Reading challenge 2021

[TammyNC]

I joined the 2020 challenge (goal was 20, completed 36) and dropped off updating so I will give 2021 another try. My goal is to spend more time in a book than scrolling emails. Also want to get back to listening to some audiobooks, not sure why I stopped doing that.

Ok so for 2021 I'll set my goal at 25. Needing to leave some room for the unexpected things that might come along.

1/25 - 100 Days to Brave by Annie F Downs (started this one in 202 and it took me longer than 100 days)
2/25 - The Return by Nicholas Sparks
3/25 - What Women Fear: Walking in Faith by Angie Smith

Also wanted to say..thanks for starting up the 2021 challenge.

 

[melk]

6/35 A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner

A scarf ties two women together, the first one who acquires the scarf while working as a nurse on Ellis Island in 1911. The second woman acquires it on 9/11/01. Their stories are interwoven and share similarities.

Another well written story by Susan Meissner. I love the way she takes her time with the characters so that you really get to learn just who they really are. Love the historical aspects of her books as well. I never knew there was a hospital on Ellis Island for those entering the country ill, so that was interesting to read about.

 

[tiggrbaby]

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.

I really wanted to like both of those books as they are supposedly based upon the island where I live for most of the year. Sadly, I didn't really care for either one. Now, I did like his new Jake Brigance.

 

[tiggrbaby]

January:

#1/90: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (4.5/5) (contemporary fiction)
Twin girls raised in a rural black community choose to live completely different lives: one chooses to return to the community, the other chooses to live as a white woman. The story weaves together their past and their daughters’ lives.

#2/90: A Time for Mercy (Jake Brigance #3 ) by John Grisham (4/5) (legal thriller)
Jake is assigned to represent a sixteen year old boy who shot and killed a popular deputy. As Jake uncovers more about the situation, he and his family are in danger.

#3/90: The Forgotten Daughter by Joanna Goodman (4/5) (historical fiction)
Veronique believes completely in her father’s life passion: independence for Quebec. Elodie is fighting for compensation from the government for the treatment of the Duplessis Orphans. Their unlikely friendship develops from Veronique’s relationship with Elodie’s brother.
There is a prequel to this detailing Elodie’s childhood that I am looking forward to reading.

#4/90: Back of Beyond (Highway #1) by CJ Box (4/5) (suspense)
Cody is a troubled cop who is two months sober when he discovers that his sponsor is dead. Although the local authories want to believe it was a suicide, Cody uncovers details that lead him to believe the killer is on the same Yellowstone tour as Cody’s teenage son. Now Cody goes off on his own to save his son.
This is the first in a series that has the inspiration for the TV show Big Sky.

#5/90: You Should Have Known (The Undoing) by Jean Hanff Korelitz (3/5) (suspense)
Grace is a therapist in private practice who is about to publish a book on her ideas that problems in relationships should have been obvious from the beginning. But she questions all that she knows when it appears that he husband may have been responsible for the murder of a woman at their son’s school.
This is the book that the HBO movie was based upon.

#6/90: The Highway (Highway #2) by CJ Box (4/5) (suspense)
Cody has just been set up by his partner Cassie and released from the force. His son requests his assistance when the girlfriend and her sister appear to go missing. Cassie decides to help Cody, but winds up on her own when Cody also goes missing.
This is the book that has a lot of the storyline for the TV show Big Sky.

#7/90: The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult (3/5) (romantic fiction)
Dawn gave up her dream of becoming an archeologist and her new romance to care for her dying mother. She has a whirlwind romance and marries the father of her newborn. But her new profession of guiding people through their final days makes her realize that she needs to go back and see if the life she left behind is the one she should have lived.

#8/90: The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict (4/5) (historical fiction)
This covers Agatha Christie’s relationship with her husband and well publicized disappearance in alternating chapters.

#9/90: Bridged (Callahn and McLane #2) by Kendra Elliot (3/5) (romantic suspense)
After a senator is found murdered, Eva and Mason are once again working together to find a killer as the body count increases.

#10/90: The Stationary Shop by Marjan Kamali (4/5) (romantic historical fiction)
Roya falls in love with Bahman, a young man who frequents the same shop she does. But it is 1953 in Tehran, a turbulent and troubled time. When Bahman disappears after a violent uprising, she is unable to find him, and resigns herself to never seeing him again. But sixty years later, she finds him and seeks the answers to what happened years ago.

