Annual Reading Challenge--2020

[OKW8297]

55. Dark Witch by Nora Roberts. It’s the first in a trilogy. It was ok.

 

[melk]

29/25 No Greater Love: How My Family Survived the Genocide in Rwanda

True story of a Tutsi professor who was targeted to be killed along with his wife and five children. They are hidden by Hutu rescuers who put themselves in danger in order to save this family.

This is an amazing story. I didn’t know too much about the Rwandan massacre but this gave an easy to understand history of the tensions in Rwanda between Tutsi and Hutu. While not terribly graphic, some parts were still hard to read at times, it was so inhumane. But an inspiring story of true love and survival.

 

[Tiggerish]

Virgil Wander by Leif Enger. Virgil Wander lives in a small town in the Midwest that used to be a mining town. The mining industry is gone and the town is dwindling away. He has a unique automobile accident. He is severely injuring including a traumatic brain injury. The book follows his recovery with the help of various people in the town. I will definitely being reading more of this author.

The Beach Bar by Kate McCabe. This was a lite read. Irish woman who runs a successful printing business receives title to a business, a beach bar, in a small village on the coast of Spain. At the same time she receives an offer to buy her printing business. She goes to Spain to have time to reflect on that offer and arrange to sell the beach bar. It has a happy ending.

Separated - Inside an American Tragedy by Jacob Soboroff. Non-fiction about the separation of families coming across the border into the United States. This is a politically charged book so I will not try to summarize.

54-56 of 80

 

[MGMmjl]

21/30 - A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America's Hurricanes by Eric Jay Dolin

I'm really into weather and the history of meteorology, so I enjoyed this book immensely. It was well-written, and a very interesting narrative about the hurricanes that have impacted America over the years. It was an especially good read since we are in the middle of hurricane season currently.

 

[willowsnn3]

#44/60 Julia's Hope by Leisha Kelly
Like countless others in 1931, Samuel Wortham lost his job. And he lost his wife's inheritance, their home, and much of his self-respect. Samuel, his wife, Julia, and their two young children hitchhike from Pennsylvania to Illinois in hope of work. Caught on the road by a sudden storm, the Worthams take shelter in an abandoned farmhouse out of desperation.

Feeling oddly at home, Julia insists on finding the owner of the property, despite Samuel's objections, and asks for permission to stay. The owner is Emma Graham, a woman in her eighties who longs for home but can no longer live by herself. Emma and the Worthams work out a plan to live there together and restore the farm. Samuel struggles with not being able to provide for his family, and Julia and the kids confront unpleasant surprises when a busybody neighbor turns against them.

Sweet book. Would make a good Hallmark movie, lol.

 

[OKW8297]

56. The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James Cone. Read for a group at church . Extremely powerful.

 

[OKW8297]

57. The Midwife’s Revolt by Jodi Daynard. Outstanding historical fiction during the Revolutionary War

 

[Colleen27]

Shame on me for not knowing this was a book. I just recently saw some ads for the tv series of the same name & thought that sounded interesting. Now I will put in a hold at my library for it.

The book is, not surprisingly, better. But the show has been pretty good so far too... good enough that I can forgive it for not being more faithful to the book, at least.

 

[Tiggerish]

In for a Penny: A Seasoned Southern Sleuths Mystery by Kesley Browing and Nancy Naigle. First book in a series about a small group of older woman solving a mystery. Each of the woman is a unique character, starting will 70+ Lillian who ends helping from inside a Federal Penitentiary where she is serving a short sentence for defrauding the social security system after her husband died. It was improbable, irreverent and quirky.

Grief Cottage by Gail Godwin. An 11 year old boy is sent to live with his aunt on a small South Carolina island after his mother is killed in an automobile accident. He does not know who his father is. As the two figure out a way to live together, the boy becomes fascinated with a broken down, abandoned cottage on the far edge of the island. It is sort of a ghost story but is more about how we come to terms with loss and painful pasts. I will definitely more of her books.

57 and 58 of 80

 

[bobbiwoz]

65/80
Best Friends, Occasional Enemies by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella

Be ready to laugh about Mother/Daughter relationships. If you can laugh at yourself about weight and aging, this book is for you. 2011 published. Lisa is well known around Philly, Francesca lives in NYC.

 

[Allison Joy]

Okay. I clearly need to venture out from my DIS "bubble" because I had NO CLUE this thread existed. Do you take latecomers?? I'm on WAY late here, but I generally set a goal of 12 per year (inspired by a "book a month" group I was/am a part of on Facebook). Even if you don't "count" me this year, I'll still post my reading so far here.

