bobbiwoz
I'm happy to dance with you!
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2003
Reading challenge 2021
- Thread starter Wendy1985
- Start date
Allison Joy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2015
Apparently I am WAY behind in updating this. I've continued to read the Green Ember series, which were books 4 and 5 when I last posted. And since them I have added
6. Ember Falls
7. The Last Archer
8. Ember Rising
9. The Wreck and Rise of Whitson Mariner
and
10. The First Fowler
They are all by S.D. Smith and have all been enjoyable, to the point that I bought three of the books. One because I had to turn it in to my library before I finished, one because my library doesn't have it (the next one) and the last because... well, I want to support the author and I don't want to take the chance that it won't be available at my library when I read it.
I'm actually switching the reading order of the last two from the "recommended" order, to end with the actual last book chronologically which the author says is a perfectly acceptable alternative reading order.
I have two more books in this series left.
For some reason, I couldn't find my last post on this thread when I went to "my posts." So I had to go through the last few pages to find my last post.
6. Ember Falls
7. The Last Archer
8. Ember Rising
9. The Wreck and Rise of Whitson Mariner
and
10. The First Fowler
They are all by S.D. Smith and have all been enjoyable, to the point that I bought three of the books. One because I had to turn it in to my library before I finished, one because my library doesn't have it (the next one) and the last because... well, I want to support the author and I don't want to take the chance that it won't be available at my library when I read it.
I'm actually switching the reading order of the last two from the "recommended" order, to end with the actual last book chronologically which the author says is a perfectly acceptable alternative reading order.
I have two more books in this series left.
For some reason, I couldn't find my last post on this thread when I went to "my posts." So I had to go through the last few pages to find my last post.
Cogswel_Cogs
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2005
#4 Wicked Game - Lisa Jackson
Girl Disappears from a town - Body is found years later and it is assumed body of girl. kept me guessing but did not enjoy as much as some of her other book.
anyone is interested in reading any of my works I would gladly send kindle gift versions of any of them: “Written for You”, “Three Twigs for the Campfire”, “Cemetery Girl” or “Reigning”.
You can see them all reviewed on Goodreads (click on link to view books). If you are interested in reading any of them please message me here or at Goodreads. I would greatly appreciate the effort.
Girl Disappears from a town - Body is found years later and it is assumed body of girl. kept me guessing but did not enjoy as much as some of her other book.
anyone is interested in reading any of my works I would gladly send kindle gift versions of any of them: “Written for You”, “Three Twigs for the Campfire”, “Cemetery Girl” or “Reigning”.
You can see them all reviewed on Goodreads (click on link to view books). If you are interested in reading any of them please message me here or at Goodreads. I would greatly appreciate the effort.
Tiggerish
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 17, 1999
The Angel Between Them by Rob Shumaker. From the Huron Cove Series. Christian romantic fiction with happy ending.
Tears of Amber by Sofia Segovia translated by Simon Bruni. Historical fiction but based on true stories. The author is Mexican but the book is set in Prussia during and after WWII. It follows two families as they are impacted by the war. It was an amazingly sad book. The suffering these ordinary people endured was horrific. I could only read it in short burst but I could not stop going back to it. The thread that ties the two families together is each was impacted by coming into contact with the same Polish prisoner of war and the boy of one family and the girl of the other ending up together and living in Mexico.
41 & 42 of 104
Tears of Amber by Sofia Segovia translated by Simon Bruni. Historical fiction but based on true stories. The author is Mexican but the book is set in Prussia during and after WWII. It follows two families as they are impacted by the war. It was an amazingly sad book. The suffering these ordinary people endured was horrific. I could only read it in short burst but I could not stop going back to it. The thread that ties the two families together is each was impacted by coming into contact with the same Polish prisoner of war and the boy of one family and the girl of the other ending up together and living in Mexico.
41 & 42 of 104
BayouQueen
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2014
I'm well into this series right now after seeing it recommended here on the Dis. It's fabulous. Many thanks to those who mentioned James Herriot.
willowsnn3
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2009
#27/60 Once You Go This Far by Kristen Lepionka
Junior-high school nurse Rebecca Newsome was an experienced hiker—until she plummeted to her death at the bottom of a ravine in a Columbus metro park. Her daughter, Maggie, doesn't believe it was an accident, and Rebecca's ex-husband is her prime suspect. But he's a well-connected ex-cop and Maggie is certain that's the reason no one will listen to her. PI Roxane Weary quickly uncovers that the dead woman's ex is definitely a jerk, but is he a murderer?
