Annual Reading Challenge 2019

[Tiggerish]

The Boy Between Two Worlds by Annejet van der Zijl translated from Dutch by Kristen Gehrman. Biography. Waldemar was born in South America in a Dutch colony. His father was of mixed African and indigenous Indian blood and his mother was a 'black white" whose white coloring allowed her into the top of the social strata. In 1927 Waldemar is sent to relatives in the Netherlands and there he meets Rika. She is much older than him, already married with four children. They fall in love and leaving her family behind, they start life together. They start another family and finally are separated by Nazis when their home is raided for harboring Jews. Tragically, each dies in the German camps. Their story had Dutch history interesting.

83 of 104

 

[willowsnn3]

#48/50 The Dead Don't Dance by Charles Martin
A sleepy rural town in South Carolina. The end of summer and a baby about to be born. But in the midst of hope and celebration comes unexpected tragedy, and Dylan Styles must come to terms with how much he's lost. Will the music of his heart be stilled forever—or will he choose to dance with life once more, in spite of sorrow and heartbreak?

#1 in the Awakening series. Kinda liked it, kinda was glad when I finished, lol. Will probably read the next installment.

 

[bobbiwoz]

61/75 Cross Stitch Before Dying by Amanda Lee
Another easy read while traveling

62/75 When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin
A very good read! Thanks to all who recommended it!

 

[Disney_Alli]

43/50 - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Probably one of my favorites of the series. Can't wait to keep going.

 

[Tiggerish]

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. This book got a lot of mentions early because of the movie that has made based on it. It was more of a beach read than anything of substance but decent enough.

Moonshadow Murder: A Manny Rivera Mystery by Rich Curtin. A police procedural murder mystery set in small time Utah. I liked how the police detective is able to see things not in black and white but also understands the gray areas.

84 and 85 of 104

 

[bobbiwoz]

63/75 A Mothers Reckoning by Sue Klebold

How does the mother of a murder/suicide victim deal with what has happened? It’s a heart rendering book.

 

[Kirby]

38/50 - Longing by Karen Kingsbury. Genre - Romance
Longing, book three in the Bailey Flanigan Series, picks up where Learning ended. After a long and lonely silence from Cody Coleman, Bailey Flanigan becomes closer to her one-time Hollywood co-star, Brandon Paul. Nights on the town in New York City and long talks on the balcony of Brandon's Malibu Beach home make Bailey dizzy with new feelings and cause her to wonder if her days with Cody are over forever. Meanwhile, Cody's work coaching a small-town football team has brought him and his players national attention. In the midst of the celebration and success, Cody finds himself much closer to a woman who seems to better understand him and his new life. Even so, never does much time go by without Bailey and Cody experiencing deep feelings of longing for each other, longing both for the past and for answers before they can move forward. Will an unexpected loss be the turning point for Cody? Will Cody and Bailey find a way back together again for the first time in more than a year? And if they do, will their brief time together be enough to help them remember all they've been longing for?

 

[OKW8297]

29. ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King. So.....I’m a wimp. The only King novel I read before this was 1963. I wanted something different, and my son said it was awesome. He was right. I will confess I could only read it in the light of day, usually on the treadmill, but King’s writing drew me in and I really enjoyed it. I’ll be reading more of his work-as soon as I get more nerve! LOL!

 

[mini22]

28- Shelter in Place / Nora Roberts

 

[luvmarypoppins]

23/30 - The Wooing of Catie McCaffrey by Bethany Turner Guy tries to win girl back
24/30 - Christmas Angels by Nancy Naigle Sweet holiday romance
25/30 - The Enlightenment of Bees by Rachel Linden. Girl trying to find her life's passion and purpose

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

10 Turtles All the Way Down by John Greene

Still one of my favorite new authors. This is a little closer to my heart than some other pieces with its main character suffering from anxiety. My youngest daughter suffers, not as heavily and different obsession but still the character was very realistic especially similarly the way she would travel in and out of it. The real problem being when you make that travel and what you got packed to handle it.

If anyone is interested in reading one of my works, I would gladly send a kindle gift version of any of them: “Written for You”, “Three Twigs for the Campfire”, “Cemetery Girl” or “Reigning”.
You can see them all reviewed at Goodreads (Click on link to view books). If you are interested in reading any of them message me here.

 

[willowsnn3]

29. ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King. So.....I’m a wimp. The only King novel I read before this was 1963. I wanted something different, and my son said it was awesome. He was right. I will confess I could only read it in the light of day, usually on the treadmill, but King’s writing drew me in and I really enjoyed it. I’ll be reading more of his work-as soon as I get more nerve! LOL!

One of my favorites! Try "Misery" & "Delores Claiborne". Both very good & not too scary.

 

[OKW8297]

One of my favorites! Try "Misery" & "Delores Claiborne". Both very good & not too scary.

Will do! Thanks!

 

[Colleen27]

Six weeks away from home and jumping right into the back-to-school grind have me WAY behind on this thread and on logging my own reading, so I may not have many thoughts to share on this update (which is basically a recounting of my Goodreads history, since it is so much easier to track there when I only have my phone).

#85/130 - Myths and Mortals by Charlie Holmberg

The sequel to a YA supernatural title I picked up quite some time ago, I think from Amazon's First Reads, this was a good continuation of the story with enough twists and suspense to leave me looking forward to the release of the final book in the planned trilogy.

