Reading Challenge 2022

[willowsnn3]

Sorry, I dog-eared my book.

 

[RUDisney]

5/25 - The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn

2nd of the Bridgerton novels.

 

[JayMass]

7/40 Billy Summers by Stephen King. King has not lost one bit of his ability to tell an interesting character driven story. This one doesn't disappoint. Aside from brief references to the Overlook Hotel, this contains no supernatural aspects. It's actually pretty similar to the first two in the Mr. Mercedes series in that respect. An Iraq war veteran sniper returns home and finds himself using his skills for profit with one condition, the target must be a "bad person." I know, it's kind of Dexter-ish, but King makes it work. Billy is hired to do "one last job" and King knows this is a hackneyed trope, comments on that fact, and then uses it to his advantage. There is one disturbing scene where Billy exacts some revenge that I could have done without. It definitely made his character less likable but, then again, he is a killer for hire...

I'm struggling through "Our Country Friends" by Gary Shteyngart right now because my hold on it came up, but I'm not really enjoying it. I'll post the review when I'm done, hopefully the author can bring it home. He's packed it with really, really unlikable characters. I always like to connect with characters in a novel and these ones are repulsive. Same reason I didn't like Nine Perfect Strangers by Moriarty. Maybe the end will bring some redemption?

 

[drwitz]

Continuing on the "I thought I owned all of Stephen King's work, but I definitely did not", we come to book number...

43. Nightmares in the Sky text by Stephen King, photographs by f-stop Fitzgerald

This is an interesting collection of gargoyles and grotesques with an introductory essay by Stephen King which explains his perspective on gargoyles and how he came to write the text for the book. This is a beautiful coffee table book with striking photos, and the essay is typical King - fantastic and engaging non-fiction prose. Worth a read, and I will keep it for the photos (oh, yes, and also for the King).

44. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

King talks about this book in detail in Danse Macabre and in Secret Windows but I realized I had never read it. So, off to the library I went. It is a well-written gothic ghost story set in the late 1950s (and written then as well). A short tale (of less than 200 pages), it isn't scary so much as suspenseful. I enjoyed it, but it was mild in comparison to a lot of King's work. I could see how it shaped his perspective on horror and I am glad I read it.

45. Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar

Wow, this was an amazing book. Chizmar is the editor of the horror magazine and publishing house "Cemetery Dance", and a collaborator with King on the Gwendy's series. This novel, though, is independent of all of that. This is a true-crime novel (and reads as such) which is really a work of fiction. Chizmar writes a memoir (which is all true) and then adds a fabrication about a serial-killer in his neighborhood when he was just out of college. The "true-crime" is accompanied by photos and very realistic interviews with characters in the book, and it reads very authentically. The talent and imagination is wonderful, and I highly recommend this. Not so much a horror novel (although there are a few small references to supernatural myths and Halloween things), this is a perfect book for any fan of true-crime or suspense novels or memoirs of growing up in the 1980s.

A quick three more:

46. Student Financial Success: A Surprising Path to Fix the College Completion Crisis by Amy Glynn, Carlo Solerno, and Chris Chumley

This is a deep dive into college financial aid (the world in which I work) and how we can change our approach and systems to help students through college. It's an interesting premise, student-focused and innovative, with a plan to reduce financial friction by cutting through complexity, unlocking every dollar, and charting personal paths for each student. Oh, and yes, I'm quoted in the book. That's cool.

47. Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson

This wonderfully funny and wickedly sarcastic memoir / novel is written by the author of The Haunting of Hill House (see my review of that one above). In addition to horror/suspense, Jackson penned hysterically funny portrayals of her domestic life (which was - with lots of children, and lots of pets - anything but tranquil) for "women's" magazines in the 1950s. This memoir ties these stories together into a complete narrative and is a fantastic insight into married / parental life in the 50s while also showing off Jackson's great humor and wonderful writing. As a child of the 70s (born in the VERY late 60s), but with siblings born in the 50s, this was fun to read and imagine how my parents' life would have been like / unlike what was on the page.

48. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel by Robin Sloan

Another fantastic recommendation from this group (thanks @Colleen27 and @tiggrbaby!). I loved this novel and read through it quickly (one day). Can't believe I missed it when it came out in 2012. A treatise on reading, the digitization of everything, immortality, and fonts (trust me), this one is worth a read for anyone who loves reading (and we all do, right?). The plotting was great, and the questions raised were profound. What a fun and memorable suggestion!

