Reading Challenge 2022

[bobbiwoz]

I try to wait for chapter or page breaks but 2nd or 3rd time I doze off & the book smacks me in the face then I have to stop where I am.
View attachment 667707

I stop where I am.

 

[OKW8297]

9. An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor. First in a series. Very enjoyable.

 

[aboveH20]

Catching up!

19/75 The Beantown Girls by Jane Healey. Three friends who join the Red Cross Clubmobile program and are sent to England and then the continent after DDay. Enjoyable read, but not great, IMO.

20/75 A Family Affair by Robyn Carr. Just okay

21/75 Sunrise by the Sea by Jenny Colgan. Part of the Little Beach Street Bakery series. Set in a small Cornish seaside village. I love her books and this did not disappoint.

22/75 Disney World at 50: The Stories of How Walt's Kingdom Became Magical in Orlando by Orlando Sentinel. History of WDW from articles by the Orlando Sentinel. Okay read, great photos.

23/75 Looking for Betty MacDonald: The Egg. the Plague, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, and I by Paula Becker. Biography of Northwest author Betty MacDonald. For fans of her works. Ms Becker had full access to Betty's archives and this bio shows the story behind the memoirs and the differences between her literary persona and the real Betty MacDonald. Really enjoyed it.

24/75 Audrey Hepburn by Barry Paris. Very detailed portrait of the actress - especially her youth in Holland during WW2 and her work with UNICEF.

25/75 The Late Child by Larry McMurtry. Sequel to The Desert Rose. Harmony is an ex-showgirl from Vegas who comes to terms with her estranged daughter's death. Full of typical McMurtry's quirky characters, adventures, and life's discoveries. Liked it a lot.

26/75 Hour of the Hunter by J.A. Jance. One of her earlier suspenseful novels, set in Southern Arizona and involving the murder of a young Native American girl. Fast forward to when the murderer is released from prison. He continues his murders and is out for revenge on the woman who put him behind bars. This was great - I love her books!

I used to LOVE reading Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books. That's a trip down memory lane!

22/50 It’s Better This Way by Debbie Macomber
After her marriage ends, one woman’s struggle to pick up the pieces finally leads to a new beginning-but is the past truly behind her?

4/5. It was an easy read, and I understand things like this do happen.

It's Better This Way is the second Debbie Macomber book I've tired. I know she's a hugely popular author but it just seemed a bit too predictable to me. Glad you enjoyed it. As we always say, everyone has different tastes.

 

[threeboysmom]

I try to wait for chapter or page breaks but 2nd or 3rd time I doze off & the book smacks me in the face then I have to stop where I am.
View attachment 667707

Always such a dilemma!! I try to stop at chapters, but if my Kindle is telling me I still have 12 min left to chapter, I regretfully have to stop. I at least try to finish the paragraph though!

 

[RUDisney]

12/25 - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

I haven't read this in years and years. It was a fun escape for me to reread this.

 

[Allison Joy]

7/20 -- Somebody's Someone by Regina Louise -- I found out about this book because as I was channel surfing a couple weeks ago, I found this movie that seemed really good... I came in in the middle of it, but could figure out what was happening immediately. The description of the movie on the guide made it seem like it was based on a true story (it didn't explicitly say that), and so I started wondering if there was a book. There is. It's an autobiography about her life, after being abandoned by her mom, not knowing her dad (initially), and being left with her sister in an unauthorized "foster home." She is abused, and eventually runs away. She first stays with her father, then a couple friends, but eventually goes to the police station and is placed in a shelter. At the shelter she develops a close, mother-like bond with one of the workers, and it goes both ways. The worker is told she cannot adopt Regina because Regina is black and needs to be placed with a black family. There is also a second book, which I hope picks up where this ones leaves off. But my library doesn't have the second one.

My next read is going to be a re-read of Ender's Game. Ender's Game is one of my all-time favorite books, and it just might be the book I've read the most times cover to cover, save for picture books when I was a kid.

As far as the question about when I stop reading, I try to stop at chapter breaks. But I read at night, and a lot of times I want to read more than one chapter, then look at the clock and decide I really can't finish the next chapter. So I try to find a natural(ish) break.

 

[bobbiwoz]

24/50 almost half way!