As she pieces together the days before Rebecca died, what Roxane finds doesn't quite add up. From a series of trips to Detroit and across the border to a casino in Windsor, Canada, to strange calls from Rebecca's home to a charismatic political candidate, to a women's health organization, to a secretive church group that seems to have more information about its members than it should, Roxane needs to figure out how everything is connected before a dangerous secret gets someone else killed.
Was just ok to me. Main character reminded me a lot of Private Detective Kinsey Milhone from Sue Grafton's books.
Junior-high school nurse Rebecca Newsome was an experienced hiker—until she plummeted to her death at the bottom of a ravine in a Columbus metro park. Her daughter, Maggie, doesn't believe it was an accident, and Rebecca's ex-husband is her prime suspect. But he's a well-connected ex-cop and Maggie is certain that's the reason no one will listen to her. PI Roxane Weary quickly uncovers that the dead woman's ex is definitely a jerk, but is he a murderer?
As she pieces together the days before Rebecca died, what Roxane finds doesn't quite add up. From a series of trips to Detroit and across the border to a casino in Windsor, Canada, to strange calls from Rebecca's home to a charismatic political candidate, to a women's health organization, to a secretive church group that seems to have more information about its members than it should, Roxane needs to figure out how everything is connected before a dangerous secret gets someone else killed.
Was just ok to me. Main character reminded me a lot of Private Detective Kinsey Milhone from Sue Grafton's books.
bobbiwoz
I'm happy to dance with you!
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2003
I just finished it, it was a good one!
24/50
MGMmjl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2018
10/30 - The Eagle Catcher by Margaret Coel
Description:
"When the Arapaho tribal chairman is found murdered in his tepee at the Ethete powwow, the evidence points to the chairman's nephew, Anthony Castle. But Father John O'Malley, pastor of St. Francis Mission, and Vicky Holden, the Arapaho lawyer, do not believe the young man capable of murder. Together they set out to find the real murderer and clear Anthony's name.
The trail that Father John and Vicky follow winds across the high plains of the Wind River Reservation into Arapaho homes and community centers and into the fraud-infested world of Indian oil and land deals. Eventually it leads to the past—the Old Time—when the Arapahos were forced from their homes on the Great Plains and sent to the reservation.
There in the Old Time, Father John and Vicky discover a crime so heinous that someone was willing to commit murder more than a hundred years later to keep it hidden. As they close in a killer who does not hesitate to kill again, they discover they have become the next targets... "
I enjoyed this one. It is the first in a series of books that take place on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. I would like to read more in the series.
Description:
"When the Arapaho tribal chairman is found murdered in his tepee at the Ethete powwow, the evidence points to the chairman's nephew, Anthony Castle. But Father John O'Malley, pastor of St. Francis Mission, and Vicky Holden, the Arapaho lawyer, do not believe the young man capable of murder. Together they set out to find the real murderer and clear Anthony's name.
The trail that Father John and Vicky follow winds across the high plains of the Wind River Reservation into Arapaho homes and community centers and into the fraud-infested world of Indian oil and land deals. Eventually it leads to the past—the Old Time—when the Arapahos were forced from their homes on the Great Plains and sent to the reservation.
There in the Old Time, Father John and Vicky discover a crime so heinous that someone was willing to commit murder more than a hundred years later to keep it hidden. As they close in a killer who does not hesitate to kill again, they discover they have become the next targets... "
I enjoyed this one. It is the first in a series of books that take place on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. I would like to read more in the series.
willowsnn3
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2009
#28/60 Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell
Owen Pick’s life is falling apart.
In his thirties, a virgin, and living in his aunt’s spare bedroom, he has just been suspended from his job as a geography teacher after accusations of sexual misconduct, which he strongly denies. Searching for professional advice online, he is inadvertently sucked into the dark world of incel—involuntary celibate—forums, where he meets the charismatic, mysterious, and sinister Bryn.
Across the street from Owen lives the Fours family, headed by mom Cate, a physiotherapist, and dad Roan, a child psychologist. But the Fours family have a bad feeling about their neighbor Owen. He’s a bit creepy and their teenaged daughter swears he followed her home from the train station one night.
Meanwhile, young Saffyre Maddox spent three years as a patient of Roan Fours. Feeling abandoned when their therapy ends, she searches for other ways to maintain her connection with him, following him in the shadows and learning more than she wanted to know about Roan and his family. Then, on Valentine’s night, Saffyre Maddox disappears—and the last person to see her alive is Owen Pick.
