Here it is - the OFFICIAL 2014 READING GOAL CHALLENGE THREAD

Its been a long, long time since I posted but I am still humming along. There have been a few books that I have picked up that I had to either take back to the library or my e-loan timed out so they went back on my to read list. So starting from way back in early August...

56. The Academy by Ridley Pearson
57. The Challenge by Ridley Pearson
These two are a YA series about a boy who finds out he has special powers and is sent to a school of like individuals. I accidentally read them out or order. The Challenge is first. I like The Academy better.

58. The Sentry by Robert Crais
This is a Joe Pike, Elvis Cole series. It is a suspense, PI type novel. Enjoyable.

59. Cesar's Way: the Natural Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common dog Problems by Cesar Milan
I got this after adopting a new dog. This book is very similar to another I had read earlier this summer. It is more of a philosophy of dog psychology rather than how to book. There are a lot of personal anecdotes in the book which make it interesting.

60. Flip by Martin Bedford
A YA novel about a 14 yo boy who wakes up one morning finding he is in another boy's body. The questions of why is he there and who is the other boy and what to do about it are the body of the book. It had a little different twist on the subject than normal. I liked it!

61. An Irish Country Courtship by Patrick Taylor
This is the 5th in a series set in Ireland telling the story of a young doctor who is an apprentice to an old country DR. I had read most of the early ones. The characters are fun and the running story line throughout the series keeps you interested.

62. My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke
This was a very interesting and enjoyable autobiography.

63. Exposure by Kathy Reichs and Brendan Reichs
This is the 4th in the Virals series. It is a YA novel about a group of teens who get infected with a virus which gives them some wolf like sharpened senses. They always manage to get into some kind of trouble which they need to figure their way out of. The books take up right after each other. They are pretty good reading with that typical teen light sci fi.

64. Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card
OSC is one of my favorite authors. He is very prolific and his books are on all kinds of subjects. This is the first book in the Alvin Maker series.
From Goodreads: In an alternate version of frontier America, young Alvin is the seventh son of a seventh son, and such a birth is powerful magic. Yet even in the loving safety of his home, dark forces reach out to destroy him.
This book tells of his birth and childhood leading up to where he is going to leave home. Interesting but not riveting.

65. Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card
This is the second in the Ender's Shadow series. If you read Ender's Game you know who Bean is. Ender's Shadow was essentially Ender's Game written from Bean's POV. I actually liked it better that Ender's Game. Shadow of the Hegemon follows Bean and the rest of the kids after their return to earth after their victory. Very good!

66. Private Games by James Patterson
An installment of the Private Series, this book was tough for me to get through. The internationally renowned investigation firm, Private, is hired to provide protection for the 2012 Olympics. The Olympic commissioner is murdered before the Opening Ceremonies which reveals a plot to bring down the entire modern Olympics. It sounds like it would be great but for me it lagged in parts.

67. The City by Dean Koontz
From Goodreads: Here is the riveting, soul-stirring story of Jonah Kirk, son of an exceptional singer, grandson of a formidable “piano man,” a musical prodigy beginning to explore his own gifts when he crosses a group of extremely dangerous people, with shattering consequences. Set in a more innocent time not so long ago, The City encompasses a lifetime but unfolds over three extraordinary, heart-racing years of tribulation and triumph, in which Jonah first grasps the electrifying power of music and art, of enduring friendship, of everyday heroes.

I really enjoyed this one but it was not like the nail biters he usually turns out.

68. The New Kids: Big Dreams and Brave Journeys at a High School of Immigrant Teens by Brooke Hauser
This was an interesting account of a year at the International High School at Prospect Heights in Brooklyn. All the students are emigrants and learning English. It follows several of the students for the entire year exploring their past, their present and their plans for the future.

69. Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes
This was the feature book of our Digital library for October. It follows Anika, a tenth grader who by her own description is the 3rd most popular girl in her school. But Anika is getting tired of the top dog mean girl who is supposed to be her best friend. Anika starts to mature and see things in a new light when something tragic happens which changes her forever. It was good, sometimes funny sometimes thoughtful.

70. Personal by Lee Childs
The 19th Jack Reacher novel. It was OK. You have to read it if you are a Jack Reacher fan but it isn't as good as most of the others.

Whew! I'm between books right now and can't decide what to read.
 
Finished book #81 - The Boy Who Drew Monsters by Keith Donohue

What a weird story. This is a horror story about a boy with Aspergers who blurs the lines of reality & fantasy. I felt it went on a little long b4 anyone found out what the boy was doing b/c the parents were idiots, but the story was interesting. The end is a punch in the gut & I don't exactly agree with the Mom at the very end (sorry can't give it away). This is definitely different & clever.

