Reading challenge 2021

[bobbiwoz]

42.Summer Sisters by Judy Blume perfect summer read

I agree!
I give it 4/5, and it was an easy read.
40/50

 

[melk]

27/35 People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry

Poppy and Alex are best friends who have been spending one vacation week together for the last decade. Until two years ago when they ruined everything and haven’t spoken since. Now Poppy wants to make it right.

Quick, no brainer read. It had some interesting/funny parts but I kept waiting for the big revelation of how they ruined their relationship two years prior. It kind of reminded me of When Harry Met Sally.

 

[bobbiwoz]

29. The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton

#42/90: He Started It by Samantha Downing (3/5) (suspense)

Three adult siblings are reunited due to their grandfather’s will: repeat the cross country trip taken years ago and inherit a fortune. But that trip ended in disaster, and this one looks like it might be the same.

#43/90: Who is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews (3.5/5) (suspense)

Florence is not having the success she envisioned for her life. But she feels that her life will change for the better when she is hired to work for the mysterious author known as Maud Dixion. After traveling to Morocco to help research a book, Florence is involved in a terrible car accident, and Maud is missing. Florence leaps at the opportunity to take on Maud’s identity.

#44/90: The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton (3.5/5) (romantic historical fiction)

Florida Keys 1935: Three women from different circumstances will find their lives intertwined as one of the most devastating hurricanes to hit the Keys barrels towards them.

#45/90: The Winemaker’s Wife by Kristen Harmel (4/5) (historical fiction)

Olivia’s life has fallen apart when her grandmother whisks her off to Paris. Grandmother has a difficult story to tell about her time during the war.

Told in alternating chapters between Olivia and two women in the Champagne region during WWII>

#46/90: We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin (4.5/5) (suspense)

Wyatt has lived in the town where he is blamed for the disappearance of his sister. When he brings home an abandoned girl, his former girlfriend, now a local cop, steps in to rescue the girl and protect Wyatt. Odette is still trying to solve the mystery of Wyatt’s sister’s disappearance, and clear Wyatt’s name.

#47/90: Marion Lane and the Midnight Murders by T.A. Willberg (3/5) (mystery)

A mysterious group of investigators operates under the streets of London in 1958. They work to solve crimes that Scotland Yard has not. But one of their own has been violently murdered - could it be by someone on the inside? A new apprentice named Marion is working to solve the mystery.

Just meh.

#48/90: The Book of Lost Names by Kristen Harmel (4/5) (historical fiction)

While working in a library in Florida, Eva sees a photograph of a book she has not seen in 65 years. Researchers are perplexed by the code found within, but Eva knows exactly what it is. Can she relive that period of her life where she was forging identity documents for Jewish children in Paris 1942?

I enjoyed The Last Train to Key West! 41/50

We visited Pigeon Key where there’s a museum regarding the RR’s history and the storm in which hundreds were killed. I knew when I saw these references to a book regarding the event, that I had to read it!

4/5 is my rating.

 

[tiggrbaby]

I enjoyed The Last Train to Key West! 41/50

We visited Pigeon Key where there’s a museum regarding the RR’s history and the storm in which hundreds were killed. I knew when I saw these references to a book regarding the event, that I had to read it!

4/5 is my rating.

That sounds like an interesting museum!

 

[MGMmjl]

16/30 - Project Future: The Inside Story Behind the Creation of Disney World by Chad Denver Emerson

Description:
"On November 22, 1963, one airplane flight changed not only the future of Central Florida but also that of the entire nation. Aboard the plane was Walter “Walt” Elias Disney, the creative genius who ushered in a new era of American entertainment through his animated feature films and Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California. From his window seat, he looked down on thousands of acres of rural swampland and orange groves, an environment that hardly seemed ripe for what would become one of the largest private developments ever in the United States. Yet, with his foresight, he saw an opportunity where other people did not, so much so that a small team of Disney confidants soon began acquiring twenty-seven thousand of those isolated acres for what would become the iconic Walt Disney World Resort. Even before that plane flight, Walt’s interest in creating an eastern project to accompany his Disneyland park in California had been piqued.

This story recounts the amazing set of events that enabled Walt Disney’s vision to become a reality."

I enjoyed this look at how the Walt Disney World resort came into being. There isn't anything really related to the parks in the book, but it is an interesting look at how Disney acquired the property and some of the legal issues they faced.

 

[drwitz]

16/30 - Project Future: The Inside Story Behind the Creation of Disney World by Chad Denver Emerson

I enjoyed this look at how the Walt Disney World resort came into being. There isn't anything really related to the parks in the book, but it is an interesting look at how Disney acquired the property and some of the legal issues they faced.

I've read it too! I especially appreciated all of the insight into the shadow corporations and false names they used to arrange the land deals. It was kind of like a spy novel...

