Reading challenge 2021

[willowsnn3]

#60/60
Irena: Book One Wartime Ghetto by Morvan & Trefouel
Irena Sendlerowa was a member of the Citizen Center For Social Aid during the second World War. She joined the resistance and saved 2500 children from the Nazi occupied Warsaw Ghetto.
True story.
This was a YA graphic novel but I wanted something quick to complete my 60 goal.
It was very interesting & I plan to find more books about this amazing woman.


https://www.disboards.com/threads/reading-challenge-2022.3864659/For 2022

 

[Wendy1985]

Thank you everyone for joining me

 

[drwitz]

Thank you everyone for joining me

Thanks for your hard work in moderating this... and for stepping forward this year.

 

[MGMmjl]

27/30 - Tornado God: American Religion and Violent Weather by Peter J. Thuesen

Since this book is religious, I won't say too much about it. But I found it a very interesting read!

 

[Allison Joy]

21/15: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
I finally finished my re-read of the Harry Potter series!! I forgot that there's so little information in the actual book about what happens to HP, Ron, Hermione and crew in the actual book. I'll have to find the Pottermore info and refresh my memory.

Yesterday I started "Ready Player Two." You know it's going to be an interesting book when in the intro you're already going, "Yeah... that's not going to turn out well." and the intro ends with the main character basically saying, "I'm telling you this so you know the context when you judge my actions."

 

[Shellsbutt]

I forgot to update, it's the last day of the year and I made it!
19/25-American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
20/25- Beach Read by Emily Henry
21/25-Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
22/25-The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian(I was not impressed, have not seen the series)
23/25-The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner(enjoyed this one, very interesting)
24/25-Elevation by Stephen King (picked this up yesterday at the library and read it one sitting,lol. I guess it's considered a novella. It's just a short story. I had no idea what it was about but wanted to complete my challenge and it looked really short. It was very underwhelming, not what I was expecting and disappointing.)
25/25- The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne-had to end with one of my favorites! I bought this hardcover at Barnes and Noble on Black Friday, beautiful book with all the illustrations, absolutely love it.

 

[OKW8297]

Thanks for your hard work in moderating this... and for stepping forward this year.

I echo this. Great job, Wendy!

 

[KevM]

Thanks to a lot of time off, I read 20 books this month, bringing my total for the year to 132 books read. The books read this month were:

113) The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden – YA Fantasy/Historical Fiction. Set in medieval Russia as Orthodox Christianity is spreading and belief in the beings of folklore/myth are fading. The story centers around Vasya and those beings that are not yet gone.4/5

114) The Abbot's Ghost: Or Maurice Treherne's Temptation by A.M Barnard (aka Louisa May Alcott) – Gothic. A.M. Bernard was a pen name Alcott would sometimes use. A short gothic novella in which there is a ghost but it doesn’t really do much. An ok read, but by no means one of Alcott’s better works. 3/5

115) The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand –YA Fantasy. At 17 Holly was visited by 3 ghost and forewarned to change her ways. She didn’t listen. Now she’s working as the Ghost of Christmas Past, as each year there’s “Scrooge” to try and redeem. But this year there is something strange about the chosen “Scrooge”. 4.25/5

116) Mangos and Mistletoe: A Foodie Holiday Novella by Adriana Herrera – Romance. While on a “Great British Bake Off” style show two contestants, Kiskeya & Sully, learn they have chemistry both in and outside of the kitchen. A bit steamier than I was expecting. 4.25/5

117) Mr. Dickens and His Carol: A Novel by Samantha Silva – Historical Fiction. A fictional tale on the events that inspired Dickens to write A Christmas Carol. 3.75/5

118) The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan – Contemporary Fiction. After the department store she works in closes, Carmen moves to Edinburgh to live with her sister and her family and work at an old aligning bookstore. While trying to restore the bookstore she’ll also need to try and restore her relationship with her sister. 4/5

119) Hauntings and Humbug: A Steampunk Christmas Carol by Melanie Karsak – Steampunk. A fun gender swapped retelling of A Christmas Carol set in a Steampunk world. 4.25/5

120) Christmas Eve by Nikolai Gogol – Fantasy. A Christmas story, in that the story is set on Christmas Eve, in which the Devil steals the moon, and a heroic Blacksmith goes to get it back. Apparently, this is a traditional story to read to kids on Christmas Eve in Russia. 3/5

121) The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner – YA Fantasy/Historical Fiction. A novel length reimagining of the Goblin Market poem. 4/5

122) Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett – Fantasy. What were Marley’s sins to have him end up as he did? A look at Marley’s life, and afterlife, leading up to his ghostly appearance before Scrooge. 3.75/5

123) A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens – Fiction/Classic. Dickens’ Christmas classic. 4/5

