Here it is - the OFFICIAL 2014 READING GOAL CHALLENGE THREAD

[nemofans]

Finished book #60 - Sandrine's Case by Thomas Cook

This book was okay. The characters are not very likable & don't know know why this couple was ever together. They don't make sense. The main character is too annoying to be in his head thru the book constantly psychoanalyzing himself. The descriptions are too wordy that it comes off pretentious. I found myself skimming the descriptive paragraphs as I got the point by the 1st sentence. I did want to find out if the husband did it or not, but I didn't care either way. I just wanted to know & be done w/it. I give it 2/5 stars.

Samuel Madison always wondered why Sandrine chose him. He was a meek, stuffy doctorate student; she a brilliant bohemian with limitless imagination. On the surface, their relationship seemed tranquil: jobs at the same liberal arts college, a precocious young daughter, and a home filled with art and literature. And then one night Sandrine is found dead in their bedroom from an overdose of pain medication and alcohol, and Samuel is accused of poisoning her.
As secrets about their often tumultuous marriage come to light in the courtroom, Samuel must face a town convinced of his guilt, a daughter whose faith in her father has been shaken to its core, and the truth about his wife, who never ceased being a mystery to him. Sandrine’s Case is a powerful novel about the evil that can lurk within the heart of a seemingly ordinary man, and whether love can be reawakened even after death.

Next book: One Kick

 

[WowLookAtThat]

Book #66 Entre Nous by Debra Oliver

Book #67 Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by J. Randy Taraborrelli

Book #68 Peter Pan and Wendy by J.M. Barrie

Book #69 The Bride and the Beast by Teresa Medeiros

Book #70 The Marriage Test by Betina Krahn

 

[Pig Pen]

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty.

I liked this book WAY more than What Alice Forgot. The story involves three separate women and how their lives are impacted by a murder that occurred many years ago.

The narration is witty and the characters are believable. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Back to the Goldfinch until my next library book comes through!

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #61 - One Kick by Chelsea Cain

Great book! I couldn't put it down! Kick is very complex & I was drawn to her. She is dealing with so many issues due to what happened to her as a child. The writing made me want to root for her & protect her at the same time. The description below says everything about this book & I definitely recommend reading it. It's going to be a series which I am happy about b/c I wanted the story to keep going. The only problem is that the next book won't come out til 2015!

The first in a nail-biting new series featuring Kick Lannigan, a young woman whose complicated past has given her a very special skill set.
Famously kidnapped at age six, Kick captured America’s hearts when she was rescued five years later. Now, twenty-one, she finds herself unexpectedly entangled in a missing child case that will put her talents to the test.
Trained as a marksman, lock picker, escape artist and bomb maker by her abductor, Kick could not return to the life of the average young girl after her release. So, in lieu of therapy, she mastered martial arts, boxing, and knife throwing; learned how to escape from the trunk of a car, jimmy a pair of handcuffs, and walk without making a sound—all before she was thirteen.
Kick has trained herself to be safe. But then two children go missing in three weeks, and an enigmatic and wealthy former weapons dealer approaches her with a proposition. John Bishop uses his fortune and contacts to track down missing children. Not only is he convinced Kick can help recover the two children—he won’t take no for an answer.
With lives hanging in the balance, Kick is set to be the crusader she has always imagined herself. Little does she know that the answers she and Bishop seek are hidden in one of the few places she doesn’t want to navigate—the dark corners of her own mind.

 

[Colleen27]

Picked up two recommendations from this thread last week, so I'm not going to bother repeating summaries that have already been posted.

#58/100 - The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

This was just wonderful, fanciful and elegant with a very fairy tale quality to it. I absolutely loved the way the whole story was woven into Chinese folklore and mythology.

#59 - What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

I found this one surprisingly thought-provoking for a chick-lit novel. Alice's life and the progression of her marriage had a very convincing feel to them, and the memory loss was a brilliant lens through which to view the ways relationships change with time and experience, the way little resentments build into catastrophic failures, and the way our own perspectives shape events as they're happening.

