Reading Challenge/Goals for 2024

[Lumpy1106]

17/20 - Taylor Jenkins Reid, "Maybe in Another Life" - 4/5. On the YA side, but good. I really liked the premise; how does a single decision in your life alter the path of your life? The story is told along two possible paths.

 

[willowsnn3]

Catch up time!
34/50 A Cry of Angels by Jeff Fields
It is the mid-1950s in Quarrytown, Georgia. In the slum known as the Ape Yard, hope's last refuge is a boardinghouse where a handful of residents dream of a better life. Earl Whitaker, who is white, and Tio Grant, who is black, are both teenagers, both orphans, and best friends. In the same house live two of the most important adults in the boys' Em Jojohn, the gigantic Lumbee Indian handyman, is notorious for his binges, his rat-catching prowess, and his mysterious departures from town. Jayell Crooms, a gifted but rebellious architect, is stuck in a loveless marriage to a conventional woman intent on climbing the social ladder.
Crooms's vision of a new Ape Yard, rebuilt by its own residents, unites the four-and puts them on a collision course with Doc Bobo, a smalltown Machiavelli who rules the community like a feudal lord.
I enjoyed this one. A little outlandish at times but good.
35/50 Chaos Rising by Kyla Stone
In a heartbeat, everything grinds to a halt...
On Christmas Eve, the lights go out. Vehicles stop working. Communications break down.
Reclusive former soldier Liam Coleman doesn't want to be anywhere near bustling downtown Chicago the day before Christmas. But his twin brother and his pregnant sister-in-law need him, so he makes the trip.
But mere minutes after leaving O'Hare, their car crashes, along with hundreds of other vehicles. When Liam's phone stops working, he begins to suspect something more sinister than a local power outage. But before he can react, the first plane falls from the sky...
This was ok. I believe it is the prequel to a series, I may or may not read.
36/50 Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross
Miss Julia, a recently bereaved and newly wealthy widow, is only slightly bemused when one Hazel Marie Puckett appears at her door with a youngster in tow and unceremoniously announces that the child is the bastard son of Miss Julia's late husband. Suddenly, this longtime church member and pillar of her small Southern community finds herself in the center of an unseemly scandal--and the guardian of a wan nine-year-old whose mere presence turns her life upside down.
37/50 Miss Julia Takes Over by Ann B. Ross
Miss Julia must tackle another disruption when Hazel Marie doesn't return from a dinner date with a fund-raiser who, in Miss Julia's opinion, wears his shorts too tight. Frantic and unable to persuade the local police that Hazel Marie is in danger, Miss Julia hires J. D. Pickens to investigate, despite her reservations about his taste for beer and women. She and Little Lloyd help search for Hazel Marie, running into adventures ranging from a most indelicate display of fisticuffs to a high-speed car chase on the track of a NASCAR Speedway, all the while standing strong ...because if Miss Julia doesn't take care of things, who will?
Love the Miss Julia books! I read several a few years ago & didn't realize there were more & can't remember which one I left off with so going in for a re read.
These are the type of books I need when taking a break from all the mystery/thriller ones. Laugh out loud funny at times.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I usually don’t read series in order so in this book Megan and Jack aren’t married. In another book I reviewed before they were married and having a baby.
Just curious if anyone skips around with longer series?

I just picked up two new mystery series recently by randomly coming across books that weren't the first. Both were near enough to the beginning that I eventually ordered the one or two that came before, but I agree that the setting/cast is what made them a "series" (rather than one continuous story) and I enjoyed the ones I started on without feeling lost.

They are the Miss Dimple mysteries, set around WWII, by Mignon Ballard, and the Medlar Mysteries by Jude Deveraux. I would recommend both!

I have not been keeping a list this year, but I am enjoying reading.

 

[RangerPooh]

27/35 False Findings: A Rockfish Island Mystery. J. C. Fuller (book 3)

28/35 Baked & Alive: A Sienna Monroe Mystery. Stella Dorn

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Happy National Cozy Mystery Day everyone!
Also Agatha Christie’s Birthday

I have been reading a lot of shorter kindle cozy mysteries lately so I will update my books soon.
If it’s a genre you have never tried it might be worth a try.

