portia9
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2007
I love Flavia. It was a great cliffhanger wasn't it? I finished it recently and have the next one lined up ready to go.
Here it is - the OFFICIAL 2014 READING GOAL CHALLENGE THREAD
- Thread starter threeboysmom
- Start date
I love Flavia. It was a great cliffhanger wasn't it? I finished it recently and have the next one lined up ready to go.
zippitydoo
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2008
Book 34 of 50
Monument 14(Book #1 of 3) by Emmy Laybourne
From Goodreads:
our mother hollers that youre going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You dont stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You dont thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course notyou launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.
Only, if its the last time youll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish youd stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.
But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.
Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.
In Emmy Laybournes action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the worldas they know itapart.
Monument 14(Book #1 of 3) by Emmy Laybourne
From Goodreads:
our mother hollers that youre going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You dont stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You dont thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course notyou launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.
Only, if its the last time youll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish youd stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.
But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.
Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.
In Emmy Laybournes action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the worldas they know itapart.
Kathi OD
<marquee><font color=blue>The first person to repl
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2007
In February, I finished my 10th book. I was several books ahead of where I needed to be to complete my yearly goal. Then I decided to read "Flight Behavior" by Barbara Kingsolver. OMG!! It should be telling enough that it took over 4 months for me to finish it. I probably should have given up long ago, but I'm more than a little stubborn and no book was going to get the best of me. So, I did it! I finally finished. I know people feel that the "Poisonwood Bible" is excellent, but I don't know if I can read another one of her books. This is the second one that I found really bad.
So now that my chore is finished, I'm reading "Navigating Early" by Clare Vanderpool. The book is written for middle-grade children, but I often find that books written for this age group are actually appreciated more by adults than the children for whom they are written.
From Goodreads, "At the end of World War II, Jack Baker, a landlocked Kansas boy, is suddenly uprooted after his mothers death and placed in a boys boarding school in Maine. There, Jack encounters Early Auden, the strangest of boys, who reads the number pi as a story and collects clippings about the sightings of a great black bear in the nearby mountains.
Newcomer Jack feels lost yet cant help being drawn to Early, who wont believe what everyone accepts to be the truth about the Great Appalachian Bear, Timber Rattlesnakes, and the legendary school hero known as The Fish, who never returned from the war. When the boys find themselves unexpectedly alone at school, they embark on a quest on the Appalachian Trail in search of the great black bear.
But what they are searching for is sometimes different from what they find. They will meet truly strange characters, each of whom figures into the pi story Early weaves as they travel, while discovering things they never realized about themselves and others in their lives."
It has mixed reviews, so we'll see how things go.
So now that my chore is finished, I'm reading "Navigating Early" by Clare Vanderpool. The book is written for middle-grade children, but I often find that books written for this age group are actually appreciated more by adults than the children for whom they are written.
From Goodreads, "At the end of World War II, Jack Baker, a landlocked Kansas boy, is suddenly uprooted after his mothers death and placed in a boys boarding school in Maine. There, Jack encounters Early Auden, the strangest of boys, who reads the number pi as a story and collects clippings about the sightings of a great black bear in the nearby mountains.
Newcomer Jack feels lost yet cant help being drawn to Early, who wont believe what everyone accepts to be the truth about the Great Appalachian Bear, Timber Rattlesnakes, and the legendary school hero known as The Fish, who never returned from the war. When the boys find themselves unexpectedly alone at school, they embark on a quest on the Appalachian Trail in search of the great black bear.
But what they are searching for is sometimes different from what they find. They will meet truly strange characters, each of whom figures into the pi story Early weaves as they travel, while discovering things they never realized about themselves and others in their lives."
It has mixed reviews, so we'll see how things go.
willowsnn3
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2009
Goal 72
#50 Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo
The latest in the Kate Burkholder series. Good read.
#50 Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo
The latest in the Kate Burkholder series. Good read.
Pig Pen
To all who have come to this happy place...welcome
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2001
I agree with you! I hated "Poisonwood Bible" and had no interest in reading another Kingsolver novel.
zippitydoo
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2008
Book 35 of 50
Sky on Fire(Monument 14, #2) by Emmy Laybourne
From Goodreads:
Trapped in a superstore by a series of escalating disasters, including a monster hailstorm and terrifying chemical weapons spill, brothers Dean and Alex learned how to survive and worked together with twelve other kids to build a refuge from the chaos. But then strangers appeared, destroying their fragile peace, and bringing both fresh disaster and a glimmer of hope.
Knowing that the chemical weapons saturating the air outside will turn him into a bloodthirsty rage monster, Dean decides to stay in the safety of the store with Astrid and some of the younger kids. But their sanctuary has already been breached once. . . .
