Reading Thread/Goals for 2025

[Wood Nymph]

8/30 - They Do It with Mirrors - a Miss Marple Mystery - Agatha Christie

"Miss Marple senses danger when she visits a friend living in Stoneygates, a rehabilitation center. Her fears are confirmed when someone shoots at the administrator. Although he is not injured, a mysterious visitor is less fortunate--shot dead simultaneously in another part of the building. Pure coincidence? Miss Marple thinks not, and must use all her cunning to solve the riddle of the stranger's visit... and his murder"-

This is another good story.

 

[Wood Nymph]

9/30 - I Was Anastasia - by Ariel Lawhorn - 4/5

"Ariel Lawhon, a rising star in historical suspense, has set her sights on one of history's most beguiling mysteries: Did Anastasia Romanov survive the Russian Revolution, or was Anna Anderson, the woman who notoriously claimed her identity, an impostor? Russia, July 17, 1918: Under direct orders from Vladimir Lenin, Bolshevik secret police force Anastasia Romanov, along with the entire imperial family, into a damp basement in Siberia where they face a merciless firing squad. None survive. At least that is what the executioners have always claimed. Germany, February 17, 1920: A young woman bearing an uncanny resemblance to Anastasia Romanov is pulled shivering and senseless from a canal. Refusing to explain her presence in the freezing water or even acknowledge her rescuers, she is taken to the hospital where an examination reveals that her body is riddled with countless, horrific scars. When she finally does speak, this frightened, mysterious young woman claims to be the Russian Grand Duchess. As rumors begin to circulate through European society that the youngest Romanov daughter has survived the massacre at Ekaterinburg, old enemies and new threats are awakened. The question of who this woman is and what actually happened to Anastasia creates a saga that spans fifty years and three continents. This thrilling page-turner is every bit as moving and momentous as it is harrowing and twisted"-- Provided by publisher."A dual narrative exploring the mystery surrounding the death of Anastasia Romanov and the claims of Anna Anderson, the woman long-believed to be the young Grand Duchess' most famous imposter"-- Provided by publisher.

This was a very good book. It was a little slow to start with. And in the back of my mind, I wondered how the author was going to present the story of Anastasia. It was very well-done and the only way it could be.

 

[cayennews]

#11 The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens. I am a big fan of his writing. This book was very different than his previous novels. Had I not been a fan of his other books I would not have read this one. Overall it was a good story, but there was a hole in the plot at the end in my opinion.

 

[wvjules]

5. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. Excellent book

I agree! I read it a couple of years ago. Fantastic book!

 

[wvjules]

#8 A Court of Silver Flame by Sarah J. Maas - This is book #5 in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. I won't post book details due to potential spoilers. Much better than book #4. The series had a nice tidy ending that I enjoyed. My order of how I much I liked each book in the series goes 2, 3, 5, 1, 4.

I finished it over a week ago and haven't picked up a book since. I went to start one last night and realized that I lost my Kindle Paperwhite. It must be in the seat back pocket on one of the flights I was on last Friday. I submitted a Lost and Found claim, but I'm impatient so I ordered a new Kindle this morning. It will be here today. (Internet impulse buying will be the death of me!) I have a 4.5 hour non-stop flight on Monday so I need my Kindle so I can read.

ETA: The Pink Lady (my new Kindle) has arrived.

 

[wishiwasindisneyjen]

23/104: Whatever Next?: Lessons from an Unexpected Life by Anne Glenconner (Audio Book)
I recently read Lady Glenconner's biography (see previous review) and this was kind of a follow up to that book. While not as good as her first book, this was still entertaining and I enjoyed learning more about her life and experiences with the Royals. 3

24/104: The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
I did not finish this book. I've had this on my to be read list for a long time and it has such high reviews that I couldn't wait to read it but I just couldn't finish it. The story of a young man growing up in Ireland and all of his tribulations was interesting and the book is well written but while I am not a prude by any means, it was just too much for me so I gave up after over 250 pages. It must just be me though because it has mostly 5 star reviews. 0

If anyone has read The Heart's Invisible Furies, I'd love to hear your views on it.

