Here it is - the OFFICIAL 2014 READING GOAL CHALLENGE THREAD

[Friend of a Mouse]

I'm glad I finally found this thread! My goal: 52 books (one for each week), plus the Bible.

The books I am the most excited to read:
Night Broken by Patricia Briggs
The Message (Bible in narrative form, not counting as my Bible completion)
City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey
One Minute Manager (I have forgotten the author)
Creating the Magic by Lee Cockerell (a reread, the management at our theme park read it last year and I want to refresh my memory as we are implementing lots of its values)
The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan
The Way by Adam Hamilton
Of Neptune by Anna Banks
Michael Vey
Legend
The Graceling series

I'm sure there are more that I am forgetting. I am excited for all the books coming out in series that I like.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Just finished my 1st book - Immortal in Death by JD Robb/Nora Roberts

From Amazon: She was one of the most sought-after women in the world. A top model who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted -- even another woman's man. And now she was dead, the victim of a brutal murder. Police lieutenant Eve Dallas put her professional life on the line to take the case when suspicion fell on her best friend, the other woman in the fatal love triangle. Beneath the facade of glamour, Eve found that the world of high fashion thrived on an all-consuming passion for youth and fame. One that led from the runway to the dark underworld of New York City where drugs could fulfill any desire -- for a price . . .

I enjoyed it. It's the 3rd book in a series (read the first two in 2013). I just started the next one.

I like that series. I've read the first dozen or so, but I know there are at least that many more now that I have to catch up on.

 

[CupcakeKelly]

Any insight into the GoT novels? I love the show and wonder if the books are anything like it.

I watch the show and have read the books. I love them both and I definitely agree with Calibear about getting to see what a character is thinking and learning about them in a much deeper way. The characters are basically the same (with a few notable exceptions), but the show isn't a carbon copy adaptation of the books. The Red Wedding in the books is still heartbreaking, but it plays out a little different in the books. For me the pacing was a little rough, the books started slow and then were jam packed at the end. If I hadn't read them back to back I don't think it would have been as bad. I also found a couple of the POV characters a bit of a snooze (I'm looking at you Davos!). I would definitely recommend them as long as you aren't hoping for the TV show to be a strict adaptation of the books

 

[Friend of a Mouse]

I will have a goal of 30 for 2014.

I'm excited about reading Hollow City (Book #2 of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children), Sarah's Key, This Side of Paradise, Room, She's Come Undone, and Killing Jesus, and there are many more but those are the ones I can think of right now.

I didn't know that the next one was coming out. I read Miss Peregrine's last year and loved it! I always look at his spot on the shelf when I am in Barnes and Noble.

As for books I am looking forward to this year, I would like to read the rest of the Maze Runner series, and there is a new Mercy Thompson book to come out that I want to read. I would also like together back to reading the SHERLOCK Holmes books this year.

Maze Runner series is good. He also has a prequel called the Kill Order which really helps connect the dots as to the events that lead to the whole shebang. I love Mercy Thompson. Our first guide dog we raised was named Mercy. I am rereading Frost Burned right now.

I'm hoping someone in here can help me with some recommendations. I've been reading a lot of YA books (Divergent, Hunger Games, stuff like that) recently. Not to sound like a dirty bird, but does anyone know of any books that are similar, but are geared more towards adults? I'm not looking for a dystopian Fifty Shades, but hopefully you get what I mean

I haven't found much on the adult end of dystopian that floats my boat. I did enjoy The Host by Stephanie Meyer. That one is in the Fantasy section of the store. You have a similar like list as me. It's not dystopian, but you may enjoy the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs (werewolves and fae, but not in a kitsch way. There is a good amount of romance and she pulls in a lot of different mythologies.) You might also like the Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse books. Those are more mindless, but they are enjoyable and there are some dirty scenes in each book.

This book is technically an extension(I think of it as a bonus) of the 2013 Challenge, but I liked it so much that I wanted to go ahead and review it here for anyone else that might be interested in it for 2014.

Parasite(Parasitology book #1)
Mira Grant


I LOVED this book and seriously can not wait until the next one comes out. It was a little predictable, but other parts were unexpected. I could not put this book down. I wanted answers and it did a good job of delivering them!

(I'm going to add this to the 2013 thread as well)

I'm glad that you mentioned that book. I have seen it on the shelf and have been fence sitting on whether or not to read it.

Book 1/120- "Balancing it All" by Candace Cameron Bure. I thought I would really like this book since I like Candace, but it was very disappointing. It was boring and even her insider stories about Full House were dull. I would not recommend this book at all. I gave it a 1/5 stars rating on goodreads.

