Annual reading challenge 2017-come join us

[Cogswel_Cogs]

#6 The Black Widow by Daniel Silva
First time reading of Gabriel Allon series as well as author Daniel Silva.
Enjoyed the book but I think Gabriel Allon was more a background character in this book. For a large part it centers around Jewish doctor Natalie who is enlisted to infiltrate a terrorist organization. I thought that I was going to put this book down not knowing enough about the series, not being Jewish, and with real limited knowledge of Middle East. It wasn't the case, it was easy to understand and never did I feel lost. In fact the only time I got a little lost was when the action shifted to Washington. Interesting read with all going on in the world.

(If anyone is interested, I would gladly send kindle gift versions of any of my works, Written for You , Cemetery Girl, Three Twigs for the Campfire, or Reigning. You can see them reviewed on goodreads. Just PM here or there or like post.)

 

[tiggrbaby]

Out of curiosity what two did you abandon?

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karen Abbott (mini stories of females during Civil War)

Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo (Mumbai undercity)

I found the writing style uncomfortable (does that make sense?) in both books. I made it through about 1/4 of the first book and 1/2 of the second. Another friend abandoned the second as well (it is a title for our book group).

I don't often abandon books, but I have quite a few in my queue from the library and I don't want to lose them.

 

[disneychrista]

I don't often abandon books, but I have quite a few in my queue from the library and I don't want to lose them.

Thanks!
I too have a lot of books at the library on request. Best thing ever invented, IMO. I love being able to sit at home & request books, instead of going to the library to find that they don't have the book I want.

 

[disneychrista]

Book #11.5

Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Book #11.5

Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham.

How did you like it

 

[disneychrista]

How did you like it

I was a fun read. Now I want to read her other book (Someday, Someday, Maybe). I had no clue she had written novels.

 

[Kewz1]

#5/12 - The Winter Garden Mystery by Carols Dunn

Number two in the Daisy Dalrymple murder mystery series. Easy, fun book. Perfect reading while I was on vacation.

 

[tiggrbaby]

Thanks!
I too have a lot of books at the library on request. Best thing ever invented, IMO. I love being able to sit at home & request books, instead of going to the library to find that they don't have the book I want.

Even better, I just look for the e-books so I can download them on my Kindle!

 

[disneychrista]

Even better, I just look for the e-books so I can download them on my Kindle!

I like real paper books better. I guess I am an old fart.

 

[Simba's Mom]

#16-"Deadly Decor"-cozy mystery. I hate when the motive for the murder isn't revealed to the reader until the very end of the book, just before they reveal who the murdereer is. Ummm, iwouldn't it have been nice to have all the facts earlier? This was the type of book that made me say "I think I'll stop reading cozy mysteries for a while."

 

[tiggrbaby]

I like real paper books better. I guess I am an old fart.

No, I still read some "real" books. They definitely have advantages such as being able to flip back to check info or the ability to actually see pictures. I winter down in FL, and they have a much smaller library system than back in NJ. Also, we bounce around a lot and this way I always have something to read.

 

[disneychrista]

#12.5

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

This is technically a young adult book but it is also the basis of a new Netflix Series. I always like to reason the book before the movie / tv show (if/when I can).

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier.
On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out how he made the list.
Through Hannah and Clay’s dual narratives, author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

 

[willowsnn3]

#13/60

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.
But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming…
This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.
It wants the truth.

 

[Deffenm]

20/40 - Ladies Night: Take a splash of betrayal, add a few drops of outrage, give a good shake to proper behavior and take a big sip of a cocktail called…Ladies' Night!
Grace Stanton's life as a rising media star and beloved lifestyle blogger takes a surprising turn when she catches her husband cheating and torpedoes his pricey sports car straight into the family swimming pool. Grace suddenly finds herself locked out of her palatial home, checking account, and even the blog she has worked so hard to develop in her signature style. Moving in with her widowed mother, who owns and lives above a rundown beach bar called The Sandbox, is less than ideal. So is attending court-mandated weekly "divorce recovery" therapy sessions with three other women and one man for whom betrayal seems to be the only commonality. When their "divorce coach" starts to act suspiciously, they decide to start having their own Wednesday "Ladies' Night" sessions at The Sandbox, and the unanticipated bonds that develop lead the members of the group to try and find closure in ways they never imagined. Can Grace figure out a new way home and discover how strong she needs to be to get there?
Heartache, humor, and a little bit of mystery come together in a story about life's unpredictable twists and turns. Mary Kay Andrews' Ladies' Night will have you raising a glass and cheering these characters on.

21/40 - No Sunshine when she's gone: Though his family owns the charming beachside town of Barefoot William, Aidan Cates is as down-to-earth as the locals. He's also practical to a fault and doesn't believe some psychic on the boardwalk can predict his future.
Jillie Mac is as free as an ocean breeze, so when the hot stranger and his date mistake her for a fortune teller, she's ready to have some fun. But one devastating secret told, one mistaken identity revealed, and numerous long summer nights later, it's Jillie and Aidan who discover that sometimes love comes with a simple twist of fate.