Ever since he nearly drowned in the ocean three years earlier, ten-year-old Jack Peter Keenan has been deathly afraid to venture outdoors. Refusing to leave his home in a small coastal town in Maine, Jack Peter spends his time drawing monsters. When those drawings take on a life of their own, no one is safe from the terror they inspire. His mother, Holly, begins to hear strange sounds in the night coming from the ocean, and she seeks answers from the local Catholic priest and his Japanese housekeeper, who fill her head with stories of shipwrecks and ghosts. His father, Tim, wanders the beach, frantically searching for a strange apparition running wild in the dunes. And the boy’s only friend, Nick, becomes helplessly entangled in the eerie power of the drawings. While those around Jack Peter are haunted by what they think they see, only he knows the truth behind the frightful occurrences as the outside world encroaches upon them all.
 
Well, goodness I am behind in my posting! My goal is 50 books in 2014.

I hope you all have been reading some great books!

#36 The Chamber of Ten by Christopher Golden 4 stars

#37 The Striker by Clive Clussler 3 stars

#38 I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg 3 stars

#39 Man of Her Dreams by Tami Hoag 2 stars

#40 Chasing Sunsets by Eva Marie Everson 2 stars

#41 Mr Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater 4 stars

#42 The Next Thing on My List by Jill Smolinski 4 stars

#43 Disney In Shadow (Kingdom Keepers #3) by Ridley Pearson 5 stars (I love this series!)

#44 Broken by Karen Slaughter 4 stars

Happy Reading all!
Peggy
 
Reading Challenge Goal: 26 Books

October Update:
(The titles are linked to Goodreads for jacket synopses and more reviews)

#20 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling
My opinion of Harry Potter hasn't changed much. It's still just "pretty good for a kid's book." I usually love highly imaginative stuff, this doesn't move me though. It's certainly well written and really engaging in places but it lacks any kind of sophistication. Really great authors seem to be able to manage that even when they are writing for children. Still, it's fun and I'll read book three. I'm just not sure I can commit to reading five more Potter books.

#21 The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
Holden Caulfield is kind of crumby. The reason I say that is just that he is always doing the things that he hates other people for doing. He really kills me. I am Holden Caulfield. I’m sorry - I really am. Sometimes I’m just like old Holden. I hate phonies too. The story is meandering, the vocabulary is weak, and the protagonist is shallow. All of it is exactly perfect. There aren’t many books that as soon as I turn the last page I know that I will read them again.

#22 Born to Run - Christopher McDougall
More than anything else, it's a book about why we run. The story of Caballo Blanco and his dream to set up an ultramarathon with the native Tarahumara in the Copper Canyons of Mexico would have been pretty interesting by itself. The digressions into the science and history of endurance running were a fascinating bonus. I'm not planning to become a barefoot runner but I'll probably slip on the Vibrams and give them a few miles every now and then. I expected this book to be a little dry but it had a lot of humor and heart. It's inspiration and validation for runners and insight for everyone else.

Currently Reading: Lamb by Christopher Moore

Sorry, I'm a little slow with the updates here. Wanna be my book buddy on Goodreads? Here's my Goodreads Profile :goodvibes
 

#39/40: Blood Money by Scott Pratt

This is #6 in the Joe Dillard series. I didn't enjoy it as much as the others. 3/5


#40/40: The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

I loved this book! I couldn't put it down and read it in three sittings. This has to be one of my top reads for the year!
5/5
 
Finished #82 - Malice by Keigo Higashino

I didn't care for this book. Didn't like the characters or the way the story is told.

Acclaimed bestselling novelist Kunihiko Hidaka is found brutally murdered in his home on the night before he’s planning to leave Japan and relocate to Vancouver. His body is found in his office, a locked room, within his locked house, by his wife and his best friend, both of whom have rock solid alibis. Or so it seems.
At the crime scene, Police Detective Kyochiro Kaga recognizes Hidaka’s best friend, Osamu Nonoguchi. Years ago when they were both teachers, they were colleagues at the same public school. Kaga went on to join the police force while Nonoguchi eventually left to become a full-time writer, though with not nearly the success of his friend Hidaka.
As Kaga investigates, he eventually uncovers evidence that indicates that the two writers’ relationship was very different that they claimed, that they were anything but best friends. But the question before Kaga isn't necessarily who, or how, but why. In a brilliantly realized tale of cat and mouse, the detective and the killer battle over the truth of the past and how events that led to the murder really unfolded. And if Kaga isn't able to uncover and prove why the murder was committed, then the truth may never come out.