Up next is "I Hunt Killers" by Barry Lyga.

I'm sad to hear that Candace's book was not that good, I too enjoyed her when I was younger. I Hunt Killers and its sequel Game are quite enjoyable. A third one comes out this year and I can't wait!

I love the Uglies series! So, so good. I read the first Selection book and liked it, then I downloaded the second onto my Kindle but I need to actually read it.

Finished book 1 today. Read the first book in the Uglies series. Really liked it, can't wait to read the next one. Fortunately/unfortunately, that will have to wait as my library holds all came at once, so I'm starting

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Uglies was a great series. Again, I very much enjoyed it. All four books were great reads. Maze Runner is also a good series. Kill Order which is the prequel is good to read if you enjoy Maze Runner.

 

[Friend of a Mouse]

I had never been to GoodReads before, but now I am hooked! You guys have me addicted. This may be a dangerous site for me.

 

[fabulousfive]

I used to be in a book club (and a literature major!) and I realized I never read any more -- at all! So I'm going to join in this group and make my goal 6. I know that may sound lame, but one every other month is a goal that is more attainable or me in my life right now. I'd just be happy to read something. I started Alice in Wonderland last year and would love to pick that back up. Thanks!

 

[WowLookAtThat]

I want to be a part of it too! I would like to challenge myself for 65 books this year. Last year's challenge put me at 100 books, overtaking the original goal of 72 but this year I want to try to read longer books (Forever Amber to name one) so that may mean less.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Bad Monkey
Carl Hiassen

Andrew Yancy—late of the Miami Police and soon-to-be-late of the Monroe County sheriff’s office—has a human arm in his freezer. There’s a logical (Hiaasenian) explanation for that, but not for how and why it parted from its shadowy owner. Yancy thinks the boating-accident/shark-luncheon explanation is full of holes, and if he can prove murder, the sheriff might rescue him from his grisly Health Inspector gig (it’s not called the roach patrol for nothing). But first—this being Hiaasen country—Yancy must negotiate an obstacle course of wildly unpredictable events with a crew of even more wildly unpredictable characters, including his just-ex lover, a hot-blooded fugitive from Kansas; the twitchy widow of the frozen arm; two avariciously optimistic real-estate speculators; the Bahamian voodoo witch known as the Dragon Queen, whose suitors are blinded unto death by her peculiar charms; Yancy’s new true love, a kinky coroner; and the eponymous bad monkey, who with hilarious aplomb earns his place among Carl Hiaasen’s greatest characters.

Here is Hiaasen doing what he does better than anyone else: spinning a tale at once fiercely pointed and wickedly funny in which the greedy, the corrupt, and the degraders of what’s left of pristine Florida—now, of the Bahamas as well—get their comeuppance in mordantly ingenious, diabolically entertaining fashion.

I enjoyed this book, but I felt that it didn't live up my expectations.
It was funny, and I really love quirky characters, but there was no flow to me.

I will be reading more books by Hiaasen though. I like the characters and LOVE anything set in FL, especially The Keys.

 

[wvjules]

Finished Book 1 of 25.

Orphan Train.

Orphan Train is a gripping story of friendship and second chances from Christina Baker Kline, author of Bird in Hand and The Way Life Should Be.

Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer is close to “aging out” out of the foster care system. A community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping Molly out of juvie and worse...

As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that she and Vivian aren’t as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.

Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life – answers that will ultimately free them both.

Rich in detail and epic in scope, Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of unexpected friendship, and of the secrets we carry that keep us from finding out who we are.

I really liked this book. I enjoyed reading about Vivian's childhood and couldn't wait to find out what happened to her. I give it a 4 stars. It was quick, interesting and heartwarming.

 

[Narnian_Princess]

I finished a book yesterday (Ray Bradbury's The Golden Apples of the Sun), but since I started it in December I won't count it.

Started The Fault in Our Stars this morning before work. I'm pretty sure I'll like it since I thought Will Grayson, Will Grayson was fantastic.

I really need to start a literary journal again. Bradbury in particular phrases things so gorgeously that you just have to bask in a sentence or paragraph for a minute or two before moving on.

 

[Glynis]

Just wrapped up my first of 35!

Wishing Well by Trevor Baxendale. Its a Doctor Who tie-in novel feature 10 and Martha, its basically a book long episode of the show but I enjoyed it since 10 is a favorite and I love getting more insights into the Companions.

