Reading Challenge 2022

[Toolulu22]

I've got The Queen of Wind and Nightmares

Queen of Dreams and Snow.

Happy Birthday

 

[RangerPooh]

30/40 Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Book ?? of the Hannah Swenson series.

 

[tiggrbaby]

July:
#53/90: The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis (3/5) (historical fiction)

Lillian has been at loose ends since her mother died in the Spanish Flu epidemic. Her career of modeling for sculptures has dried up, and she is now wanted by the police. Ending up at the Frick mansion, she takes on the job of secretary to the demanding Helen Frick, heiress to the Frick fortune. Lillian is drawn into the lives of the family, and finds herself in danger.

Almost fifty years later, Veronica comes from Britain for a very important modeling job at the Frick Museum. When she loses that job, she and an intern come across messages that might lead to solving a long-ago mystery.

#54/90: Savage Run (Joe Pickett #2) by C. J. Box (4/5) (mystery)

Joe is called to the scene of a strange crime: an environmental activist, his bride, and cattle have been blown to bits. But Joe feels that the case has been closed too quickly. And why does a man claiming to be the dead environmentalist keep calling Joe’s wife?

#55/90: The Chalk Pit (Ruth Galloway # 9) by Elly Griffths (4/5) (mystery)

Bones unearthed from an underground tunnel turn out to not to be ancient, and Nelson has a murder to investigate. Judy has taken on the search for a rough sleeper reported missing. They say she has gone underground - but where? Two fellow rough sleepers who were interviewed have been found murdered, and a local mother goes missing. Ruth and Nelson must solve the mystery of the Underground before anyone else goes missing.

#56/90: A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson (3/5) (fiction)

In 1972, Clara’s teenage sister went missing. Her father pretends that all is well, and her mother goes along with it. Clara sits vigil to watch for her sister’s return, and watches the elderly neighbor’s cat while waiting for her to return from the hospital. But before the neighbor return, a mysterious man moves into the house.

#57/90: What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline (3/5) (suspense)

The Bennett family appeared to be the perfect family. But one night all that disappears when an attempted carjacking takes the life of their teenage daughter, and they are thrust into hiding.

#58/90: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (4.5/5) (science fiction)

Ryland Grace has woken up to find himself as the sole survivor on a ship out in space. As his memory slowly returns, he finds that he is the last hope for humanity to survive on Earth. Will he have to do it on his own?


#59/90: The Terminal List by Jack Carr (4/5) (thriller)

A Navy SEAL has nothing left to live for and everything to kill for after he finds out a government conspiracy resulted in the massacre of his team and the death of his family.

Enjoyed this more than I am enjoying the Amazon show.

 

[bobbiwoz]

42/50 An Irish Doctor in Peace and at War by Patrick Taylor. This was 4/5, I wasn’t as happy to read about war time activities!

 

[Caseheidi]

47/60 Kitty's House of Horror's (Kitty Norville Series #7) by Carrie Vaughn
In this fast-paced monster mash-up, creatures of the night face the fight of their lives when they square off against one another on TV's first all-supernatural reality show.
Talk radio host and werewolf Kitty Norville is expecting cheesy competitions and manufactured drama starring shapeshifters, vampires, and psychics when she signs on for TV's first all-supernatural reality show. But as soon as filming starts, violence erupts, and Kitty suspects that the show is a cover for a far more nefarious plot.
When the cameras stop rolling, cast members start dying, and Kitty realizes that she and her monster housemates are -- ironically -- the ultimate prize in a very different game. Stranded with no power, no phones, and no way to know who can be trusted, she must find a way to defeat the evil closing in . . . before it kills them all.

48/60 Kitty Goes to War (Kitty Norville Series #8) by Carrie Vaughn
Kitty Norville, Alpha werewolf and host of The Midnight Hour, a radio call-in show, is contacted by a friend at the NIH's Center for the Study of Paranatural Biology. Three Army soldiers recently returned from the war in Afghanistan are being held at Ft. Carson in Colorado Springs. They're killer werewolves and post traumatic stress has left them unable to control their shape-shifting and unable to interact with people. Kitty agrees to see them, hoping to help by bringing them into her pack.