124) A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli – Romance. After being laid off from her Tech job Type-A Niki decides to take a last-minute trip to her friend’s wedding in Mumbai. While there she meets British musician Sameer. 3.5/5

125) Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May – Non-Fiction/Memoir/Essays. In a short period of time May’s husband’s appendix bust, her son began having such issues at school they stopped sending him, and she had her own medical issues that caused her to take a leave of absence from her demanding job. This is May’s look at the different ways one can care for and repair themselves during difficult times. 3.5/5

126) The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox – Romance. Charlie is a talented chef and current judge on a popular baking show. Her twin Cass lives in their small hometown working at their parents’ family bakery and preparing to take it over once they retire. When Charlie suffers a concussion and loses her sense of smell and taste she proposes to Cass, who is going through a breakup with a longtime boyfriend to swap lives just long enough to finish the taping of the show. 3.5/5

127) The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes by Jackson Crawford (translator) – Poetry/Mythology. The Poetic Edda is the modern name for an untitled collection of 31 Old Norse poems covering the lives of the Norse gods. 4/5

128) Kwanzaa : Living on Principle by Venus Jones – Non-fiction. Not knowing much about Kwanzaa , I decided to find a book on it this month. This is a short book of short essays, poems, affirmations, and suggested activities for celebrating each day of Kwanzaa . 4/5

129) Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin/Aneesa Abbas Higgins (translator) – Contemporary Fiction. The unnamed narrator, a woman who works in a small hotel in Sokcho (a summer resort beach town close to the board with North Korea) is intrigued when a French graphic novelist visits in the depth of winter and asks her to show him the “authentic” Korea. 3.5/5

130) Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey – Dystopian/Western. In this dystopian future Librarians travel town to town distributing approved reading material. Esther has just stowed away on one of their wagons in a desperate attempt to avoid a marriage she does not want and after seeing the woman she loves hung for possessing resistance material. Esther quickly realizes though that there is more to these Librarians then she knew. 3.75/5

131) Tender Buttons by Gertrude Stein – Poetry. Just a collection I did not like. I’ve seen it referred to as verbal Cubism and I would say that’s a fitting description. 2.75/5

132) Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working from Home by Anne Helen Petersen and Charlie Warzel – Non-Fiction/Business. A look at the key values and questions that should drive the conversation about working from home, including work-life balance, flexibility, equality,& inclusiveness. 4/5

 

[jen7233]

Closing out the year
17/25: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson. Fictional story set in 1930s Kentucky, with some true historical points.

 

[sheilafri]

I love to read!
Do you use Goodreads?
I log in all my books throughout the year and then at the end of the year they give me a break down of all the books I read, how many pages total at etc.
If you don't use it I recommend it.

edited to add.....I don't see me reading 21 books this upcoming year, but I hope I can get 15 read

I love the Goodreads reading challenge. I read over 100 books in 2021. i won’t be trying for that many in 2022.

 

[drwitz]

One of the things I love best about Winter Break is I am able to get a few more books read, so here is my truly final update for the year.

61. A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger

This is a fun and fascinating tale which is set in modern times but clearly owes lots to FIrst Nations heritage and storytelling. The story, interwoven in chapters set in our world (narrated by a teenager named Nina) and the Animal World (narrated by a cottonmouth snake named Oli), is entertaining and well-written. This was a great read, and highly recommended for young adults as well as older readers.

62. State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny

A combination of a political thriller, a mystery novel, and an old-time adventure story (think Indiana Jones), this novel i a page turner. Our lead characters are (surprise surprise) a female Secretary of State, and her best friend. The novel examines a moment of world-wide crisis that could lead catastrophe, and the journey our heroes go through to resolve the crisis. For those who want to read into it, there are plenty of digs at current and former political rivals, but I wasn't looking for that. I wanted an engaging, plot-driven, and fun read. And this satisfied.

63. Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain

This is a history book which will introduce you to characters from American history that you may never have met. This stunning collection of 80 essays (each spanning 5 years of history) and 10 poems serves as a correction to these missing stories. This is a monumental work, starting with the first known arrival of enslaved Africans in the Americas and ending with a chapter on Black Lives Matter. Each chapter is only 3 to 4 pages long, and all are written by a glittering array of African American scholars, writers and politicians. Definitely a book I will keep referring back to.

OK, I got 2 more in, and finished the last one just before the stroke of midnight last night, bringing my total for the year to 65. Here are final two (both quick reads).

64. The Judge's List by John Grisham

Another great Grisham plot-driven thriller without the usual whodunit nature of these books. In this case, we know whodunit early (and by the title, you do too). The question is can the heroines prove it? And can they catch him? Fun entertaining read with some characters featured from previous stories.

