Reading challenge 2021

[Wendy1985]

Since we’re counting ones we started in 2020 and finished this year, I’m up to:

2/21 - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

(my “upstairs book,” which I finished last night.) - Great series, as I’m sure everyone here already knows!

I re-read them every so often, but this is my first year joining the thread, so I haven’t counted them yet. - I may have to take a break, though, as I keep screenshooting posts with recommendations to add to my reading list!

PS - @Wendy1985, I don't see my name in the roll on page 1, so I think I might have been missed in sign-ups. My other post was #117.

Sorry about that adding you now

 

[PollyannaMom]

Sorry about that adding you now

Thanks, and thanks for organizing the thread to begin with. - I'm enjoying it already!

 

[drwitz]

1/50--Song of Susannah (Dark Tower Book VI) by Stephen King. I liked this one but it's a little bit like Wizard and Glass where it leaves off with an unfulfilling ending. It was also a let down after Wolves of the Calla. I did like the coda at the end though. Now it's on to the final Dark Tower! Can't wait! (Well, I actually do have to wait for the library)

So glad you are enjoying the series. In some ways it is like nothing else King has ever written, and in other ways it brings all of his written work together into one mega-story. I agree that the penultimate novel is not the best of the series, but it still sings. Just wait for the finale.

 

[drwitz]

2. My Losing Season by Pat Conroy. The author's memoir on his experience as a Citadel college basketball player in the 60s.

Loved this book. So many times books about sports focus on the winning teams and their triumphs. This was a wonderful antidote to that. Have you read other works of his? My family is from Charleston, so much of his work is very relevant to me. Loved South of Broad as an example.

 

[drwitz]

I will try for 60 this year. Lots of long Stephen King books coming up!!

Thanks for doing this!!

Hello there. My first few books of the year follow. I have a few books I need to get off the bookshelf before I return to my Stephen King re-read, so here goes:

1/60. We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry

This novel is a tour-de-force about the Danvers (MA) High School field hockey team in 1989 who tries to ensure a winning season by getting in touch with some supernatural forces (think the Salem Witch Trials). The book is filled with 80s references and lots of local color, and is a wonderfully comic story with obvious passion for its characters and a bit of light darkness (I know, a contradiction in terms). While I graduated high school in 1987 and never played field hockey, I did go to college in Boston and married a North Shore girl (whose town was featured in one chapter), so I had great pathos and familiarity with the characters and the area. This was a fantastic book, and I highly recommend it.

2/60. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

This is a horror novel which follows the story of a group of Native American friends who are hunted by a mysterious force. Weaving cultural narratives of the Native experience with reflections of mainstream culture, the novel tells its story with a drive towards a final confrontation. This one was more difficult for me. I appreciated the view of Native American culture (the author is himself a Native American), the writing was at times difficult to follow, and the pace was uneven. I'm happy I read it, but I won't be returning to it.

3/60. A Children's Bible: A Novel by Lydia Millet

A story of a group of children (teens and younger) who are vacationing with their disassociated and self-cenetered parents when a mega-storm arrives resulting in their physical separation from the parents. This allegorical short novel is reminiscent of Lord of the Flies but told in the 21st century. A novel that speaks to climate change, generational conflict, economic inequities, and armed insurrection, this is a short book with a lot to say. Definitely recommend it.

 

[OKW8297]

3. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert. This was not what I expected. opening in 1940 New York City it took a different track with a unique female protagonist for her time. It was truly not until the last third of the book that I appreciated it. It’s worth a read but the first third is full of a woman sexually promiscuous to the point of self destruction.

 

[jen7233]

Loved this book. So many times books about sports focus on the winning teams and their triumphs. This was a wonderful antidote to that. Have you read other works of his? My family is from Charleston, so much of his work is very relevant to me. Loved South of Broad as an example.

I've everything of his except the Boo. He is one of my favorite authors.

 

[HiStitch626]

7/100 Shade A Tale of Two Presidents by Pete Souza

I have had the enjoyable opportunity of listening to Pete Souza speak twice in the past. He was a White House photographer during President Reagan’s tenure and was the chief White House photographer and director of the Photo Office for President Obama. Last year he had released a book about President Obama with photos and some limited commentary. I enjoyed it very much just for a look inside the White House and what the president does on a daily basis. This new book is a comparison of the way Mr. Souza views the current administration in comparison with President Obama. He balances photographs with excerpts from news articles and tweets. I really liked this book. I hopefully have given enough commentary to help others decide if they would even want to open it, 4.5/5

 

[mrs. magoo]

3/24 - Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris I enjoyed this book much more than the Tattooist of Auschwitz. This was a mixture of historical fiction based on a true story. The story was well told and kept my interest. 4 out 5. Again I have read quite a few books from this time period but this the first time I have read about the Soviet Gulags.