Tutti’s Promise by K. Heidi Fishman

In the early 1930’s, life for the Jews is on the brink of ruin: Hitler has come to power, and the golden memories of happy times are fading fast.

One young couple, Margaret and Heinz Lichtenstern, decide to leave Germany with their parents and their daughter, Tutti. They move to Amsterdam, where Heinz is able to continue his work. Two years later, Tutti’s brother is born, and the family is prospering. Then Germany invades the Netherlands.

This is the true story of what the Lichtensterns endured under the Nazis. Told by Tutti’s daughter, Heidi, and filled with historical documents and photos, it vividly recreates how one family conquered fear and heartbreak to survive.

For years Tutti went around elementary schools telling her story at assemblies. Then her daughter wrote this book.

4.5/5

 

[MGMmjl]

12/30 - Winterkill by C. J. Box

Description:
"It's an hour away from darkness, a bitter winter storm is raging, and Joe Pickett is deep in the forest edging Battle Mountain, shotgun in his left hand, his truck's detached steering wheel handcuffed to his right—and Lamar Gardiner's arrow-riddled corpse splayed against the tree in front of him. Lamar's murder and the sudden onslaught of the snowstorm warn: Get off the mountain. But Joe knows this episode is far from over. And when his own daughter gets caught up in his hunt for the killer, Joe will stop at nothing to get her back..."

This is book #3 in Box's Joe Pickett series. I have enjoyed all the books in the series so far, and this was another good one. I look forward to continuing the series in the future (I think 22 books have been written so far.)

 

[aboveH20]

24/50 almost half way!

Tutti’s Promise by K. Heidi Fishman

In the early 1930’s, life for the Jews is on the brink of ruin: Hitler has come to power, and the golden memories of happy times are fading fast.

One young couple, Margaret and Heinz Lichtenstern, decide to leave Germany with their parents and their daughter, Tutti. They move to Amsterdam, where Heinz is able to continue his work. Two years later, Tutti’s brother is born, and the family is prospering. Then Germany invades the Netherlands.

This is the true story of what the Lichtensterns endured under the Nazis. Told by Tutti’s daughter, Heidi, and filled with historical documents and photos, it vividly recreates how one family conquered fear and heartbreak to survive.

For years Tutti went around elementary schools telling her story at assemblies. Then her daughter wrote this book.

4.5/5

First, thanks for "liking" my post when I said I didn't care for Debbie Macomber. I wanted to add my 2¢ and hoped my remarks didn't seem uncalled for.

That being said I'll check out Tutti's Promise. We toured Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam a couple years ago and that sent me on a HUGE WW2 reading spree. Hard to believe the Holocaust occurred so recently, and I appreciate all the books which approach it from so many different angles.

 

[willowsnn3]

First, thanks for "liking" my post when I said I didn't care for Debbie Macomber. I wanted to add my 2¢ and hoped my remarks didn't seem uncalled for.

Everyone has different opinions on different authors so we shouldn't be offended by different opinions. I personally don't care for Louise Penney or Jodi Picoult altho they are big favorites of others. I don't think I have ever read any of Debbie Macomber's books altho I know she is a favorite author of many. Life is too short, lol.

 

[willowsnn3]

#19/50 The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
Missing teenage mother & her boyfriend. Clues turn up a couple years later.
Just ok to me.

#20/50 Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas
Another missing teenage girl. Clues turn up many years later.
Again, just ok to me. Way too wordy but I did want to know how it ended so I toughed it out.

 

[bobbiwoz]

First, thanks for "liking" my post when I said I didn't care for Debbie Macomber. I wanted to add my 2¢ and hoped my remarks didn't seem uncalled for.

That being said I'll check out Tutti's Promise. We toured Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam a couple years ago and that sent me on a HUGE WW2 reading spree. Hard to believe the Holocaust occurred so recently, and I appreciate all the books which approach it from so many different angles.

Debbie Macomber wrote a book, don’t remember it’s name, but it was set in the times I was in high school, college and got married in, the 1960’s. Her book had every cliché about that era, but it did not represent me or my friends. I wrote a letter complaining about that representation. Well, in return I got a “thank you for your thoughts” reply and I was put on her “Fan club” e-mail newsletter!

