Reading challenge 2021

[willowsnn3]

#43/60 Cul De Sac by Joy Fielding
A shooting lays bare the secrets harbored by five families in a sleepy suburban cul-de-sac in this riveting psychological thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of All the Wrong Places.
Someone on this quiet, unassuming cul-de-sac will be shot dead in the middle of a sultry July night.
A diverse group of neighbors, to be sure. Yet all harbor secrets. All bear scars. And all have access to guns.

 

[bobbiwoz]

how many books this year earned a 5 from you and what was the genre?

I enjoy historical Fiction and also books about everyday life, think James Herriot books.

One 5/5 historical fiction was As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner and one about everyday life was To Be Where You Are by Jan Karon.

Last year The Warmth of other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson really got to me.

What are your 5/5’s?

 

[Allison Joy]

17/15
I finished Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and have moved on to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

 

[Simba's Mom]

One 5/5 historical fiction was As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner and one about everyday life was To Be Where You Are by Jan Karon.

Have you read "The Last Year of the War?"
Loved it.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Have you read "The Last Year of the War?"
Loved it.

Actually in October 2020 I posted this


Tiggerish and Simba’s Mom, my 79/80 book was “The Last Year of the War“ and I thought it was extraordinary! I am so glad you both mentioned

 

[OKW8297]

55. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Have been looking forward to this and it didn’t disappoint. One of my favorite authors. Set in the 1980’s.

 

[MGMmjl]

21/30 - Historic Disasters of East Tennessee by Dewaine A. Speaks

Description:
"For more than 150 years, East Tennesseans have experienced disasters of historic proportions. The 1902 Fraterville Mine explosion took the lives of 216 men and boys. A 1904 head-on passenger train wreck in New Market claimed the lives of 64. In 1906, Jellico was practically destroyed by the explosion of a train car loaded with dynamite. Floodwaters near Rockwood in 1929 took the lives of 7 Boy Scouts and their Scoutmaster. An explosion in 1960 at Kingsport's Eastman plant killed 16 workers and injured 400. In 2016, a fire in the Great Smoky Mountains claimed the lives of 14 while destroying 2,460 buildings. Knoxville author Dewaine Speaks chronicles these and other historic tragedies in East Tennessee."

This was an interesting regional history book chronicling 16 disasters over the years in East Tennessee. My family took many trips to East Tennessee when I was growing up, so that area is familiar to me. I knew of some of these stories, but others were new to me.

 

[Shellsbutt]

13/25- The Guest List by Lucy Foley

14/25- The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis

15/25- The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

16/25- Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

17/25- The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

 

[OKW8297]

56. Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple. Pretty good. It grew on me.

 

[Simba's Mom]

To the people who recommended "The Woman With the Blue Star" by Pam Jenoff (?) Thank You so much! I just finished it-an outstanding 5 star read.

 

[willowsnn3]

#44/60 The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan
Four women compete for a spot hosting a wartime cookery program called The Kitchen Front - based on the actual BBC program of the same name - as well as a chance to better their lives.
Two years into WW2, Britain is feeling her losses; the Nazis have won battles, the Blitz has destroyed cities, and U-boats have cut off the supply of food. In an effort to help housewives with food rationing, a BBC radio program called The Kitchen Front is putting on a cooking contest--and the grand prize is a job as the program's first-ever female co-host. For four very different women, winning the contest presents a crucial chance to change their lives.
For a young widow, it's a chance to pay off her husband's debts and keep a roof over her children's heads. For a kitchen maid, it's a chance to leave servitude and find freedom. For the lady of the manor, it's a chance to escape her wealthy husband's increasingly hostile behavior. And for a trained chef, it's a chance to challenge the men at the top of her profession.
These four women are giving the competition their all--even if that sometimes means bending the rules. But with so much at stake, will the contest that aims to bring the community together serve only to break it apart?

 

[melk]

To the people who recommended "The Woman With the Blue Star" by Pam Jenoff (?) Thank You so much! I just finished it-an outstanding 5 star read.

I would say that was one of my favorites this year.

 

[bobbiwoz]

20/50--Daisy Jones and the Six. I'm a huge rock n roll fan and play in a band so this "mockumentary" style novel was right up my alley. The story of a '70s era rock band told as if it were the best VH1 "Behind the Music" you've ever seen. I think it was a pretty accurate portrayal of being in a band. It was also a love story. I wish I had saved this one for the beach!

21/50--The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. Wow. An amazing story of a family in the 1930s Dustbowl. So engaging, such great characters that include super strong women! My wife compared it to the Grapes of Wrath (which is my all time favorite) and I think there are similarities but this one is certainly more tender and if you want to compare it to Steinbeck it seems more like East of Eden to me.

