Annual Reading Challenge 2019
- Thread starter Cogswel_Cogs
- Start date
CallieMar
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2013
19/50 Haunted in Death by J.D. Robb (In Death #22.5) - This is a novella and a quick and easy read.
20/50 Slayer by Kiersten White - I was a huge Buffy fan in high school and college. This is a spin-off about a girl who is the daughter of two Watchers, and ends up becoming the last Slayer ever. I like that it's set in a familiar world but centers around a new group of people. I think the author got the spirit and the dialogue right, and while there is some name dropping there aren't a bunch of gratuitous cameos. I really enjoyed this, especially the (spoiler?) message of inclusivity at the end. There's supposed to be one more book eventually and I'm looking forward to it.
20/50 Slayer by Kiersten White - I was a huge Buffy fan in high school and college. This is a spin-off about a girl who is the daughter of two Watchers, and ends up becoming the last Slayer ever. I like that it's set in a familiar world but centers around a new group of people. I think the author got the spirit and the dialogue right, and while there is some name dropping there aren't a bunch of gratuitous cameos. I really enjoyed this, especially the (spoiler?) message of inclusivity at the end. There's supposed to be one more book eventually and I'm looking forward to it.
sjrec
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 31, 2016
6/50-The 71/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Time travel, murder mystery, gothic romance. The main character wakes up every morning in a different character’s body until he solves the mystery. I can’t say I enjoyed this, but it got very good reviews. I think it was the time traveling-not really my thing.
Time travel, murder mystery, gothic romance. The main character wakes up every morning in a different character’s body until he solves the mystery. I can’t say I enjoyed this, but it got very good reviews. I think it was the time traveling-not really my thing.
Cogswel_Cogs
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2005
4) Code Girls by Liza Mundy
I enjoyed this book but not nearly as much as I thought I would. The author mentions going through tons of declassified material and actually getting some released herself. I think the author had somewhat a difficult task her for the simple reason that these people had such important yet not terribly exciting tasks and they worked pretty much nonstop so it makes there stories a little less exciting. So I think the topic was somewhat tough to make exciting and a few times I lost interest.
As always If anyone is interested, I would gladly send a kindle gift version of any of my works “Written for You”, “Three Twigs for the Campfire”, “Cemetery Girl” or “Reigning”. You can see them all reviewed at Goodreads (Click link to view books). If you are interested in reading any just message me here or at Goodreads.
I enjoyed this book but not nearly as much as I thought I would. The author mentions going through tons of declassified material and actually getting some released herself. I think the author had somewhat a difficult task her for the simple reason that these people had such important yet not terribly exciting tasks and they worked pretty much nonstop so it makes there stories a little less exciting. So I think the topic was somewhat tough to make exciting and a few times I lost interest.
As always If anyone is interested, I would gladly send a kindle gift version of any of my works “Written for You”, “Three Twigs for the Campfire”, “Cemetery Girl” or “Reigning”. You can see them all reviewed at Goodreads (Click link to view books). If you are interested in reading any just message me here or at Goodreads.
tinkerdorabelle
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2001
3/25 The Sun and her Flowers by Rupi Kaur. To describe this gem of a book is hard, a poetic book of deep wisdom and imagery about life and loves, and what it means to be a young woman, in this case a young Indian woman, so beautifully written about her loves and life and fears. She writes about her mother immigrating to a strange country. It is just beautiful, filled with wonderful imagery and poetry and she even has little drawings that she has done herself in this book. I highly recommend it. I bought the hard cover because the book itself was so beautiful. This is the book you keep on your coffee table for all to pick up and read. Get the hard copy, the book itself is a thing of beauty. I read it from front to back but you can just pick up and open and read all kinds of beautiful wisdoms and poetry. Just highly recommend.
Colleen27
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2007
#24/130 - The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
I don't read much YA any more now that my older daughter has moved on to mostly adult literature, but neither of us had read this one and we didn't want to watch the movie first, so we picked it up on Scribd and both read it together. It was enjoyable enough, but like with a lot of more realistic/topical YA fiction I wasn't especially wowed by it. I found the format, written as a series of letters to an unknown recipient, rather distracting and the narrative, while pretty realistic for how I remember high school, struck DD as more "TV high school" than reality. It was still a fun read, nostalgic in an idealized way, but not quite what I expected from all the hype.
