Annual Reading Challenge--2020

[tiggrbaby]

#51/60 Y is for Yesterday by Sue Grafton
From Goodreads:
Beginss in 1979, when four teenage boys from an elite private school sexually assault a fourteen-year-old classmate—and film the attack. Not long after, the tape goes missing and the suspected thief, a fellow classmate, is murdered. In the investigation that follows, one boy turns state’s evidence and two of his peers are convicted. But the ringleader escapes without a trace.

Now, it’s 1989 and one of the perpetrators, Fritz McCabe, has been released from prison. Moody, unrepentant, and angry, he is a virtual prisoner of his ever-watchful parents—until a copy of the missing tape arrives with a ransom demand. That’s when the McCabes call Kinsey Millhone for help. As she is drawn into their family drama, she keeps a watchful eye on Fritz. But he’s not the only one being haunted by the past. A vicious sociopath with a grudge against Millhone may be leaving traces of himself for her to find…

Very good! So sad that this is the last of the author's alphabet series. No more Kinsey Millhone to look forward to.

Agreed!

 

[MGMmjl]

22/30 - Finding Moon by Tony Hillerman

From Goodreads:
A phone call in 1975 changes Moon Mathias's life forever, as a voice on the line tells him his dead brother's baby daughter—a child Moon never knew existed—is waiting for him in Southeast Asia.

A task he believes beyond his meager talents is pulling Moon to Vietnam. In a chilling world of mystery and silence, disguise and deception, he'll risk everything for the sake of one little girl—and discover a Moon Mathias who's a better man than he ever thought he could be.

This was a departure from Hillerman's Navajo novels. I enjoyed it, but not as much as his Navajo mysteries.​

My reading was pretty sparse over the past month due to moving into a new house. Hopefully I can read more now that we are more settled in!

 

[melk]

33/25 Leonard and Hungry Paul by Ronan Hession

Taken from the inside cover: The story of two single, thirty-something men who still live with their folks and who are...nice. They take care of their parents and play board games together. They like to read. They take satisfaction from their work. They are resolutely kind. And they realize that none of this is considered normal.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is well written, funny, and...nice. Definitely not the most exciting or gripping book I‘ve read this year but I looked forward to picking it up each day to re-enter Leonard and Hungry Paul’s lives. As it says on the inside cover “It is about the uncelebrated people of this world—the gentle, the meek, the humble.”

 

[bobbiwoz]

74/80 Coming Home by Mariah Stewart
The cover mentions Chesapeake Diaries, so this is first of a series. The setting is a small tourist town along the Chesapeake, and the characters have foibles, so I can see there would be other stories. It was good, and I just borrowed the next book.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Woah. I used to read her books, but then got tired of the Amish fiction genre (yeah... there are basically enough for me to call it a genre...) and really Christian fiction in general, because I tired of the underlying love stories that seem to leave no room for a happy, single, Christian female. But this one sounds... intriguing. And interesting. But I'm almost afraid it's going to be "interesting" in that "Well. That was... uh... interesting. Yeah. That's it. Interesting." way. Ha!

I too strayed from the Amish genre as they were all pretty much the same.
But...have y'all read any of Linda Castillo's "Kate Burkholder" series? Kate grew up Amish but left and became involved in law enforcement so lots of mystery/suspense in an Amish setting. Castillo is one of my favorite authors and can't wait til the next in the series comes out.

“Sanctuary“ was written by husband and wife and I think that makes it different. I read “Child of Mine“ by them both previously, and it made me want to read more by the couple.

 

[willowsnn3]

#52/60 The Blaze by Chad Dundas
From Goodreads:
One man knows the connection between two extraordinary acts of arson, fifteen years apart, in his Montana hometown--if only he could remember it.
Having lost much of his memory from a traumatic brain injury sustained in Iraq, army veteran Matthew Rose is called back to Montana after his father's death to settle his affairs, and hopefully to settle the past as well. It's not only a blank to him, but a mystery. Why as a teen did he suddenly become sullen and vacant, abandoning the activities and people that had meant most to him? How did he, the son of hippy activists, wind up enlisting in the first place?