Meanwhile, Kitty gets sued for libel by CEO Harold Franklin after featuring Speedy Mart — his nationwide chain of 24-hour convenience stores with a reputation for attracting supernatural unpleasantness — on her show.

Very bad weather is on the horizon.

49/60 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
I figure this one needs no description. I have been slowly reading the Harry Potter series with my daughter, and realized that we completed this a few months ago, since we are currently half way thru the next one. We tend to read a chapter when she cannot get to sleep, so these books can take months to get thru (hopefully, since if we get thru it quickly that means she is having really bad times getting to sleep!)

 

[evilmommie]

#15/20
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
4 stars out of 5 ****

The Book Woman is based on a time during the Great Depression when women were hired to deliver books and other reading materials to the remote areas in the Appalachia mountains. I had never heard of this WPA program from Roosevelt during the Great Depression and this sparked further investigation into the actual history on the topic.

The story gives a clear picture into the struggles of coal mining communities and the casual racism that lumped all people who weren’t white into the same bucket of the feared and despised.

The book kept my attention for the most part. I felt the ending was rushed and that there were too many story lines crammed into the book. It would have been more satisfactory for me if there had been fewer characters and more depth to the stories of Henry, Angeline and others who we barely got to know.

 

[MGMmjl]

18/30 - Night Light by Terri Blackstock

Description:
"Survival has become a lifestyle, and technology is a thing of the past as the Branning family learns that the power outage is worldwide. Everyone is desperate.

When two young thieves break into the Brannings’ home and clean out the food in their pantry, Jeff Branning tracks them to a filthy apartment and discovers a family of children living alone, stealing to stay alive. Where is their mother? The search for answers uncovers a trail of desperation and murder . . . and for the Brannings, a powerful new purpose that can transform their entire community—and above all, themselves. But how will they do what’s right when so much is going wrong?"

This is book #2 in Blackstock's Restoration series. I am really enjoying the series so far, and look forward to reading the final 2 books in the series.

 

[drwitz]

Three more Stephen King books (which brings me up to 2007 in his massive literary oeuvre.

67. Lisey's Story by Stephen King

Lisey is the widow of the famous writer Scott Landon. While she is hounded by his death, she is also plagued by so called "inculcs" who want access to his papers and unpublished manuscripts. As she quite literally battles a psychopathic fan who wants to punish her for not giving away his papers, she is also remembering parts of the history of her marriage that lie "behind the purple", and she is following along on a "bool" (treasure hunt) left behind for her by her deceased husband. Part romance story, part horror novel, this is a beautiful book which will fully engross you in its story as you discover along with Lisey what she has tried to forget. This novel will take you quite literally to other worlds. Trigger warning for self-harm and cutting behaviors.

68. The Secretary of Dreams: Volume 1 by Stephen King with illustrations by Glenn Chadbourne

This is a book of King's I thought I would never have, and then a dear friend surprised me recently with both this and volume 2. This was quite a gift (and very hard to find now). Only 5,000 were produced in a limited slipcase edition, and I am so grateful to have a copy. This oversized collection of six King short stories alternates between lavishly illustrated short stories, and retellings in graphic novel form. The illustrations are stunning (and creepy), and are all black and white. The stories can be read in other collections, but being able to see Glenn's illuminations of King's words is truly powerful. A treat if you can get your hands on a copy!

69. Blaze by Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman)

Another quick read by King, this is what King refers to as a trunk novel (meaning that he wrote it, and stuck it in the trunk and let it sit there for some time). The original version of this novel was written when King was much younger and he thought he would never publish it, but he came back to the story in later years and found that he liked it and did want to share it. I'm glad he did! The novel tells the story of Clayton Blaisdell, Jr., a hapless (and hopeless) victim of circumstances, and his plan to kidnap the child of a wealthy couple. The story is told in flashbacks and events happening in the present, and it does a truly amazing job of presenting an antagonist you care about (or is he a protagonist just doing bad things?). A quick read, and an amazingly fresh story. Worth a read!