 

[drwitz]

Three more in quick succession. Wow, I loved these... All fiction and very readable and enjoyable.

29. Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline

I can't say much about this without spoiling a lot of the first book, but let's just say that the main characters from the first book are back again with a new challenge. There are a lot more pop culture references from the 80s and 90s, and while technically a science-fiction story, the online world of the Oasis is only a short hop from the social media spaces we live in now (I cannot wait for The Dis planet in the Oasis once it happens for real). Credit to the Dis reader who mentioned there was a sequel out. Somehow I missed that.

30. Welcome to Higby by Mark Dunn

Mark Dunn may be one of my new favorite authors. His epistolary novel, Ella Minnow Pea, was brilliant and in this book, the second of his novels, he shows that his talent is not a one-off. This book tells the story of a small Southern town through what happens to its residents one Labor Day weekend. Each chapter is VERY short (no more than 3 to 5 pages) and the narration bounces from character to character, but rather than being disorienting it is actually charming. We get to learn the stories of the residents of the town and see their interconnected stories. It is deeply moving and at times laugh-out-loud funny. Worth a read.

31. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

I know some of you have read and recommended this already (I'm looking at you @JayMass). This was on my list to read and wow is it good. I sped through it in one day. A pandemic apocalyptic novel which is a work of literary beauty. Read it. It's worthwhile...

OK, so I am technically cheating (a little bit). I am posting these three now but I am not quite yet done with the third... But based on how it is going so far, here is another fantastic set of books to read.

32., 33. and 34. The Three-Body Program, The Dark Forest, and Death's End (the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy) written in Chinese (Mandarin) by Cixin Liu, translated into English by Ken Liu (books 1 and 3) and Joel Martinsen (book 2)

Wow. Where do I begin? First of all, this is an amazing trilogy in any language telling the story of humanity's first encounter with alien life, and the story of how we as a species prepare for the upcoming conflict that is promised with that species. The scale and scope of these novels is breathtaking, extending over hundreds of years with a number of characters (but not so many that the reader gets lost).

But wait, there's more. The story sensibility is really fantastic. I understood that I was reading a narrative arc that was not American-centric... and I loved that. The lead characters are mostly Chinese, the locations (while worldwide - and really universe-wide) are centrally Chinese. The aesthetic and moral center of the novels are Chinese. What a fantastic exposure and deep embedding into a culture I admittedly don't know.

Ray Bradbury once said that "Science fiction is the most important literature in the history of the world, because it's the history of ideas, the history of our civilization birthing itself." Yup. That is very true and in a world where we need to live and act more globally, I am so happy I found this trilogy to help begin to better acquaint myself with the ideas and knowledge needed to build for the future.

And did I say that this is just an amazing story? Just read these. Trust me,

 

[Shellsbutt]

10/25- Firefly Lane by Kristen Hannah- I've read a few books from this author, most recently The Great Alone. I made the mistake of watching the series on Netflix first. I enjoyed the book but kept getting tripped up by the major differences in plot between the two.

11/25- The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell- I don't believe I've read anything by this author before, I liked the fact that it is set in England. It started out interesting but then got more and more convoluted towards the end. It was okay.

12/25- The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang- Heard about this book while listening to an NPR podcast recommending romances. Well, this was a sexy book. And that's all I'm going to say about that, lol. Definitely not what I usually read but that's okay.

 

[JayMass]

#23-Man in the Dark by Paul Auster. This was my first Auster book and I really, really enjoy his writing style. In this book, an older man is staying with his adult daughter and adult grand daughter after a car accident. It weaves the story of his marriage, his daughter's marriage, and his grand daughter's boyfriend's death with a future dystopian storyline that the man dreams of. Loved this book.

#24-Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward. I'm not sure if I liked this book. I usually like unlikable characters but the mother and boyfriend in this are so deplorable but written way too realistically. This story is of a mixed race 13 year old boy who accompanies his Black mother on a road trip to pick up his white father from prison. It ends up with some supernatural elements, which I typically enjoy. Like all true art, this book makes you think. I have to continue to evaluate to decide if I liked it or not.

#25-1916: A Novel of the Irish Rebellion by Morgan Llewellyn. Historical fiction that centered around the coming of age of a young man who survives the Titanic and later has a first hand seat to the 1916 Easter rebellion. It's the first in a series of 3 books. I enjoyed it, listened to the audiobook. I like fiction that also gives you a history lesson. I recommend this to anyone interested in modern Irish history.

I'm almost done with the 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton and Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King!

 

[mrs. magoo]

13/25 - As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner

I enjoyed this book. It was set in 1918 in Philadelphia during the Spanish Flu Pandemic. It was well written and I enjoyed how the characters told the story from their point of view. There was both tragedy and success in the book. If you like historical fiction I recommend it. 4/5 stars for me.

