Here it is - the OFFICIAL 2014 READING GOAL CHALLENGE THREAD

[zippitydoo]

Book 18 of 50

The Barkeep by William Lashner

From Goodreads:
Justin Chase is the perfect barkeep, tending bar as he lives his life, in a state of Zen serenity, until Birdie Grackle, a foul-mouthed alcoholic, walks into his bar and makes a startling confession. Six years ago Justin's life was ripped apart when he discovered his mother's bludgeoned corpse. Now Justin's father is serving a life sentence and Justin drowns his emotions in a pool of inner peace. But when Birdie claims he murdered Justin's mother for cash, Justin is hurled back to the emotions, back to the past, and, most frightening of all, back to the father he tried to leave behind. WHO HIRED BIRDIE GRACKLE TO KILL JUSTIN?S MOTHER? As Justin pieces together the truth, a killing machine stalks Justin, leaving a trail of dead in his wake. Someone wants to bury the truth, and maybe Justin, too. Justin had better find some answers quick, because murder is just not Zen.

 

[superme80]

I have been slacking!!!! I just finished People Before Profit a biography of Bob Moore of Bob's Red Mill products. It was awesome. I also just read The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner. It was a very fun read.

 

[rainydayplay]

5/30: Legend by Marie Lu
6/30: Prodigy by Marie Lu

Up next: Champion (last book in this series.)

Like book 1 a lot, but I could not put down book 2! Amazon had the first two for, like, $2.99 at the beginning of the year. Now, they've been marked back up, and book 3 was almost $10!

 

[CallieMar]

8/50 - The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

From Goodreads:
By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend's sister, the lovely—and almost-on-the-shelf—Daphne Bridgerton. But the two of them know the truth—it's all an elaborate plan to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable.

But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it's hard to remember that their courtship is a complete sham. Maybe it's his devilish smile, certainly it's the way his eyes seem to burn every time he looks at her... but somehow Daphne is falling for the dashing duke... for real! And now she must do the impossible and convince the handsome rogue that their clever little scheme deserves a slight alteration, and that nothing makes quite as much sense as falling in love...

This book was okay. The dialogue was a bit clunky and the chemistry between Simon and Daphne seemed lackluster. However it's the first in a series and the Bridgerton siblings seem much more interesting so I'll continue with it.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I'm reading Infected by Scott Sigler(it was reviewed here by a previous poster).

It takes a LOT to disturb or make me uncomfortable when reading. However, the chapter I read last night did it. It took me a long time to get to sleep. I don't know if that is a good or a bad thing! So if you're looking for a disturbing, kind of creepy book in the sci-fi genre, give it a try.

 

[camreesmom]

Just finished #5 - The Consequences by Collette Freedman.

From Amazon: In the riveting follow-up to her acclaimed debut novel, Colette Freedman explores the aftermath of infidelity from three different perspectives--husband, wife, and mistress.

The end of an affair may be only the beginning. . .

Over the course of one tumultuous Christmas Eve, Kathy Walker confirmed her suspicions about her husband's affair, confronted his mistress, Stephanie, and saved her marriage. She and Robert have eighteen years, two teenagers, and a film production business between them--plus a bond that Kathy has no intention of giving up on. Yet though Robert is contrite, Kathy can't quite silence her doubts.

While Robert reels from his wife's ultimatum and his mistress's rejection, Stephanie makes a discovery: she's pregnant. Her resolve to stay away from Robert wavers now that they could make a real family together. And in the days that follow, Stephanie, Robert, and Kathy must each reckon with the intricate realities of desire, the repercussions of betrayal, and the secrets that, once revealed, ripple through lives and relationships in thoroughly unexpected ways.

This was the sequel to The Affair. I didn't realize there would be a book 2 but she definitely left the door wide open for book #3 with this one. I enjoyed it and would recommend it. Probably a 4 out of 5.

 

[threeboysmom]

I began The Rose Project and am thoroughly enjoying it as well. Whoever said the narrator is like Sheldon Cooper sold me on it, and they are so spot on!

I'm on my library's reserve list for this one and am patiently waiting. Been 2 days now without a book to read as I wait. Gosh, I hate that!

I just started Six Years by Harlen Coben. Next up will be Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.

Oh, can't wait to hear how you liked Six Years! I've been on hold for over a month now waiting for that one! Should finally be available in April, I'm thinking...

I finished #8 out of 30

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

My fellow DIS'ers never steer me wrong. I chose this one based on reviews on last year's book thread. What a heartwarming, inspirational story by the author. At times I had to remind myself that this was non-fiction. I highly recommend this book - was a good change of pace for me since I tend to gravitate towards suspense or exciting plot twists, etc.

Next up is The Rosie Project also chosen because of DIS reviews. Just waiting for it to become available at my library. Don't want to start anything else but gosh, I hate being without a book! Hurry up and return the book to the library so I can have my turn! lol

 

[Kathi OD]

Finished #8 ~ The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline.

Have to say I loved this book! I've been on a stretch of books that are just "meh," but this was well beyond those others.


Next up...Still Life With Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen.

 

[Glynis]

Goal - 70 books

Book #6 - "Behind the Beautiful Forevers" by Katherine Boo

From Goodreads: In this brilliantly written, fast-paced book, based on three years of uncompromising reporting, a bewildering age of global change and inequality is made human.

Annawadi is a makeshift settlement in the shadow of luxury hotels near the Mumbai airport, and as India starts to prosper, Annawadians are electric with hope. Abdul, a reflective and enterprising Muslim teenager, sees “a fortune beyond counting“ in the recyclable garbage that richer people throw away. Asha, a woman of formidable wit and deep scars from a childhood in rural poverty, has identified an alternate route to the middle class: political corruption. With a little luck, her sensitive, beautiful daughter—Annawadi’s “most-everything girl“—will soon become its first female college graduate. And even the poorest Annawadians, like Kalu, a fifteen-year-old scrap-metal thief, believe themselves inching closer to the good lives and good times they call “the full enjoy.”

