Annual reading challenge 2017-come join us

[Corbie]

Also, may I join?

I am certain I can read at least 50 books between now and the end of the year. (I've just flown through ten this past week; wish I'd noticed this thread beforehand!)

 

[SallySkelington]

Please count me in too! I'll start off slow with 30 books!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

So apparently I preordered At the Table of Wolves and forgot about it. I'll read that one soon.

 

[tiggrbaby]

#43/80: Mr. Churchill's Secretary ( Maggie Hope #1) (4/5) (mystery/WWII England)
Made me think of the Nancy Drew books.

#44/80: The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain (3.5/5) (contemporary suspense)
I was able to guess some of the suspense. I also thought they started some things about characters and didn't carry through.

#45/80: The Women in the Castle (4/5) (post WWI/Germany)
Was slow to start then became more interesting.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

I am sorry guys I spent the day deep cleaning my dad is coming late tonight

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Welcome newcomers

 

[Corbie]

1. Bury Your Dead, by Louise Penny

It is Winter Carnival in Quebec City, bitterly cold and surpassingly beautiful. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache has come not to join the revels but to recover from an investigation gone hauntingly wrong. Although he is supposed to be healing, Gamache cannot walk away from a crime that threatens to ignite long-smoldering tensions between the English and the French. Meanwhile, he is receiving disquieting letters from the village of Three Pines, where beloved Bistro owner Olivier was recently convicted of murder. "It doesn't make sense," Olivier's partner writes every day. "He didn't do it, you know." As past and present collide in this astonishing novel, Gamache must relive the terrible event of his own past before he can bury his dead.

// I love Louise Penny. I love reading about a familiar yet different culture, but mostly I love her intricately woven characters with real feelings, real reactions, real faults. I found Bury Your Dead heartbreaking, but it may not have the impact on first-time readers. I suggest reading earlier books in the Inspector Gamache series before this one so you can receive the full impact.

2. Hangman, by Louise Penny

On a cold November morning, a jogger runs through the woods in the peaceful Quebec village of Three Pines. On his run, he finds a dead man hanging from a tree. Was it suicide or murder? Inspector Armand Gamache, Chief of Homicide for La Sûreté du Québec, will soon find out! This book was written for emerging adult readers as part of the Canadian Literacy Program. It wasn't an "easy" book, but neither was it difficult. Nor did I find the mystery as intricate as Penny's regular books. That's to be expected since the writing was purposefully simpler to appeal to newer readers. I'd rate it around Young Adult level. It's not a bad mystery, but I read it more because I 'm a completionist than for plot.

 

[tiggrbaby]

1. Bury Your Dead, by Louise Penny

It is Winter Carnival in Quebec City, bitterly cold and surpassingly beautiful. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache has come not to join the revels but to recover from an investigation gone hauntingly wrong. Although he is supposed to be healing, Gamache cannot walk away from a crime that threatens to ignite long-smoldering tensions between the English and the French. Meanwhile, he is receiving disquieting letters from the village of Three Pines, where beloved Bistro owner Olivier was recently convicted of murder. "It doesn't make sense," Olivier's partner writes every day. "He didn't do it, you know." As past and present collide in this astonishing novel, Gamache must relive the terrible event of his own past before he can bury his dead.

// I love Louise Penny. I love reading about a familiar yet different culture, but mostly I love her intricately woven characters with real feelings, real reactions, real faults. I found Bury Your Dead heartbreaking, but it may not have the impact on first-time readers. I suggest reading earlier books in the Inspector Gamache series before this one so you can receive the full impact.

2. Hangman, by Louise Penny

On a cold November morning, a jogger runs through the woods in the peaceful Quebec village of Three Pines. On his run, he finds a dead man hanging from a tree. Was it suicide or murder? Inspector Armand Gamache, Chief of Homicide for La Sûreté du Québec, will soon find out! This book was written for emerging adult readers as part of the Canadian Literacy Program. It wasn't an "easy" book, but neither was it difficult. Nor did I find the mystery as intricate as Penny's regular books. That's to be expected since the writing was purposefully simpler to appeal to newer readers. I'd rate it around Young Adult level. It's not a bad mystery, but I read it more because I 'm a completionist than for plot.