#25 - Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
A recommendation I got from this thread, I really enjoyed this one. The post-apocalyptic world was just realistic enough to carry a truly fantastic story, and the elements of native myth and legend that drive the plot were really intriguing in a "where can I find nonfiction about this?" sense. The main character was somehow likeable despite being prickly, suspicious and sometimes hostile, and I'm really looking forward to picking up the second book in the series when it comes out.
#26 - What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon
I think this was an Amazon First Reads pick, and I second guessed choosing it because even from the description it sounded rather derivative. I hate how, when a particular book does really well, a whole genre of knock-offs seems to spring up, and I suspected this was going to be one of those. It was and it wasn't. It was a time-travel romance, very much in the vein of Outlander, only instead of landing during the Scottish rebellion of the 18th century, the heroine lands in the early days of the Irish fight for independence in the early 20th century. The writing was quite beautiful at times, reflective and descriptive without slowing or detracting from the story, but it was hard not to read it and hear echoes of Outlander in the storytelling. It was an enjoyable read, which is more than many "capitalize on the popular concept of the moment" books can say, and unique enough to keep me engaged, partly because it centered around a part of history that has always fascinated me personally, but not something I'd have run out to buy if it hadn't been free.
#27 - Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
I cannot figure out what took me so long to get to this book! I adore dystopian fiction and it has been on my to-read list for years, so when I found it on Scribd I had to read it. It was nothing short of amazing and, in many ways, disturbingly prescient - set in a largely lawless U.S. sharply divided between a small number of wealthy "haves" who can afford privatized water and security in a world ravaged by climate change and drought and the masses of "have nots" killing one another over the scraps, even the politics described in the story seem to foreshadow elements of our current climate that could easily see escalating in the face of widespread hardship. It takes on situations and themes that were barely on the radar in 1993, when it was published, and does it all from the perspective of a black girl navigating this world where, predictably, the fight to survive has revived old prejudices and patterns. It was an excellent book from start to finish and I'm really looking forward to the second novel set in the same world.
#28 - Where I Found You by Brooke O'Brien
And now for a string of mind-candy. This one popped up in my Kindle Unlimited recommendations in the romance category and I can't imagine why. It wasn't a terrible book but it wasn't good either, and nothing about it was similar to the kinds of romances I prefer. But the description was just vague enough to be intriguing, so I picked it up anyway. And it was so "meh" that I had to go back and look at the description on Goodreads to remember what it was about even though it hasn't been a week since I read it.
#29 - The Bratva's Baby by Jane Henry
So, what I was saying before about copycat novels... This was that in spades, a combination of the organized crime antiheroes that became so popular on the heels of Sons of Anarchy and the dominant rich guy stories that are everywhere since 50 Shades. It wasn't a bad bit of escapism, though the main character was rather cold and unlikeable and the antihero quite two dimensional, but it was nothing I'd recommend or go out of my way to find. Another Kindle Unlimited recommendation miss and a good reinforcement of my decision to suspend my subscription for a while. Scribd just has better content these days.
#30 - Undertow by Alessandra Torre
The third strike on Kindle Unlimited recommendations. I'm starting to think I've fallen for enough bad or mediocre recommendations that now it is profiling me as preferring them over better titles. LOL This one was just kind of a mess all around - a ridiculously improbable plot about a woman unknowingly dating brothers in a long-term open relationship situation, absurdly excessive sex scenes, and a virtually conflict-free resolution when the estranged brothers reunite over the knowledge that they're both involved with the same woman.
I don't read much YA any more now that my older daughter has moved on to mostly adult literature, but neither of us had read this one and we didn't want to watch the movie first, so we picked it up on Scribd and both read it together. It was enjoyable enough, but like with a lot of more realistic/topical YA fiction I wasn't especially wowed by it. I found the format, written as a series of letters to an unknown recipient, rather distracting and the narrative, while pretty realistic for how I remember high school, struck DD as more "TV high school" than reality. It was still a fun read, nostalgic in an idealized way, but not quite what I expected from all the hype.