Yet, for some light reads, I do check her out!

We toured Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam as well! One of the books I read told the story of another family who actually met the Franks in the concentration camps. ”The Sisters of Auschwitz“ is that book.

The age recommendation for Tutti’s Promise is 10+. It’s basically Tutti’s daughter’s version of the talks Tutti had prepared for elementary school children. I hadn’t known that when I had asked for the book. However, I learned a lot from the book and never felt I was wasting my time by reading something elementary.

 

[drwitz]

And on we go...

52. Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales by Stephen King

Another collection of short stories by King, including the novella "The Little Sisters of Eluria" which is a story from the Dark Tower universe. This book also contains 5 of the 6 stories originally featured in Six Stories (which is one of the Stephen King books I don't have, and would love if anyone is offering). A masterful collection, the stories are a hodgepodge of horror, dark fantasy, western, and Americana. I adore King (as you know by now) and love sinking my teeth (hah) into a full novel; sometimes the lighter fare of short stories can be kind of like a tapas meal (filling but leaving you wanting more).

53. From a Buick 8 by Stephen King

This is... a weird one. And weird in a good way. The story of a Buick abandoned in a rural Pennsylvania community and the state police who take over custody of it, the tale is part the retelling of a father's story to his son (by his living colleagues), part a tale of mystery and alien forces, and part an exploration of the supernatural. Is this story connected to the Dark Tower series and part of the King metaverse? Maybe. It certainly is weird though... And I loved it.

54. All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

Another banned book from our local school district, this is a memoir-manifesto about growing up Black and Queer. Johnson shares his young adult story in a brave and moving way. I thoroughly enjoyed his stories, and completely disagree with banning the book. The only possible content that may cause concern is his sharing his first experience of sex (and the abuse he faced), as well as his first consensual experiences as an adult. I have read more and worse in the Bible, let alone in romance novels or other so-called classic literature. This was certainly a book which offered a window for me into a subculture I would not have been able to explore on my own, and I appreciated the honesty, care and love the book expresses. Definitely worth a read (and a fight to keep available to students who deserve to see a book that reflects their lived experience).

Here's the next set - 1 YA, 1 non-fiction, and 1 piece of amazing literature.

55. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Another in the series of books recently banned by a local school district, this one tells the story of Greg Gaines in his senior year in high school. Greg is a secret film maker (along with his friend Earl) and the story follows Greg's trials and tribulations through his last year in high school. It was odd, and somewhat entertaining, but not a book a will return to read again. I don't agree with banning this, and I really don't see why anyone would want it banned from high school The narrator is very much a Holden Caulfield style emotionally distant character whose interactions with the "dying girl" challange and change him.

56. This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America's Future by Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns

As is usual with my listing of overtly political books, I will only post the name and title here. If you want to discuss the book or hear my assessment of it, please feel free to message me privately.

57. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

Wow! This is a supremely well-written and researched story which is also a page-turner. The novel tells the (fictionalized) story of the (very real) Sarajevo Haggadah and goes back in time to document its creation (in Spain) and its journey through Europe to Sarajavo. A Haggadah is a prayer book used for the ritual observance of Passover, featuring prayers and blessings to be said during the festival. The Sarajevo Haggadah is unusual as it is illuminated in a medieval style. Books tells the story of the Haggadah, its creation, its preservation, and its journey, in a moving and rich way. She takes us back in time and introduces us to characters who are truly people of this book. A wonderful and worthwhile read!

 

[melk]

13/35 Clear My Name by Paula Daly

Tess works for Innocence UK, a charity that works on behalf of the wrongfully convicted. They take on the case of Carrie, convicted of killing her husband’s lover, and in the process Tess finds she has to confront her own past.

A solid mystery, kept me wondering up until the end.

 

[aboveH20]

Debbie Macomber wrote a book, don’t remember it’s name, but it was set in the times I was in high school, college and got married in, the 1960’s. Her book had every cliché about that era, but it did not represent me or my friends. I wrote a letter complaining about that representation. Well, in return I got a “thank you for your thoughts” reply and I was put on her “Fan club” e-mail newsletter!

Yet, for some light reads, I do check her out!

We toured Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam as well! One of the books I read told the story of another family who actually met the Franks in the concentration camps. ”The Sisters of Auschwitz“ is that book.