I love her books as well! I agree about reading them in order. You become so attached to the characters!

Just checked out the YA book.

 

[Kirby]

6/25 - Blood Song by Anthony Ryan

Vaelin Al Sorna was only a child of ten when his father left him at the iron gate of the Sixth Order. The Brothers of the Sixth Order are devoted to battle, and Vaelin will be trained and hardened to the austere, celibate, and dangerous life of a Warrior of the Faith. He has no family now save the Order.

Vaelin's father was Battle Lord of the Empire of King Janus. Vaelin's rage at being deprived of his birthright and dropped at the doorstep of the Sixth Order like a foundling knows no bounds. He has little memory of his mother, and what he will come to learn of her at the Order will confound him. His father, too, has motives that Vaelin will come to understand. But one truth overpowers all the rest: Vaelin Al Sorna is destined for a future he has yet to comprehend. A future that will alter not only the Empire, but the world.

Genre - Fantasy. It was hard to put this book down. Looking forward to reading the next one.

 

[Tiggerish]

Week 28 - This week I out did myself and read eight books. That brings me to 111 of 208. The books I read were:

Low Tide
Rip Tide
What Washes Up
Land Fall - all by Dawn Lee McKenna. This was a boxed set of a four book mystery series. The setting is a coastal town in the panhandle of Florida and includes a hurricane. I thought this was the whole series then later found there are more. They were easy reading and I might or might not read others in the series, probably would if can get for free,

Shelf Ice by Aaron Stander. This is the 4th book in the Ray Elkins Thriller series. I had already read the first three. The setting is a small Michigan town on the coast of Lake Michigan and Ray Elkins is the local chief of police. The description of rural Michigan is interesting and when the killer is disclosed I was surprised then realized that the clues were there all the time, just well hidden.

Final Witness by Simon Tolkien. British suspense with nice details on their court proceedings. It was a slow read but I am glad I pushed on and got to the end. The author is the grandson of J.R. Tolkien author of the Lord of the Rings series and the Hobbit. The subject matter in the grandson's book it entirely different.

A Love to Treasure by Kimberly Rose Johnson. This is book one of the Sunriver Dreams series. Christian romantic fiction with the happy ending.

Amish by Accident by J.E.B. Spredemann. Unknown to each other, there are two young woman that look identical. One has left her Amish community including a boyfriend to live in New York City. The other is leaving New York City to visit a friend in France to help get over a break-up with her boyfriend because he has changed since becoming a Christian. On the way to the airport, she is in a terrible accident, has a brain injury and amnesia. Meanwhile, the airplane she was supposed to be on, crashes in the middle of the ocean and she is declared dead. An Amish neighbor of the other girl sees her in the hospital and thinks she is the Amish girl and brings her back to the Amish community. In the meantime, her ex-boyfriend meets the former Amish girl. Amnesia girl marries the Amish boyfriend she supposedly left behind and Amish girl get engaged to the other girl's boyfriend. It all gets sorted out in the end and ends happily ever after.

 

[disneychrista]

#25.5 - Echoes in Death by JD Robb
This is book 44 in the series. I will be going back and start the series from book 1, I didn't realize it was a series when I started.
As NY Lt. Eve Dallas and her billionaire husband Roarke are driving home, a young woman―dazed, naked, and bloody―suddenly stumbles out in front of their car. Roarke slams on the brakes and Eve springs into action.
Daphne Strazza is rushed to the ER, but it’s too late for her husband Dr. Anthony Strazza. A brilliant orthopedic surgeon, he now lies dead amid the wreckage of his obsessively organized town house, his three safes opened and emptied. Daphne would be a valuable witness, but in her terror and shock the only description of the perp she can offer is repeatedly calling him “the devil”...
While it emerges that Dr. Strazza was cold, controlling, and widely disliked, this is one case where the evidence doesn’t point to the spouse. So Eve and her team must get started on the legwork, interviewing everyone from dinner-party guests to professional colleagues to caterers, in a desperate race to answer some crucial questions:
What does the devil look like? And where will he show up next?