Next book: The Secret Life Of Bees
 
Book #61 of 75: In Deep Voodoo by Stephanie Bond

From Goodreads:
Start With Bad Mojo . . . There's something strange afoot in the small town of Mojo, Louisiana. Yet even as the annual voodoo festival gets underway, Penny Francisco, who runs a health food business, refuses to believe in black magic. Her mind is on celebrating her divorce from her lying, cheating husband Deke.

Add a Pinprick of Revenge . . .

Fueled by run-ins with her ex-mother-in-law and Deke's busty mistress, Penny is eager for the "emancipation party" her friends plan. When she receives a Deke voodoo doll as a gag gift, she sticks it with a pin as a joke. But when Deke winds up fatally stabbed, the police aren't laughing.

And Watch Things Boil Over . . .

A junk-food junkie P.I. offers his services, and although Penny is wary of the sexy Cajun's motives (and his diet), she's desperate. Dodging a media sideshow and a looming murder rap, Penny realizes that somehow she's landed herself "In Deep Voodoo,”

Book #62 of 75: Crazy Little Things by Tracy Brogan

From Goodreads:
Sadie Turner can organize just about anything — except her own life. When her cheating spouse topples Sadie’s impeccably tidy world, she packs up her kids for a summer vacation at her aunt’s lake house, hoping to relax, reboot, and formulate a new plan — one that does not include men.

Any men.

But eccentric Aunt Dody has other plans; she’s determined to see Sadie have a little fun—with Desmond, the sexy new neighbor. Tall, tanned, muscular—and even great with her kids, Desmond is Sadie’s worst nightmare. He must have a flaw—he’s a man, after all—so Sadie vows to keep her distance. But as summer blazes on, their attraction ignites, and the life Sadie is trying so hard to simplify only gets more complicated. But maybe a little chaos is just what she needs to get her future, and her dreams of love, back in order.
 
/
Goal 72

#75 This Full House by Virginia Euwer Wolff

The conclusion of the Make Lemonade Trilogy
"LaVaughn believes she is keeping alert to all possibilities. She has made it through the projects, she's gotten over heartbreak, she's grown up, and now she's been admitted to the Women in Science program that might finally be her ticket to COLLEGE. But the discoveries she makes during her senior year in high school disturb everything in her known world. And in an effort to bring together people who should love each other, she jeopardizes the one prize she has sought her whole life."

Loved this series.
 
Finished Book #83 - The Secret Life Of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

I did not see the movie, but knew about the story so I decided to read it. I really enjoyed it too.

When Lily’s fierce-hearted black “stand-in mother,” Rosaleen, insults three of the town’s most vicious racists, Lily decides they should both escape to Tiburon, South Carolina—a town that holds the secret to her mother’s past. There they are taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters who introduce Lily to a mesmerizing world of bees, honey, and the Black Madonna who presides over their household. This is a remarkable story about divine female power and the transforming power of love—a story that women will continue to share and pass on to their daughters for years to come.
 
Started number eight, Mockingjay, over the weekend in anticipation of the movie release next Friday and finished it yesterday. Again, I've read very few of my daughter's books but she likes it when I read and discuss the books with her before we see the movies so I indulge her- since she's in her senior year of high school I won't be able to see movies on a regular basis with her much longer! It was okay, not great. Still working on Unbroken and enjoying it so far. I don't usually read nonfiction so this is a challenge for me. I've discovered that if I read something shorter that requires less thought on my part while my husband watches football all weekend, I finish a lot faster. Hopefully I'll be able to finish another book this coming weekend. Just need to decide which one!
 
Started number eight, Mockingjay, over the weekend in anticipation of the movie release next Friday and finished it yesterday. Again, I've read very few of my daughter's books but she likes it when I read and discuss the books with her before we see the movies so I indulge her- since she's in her senior year of high school I won't be able to see movies on a regular basis with her much longer! It was okay, not great. Still working on Unbroken and enjoying it so far. I don't usually read nonfiction so this is a challenge for me. I've discovered that if I read something shorter that requires less thought on my part while my husband watches football all weekend, I finish a lot faster. Hopefully I'll be able to finish another book this coming weekend. Just need to decide which one!

Love Unbroken - it is one of my top three for the year!
 