#86 - Pandemic by A.G. Riddle

I'm not sure how my daughter discovered this one, but it was one of the more engrossing post-apocalyptic titles I've read in a while. The genre seems to be getting a bit played out, but this was more race-against-time thriller than morbid, everyone-is-dead chronicle of the aftermath, and although the story is global rather than confined to a lab, it reminded me in a way of The Andromeda Strain, which I loved when I first read it as a kid.

#87 - The Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran

Fluff romance, I don't really remember my specific impression but I gave is 3/5 stars on Goodreads so I must have liked it well enough.

#88 - The Blacksmith Queen by G.A. Aiken

This started with what could have been a great premise in a fascinating fantasy world, but it was more of a lesson in all that is wrong with digital publishing than anything else. The formatting was bad, there were grammar, spelling and usage errors throughout, and it was clear no professional editor ever laid eyes on the manuscript before it went live. Which is really a shame because the story itself was fun, if a bit predictable, and the characters charmingly unconventional for their types/genre.

#89-91 - Thoughtless, Effortless, and Reckless by S.C. Stephens

New adult will never be my favorite genre - it is like YA but with sex, and I often find the characters annoyingly shallow or static - but these weren't actually bad for a light bit of escapism. The characters did actually grow and mature over the course of the story arc, which is something I find lacking in a lot of "new adult" romances, and although it played the common "become rich and famous" trope with the main character's journey to rockstar status, it wasn't done in as naive a way as is often the case with these kinds of titles.

 

[bobbiwoz]

63/75. The Timepiece by Beverly Lewis...a very nice story blending an Amish family with an English relative. Touching.

 

[willowsnn3]

#49/50
Death Qualified by Kate Wilhelm
Barbara had given up the law five years before, but she's still "death qualified," still able to defend clients in Oregon who face the death penalty if convicted. And now her lawyer father needs her back in the arena to defend Nell Kendricks, who's been indicted for the murder of her estranged husband, Lucas Kendricks.
But did she do it? After not seeing him for seven years? And where was Lucas all that time? Ultimately, the small-town courtroom is where the truth can be found if one can spot it through the blinding maelstrom of injustice, confusion, chaos, reality, and love....

OK, this is the first in the Barbara Holloway series. I went between really liking this one to just wishing it would end, lol. It was good in most parts, really 'wordy' at times, subplots that just went over my head at times......Looks like there are a lot more in the series but I really doubt I will try any of them. I will try another of author's stand alone books tho as the one I read a while back was very good.

 

[tiggrbaby]

September:

#60/90: Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem (4/5) (mystery)
A young man with Tourette’s syndrome and three others from St. Vincent’s Home for Boys work for a small-time mobster who is murdered. The young man takes it upon himself to solve the murder.

#61/90: What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman (fiction) (4.5/5)
Same author as The Life She Was Given. Told in alternating timelines. A young woman is torn from the man she loves and committed to an asylum by her uncaring parents. A foster teen discovers the journal left behind and strives to find the rest of the story.

#62/90: A Better Man (Inspector Gamache #15) by Louise Penny (5/5) (Canadian mystery)
During a potential flooding crisis, Gamache feels compelled to help a desperate man find his missing daughter. At the same time, there are negative social media blitzes against Gamache and Clara.
Love the series and characters!

#63/90: Last Bus to Wisdom by Ivan Doig (5/5) (fiction)
In 1951, young Donal is being raised by his grandmother on a ranch in Montana. When she needs surgery, she sends him off on a bus to spend the summer with a great aunt he has never met. Many misadventures ensue.
I thought this book was delightfully similar to Holes.

#64/90: Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman (4/5) (short stories)
A collection of poems and short stories, many with a supernatural bent.

#65/90: Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter (4/5) (suspense)
An insecure young woman is on the run after her mild mother takes down a killer. She must work to determine her mother’s past to save both of them.
Thanks to DISer who recommended this! Can’t wait to see it on Netflix.

 

[Kirby]

39/50 - His Risk; The Amish of Hart County by Shelley Shepard Gray. Genre - Inspirational
Calvin Fisher left the Amish community at fourteen and never looked back. Only his brother's illness can bring him back to Hart County. Now, as Calvin works to make amends, he meets Alice, a local nursery school teacher, and falls hard for her. But he has a secret that could threaten the happiness he's finally found.

Alice shouldn't like - or want - Calvin. He's English, has a questionable past, and an even more questionable job. Still, she can't help being intrigued. Though Calvin assures Alice that he's worthy of her, she's torn between surrendering to her growing feelings and steering clear of him.

When a sudden surge of criminal activity alarms the community and even targets Alice, Calvin fears that his double life has put everyone he loves at risk. As for Alice, she can't help but wonder if the brave and honorable man she's lost her heart to is far more dangerous than she could ever imagine.

 

[Disney_Alli]

44/50 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling

I know a lot of people say this is the best book (and the worst movie) but it's not my favorite. I think OotP is my favorite book and happily that's next.

 

[scrhsa]

I can't remember what # I'm on. I've moved and can't find my notebook and I'm too lazy to go searching
Anyway!
I've done a personal challege I set up for myself, which was to read a book fitting the month/holiday etc. Since it's October I've read Ray Bradbury's From the Dust Returned.
A very interesting book! Very whimiscal in it's spookiness. Quick and easy read.
They have lived in a house of legend and mystery in upper Illinois---and they are not like other midwesterners. Rarely encountered in daylight hours, their children are curious and wild; their old ones have survived since before the Sphinx first sank its paws deep in Egyptian sands. And some sleep in beds with lids.