 

[Kirby]

#12 - Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson
Genre - Thriller
I have enjoyed reading books by Michael Crichton in the past and that is what lead me to picking this book to read. This book was written after his death. He had done extensive research on an book idea after visiting Pompeii with his wife. His wife upon finding the research (after his death) began looking for someone that might could write this book for him. She was introduced to James Patterson and chose him. I enjoyed JP's book written with Dolly Parton and hoped to have the same experience. I did not and would give this book a 3/5.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Going through this thread and making my list.
Though, I've read 10 books so far this year at an average of $10 each so I think maybe I need to go get a library card!

A few of my favorites so far this year"
The Book of Lost Friends- Lisa Wingate
Gramma Gatewoods Walk (story of the first woman too hike the entire Applachian trail)- Ben Montgomery
The Gift of Life- Henri Landworth (picked up at Give Kids the World while volunteering. Amazing story of GKTW founder surviving the holocaust and the life he built here).

When you mentioned “Grandma Gatewood’s Walk” by Ben Montgomery, and described it, I knew I had to read it. I was only a little familiar with it, we hiked it for a few miles in various states. This woman’s story is amazing! At 67, she became the first woman to complete the entire hike, and did it 3 times in her life! The first time was in 1955. 4.5/5. It was my 20/50

 

[melk]

12/104: James by Percival Everett
The reimagined story of the Adventures of Huck Finn as told by the viewpoint of enslaved Jim. This book was pretty amazing even though a lot of it was painful to read. Highly recommend 4.5

10/30 James by Percival Everett

I agree with the above review. Hard to read at times but quite a story. I had hesitated to read it thinking maybe I needed to remember the story of Huck Finn. I had read that in school over forty years ago. You really don’t need to know the story but I was shocked at how much of it came back to me as I was reading James.

After I finished the book I was reminded of the late Paul Harvey’s tagline, “and now you know the rest of the story.”

 

[Lumpy1106]

5/20 Hugh Howey, "Machine Learning", 3/5 stars
This is a collection of unrelated short stories. I'm not a fan of short stories as it is, but each of these felt like unfinished first drafts that he decided to not continue writing. Really 3/5 stars is a bit generous, but he does write an afterward for each one to give you some insight into the process. I didn't hate it.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

I really haven’t read much this year. Having eye surgery next week and then chemo pills. My brain can only handle fluffy and short books lately.
1/25 - Their Inseparable Bond by Jill Weatherholt. Widowed dog trainer with twins meets recently divorced doctor who is a local older residents granddaughter. They bond over a service dog, develop a relationship and have a hea.
2/25 - A Christmas Promise by Karen Kazimer Shockley. Single girl visits grandma for Christmas. Grandma plays matchmaker with her old flame. They reunite and have a second chance.
3/25 - A Beau for the Lonely Amish Baker by Anne Schmidt. Single Amish girl and Amish farmer wonder if they can both keep their careers and have a relationship together. Hea.
4/25 - The Pastor’s Hope by Meghann Whistler. Widow with child moves by godmother who plays matchmaker for her and local widowed pastor with preteen. This book deals with grief and how everyone deals with it on their own terms. Hea.
5/25 - Coffee, Kids and a Kidnapping by Alyssa Helton. Short cozy mystery. Charlotte solves the mystery of a missing mom and daughter. Short but ok.
6/25 - Lattes, Love and A Lady Killer by Alyssa Helton. Another Charlotte adventure. She solves the murder of a woman that her coworker is unjustly accused of. It was ok.

 

[melk]

I really haven’t read much this year. Having eye surgery next week and then chemo pills. My brain can only handle fluffy and short books lately.
1/25 - Their Inseparable Bond by Jill Weatherholt. Widowed dog trainer with twins meets recently divorced doctor who is a local older residents granddaughter. They bond over a service dog, develop a relationship and have a hea.
2/25 - A Christmas Promise by Karen Kazimer Shockley. Single girl visits grandma for Christmas. Grandma plays matchmaker with her old flame. They reunite and have a second chance.
3/25 - A Beau for the Lonely Amish Baker by Anne Schmidt. Single Amish girl and Amish farmer wonder if they can both keep their careers and have a relationship together. Hea.
4/25 - The Pastor’s Hope by Meghann Whistler. Widow with child moves by godmother who plays matchmaker for her and local widowed pastor with preteen. This book deals with grief and how everyone deals with it on their own terms. Hea.
5/25 - Coffee, Kids and a Kidnapping by Alyssa Helton. Short cozy mystery. Charlotte solves the mystery of a missing mom and daughter. Short but ok.
6/25 - Lattes, Love and A Lady Killer by Alyssa Helton. Another Charlotte adventure. She solves the murder of a woman that her coworker is unjustly accused of. It was ok.