Then on his first night back, Matthew sees a house go up in flames, and it turns out a local college student has died inside. And this event sparks a memory of a different fire, an unsolved crime from long ago, a part of Matthew's past that might lead to all the answers he's been searching for. What he finds will connect the old fire and the new, a series of long-unsolved mysteries, and a ruthless act of murder.

Pretty good, I enjoyed it.

 

[OKW8297]

62. Nantucket Weddings by Pamela Kelley. Quick fun read. Great author when I need something easy and light.

 

[willowsnn3]

#53/60 Nothing Can Hurt You by Nicola Maye Goldberg
From Goodreads:
On a cold day in 1997, student Sara Morgan was killed in the woods surrounding her liberal arts college in upstate New York. Her boyfriend, Blake Campbell, confessed, his plea of temporary insanity raising more questions than it answered.
In the wake of his acquittal, the case comes to haunt a strange and surprising network of community members, from the young woman who discovers Sara’s body to the junior reporter who senses its connection to convicted local serial killer John Logan. Others are looking for retribution or explanation: Sara’s half sister, stifled by her family’s bereft silence about Blake, poses as a babysitter and seeks out her own form of justice, while the teenager Sara used to babysit starts writing to Logan in prison.

Just ok to me.

 

[Tiggerish]

Destiny Junction by Michael Phillips. Christian fiction. How a small town is affected by the murder of the minister's 18 yo daughter. Because of her death a revival sweeps through the town.

The Wedding Bond by Tobin McCain. Christian romantic fiction with a happy ending. Part of the Sacred Bond series.

Too Many Crooks Spoil the Plot by Sarah Osborne. A Dittie Brown Mystery. It was a quick read with an unrealistic but mostly interesting plot.

The Sun Rose in Paris by Penny Fields-Schneider. Set in the 1930's, when Jack graduates from high school in Australia his parents send him on a six month tour back to England before he starts his career in accounting. However, Jack's artistic talent and his meeting of a young lady with connection to the new age art movement in England leads him astray. He meets famous people then goes to Paris to study art in a famous school where he meets more famous people. He falls in love with the sister of a Spanish artist studying at the same school. Instead of returning home, he goes with them to Spain to try and earn a living as an artist. It was the first in a series.

64-67 of 80

 

[OKW8297]

63. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
excellent autobiographical account of growing up in South Africa

 

[bobbiwoz]

75/80 Home Again by Mariah Stewart

Different from the first in the series. I enjoyed the new characters and will read more.

 

[Tiggerish]

Brave Girl, Quiet Girl by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Despite their contentious relationship, Brooke and her 2 yo daughter Etta, have moved in with her mother to get back on their feet after a difficult divorce. When she goes on a late night run to a convenience store, Brooke is carjacked with Etta strapped into her car seat. The child, still in her seat, is abandoned in a bad area of town where she is found by a homeless teenage girl, Molly. Molly struggles to protect the child and figure out how to get her back to her family. Once reunited with her mother, three establish a friendship that reached across generations and circumstances. I highly recommend this book.

The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James H. Cone. Non-fiction by a African-American theologian. Since this is a political book, I won't review beyond saying it was a difficult but important read. It was written well before the Black Lives Matter but provides an important historical context for it.

68 and 69 of 80

 

[OKW8297]

Brave Girl, Quiet Girl by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Despite their contentious relationship, Brooke and her 2 yo daughter Etta, have moved in with her mother to get back on their feet after a difficult divorce. When she goes on a late night run to a convenience store, Brooke is carjacked with Etta strapped into her car seat. The child, still in her seat, is abandoned in a bad area of town where she is found by a homeless teenage girl, Molly. Molly struggles to protect the child and figure out how to get her back to her family. Once reunited with her mother, three establish a friendship that reached across generations and circumstances. I highly recommend this book.

The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James H. Cone. Non-fiction by a African-American theologian. Since this is a political book, I won't review beyond saying it was a difficult but important read. It was written well before the Black Lives Matter but provides an important historical context for it.

68 and 69 of 80

I agree about The Cross and the Lynching Tree

 

[drwitz]

60. The Stand by Stephen King

What did you think? It is my favorite book of his...