Just ok to me.
Owen Pick’s life is falling apart.
In his thirties, a virgin, and living in his aunt’s spare bedroom, he has just been suspended from his job as a geography teacher after accusations of sexual misconduct, which he strongly denies. Searching for professional advice online, he is inadvertently sucked into the dark world of incel—involuntary celibate—forums, where he meets the charismatic, mysterious, and sinister Bryn.
Across the street from Owen lives the Fours family, headed by mom Cate, a physiotherapist, and dad Roan, a child psychologist. But the Fours family have a bad feeling about their neighbor Owen. He’s a bit creepy and their teenaged daughter swears he followed her home from the train station one night.
Meanwhile, young Saffyre Maddox spent three years as a patient of Roan Fours. Feeling abandoned when their therapy ends, she searches for other ways to maintain her connection with him, following him in the shadows and learning more than she wanted to know about Roan and his family. Then, on Valentine’s night, Saffyre Maddox disappears—and the last person to see her alive is Owen Pick.
Just ok to me.
Simba's Mom
<font color=green>everything went to "H*** in a ha
- Joined
- Aug 26, 1999
I didn't realize how far behind I was in updating. Some of my favorite and my worst read this time-
16. "Disloyal", Michael Cohen-a fascinating read on his time with the Trump presidency 4 stars
17. "Between Shades of Gray", Ruta Sepetys-historical fiction-4 stars
18. "Saving Sandcastles", Meredith Summers-typical chick-lit romance-4 stars
19. The Cat Who Ate His Tail". Jacqueline Simon Gunn-If you love cats, you'll fall in love with this book, told by a cat. Took me a few pages to follow, but soon I fell in love-5 stars
20. "The Child of Auschwitz", Lily Graham-historical fiction from WWII-loved it, 5 stars
21. "Come Fly the World", true account of Pan Am Stewardesses in the Sixties and Seventies. 4 stars
22. "The Shop on Main Street", Carolyn Brown-this goes down as the WORST book I've read. I admit I'm biased-it was about a group of women from Texas, and I'm from Texas. But the way they were portrayed, the way the author seemed to make fun of their way of speaking, their mannerisms, etc.-the first 1 star book I've read.
Somewhere I've miscounted because goodreads says I've read 23 books.
16. "Disloyal", Michael Cohen-a fascinating read on his time with the Trump presidency 4 stars
17. "Between Shades of Gray", Ruta Sepetys-historical fiction-4 stars
18. "Saving Sandcastles", Meredith Summers-typical chick-lit romance-4 stars
19. The Cat Who Ate His Tail". Jacqueline Simon Gunn-If you love cats, you'll fall in love with this book, told by a cat. Took me a few pages to follow, but soon I fell in love-5 stars
20. "The Child of Auschwitz", Lily Graham-historical fiction from WWII-loved it, 5 stars
21. "Come Fly the World", true account of Pan Am Stewardesses in the Sixties and Seventies. 4 stars
22. "The Shop on Main Street", Carolyn Brown-this goes down as the WORST book I've read. I admit I'm biased-it was about a group of women from Texas, and I'm from Texas. But the way they were portrayed, the way the author seemed to make fun of their way of speaking, their mannerisms, etc.-the first 1 star book I've read.
Somewhere I've miscounted because goodreads says I've read 23 books.
drwitz
Living the dream in Florida!
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2008
Wow. It's been a month. How did that happen? I have been reading, but I got stuck (not in a bad way) on one of the books below. Well, here is another FANTASTIC Disney Parks book and two more on the subject of inclusion, diversity and equity.
18. Holiday Magic at the Disney Parks: Celebrations Around the World from Fall to Winter by Graham Allan, Rebecca Cline and Charlie Price
This is a whopper of a book, but so worth it. The book tells the story of how Disney celebrates the Fall holidays (from Halloween to Thanksgiving to the Winter holidays of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa). The text has descriptions of their decorating plans, their special events, a look back at historic celebrations in years past, and wonderful insight and stories that I never knew. Best yet, there are nearly 1900 photos from every park and resort around the world (including in Disney's newest park in Shanghai). I don't even know where to begin to describe how amazing this book is -- it is encyclopedic in its completeness and thoroughness. As someone who enjoys the holidays in Disney parks, this is a keeper. Can't wait for (hopefully) a companion book for the Spring and Summer festivals!