#25 - Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
A recommendation I got from this thread, I really enjoyed this one. The post-apocalyptic world was just realistic enough to carry a truly fantastic story, and the elements of native myth and legend that drive the plot were really intriguing in a "where can I find nonfiction about this?" sense. The main character was somehow likeable despite being prickly, suspicious and sometimes hostile, and I'm really looking forward to picking up the second book in the series when it comes out.
#26 - What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon
I think this was an Amazon First Reads pick, and I second guessed choosing it because even from the description it sounded rather derivative. I hate how, when a particular book does really well, a whole genre of knock-offs seems to spring up, and I suspected this was going to be one of those. It was and it wasn't. It was a time-travel romance, very much in the vein of Outlander, only instead of landing during the Scottish rebellion of the 18th century, the heroine lands in the early days of the Irish fight for independence in the early 20th century. The writing was quite beautiful at times, reflective and descriptive without slowing or detracting from the story, but it was hard not to read it and hear echoes of Outlander in the storytelling. It was an enjoyable read, which is more than many "capitalize on the popular concept of the moment" books can say, and unique enough to keep me engaged, partly because it centered around a part of history that has always fascinated me personally, but not something I'd have run out to buy if it hadn't been free.
#27 - Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
I cannot figure out what took me so long to get to this book! I adore dystopian fiction and it has been on my to-read list for years, so when I found it on Scribd I had to read it. It was nothing short of amazing and, in many ways, disturbingly prescient - set in a largely lawless U.S. sharply divided between a small number of wealthy "haves" who can afford privatized water and security in a world ravaged by climate change and drought and the masses of "have nots" killing one another over the scraps, even the politics described in the story seem to foreshadow elements of our current climate that could easily see escalating in the face of widespread hardship. It takes on situations and themes that were barely on the radar in 1993, when it was published, and does it all from the perspective of a black girl navigating this world where, predictably, the fight to survive has revived old prejudices and patterns. It was an excellent book from start to finish and I'm really looking forward to the second novel set in the same world.
#28 - Where I Found You by Brooke O'Brien
And now for a string of mind-candy. This one popped up in my Kindle Unlimited recommendations in the romance category and I can't imagine why. It wasn't a terrible book but it wasn't good either, and nothing about it was similar to the kinds of romances I prefer. But the description was just vague enough to be intriguing, so I picked it up anyway. And it was so "meh" that I had to go back and look at the description on Goodreads to remember what it was about even though it hasn't been a week since I read it.
#29 - The Bratva's Baby by Jane Henry
So, what I was saying before about copycat novels... This was that in spades, a combination of the organized crime antiheroes that became so popular on the heels of Sons of Anarchy and the dominant rich guy stories that are everywhere since 50 Shades. It wasn't a bad bit of escapism, though the main character was rather cold and unlikeable and the antihero quite two dimensional, but it was nothing I'd recommend or go out of my way to find. Another Kindle Unlimited recommendation miss and a good reinforcement of my decision to suspend my subscription for a while. Scribd just has better content these days.
#30 - Undertow by Alessandra Torre
The third strike on Kindle Unlimited recommendations. I'm starting to think I've fallen for enough bad or mediocre recommendations that now it is profiling me as preferring them over better titles. LOL This one was just kind of a mess all around - a ridiculously improbable plot about a woman unknowingly dating brothers in a long-term open relationship situation, absurdly excessive sex scenes, and a virtually conflict-free resolution when the estranged brothers reunite over the knowledge that they're both involved with the same woman.
willowsnn3
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2009
Thanks for reminding me of Octavia Butler! I read her time travel novel 'Kindred' last year and it was really good, will have to put this one on my list.
scrhsa
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2014
#7 of 15
The Young Duke The Early Life of John Wayne.
It was a short book and what was to be expected. It didn't delve into his life very much. Just touched on some of his marriages but mostly on his movies and mostly on his patriotism. I love John Wayne so I enjoyed it for what it was.
The Young Duke The Early Life of John Wayne.
