Reading Challenge/Goals for 2023--2024 link added

[willowsnn3]

A lot of good stories here. Thanks for the recommendations guys!

Yes, lots & lots. I have an ever growing list from these pages. Please share some of your favorites.

 

[willowsnn3]

#19/50 All The Broken Places by John Boyne
From Goodreads:
Ninety-one-year-old Gretel Fernsby has lived in the same well-to-do mansion block in London for decades. She lives a quiet, comfortable life, despite her deeply disturbing, dark past. She doesn't talk about her escape from Nazi Germany at age 12. She doesn't talk about the grim post-war years in France with her mother. Most of all, she doesn't talk about her father, who was the commandant of one of the Reich's most notorious extermination camps. Then, a new family moves into the apartment below her. In spite of herself, Gretel can't help but begin a friendship with the little boy, Henry, though his presence brings back memories she would rather forget. One night, she witnesses a disturbing, violent argument between Henry's beautiful mother and his arrogant father, one that threatens Gretel's hard-won, self-contained existence. All The Broken Places moves back and forth in time between Gretel's girlhood in Germany to present-day London as a woman whose life has been haunted by the past.
Ok, I did not realize when I picked this one up from the library that it was written by the author of 'The Boy In The Striped Pajamas', which I have not read but did see the movie & that has stuck with me ever since as will this book.
#20/50 The Family Across The Street by Nicole Trope
From Goodreads:
Sometimes, the most perfect families are hiding the most terrible secrets. How well do you know the people next door…?
Everybody wants to live on Hogarth Street, the pretty, tree-lined avenue with its white houses. The new family, The Wests, are a perfect fit. Katherine and John* seem so in love and their gorgeous five-year-old twins race screeching around their beautiful emerald-green lawn.
Every family has secrets, and on the hottest day of the year, the truth is about to come out. As a tragedy unfolds behind closed doors, the dawn chorus is split by the wail of sirens. And one by one the families who tried so hard to welcome the Wests begin to realise: Hogarth Street will never be the same again.
All in all, a pretty good pretty good twist-packed psychological thriller. I enjoyed it.

 

[sdk1231]

08/30 - The Moonstone - by Wilkie Collins

description from the first page of the book -
"The elements which make up The Moonstone - a purloined Indian jewel which carries with it a mysterious curse, a stolid British police sergeant, a drama of theft and murder in a spacious country home - have been repeated, in slightly varying guises, throughout much of the detective fiction that Wilkie Collins' immensely popular 1868 novel gave birth to. But none of those books has surpassed the richness and suspense of the storytelling in The Moonstone, the first of all detective novels and the continuing standard of its genre."

The Moonstone was in my list of books that I wanted to read someday. I have no idea where the recommendation came from. But I ended up checking it out from the library when the book I wanted wasn't on the shelf.

The book was published in 1868 by a British author and I found the way it was written, the vocabulary, the sentence structure, etc, to be very intriguing. You will get an idea of the kind of words used in the novel by the excerpt that I posted. We don't use the word "purloined" in everyday dialog in the modern age, for example.

The edition of the book that I read not only included a long introduction but a chronology of events that occurred during the author's lifetime. For example, the Suez Canal was opened the year after the book was published. There was an element of the plot that somehow related to something in the author's life, so it was a good thing I skimmed through the introduction. But otherwise, it was a good mystery with interesting characters. I really enjoyed it.

rating 4.5/5 - good story

I read a lot of classics and old mysteries and had not run across this book. Adding it to my reading list. Thanks for the review.

 

[sdk1231]

21 - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Book 1 in the series. A re-read for me, read along w/my daughter who was reading it also. She beat me to the finish LOL. YA book, but really quite good. I read the whole series the first go-around, and enjoyed it. Enjoyed Book 1 again this time.

 

[mrs. magoo]

13/20 - Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens - I know that I am late to read this book. This was probably one of the saddest books I have ever read and I have read lots of sad books. It was total abandonment of this young girl by so many people that really bothered me. I was literally sobbing in parts because I couldn't believe that so many people did not care about her.

