Reading Challenge 2022

[drwitz]

I'm going to jump in for another year.

So glad you are back, JayMass, as I was going to tag you in this post anyway! You'll see why in a minute.

As I start out with my 2022 reading list, I wanted to try to resume my re-read of Stephen King's complete work, so here we go (with some other things thrown in for good measure).

1. Insomnia by Stephen King

This book serves as a bridge between It and The Dark Tower series and is set in Derry (King's setting for many of his stories). The book begins as a treatise on aging, with our main character facing a bout of early waking that is plaguing him after the loss of his wife. Ralph is in his 70s, and his ruminations on aging and his condition drive the first 1/2 of the novel. Things get very interesting, though, towards the latter half and without revealing too much there is a significant relationship between this novel and the Dark Tower series. In fact, I might argue this novel is in some ways a prequel to the fantasy series (told you JayMass, I would get to something of interest for you!). Definitely entertaining, brought tears to my eyes, and a beautifully written book.

2. Give the Devil His Due: A Tarot Mystery by Steve Hockensmith with Lisa Falco

Book three of this entertaining series of novels. This is a quick read and once again features Alanis McLaughlin as our main character, the daughter of a deceased con artist mother who is trying to make things right, and through inheriting her mother's New Age / Tarot shop has been exposed to the Tarot (and is learning to appreciate what it teaches). Can't reveal too much about this third novel without saying more, but it was a worthy conclusion to the series.

3. Rose Madder by Stephen King

Rose Daniels is a victim of an abusive husband, and after long suffering, one day she gets the courage to take off. The novel tells her story, and the story of her husband (who is a cop) following her and trying to find her. Again there are references and call-outs to the Dark Tower series as well as some elements of fantasy thrown in (including some Greek myths). A page-turning read, and while some of the references are dated (you won't picture this set today; it clearly is of the early 90s), it still holds narrative power.

 

[drwitz]

Glad to have you aboard! No rules, we don't want it feel like an obligation to read/report. Just for enjoyment. I like to keep track of what I have read because I have on occasion started reading a book & thought, mmm this sounds familiar, & turns out I have already read it, lol.
Also love seeing what others have read & liked.

I agree! More than half the fun for me is reading what others say about books they have read.

I also notice everyone does this differently, but I tend to post every 3 or 4 books or so (depending on the length and my time). Any longer, and I tend to forget what I read, and I want to note my immediate reflection. I also tend to reply to my immediately previous message so at the end I can follow back through my thread by clicking on the header in each message to catch the whole thread.

But you will find people do things their own way. I will say it is a very welcoming group. I have tried (when I have read partisan political pieces) not to offer my opinion on the book, but rather to invite people to message me if they want, but I have listed them so that I get "credit" for them.

Welcome, and great to have you joining us!

 

[threeboysmom]

View attachment 637042

Oops! Guess I’m guilty of doublebooking!
Set aside Gentleman in Moscow briefly to read FantasticLand while on vacation at Disney because the book is about cast members trapped in a theme park in central FL which then turns into a fighting/killing spree.

Cool to read a story set inside a theme park while at a theme park! I’ll pick up Gentleman again when I’ve finished.

 

[willowsnn3]

Oops! Guess I’m guilty of doublebooking!
Set aside Gentleman in Moscow briefly to read FantasticLand while on vacation at Disney because the book is about cast members trapped in a theme park in central FL which then turns into a fighting/killing spree.

Cool to read a story set inside a theme park while at a theme park! I’ll pick up Gentleman again when I’ve finished.

I have been known to triple book before, lol. Now I have to read FantasticLand!
Edited to add: Went directly to library webpage to place hold. Apparently there is only one copy in the entire library system for Georgia, lol. I did put it on hold but the library it is at is a good 100 miles from me.....

 

[drwitz]

I have been known to triple book before, lol. Now I have to read FantasticLand!
Edited to add: Went directly to library webpage to place hold. Apparently there is only one copy in the entire library system for Georgia, lol. I did put it on hold but the library it is at is a good 100 miles from me.....

And same here. I went to the Orange County Library System (here in Orlando) where you would think they would surely have it, and no luck. Guess I will be adding it to my book purchase request.

 

[threeboysmom]

I have been known to triple book before, lol. Now I have to read FantasticLand!
Edited to add: Went directly to library webpage to place hold. Apparently there is only one copy in the entire library system for Georgia, lol. I did put it on hold but the library it is at is a good 100 miles from me.....

And same here. I went to the Orange County Library System (here in Orlando) where you would think they would surely have it, and no luck. Guess I will be adding it to my book purchase request.

I ended up having to buy the book (ebook) - couldn't get it at my library or through Overdrive. Apparently, it's not popular.