Currently on The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate - Greatly enjoying it should be done by tomorrow or Wednesday.

 

[willowsnn3]

34/60 Leota's Garden by Francine Rivers
Once Leota’s garden was a place of beauty—where flowers bloomed and hope thrived. It was her refuge from the deep wounds inflicted by a devastating war, her sanctuary where she knelt before a loving God and prayed for the children who couldn’t understand her silent sacrifices.
At eighty-four, Leota is alone, her beloved garden in ruins. All her efforts to reconcile with her adult children have been fruitless. She voices her despair to a loving Father, her only friend.
And God brings a wind of change through unlikely means: one, a college student who thinks he has all the answers; the other, the granddaughter Leota never hoped to know. But can the devastation wrought by keeping painful family secrets be repaired before she runs out of time?
One of my all time favorite books that I read again every year. Something about Leota just sticks with me & I know when I start thinking about her it is time for a re-read.
I love this book.

 

[RangerPooh]

#18/20 Redwood Bend (Virgin River series)

 

[mini22]

30/30 Hotel Vendome by Danielle Steel

 

[mrs. magoo]

14/25 - The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate. I really enjoyed this book and it sent me down a rabbit hole of reading the Lost Friends column that was digitized. I want to use this in my classroom next year in some way. It was a very eye opening book. I have really enjoyed both of the books I have read by her - Before we were yours and this one.

 

[RangerPooh]

#19/20 Sunrise Point by Robyn Carr (Virgin River series)
I've enjoyed almost the entire series, but this one was one that I really enjoyed. Unfortunately, I felt that the ending was rushed. The conclusion was placed in less than five pages, and jumped a few months into the future. Denying the reader a look into their developing relationship. Every book in the series is predictable, and this one was no exception.

 

[JayMass]

#26-7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. This book defies genre. Yes, it's murder mystery. Yes, it's sci-fi. Yes, it is thought provoking literature. To be honest, this book had me confused for a good portion of it. Just when I thought I had it figured out, I was given new information and had to scrap my predictions. It was, though, an enjoyable book and I liked the crazy journey it took me on. I don't want to spoil anything so I won't even go to into what it was about. I'll just say this, read it, it's good!

#27-Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King. So I read If it Bleeds and The Outsider which both feature Holly Gibney. I figured I might as well start at the beginning with this series by King. King's characters are what consistently drive me to his books and this was no exception. From the twisted thoughts of Brady Hartsfield to the rambling thoughts of a retired detective or "Det Ret," I became totally immersed in their worlds. This is a page turner that stays the course and doesn't wander too far off into subplots as some of Kings books tend to do.

While I'm looking forward to reading Finders Keepers, next up is A Gentleman in Moscow which the DW has been after me to read for months!

 

[Simba's Mom]

I'll be interested to hear your reaction to "A Gentleman..."I read it on the recommendation of my Physical Therapist, who'd loved it. But I was meh! about it.

 

[bobbiwoz]

A Family's Blessing by Carolyne Aarsen. Book Two in the Love in Millars Crossing series. Christian romantic fiction with happy ending.

Seaside Manor Bed & Breakfast by Lilly Mirren. Romantic fiction set in Australia. First book in the Emerald Cove Series.

How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry. I think I read about this one on this thread and it was a good, relaxing read.

No Love Like Nantucket by Grace Palmer. Sweet Island Inn Book 4. Romantic fiction

What New Beginnings Are Made Of by Debra Clopton. A Star Gazer Inn of Corpus Christi Bay Novel. Romantic fiction.

52-56 of 104

I also enjoyed How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry. Thank you for mentioning it! It was my 42/50, and 3.5/5.

 

[RangerPooh]

#20/20 My Kind of Christmas by Robyn Carr (Virgin River series)
Was really enjoying the book, knew what the end result would be, but then it ended suddenly. Not cool. Turned that page expecting something more and there was nothing! Felt like I'd been cheated out of the ending.

Onto my next book and goal. This was the last book in the series (next comes out in October), as I've read the anthologies as stand-alone books. Looking to start the Sweet Magnolia series. So far book 1 is slow, it's hard to transition.

New goal: 25 books

 

[melk]

28/35 The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer

Historical fiction about a young girl living in Warsaw in 1942. She befriends a nurse who enlists her help in smuggling children out of the Warsaw ghetto. While doing so, she meets Roman, who forever changes her life.

I didn’t realize it while reading it but the main character, Emilia, is actually a minor character from Rimmer’s previous book, All The Things We Cannot Say. It wasn’t until I read the authors notes at the end that it was made clear.

Excellent, heart wrenching story. I couldn’t put it down.