 

[mrs. magoo]

09/30 - The Tattooist of Auschwitz - by Heather Morris - 5/5

from a New York Times review:
This beautiful, illuminating tale of hope and courage is based on interviews that were conducted with Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov--an unforgettable love story in the midst of atrocity.

I decided to read this book from a review posted on this thread. I have read many WWII holocaust stories but this was the first one about a real person who lived within the system. It was a very interesting story about real people and I couldn't stop reading it.

If you enjoyed this book read the 2nd book Cilka's Journey - I thought this book was superior to the Tattooist of Auschwitz. While it is not a real person her story is incredible and well written.

 

[OKW8297]

4/15 Beartown by Fredrick Bachman. I liked this book. About a youth hockey team and a defining incident.

 

[RangerPooh]

9/12 Anchors Away and Murder (Fiona Fleming Cozy Mysteries Book 7) by Patti Larsen.

With sheriff who's MIA, and incompetent deputy in charge who will be the first to solve the crime? With Fee's bitter cousin acting as the temporary sheriff, will Fee land up in jail for investigating, and will the wrong person be blamed for the crime?

Another great read that left me guessing!

 

[MGMmjl]

7/30 - What Stands in a Storm: Three Days in the Worst Superstorm to Hit the South's Tornado Alley by Kim Cross

Description:
"Immersive reporting and dramatic storytelling set you right in the middle of the horrific superstorm of April 2011, a weather event that killed 348 people.

April 27, 2011, marked the climax of a superstorm that saw a record 358 tornadoes rip through twenty-one states in three days, seven hours, and eighteen minutes. It was the deadliest day of the biggest tornado outbreak in recorded history, which saw 348 people killed, entire neighborhoods erased, and $11 billion in damage. The biggest of the tornadoes left scars across the land so wide they could be seen from space. But from the terrible destruction emerged everyday heroes, neighbors and strangers who rescued each other from hell on earth.

With powerful emotion and gripping detail, Cross weaves together the heart-wrenching stories of several characters--including three college students, a celebrity weatherman, and a team of hard-hit rescuers--to create a nail-biting chronicle in the Tornado Alley of America. No, it's not Oklahoma or Kansas; it's Alabama, where there are more tornado fatalities than anywhere in the US, where the trees and hills obscure the storms until they're bearing down upon you. For some, it's a story of survival, and for others it's the story of their last hours.

Cross's immersive reporting and dramatic storytelling sets you right in the middle of the very worst hit areas of Alabama, where thousands of ordinary people witnessed the sky falling around them. Yet from the disaster comes a redemptive message that's just as real: In times of trouble, the things that tear our world apart also reveal what holds us together."

I really enjoyed this book. Due to the subject matter, it was a sad read at times, but it was well-written, and you could tell that the subject was dear to the author's heart.

 

[Buckalew11]

I’m game! My goal is 50. I listen a lot.
Last year I hit 108.

I just finished #8for the year.

Even If It Kills Her by Kate White
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
This Time Tomorrow by Emma Staub
Cozy Minimalist Home by Myquillyn Smith
The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sara Pekkanen
Find Your Unicorn Space by Eve Rodsky
*Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
*Finding Me by Viola Davis

*the last 2 we’re my favorites.

So my goal on page one says 150 but was supposed to be 50.
I’m at 33 now though.

9. From Norvelt To Nowhere
10. Undistracted
11. The Silent Patient
12.Love and Other Words
13. Ayurveda by Sandra Barrios
14. rewrite Your Anxious Brain
15. Nordic Lifestyle
16.Deadend in Norvelt
17. Caste
18. Dear Edward
19. Take My Hand
20. Where’d You Go Bernadette
21. Small Things Like These
22. The Atlas of Happiness
23. The Thank You Project
24. Cody: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World
25. The Hygge Life: Embracing the Nordic Art of Coziness through recipes, entertaining, decorating, simple rituals & family traditions.
26. Scandinavian Country
27. The Dutch House
28. Broken Horses
29. How The Word Is Passed by Clint Smith
30. On the Rooftop
31. The Big Fat Surprise
32. The Diamond Eye
33. The Betrayal of Anne Frank

 

[sdk1231]

13/20 - Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens - I know that I am late to read this book. This was probably one of the saddest books I have ever read and I have read lots of sad books. It was total abandonment of this young girl by so many people that really bothered me. I was literally sobbing in parts because I couldn't believe that so many people did not care about her.