I'm only about halfway through - not sure why I was thinking I'd have time to read while staying at DISNEY

 

[virge]

I’m going to set a goal of reading 75 books during 2022.

Survive the Night by Riley Sager (suspense/thriller)
“It’s November 1991. Nirvana's in the tape deck, George H. W. Bush is in the White House, and movie-obsessed college student Charlie Jordan is in a car with a man who might be a serial killer.”
While I enjoyed the last quarter of the book, overall I did not enjoy it. I‘m tired of books with an unreliable female narrator.

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander (young adult)
“Fourteen-year-old twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan wrestle with highs and lows on and off the court as their father ignores his declining health.”
This has been on my “to read” list for a few years. I enjoyed it and loved the poetry format.

Cruel Paradise (Beautifully Cruel Book 2) by J.T. Geissinger (romance)
Bloody Heart: A Second Chance Mafia Romance (Brutal Birthright Book 4) by Sophie Lark (romance)
Both were fast and easy reads from series I’d previously started.

4/75

 

[Simba's Mom]

Just found this thread. Love this. Put me in for 56 books. I think that's the same number as last year.

 

[Walt's Dream]

2/75 House of Gucci by Sara Gay Forden
Boy howdy, talk about the living embodiment of a soap opera! The Gucci family and company had it all. Scandal. greed, corruption, murder...you name it. I did not know about all this mayhem, so it was a very entertaining read. Well researched and written. Am now looking forward to seeing the movie, which has been nominated for several SAG Awards. The Afterword catches one up on events after the book was written.

 

[hollydolls]

1. The Vampire Diaries: The Fury by LJ Smith
2. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander (JK Rowling)

This was a fun little faux textbook with details about many of the creatures in the Wizarding World.

 

[willowsnn3]

Just found this thread. Love this. Put me in for 56 books. I think that's the same number as last year.

Glad you found us!

 

[Simba's Mom]

I'm already back with my first update-
1. "Apples Never Fall"-L.Moriarity-3/5-I know lots of people here loved it, but for me it was just OK. It started VERY slowly, I thought, but I admit I like a book to grab you right at the start. Then the ending was a little odd. But most of the book was enjoyable, and I liked the split time chapters.

2. "The Vineyard at Painted Moon"-S,Mallery-3/5. I used to really enjoy this author, but I thought everything about this book was just too predictable. Yes, I enjoyed reading it, but I just didn't like how predictable it was.

3. "The Wish"-N.Sparks-4/5. Sad, but mostly interesting.

 

[RangerPooh]

3/10 Catching Fireflies by Sherryl Woods. #9 in the Sweet Magnolia series

There were new characters introduced which was nice. I also enjoyed the premise of the book which dealt with bullying and the toll it can take on youth.

 

[threeboysmom]

1/45 - Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny ("real book" format)
This is number 6 in her Three Pines series. I am slowly making my way through her series since I had read that you *must* start at the beginning with her books. Books 1-5 were so-so in my opinion, but I really enjoyed this one so hopefully the rest in the series will be similar or even better!

2/45 - FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven (Kindle eBook)
I'm not sure what to make of this one. It certainly held my interest - I was never bored with it. And it was especially interesting to me since I read it while on a week-long Disney vacation. Book is about cast members being trapped in a theme park in central FL due to a hurricane. Situation very rapidly deteriorated into group segments and fighting/killing each other. A modern day Lord of the Flies? The only thing I didn't like was I don't think it was explained well why/how things quickly turned into killing. Perhaps similar to the Hunger Games where it was kill or be killed? But why? How did that even become a thing? Do not read if brain matter and entrails really bother you.

I plan on listing my formats since I tend to have several books going at once - always a "real" book, an eBook, and an audiobook. Sometimes even a classic and/or a non-fiction thrown into the mix too. As long as the books are different formats or different genres, I have no problem keeping them straight. I really find doing it this way helps me read more during a calendar year.

 

[threeboysmom]

Survive the Night by Riley Sager (suspense/thriller)
“It’s November 1991. Nirvana's in the tape deck, George H. W. Bush is in the White House, and movie-obsessed college student Charlie Jordan is in a car with a man who might be a serial killer.”
While I enjoyed the last quarter of the book, overall I did not enjoy it. I‘m tired of books with an unreliable female narrator.

I read this one last year. I agree. Wasn't his best book.

 

[drwitz]

So glad you are back, JayMass, as I was going to tag you in this post anyway! You'll see why in a minute.

As I start out with my 2022 reading list, I wanted to try to resume my re-read of Stephen King's complete work, so here we go (with some other things thrown in for good measure).