My 2020 books (so far):

1. Golden Son by Pierce Brown (2/3 in a series I started in late 2019)
2. Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult
3. Morning Star by Pierce Brown (3/3 in series)
4. On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (1/4 in The Wingfeather Saga)
5. North! Or be Eaten by Andrew Peterson (2/4 in series)
6. The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson (3/4)
7. The Warden and the Wolf King by Andrew Peterson (4/4)
8. The Hate u Give by Angie Thomas
9. Grace, Gold, and GLory: My Leap of Faith by Gabby Douglas
10. Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka (graphic novel)
11. The Ballad of Songbirds ans Snakes by Suzanne Collins (prequel for The Hunger Game)

Obvioulsy since I'm at 11 already I need to up my "usual" goal of 12, so I'll go with 15. Although that might be cheating, since I'm basing that on what I've already read up to September! Ha!

 

[willowsnn3]

Especially right now as our internet/cable has been out a few days & tech can't come out until Saturday....

 

[willowsnn3]

#45/60 X by Sue Grafton
When a glamorous red head wishes to locate the son she put up for adoption thirty-two years ago, it seems like an easy two hundred bucks for P. I. Kinsey Millhone. But when a cop tells her she was paid with marked bills, and Kinsey's client is nowhere to be found, it becomes apparent this mystery woman has something to hide. Riled, Kinsey won't stop until she's found out who fooled her and why.

Meanwhile, the widow of the recently murdered P. I. - and Kinsey's old friend - Pete Wolinsky, needs help with her IRS audit. This seemingly innocuous task takes a treacherous turn when Kinsey finds a coded list amongst her friend's files. It soon leads her to an unhinged man with a catalogue of ruined lives left in his wake. And despite the devastation, there isn't a single conviction to his name. It seems this sociopath knows exactly how to cause chaos without leaving a trace.

As Kinsey delves deeper into the investigation she quickly becomes the next target of this tormentor. But can Kinsey prove her case against him before she becomes the next victim?

Continues the alphabet series by Sue Grafton. This one would have been better if it were 3 different books as there were three different storylines going on. Each could have been better on their own then maybe the ending would have been better. Instead the author wraps all three stories up (and not very well) in a final one & a half page chapter.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Okay. I clearly need to venture out from my DIS "bubble" because I had NO CLUE this thread existed. Do you take latecomers?? I'm on WAY late here, but I generally set a goal of 12 per year (inspired by a "book a month" group I was/am a part of on Facebook). Even if you don't "count" me this year, I'll still post my reading so far here.

My 2020 books (so far):

1. Golden Son by Pierce Brown (2/3 in a series I started in late 2019)
2. Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult
3. Morning Star by Pierce Brown (3/3 in series)
4. On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (1/4 in The Wingfeather Saga)
5. North! Or be Eaten by Andrew Peterson (2/4 in series)
6. The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson (3/4)
7. The Warden and the Wolf King by Andrew Peterson (4/4)
8. The Hate u Give by Angie Thomas
9. Grace, Gold, and GLory: My Leap of Faith by Gabby Douglas
10. Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka (graphic novel)
11. The Ballad of Songbirds ans Snakes by Suzanne Collins (prequel for The Hunger Game)

Obvioulsy since I'm at 11 already I need to up my "usual" goal of 12, so I'll go with 15. Although that might be cheating, since I'm basing that on what I've already read up to September! Ha!

Everyone is welcomed!

 

[willowsnn3]

Okay. I clearly need to venture out from my DIS "bubble" because I had NO CLUE this thread existed. Do you take latecomers?? I'm on WAY late here, but I generally set a goal of 12 per year (inspired by a "book a month" group I was/am a part of on Facebook). Even if you don't "count" me this year, I'll still post my reading so far here.

My 2020 books (so far):

1. Golden Son by Pierce Brown (2/3 in a series I started in late 2019)
2. Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult
3. Morning Star by Pierce Brown (3/3 in series)
4. On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (1/4 in The Wingfeather Saga)
5. North! Or be Eaten by Andrew Peterson (2/4 in series)
6. The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson (3/4)
7. The Warden and the Wolf King by Andrew Peterson (4/4)
8. The Hate u Give by Angie Thomas
9. Grace, Gold, and GLory: My Leap of Faith by Gabby Douglas
10. Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka (graphic novel)
11. The Ballad of Songbirds ans Snakes by Suzanne Collins (prequel for The Hunger Game)

Obvioulsy since I'm at 11 already I need to up my "usual" goal of 12, so I'll go with 15. Although that might be cheating, since I'm basing that on what I've already read up to September! Ha!

Welcome to the group! I did add you to the first post.