 

[RUDisney]

6/25 - Will by Will Smith

I started reading this at the gym well prior to the slap.

The first part is boring, but necessary. It chronicles his younger years. However, one he meets Jazzy Jeff, it picks up and runs.

Will is interesting. He is very intelligent and introspective. I found this very enjoyable.

 

[Caseheidi]

23/60

Cast in Ruin​

Chronicles of Elantra Book Seven
by Michelle Sagara​

Seven corpses are discovered in the streets of a Dragon’s fief. All identical, down to their clothing. Kaylin Neya is assigned to discover who they were, who killed them – and why. Is the evil lurking at the borders of Elantra preparing to cross over? At least the investigation delays her meeting with the...

24/60

Cast in Peril​

Chronicles of Elantra Book Eight
by Michelle Sagara​

Usually disaster doesn’t strike quite so close to home… It has been a busy few weeks for Private Kaylin Neya. In between angling for a promotion, sharing her room with the last living female Dragon and dealing with more refugees than anyone knew what to do with, the unusual egg she’d been given...

25/60

Cast in Sorrow​

Chronicles of Elantra Book Nine
by Michelle Sagara​

The end of her journey is only the beginning… The Barrani would be happy to see her die. So Kaylin Neya is a bit surprised by her safe arrival in the West March. Especially when enemies new and old surround her and those she would call friends are equally dangerous.… And...

26/60

Cast in Flame​

Chronicles of Elantra Book Ten
by Michelle Sagara​

ANY DAY THAT STARTS WITH DRAGON ARGUMENTS IS GOING TO BE BAD. Kaylin returned from the West March in one piece. Now that piece is fraying She’s not at home in the Imperial Palace — and she never intends to be. All she wants is normal garden-variety criminals and a place of her...

27/60

Cast in Honor​

Chronicles of Elantra Book Eleven
by Michelle Sagara​

In the aftermath of a vicious battle between darkness and light, the city of Elantra has emerged victorious. But Shadows continue to haunt every corner of its streets… Elantra stands strong, but countless numbers of Hawks, the city’s staunchest protectors, were lost in the brutal attack. Humans, Barrani, Aerians, Leontines — none of...

 

[OKW8297]

6. Murder at Beechwood by Alyssa Maxwell. Third book in a series of mysteries set in Newport during the Gilded Age. Easy entertaining read

 

[RUDisney]

7/25 - An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn

3rd in the Bridgerton series. I liked this story the best, so far. Very Cinderella-like.

 

[mrs. magoo]

9/30 - The Taster by VS Alexander

So I really wanted to like this book. The idea of reading about Hitler's food tasters was a great concept but it did not deliver in the way I wanted it to . It was predictable and just boring in parts. I was close to giving up but I plowed through to finish it.

 

[hollydolls]

1. The Vampire Diaries: The Fury (LJ Smith)
2. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Newt Scamander = JK Rowling)
3. Factory Man: How One Furniture Maker Battled Offshoring, Stayed Local, and Helped Save an American Town (Beth Macy)
4. The Vampire Knitting Club (Nancy Warren)
5. Stitches and Witches (Nancy Warren)
6. Crochet and Cauldrons (Nancy Warren)
7. Stockings and Spells (Nancy Warren)
8. Purls and Potions (Nancy Warren)
9. Fair Isle and Fortunes (Nancy Warren)
10. Lace and Lies (Nancy Warren)
11. Bobbles and Broomsticks (Nancy Warren)
12. Cat's Paws and Curses (Nancy Warren)
13. Popcorn and Poltergeists (Nancy Warren)
14. Garters and Gargoyles (Nancy Warren)
15. Diamonds and Daggers (Nancy Warren)
16. Herringbone and Hexes (Nancy Warren)
17. Ribbing and Runes (Nancy Warren)

18. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
19. Dead Until Dark (Charlaine Harris)
20. Living Dead in Dallas (Charlaine Harris)
21. Club Dead (Charlaine Harris)
22. Dead to the World (Charlaine Harris)
23. Dead as a Doornail (Charlaine Harris)
24. Definitely Dead (Charlaine Harris)
25. All Together Dead (Charlaine Harris)
26. From Dead to Worse (Charlaine Harris)
27. Dead and Gone (Charlaine Harris)
28. Dead in the Family (Charlaine Harris)
29. Dead Reckoning (Charlaine Harris)
30. Deadlocked (Charlaine Harris)
31. Dead Ever After (Charlaine Harris)

It's been a while since I posted!

I read Outlander around 2015 or so and just re-read it. It was enjoyable, much more so than the series and more than I remembered originally. I started (and almost immediately put down) the sequel, Dragonfly in Amber, so I didn't include it on my list. (Sidebar: Have you read it? Does it get better? Should I try to push through another chapter?)

Then I started re-reading the Southern Vampire Mysteries, which I read around 2010. They're such fun reads. I realized about halfway through that I never did finish the series the first time around! So about 8 of them were re-reads and the last 5 were new to me.

 

[melk]

11/35 The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth

Rachel and Tully are sisters with a mother with advanced dementia, a well respected heart surgeon father, and her father’s fiancée who is younger than them. They all have their secrets which come to a head at their father’s wedding.

I really enjoy this author and her latest book was no exception. I read it quickly because I just couldn’t put it down.

 

[CamMitch]

Please feel free to join us in 2022!
Just set a goal (or not) & do a quick review so our fellow readers can decide if they want to read it.
No rules, you can update as often as you like. Some do after each book, some monthly & some whenever we remember, lol.
I will try to update our counts as often as possible.
Check post #2 for updates.

My last year's goal was 50, but I managed only 41, so this year I'll try one more time to do it.

 

[RUDisney]

8/25 - Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

The 4th of the Bridgerton novels... these certainly are light and fluffy books.

 

[threeboysmom]

19/45 - Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult (real book) - I normally like Picoult, but did not enjoy this one; although the twist totally caught me by surprise!

20/45 - The Hidden by Melanie Golding (eBook) - interesting premise centering on "selkie" lore (never heard of this before), a mystery, a dead body, an abandoned child, and of course, a selkie! It certainly held my attention throughout, but I'm actually not remembering a lot of the story now. I just checked Goodreads - I gave it 3 stars so yeah, just average (at least in my opinion).

21/45 - Three Sisters by Heather Morris (eBook) - the third in the trilogy. I loved Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka's Journey (even more), but this one didn't resonate as much with me and I'm not sure why. So many people say this is the best of the three, but I found there were times I ended up speed reading through parts just so I could finish (ok, now I feel like a horrible person for even saying that).

Overall, some "meh" reading over the past couple of weeks.

 

[tiggrbaby]

19/45 - Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult (real book) - I normally like Picoult, but did not enjoy this one; although the twist totally caught me by surprise!

20/45 - The Hidden by Melanie Golding (eBook) - interesting premise centering on "selkie" lore (never heard of this before), a mystery, a dead body, an abandoned child, and of course, a selkie! It certainly held my attention throughout, but I'm actually not remembering a lot of the story now. I just checked Goodreads - I gave it 3 stars so yeah, just average (at least in my opinion).

21/45 - Three Sisters by Heather Morris (eBook) - the third in the trilogy. I loved Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka's Journey (even more), but this one didn't resonate as much with me and I'm not sure why. So many people say this is the best of the three, but I found there were times I ended up speed reading through parts just so I could finish (ok, now I feel like a horrible person for even saying that).

Overall, some "meh" reading over the past couple of weeks.

Agreed about Wish You Were Here!

 

[bobbiwoz]

17/50. I enjoyed reading Fallen Mountains by Kimi Cunningham Grant. 4/5

When Transom Shultz goes missing shortly after returning to his tightly knit hometown of Fallen Mountains PA, his secrets are not the only ones that threaten to emerge.

 

[MGMmjl]

9/30 - The Story Teller by Margaret Coel

Description:
"When the Arapaho storyteller discovers that a sacred tribal artifact is missing from a local museum, attorney Vicky Holden is called to investigate. The lost treasure: a one-of-a-kind ledger book and the only eyewitness account of Arapaho history on the plains. The book is worth millions, so when the museum says they never even had it, Vicky's suspicion is aroused. Then she learns that an Arapaho student mysteriously died while researching the ledger. Vicky and Father John must begin a deadly search for the sacred treasure - and the killer. Lives are at stake, and an irreplaceable piece of Arapaho history could be lost. It is up to Vicky Holden to keep the story alive..."

This is book #4 of the Wind River Reservation mystery series. Another good one, and I look forward to reading more of the series!

 

[bobbiwoz]

18/50 Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart

Amy Stewart has written a series of books based on the Kopp sisters real life adventures in the 19teens. This was when the idea of female cops was forming and beginning to happen. 3.5/5 I will probably read one more, but I’m not that impressed with this story.

 

[bobbiwoz]

#22/90: Miss Kopp Investigates (Kopp Sisters # 7) by Amy Stewart (3/5) (mystery/historical fiction)

The Kopp sisters are all back in Jersey to help support their recently widowed sister-in-law. Fleurette begins working for one of Constance’s former colleagues, but the work would not be considered respectable by the rest of the family. The suspicious behavior of one of the clients leads to a much bigger crime.
.

I read my latest, Lady Cop makes Trouble because of what you wrote. Once again I am happy for suggestions found in this thread! I’m from North Jersey and I enjoy history so I’m happy to be learning about life in the early 19 hundreds!

 

[drwitz]

A quick three more:

46. Student Financial Success: A Surprising Path to Fix the College Completion Crisis by Amy Glynn, Carlo Solerno, and Chris Chumley

This is a deep dive into college financial aid (the world in which I work) and how we can change our approach and systems to help students through college. It's an interesting premise, student-focused and innovative, with a plan to reduce financial friction by cutting through complexity, unlocking every dollar, and charting personal paths for each student. Oh, and yes, I'm quoted in the book. That's cool.

47. Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson

This wonderfully funny and wickedly sarcastic memoir / novel is written by the author of The Haunting of Hill House (see my review of that one above). In addition to horror/suspense, Jackson penned hysterically funny portrayals of her domestic life (which was - with lots of children, and lots of pets - anything but tranquil) for "women's" magazines in the 1950s. This memoir ties these stories together into a complete narrative and is a fantastic insight into married / parental life in the 50s while also showing off Jackson's great humor and wonderful writing. As a child of the 70s (born in the VERY late 60s), but with siblings born in the 50s, this was fun to read and imagine how my parents' life would have been like / unlike what was on the page.

48. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel by Robin Sloan

Another fantastic recommendation from this group (thanks @Colleen27 and @tiggrbaby!). I loved this novel and read through it quickly (one day). Can't believe I missed it when it came out in 2012. A treatise on reading, the digitization of everything, immortality, and fonts (trust me), this one is worth a read for anyone who loves reading (and we all do, right?). The plotting was great, and the questions raised were profound. What a fun and memorable suggestion!

And three more down...

49. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Another of Shirley Jackson's phenomenal tales, this one tells of two children surviving a family tragedy and the town that surrounds them. A beautiful written tale of suspense with a narrator who is at best very unreliable, this is a worthwhile read. There was a recent movie adaptation which is also worthwhile viewing (on Netflix).

50. Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub

A sequel to The Talisman, this novel features a grown up Jack Sawyer brought back into the picture to help solve a series of horrible murders of children, and a words-spanning evil. Again, Stephen King's worlds of fiction intersect here, and this book provides a bridge between "The Territories" of The Talisman and the End-World of The Dark Tower with other references thrown in (to Hearts in Atlantis and others). The book is clearly an amalgam of both writers' style. Some of the prose was harder to get through (and more in Straub's style) but as usual for King books, the ending sped up and I couldn't put the book down. Fun to revisit this one as I move closer to the final three books in The Dark Tower series.

51. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez

One of our local public school districts has decided to ban several books from their school libraries, and so I decided I immediately needed to run right out to read them. Here is the first one. Set in East Texas in 1937, this story tells of an interracial relationship between a young girl of Mexican descent and an African-American young boy. While the story has some content which may not be appropriate for very young readers (elementary and potential middle school - although I could argue that too), the underlying story and important opportunity to learn about racism and sexism in the 1930s were so powerful and vastly outweigh any concerns about content. I highly recommend this book for young adults (and older ones too)!