 

[drwitz]

51. The Dark Tower: The Waste Lands by Stephen King

The third in the Dark Tower series, this one reconciles the two stories of Jake (did he die in book 1? did he not die in book 2?) and brings Jake back to the group journeying to the Tower. It also introduces the city of Lud and Blaine the train (who's a pain). I LOVED this book, and for me this is where the Dark Tower series really picks up and moves me forward into the story.

52. Rage by Bob Woodward

In keeping with my practice on books that could be viewed as political, I will not review this here, but welcome your private message if you would like to discuss.

53. Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath

Part of my Miracle Morning reading cycle, this was a very inspirational book to motivate and guide change. Broken into three sections - the Rider, the Elephant, and the Path - the book features examples of successful change and breaks down why change is hard while providing strategies for personal or business focused change. I do recommend this one if you are interested in motivating change within your family, yoru circle of friends, or your workplace.

Already reading the next Stephen King book (about 1/2 way through) so I should have another review soon. These days I feel like I am constantly reading at least two (if not sometimes three) books at the same time!

54. Needful Things by Stephen King

What a wonderful re-read. I forgot how good this one was (probably because it came out in my college graduation year and I don't remember reading it). The story is set in Castle Rock, a King created town in Maine, where a new store opens. Everyone find something they want in this new store, and the price is very reasonable (at least monetarily). The true cost, though, is much more than the dollars and coins spent. As the town begins to unravel and violence begins to erupt, will the forces of evil triumph or will there be a way to unwind the power of Leland Gaunt and his hypnotic effects? Highly recommended!

55. and 56. Gerald's Game and Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King

These two are interrelated in a way so I am going to tackle these together. Both novels focus on women who are subject to the true horror - terrible men (note, I am not saying all men are terrible, but in these two novels some are!). In Gerald's Game, a woman is left handcuffed to her bed after her husband dies in the middle of some sex play, and in Dolores Claiborne a Maine islander's life is turned topsy-turvy by two deaths separated by many years (one is her husband and one is her employer). What unites these two novels is that key events happen during a solar eclipse, and the visions that each protagonist has of the other during the eclipse. In fact, King originally planned on uniting these two as one novel, and while ultimately he separated them, the themes are definitely echoed in each other. These are great reads, and I highly recommend them. Other than the vision of each other, there are no supernatural elements here, so if you want to read a book of "natural" horror, these two are worthwhile.

57. Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think by Brian Wansink

So I am torn about this one. I found the studies and lessons drawn from the reading really interesting and valid, and then found out about the author's research manipulation and the fact that many of his studies have been repudiated due to his academic malfeasance. The lessons are great, the book reads wonderfully, and what he says make sense. And I am left not knowing what to trust from the book. Sigh!

 

[OKW8297]

64. Semi Psychic Life by Elizabeth Hunter

 

[OKW8297]

What did you think? It is my favorite book of his...

I loved it. The character development was amazing.

 

[melk]

34/25 Best Behavior by Wendy Francis

A dysfunctional blended family gathers for the college graduation of twins Dawn and Cody. They’re all dealing with something and it culminates at the graduation party.

An easy read, it went quickly. The characters were likeable enough that I was eager to finish it to see how each of their stories would end.

 

[bobbiwoz]

76/80. Almost Home by Mariah Stewart

Book three in the Chesapeake Diaries Series.

 

[willowsnn3]

#54/60 When You See Me by Lisa Gardner
From Goodreads:
FBI Special Agent Kimberly Quincy and Sergeant Detective DD Warren have built a task force to follow the digital bread crumbs left behind by deceased serial kidnapper Jacob Ness. And when a disturbing piece of evidence comes to light, they decide to bring in Flora Dane who has personal experience of being imprisoned by Ness.
Their investigations take them to a small town deep in the hills of Georgia where something seems to be deeply wrong.
What at first seems like a Gothic eeriness soon hardens into something much more sinister as they discover that for all the evil Jacob committed while alive, his worst secret is still to be revealed.
Quincy and DD must summon their considerable skills and experience to crack the most disturbing case of their careers - and Flora must face her own past directly in the hope of saving others.
Lisa Gardner is one of my very favorite authors & I think this is her best yet!
#11 in the D. D. Warren series reunites DD, Kimberly & Flora. I do recommend starting with the FBI Profiler series which later introduces DD Warren.