My review: This was a book that my book club chose to read for this month. I'm excited to meet with the rest of the club to see what they think. I'm not sure that I would recommend this book. It was very disturbing, and uncomfortable to read. The hopeless plight of the people of the slums was hard to read about, while sitting in my comfortable home. However, I'm glad that I read it.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Right now I'm struggling through Dorothea Benton Franke's Isle of Palms. It's such a huge book, and so slow going. So far I'm not really loving it for that reason, but I hope it gets better. It's only #11 of 60 books I vowed to read this year-I hope it doesn't take me the rest of the year for this one!

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #18: All The Truth That's in Me by Julie Berry

This is about a girl which something bad happens to her. B/c of this event she is unable to talk to tell what happened. The story is a little choppy b/c of how it is told. B/c she can't talk, we hear the story as the thoughts in her head. These thoughts are not in chronologically in order. You do piece the story together though. It's a very quick read.

Finished book #19- The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon

This is an okay murder mystery. The story is told alternately in the past when Reggie's mom is taken by a serial killer & in the present when her mother resurfaces. Then in the present, her childhood friend is taken when the serial killer starts up again. The reveal at the end isn't a major surprise though. Always the least expected.

Next book: The Shack

 

[Briarmom]

Ugh. I don't want to go through all the posts to figure out where I am in my count, but I have 8 written down now so I guess I'll go with 8:


8/50: And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini.

I don't know why I waited so long to read this one. Hosseini never fails to disappoint with his words.

 

[willowsnn3]

Goal 72

#13 The Thicket by Joe Lansdale

From Goodreads:

'Jack Parker thought he'd already seen his fair share of tragedy. His grandmother was killed in a farm accident when he was barely five years old. His parents have just succumbed to the smallpox epidemic sweeping turn-of-the-century East Texas--orphaning him and his younger sister, Lula.
Then catastrophe strikes on the way to their uncle's farm, when a traveling group of bank-robbing bandits murder Jack's grandfather and kidnap his sister. Jack must grow up fast and enlists a band of heroes the likes of which has never been seen if his sister stands any chance at survival. But the best he can come up with is a charismatic, bounty-hunting dwarf named Shorty, a grave-digging son of an ex-slave named Eustace, and a street-smart woman-for-hire named Jimmie Sue who's come into some very intimate knowledge about the bandits (and a few members of Jack's extended family to boot).'


I really didn't care for this book, I only finished it because I had given up on the last 3 books that I started.

 

[Jafar30]

Finished #3 Prisoner of Azkaban

#4 Goblet of Fire

 

[dizluvah]

Book # 22
Stealing Home by Jennifer Seasons
Baseball star meets woman in the bar and brings her home. She drugs him and steals his good luck charm…but wait…she had a good reason – she needs money for her niece’s surgery.
My rating: 2 stars….meh

Book #23
Fast Forward by Juliet Madison
Aspiring supermodel Kelli Crawford seems destined to marry her hotshot boyfriend, but on her 25th birthday she wakes in the future as a fifty-year-old suburban housewife married to the now middle-aged high school nerd.

This got lots of positive reviews on goodreads but I did not enjoy this one; I found it slow moving and just not that interesting.
My rating: 2 stars …just ok

Up next: Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan

 

[CaliBear]

I hope you have received your copy of The Rosie Project by now, threeboysmom. I finished it today and it was a fun read.

I'm up to 8/30 with that one completed. I've started an older fictional book about the LAPD called The New Centurions by Joseph Wambaugh. I remember my mother used to read his books when I was a child in the 70s so I couldn't resist when I saw a copy of this on a sale table recently. It's very interesting so far, even if things have changed a lot since it was first published (1971).

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #20 - The Shack by William Young

I'm not sure what to think of this book. It does make you think about God & what a true relationship is with him. A horrific event happens to him (one that really affected me & made it difficult to sleep) & God invites him to the shack where the horrific event happens to help him make peace with it.

Mackenzie Allen Phillips's youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, in this midst of his great sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack one wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change his life forever.

 

[xlsm]

Finally finished 13 of 45 - From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz.

This was one of the best books I've read in a long, long time.

I don't even know how to explain what it's about! The easiest way is to say it is about the battle between good and evil.

The story follows several different people who are all linked in an extraordinary way.

At first the stories trade back and forth from chapter to chapter, but as it progresses they merge into one. It is not difficult to follow and pulls you in right away. This was a page turner for sure!

I'm sorry this review is so vague, but I won't be able to do it justice!
I rate this a 4.5/5

 

[WowLookAtThat]

Book #23 Just Like Other Daughters by Collen Faulkner

Book #24 A Good Indian Wife by Anne Cherian

Review: I don't really read Indian literature but something about this story intrigued me. Basically, Neel is a doctor in California who was born in India. He is constantly bothered by family to find a wife (he is going around with Caroline, who is basically a golddigger supreme) and after hearing his grandfather is dying, accepts his aunt to play matchmaker in an arranged marriage. Leila is 30 years old, educated and wants to be married. So, Leila and Neel marry quickly and she moves to the US with her new husband. Neel seems to resent his wife and plans on divorcing her while Leila seems to idealize the marriage despite his being not that interested in her. Time goes on and Leila and Neel seem to get close and you see the beginning of love. The book discusses a lot of issues and I thought it was pretty good.

 

[portia9]

I'm on my library's reserve list for this one and am patiently waiting. Been 2 days now without a book to read as I wait. Gosh, I hate that!

2 days without a book! What is this horror you speak of?