Annual reading challenge 2018- Join in on the Fun

[E&Cmom]

Book #3. The Great Alone- Kristin Hannah. 4/5

Book #4. Still Me- Jojo Moyes. 4.5/5. 3rd Book of the “Me Before You” series. Not as good as the first book but better then the second.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

#4 Murder at the 42nd street Library Con Lehane
Two books ago I read a book about a murder at a bookstore. I mentioned that unlike many here I do not have some deep love of bookstores but two of my top favorite books deeply revolve around them.
I also do not have a love of libraries that is except this particular one.
This building is one of my all time favorite spots. I cannot fully express how much this building means to me but for example two of my next books are about topics I learned about in this very building. This building and a few other like it was the internet before that existed and still has many secrets that have not made it to some site or another.
I am not sure if I would ever feel that any book does this building justice but have no problem saying this came up very short.
Jumbled narration and un-relatable characters as well as many referenced yet unexplained back stories that you never fully understand. I did enjoy some of the descriptions of the building itself , though a big part of the building in the book a non real Mystery collection room, which does not really seem to jive with most of the rooms that I have been inside at the library.
I have researched topics in a couple of the private rooms and it is exciting. There was dialog at some points about material that really hadn't been catalog, and that experiance was very similar to some stuff that I had looked through once.
There were other NY landmarks mentioned in the book, oddly enough I have a strong connection to a few of those as well, Though they felt more thrown in for effect then really used as part of the story. All in all to me this was more a murder of the 42nd street library then it was a murder at it



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. If you are interested in reading any just message me.

 

[tiggrbaby]

Both of these books were amazing due to the fact that they were both based on the experiences of real people!

#16/90: The Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly (5/5) (historical fiction/Holocaust)
Told from the viewpoint of three women - from New York, Poland, and Germany - from the beginnings of WWII to the late 1950s.

#17/90: We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter (5/5) (historical fiction/Holocaust)
Told from the viewpoints of various members of a Jewish family from Poland.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Both of these books were amazing due to the fact that they were both based on the experiences of real people!

#16/90: The Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly (5/5) (historical fiction/Holocaust)
Told from the viewpoint of three women - from New York, Poland, and Germany - from the beginnings of WWII to the late 1950s.

#17/90: We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter (5/5) (historical fiction/Holocaust)
Told from the viewpoints of various members of a Jewish family from Poland.

Yes, those are 2 of my all-time favorites also. So glad you liked them.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Up to #13, but nothing special read.

#10-"Her Sisters Shoes", Ashley Farley 4/5
#11-"Every Dog Has His Day", Jenn McKinlay 3/5
#12-"The Frozen Hours", Jeff Shara 1/5-I rated this so low because military history doesn't hold any interest for me, I'd chosen it only because I'm a Korean War baby and wanted to know more. For military history fans, it might be much better
#13-reading now, "A Gentleman in Moscow", Amor Towles-just OK, some little interesting facts, but I can't understand the rave reviews.

 

[willowsnn3]

#10/50

C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton

 

[usnuzuloose]

Up to #13, but nothing special read.

#10-"Her Sisters Shoes", Ashley Farley 4/5
#11-"Every Dog Has His Day", Jenn McKinlay 3/5
#12-"The Frozen Hours", Jeff Shara 1/5-I rated this so low because military history doesn't hold any interest for me, I'd chosen it only because I'm a Korean War baby and wanted to know more. For military history fans, it might be much better
#13-reading now, "A Gentleman in Moscow", Amor Towles-just OK, some little interesting facts, but I can't understand the rave reviews.

I can't remember if purchased Her Sisters shoes, but I might take another look at it.

 

[tiggrbaby]

#10/50

C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton

Loved her series!