I'm taking a short break from Stephen King to read some library books, but I am excited to say I only have 15 more years to go to complete my Stephen King re-read.

And now for the first of the library books:

70. Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America's Empire by Jonathan M. Katz

So anytime I can read a non-fiction biography about a man with the first name of Smedley, count me in (lol). Actually, I picked this one up because I was interested in reading the sections of the book on Panama (which is where I was born - in the Canal Zone), but this book gave me so much more. This is a biography of Smedley Butler, a famous marine I admit I had never heard of. His travels around the world in service to America's imperial hunger (to China, to Haiti, to Cuba, to Panama, to the Philippines) make for a fascinating read. And even more interesting is the way the author connects Smedley's journeys and deeds (some nefarious) to the current state of affairs in each place Smedley touched. The author intersperses his own modern-day travel to these places and provides a modern reflection on the state of affairs brought about by America's role in the country. An important book that tells more than one man's story, but yet what an interesting story it was.

71. Stranger than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer

Chris Colfer played Kurt on the tv show "Glee". And this book puts all of his knowledge of Hollywood and tv actors into great service to his story. The novel (written for YA) is about a group of friends who are graduating high school and taking a cross-country road trip. On a lark, one of them invites the star of their favorite TV show - Cash Carter from Wiz Kids - to join them, and when he does lots of hijinks ensue. Who's keeping secrets from who? Why is Cash so unlike his likable character on screen? And what are these best friends not telling each other? Lots of life lessons, and some bad behavior. This is an LGBT-friendly, realistic view of teen life, so parents beware. It really wasn't written for us anyway. But if you can let that go, it is a fast and very entertaining book. It may also leave you emotionally moved.

72. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Just when you thought it was safe to go beyond The Hunger Games... This prequel of a sort tells the story of a young Coriolanus Snow (who is President Snow in the first book) and his journey from high school student to adult. The action takes place during the 10th Hunger Games when even the concept is still evolving and new, and the memories of the rebellion and war are fresh in everyone's minds. The novel takes us through Coriolanus' role as one of the first mentors for the tributes, and into the world beyond the Capitol. If you are a fan of the series it is definitely worth a read. It can even be read as a stand-alone from the series. Looking forward to the movie version of this one!

 

[bobbiwoz]

#30/50 Wish You Well by David Baldacci
Precocious twelve-year-old Louisa Mae Cardinal lives in the hectic New York City of 1940 with her family. Then tragedy strikes -- and Lou and her younger brother, Oz, must go with their invalid mother to live on their great-grandmother's farm in the Virginia mountains. Suddenly Lou finds herself coming of age in a new landscape, making her first true friend, and experiencing adventures tragic, comic, and audacious. But the forces of greed and justice are about to clash over her new home...and as their struggle is played out in a crowded Virginia courtroom, it will determine the future of two children, an entire town, and the mountains they love.

One of the best I've read so far this year.

I read this about 2 years ago on a patient's recommendation (how I get most of my book recommendations until I found this thread, lol) I agree great book, likable characters. easy read

I want to thank you and everyone else who mentioned and recommended this book. Definitely 5/5 and good enough to recommend to all friends who read! 43/50

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Happy National Book Lovers Day everyone!

 

[evilmommie]

#16/20 Verity by Colleen Hoover
4 stars out 5 ️️️️

I’m not even sure what to say about this book. My friends that love to read have all read it and wanted me to pick it up, so we all could have a discussion. I’m giving it 4 stars as it kept my attention BUT it was very disturbing plot. I also thought there were all kinds of holes in the story. Is horror romance a genre? Because this one fits the bill. Also, if child abuse triggers you…(and who wouldn’t be triggered by that??) stay away from this book.

 

[bobbiwoz]

44/50 An Irish Doctor in Love and at Sea by Patrick Taylor
4.5/5 I enjoyed the description of the very short marriage of the principal character during the early part of WWII.

 

[willowsnn3]

#32/50 The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
This is the story of a serial killer. A stolen child. Revenge. Death. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street.
All these things are true. And yet they are all lies...
In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, lies something buried. But it's not what you think...