Meanwhile, Alex, determined to find their parents, heads out into the darkness and devastation with Niko and some others in a recently repaired school bus. If they can get to Denver International Airport, they might be evacuated to safety. But the outside world is even worse than they expected. . .
Sky on Fire(Monument 14, #2) by Emmy Laybourne
From Goodreads:
Trapped in a superstore by a series of escalating disasters, including a monster hailstorm and terrifying chemical weapons spill, brothers Dean and Alex learned how to survive and worked together with twelve other kids to build a refuge from the chaos. But then strangers appeared, destroying their fragile peace, and bringing both fresh disaster and a glimmer of hope.
Knowing that the chemical weapons saturating the air outside will turn him into a bloodthirsty rage monster, Dean decides to stay in the safety of the store with Astrid and some of the younger kids. But their sanctuary has already been breached once. . . .
Meanwhile, Alex, determined to find their parents, heads out into the darkness and devastation with Niko and some others in a recently repaired school bus. If they can get to Denver International Airport, they might be evacuated to safety. But the outside world is even worse than they expected. . .
#13/40: Moving Day: A Thriller by Jonathan Stone
From Amazon:
Forty years accumulation of art, antiques, and family photographs are more than just objects for Stanley Pekethey are proof of a life fully lived. A life he could have easily lost long ago.
When a con man steals his houseful of possessions in a sophisticated moving-day scam, Peke wanders helplessly through his empty New England home, inevitably reminded of another helpless time: decades in Pekes past, a cold and threadbare Stanislaw Shmuel Pecoskowitz eked out a desperate existence in the war-torn Polish countryside, subsisting on scraps and dodging Nazi soldiers. Now, the seventy-two-year-old Pekewho survived, came to America, and succeededmust summon his original grit and determination to track down the thieves, retrieve his things, and restore the life he made for himself. Peke and his wife, Rose, trace the path of the thieves truck across America, to the wilds of Montana, and to an ultimate, chilling confrontation with not only the thieves but also with Pekes brutal, unresolved past.
I wouldn't call this book a thriller as it was not something I felt compelled to finish quickly. It was interesting to see an old survivor get revenge on a thief. Much of the story is what is going on in the heads of the characters, which can sometimes be a bit draggy. It was okay, not great.
3/5 stars
From Amazon:
Forty years accumulation of art, antiques, and family photographs are more than just objects for Stanley Pekethey are proof of a life fully lived. A life he could have easily lost long ago.
When a con man steals his houseful of possessions in a sophisticated moving-day scam, Peke wanders helplessly through his empty New England home, inevitably reminded of another helpless time: decades in Pekes past, a cold and threadbare Stanislaw Shmuel Pecoskowitz eked out a desperate existence in the war-torn Polish countryside, subsisting on scraps and dodging Nazi soldiers. Now, the seventy-two-year-old Pekewho survived, came to America, and succeededmust summon his original grit and determination to track down the thieves, retrieve his things, and restore the life he made for himself. Peke and his wife, Rose, trace the path of the thieves truck across America, to the wilds of Montana, and to an ultimate, chilling confrontation with not only the thieves but also with Pekes brutal, unresolved past.
I wouldn't call this book a thriller as it was not something I felt compelled to finish quickly. It was interesting to see an old survivor get revenge on a thief. Much of the story is what is going on in the heads of the characters, which can sometimes be a bit draggy. It was okay, not great.
3/5 stars
Kinziepoohsmom
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2005
Just finished #17 What Remains by Carole Radziwill
Was not sure I would like this as I usually do not read bio's but this was quite good.
Was not sure I would like this as I usually do not read bio's but this was quite good.
wgeo
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 2, 2011
#13 the Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
From Goodreads
Hetty "Handful Grimke, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimke household. The Grimkes daughter, Sarah, has known from an early age she is meant to do something large in the world, but she is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women.
Kidds sweeping novel is set in motion on Sarahs eleventh birthday, when she is given ownership of ten year old Handful, who is to be her handmaid.We follow their remarkable journeys over the next thirty-five years, as both strive for a life of their own, dramatically shaping each others destinies and forming a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement and the uneasy ways of love.
As the stories build to a riveting climax, Handful will endure loss and sorrow, finding courage and a sense of self in the process. Sarah will experience crushed hopes, betrayal, unrequited love, and ostracism before leaving Charleston to find her place alongside her fearless younger sister, Angelina, as one of the early pioneers in the abolition and womens rights movements.
I really liked this book, thought it was better then The Help actually. I really enjoy historical fiction, especially when I feel like a book helps me learn about the era. If anyone has any historical fiction recommendations I'd love to hear them!
From Goodreads
Hetty "Handful Grimke, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimke household. The Grimkes daughter, Sarah, has known from an early age she is meant to do something large in the world, but she is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women.