19. The History of White People by Nell Irvin Painter
So here is where I got stuck. It's not that the text wasn't fascinating (it was) or very well researched (it was). It is just that this reads (and could serve) as a college textbook on the history of whiteness. I felt like I was reading a semester's worth of material, and I probably could have spent a semester following all of the twists and turns of this fascinating recasting of European history. Going all the way back to ancient Greece, Painter retells and contextualizes modern European and American history as the story of inclusion and exclusion by race, but not of blackness. Painter's point is to explore the evolution of Whiteness and by doing so she helps expand upon the notion that Whiteness itself is a political, economic, and social creation. This is an important work, but it requires some effort on the part of the reader. I learned a LOT from reading it!
20. The Sum of Us What Racism Cost Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee
This one, on the other hand, flew by. This introspective study of where we are now as a country and how we can move forward together is very recently published. McGhee makes the case that structural racism hurts poor and middle-income whites as much as it hurts those it targets. Her focus on our recent (50 year) political history, and the movement to divide us is really powerful. I also found the penultimate chapter in the book (titled "The Hidden Wound") the most powerful argument for why saying "I don't see color" is so problematic. This is an amazing read and highly recommend it.
drwitz
Living the dream in Florida!
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2008
Glad you liked it!
RangerPooh
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2005
#10/10 Angel’s Peak (Virgin River series)
I really enjoyed this story. I was glad that the main characters reappeared and continued their story in the following book to close out their focus. I'm sure they'll reappear later.
Time to increase my goal...
#11/20 Moonlight Road (Virgin River series)
This was another good book. Enjoyed the characters and wanted more. I do feel like the book ended almost too soon. The next book revisits them briefly, and I mean briefly.
#12/20 Midnight Confessions (Virgin River series)
Another decent book, but ended all too soon. I felt like I must have hit the forward button on my Kindle and jumped to the end, but sadly I didn't. So just as I was getting invested the book ends, disappointing. But, it did revisit a set of previously highlighted characters. Apparently it was originally published as part of an anthology.
I really enjoyed this story. I was glad that the main characters reappeared and continued their story in the following book to close out their focus. I'm sure they'll reappear later.
Time to increase my goal...
#11/20 Moonlight Road (Virgin River series)
This was another good book. Enjoyed the characters and wanted more. I do feel like the book ended almost too soon. The next book revisits them briefly, and I mean briefly.
#12/20 Midnight Confessions (Virgin River series)
Another decent book, but ended all too soon. I felt like I must have hit the forward button on my Kindle and jumped to the end, but sadly I didn't. So just as I was getting invested the book ends, disappointing. But, it did revisit a set of previously highlighted characters. Apparently it was originally published as part of an anthology.
JayMass
Dis Dad #871 Disney Deadhead
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2019
16/50--"East of Eden" by John Steinbeck. I'm a huge Steinbeck fan but this is one that I just never got around to reading. I can't believe I waited this long. Grapes of Wrath is my favorite book of all time and this one comes pretty close. It's epic and there is something about the way Steinbeck writes that just hits all the right notes.
17/50--"American Dirt" by Jeanine Cummins. I really loved this story of a mother and son who are forced to flee their home in Mexico to immigrate to the US. It's beautiful and sad. I never really knew about La Beastia--the cargo trains that migrants jump onto and ride on the top of north to the US. It was controversial because it was written by a white American woman and it wasn't incredibly authentic. I get that, but it's still a good story and raises awareness of the struggle migrants go through.
18/50--"Talking to Strangers" by Malcolm Gladwell. I think this might be my favorite Gladwell book. He really keeps this one tight and focused on the tragic story of Sarah Bland. Gladwell has a unique and pretty convincing theory that really needs to be heard. I listened to the audiobook and it was actually more like a podcast because it included audio from some of the actual people involved.
17/50--"American Dirt" by Jeanine Cummins. I really loved this story of a mother and son who are forced to flee their home in Mexico to immigrate to the US. It's beautiful and sad. I never really knew about La Beastia--the cargo trains that migrants jump onto and ride on the top of north to the US. It was controversial because it was written by a white American woman and it wasn't incredibly authentic. I get that, but it's still a good story and raises awareness of the struggle migrants go through.
18/50--"Talking to Strangers" by Malcolm Gladwell. I think this might be my favorite Gladwell book. He really keeps this one tight and focused on the tragic story of Sarah Bland. Gladwell has a unique and pretty convincing theory that really needs to be heard. I listened to the audiobook and it was actually more like a podcast because it included audio from some of the actual people involved.
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