1. Insomnia by Stephen King

This book serves as a bridge between It and The Dark Tower series and is set in Derry (King's setting for many of his stories). The book begins as a treatise on aging, with our main character facing a bout of early waking that is plaguing him after the loss of his wife. Ralph is in his 70s, and his ruminations on aging and his condition drive the first 1/2 of the novel. Things get very interesting, though, towards the latter half and without revealing too much there is a significant relationship between this novel and the Dark Tower series. In fact, I might argue this novel is in some ways a prequel to the fantasy series (told you JayMass, I would get to something of interest for you!). Definitely entertaining, brought tears to my eyes, and a beautifully written book.

2. Give the Devil His Due: A Tarot Mystery by Steve Hockensmith with Lisa Falco

Book three of this entertaining series of novels. This is a quick read and once again features Alanis McLaughlin as our main character, the daughter of a deceased con artist mother who is trying to make things right, and through inheriting her mother's New Age / Tarot shop has been exposed to the Tarot (and is learning to appreciate what it teaches). Can't reveal too much about this third novel without saying more, but it was a worthy conclusion to the series.

3. Rose Madder by Stephen King

Rose Daniels is a victim of an abusive husband, and after long suffering, one day she gets the courage to take off. The novel tells her story, and the story of her husband (who is a cop) following her and trying to find her. Again there are references and call-outs to the Dark Tower series as well as some elements of fantasy thrown in (including some Greek myths). A page-turning read, and while some of the references are dated (you won't picture this set today; it clearly is of the early 90s), it still holds narrative power.

The next set follows:

4. People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present by Dara Horn

This nonfiction book is really a collection of essays by the author exploring anti-Semitism and its expression in modern forms. Her thesis is that people are more comfortable with Jewish tragedy than actual expressions of Judaism. A fascinating read, and given the recent events in Colleyville, TX and the media coverage of these events, sadly prescient.

5. - 10. The Green Mile 1: The Two Dead Girls, The Green Mile 2: The Mouse on the Mile, The Green Mile 3: Coffey's Hands, The Green Mile 4: The Bad Death of Eduard Delacroix, The Green Mile 5: Night Journey, and The Green Mile 6: Coffey on the Mile by Stephen King

So this may be a "cheat" but I am claiming each one of these as a separate book. For those that remember (or those who have seen them), the original release of The Green Mile was in monthly chapter books from March 1986 to August 1986. Each book was between 80 to 130 pages, and each one ended in a cliffhanger, leaving you waiting for the release of the next book the next month. I remember buying each one as they were released, rushing to the bookstore to get the next section. If you don't know, the story is about a convict on death row, and the guard who prepares him for death by electric chair. But this story is really so much more. The movie (with Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan) is wonderful, but the story as told in these short novellas is even better!

 

[bobbiwoz]

2/50 In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

On November 25, 1960 the bodies of three beautiful convent educated sisters have been found near their wrecked Jeep at the bottom of a 150 foot cliff on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. These sisters were among the leading opponents of Gen. Raphael Leonidas Trujillo’s dictatorship. These women were known as “The Butterflies.”

This is a fictionalized version of what may have happened. It’s written by another Dominican Republican who’s family was forced to leave the country by the dictator Trujillo. It’s her way of honoring the enemies of the dictatorship, while giving some insight of what it was to live during that time in her country.

I liked the book well enough 4/5.

 

[Allison Joy]

1/20 -- Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline.

A very interesting read. One that, I'm sure, is a lot more interesting if you're familiar with 1980s to 2000 movies, TV shows, video games, and music, but it was an enjoyable read for me, even though I caught only about 10% of the pop culture references, if that. It's written in a way that it's not imperative that you're familiar with it, but if you are, it's an added bonus. The ending is... not what I was expecting, and had I been one of the MCs, I don't think I would have made the final decision he did, but I can see why he did.

Actually, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have made the FIRST decision that made everything go down the way it did, but that's besides the point.

Next on my list are three books that are not a series, but ones that are related, and "progress." Basically, I'm reading (or re-reading) a children's novel, then a YA novel, then an adult non-fiction all about the same broad subject. I'm not sure if I'll update after every book, or wait until I'm done with all three to update my list.

 

[hollydolls]

1. The Vampire Diaries: The Fury by LJ Smith
2. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander (JK Rowling)

3. Factory Man: How One Furniture Maker Battled Offshoring, Stayed Local, and Helped Save an American Town by Beth Macy
This book is about several generations of Virginia furniture makers and their fight to keep employees despite changes in the industry. It's balanced, as much a history of furniture making and trade policy reform as it is an entertaining read about a colorful family in my home state.

 

[mini22]

A little late but I'm setting my goal at 30 again this year.

1/30 Neighbors by Danielle Steel