It was a short book and what was to be expected. It didn't delve into his life very much. Just touched on some of his marriages but mostly on his movies and mostly on his patriotism. I love John Wayne so I enjoyed it for what it was.
willowsnn3
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2009
#15/50
The Boy by Tami Hoag
A panic-stricken woman runs in the dead of night, battered and bloodied, desperate to find help. . . .
When Detective Nick Fourcade enters the home of Genevieve Gauthier outside the sleepy town of Bayou Breaux, Louisiana, the bloody crime scene that awaits him is both the most brutal and the most confusing he's ever seen. Genevieve's seven-year-old son, K.J., has been murdered by an alleged intruder, yet Genevieve is alive and well, a witness inexplicably left behind to tell the tale. There is no evidence of forced entry, not a clue that points to a motive. Meanwhile, Nick's wife, Detective Annie Broussard, sits in the emergency room with the grieving Genevieve. A mother herself, Annie understands the emotional devastation this woman is going through, but as a detective she's troubled by a story that makes little sense. Who would murder a child and leave the only witness behind?
When the very next day K.J.'s sometimes babysitter, thirteen-year-old Nora Florette, is reported missing, the town is up in arms, fearing a maniac is preying on their children. With pressure mounting from a tough, no-nonsense new sheriff, the media, and the parents of Bayou Breaux, Nick and Annie dig deep into the dual mysteries. But sifting through Genevieve Gauthier's tangled web of lovers and sorting through a cast of local lowlifes brings more questions than answers. Is someone from Genevieve's past or present responsible for the death of her son? Is the missing teenager, Nora, a victim, or something worse? Then fingerprints at the scene change everything when they come back to a convicted criminal: Genevieve herself.
The spotlight falls heavily on the grieving mother who is both victim and accused. Could she have killed her own child to free herself of the burden of motherhood, or is the loss of her beloved boy pushing her to the edge of insanity? Could she have something to do with the disappearance of Nora Florette, or is the troubled teenager the key to the murder? How far will Nick and Annie have to go to uncover the dark truth of the boy?
This one was really good.
The Boy by Tami Hoag
A panic-stricken woman runs in the dead of night, battered and bloodied, desperate to find help. . . .
When Detective Nick Fourcade enters the home of Genevieve Gauthier outside the sleepy town of Bayou Breaux, Louisiana, the bloody crime scene that awaits him is both the most brutal and the most confusing he's ever seen. Genevieve's seven-year-old son, K.J., has been murdered by an alleged intruder, yet Genevieve is alive and well, a witness inexplicably left behind to tell the tale. There is no evidence of forced entry, not a clue that points to a motive. Meanwhile, Nick's wife, Detective Annie Broussard, sits in the emergency room with the grieving Genevieve. A mother herself, Annie understands the emotional devastation this woman is going through, but as a detective she's troubled by a story that makes little sense. Who would murder a child and leave the only witness behind?
When the very next day K.J.'s sometimes babysitter, thirteen-year-old Nora Florette, is reported missing, the town is up in arms, fearing a maniac is preying on their children. With pressure mounting from a tough, no-nonsense new sheriff, the media, and the parents of Bayou Breaux, Nick and Annie dig deep into the dual mysteries. But sifting through Genevieve Gauthier's tangled web of lovers and sorting through a cast of local lowlifes brings more questions than answers. Is someone from Genevieve's past or present responsible for the death of her son? Is the missing teenager, Nora, a victim, or something worse? Then fingerprints at the scene change everything when they come back to a convicted criminal: Genevieve herself.
The spotlight falls heavily on the grieving mother who is both victim and accused. Could she have killed her own child to free herself of the burden of motherhood, or is the loss of her beloved boy pushing her to the edge of insanity? Could she have something to do with the disappearance of Nora Florette, or is the troubled teenager the key to the murder? How far will Nick and Annie have to go to uncover the dark truth of the boy?
This one was really good.
sjrec
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 31, 2016
7/50 The Dutch Shoe Mystery by Ellery Queen
8/50 A Taste of Honey by H.F.Heard
These are books that have been reissued by Mysterious Press under the series American Library Classics. These and several other titles were written between the wars during what was considered the Golden Age of detective fiction.
The Ellery Queen book is about a wealthy woman that is murdered in a hospital before her scheduled operation. I found the writing much too dated to be enjoyable and in my opinion, poorly written.