 

[timsprincess]

#35/50

So Brave, Young and Handsome

by Leif Enger

3 stars

In 1915 Minnesota, novelist Monte Becket has lost his sense of purpose. His only success long behind him, Monte lives simply with his wife and son. But when he befriends outlaw Glendon Hale, a new world of opportunity and experience presents itself. Glendon has spent years in obscurity, but the guilt he harbors for abandoning his wife, Blue, over two decades ago, has lured him from hiding. As the modern age marches swiftly forward, Glendon aims to travel back to his past--heading to California to seek Blue’s forgiveness. Beguiled and inspired, Monte soon finds himself leaving behind his own family to embark for the unruly West with his fugitive guide. As they desperately flee from the relentless Charles Siringo, an ex-Pinkerton who’s been hunting Glendon for years, Monte falls ever further from his family and the law, to be tempered by a fiery adventure from which he may never get home.

 

[Glynis]

Goal - 70 books

Book #44 - "Welcome to Last Chance" by Hope Ramsay

From Goodreads: Dear Reader,

Yes, our town is way off the beaten path, but strange, wonderful miracles happen a lot around here.

I've owned the Cut 'n' Curl beauty shop for years, and I've seen folks come for a visit, then stay for a lifetime. Take Jane-that pretty firecracker of a girl who just arrived in town. I would swear she's running from something. She came with only five dollars in her pocket but she's worked real hard to make a fresh start. She's turned my son Clay's life upside down without even realizing it.

And thank goodness for that! Ever since Clay left his country western band, he's played everything too safe. He needs to take a chance on Jane. Besides, the more he tries to keep his distance, the more he'll realize that he and Jane are singing the same tune.

My review: Meh. Predictable, easy to read. Some fun stuff, but really not anything spectacular. I brought another one in the series home from the library, and I'll read it, but I'm not excited about it.

Next up: Last Chance Beauty Queen by Hope Ramsay

 

[amberg93]

Finished 2 more. Goal 25.

13 - The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Bernie Su and Kate Rorick

A tie in with the web-series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, a modern adaption of Pride and Prejudice. Very easy to get through, very enjoyable and definitely added a new layer to a bunch of things we didn't see happen on screen. I'm excited that there will be a sequel and even more excited that it will be from Lydia's perspective.

14 - Lucid by Adrienne Stoltz and Ron Bass

Summary from goodreads

What if you could dream your way into a different life? What if you could choose to live that life forever?

Sloane and Maggie have never met. Sloane is a straight-A student with a big and loving family. Maggie lives a glamorously independent life as an up-and-coming actress in New York. The two girls couldn't be more different--except for one thing. They share a secret that they can't tell a soul. At night, they dream that they're each other.

The deeper they're pulled into the promise of their own lives, the more their worlds begin to blur dangerously together. Before long, Sloane and Maggie can no longer tell which life is real and which is just a dream. They realize that eventually they will have to choose one life to wake up to, or risk spiraling into insanity. But that means giving up one world, one love, and one self, forever.

I'm not going to lie, it took me a while to get into the story but it gets interesting later into the book. It's stressful though. Think Inception levels of stress and the ending sort of has the same 'what is the truth' hanging but I'd read it again.


Next up: ???

 

[willowsnn3]

Goal 72

#62 A Necessary Evil by Alex Kava

Loved this one! It is the 4th or 5th book in the Maggie O'Dell series and the best one so far.

 

[portia9]

#73 Twitch Upon a Star by Herbie J Pilato-a biography of Elizabeth Montgomery by a huge fan of her and it showed. Anecdotes of when he spoke to her, it was really grating. And a lot of information was repeated throughout the book, it was really poorly written.

#74 Gilmore Girls and the Politics of Identity by Ritch Calvin-essays about Gilmore Girls

#75 Coffee at Luke's by Jennifer Crusie and Leah Wilson-see above

#76 The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley-the sixth in the Flavia de Luce series and they are getting better. Loved this one. I really recommend this series.