I finished Four Winds by Kristen Hannah and felt drained, sober, and I definitely compared it to Grapes of Wrath in its intensity. It’s an amazing story and a time that should always be remembered so as not to be duplicated. Company stores and their inhumane treatment of workers, families in the guise of being generous are still around, under different circumstances, perhaps, but still here, I think.

52/50

 

[jen7233]

15/25
#14: Pat Conroy: Our Lifelong Friendship by Bernie Schein
#15: Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell

I pre-ordered the next Liane Moriarty book Apples Never Fall, waiting for it to come next week. I don't want to wait my library turn, or on the used how I usually do things. I don't usually get excited about upcoming books from anyone, but I am a fan of hers. I really hope it's worth the wait and pre-order. Nine Perfect Strangers I didn't care for, out of all her books.

 

[drwitz]

Wow. This was a very reading-ful week. Three more books to add to my completed list.

41. I Alone Can Fix It: Donald Trump's Catastrophic Last Year by Carol D. Leonnig and Philip Rucker

Again, no review of this book given its political bent. If you would like a candid assessment, reach out to me by messenger.

42. Better to Have Gone: Love, Death and the Quest for Utopia in Auroville by Akash Kapur

This was a page turner. I had never heard of Auroville which is a utopian community created in India. This non-fiction memoir, history, and work of investigatory journalism tells the story of Diane and John, the author's in-laws, who were part of the creation of Auroville and also died as victims of its utopian ideal. The author himself grew up in the community and the book describes the history of its formation, the subsequent "civil war" between the hippies who settled there and the autocrats who managed the community, and he and his wife's return to the community. I heard the author interviewed on "Fresh Air" and wanted to read the book as a result of the interview. I am glad I did!

43. The Devil, the Lovers, and Me: My Life in Tarot by Kimberlee Auerbach

Also part-memoir, this non-fiction work tells the story of a Tarot reading which led the author to a transformative journey of self-exploration and growth. This is a fun introduction to the Major Arcana told through an entertaining mix of personal vignettes. Fun, quick and easy read.

And I have continued my exploration of Tarot and the Mysteries. For those who think Tarot is some kind of dark art, it isn't... I love the beauty of the cards and the difference in artists' depiction of them. While I am a scientifically rational person, I also appreciate the mystery and esoteric nature of the Tarot. Just as I can hold in my head scientifically that both G-d created the world in 6 days and also that it took millions of years for the Earth to emerge from the cosmos, I can be in touch with the artistic and creative side of myself through Tarot and still be a rational and scientific person.

I offer this comment as a prelude to my recent reading which may strike some of you as particularly new-agey. It is an explanation, not an apology...

44. Around the Tarot in 78 Days: A Personal Journey through the Cards by Marcus Katz and Tali Goodwin

This book is more like a workbook for a class which I feel the author's never really offer. There is some interesting stuff here, but the style and format of the text did not appeal to me. It says it is an introductory book, but I think you would need a deep understanding of Tarot before tackling this, and even then some of the text is off-putting. Also the order of the cards in the text don't really make sense - they mix minor and major cards together without a great rationale. Interesting to flip through, but not nearly as good as my next read.

45. Tarot Wisdom: Spiritual Teachings and Deeper Meanings by Rachel Pollack

Rachel Pollack is an master of Tarot explanation and thinking, and her work and mastery show here. To this point, I have recommended her book Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom as the seminal book for someone first learning Tarot; now I will have to change that recommendation. Everything that the last book I read above isn't, this book is. Approachable, understandable, well organized, and clear, this book is a wonderful companion for anyone starting their Tarot journey, and for anyone looking to learn more with some passages that call for contemplation and return reading.

46. The Secret Teachings of All Ages: An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic, and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy by Manly P. Hall

So to be fair, I am about halfway through (don't worry I will finish) but it seemed to fit with the others above, so I am including it now. This is an old text (originally written in 1928) but reads well even today. This is a dense book (the version I have is more than 700 pages long) and is a thorough review of mystic systems and Mysteries. Manly was a member of the Masonic system and founded the Philosophical Research Society. For those interested in mystical systems going back to Egyptian and Greek and spanning through modern times, this is a treasure trove.

 

[willowsnn3]

#45/60 Before She Was Helen by Caroline B. Cooney
Her life didn't turn out the way she expected ― so she made herself a new one
When Clemmie goes next door to check on her difficult and unlikeable neighbor Dom, he isn't there. But something else is. Something stunning, beautiful and inexplicable. Clemmie photographs the wondrous object on her cell phone and makes the irrevocable error of forwarding it. As the picture swirls over the internet, Clemmie tries desperately to keep a grip on her own personal network of secrets. Can fifty years of careful hiding under names not her own be ruined by one careless picture?
And although what Clemmie finds is a work of art, what the police find is a body. . . in a place where Clemmie wasn't supposed to be, and where she left her fingerprints. Suddenly, the bland, quiet life Clemmie has built for herself in her sleepy South Carolina retirement community comes crashing down as her dark past surges into the present.