Hope all goes well for you next week and you’ll be back to reading more!

 

[RangerPooh]

Spent the last week on a cruise, got caught up on reading

5/15. Murder and Grooms Cake (Sugar Creek Mysteries, book 6). Nova Walsh

6/15. Murder Gimlet: A Maple Creek Cozy Mystery, book 7. Liz Lamar

7/15. Within the Pines; A Rockfish Island Mystery, 4. JC Fuller

8/15. Trapped in the Cascades; A Luke McCain Novel, #. Rob Phillips

 

[cayennews]

#12 The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter. Part of the Will Trent series. Suspenseful as usual.

 

[wvjules]

#9 Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah - Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard; the other followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed, their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy tale will be told one last time—and all the way to the end.

It took me a bit to get into this book. The characters, Meredith and Nina were really frustrating me so that had a lot to do with it. It's not my favorite KH book, but as per usual, I did cry at the end. I'll give it 3.75/5.

 

[Wood Nymph]

10/30 - When We Had Wings - Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, and Susan Meissner - 3.5/5

"From three bestselling authors comes an interwoven tale about a trio of World War II nurses stationed in the South Pacific who wage their own battle for freedom and survival. The Philippines, 1941. When U.S. Navy nurse Eleanor Lindstrom, U.S. Army nurse Penny Franklin, and Filipina nurse Lita Capel forge a friendship at the Army Navy Club in Manila, they believe they're living a paradise assignment. All three are seeking a way to escape their pasts, but soon the beauty and promise of their surroundings give way to the heavy mantle of war. Caught in the crosshairs of a fight between the U.S. military and the Imperial Japanese Army for control of the Philippine Islands, the nurses are forced to serve under combat conditions and, ultimately, endure captivity as the first female prisoners of the Second World War. As their resiliency is tested in the face of squalid living arrangements, food shortages, and the enemy's blatant disregard for the articles of the Geneva Convention, the women strive to keep their hope- and their fellow inmates-alive, though not without great cost. In this sweeping story based on the true experiences of nurses dubbed 'the Angels of Bataan,' three women shift in and out of each other's lives through the darkest days of the war, buoyed by their unwavering friendship and distant dreams of liberation.." -- Amazon.com

This was an interesting story about the nurses who were held captive by Japan in the Philippines. It tells the story without dwelling on some of the horrors of their captivity. The book was more about relationships than about war stories. I enjoyed it but it wasn't a page turner.

 

[RangerPooh]

9/15. The Corpses Last Confession: A Silver Springs Mystery, book 4. Liz Lamar

 

[melk]

11/30 The Wife Upstairs by Freida McFadden

Sylvia is hired by best selling novelist Adam to care for his wife Victoria, an invalid. Turns out Victoria is not as impaired as she seems and is trying desperately to let Sylvia in on a horrible secret.

I don’t normally do audiobooks but this is the second one I’ve listened to by this author. Her books are easy to follow with few characters and always have twists and turns, good for listening to while out walking. This one was good except I couldn’t get over some of the absolutely stupid decisions some of the characters would make.

 

[Kirby]

#13 - Everywhere That Mary Went by Lisa Scottoline
Genre - Mystery

This is book 1 of the Rosato and Associates series. It's an easy book to read. I did not figure out who the bad guy before the person was revealed. I give it 4/5.

 

[bobbiwoz]

21/50
“Two by Two” by Nicholas Sparks. 4/5

At 32, Russell Green has it all: a stunning wife, a lovable six year-old daughter, a successful career as an advertising executive and an expansive home in Charlotte. He is living the dream, and his marriage to the bewitching Vivian is the center of that. But underneath the shiny surface of this perfect existence, fault lines are beginning to appear…and no one is more surprised than Russ when he finds every aspect of the life he took for granted turned upside down. In a matter of months, Russ finds himself without a job or wife, caring for his young daughter while struggling to adapt to a new and baffling reality. Throwing himself into the wilderness of single parenting, Russ embarks on a journey at once terrifying and rewarding—one that will test his abilities and his emotional resources beyond anything he ever imagined.