 

[Colleen27]

#7/156 - The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd

This was an unexpected pleasure. The premise was fascinating enough that I had to give it a shot - what if Jesus was a married man, a human man embedded in a family and a community? how would his ministry and eventual execution affect the women in his life? - and it was surprisingly well executed. Told through the eyes of his wife, who endures a remarkable and difficult journey of her own, it humanizes a familiar story we tend to think of in a sort of remote, idealized way, through the lenses of faith and dogma. No small part of its beauty was that it is a story where Jesus isn't the central figure, where the storytelling is through female eyes and a female voice even though it is set in a time when the experiences of women were silenced and largely lost to history, and in which the unique strength of women as the ones who hold families together and carry the histories of their loved ones is woven throughout.

It was also very much a "book hangover" title that had me not quite in the mood to jump into something new right away.

#8 - Caste: The Origins of our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

I am on a role with very good books this year. It makes falling behind my goal worth it. This is an extremely powerful book on race in America, the kind of work that has the potential to really change how a person sees the society we all live in. Wilkerson has a masterful way of breaking down racism, both today and in its historic roots, in a way that keeps the focus on the systems and structures that were created to uphold racial separation early in our country's history and the ways they persist to this day. The parallels drawn to both India and Germany make it easier, in a way, to wrap your mind around ideas that we're not used to applying to American society even though they fit like a glove, and in drawing those parallels, she effectively answers a lot of the shallow and individual-level rebuttals people use to deny our ongoing struggle for racial equality.

#9 - Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Book-club type fiction about a privileged young woman in the current day, an impoverished family of "river people" living on the Mississippi during the Great Depression, and a drawn-from-history child-stealing scheme that connects the two. It reminded me in a way of the Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, in that it is based in a little-known and at times heartbreaking piece of American history, and while the unfolding of the mystery as the present-day main character unravels the family history that reveals her connection to the girl from the past is self-evident, the emotional aspects keep the reader invested and wanting to find out how it all comes together in the end.

 

[bobbiwoz]

11/50 Sea Glass Castle by T. I. Lowe
I hadn’t read anything by this author. I picked it because it was part of the “Carolina Coast Series” and I enjoy coastal settings. It is a predictable love story.

 

[OKW8297]

8. Normal People by Sally Rooney. Meh. Story about two young adults. Neither one was particularly likeable.

 

[PollyannaMom]

3/21

I just finished Finding Dorothy, by Elizabeth Letts, and I definitely recommend it! ~

https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Dorothy-Novel-Elizabeth-Letts/dp/0525622101

It centers around Maud Baum (wife of the author of the Wizard of Oz) an alternates between the "present" as she is consulting on the film and meeting Judy Garland, and the story of her life up to that point. (It's fictionalized, but based on real people and events.)

I really enjoyed it!

 

[JayMass]

4/50-"How to be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi. I really powerful book that focuses on solutions to racism. I really liked how Kendi weaved his own evolving experience, attitude, and beliefs on what racism is and what antiracism is. There is a lot on intersectionality with gender, sexual orientation, economic status, etc. that he is able to elucidate. It pairs well with his previous book, Stamped from the Beginning. The big takeaway I had was that racism is like a cancer and it is threatening everyone, including white people. But like cancer, it can be cured. The cure lies not in educating or persuading racism away. Policy is what creates and perpetuates racism. If a policy, especially one based on the idea that there is something wrong with any race, disproportionately and negatively impacts a race, that policy is racist. The way to be antiracist is by using our power to change policies.

 

[Wendy1985]

4/50-"How to be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi. I really powerful book that focuses on solutions to racism. I really liked how Kendi weaved his own evolving experience, attitude, and beliefs on what racism is and what antiracism is. There is a lot on intersectionality with gender, sexual orientation, economic status, etc. that he is able to elucidate. It pairs well with his previous book, Stamped from the Beginning. The big takeaway I had was that racism is like a cancer and it is threatening everyone, including white people. But like cancer, it can be cured. The cure lies not in educating or persuading racism away. Policy is what creates and perpetuates racism. If a policy, especially one based on the idea that there is something wrong with any race, disproportionately and negatively impacts a race, that policy is racist. The way to be antiracist is by using our power to change policies.

I read that last year with a group I lerned so much

 

[drwitz]

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.

4/60. Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

Wow, wow, wow. This was a fantastic read and well-worth your time and attention. This memoir (mostly true but also fictionalized) tells the story of Daniel Nayeri who is an Iranian immigrant to America and his upbringing in the US. Making reference to "The Arabian Nights", Nayeri weaves a personal story of his own experience with one of his parents, grandparents, and others. It was a beautifully written story which left me emotionally moved.

5/60. Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria And Other Conversations About Race (revised and updated) by Beverly Daniel Tatum, PhD

This is a dense, studious and worthwhile book on the lived experience of racism and racial barriers. Chapters look at white identity, race-ethnic-cultural development among blacks, racial identity among other race groups, and ways to address racial animus and conflict. The 20th anniversary edition was published in 2017 at the start of the Trump administration and it would be fascinating to read an even more updated version, but this is an important read and worth the time (it took me several weeks because I was paying close attention).

