thirteen-year-old Jesse Bennett is given a fresh chance at happiness when her family moves to a village near the coast of Northern England. But just when it seems Jesse might be able to build a new life, her mother's worsening mental state and the secret Jesse fiercely guards about herself threaten to destroy the fragile stability she has found. Caught in the tempest of her mother's moods, her father's desperation, and the cruel social hierarchies ruling her school life, Jesse is forced to choose between doing what's right and preserving the normal life she's always hoped for

my rating - 3/5

 

[Dahly]

7/10 The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls


from GoodReads
It is 1930, the midst of the Great Depression. After her mysterious role in a family tragedy, passionate, strong-willed Thea Atwell, age fifteen, has been cast out of her Florida home, exiled to an equestrienne boarding school for Southern debutantes. High in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with its complex social strata ordered by money, beauty, and girls’ friendships, the Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is a far remove from the free-roaming, dreamlike childhood Thea shared with her twin brother on their family’s citrus farm—a world now partially shattered. As Thea grapples with her responsibility for the events of the past year that led her here, she finds herself enmeshed in a new order, one that will change her sense of what is possible for herself, her family, her country.

Weaving provocatively between home and school, the narrative powerfully unfurls the true story behind Thea’s expulsion from her family, but it isn’t long before the mystery of her past is rivaled by the question of how it will shape her future. Part scandalous love story, part heartbreaking family drama, The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is an immersive, transporting page-turner—a vivid, propulsive novel about sex, love, family, money, class, home, and horses, all set against the ominous threat of the Depression—and the major debut of an important new writer.

I know this one is on lots of must read lists, but I did not care for it at all. I keep waiting for Thea to face some kind of consequence for her stupidity, but it never came. Disappointing.

my rating - 2/5

 

[cousinbb]

I've finished book 2/13 today . My dad was given Si-Cology 101 for christmas so i picked it up and read it. It was interesting to read about his past.