#77 Aunt Dimity's Good Deed by Nancy Atherton-thank you to the DIS-ers that recommended these. I really enjoy them.

#78 Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer-another DIS recommendation and I loved it

#79 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl-no need to review this.

 

[PigletsPal2]

Goal: 100 books this year.

I haven't posted in awhile, but I have been reading like a fiend! Following is a partial list, recorded from how the books were lined up in the bookcase, not necessarily the order in which they were read. My taste runs to British mysteries, primarily Victorian era, Jane Austen fanfic and biographies.

#32 - In the Company of Others by Jan Karon
#33 - Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon
These are the continuing stories of Father Tim Kavanaugh and the denizens of Mitford. Sweet stories with a mildly religious undertone, but not in your face.

#34 - Murder on Lexington Avenue by Victoria Thompson
#35 - Murder on Mulberry Bend by Victoria Thompson
#36 - Murder on 5th Avenue by Victoria Thompson
#37 - Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson
#36 - Murder on Washington Square by Victoria Thompson
#37 - Murder in Chelsea by Victoria Thompson
#38 - Murder in Little Italy by Victoria Thmpson
Mysteries featuring socialite-turned-midwife Sarah Brandt and police detective Frank Malloy.

#39 - A Stranger in Mayfair by Charles Finch
#40 - A Death in the Small Hours by Charles Finch
#41 - The Fleet Street Murders by Charles Finch
Mysteries featuring British aristocrat Charles Lenox and his reprobate-turned-respectable assistant, John Dallington.

#42 - The Alpine Vengeance by Mary Daheim
#43 - The Alpine Winter by Mary Daheim
#44 - The Alpine Xanadu by Mary Daheim
Mysteries featuring Emma Lord, publisher and editor of small-down weekly newspaper the Alpine Advocate. This series was written alphabetically, starting with The Alpine Advocate. I hope Daheim finds some way to continue the series after she hits "z."

#45 - Waiter Rant by Steve Dublanica.
Exactly what it sounds like.


#46 - Wisdom of Our Fathers by Tim Russert
#47 - Big Russ and Me by Tim Russert
Two wonderfully inspirational books by the late moderator of meet the Press.

#48 - Intrigue at Highbury by Carrie Bebris
Pride and Prejudice fanfic featuring Mr. and Mrs. Darcy.

#49 - The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
The story of the sudden and unexpected death of Didion's
husband and their only daughter and how she coped (or didn't cope) with the losses.

There are many more that I've read but just haven't recorded, I just have to find them. Also, I'm sure I've read some of my books before, but I suffer from CRS (can't remember "stuff") so they're new again to me.

Queen Colleen

 

[Momof3dogs]

34/50
Wild---Cheryl Strayed

Again, not my normal type of book but I really wanted to get out of my comfort zone this year. I challenged myself to read new authors and different genres of books. So I'm hitting my goals!

This is the story of a woman who hiked the Pacific Crest Trail after a divorce and losing her mother, as well as some other life issues. I was skeptical when starting this book, but it got me right at the beginning. I do wish there were more details and even some pictures from her adventure, I truly enjoyed the details she did provide.
This book actually motivated me to start hiking around the local parks that we have in this area. The dogs are definitely excited!!

 

[Glynis]

Goal - 70 books

Book #45 - "Last Chance Beauty Queen" by Hope Ramsay

From Goodreads: Dear Reader,
Gracious me, my beautiful daughter Rocky sure could use my help. I always knew she wasn't much interested in the local boys - but who'd have thought she'd come home with English royalty?
Trouble is, Hugh wants to buy some of our folks' land. We don't want to sell, but Rocky's job depends on her closing the deal. And though Hugh's obviously smitten, I'm not sure he's right for my Rocky. Oh, he's classy and handsome - and you should've seen the way he judged pies and fixed stock cars at our Watermelon Festival! - but what do we know about him, really? I know I sound like a nervous mother hen, but after forty happy years with my Elbert, all I want is to see my little girl find the same.
Well, time for me to quit chattering and get back to Miss Bray's wet set. Always nice talking to you, and remember: the Cut 'n Curl's got hot rollers, free coffee, and the best gossip in town.
See you real soon,
Ruby Rhodes

My review - Like the other Last Chance book that I read, this one was enjoyable, but predictable. I enjoyed being able to read something mindless, but I'm going to have to start challenging myself again, or my brain will turn to mush! Still I checked one other Last Chance book out from the library, so I will finish it this weekend, and then move on to something else.