Thanks for your review. I passed on reading this book and your comments make me feel like I made the right choice. There are some books that are inspiring tales of overcoming adversity. There are other books that IMO, cross the line into misery porn or poverty porn. As soon as I hear the word "Crawdads" and hear that everyone in the world is reading this book, I can almost guarantee that it falls into the latter category. For some reason, Southern settings tend to the misery/poverty grouping, which annoys me, as my family is from the South. I've since read a lot of reviews like yours. Reviews that describe this being a very sad book with the main character being physically and mentally brutalized throughout, involved in toxic relationships, etc. No Thank You. I've also heard that the main character is some kind of town pariah orphan who lives in a marsh (how is that believable?)... but is (of course) beautiful and (of course) extremely smart. Eye Roll. Glad I passed on reading this book.

 

[willowsnn3]

21 - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Book 1 in the series. A re-read for me, read along w/my daughter who was reading it also. She beat me to the finish LOL. YA book, but really quite good. I read the whole series the first go-around, and enjoyed it. Enjoyed Book 1 again this time.

Read these when they first came out & just a few days ago re watched the first one of the movies on tv.

 

[willowsnn3]

13/20 - Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens -

I think I am probably the only person alive that just did not care for this book.....I've read rave reviews about it but I really just didn't like it at all.

 

[mrs. magoo]

I think I am probably the only person alive that just did not care for this book.....I've read rave reviews about it but I really just didn't like it at all.

I agree with you - just the saddest book I have ever read - even the ending to me was not redeeming in the least.

 

[Wood Nymph]

10/30 - Dark Sky - by C.J. Box - another book in the Joe Pickett, Wyoming Game warden series

This was a fast read and an entertaining book. It was written in 2021 and there is mention of Covid rules, etc, in it. Future generations are going to know about this pandemic because of the references we still see every day.

Anyway, it was a typical Joe Pickett book and I liked it a lot.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I think I am probably the only person alive that just did not care for this book.....I've read rave reviews about it but I really just didn't like it at all.

Not the only one-for me it was just OK.

 

[mgarbowski]

8 of 24 - The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson. This is the second of four "secret mystery" books he is releasing this year. "Tress of the Emerald Sea" was my 5 of 24. More details on the author and series at the link. This book is unique for Sanderson because it does not take place in his cosmere universe. It's a fairly lighthearted story of not-quite-time-travel where the protagonist from modern Seattle wakes up in England and in a dimension where society and tech roughly approximate early-middle medieval times. Except it's all slightly off. Oh, and he has amnesia so he has no idea who he is, where he's from, or how he got there.
Eventually he has to regain his memories, come to terms with who he was, fight criminal adversaries from his original life, and maybe, get the girl. It's fun. 7.5/10.

 

[tiggrbaby]

I think I am probably the only person alive that just did not care for this book.....I've read rave reviews about it but I really just didn't like it at all.

I agree with you - just the saddest book I have ever read - even the ending to me was not redeeming in the least.

Not the only one-for me it was just OK.

Nope, I wasn't impressed with the book as well.

 

[mrs. magoo]

14/30 - As the Pig Turns by MC Beaton

I do love an Agatha Raisin mystery especially after the last book. There was a glaring overlook in the book but still a fun little mystery.

 

[RangerPooh]

10/12 Guns and Ammo and Murder (Fiona Fleming Cozy Mysteries Book 8) by Patti Larsen.

What could go wrong for our humble B&B owner when she's asked to assist her mom catering at a newly opened hunting lodge?

*This one had a slight Nancy Drew vibe.

Spoiler: book

Original series book #2.