Annual Reading Challenge--2020

[willowsnn3]

#3/60 The Unquiet by Mikaela Everett

For most of her life, Lirael has been training to kill—and replace—a duplicate version of herself on a parallel Earth. She is the perfect sleeper-soldier. But she’s beginning to suspect she is not a good person.
The two Earths are identical in almost every way. Two copies of every city, every building, even every person. But the people from the second Earth know something their duplicates do not—two versions of the same thing cannot exist. They—and their whole planet—are slowly disappearing. Lira has been trained mercilessly since childhood to learn everything she can about her duplicate, to be a ruthless sleeper-assassin who kills that other Lirael and steps seamlessly into her life.

I really liked this one. It was a YA book my grandson had bought at Dollar Tree. I started it about a week ago but put it down because I had a library book that was almost due back. Should have just taken that library book back as it was not very good at all, lol.

 

[bobbiwoz]

5/75 My Italian Bulldozer by Alexander McCall Smith

This is a new to me series, about a food and wine writer, Paul Stuart. I enjoyed the book.

 

[Kirby]

I finished Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan a couple of days ago. It's my book club pick for this month. It's about writer and poet Joy Davidman who married CS Lewis. Some people may actually like this book but I found it dreary, like it was always overcast. I was interested enough to research who Joy Davidman was since I had never heard of her before. Is it a book that I would recommend? Not really but if you like CS Lewis' books then it might be interesting for you to read about her and how she influenced some of his writings.

 

[JennM]

1/42 The Guardians - John Grisham
2/42 The Wife Between Us - Greer Hendricks

I think I might end up with a much larger to-read list after catching up on the posts.

 

[MGMmjl]

3/30 - People of Darkness by Tony Hillerman

"A dying man is murdered. A rich man’s wife agrees to pay three thousand dollars for the return of a stolen box of rocks. A series of odd, inexplicable events is haunting Sergeant Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police and drawing him alone into the Bad Country of the merciless Southwest, where everything good struggles to survive, including Chee. An assassin waits for him there, protecting a thirty-year-old vision sired by greed and nourished by blood. And only one man will walk away."

This is book #4 of Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn/Chee Navajo Tribal Police series. I started reading the series when I was looking for a series similar to the Longmire series I read. Hillerman was a recommendation, and I'm glad of it! There are 18 books that Tony Hillerman wrote, and now 5 additional books after his daughter Anne Hillerman took over the series after Tony's death. I am working through the first 18 books now. I haven't read them in order, just reading them as I have found them in the library or on sale. People of Darkness is the 4th book in the series, and the first one to feature Jim Chee as the first three books in the series dealt with Joe Leaphorn as the main character. Books 4-6 have Chee as the main character, and then the remainder of the books (at least in the original series) feature both Leaphorn and Chee. People of Darkness was another great book in the series! I now only have 2 more books to complete the first 18, and then I look forward to continuing the series with Anne Hillerman.

 

[Deffenm]

I would love to join in if it's not to late. I love to read! I will set a goal of 35 books.

 

[BonnieF]

3/50 - Beartown, Fredrick Backman. A terrific story of how kids learn what's right and wrong, and the societal pressures that shape their behavior. I highly recommend it!

 

[willowsnn3]

I would love to join in if it's not to late. I love to read! I will set a goal of 35 books.

Welcome to the group!

 

[allenfane]

Finished my first one for this year: Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile.

"Young, rich, and beautiful Linnet Ridgeway has almost everything. What she doesn't have, she takes. For instance, her best friend Jackie's man. When Linnet and her new beau embark on their honeymoon cruise along the Nile, nothing can keep Jackie from their shadows. And no one - not even detective Hercule Poirot - can prevent a crime of passion. But faced with the suspect's airtight alibi , can he even prove who did it?"

This was an excellent murder mystery. Christie is good at keeping you guessing until the end, and then surprising you with the solution.

Also , according to Amazon this is the next Christie novel to be made into a movie and is scheduled for this fall.

 

[Disney_Alli]

5/75 - The Breakup Album: Lauren Blakely

A romance about a rock star and a music critic. I really liked her writing style though the conflict at the end seemed pretty forced. I read some reviews that suggested that this was one of the author’s weaker books so I’d definitely read another one.

 

[bobbiwoz]

6/75 The Second Worst Restaurant in France by Alexander McCall Smith

Second in the Paul Stuart Series, good story.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

#1 Liar Liar by Lisa Jackson
Very intense fast paced with good action but yet you really have to be able to suspend belief. There were more than a few instances that seemed unlikely to happen especially so close to one another.

If anyone is interested in reading any 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 or at Goodreads.

 

[bobbiwoz]

7/75. Beating About the Bush by M.C. Beaton
An Agatha Raisin mystery. Hired to see about industrial espionage in a car battery plant, it becomes evident other things are happening, not espionage.

 

[mini22]

4/35-Howard Stern Comes Again by Howard Stern

 

[tiggrbaby]

3/50 - Beartown, Fredrick Backman. A terrific story of how kids learn what's right and wrong, and the societal pressures that shape their behavior. I highly recommend it!

There's a sequel: Us Against You

 

[SaintsManiac]

#1-What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
It’s book 2 in her new series. Really enjoyed the characters and setting. Ended on a cliffhanger ugh! Next one comes out in October. She is one of my all time favorite authors, so I know I will enjoy anything she writes.

#2-The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
A solid “sequel” to Handmaid’s Tale. I enjoyed getting to learn things from other perspectives. Very interesting and I love Atwood’s writing style.

#3-This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
Amazing book. I could not put it down. 5 stars all around.

#4-Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
I enjoyed this one, but some of the "southern" descriptions in the present day portion were way over the top. I'm interested in reading the non-fiction that came out after this one. I fell down the Wikipedia rabbit hole while reading this.

#5-The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (currently reading)

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

There's a sequel: Us Against You

This was a book that didn't feel like it would have a sequel.
Did you read? How was?

 

[tiggrbaby]

This was a book that didn't feel like it would have a sequel.
Did you read? How was?

I thought it was worth reading. It focuses on problems that developed in the aftermath of the first book.

 

[willowsnn3]

 

[bobbiwoz]

8/75 The Candy Cane Caper by Josi S. Kilpack

i think this Christmas mystery is a cut above the rest. There are serious messages here about life and what’s important!