 

[Kirby]

36/50 Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross

Love the Miss Julia books!

#59 - The White Tower: Book One in the Aldoran series by Michael Wisehart
Genre - Fantasy
They are feared, hated, hunted down, and destroyed...
... and yet they are mankind's last hope.
For a thousand years magic has been banished throughout the Five Kingdoms, and those caught wielding it are rounded up and taken to the White Tower. They are never heard from again.
TY knows he's different. And when the bounty hunters arrive in the quiet city of Easthaven, his family is forced to reveal the shocking truth about his magical bloodline, a secret that threatens not only his life, but the lives of everyone around him...including LYESSA. As the daughter of an overlord, and a skilled fighter, Lyessa will one day be expected to rule. However, when an Ahvari witch hires a tribe of Northmen to capture Ty, the two find themselves in the middle of a war they didn't know existed...
Armed with nothing but his will to survive, FERRIN attempts what no prisoner has ever accomplished and vows to escape the White Tower. His only hope is RAE, a gifted healer tasked with keeping the prisoners alive during the inquisitors' brutal interrogations. Will she be willing to risk her own life for that same chance of freedom...
AYRION outworked his fellow soldiers for years to become captain of the guard. But his strength and valor alone won't be enough to stop the bloodthirsty creatures coming for his king, or protect the woman he loves from the king's son. And when a sweeping number of the city's outcasts begin to mysteriously disappear, he realizes that the threat is closer than he knew...
War is coming, the likes of which hasn't been seen since the time of the Khul Hordes. How will humanity fight back when those with the ability to do so are being exterminated?
This book was good though I don't think I will continue reading the rest of the series.

 

[MGMmjl]

24/32 - Legacy of Lies by Robert Bailey

Description:
"Small-town lawyer Bocephus Haynes comes home late one night to find District Attorney General Helen Lewis waiting for him. Her ex-husband has just been killed. She’s about to be arrested for his murder. And she wants Bo to represent her.

There’s a lot working against them. Just before his death, Helen’s ex-husband threatened to reveal a dark secret from her past. Bo has been in a tailspin since his wife’s death. What’s more, his whole life has been defined by a crime committed against his family, and he continues to face prejudice as the only African American litigator in Pulaski, Tennessee.

Bo’s back is against the wall, and Helen resigns herself to a dismal fate—but a stunning discovery throws everything into chaos. There’s a chance for justice, but to achieve it, the cost might be too much for Bo to bear."

I have liked all of Robert Bailey's books, and this was another good one! The first in a two-book series.

 

[melk]

23/30 I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue

After getting caught sending an insensitive email at work Jolene must go to sensitivity training and endure rigorous email restrictions. But an IT mixup grants her access to all her coworkers emails and DMs, from which she learns things about them she never would have thought.

Light story that had some pretty funny moments but also it’s share of deeper subplots.

 

[cayennews]

#27 The Bucket List by Rachel Hanna. This book was very enjoyable. A nice break from all of the murder mysteries I've been reading this year. Thoroughly enjoyed this book!

 

[melk]

24/30 The World of Poldark by Emma Marriott

I recently rewatched the series Poldark and saw this at the library. It’s more of a coffee table type book with beautiful pictures and stories of Cornwall, the cast, and the research that went into the series production. I’m tempted to go back and reread the Winston Graham series of books but there’s so many it’s quite a commitment, lol.

 

[cayennews]

#28 Indelible by Karin Slaughter. Very good book. Couldn't put it down.

 

[Kirby]

#60 - Say No More; Book 2 of the Sacramento trilogy by Karen Rose.
Genre - Romantic Suspense
Mercy Callahan thought she'd escaped the cult decades ago, but its long fingers are reaching out for her again in this electrifying novel in the Sacramento series by New York Times bestselling author Karen Rose.
Seventeen years ago. That was the last time Mercy Callahan saw Ephraim Burton, the leader of the twisted Eden cult where she was raised. But even though she escaped the abuse and terror, they continue to haunt her.
When her brother Gideon discovers new evidence of the cult's--and their victims'--whereabouts, Mercy goes to Sacramento to reconnect with him. There, she meets Gideon's closest friend--homicide detective Rafe Sokolov. From Rafe, she receives an offer she never knew she needed: to track down Ephraim and make him pay for everything.
But Ephraim, who had thought Mercy long dead, discovers she is in fact alive and that she is digging around for the cult's secrets. And now he'll do anything to take her back to Eden--dead or alive.
This was good, a little wordy at times but I enjoyed reading it. The couple of sex scenes were not necessary (I skip over them), just added fluff to a good story.