Goal 72

#76 Written In My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon

Altho I am a huge fan of the Outlander books, this one has to be the worst of the lot! At 800+ pages, I feel that about 400 of them could have been cut and the book would have been much better. I agree with one review I read: Too much war, too much sex, too many gory surgeries. Also too many plot lines.
That being said the last chapters were the best in more ways than one, lol.
 
#42 - Going Clear: Scientology,Hollywood,and the Prison of Belief.

I won't go into detail about my thoughts and reactions to this books to avoid violating the TOS for these boards but I read this quite lengthy book in less than a week because I couldn't put it down.

#43 - Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

This is the first in a YA series that got good reviews, but I thought it was just ok. The book ended at a point in the story where I wanted to read the next one to find out what happened even though I wasn't overly impressed with it. I give the author kudos for that in trying to sell more books at least.

#44 First Evil (Fear Street Cheerleaders #1) by R.L.Stine

This was the November choice for my retro teen novel book club. A quick, humorous read. It does make me wonder why I read so many of these teen thrillers as a kid. December was my turn to choose a book, so we're reading Judy Blume for next month.

#45 Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

This novel is a story told all in letters of recommendation written by an English professor. I found the structure to be interesting but I ultimately didn't care much about any of the characters.

#46 - Uganda Be Kidding Me by Chelsea Handler

I really enjoyed her first books, before she was on TV. I would have enjoyed this one more if I hadn't already seen her standup special on netflix that covers a lot of the same ground as this book. Just as I didn't really enjoy seeing Amy Schumer live, since most of the material was already on her show. Do they not understand that we want to see/hear/read something different?

Side note - I got off track for a bit and didn't think I'd hit my goal of 50, but 4 books in 6 weeks is totally doable, especially since at least one will be an easy read.
 
Goal 45.

Book 43 (I thought it was 44, but goodreads tells me it's only 43, lol) was The Name of this Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch.

Read this aloud with my 9 and 11 year old boys.

Fun book, fun characters evil villains...
Sort of along the lines of A Series of Unfortunate Events, in that the author uses that doom and gloomy "reader beware" type of tone.

My kids read a lot, and we read a lot together, and they really enjoyed this one. I would DEFINITELY recommend this for reluctant readers as well. I think it's perfect for pulling a child into the story. Reverse psychology and all that, LOL.

Easy reading, but with tougher vocabulary thrown in to offer a challenge. Glossary in the back, a "write your own ending" option, bonus materials such as a recipe for Cass' trail mix, etc...
 
Finished book #84 - Fear Nothing by Lisa Gardner

This is a good murder mystery.

They were daughters of a monster—a father who slaughtered eight prostitutes before dying himself. Dr. Adeline Glen left the nightmare behind, and now she specializes in pain management. Her sister, Shana Day, followed in her father’s violent footsteps, first killing at age fourteen and being incarcerated for more than twenty-five years.
After a brutal attack, Boston Detective D. D. Warren needs Adeline’s professional help to recover physically. But when a new psychopath known as the Rose Killer begins a reign of terror, D.D. must also consult the insane Shana—who claims she can help catch the madman.
D.D. may not yet be back on the job, but she is back on the hunt. Because the Rose Killer isn’t just targeting lone women; he is targeting D.D. And D.D. knows there is only one way to take him down.…


Next book: The Perfect Husband
 
Book #63 of 75

My Sister’s Grave by Robert Dugoni

From Goodreads:
Tracy Crosswhite has spent twenty years questioning the facts surrounding her sister Sarah’s disappearance and the murder trial that followed. She doesn’t believe that Edmund House—a convicted rapist and the man condemned for Sarah’s murder—is the guilty party. Motivated by the opportunity to obtain real justice, Tracy became a homicide detective with the Seattle PD and dedicated her life to tracking down killers.

When Sarah’s remains are finally discovered near their hometown in the northern Cascade mountains of Washington State, Tracy is determined to get the answers she’s been seeking. As she searches for the real killer, she unearths dark, long-kept secrets that will forever change her relationship to her past—and open the door to deadly danger.
 
#12 Sweeney Todd
Had always wanted to see the movie/ and have yet to get around to it. The book was lying around and I just started reading it. I really enjoyed it and this is the third book(Barchester Towers, Jeckle and Hyde) from an older time period (from Victorian English) Never thought I would like older pieces this much!

The text was heavily annotated and that helped a great deal. Knowing everything, or at least having a good idea what was going on, ruined a little of the suspense, but was still one of the more enjoyable reads I have experienced lately.

AS always, anyone interested in reading any of my works, I will gladly send Nook or Kindle gift copies.
Just found out one of the stories from Three Twigs for the Campfire is strikingly similar to the next Pixar movie. It seems to be two different ways of approaching topic but very similar in the basic concept.
 