Kidds sweeping novel is set in motion on Sarahs eleventh birthday, when she is given ownership of ten year old Handful, who is to be her handmaid.We follow their remarkable journeys over the next thirty-five years, as both strive for a life of their own, dramatically shaping each others destinies and forming a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement and the uneasy ways of love.
As the stories build to a riveting climax, Handful will endure loss and sorrow, finding courage and a sense of self in the process. Sarah will experience crushed hopes, betrayal, unrequited love, and ostracism before leaving Charleston to find her place alongside her fearless younger sister, Angelina, as one of the early pioneers in the abolition and womens rights movements.
I really liked this book, thought it was better then The Help actually. I really enjoy historical fiction, especially when I feel like a book helps me learn about the era. If anyone has any historical fiction recommendations I'd love to hear them!
amberg93
here, queer, etc
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2013
Okay, I tried to do this last year and then had a lot of crazy things happen. So I'd like to start again, late in the year. I'd like a goal of 25 books and I've already read a few.
1) Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
2) Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
3) The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
4) Princess in the Spotlight by Meg Cabot
5) Princess in Love by Meg Cabot
6) Princess in Waiting by Meg Cabot
Currently reading: 7) The Maze Runner by James Dashner.
1) Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
2) Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
3) The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
4) Princess in the Spotlight by Meg Cabot
5) Princess in Love by Meg Cabot
6) Princess in Waiting by Meg Cabot
Currently reading: 7) The Maze Runner by James Dashner.
threeboysmom
Living the dream - near Disney!
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2001
All of my books came in at once! I have two from the library and two waiting in my kindle. I have no idea how I'm going to finish them all before they're due back! The actual books are no biggie and can be extended but the kindle books usually go POOF when times up.
PigletsPal2
Queen of the Realm
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2008
I'd say read the Kindle books first, or if you can juggle more than one book at a time, keep the Kindle with you and read whenever you have down time, like waiting at the doctor's office, or waiting for your kid after school, etc. I recently spent 45 minutes in the dentist's chair, waiting for the goo to set for a new impression for a new dental plate, and I finished four chapters in my current book. I keep one "real" book on my nightstand and one on the table next to my recliner, so I usually have at least three going at one time.
Which reminds me, I haven't recorded my completed books for a couple of months. My project for tomorrow will be to count them all up and post on this thread.
Queen Colleen
Christine
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 31, 1999
If you can manage it, turn your wireless off on your Kindle while you have those books. They won't go POOF until your wireless connects back and then they get pulled. I've had to do this a few times when I got too many books at once and needed to finish one.
threeboysmom
Living the dream - near Disney!
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2001
So THIS explains why my Nook books always last longer than 2 weeks! I very rarely have my wireless on with my Nook, and my books have always lasted much longer than the 2 week loan period. I was beginning to think it was a lie my library was telling me, LOL.
threeboysmom
Living the dream - near Disney!
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2001
#21 out of 30
Wow, I am doing really well on my book goal this time around!
Me Before You by JoJo Moyes
I don't normally 5-star a book, but I did this one! I LOVED this book! It's not even my particular genre, and I don't think it's been mentioned on the DIS before, so not sure HOW it ended up on my list, but SO GLAD IT DID!
By far the best book I've read in 2014! This is one of those few & far between books that I read and just know the story & characters will stay with me for a long long time. Most books for me are forgettable (I just look at my list in my signature and can't remember what most were about! lol), but I won't be forgetting this book anytime soon.
Really good choice for a book club if anyone is needing a recommendation. It's the kind of book that makes you really stop and think long after you've closed the book for the final time.
In a nutshell, it's the story of a young woman, unhappy with her life, who takes on a job caring for a quadriplegic man. It's more than just a love story, it's a story that tackles some serious & mature topics. The author is delightful in her writing - I loved the ease in which she writes, I loved the realness of the characters, I loved the author's sense of humor (her writing in some parts reminded me somewhat of Sophie Kinsella, Shopaholic series).
Highly recommend! (Just have a box of tissues nearby...)
Next up: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Wow, I am doing really well on my book goal this time around!
Me Before You by JoJo Moyes
I don't normally 5-star a book, but I did this one! I LOVED this book! It's not even my particular genre, and I don't think it's been mentioned on the DIS before, so not sure HOW it ended up on my list, but SO GLAD IT DID!
By far the best book I've read in 2014! This is one of those few & far between books that I read and just know the story & characters will stay with me for a long long time. Most books for me are forgettable (I just look at my list in my signature and can't remember what most were about! lol), but I won't be forgetting this book anytime soon.
Really good choice for a book club if anyone is needing a recommendation. It's the kind of book that makes you really stop and think long after you've closed the book for the final time.