#26.5 - Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
This is book 1 of this series. I read the latest book in the series first and am now going back to start from the beginning.
Hannah already has her hands full trying to dodge her mother's attempts to marry her off while running The Cookie Jar, Lake Eden's most popular bakery. But once Ron LaSalle, the beloved delivery man from the Cozy Cow Dairy, is found murdered behind her bakery with Hannah's famous Chocolate Chip Crunchies scattered around him, her life just can't get any worse. Determined not to let her cookies get a bad reputation, she sets out to track down a killer. But if she doesn't watch her back, Hannah's sweet life may get burned to a crisp.


Looks like I have a years worth of reading with just the two above series.

 

[tiggrbaby]

Week 28 - This week I out did myself and read eight books. That brings me to 111 of 208. The books I read were:

Low Tide
Rip Tide
What Washes Up
Land Fall - all by Dawn Lee Nelson. This was a boxed set of a four book mystery series. The setting is a coastal town in the panhandle of Florida and includes a hurricane. I thought this was the whole series then later found there are more. They were easy reading and I might or might not read others in the series, probably would if can get for free,

Shelf Ice by Aaron Stander. This is the 4th book in the Ray Elkins Thriller series. I had already read the first three. The setting is a small Michigan town on the coast of Lake Michigan and Ray Elkins is the local chief of police. The description of rural Michigan is interesting and when the killer is disclosed I was surprised then realized that the clues were there all the time, just well hidden.

Final Witness by Simon Tolkien. British suspense with nice details on their court proceedings. It was a slow read but I am glad I pushed on and got to the end. The author is the grandson of J.R. Tolkien author of the Lord of the Rings series and the Hobbit. The subject matter in the grandson's book it entirely different.

A Love to Treasure by Kimberly Rose Johnson. This is book one of the Sunriver Dreams series. Christian romantic fiction with the happy ending.

Amish by Accident by J.E.B. Spredemann. Unknown to each other, there are two young woman that look identical. One has left her Amish community including a boyfriend to live in New York City. The other is leaving New York City to visit a friend in France to help get over a break-up with her boyfriend because he has changed since becoming a Christian. On the way to the airport, she is in a terrible accident, has a brain injury and amnesia. Meanwhile, the airplane she was supposed to be on, crashes in the middle of the ocean and she is declared dead. An Amish neighbor of the other girl sees her in the hospital and thinks she is the Amish girl and brings her back to the Amish community. In the meantime, her ex-boyfriend meets the former Amish girl. Amnesia girl marries the Amish boyfriend she supposedly left behind and Amish girl get engaged to the other girl's boyfriend. It all gets sorted out in the end and ends happily ever after.

Just checked out Low Tide from the Kindle owner's lending library - but the author's last name is McKenna. Hope it's the same series!

#25.5 - Echoes in Death by JD Robb
This is book 44 in the series. I will be going back and start the series from book 1, I didn't realize it was a series when I started.
As NY Lt. Eve Dallas and her billionaire husband Roarke are driving home, a young woman―dazed, naked, and bloody―suddenly stumbles out in front of their car. Roarke slams on the brakes and Eve springs into action.
Daphne Strazza is rushed to the ER, but it’s too late for her husband Dr. Anthony Strazza. A brilliant orthopedic surgeon, he now lies dead amid the wreckage of his obsessively organized town house, his three safes opened and emptied. Daphne would be a valuable witness, but in her terror and shock the only description of the perp she can offer is repeatedly calling him “the devil”...
While it emerges that Dr. Strazza was cold, controlling, and widely disliked, this is one case where the evidence doesn’t point to the spouse. So Eve and her team must get started on the legwork, interviewing everyone from dinner-party guests to professional colleagues to caterers, in a desperate race to answer some crucial questions:
What does the devil look like? And where will he show up next?


