Reading challenge 2021

[bobbiwoz]

43/50
Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand I enjoyed this book about a mother who died, but who got to watch her family for a bit afterwards, and was even allowed to interfere, just a bit.

 

[Simba's Mom]

43/50
Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand I enjoyed this book about a mother who died, but who got to watch her family for a bit afterwards, and was even allowed to interfere, just a bit.

Good to hear! I just put "Golden Girl" on hold at the library.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Good to hear! I just put "Golden Girl" on hold at the library.

My guest from OK saw the book on my table and said that she enjoyed it too!

 

[OKW8297]

46. Fall of Giants by Ken Follett simply outstanding!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Finally read a few. I know the front page isn't my current book count.
16/30 Picnic in Someday Valley by Jodi Thomas. First book I read by her. I really liked it. Had a big Texas small town feel to it.

17/30 A Secret Encounter by J.E.B. Spredemann. Amish romance that dealt with homelessness. Good story.

18/30. The Single Mom's Second Chance by Jessica Keller. Love story about 2nd chances. It was ok.

 

[Christine]

Good to hear! I just put "Golden Girl" on hold at the library.

It was one of my favorites so far this year.

 

[willowsnn3]

#35 Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay
“They found the bodies on a Tuesday.”

After a late night of partying, NYU student Matt Pine returns to his dorm room to devastating news: nearly his entire family—his mom, his dad, his little brother and sister—have been found dead from an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Mexico. The local police claim it was an accident, but the FBI and State Department seem far less certain—and they won’t tell Matt why.

The tragedy makes headlines everywhere because this isn’t the first time the Pine family has been thrust into the media spotlight. Matt’s older brother, Danny—currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his teenage girlfriend Charlotte—was the subject of a viral true crime documentary suggesting that Danny was wrongfully convicted. Though the country has rallied behind Danny, Matt holds a secret about his brother that he’s never told anyone: the night Charlotte was killed Matt saw something that makes him believe his brother is guilty of the crime.

 

[melk]

29/35 Remember by Lisa Genova

Author and neuroscientist Lisa Genova delves into how memories are made and how we retrieve them. She shows the difference between normal forgetting and forgetting due to Alzheimer’s. Finally she goes into how we can improve our memories and not get fearful when we do forget.

Excellent book. I was nervous going into it that it would make me feel bad about getting older and forgetting things. But it really helped me realize the things I do forget are a natural part of the aging process and how I can improve in certain areas.

 

[bobbiwoz]

44/50
The Widows by Jess Montgomery
A friend recommended, and I enjoyed it 4/5.
Historical Fiction, set in mining region of Ohio in the early 1900’s. From a review “This is a powerful novel: a tale of loss, greed and violence, and the story of two powerful women who refuse to stand down.”

 

[mrs. magoo]

46. Fall of Giants by Ken Follett simply outstanding!

I loved that series. I really like Ken Follett.

 

[mrs. magoo]

15/24 A Sound among the Trees - Susan Meissner - I like this one. The Civil war history of the house was interesting.

16/24 - The Book of Lost Names by Kristen Harmel - I really enjoyed this book. I did find Eva's mother very annoying and unbending but it was a very good historical fiction. It is send in WW II France.

 

[OKW8297]

I loved that series. I really like Ken Follett.

Me too. He’s excellent.

 

[Allison Joy]

14/15 Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult -- This is about a school shooting, and switches between different POVs, including the POV of the shooter. Oh my goodness. Wow. A difficult read, but a very, VERY good read. She was able to make you understand every side, even if you don't agree with it. Just exquisite as far as the writing, format, and grappling with the topic is concerned.

I'm am consistently amazed at how well Jodi Picoult writes about such difficult topics. She is definitely becoming one of my favorite authors.

Also, this forum counts as me "sharing a book I've read," right? That's one of the activities for my libraries' summer reading program. I'd already completed the requirments to get my prize, and I'm not going to get any bonus prizes, (I don't think?) but still want to mark off as many activities as I can. Just want to get an outside opinion to make sure I'm good with counting this as "sharing a book."

 

[melk]

14/15 Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult -- This is about a school shooting, and switches between different POVs, including the POV of the shooter. Oh my goodness. Wow. A difficult read, but a very, VERY good read. She was able to make you understand every side, even if you don't agree with it. Just exquisite as far as the writing, format, and grappling with the topic is concerned.

I'm am consistently amazed at how well Jodi Picoult writes about such difficult topics. She is definitely becoming one of my favorite authors.

Also, this forum counts as me "sharing a book I've read," right? That's one of the activities for my libraries' summer reading program. I'd already completed the requirments to get my prize, and I'm not going to get any bonus prizes, (I don't think?) but still want to mark off as many activities as I can. Just want to get an outside opinion to make sure I'm good with counting this as "sharing a book."

This definitely counts! And thank you for the Jodi Piccoult recommendation, I never read this one of hers.

 

[MGMmjl]

17/30 - My Hurricane Andrew Story by Bryan Norcross

Description:
"As Category 5 Hurricane Andrew was bearing down, people huddled in their closets and under their mattresses were tuned to "the man who talked South Florida through". This is the story of the storm that set the benchmark for damage - almost four times the previously most expensive U.S. disaster - and the TV coverage that kept people safe and sane through the hellacious night. Bryan Norcross was on the air with life-saving guidance for every minute of Andrew's onslaught. Cities in South Florida declared Bryan Norcross Days in his honor. This is the story behind the acclaimed TV coverage, and why Bryan was first to raise the alarm. Learn untold stories about the storm that rewrote our understanding of hurricanes. How will we deal with extreme storms in the future? Bryan considers the lessons we learned from Andrew, the lessons we should have learned, and what steps we need to immediately take. If you think you know the story of Hurricane Andrew, it is likely you do not. Relive the incredible event from Bryan’s vantage point as the man who was connected to South Florida residents through the terror of the storm and the horror of what came after the Great Hurricane of 1992."

I enjoyed reading Bryan Norcross's perspective on Hurricane Andrew. I was 8 years old at the time, but remember watching some of the coverage on the national news. I liked getting a local perspective from Norcross.

 

[Tiggerish]

In Dog We Trust by Neil S. Plakey. A Golden Retriever Mystery. A quick read.

Bodies, Baddies and a Crabby Tabby by Sherri Bryan, A bliss Bay Village Mystery. It seemed right to read a mystery featuring a cat after the dog one.

Murder as Sticky as Jam by Diana Orgain. A cozy mystery and another quick read.

Bloody Ties by Karen Ann Hopkins. Book 8 in the Serenity Plain Series. Features a female Sherriff working an area with a large Amish population. I have read most of the earlier books and like the writing style but having the plot always revolving about a murder within the Amish community is wearing a bit thin.

Just Look Up by Courtney Walsh. Christian romantic fiction with happy ending and lots of loose ends for future books.

The Inn at Willa Bay by Nichole Ellis. A Willa Bay Novel. Romantic fiction.

57-62 of 104. That means I am a tiny bit ahead on my goal because it is based on two books a week and this is week 29 of the year so I needed to be at 58.

 

[OKW8297]

47. Montauk by Nicola Harrison. Set in 1938. Long Island. It was a great read.

 

[bobbiwoz]

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.

So happy you posted this. I read it and enjoyed it a lot! 45/50

 

[tiggrbaby]

#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!

I recently finished 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle as well. I agree with your description, although I thought it ran a bit too long.

 

[PollyannaMom]

This definitely counts!

I agree. Check it off!

...thank you for the Jodi Piccoult recommendation, I never read this one of hers.

I like her too! My Sister's Keeper is my favorite of her books.