In a nutshell, it's the story of a young woman, unhappy with her life, who takes on a job caring for a quadriplegic man. It's more than just a love story, it's a story that tackles some serious & mature topics. The author is delightful in her writing - I loved the ease in which she writes, I loved the realness of the characters, I loved the author's sense of humor (her writing in some parts reminded me somewhat of Sophie Kinsella, Shopaholic series).
Highly recommend! (Just have a box of tissues nearby...)
Next up: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Simba's Mom
<font color=green>everything went to "H*** in a ha
- Joined
- Aug 26, 1999
#21 out of 30
Wow, I am doing really well on my book goal this time around!
Me Before You by JoJo Moyes
I don't normally 5-star a book, but I did this one! I LOVED this book! It's not even my particular genre, and I don't think it's been mentioned on the DIS before, so not sure HOW it ended up on my list, but SO GLAD IT DID!
By far the best book I've read in 2014! This is one of those few & far between books that I read and just know the story & characters will stay with me for a long long time. Most books for me are forgettable (I just look at my list in my signature and can't remember what most were about! lol), but I won't be forgetting this book anytime soon.
Really good choice for a book club if anyone is needing a recommendation. It's the kind of book that makes you really stop and think long after you've closed the book for the final time.
In a nutshell, it's the story of a young woman, unhappy with her life, who takes on a job caring for a quadriplegic man. It's more than just a love story, it's a story that tackles some serious & mature topics. The author is delightful in her writing - I loved the ease in which she writes, I loved the realness of the characters, I loved the author's sense of humor (her writing in some parts reminded me somewhat of Sophie Kinsella, Shopaholic series).
Highly recommend! (Just have a box of tissues nearby...)
Next up: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Thanks for the recommendation. After I read your review, I went and put it on hold at the library. Right now I'm reading another one that got recommended here, "Reconstructing Amelia".
timsprincess
Sometimes YOU have to spread the pixie dust
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2013
Books 19 and 20 of 30.
#19
A Dream of Death (Lincoln Munroe #1)
by Harrison Drake
4 stars
Ontario Provincial Police Detective Lincoln Munroe is coming up empty. As a serial killer terrorizes the area surrounding London, Ontario, Canada, Lincoln finds himself at a standstill waiting for the perfect killer to make his first mistake.
While the body count rises without any leads, Lincoln finds himself haunted by dreams of discovering skeletal remains in the forest beneath a bloody knife. The dreams seem to come true when Lincoln is called to Algonquin Park to assist an old colleague. There he is tasked with overseeing the excavation of human remains buried more than twenty-five years earlier; remains that will bring to the surface cold cases, a painful past and memories Lincoln had long since forgotten.
'A Dream of Death' is the first in a series of character-driven police procedurals written by a Canadian police officer.
My take -- decent story where the obvious case is not the main case.
#20 Gone Girl
by Gillian Flynn
4 stars
On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunnes fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nicks clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isnt doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wifes head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the mediaas well as Amys fiercely doting parentsthe town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and hes definitely bitterbut is he really a killer?
My take: This just proves that some people are totally crazy.
#19
A Dream of Death (Lincoln Munroe #1)
by Harrison Drake
4 stars
Ontario Provincial Police Detective Lincoln Munroe is coming up empty. As a serial killer terrorizes the area surrounding London, Ontario, Canada, Lincoln finds himself at a standstill waiting for the perfect killer to make his first mistake.
While the body count rises without any leads, Lincoln finds himself haunted by dreams of discovering skeletal remains in the forest beneath a bloody knife. The dreams seem to come true when Lincoln is called to Algonquin Park to assist an old colleague. There he is tasked with overseeing the excavation of human remains buried more than twenty-five years earlier; remains that will bring to the surface cold cases, a painful past and memories Lincoln had long since forgotten.
'A Dream of Death' is the first in a series of character-driven police procedurals written by a Canadian police officer.
My take -- decent story where the obvious case is not the main case.
#20 Gone Girl
by Gillian Flynn
4 stars
On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunnes fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nicks clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isnt doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wifes head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the mediaas well as Amys fiercely doting parentsthe town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and hes definitely bitterbut is he really a killer?
My take: This just proves that some people are totally crazy.
Soldier's*Sweeties
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2009
I've been trying to get through A Game of Thrones but it is SLOW going for me. I'm finding it incredibly boring because so far it's everything I have already seen on the show(and I JUST binge watched it last month so it's still pretty fresh).
I'm going to start something else and maybe catch up on my goal.
I'm not giving up on GoT, but I'm not going to focus on only that anymore.
I'm going to start something else and maybe catch up on my goal.
I'm not giving up on GoT, but I'm not going to focus on only that anymore.
Share this page
GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE
Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.
Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!
Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.
Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!