Just realized I have not posted to this thread since June. I will not list all the books I have read since then as it has been over 30 - and most were re-reads. But I have made my goal of 60 books this year. Some of the new books I have read are as follows:

Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs
This is a collection of Short stories set in the Mercedes Thompson world. Most are back stories for characters that have shown up in her series, and were stories that helped her develop the concepts and personalities of some of these characters and aspects of her series. If you enjoy the Mercy Thompson series, you will like this book.

First Love by James Patterson
I was not sure what to expect with this book, but it had come highly recommended. I read it shortly after The Fault in our Stars and was surprised at how much it reminded me of that book. It is the story of two young adults who run away together to experience life. As you travel along with them, you discover that they met in a children's cancer ward and became friends. The relationship is more then that, and that is all I will say about the story. I did enjoy this book.

Blood Magicked by Nora Roberts
This is the last installment of The O'Dwire Cousins installment. It was predictable and exactly what I expected, but I still enjoyed it. If you are a Nora Roberts fan, you will enjoy.

A Vision in Velvet by Juliet Blackwell
This is book #6 in the Witchcraft Mystery Series. It is a light and fluffy series that I enjoy. In this installment, Lily, the Witch who is an retro clothing dealer with a sensitivity for cloth vibrations, comes across a velvet cloak. When she puts this cloak on, she experiences a vision of a witch burning. As always with Lily, this leads to discovering a murder, which she feels compelled to investigate. Throw in her pig being abducted by a possessed tree, poisoned frogs and a love curse, and you have a fun little romp.

A Haunting is Brewing by Juliet Blackwell
This Novella combines the characters form both the Witchcraft Mystery series and A Haunted Home Renovation series. It is a fun Halloween story with murder, possessed dolls and jealousy. It was fun to see characters from two series come together to solve this mystery.

A Witch With No Name (#13 Hallows Series) by Kim Harrison
This is the last book of this series. It is not a stand alone book. You really need to have read the entire series to understand what is going on. Many of the previous story lines are resolved in this book. While I did find parts of the book to be predictable, I enjoyed how we got there in the story.
 
Book #49 - Tideline by Penny Hancock

One winter's afternoon, Sonia opens the door of her beautiful riverside home to fifteen-year-old Jez, the nephew of a family friend. He's come to borrow some music. Sonia invites him in and soon decides that she isn't going to let him leave. As Sonia's desire to keep Jez hidden and protected from the outside world becomes all the more overpowering, she is haunted by memories of an intense teenage relationship, which gradually reveal a terrifying truth. The River House, Sonia's home since childhood, holds secrets within its walls. And outside, on the shores of the Thames, new ones are coming in on the tide...

The whole time I was reading this book I was thinking how weird it was and several times I nearly put it down but I am so glad I persisted with it because the ending was well worth it.

Book #50 - Three Girls and a New Beginning by Rachel Schurig

The fifth book in the bestselling Three Girls series!

Catch up with Ginny, Jen, and Annie as they navigate marriage, friendship, work, and babies!

Best friends for years, Ginny, Jen, and Annie are certain that nothing will ever come between them. And now that they’ve all found happily-ever-afters with the men in their lives, everything should be perfect.

But life has a way of messing with even the best-laid plans. In Three Girls and a New Beginning, each friend will have new issues to grapple with. When those issues threaten the foundation of their friendship, will the girls be strong enough to pull through? Or will it take a tragedy none of them ever expected to remind them of who their true family really is?

Three Girls and a New Beginning is a story about friendship, family, and figuring out what comes next!


As it says in the blurb above, this is the fifth book in the 'Three Girls' series and, to be honest, it was fairly dull but easy reading. I read this in one fell swoop during our 9 hour plane flight to Orlando. I have two more books by this author to read but not from the Three Girls series so I will give them a try soon.

Book #51 - A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen

When James Bowen found an injured, ginger street cat curled up in the hallway of his sheltered accommodation, he had no idea just how much his life was about to change. James was living hand to mouth on the streets of London and the last thing he needed was a pet.

Yet James couldn't resist helping the strikingly intelligent tom cat, whom he quickly christened Bob. He slowly nursed Bob back to health and then sent the cat on his way, imagining he would never see him again. But Bob had other ideas.


I love a good animal story and especially one that is a true life. This was a great read, although it was bittersweet as it reminded me a lot of our dear cat Ollie who passed away a couple of years ago. I think the kids will be pleased as it convinced me we needed to get another cat :thumbsup2
 














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