A Taste if Honey deals with a murderous beekeeper in a small English village and an elderly, somewhat mysterious gentleman that tries to stop him. I really liked this one and didn’t find it dated at all.
8/50 A Taste of Honey by H.F.Heard
These are books that have been reissued by Mysterious Press under the series American Library Classics. These and several other titles were written between the wars during what was considered the Golden Age of detective fiction.
The Ellery Queen book is about a wealthy woman that is murdered in a hospital before her scheduled operation. I found the writing much too dated to be enjoyable and in my opinion, poorly written.
A Taste if Honey deals with a murderous beekeeper in a small English village and an elderly, somewhat mysterious gentleman that tries to stop him. I really liked this one and didn’t find it dated at all.
CallieMar
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2013
21/50 Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh (Guild Hunter #2) - I admit I almost gave up on this book 5 pages in since Raphael is such an alpha-hole. It definitely got better and I'm glad I kept reading.
22/50 Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews (Hidden Legacy #1) - Talk about a problematic "hero"...this guy is a straight up sociopath, and the heroine fully admits it! I have a few quibbles with the dialogue but the author is a pretty good storyteller and I'm intrigued by the premise of a modern world run by powerful magickal families, even if the hero is a wack job.
22/50 Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews (Hidden Legacy #1) - Talk about a problematic "hero"...this guy is a straight up sociopath, and the heroine fully admits it! I have a few quibbles with the dialogue but the author is a pretty good storyteller and I'm intrigued by the premise of a modern world run by powerful magickal families, even if the hero is a wack job.
luvmarypoppins
<font color=darkorchid>I am debating whether to pu
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2003
4/30 - Deadly Christmas Duty by Virginia Vaughan. Murder and kidnapping. Wish there was more holiday emphasis.
5/30 - Defense Breach by Lisa Phillips - Secret Service uncovers secret plot at White House
6/30 - Camp Hope by Sara Foust- someone recommended this to me. Kidnapped child in the Tennessee mountains.
5/30 - Defense Breach by Lisa Phillips - Secret Service uncovers secret plot at White House
6/30 - Camp Hope by Sara Foust- someone recommended this to me. Kidnapped child in the Tennessee mountains.
FlightlessDuck
Y kant Donald fly?
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2006
4 of 20: Queen's Shadow by E.K. Johnson
Yes, another Star Wars book. Another YA Star Wars book. What can I say?
I really enjoyed this story. It focuses on Padme and her handmaidens and how she become a Senator in the Galactic Republic. There is some focus on the handmaiden Sabe (Kiera Knightley's character in The Phantom Menance), but we also get to see what happens to the others. There's a real sense of this being a story about growing up -- almost a high school to college type of story -- since Padme served as queen from 14 to 18. There are some callbacks to The Clone Wars tv show as well as the book Leia, Princess of Alderaan, and, of course, The Phantom Menace.
EK Johnson had also written Ahsoka, which was a great.
4.5 out of 5 stars.
Yes, another Star Wars book. Another YA Star Wars book. What can I say?
I really enjoyed this story. It focuses on Padme and her handmaidens and how she become a Senator in the Galactic Republic. There is some focus on the handmaiden Sabe (Kiera Knightley's character in The Phantom Menance), but we also get to see what happens to the others. There's a real sense of this being a story about growing up -- almost a high school to college type of story -- since Padme served as queen from 14 to 18. There are some callbacks to The Clone Wars tv show as well as the book Leia, Princess of Alderaan, and, of course, The Phantom Menace.
EK Johnson had also written Ahsoka, which was a great.
4.5 out of 5 stars.
bobbiwoz
I'm happy to dance with you!
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2003
19/75. Where Lilacs still Bloom by Jane Kirkpatrick
If you like to garden or just love flowers and want to read about a strong woman who accomplished so much in her life, this is a book for you! A wonderful bonus is that you can visit her garden and home in Woodland Washington.
If you like to garden or just love flowers and want to read about a strong woman who accomplished so much in her life, this is a book for you! A wonderful bonus is that you can visit her garden and home in Woodland Washington.
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