I really enjoyed this one.

 

[tiggrbaby]

August:
#60/90: When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain (4/5) (suspense)

Anna Hart is a missing persons detective. When she suffers a personal tragedy, she flees to the village where she was raised by her foster parents. A local girl goes missing, which brings up memories of the disappearance and murder of another local girl years ago. Anna becomes obsessed with locating this new girl.

#61/90: A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena (1/5) (suspense)

Karen and Tom have a happy marriage. But one day, Karen is in a horrible car accident and she has amnesia. The police are suspicious that she is hiding something.

Honestly, I should have abandoned this book. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style or the characterizations.

#62/90: All the Little Hopes by Leah Weiss (4.5/5) (historical fiction/coming of age)

1943 North Carolina: Lucy lives on the farm with her family and dreams of adventure through the Nancy Drew books she reads. Bertie is sent away from her home in the mountains after a family tragedy, and ends up living with Lucy’s family. They navigate the war years and adolescence together.

#63/90: Falling by T. J. Newman (4/5) (thriller)

Bill Hoffman is a pilot who takes on an unexpected shift as a favor to his boss. But he did not know that he was chosen for a specific reason: he either has to purposely crash the plane, or his family will die.

#64/90: The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (4/5) (historical fiction)

Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J.P. Morgan to curate a collection for his new private library. But she has a secret that could ruin her ambitions: she is actually Belle Marion Greener, not of Portuguese heritage, but the daughter of the first Black graduate of Harvard.

#65/90: The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris (3.5/5) (thriller)

Nella is thrilled when Hazel comes to work at her publishing house - she will no longer be the only Black girl at work. But as Hazel’s star rises, Nella finds herself not only struggling, but as the recipient of threatening notes.

#66/90: Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara (4/5) (historical fiction/mystery)

Aki and her parents have just been released from a Japanese internment camp and are headed to Chicago to reunite with Aki’s older sister. But her sister is killed by a subway train before they are reunited. Although officials ruled the death a suicide, Aki works to uncover the truth.

 

[bobbiwoz]

20/30 - Hurricane Season by Lauren K. Denton

Description:
"Betsy and Ty Franklin, owners of Franklin Dairy Farm in southern Alabama, have long since buried their desire for children of their own. While Ty manages their herd of dairy cows, Betsy busies herself with the farm’s day-to-day operations and tries to forget her dream of motherhood. But when her free-spirited sister, Jenna, drops off her two young daughters for “just two weeks,” Betsy’s carefully constructed wall of self-protection begins to crumble.

As the two weeks stretch deeper into the Alabama summer, Betsy and Ty learn to navigate the new additions in their world—and revel in the laughter that now fills their home. Meanwhile, record temperatures promise to usher in the most active hurricane season in decades.

Attending an art retreat four hundred miles away, Jenna is fighting her own battles. She finally has time and energy to focus on her photography, a lifelong ambition. But she wonders how her rediscovered passion can fit in with the life she’s made back home as a single mom.

When Hurricane Ingrid aims a steady eye at the Alabama coast, Jenna must make a decision that will change her family’s future, even as Betsy and Ty try to protect their beloved farm and their hearts. Hurricane Season is the story of one family’s unconventional journey to healing—and the relationships that must be mended along the way."

This is another novel that I really liked!

I just finished it and really liked it too! Thanks for mentioning it!

53/50

 

[willowsnn3]

#46/60 No Way Out by Fern Michaels
Ellie Bowman barely remembers the incident that put her into a coma. When she awoke, filled with unease, all she knew for certain was that her boyfriend, Rick, was missing. She knew she needed to get away from her old life and recover in safety. With the proceeds of a video game she helped develop, Ellie starts over in rural Missouri, working from her cottage and trusting no one except her friend and business partner.
But when Ellie hears that Rick has resurfaced, her nightmares return, and with them, small snippets of memory. No one has heard from Rick since before the incident, so why is he back now? Ellie wants to move forward with her life, but first she must find the courage to look into her past, no matter what she finds there . . .

Pretty good. I enjoyed it altho the story was more about the neighborhood & the residents there than about what had happened to her.

 

[Shellsbutt]

18/25- The Midnight Library by Matt Haig- I really had high hopes for this book, it seems to be everywhere. It took months to get it from my local library. It was just "meh" for me. I had no idea going in what it was about, just that it was fiction. I'd read his previous book Reasons to Stay Alive and really liked it. I don't know, the premise was interesting but the book just didn't live up to it. Oh well, on to the next book.