 

[Wendy1985]

The bridge home

 

[JayMass]

5/60. Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria And Other Conversations About Race (revised and updated) by Beverly Daniel Tatum, PhD

This is a dense, studious and worthwhile book on the lived experience of racism and racial barriers. Chapters look at white identity, race-ethnic-cultural development among blacks, racial identity among other race groups, and ways to address racial animus and conflict. The 20th anniversary edition was published in 2017 at the start of the Trump administration and it would be fascinating to read an even more updated version, but this is an important read and worth the time (it took me several weeks because I was paying close attention).

I read this in the early 2000s. I'm curious about the updates to it since then.

 

[OKW8297]

4/50-"How to be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi. I really powerful book that focuses on solutions to racism. I really liked how Kendi weaved his own evolving experience, attitude, and beliefs on what racism is and what antiracism is. There is a lot on intersectionality with gender, sexual orientation, economic status, etc. that he is able to elucidate. It pairs well with his previous book, Stamped from the Beginning. The big takeaway I had was that racism is like a cancer and it is threatening everyone, including white people. But like cancer, it can be cured. The cure lies not in educating or persuading racism away. Policy is what creates and perpetuates racism. If a policy, especially one based on the idea that there is something wrong with any race, disproportionately and negatively impacts a race, that policy is racist. The way to be antiracist is by using our power to change policies.

I read this last summer and rereading it now with my church. It’s outstanding.

 

[Allison Joy]

4/15 -- The Green Ember by S.D. Smith illustrated by Zach Franzen
Childrens/family fantasy. Meant for children, but long enough and complicated enough that I throughly enjoyed them as an adult. This is the first in a series of books by S.D. Smith about two young rabbits, Heather and Picket, whose lives are fairly ordinary, until a series of calamitous events push them into the trows of conflict. There are rabbits with swords fighting wolves and birds of prey, family secrets, and treachery. This would be a WONDERFUL read aloud book for a family. And for me, I kept trying to figure out of the rabbits ran on two legs (they are shown standing on their hind legs with clothes on the cover) or whether they switch to all fours when running quickly. Subsequent pictures could be used to support either theory.

The order of the books in this series is kind of interesting. From what I understand, there are three (maybe for now?) main books that focus on Heather and Picket and three (maybe four now?) that are stories that help give history/depth to the Heather and Picket's story. The three that don't focus on Heather and Picket are actually integrated throughout the series. So it's Main Series, supplemental story, main series, supplemental story, etc. and the author recommends you read them in publication order, with the "gap" books between the main story...... I hope that made sense!

Anyway, with 5 to 7 more books in this series, I may be reading this series for most of the rest of 2021!

 

[JayMass]

5/50-"Why Fish Don't Exist" by Lulu Miller. Loved this quirky little book. It's part memoir, part biography, part podcast. I did listen to the audiobook read by the author who is on NPR's Radiolab. The book takes you on twists and turns through science, philosophy, relationships, and psychology. Highly recommended!!

Next up: "The Water Dancer" by Ta-Nehisi Coates. He's a fantastic essayist and this is his first novel. Very excited!!

 

[JayMass]

4/15 -- The Green Ember by S.D. Smith illustrated by Zach Franzen
Childrens/family fantasy. Meant for children, but long enough and complicated enough that I throughly enjoyed them as an adult.

To me that's the sign of a master storyteller--being able to appeal to both kids AND adults. I always think of Roald Dahl in this way. (Although Lamb to the Slaughter is NOT for kids!)

 

[mom2febgirls]

3/50 - City of Secrets by Victoria Thompson
My library is offering to send home random books. I started reading this one and immediately realized it was book 2 in a series. I really enjoyed this one.

4/50 - City of Lies by Victoria Thompson
I read this one after I finished book 2. I think it suffered by comparison. It spent too much time on details of women's suffrage (which I enjoyed but it slowed the book down and took too much time away from the plot)

 

[melk]

7/35 When We Were Young & Brave by Hazel Gaynor

When war is declared between Japan and the Allies the children and staff of the China Inland Mission School become captives of the Japanese. They are sent to a distant internment camp where they face new challenges and fears as the war rages on.

This was a really interesting story, telling a wartime story in a setting I hadn’t considered before. These were children of diplomats and missionaries who didn’t know if or when they would ever see their parents again. The teachers really step up to fill the gap.

 

[willowsnn3]

#8/60 The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
I believe this one has been reviewed here (or last year) so all I am going to say is I really didn't care for it & was glad when I finished it.