 

[zippitydoo]

#5/40: Revival by Stephen King
#6/40: Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovich
#7/40: Broken Harbor by Tana French
#8/40: I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll

 

[scrhsa]

#7/10
Hawke's Harbor by S.E Hinton

An orphan and a bastard, Jamie Sommers grew up knowing he had no hope of heaven. Conceived in adultery and born in sin, Jamie was destined to repeate the sins of his parents - or so the nuns told him. And he proved them right. Taking to the sea, Jamie sought out danger and adventure in exotic ports all over the world as a smuggler, gunrunner - and murderer.Tough enough to handle anything, he's survived foreign prisons, priates and a shark attack. But in a quiet seaside town in Delaware, Jamie discovered something that was enough to drive him insane - and change his life forever. For it was in Hawles Harbor that Jamie came face to face with the ultimate evil....

Not at all what I expected from the author of The Outsiders!! It was a little graphic in some areas I don't need in a book but I liked it way more than I was counting on. I normally don't even like this subject matter but for some reason it caught me at the beginning and I read it in a day. An easy, fast read!!

 

[zippitydoo]

#9/40: Bird Box by Josh Malerman

 

[Christine]

#8/20: The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin: Four young siblings go to a "mystical" woman as they heard she can predict when you will die. They are each told, privately, the date their death which has a profound effect on them all. The book follows each sibling's life.

I enjoyed this book. It was different and I definitely wanted to see how the story ended. Nothing earth shattering but enjoyable (and a little sad at times).

 

[pigletto]

Finished 4 and 5 out of 30. Ifinished Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood. It’s a fabulous book. Then I read The Orphan Train. It was ok.. not wonderful, but readable.

Now moving on to #6 “Gone to Soldiers” by Marge Piercey. It’s another book I read about 20 years ago that I have been meaning to read again. I remember the basic premise but not the actual book. I just remember I really enjoyed it.

 

[Christine]

Finished 4 and 5 out of 30. Ifinished Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood. It’s a fabulous book. Then I read The Orphan Train. It was ok.. not wonderful, but readable.

I never read Alias Grace but watched the mini-series on Netflix (I think it was). It was REALLY good.

 

[pigletto]

I never read Alias Grace but watched the mini-series on Netflix (I think it was). It was REALLY good.

It really was! And the setting is local to me (It’s all from the Toronto area) so that was interesting.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Book 4 of 20: Start With Why by Simon Sinek

Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty?

In studying the leaders who've had the greatest influence in the world, Simon Sinek discovered that they all think, act, and communicate in the exact same way-and it's the complete opposite of what everyone else does. People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright brothers might have little in common, but they all started with why.

Drawing on a wide range of real-life stories, Sinek weaves together a clear vision of what it truly takes to lead and inspire.

The 2nd book in my company's book club. A business leadership book written to demonstrate what separates great companies from ok companies. The only problem is that it takes 256 pages to say "know why you are in business, make sure your employees understand and agree with your "why", and make sure everything you produce relates to your "why" and that the way you connect with your customers is by starting with describing your "why".

Listened to the audio book to save time.

2.5 out of 5 stars.

If you are interested in the idea, just watch his TED Talk.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Just came here to get some reading ideas. I have “Lilac Girls” waiting for me at library based on this thread.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Let us know how you like "Lilac Girls". This one got better for me in retrospect. When I finished reading it, I gave it 4/5 stars. I liked it. The more I think back on it, now I LOVE it. I wonder why I didn't give it 5 stars.

 

[tiggrbaby]

Let us know how you like "Lilac Girls". This one got better for me in retrospect. When I finished reading it, I gave it 4/5 stars. I liked it. The more I think back on it, now I LOVE it. I wonder why I didn't give it 5 stars.

It's one of those books that stays with you! I actually looked up her home since it is open to the public for tours. The author is actually doing an event there in May.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

#4/30: London by Edward Rutherford (5/5). It's a narrative history of London that sweeps from the time of the ancient Celts all the way through WWII. By about half way through it's really difficult to keep track of who is who, but it's fantastically written and gives a great picture of how London was developed into the city we all know and love now.