This one got very good reviews on Goodreads but......it is a big no from me. Could easily be the worst book I have read all year.

 

[willowsnn3]

#16/20 Verity by Colleen Hoover
4 stars out 5 ️️️️

I’m not even sure what to say about this book. My friends that love to read have all read it and wanted me to pick it up, so we all could have a discussion. I’m giving it 4 stars as it kept my attention BUT it was very disturbing plot. I also thought there were all kinds of holes in the story. Is horror romance a genre? Because this one fits the bill. Also, if child abuse triggers you…(and who wouldn’t be triggered by that??) stay away from this book.

I keep seeing good reviews for this one but something keeps me from trying it.

 

[melk]

21/35 Sisters Behaving Badly by Maddie Please

Sisters Kitty and Jenny haven’t spoken since they had a horrible fight. But when their aunt leaves them her home in France the sisters come together to renovate their inheritance before they sell it.

This was a delightful book. Nothing heavy, but a light enjoyable read.

 

[MGMmjl]

19/30 - The Sacred Bridge by Anne Hillerman

Description:
"Sergeant Jim Chee's vacation to beautiful Antelope Canyon and Lake Powell has a deeper purpose. He's on a quest to unravel a sacred mystery his mentor, the Legendary Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, stumbled across decades earlier.

Chee's journey takes a deadly turn when, after a prayerful visit to the sacred Rainbow Bridge, he spots a body floating in the lake. The dead man, a Navajo with a passion for the canyon's ancient rock art, lived a life filled with many secrets. Discovering why he died and who was responsible involves Chee in an investigation that puts his own life at risk.

Back in Shiprock, Officer Bernadette Manuelito is driving home when she witnesses an expensive sedan purposely kill a hitchhiker. The search to find the killer leads her to uncover a dangerous chain of interconnected revelations involving a Navajo Nation cannabis enterprise.

But the evil that is unleashed jeopardizes her mother and sister Darleen, and puts Bernie in the deadliest situation of her law enforcement career."

This is the 25th novel in the Leaphorn, Chee, and (now) Manuelito series started by Tony Hillerman, and the 7th novel Anne Hillerman has written since she took over the series after her father's death. I really liked the story! There were a few typos in the text that distracted me a bit, but overall, it was another great read.

 

[mrs. magoo]

20/30 The Secret Orphan by Glynis Peters. Another pick up from a little free library. I had high hopes but was once again disappointed. I wanted to know about the young girls parents and their spying role.

21/30 Bag of Bones by Stephen King - I reread this book as I really like it and find it to be a different type of King kinda a mixture of scary and time travel like.

22/30 Meridon by Phillipa Gregory - The second book in the Wideacre Trilogy. I thought that Beatrice was truly one of the most unlikeable characters in literature history. I mean she make Scarlett O Hara look like a school girl but her daughter Julia is such a wimp. Seriously the girl could have put an end to all her misery if she had just spoken up about her bully of a cousin(brother).

 

[bobbiwoz]

#15/20
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
4 stars out of 5 ****

The Book Woman is based on a time during the Great Depression when women were hired to deliver books and other reading materials to the remote areas in the Appalachia mountains. I had never heard of this WPA program from Roosevelt during the Great Depression and this sparked further investigation into the actual history on the topic.

The story gives a clear picture into the struggles of coal mining communities and the casual racism that lumped all people who weren’t white into the same bucket of the feared and despised.

The book kept my attention for the most part. I felt the ending was rushed and that there were too many story lines crammed into the book. It would have been more satisfactory for me if there had been fewer characters and more depth to the stories of Henry, Angeline and others who we barely got to know.

Am reading the sequel which can stand alone. So far I am enjoying it a lot!

 

[bobbiwoz]

45/50. The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson. I enjoyed it a lot. Glad it was mentioned here. I hadn’t realized there was a stand along sequel. 5/5

 

[Nora03]

This thread is such a good resource. I started the year thinking I would read about ten books, but so far I’ve read 35, many of them recommended here. I’m so lucky to have the time (retired) to read and craft as much as I want. And to be able to download library books at any time. Thanks OP for starting this thread and for posters who recommended books.