Next up: Last Chance Knit and Stitch

 

[Colleen27]

Binge reading this weekend before I start school and everything gets crazy.

#60/100 - Cut Adrift: Families in Insecure Times by Marianne Cooper

Fomr Goodreads: Cut Adrift makes an important and original contribution to the national conversation about inequality and risk in American society. Set against the backdrop of rising economic insecurity and rolled-up safety nets, Marianne Cooper’s probing analysis explores what keeps Americans up at night. Through poignant case studies, she reveals what families are concerned about, how they manage their anxiety, whose job it is to worry, and how social class shapes all of these dynamics, including what is even worth worrying about in the first place. This powerful study is packed with intriguing discoveries ranging from the surprising anxieties of the rich to the critical role of women in keeping struggling families afloat. Through tales of stalwart stoicism, heart-wrenching worry, marital angst, and religious conviction, Cut Adrift deepens our understanding of how families are coping in a go-it-alone age—and how the different strategies on which affluent, middle-class, and poor families rely upon not only reflect inequality, but fuel it.

This was thought provoking and insightful, well researched without being dry or difficult reading. By focusing on families at every income level it really does cast our economic conditions in a different light, broadening the conversation beyond economic "winners" and "losers" to an assessment of how changing times have affected everyone and how those effects have become a self-reinforcing loop.

#61 - Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

From Goodreads: Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.

In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart.

A concession to my daughter's ongoing love of post-apocalyptic fiction, I wasn't nearly as impressed by this as I've been with other series. Written in the voice of the teenage male protagonist, the writing just isn't up to the standards of a series like The Hunger Games or Divergent, and several of the major characters are recognizable stereotypes of high school cliques. I probably won't bother with the rest of the trilogy unless DD wants to continue reading the series.

#62 - Someone Else's Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson

From Goodreads: At twenty-one, Shandi Pierce is juggling finishing college, raising her delightful three-year-old genius son Natty, and keeping the peace between her eternally warring, long-divorced Catholic mother and Jewish father. She’s got enough complications without getting caught in the middle of a stick-up in a gas station mini-mart and falling in love with a great wall of a man named William Ashe, who willingly steps between the armed robber and her son.

Shandi doesn’t know that her blond god Thor has his own complications. When he looked down the barrel of that gun he believed it was destiny: It’s been one year to the day since a tragic act of physics shattered his universe. But William doesn’t define destiny the way other people do. A brilliant geneticist who believes in science and numbers, destiny to him is about choice.

Now, he and Shandi are about to meet their so-called destinies head on, in a funny, charming, and poignant novel about science and miracles, secrets and truths, faith and forgiveness,; about a virgin birth, a sacrifice, and a resurrection; about falling in love, and learning that things aren’t always what they seem—or what we hope they will be. It’s a novel about discovering what we want and ultimately finding what we need.

This wasn't at all what I expected, but I found the characters charmingly imperfect and the story extremely engaging. It was the sort of book you don't want to put down even when you can barely keep your eyes open and know you have to be up early the next morning. I've been a fan of Joshilyn Jackson since her first book and this one didn't disappoint.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

#9 Mark Twain
The Stolen White Elephant & Other Detective Stories.
Three stories by Mark Twain but only the first one really is detective story. Its been so long since I read Tom Saywer/Huck Finn I might have to re read them. liked the book first story "White Elephant" and last story at points really cracked me up. I really enjoyed more than I thought I would

I just saw that the premise of Pixar movie is similar to one of the stories in my book Three Twigs for the Campfire, though I only saw a photo of the concept. I am wondering what kind of effect it might have.
Has the whole story/ concept been revealed yet?
I would gladly send free Kindle version of Three Twigs to any of you if you are interested in reading.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

#18
The Fall(The Strain Trilogy #2)
Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan

The vampiric virus unleashed in The Strain has taken over New York City. It is spreading across the country and soon, the world. Amid the chaos, Eph Goodweather—head of the Center for Disease Control’s team—leads a small band out to stop these bloodthirsty monsters. But it may be too late.