The age recommendation for Tutti’s Promise is 10+. It’s basically Tutti’s daughter’s version of the talks Tutti had prepared for elementary school children. I hadn’t known that when I had asked for the book. However, I learned a lot from the book and never felt I was wasting my time by reading something elementary.

After reading my first John Grisham book I wrote him what I thought was an interesting letter, not expecting to hear back, but of course hoping I would. And I haven’t.

The Sisters of Auschwitz sounds familiar. Just this year I finally starting keeping tracks of books I’ve read because my memory ain’t what it used to be and some of the WW2 books were starting to blend together.

I recently started reading bios of Angela Merkel and Edward VII — two very interesting people, but not 600+ pages interesting. I thought I’d like to look for young adult bios of them.

 

[virge]

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
"In horror movies, the final girls are the ones left standing when the credits roll. They made it through the worst night of their lives…but what happens after?"
I have enjoyed all of Grady Hendrix’s books. They’re a great mash up of social commentary, humor, and horror. This book didn’t disappoint.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
A “novel about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white.”
Great read.

Sleeping Beauties by Owen King & Stephen King
“What might happen if women disappeared from the world of men?”
This collaboration between Stephen King and his son, Owen, felt somewhat like old-school Stephen King. It wasn’t the best Stephen King book, but it was better than a lot of books by other authors.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
“Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, the family drama that ensues will change their lives will change forever.”
This is the 3rd book I’ve read by this author. I enjoyed this one more than Daisy Jones & the Six but not as much as The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

24/75

 

[virge]

Calypso by David Sedaris
“This is beach reading for people who detest beaches, required reading for those who loathe small talk and love a good tumor joke. Calypso is simultaneously Sedaris's darkest and warmest book yet—and it just might be his very best.”
I don’t remember if I’d ever read one of his books, but my mother-in-law enjoys his writing, so I decided to try it. It was a quick and enjoyable read. I’ve added some of his other books to my “to read” list.

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
“A twisting, haunting true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history”
A friend recommended this and I’m glad she did. I don’t think I would have picked it up on my own, but the story was very engaging I learned a lot about the Osage, the numerous murders of tribe members that were a result of how our government treated American Indians, and the formation of the FBI.

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
“A haunted house story - with a twist”
This is the 2nd book I’ve read by this author. It satisfied my desire for a horror novel, but I didn’t love it. I‘ll try the author again though.

27/75

 

[KevM]

The Sisters of Auschwitz sounds familiar. Just this year I finally starting keeping tracks of books I’ve read because my memory ain’t what it used to be and some of the WW2 books were starting to blend together.

The Sisters of Auschwitz is very good. It’s a newer book. First published in the Netherlands in 2018, the English translation only came out last August.

 

[bobbiwoz]

25/50. River of Time by Naomi Judd ( Written in 2016)

I really like the Judd’s music, and was shocked when she committed suicide recently. This book was written after a three year struggle/battle with Severe Treatment Resistant Depression and anxiety. Naomi persevered through frustrating and dangerous roller coaster effects with antidepressants and other drugs, often terrifying therapies and, at her lowest points, thoughts of suicide.

This book was a message of hope to anyone whose life has been scarred by trauma. Yet it wasn’t enough.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Update time-

19. "Grumpy Old Man" Tom Lyons, 4 stars. Light mystery with lots of quirky characters.

20. "Flying Angels", Danielle Steel, 3 stars. Historical Fiction about ambulance flights during WWII. Rather superficial.

21. "The Second Life of Mirelle West", Amanda Skenandore, 5 stars. A very interesting read about lepers and leprocy, based on life at the Carville, LA, leper home. I still find myself googling info on it.

22. "Into the Forest" Rebecca Frankel, 3 stars. Although this was an interesting story, factual, of a family escaping and surviving during WWII, the way it was written was too dry for me, just not my style.

23. "Enough Already", Valerie Bertinelli, 2 stars. If you want to know all about Valerie Bertinelli and her relationship with Eddie Van Halen, you'll probably rank this much higher. But if you want to know about her life, her time on "One Day at a Time", BOTH her marriages, her time on the "Food Network", she'll be lucky to get 2 stars. I was is disappointed.