 

[zippitydoo]

Book #8/50: A perfect Evil by Alex Kava

From Goodreads:
The brutal murders of three young boys paralyze the citizens of Platte City, Nebraska. What's worse is the grim realization that the man recently executed for the crimes was a copycat. When Sheriff Nick Morrelli is called to the scene of another grisly murder, it becomes clear that the real predator is still at large, waiting to kill again.

Morreli understands the urgency of the case terrorizing his community, but it's the experienced eye of FBI criminal profiler Maggie O'Dell that pinpoints the true nature of the evil behind the killings -- a revelation made all the more horrific when Morrelli's own nephew goes missing.

Maggie understands something else: the killer is enjoying himself, relishing his ability to stay one step ahead of her, making this case more personal by the hour. Because out there, watching, is a killer with a heart of pure and perfect evil.

Book #9/50: The Night Bird by Brian Freeman

From Goodreads:
Homicide detective Frost Easton doesn’t like coincidences. When a series of bizarre deaths rock San Francisco—as seemingly random women suffer violent psychotic breaks—Frost looks for a connection that leads him to psychiatrist Francesca Stein. Frankie’s controversial therapy helps people erase their most terrifying memories…and all the victims were her patients.

As Frost and Frankie carry out their own investigations, the case becomes increasingly personal—and dangerous. Long-submerged secrets surface as someone called the Night Bird taunts the pair with cryptic messages pertaining to the deaths. Soon Frankie is forced to confront strange gaps in her own memory, and Frost faces a killer who knows the detective’s worst fears.

As the body count rises and the Night Bird circles ever closer, a dedicated cop and a brilliant doctor race to solve the puzzle before a cunning killer claims another victim.

 

[Tiggerish]

Week 15 - I read 3 books this week which brings me to 57/104. The books I read were:

Daughter of Joy (Book 1 of the Brides of Culder Creek series) by Kathleen Morgan. This is a historical Christian romance novel with the typical happy ending.

In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer Fleming. Christian murder mystery with an Episcopalian woman priest and a small town police chief. They team up to solve the murder. This book did not hit you over the head with heavy preachiness and it did not have the customary happy ending so definitely different.

Sanctuary Lost (WITSEC Town Book 1 of the series) by Lisa Phillip. Christian murder mystery/romance. There is a secret town hidden in the mountains of Idaho. The only way to get there is to be in the federal government's witness program or to be born there. The main character, John, is a U.S. marshal who is endangered from his undercover work. He is relocated to the town to serve as its Chief of Police. Immediately upon his arrival there is a murder and the book is John's struggle to find the killer. The plot was extremely complicated and way less than believable yet manages to have the "happily ever after" ending.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

#7 Heartbreak Hotel by Jonathan Kellerman
I think is the fourth book in this series I have read. I was debating at the library at the library between this and some cozy food mystery. I opted for this cause I knew what I would get. And to be honest between Alex and Milo I did know exactly what I was gonna get. This time I knew it a little to precise. I knew exactly when Milo would lay out a gumshoe line. When he'd reference food. The mystery was okay but there were so many times they could have bettered the story and instead gave me what I knew I would get. A nearly 1000 year old client/victim, anf they were able to deduce all the major people in her life involved in the mystery in about 2 hours. Also there was some mystery as to why Alex was sought out to begin with that never seemed fully answered to me.

(If anyone is interested, I would gladly send kindle gift versions of any of my works, Written for You , Cemetery Girl, Three Twigs for the Campfire, or Reigning. You can see them all reviewed click here Goodreads. If you are interested just PM here or there or like post.)

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Everything everything

Nicola young

 

[Deffenm]

#22/40 - The Whole Town is Talking: From the beloved author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe comes another unforgettable, laugh-out-loud, and moving novel about what it means to be truly alive.

Elmwood Springs, Missouri, is a small town like any other, but something strange is happening out at the cemetery. “Still Meadows,” as it’s called, is anything but still. Funny and profound, this novel in the tradition of Flagg’s Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven and Thornton Wilder’s Our Town deals with universal themes of heaven and earth and everything in between, as Flagg tells a surprising story of life, afterlife, and the mysterious goings-on of ordinary people.

 

[willowsnn3]

#14/60

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

from Goodreads:
Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. In just a few weeks she'll have the operation that will turn her from a repellent ugly into a stunning pretty. And as a pretty, she'll be catapulted into a high-tech paradise where her only job is to have fun.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to become a pretty. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world-- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally a choice: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. Tally's choice will change her world forever...

Just ok. First in a trilogy but I don't think I'll bother with the others.