Ignited by the Master’s horrific plan, a war erupts between Old and New World vampires, each vying for total control. Caught between these warring forces, humans—powerless and vulnerable—are no longer the consumers, but the consumed.

Though Eph understands the vampiric plague better than anyone, even he cannot protect those he loves from the invading evil. His ex-wife, Kelly, has been turned by the Master, and now she stalks the city, in the darkness, looking for her chance to reclaim Zack, Eph’s young son.

With the future of the world in the balance, Eph and his courageous team, guided by the brilliant former professor and Holocaust survivor Abraham Setrakian and exterminator Vasiliy Fet, must combat a terror whose ultimate plan is more terrible than anyone first imagined—a fate worse than annihilation

#19
The Night Eternal(The Strain Trilogy #3)
Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan

It's been two years since the vampiric virus was unleashed in The Strain and the entire world now lies on the brink of annihilation. There has been a mass extermination of humans orchestrated by the Master—an ancient vampire possessed of unparalleled powers. The future of humankind lies in the hands of a ragtag band of freedom fighters—Dr. Eph Goodweather, Dr. Nora Martinez, Vasiliy Fet, and Mr. Quinlan, the half-breed offspring of the Master who is bent on revenge. It's their job to overturn this devastating new world order. But good and evil are malleable terms now, and the Master is most skilled at preying on the weaknesses of humans.

Now, at this critical hour, there is evidence of a traitor in their midst. . . And only one man holds the answer to the Master's demise, but is he one who can be trusted with the fate of the world? And who among them will pay the ultimate sacrifice—so that others may be saved?

I really liked the first book. I wish I could say the same about the last two. I powered through them because I'm behind on my goal, but honestly, it was tough. I had no drive to read these! They dragged on IMO. The ending was a little surprising though.

 

[wilma-bride]

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

 

[zippitydoo]

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.

 

[lovegrumpy]

#14
TOP SECRET TWENTY-ONE by Janet Evanovich

I love these books

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #62 - Remember Me Like This by Bret Anthony Johnston

This book was okay. You get different people's point of view throughout the story. A boy goes missing for 4 yrs & is then found. I understood the feelings that the parents as well as the brother were going through b4 & after he was found. Why I didn't rate this higher was b/c the boy seemed too casual about coming home. Although the story doesn't go into detail of what happened to him while he was with his kidnapper for 4 yrs, it would seem the boy would have been greatly affected by it. I guess I wished we got his point of view in a few chapters like we had everyone else's or at least seen more emotion from him. That might have helped reveal more of what he was going thru in his mind. Oh & the author also tricks you. I won't give it away, but what you think will happen in the ending due to what he wrote in the prologue, isn't how it ends.

Four years have passed since Justin Campbell’s disappearance, a tragedy that rocked the small town of Southport, Texas. Did he run away? Was he kidnapped? Did he drown in the bay? As the Campbells search for answers, they struggle to hold what’s left of their family together.
Then, one afternoon, the impossible happens. The police call to report that Justin has been found only miles away, in the neighboring town, and, most important, he appears to be fine. Though the reunion is a miracle, Justin’s homecoming exposes the deep rifts that have diminished his family, the wounds they all carry that may never fully heal. Trying to return to normal, his parents do their best to ease Justin back into his old life. But as thick summer heat takes hold, violent storms churn in the Gulf and in the Campbells’ hearts. When a reversal of fortune lays bare the family’s greatest fears—and offers perhaps the only hope for recovery—each of them must fight to keep the ties that bind them from permanently tearing apart.

Next Book: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry