Reading Challenge 2022

[willowsnn3]

And now I have finished The Dark Tower series, and started it again (lol).

I saw what you did there.
I've re read some of the series but not all.

 

[bobbiwoz]

29/50 The Paris Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal
A friend recommended this, but I give it 3/5.
Magie Hope secretly navigates Nazi occupied France to find two brave women during dark days of WWII and bring them home.

Distinguished historians continue to dispute exactly what happened to SOE agents in Paris during the war. Files of SOE’s and MI-6 wartime activities remain sealed until 2037.

 

[melk]

16/35 Fly Girl by Ann Hood

Normally a fiction author, Ann Hood writes about her years spent as a TWA flight attendant. She writes about her training, the realities of the job, the deregulation of the airline industry and the massive furloughs.

I really enjoyed this book, it was interesting and at times funny. I think I’ve read one of her fiction works but will probably look for others now as I really enjoyed her writing.

 

[RangerPooh]

Time to up my reading goal to 30

20/20 Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke
Book 15 of the Hannah Swenson series.

21/30 Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Book 16 of the Hannah Swenson series.

22/30 Blackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Book 17 of the Hannah Swenson series.

23/30 Double Fudge Brownie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Book 18 of the Hannah Swenson series.

 

[bobbiwoz]

30/50. “Come From Away,” by Genevieve Graham 4/5
It wasn’t the story I wanted. I figured it was about the Broadway play of the same name. But “come from away” just means you weren’t born here!

It takes place in Nova Scotia during WWII.

 

[Allison Joy]

30/50. “Come From Away,” by Genevieve Graham 4/5
It wasn’t the story I wanted. I figured it was about the Broadway play of the same name. But “come from away” just means you weren’t born here!

It takes place in Nova Scotia during WWII.

Looks like the musical "Come From Away" is based on is "The Day the World Came to Town" by Jim DeFede and https://www.amazon.com/Day-World-Came-Town-Newfoundland/dp/0060559713 it looks like there's at least one more book written about it, Channel of Peace: Stranded in Gander on 9/11 by Kevin Tuerff. And then there's a book that is about the musical itself. Or rather "a look inside the musical" (not the title). So.... happy reading?

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

#3 The Wish by Nicholas Sparks - Book was not really for me

#4 Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dininiman Friend lent me book and I did not realize there were gonna be 5 in the series. Not a huge fan of reading series but this was entertaining enough for me to move to book 2. Have not convinced my self I will go past that but will be annoyed leaving in middle as first one just stopped with no real conclusions. Hate that but as I said have not abandoned series yet.


Anyone is interested in reading any of my works I would gladly send kindle gift versions of any of them: “Written for You”, “Three Twigs for the Campfire”, “Cemetery Girl” or “Reigning”.
You can see them all reviewed on Goodreads (click on link to view books). If you are interested in reading any of them please message me here or at Goodreads. I would greatly appreciate the effort.

 

[MGMmjl]

15/30 - Out of Range by C. J. Box

Description:
"Joe Pickett is attempting to enjoy-all right, survive-his mother-in-law's wedding to a local big-shot rancher when he receives some disturbing news: Will Jensen, a fellow Wyoming game warden and a good friend, has killed himself. And Joe's been picked to temporarily run Jensen's Teton district.

Jackson, Wyoming, is a far cry from Joe's hometown of Saddlestring-it's the epicenter for many environmental extremists and an elite playground for the rich and powerful-and Joe quickly finds himself in over his head. Yet despite the pressures of his new job, he can't get his friend's suicide out of his mind. By all accounts, Will had changed in the last few months, becoming violent and unpredictable.

The closer Joe comes to the truth about Will's death, the more his own life spirals out of control-and he realizes that if he's not careful, he may end up as Jackson's next victim."

This is book #5 in the Joe Pickett series. I am continuing to enjoy reading these books, and look forward to reading the next entry soon.

 

[virge]

Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon's Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart by James R. Doty, MD​

“Growing up in the high desert of California, Jim Doty was poor, with an alcoholic father and a mother chronically depressed and paralyzed by a stroke. Today he is the director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University, of which the Dalai Lama is a founding benefactor. But back then his life was at a dead end until at twelve he wandered into a magic shop looking for a plastic thumb. Instead he met Ruth, a woman who taught him a series of exercises to ease his own suffering and manifest his greatest desires. Her final mandate was that he keep his heart open and teach these techniques to others. She gave him his first glimpse of the unique relationship between the brain and the heart.

Doty would go on to put Ruth’s practices to work with extraordinary results—power and wealth that he could only imagine as a twelve-year-old, riding his orange Sting-Ray bike. But he neglects Ruth’s most important lesson, to keep his heart open, with disastrous results—until he has the opportunity to make a spectacular charitable contribution that will virtually ruin him. Part memoir, part science, part inspiration, and part practical instruction, Into the Magic Shop shows us how we can fundamentally change our lives by first changing our brains and our hearts.”

I read this for a work related book study. I chose to do the book study because I hold the organizer in high regard and have benefited from her knowledge in the past. I really enjoyed the book and set a goal for myself to put “Ruth’s Tricks” 1-3 (Relaxing the Body, Taming the Mind, & Opening the Heart) into my personal practice.

32/75

 

[RUDisney]

14/25 Richard III by William Shakespeare

Othello was previously my favorite Shakespearean play. Now, it's Richard III. I find the story of Richard III so compelling. From his brother, the king's death, to the princes in the tower, to Richard becoming king and losing his life at Bosworth, the story is one that I've heard, read and about which I watched documentaries so many times. I'm glad that I took the time to finally read this play.

I started to read the Autobiography of Giacomo Casanova. It's over 3,400 pages and after about 200 pages, I decided that he was just a serial rapist and I couldn't continue it. Any man who has to trick women into laying with him is one about whom I do not wish to continue to learn.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Looks like the musical "Come From Away" is based on is "The Day the World Came to Town" by Jim DeFede and https://www.amazon.com/Day-World-Came-Town-Newfoundland/dp/0060559713 it looks like there's at least one more book written about it, Channel of Peace: Stranded in Gander on 9/11 by Kevin Tuerff. And then there's a book that is about the musical itself. Or rather "a look inside the musical" (not the title). So.... happy reading?

Yes, I have ” The Day the World Came to Town” now!
I’m will look into the other one too. I have been listening to the CD of the Broadway show as well!

Thank you!

 

[willowsnn3]

#23/50 False Witness by Karin Slaughter
This was reviewed a few posts back & I realized it was one of Karin Slaughter's books that I had somehow missed.
Loved it! Karin Slaughter actually grew up in the county where I live. The beginning of this book mentioned 3 cities, Riverdale (very close to me), Jonesboro (where I live) and Lake Point (non existent). Lake Point doesn't exist but there is a Lake City & there is an East Point, both very close to the Riverdale/Jonesboro area so you know I spent a lot of time trying to figure out which she was referring to, lol, and finally decided it was East Point after a major street there was mentioned.

#24/50 Beyond Reach by Karin Slaughter
Sara Linton--resident medical examiner/pediatrician in Grant County, Georgia, --has plenty of hardship to deal with, including defending herself in a heartbreaking malpractice suit. So when her husband, Police chief Jeffery Tolliver, learns that his friend and coworker detective Lena Adams has been arrested for murder and needs Sara's help, she is not sure she can handle the pressure of it all.
But soon Sara and Jeffery are sitting through evidence, peeling back the layers of a mystery that grows darker by the day--until an intricate web of betrayal and vengeance begins to unravel. And suddenly the lives of Sara, Lena, and Jeffery are hanging by the slenderest of threads.
This was #6 & final book in the Grant County series.

#25/50 96 Miles by J.L. Esplin
The Lockwood brothers are supposed to be able to survive anything. Their dad, a hardcore survivalist, has stockpiled enough food and water on their isolated Nevada ranch to last for months. But when they are robbed at gunpoint during a massive blackout while their dad is out of town, John and Stew must walk 96 miles in the stark desert sun to get help--and they have only 3 days before their time runs out...
Saw this in the new books at my library. Didn't realize it was a 'middle school' book but I really enjoyed it.

 

[OKW8297]

12. Devil’s Workshop by Kate Gallison Another mystery in the series with an Episcopal Vicar. Very entertaining.

 

[Caseheidi]

39/60 The Hunger Games #0: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capital, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined -- every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

It was strange for me to read a book from the point of view of someone I went in knowing that I did not like. I have to say Suzanne Collins is great at writing a book where you question what you thought you knew about a person. At times I found that I wanted to like Coriolanus Snow, but knew that I really didn't. I don't think this book is as good as the original series, but still engaging and a good read.

 

[mrs. magoo]

16/30 The Lost Summers of Newport by Beatriz Williams, Karen White, and Lauren Willig - This was a decent read. It was an interesting storyline that connected events from 1899 to present day. It centered on a storyline from 1899 and one from 1957 and how it connects to 2019. The rich of newport and the secrets of the Spragues.

 

[bobbiwoz]

9. An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor. First in a series. Very enjoyable.

I enjoyed this a lot! So happy you mentioned that it was a series. I looked it up, and have a hold on the next one!

31/50

 

[melk]

17/35 Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Tova, the night cleaner at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, befriends the remarkably intelligent resident octopus, Marcellus. The two form a bond which helps her through a tragedy that happened years before but she had never gotten over.

This was a completely enjoyable story with likable characters, with my favorite being Marcellus the octopus. Basically a story of friendship but also had a little mystery built in about Tova‘s past tragedy.

Probably my favorite book of the year so far.

 

[tiggrbaby]

17/35 Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Tova, the night cleaner at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, befriends the remarkably intelligent resident octopus, Marcellus. The two form a bond which helps her through a tragedy that happened years before but she had never gotten over.

This was a completely enjoyable story with likable characters, with my favorite being Marcellus the octopus. Basically a story of friendship but also had a little mystery built in about Tova‘s past tragedy.

Probably my favorite book of the year so far.

Agreed! I have been recommending this to everyone.

 

[bobbiwoz]

32/50. The Day the World Came to Town by Jim Defede.
Sept 11, 2001, 38 jetliners bound for US were diverted to the small town of Gander, Newfoundland. This is the story of how the surrounding towns dealt with the influx of so many people. Its an amazing, heartwarming story. 4.5/5

 

[bobbiwoz]

Looks like the musical "Come From Away" is based on is "The Day the World Came to Town" by Jim DeFede and https://www.amazon.com/Day-World-Came-Town-Newfoundland/dp/0060559713 it looks like there's at least one more book written about it, Channel of Peace: Stranded in Gander on 9/11 by Kevin Tuerff. And then there's a book that is about the musical itself. Or rather "a look inside the musical" (not the title). So.... happy reading?

I’ve downloaded Channel of Peace Stranded in Gander on 9/11 2001, and will read that next.