Next up is another Doctor Who tie-in: Shroud of Sorrow (Tommy Donbavand) featuring 11 and Clara. Plus its biding time for some library holds to come through (waiting on a few British murder mysteries to name a few).

Any insight into the GoT novels? I love the show and wonder if the books are anything like it.

My daughter is obsessed with Dr. Who, and would love these books. Is there somewhere I could go to find them all listed? Thanks!

 

[CaliBear]

Off to place holds at the library website! Is this one that should be read in order?

And just so I know: compared to the show how brutal is the Red Wedding in the book?

Definitely read them in order. The RW is brutal in both, but it is a little different in the book. There are a lot of hints as they ride towards the Twins that something is really not right that set a creepy tone.

Enjoy!

 

[CaliBear]

I also found a couple of the POV characters a bit of a snooze (I'm looking at you Davos!). I would definitely recommend them as long as you aren't hoping for the TV show to be a strict adaptation of the books

I love Davos' chapters, but I agree some characters are a snooze compared to others, all depending on your taste, and some come off better in the book than the show and vice versa. For me the worst chapters are Bran's. Best are Tyrion's.

 

[CourtasanSatine]

Definitely read them in order. The RW is brutal in both, but it is a little different in the book. There are a lot of hints as they ride towards the Twins that something is really not right that set a creepy tone.

Enjoy!

Just held the first book with that in mind!

Glynis: Not sure where a list can be found since I admit finding the books were a happy accident at the library back in December. But from what I found on amazon.com there are books for the New Who Doctors and there was some for Old Who tied into the 50th anniversary (mostly episode tie-ins from what I saw).

 

[MarciaBrady]

I've read 3 books so far. (I spent a while yesterday reading.)
I read Babysitters Club Super Special #4 (the one where they get stuck on that deserted island for a couple days); Rock Harbor Search & Rescue; and Nellie's Promise (American Girl book, that took all of 20 minutes to readXD).

 

[KGlo]

Book 2/120- "I Hunt Killers" by Barry Lyga. I really liked this book, the characters were likable and while the suspense wasn't earth-shattering, it was a decent thriller. I liked it so much I added the sequel "Game" to my TBR list. I gave it a 4/5 stars on goodreads.


Summary from goodreads:
"What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad?

Jasper "Jazz" Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.

But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal's point of view.

And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.

In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows?"



Up next is "Swimming at Night" by Lucy Clark and "Every Day" by David Levithan.

 

[phorsenuf]

Book 1 of 75. Since I was less then halfway through come the first of the year I'm counting it as part of my 2014 goal.


We Never Lost Hope: A Holocaust Memoir and Love Story by Naomi Litvin

From Amazon; Author Naomi Litvin recreates her parents' incredible love story in the powerful memoir, We Never Lost Hope. Litvin, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor and an American Jewish GI who landed at Normandy, lets her family members reveal the stories of their lives before, during, and after the Holocaust. Told in five indelible voices, the book gives a you-are-there punch and a moving immediacy. Lovely and haunting, We Never Lost Hope is a reminder that genocide can happen anywhere, and that we all must be vigilant against the forces of hatred.

I read many books on the Holocaust and this one was just alright. It was written in narratives of various family members but at times it seems as if they were narrating in broken English.

Next up, my first Dickens novel The Pickwick Papers.

 

[Momof3dogs]

Happy 2014, everyone!! I hope everyone had a safe and fun new years eve! I sat at my in-laws house reading. But because of that trip to the inlaws, I can put up my first two books for 2014 and the 3rd is well underway!

1. Rumor Has It---Jill Shavis
I found this author last year with a different series. She's pretty funny/easy to read/chick lit. Her books read extremely quickly. It's like you are reading fluff, with an actual plot.

2. The Heist--- Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
Hubby and I listened to this on both the car ride there and back. I normally LOVE Janet Evanovich. Her books make me laugh. This one did nothing for me. I found myself struggling to pay attention.

Currently Reading: Hope In A Jar---Beth Harbison
(Another author I discovered last year and enjoy!)

 

[zigzagzerr]

I love a challenge! I'll join in with 40 as a goal. This thread has such great suggestions for new books - always a problem to find good ones to read!
I'm reading We are Water as Book #1 - so far, so good. I've liked his others, so I have high hopes for this.
Happy New Year!!

That's my first book of 2014 as well! Wally Lamb is a great writer.

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #1 - The Bad Beginning - A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

This is the 1st book of the series. A very quick read (1.5 hrs) about sad events that keep happening to these kids. I just want to reach in the book & take these kids home w/me. I think it is well written & will continue to read the rest while hoping for a happy ending for these kids.