 

[willowsnn3]

#46/60 The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka
Sarah Cook, a beautiful blonde teenager, disappeared fifteen years ago, the same night her parents were brutally murdered in their suburban Ohio home. Her boyfriend Brad Stockton - black and from the wrong side of the tracks - was convicted of the murders and sits on death row, though he always maintained his innocence. With his execution only weeks away, his devoted sister, insisting she has spotted Sarah at a local gas station, hires PI Roxane Weary to look again at the case.

Reeling from the recent death of her cop father, Roxane finds herself drawn to the story of Sarah's vanishing act, especially when she thinks she's linked Sarah's disappearance to one of her father's unsolved murder cases involving another teen girl. Despite her self-destructive tendencies, Roxane starts to hope that maybe she can save Brad's life and her own.

First in a new series. Was good but I don't think good enough for me to read any sequels.

 

[drwitz]

Shame on me for not knowing this was a book. I just recently saw some ads for the tv series of the same name & thought that sounded interesting. Now I will put in a hold at my library for it.

The series is great so far!! Can't wait to read the book too...

 

[drwitz]

This set of books was a break from the King re-read. I decided to read what some will call political books (I would agree, they are political).

Just want to be clear: by listing these here, I am not inviting a political discussion. Too much of my life is made up of people arguing about politics, and I value this space as one where we don't do that. So in the interest of inclusion on my reading list (and to get credit for these), I will list them here, but I will skip the usual overview and review. If you do want a review of any of these, feel free to message me and I will share my candid opinion of any or all.

44. Separated: Inside an American Tragedy by Jacob Soboroff

45. The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics by Steve Benen

46. The Room Where it Happened: A White House Memoir by John Bolton.

Again, please honor my request and do not offer political opinion or feedback here (either in support or criticism of these titles). If you would like to do so, I welcome that through chat.

Now back to the King read-through.

47. Four Past Midnight by Stephen King

This is a wonderful collection of novellas but unlike Different Seasons, this one makes no bones about being a collection of horror stories. "The Langoliers" is the most interesting take on time travel I think I have ever read. "Secret Window, Secret Garden" is another in a series of stories about the tension of writers and writing (which began in Misery, continued in The Dark Half and gets another version here). "The Library Policeman" is a vision of childhood fears still carried and living for an adult. "The Sun Dog" is a Castle Rock story which presents the extraordinary as it intersects with the ordinary (and is sort of a prequel for the upcoming Needful Things).

48. Too Much is Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man by Mary L. Trump

Again, a political book, so I won't review it here. If you want my opinion, feel free to message me.

49. I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown

A short but incredible powerful book about the life experience of the author and the lessons she has learned in her life. What a powerful work. HIGHLY recommended.

50. Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace

A riveting and inspirational review of Catmull's career at Pixar (and Disney), and a handbook for managing and leading excellent organizations. Written before the John Lasseter revelations, some of the book reads somewhat differently now, however so many of the lessons offered are so valuable and instructive. I definitely recommend this book!

AND WITH THAT, I am at 50! That was my goal. Everything else is gravy!

 

[bobbiwoz]

66/80

#42/60 She Lies In Wait by Gytha Lodge
On a scorching July night in 1983, a group of teenagers goes camping in the forest. Bright and brilliant, they are destined for great things, and the youngest of the group—Aurora Jackson—is delighted to be allowed to tag along. The evening starts like any other—they drink, they dance, they fight, they kiss. Some of them slip off into the woods in pairs, others are left jealous and heartbroken. But by morning, Aurora has disappeared. Her friends claim that she was safe the last time they saw her, right before she went to sleep. An exhaustive investigation is launched, but no trace of the teenager is ever found.

Thirty years later, Aurora’s body is unearthed in a hideaway that only the six friends knew about, and Jonah Sheens is put in charge of solving the long-cold case. Back in 1983, as a young cop in their small town, he had known the teenagers—including Aurora—personally, even before taking part in the search. Now he’s determined to finally get to the truth of what happened that night. Sheens’s investigation brings the members of the camping party back to the forest, where they will be confronted once again with the events that left one of them dead, and all of them profoundly changed forever.

This one was ok. Good but not great. Supposed to be the first in a new series but I probably won't continue with the series.

You did a great synopsis! Difference only in that I thought it was very good! For me it was 4.5/5!

 

[Simba's Mom]

I finished reading "Winter in Paradise", and while I was reading it, someone reported here that they were reading the second book in the series and actually enjoyed it even more than the first. Since I was really liking the first book, I vowed to read the second (I usually don't read series, or if I do, it isn't in order). But this one I am, and so far it's great.