 

[jen7233]

3/24 - Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris I enjoyed this book much more than the Tattooist of Auschwitz. This was a mixture of historical fiction based on a true story. The story was well told and kept my interest. 4 out 5. Again I have read quite a few books from this time period but this the first time I have read about the Soviet Gulags.

I didn't know there was an extension story of other characters in the Tattooist, I just got done with that one. Will add that one down the road to read. I get some ideas from what others read here.

 

[mom2febgirls]

1/50 - Ten Things I Hate About the Duke by Loretta Chase
Romance novels are my go to and LC is one of my favorites. A little Taming of the Shrew with a twist.

My daughter introduced me to a book recommendation service (myTBR.co) to help me expand my reading horizons. First up...

2/50 - The Midnight Bargain by CL Polk
An interesting fantasy novel about women who are forced to give up magic when they marry.

 

[MGMmjl]

2/30 - Camino Island by John Grisham

This was a fairly quick and fun read. Not my favorite, but I enjoyed it.

 

[drwitz]

2/30 - Camino Island by John Grisham

This was a fairly quick and fun read. Not my favorite, but I enjoyed it.

Have you read the sequel, Camino Winds? Pretty entertaining. Also not my favorite of his but a good follow up.

 

[MGMmjl]

Have you read the sequel, Camino Winds? Pretty entertaining. Also not my favorite of his but a good follow up.

Not yet, but I do have it on my list to read soon!

 

[Walt's Dream]

Started this in late December of 2020 and finished last week. It's a biggie...
1/50 The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follet. This is the prequel to The Pillars of Earth trilogy, which I loved. And this didn't disappoint. I hope it's the first in a new trilogy. I highly recommend it!

2/50 Secret Stories of Extinct Disneyland: Memories of the Original Park by Jim Korkis. Published in 2019. As a lover and collector of books on the history of Disneyland, I really enjoyed this one. I already knew quite a bit of the "secrets" included, but there was enough new info. to keep me hooked. Easy and fun read.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Book 2 of 12: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule

Two hundred years before the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, in the era of the glorious High Republic, the noble and wise Jedi Knights must face a frightening threat to themselves, the galaxy, and the Force itself....

This is the first part of a multi-year, multi-media story event telling the story of the Jedi at its height. These are all new characters, unrelated to the Luke/Vader/Rey/Kylo story we have seen in the movies for the past 40 years. Yoda does show up as a minor character (after all, he'd be about 600 years old at the time), but everyone else is a new character.

I loved this book. Charles Soule has done a great job telling Star Wars stories in the past through his Darth Vander and Lando comic serieses. I've never read a story that did such a great job explaining how Jedi see the Force. I connected with all the characters, and since this is set so far in the past, it's exciting because we don't know what happens to these characters -- anything is possible! These characters will appear in two ongoing comic series and other books that are due out later this year.

We get to see a Trandosian Jedi, a Wookie Jedi, two Jedi who have unresolved romantic tension. It's funny and adventurous and charming. I really quite enjoyed it.

My one complaint was Charles insisted on telling two different subplots, one about the main story and a side story that does eventually connect. The book flips back and forth between the two settings, but the timing is not right. The main story takes place over weeks, and the side story takes place over hours, yet they end at the same time (kind of like how Dunkirk's three stories have different timelines). It all works in the end, but I had a hard time with the timeline of events. That brings my grade down only slightly.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

#2 Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Kline. I gave this 4/5 on Goodreads. It is good but the second part jumps between characters a lot. I don’t mind this, but I would have liked to know more in some instances.

Two families live next door to each other and both dads are NYC cops. One night an event sends one family away, but several years later the two children meet again.

 

[wishiwasindisneyjen]

Finished two books over the long weekend:

2/104: The Push (4 Stars) Tough subject matter but very well written.
3/104: Pretty Little Wife (3 Stars) Thriller. I really enjoyed it and finished it fast but I figured out the twist fairly early on.

 

[bobbiwoz]

6/50. A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Future by Michael J Fox

 

[bobbiwoz]

2/35 No Time Like The Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality by Michael J.
Fox

In his latest book he describes his latest health struggle. Not Parkinson’s but
rather a tumor on his spine that threatened to leave him permanently in a wheelchair. More than that, it threatened his usually optimistic view of the future.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It was a quick read, but I find Fox to be very likable and down to earth. I enjoyed reading about his supportive family, his health struggles and all he has done and continues to do through his foundation for Parkinson’s research. I never read either of his previous books but I may now. I believe he narrates the audiobooks so I may go that route.

I read his earlier book, and now want to read this one! Thanks for the recommendation.