Reading challenge 2021

[OKW8297]

33. The Perfect Dress byCarolyn Brown

 

[MGMmjl]

11/30 - Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie

This is a short story collection featuring Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings. I enjoyed it.

 

[Tiggerish]

Smoke Screen by Terri Blackstock. Christian romantic fiction mystery.

A Summer of Surprises by Judith Keim. A Seashell Cottage book. Romantic fiction with a small amount of adult content.

Shifting Sands by Meredith Summer. Lobster Bay Book 4. Romantic fiction with no adult content.

Here in Hart's Crossing by Robin Less Hatcher. 4 novellas all set in the same town with inter-related characters. Christian romantic fiction.

43-46 of 104

 

[mini22]

23/30 Calder Brand by Janet Daily

 

[OKW8297]

34. The House by the Sea by Louise Douglas

 

[mom2febgirls]

11/50 - White Lies by Jayne Ann Krentz - I was in a funk so had to reread an old favorite.
12/50 - Murder on Washington Square by Victoria Thompson - I'm still enjoying this series
13/50 - Murder on Mulberry Bend by Victoria Thompson - I think I need to move on
14/50 - Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston - Love it (not recommended if politics is a deal breaker)

 

[drwitz]

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.

And there we go. Three more very quickly. These were all really good. If you like fiction, you may want to consider these.

21. The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin

WOW! This is an incredible science fantasy novel set in a fascinating world. The story is told through the perspective of three female POVs from different ages, and sharing their experience of a world of cataclysms and earth magic. This novel won the Hugo award, and the reason shows. In fact, the two sequels also won the Hugo - the first time in the award's history that three novels in a trilogy all won the award. I will definitely be reading the next two novels. This was a page turner (with lots of surprises in the novel too). If you like fantasy, science-fiction, and reading multicultural fiction, this is definitely for you!

22. We Five by Mark Dunn

While I wait for the next two novels in the trilogy above, I found some other fiction to read. And I am so happy I did. This is a very different novel than the one above. It is a story of 5 female friends and their first explorations in dating and romance. The conceit of the novel, though, is that each chapter in a cycle of five comes from 5 different retellings of this story in different times and places. The settings vary from late 1800s in England, to the early 1900s in San Francisco, to Sinclair Lewis' fictional America in the 1920s, to WWII London, to the 1970s in America. Each chapter contains and continues the narrative but also has its own voice and sense of place. This is quite an interesting and fun read and Mark Dunn (who wrote Ella Minnow Pea) does such a great job telling the story in 5 cycles of 5 authors about 5 friends. The last chapter and epilogue are so special that I don't want to spoil the surprise, but they are phenomenal!

23. There There by Tommy Orange

This is another novel of multiple narratives, but this time set in and around Oakland, CA, Speaking from the Urban Native American voice, this novel relates the experience of a number of people getting ready for the big Oakland powwow. The novel is beautifully written and the opening should be required reading of everyone in US History classes as it tells the story of the US and our fraught history with our Native citizens. Compelling story which brings all of its narratives together in a conclusion which will have you racing to finish the story, but also sad to be ending this beautiful novel.

 

[OKW8297]

35. All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin

 

[mini22]

25/30 Every Breath You Take by Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke

 

[melk]

21/35 The Royal Nanny by Karen Harper

Historical fiction about the nanny to the British royals during the early 1900’s.

Thanks to the Disers who recommended this book, I really enjoyed it!

 

[OKW8297]

36. The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn. Delightful fluff, book 2 in the Bridgerton series

 

[mrs. magoo]

7/25 - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles - the story of Count Alexander Rostov, who is sentenced to live out the rest of his life on "house arrest" in the Metropol hotel. I enjoyed it but did find it a bit slow in the middle. I really wanted to know more at the end as well.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

I have been in a reading slump but hopefully that will change
13/30. Justice Undercover by Connie
Queen. - romantic suspense.
Liked it a lot.

14/30. Forever Home by Amy Grochowski. - Amish romance. Good story.

15/30. Vanished in the Mountains by Tanya Stowe. - romantic suspense. It was ok,

 

[Tiggerish]

These Tangles Vines by Julianne Maclean. Woman learns the man who raised her is not her father when her biological father dies and leaves her a very successful vineyard in Italy. The book alternates between when she was conceived in 1983 and when she inherits the property in 2017. Romantic fiction with minimal adult content.

Her Restless Cowboy by Liz Isaacson. Christian romantic fiction with happy ending.

The Lost Art of Reverie by Rae Walsh. Aveline Book One. Christian romantic fiction with happy ending.

47-49 of 104

 

[bobbiwoz]

25/50. Come Rain or Come Shine by Jan Karon

This was a re-read of a special book. I love the Mitford series, and I’m coming up to an anniversary and wanted to remember this one when Dooley and Lace got married.

 

[willowsnn3]

#29/60 Hide Away by Jason Pinter
Rachel Marin is an ordinary single mother; on the inside, she’s a fierce, brilliant vigilante. After an unspeakable crime shatters her life, she changes her identity and moves to a small town in Illinois, hoping to spare her children from further trauma…or worse. But crime follows her everywhere.
When the former mayor winds up dead, Rachel can’t help but get involved. Where local detectives see suicide, she sees murder. They resent her for butting in—especially since she’s always one step ahead. But her investigative genius may be her undoing: the deeper she digs, the harder it is to keep her own secrets buried.
Her persistence makes her the target of both the cops and a killer. Meanwhile, the terrifying truth about her past threatens to come to light, and Rachel learns the hard way that she can’t trust anyone. Surrounded by danger, she must keep her steely resolve, protect her family, and stay one step ahead, or else she may become the next victim.

This was just ok. Not enough explanation as to why Rachel became a vigilante. Supposed to be the first in a new series but pretty sure I won't be reading any of the others.

 

[JayMass]

19/50--The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. This is a fictional account of two Black boys who are sent to a horrific "school" following being wrongfully convicted of crimes. They are abused, physically and emotionally, yet form strong bonds of friendship. It's heartbreaking and Whitehead is a truly gifted writer (he also wrote Underground Railroad which is fantastic). The story is based on a real school that existed in Florida.

Next up, I finally finish "There There" by Tommy Orange. My wife is recommending The Four Winds.

 

[willowsnn3]

Thought y'all might like this one:

 

[MGMmjl]

12/30 - All You Can Do Is Pray by James Spann

This book was written by Alabama's most famous TV meteorologist about the April 27, 2011 tornado outbreak. The first few chapters focused on the TV coverage during the outbreak, and the remainder of the book focused on personal stories from the outbreak. It was definitely sad in spots, but a really good read.

 

[PollyannaMom]

4 since my last post:

Your Six-Year-Old: Loving and Defiant - Louise Bates Ames
This is an older book, and I came across it via a blog post comparing an "is your child ready for school" list from then to now. But I was inspired to read the book and consider how today's six-year-olds (the age I teach) have and haven't changed.

Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank - Celia Rivenbark
This popped up when I was searching the library's online catalog for the other book. It was a collection of essays described as "A Slightly Tarnished Southern Belle's Words of Wisdom." I thought the parenting ones were funny, but felt some of the others were just picking on famous people.

Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire- J. K. Rowling
Part of a random, out of order re-read of a series I love!

Learned Optimism - Martin Seligman
An interesting book about how we perceive good and bad events, and how that affects our outlook on life. I thought it was really insightful, and even though I'd already consider myself an optimist, it will really help me explain that better to others. There is a quiz in the book, and in searching just now (to make sure I spelled the author's name correctly) I noticed it's also available online.

11/21