#26.5 - Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
This is book 1 of this series. I read the latest book in the series first and am now going back to start from the beginning.
Hannah already has her hands full trying to dodge her mother's attempts to marry her off while running The Cookie Jar, Lake Eden's most popular bakery. But once Ron LaSalle, the beloved delivery man from the Cozy Cow Dairy, is found murdered behind her bakery with Hannah's famous Chocolate Chip Crunchies scattered around him, her life just can't get any worse. Determined not to let her cookies get a bad reputation, she sets out to track down a killer. But if she doesn't watch her back, Hannah's sweet life may get burned to a crisp.


Looks like I have a years worth of reading with just the two above series.

My mother just gave me a Joanne Fluke book for the recipes. Sounds like I may need to read the book as well!

 

[tiggrbaby]

#46/80: The Horse Dancer by JoJo Moyes (3.5/5) (British romance)
Didn't enjoy it as much as Me Before You.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Woo! Finished "From Columbus to Castro: The History of the Caribbean 1492-1969" by Eric Williams. Glad that's over.
That makes 36 books for the year so far...

 

[Tiggerish]

Just checked out Low Tide from the Kindle owner's lending library - but the author's last name is McKenna. Hope it's the same series!

Thanks, went back into my Kindle library and you are correct if is McKenna. I will edit my post and thanks again for catching that.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Question, are kindle lender books available in whispersync? thanks

 

[Simba's Mom]

Question, are kindle lender books available in whispersync? thanks

Is Kindle lending library something I get for free if I have a Kindle, or is it an extra charge? And if it's free, how do I access it? I take books out of my city's library on-line. I just finished "the Identicals" by Elin Hildebrand and I enjoyed it. But I don't know how much of that is because I've visited and liked Martha's Vineyard. Right now, I'm reading Carl Hiassen's "Native Tongue". What's interesting is that it's about a theme park similar to Disney's Animal Kingdom, yet it was written 7 years before the theme park opened.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Guys I wish I could help but I just recived my first kindle so I am just learning how it works

 

[usnuzuloose]

Is Kindle lending library something I get for free if I have a Kindle, or is it an extra charge? And if it's free, how do I access it? I take books out of my city's library on-line. I just finished "the Identicals" by Elin Hildebrand and I enjoyed it. But I don't know how much of that is because I've visited and liked Martha's Vineyard. Right now, I'm reading Carl Hiassen's "Native Tongue". What's interesting is that it's about a theme park similar to Disney's Animal Kingdom, yet it was written 7 years before the theme park opened.

Well from what I just read even the lending is still a charge. So nothing is free. Whispersync is charging way to much per book for it being read to you. I could deal with the 1.99 for listening, but not the cost of the book and then another 7.49 charge or more for each book.

 

[tiggrbaby]

Thanks, went back into my Kindle library and you are correct if is McKenna. I will edit my post and thanks again for catching that.

Thanks for recommending a series!

Question, are kindle lender books available in whispersync? thanks

Is Kindle lending library something I get for free if I have a Kindle, or is it an extra charge? And if it's free, how do I access it? I take books out of my city's library on-line. I just finished "the Identicals" by Elin Hildebrand and I enjoyed it. But I don't know how much of that is because I've visited and liked Martha's Vineyard. Right now, I'm reading Carl Hiassen's "Native Tongue". What's interesting is that it's about a theme park similar to Disney's Animal Kingdom, yet it was written 7 years before the theme park opened.

I LOVE his books!

Well from what I just read even the lending is still a charge. So nothing is free. Whispersync is charging way to much per book for it being read to you. I could deal with the 1.99 for listening, but not the cost of the book and then another 7.49 charge or more for each book.

I don't know exactly how the different programs work for the different models. I have a Kindle Fire first edition that uses wifi (old but still works!), and I am an Amazon Prime member. When I go to books, then store, I scroll down to the bottom and click on Kindle owners' lending library. I get to borrow one book a month through this. Additionally, I get to choose one book a month through the Kindle First program (4 - 6 choices of books pre-release). These are a mixed bunch. In addition to these and the e-books from the library, I always have something to read and don't have to buy anything!

I guess the best course of action is to check the model on the Amazon site to see what your model can and can't do.