 

[bobbiwoz]

40/80 The Amish Bride by Mindy Starns Clark


4/5

 

[luvmarypoppins]

24/25 - A Small Town Fourth of July by Janice Carter. Divorced doctor and son return to Vermont to sell relatives farm. He reunites with old girlfriend for second chance and hea.

25/25 - Under the Honey Moon by Jessica R. Patch. Southern romance. Old flames reconnect. Fun Rom- com and characters with a hea.

26/25 - Hometown Honey by Jessica R. Patch. More rom-com adventures and fun characters featuring a beauty pageant to win money to expand a business. More Old flames reunite again.

27/25 - An Amish Quilt to Warm the Heart by Ruth Bawell. Amish widow with young child in danger of losing her farm. Newcomer single Amish man helps her and she gets her quilts sold and has a hea.

28/25 - Pooches, Pumpkins and Poison by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson. Murder at the local fall festival. Dog adoption worker helps solve the case.

29/25 - Abduction Cold Case by Connie Queen. Psychologist tries to solve cold case abduction of 3 year old girl from years ago with help from Texas Ranger. She wonders if she might be that girl. Love and hea for all.

30/25 - Frappes, Flamingos and a Fireman by Alyssa Helton. Single mom law office researcher tries to solve mystery of work fire with help of divorced coworker. Threats but no murder. Fun family with realistic special needs child. Budding romance.

 

[melk]

25/30 Saints For All Occasions by J. Courtney Sullivan

Nora and her sister Teresa emigrate from Ireland to Boston where Teresa gets involved with a young man, creating consequences that both sisters deal with for the rest of their lives.

I found that this book left me with unanswered questions and too many loose ends. I enjoyed her book, Maine, much more.

 

[MGMmjl]

25/32 - Ashes Never Lie by Lee Goldberg

Description:
"Vacant homes in a new housing development are erupting into flames in broad daylight with no apparent cause. It’s a perplexing mystery for dogged arson investigator Walter Sharpe and his restless new partner, Andrew Walker, an ex–US marshal who craves action.

But as they puzzle over the blazes, another home miles away burns to the ground, leaving a man’s corpse in the ashes and homicide detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone demanding answers. The burn patterns and charred body tell Sharpe a bizarre story that only creates more questions for Eve. So the four detectives team up to find the answers. Their investigation into the two unrelated cases leads to one shocking discovery after another.

Now they must gamble their lives to unmask a brilliant arsonist, crack open a massive swindle, track down a desperate fugitive with a terrifying secret, and race against time to save thousands of people from an agonizing death."

This is the 2nd book in the Sharpe & Walker series. I liked it! It had a lot of action, and quite a bit of humor too.

 

[migirl]

How can you access multiple library's collections through Libby? I thought you could only access the library (s) that you have a library card at. I use Libby regularly for my library, but if there's a way to get books from any others besides from my own library, that would be terrific. Our local library is OK, but not the biggest collection.

Find out if your library has partner libraries. I can borrow from 10 libraries in Libby with the addition of partner libraries.

 

[Kirby]

He reunites with old girlfriend for second chance and hea.

What is "hea" short for? I'm sure it will make sense once you've told me.

#61, 62 and 63 - The Amish Brides of Birch Creek Trilogy by Kathleen Fuller.
Book 1 - The Teacher's Bride
Book 2 - The Farmer's Bride
Book 3 - The Inkeeper's Bride
Genre - Book 1 and 2 are Inspirational Amish Rom-Com's. Book 3 is an Inspirational Amish Romance.
I think I picked these up as a set on Bookbub for 99 cents. I really enjoyed reading them and have already picked out another of her books to read.

 

[bobbiwoz]

#28 Indelible by Karin Slaughter. Very good book. Couldn't put it down.

I agree, 41/80. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[mgarbowski]

What is "hea" short for? I'm sure it will make sense once you've told me.