65. Fool Me Once by Steve Hockensmith with Lisa Falco

The second in the Tarot Mystery series, this one finds our lead character - Alanis McLaughlin - trying to hunt down the real killer of her client's abusive husband while trying to prove that it wasn't her client. Each chapter begins with a pithy description of a card from the suit of Wands (upright and reversed) and the mystery ties into the card meaning. Another really well-done novel in this series, approachable for those who are new to Tarot and those who have lots of experience with the cards. This one ends with a major plot reveal which is certainly driving me to read book #3 in the series.

Happiest of New Years to all!

 

[mmouse37]

22/50 The Nanny at Number 43 nicola cassi
23/50 her perfect family teresa driscoll
24/50 the presidents daughter bill clinton james patterson
25/50 cashelmara susan howatch
26/50 mother trucker amy butch

I fell way short of my goal. Will lower it for next year.

MJ

 

[tiggrbaby]

December:
#86/90: The Dark Hours (Bosch and Ballard #4) by Michael Connelly (5/5) (suspense)

Minutes after midnight, Ballard is sent to cover a shooting death that appeared to be from the traditional celebratory gunfire. But it turns out that the kill shot is the same as one from a cold case that Bosch had worked on. At the same time, she is looking for two men known as the Midnight Men, who have been savagely attacking women.

With little support from the department, Ballard turns to Bosch for help with her cases, determined to solve them before she is removed from them.

Love these characters!

#87/90: The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristen Harmel (3/5) (romantic historical fiction)

Kidnapped as an infant from her home in Germany, Yona is raised in the woods by an old woman who teaches her survival skills. When the woman dies in 1941, she is alone, until she meets a group of Jewish people who have escaped the ghetto. Yona decides to help them learn to survive, and opens her heart to a man.

It was too much romance for my taste.

#88/90: Death Sentence: The Inside Story of the John List Murders by Joe Sharkey (4.5/5) (nonfiction)

In 1971, a small town in New Jersey was shocked by the brutal murder of a family in their mansion. A note was left by the killer, John List, who evaded capture for eighteen years.

I remember the news from the time that this murder occurred, so I was interested in learning more.

#89/90: The Janus Stone (Ruth Galloway #2) by Elly Griffiths (4/5)(mystery)

After construction workers find the remains of a child, minus the head, archaeologist Ruth Galloway is called in to investigate. Detective Harry Nelson discovers that the home was once for orphans. But the remains predate the orphanage when it was a private home. As Ruth and Harry investigate, it becomes apparent that someone is after Ruth and her unborn child.

#90/90: Tar Baby by Toni Morrison (3/5) (literature)

Jadine is a black fashion model who left France and her white boyfriend. Son is a black fugitive who shows up at Jadine’s patron’s Caribbean estate. They begin an affair that takes them to the US.

 

[tiggrbaby]

Thanks so much to all for sharing your reading lists!

 

[mgarbowski]

Book 22 of 24 Based on a True Story by Norm Macdonald
Book 23 of 24 The Lost Soul of the City by Dean Koontz (Nameless Series 2 Book 1)
Book 24 of 24 Old Man's War by John Scalzi

*****

The Macdonald book was - no surprise - a choice I made after his untimely death from cancer. It's an amusing, odd work. Styled as a memoir, it is very partly that but mostly fiction. It gets more ridiculous (though still amusing) as it goes along. I think the idea is to make you think it's mostly true when you start it and then slowly but overwhelmingly add in the clearly fictional aspects. Then you wonder if even the normal sounding elements were true or not.

The Scalzi book is something I've been meaning to read for several years and finally got around to. Definitely worthwhile.

That's the last of my 2021 list. I had hoped to exceed my goal by at least a couple but a couple of my choices had me slogging through with little enthusiasm and I never quite got ahead of myself. But still glad I made my minimum. Plus I was about 2/3 done with the first book of 2022 as of 12/31/21.

 

[PollyannaMom]

58. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

This was published over 13 years ago, but the lessons are still relevant. Have you heard that you need 10,000 hours to become a true master? It's covered here. Did you hear about the birth month bias in Canadian Hockey Leagues? It comes from here. An interesting view of what makes for success.

That was a great book! I read it years ago (bought it because DS had to read it for school, and then afterward read it myself because it sounded so intriguing). I've recommended it several times.

21/15: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
I finally finished my re-read of the Harry Potter series!! I forgot that there's so little information in the actual book about what happens to HP, Ron, Hermione and crew in the actual book. I'll have to find the Pottermore info and refresh my memory.

Congrats on finishing! Have you seen the movie reunion special on HBO Max?


Finishing up my list with:

Straight on till morning : a twisted tale - by Liz Braswell - Another light read in the set, this one about Wendy Darling. I enjoyed it.

Final total = 40

Thanks to our host and to everyone who made recommendations! It was a fun thread.