Annual Reading Challenge 2019

[CallieMar]

Did you watch the movie on Netflix? It’s great! I want to read the book now

I actually decided to read the book because I was interested in the trailer! I usually try to read the book first, then watch the movie. Hoping to watch it this weekend if I have time.

 

[bobbiwoz]

14/75 In Pieces by Sally Field.
What a life, I am glad I read it. However, it is not an easy read.

 

[Tiggerish]

Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah. This was an excellent book. The book jacket calls it a "heartwarming, magical story" and it was that and more. A graduate student doing field work in ornithology (study of birds), takes in battered and bruised little girl who claims to be from a far away star. After a failed attempt to turn the child over to the authorities, she gradually lets the child into her life. The child explains that she too is doing graduate work and will return to her star after she witnesses five miracles. There is an unexpected complication towards the end but by that time, I had suspended rational belief and accepted the child was an alien from the stars.

19 of 104

 

[willowsnn3]

12/50
Unshakable by Rick Warren
Just finished this one as a bible study for church. Follows the life of Daniel.

13/50
A Thin Dark Line by Tami Hoag
Terror stalks the streets of Bayou Breaux, Louisiana. A suspected murderer is free on a technicality, and the cop accused of planting evidence against him is ordered off the case. But Detective Nick Fourcade refuses to walk away. He’s stepped over the line before. This case threatens to push him over the edge.
He’s not the only one. Deputy Annie Broussard found the woman’s mutilated body. She still hears the phantom echoes of dying screams. She wants justice. But pursuing the investigation will mean forming an alliance with a man she doesn’t trust and making enemies of the men she works with. It will mean being drawn into the confidence of a killer. For Annie Broussard, finding justice will mean risking everything—including her life.

 

[bobbiwoz]

15/75. A Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George

 

[Kirby]

#4/30: The Iron King by Maurice Druon (5/5). A very Game of Thrones-type telling of France in the middle ages. It's the first in a series and begins during the reign of Philip IV (Philip the Fair) in 1314.

Love Game of Thrones, will have to check this one out.

5/30- In Pieces by Sally Field

I have this one on Amazon shopping list waiting until it comes down in price.

 

[Kirby]

16. One Second After by William Forstchen
What happens when there is a Electromagnetic Pulse detonated over the USA? Very scary and all too possible look at what could happen. Very good

This one reminds me of a book by Terri Blackstock called Last Light. Same story line. Something to think about and makes for a good group discussion.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

#5/30 The Strangled Queen by Maurice Druon (4/5). The 2nd in the Iron King series, which follows the reign of several kings during France in the Middle Ages. This one wasn't as good as the first but I'm still going to finish out the series.

 

[KevM]

Another month has ended, so time for my wrap up of what I read this month. In February I read six books, giving my a total of 16 for the year. The Six books I read this month were:


11) The Devil Finds Work by James Baldwin - Book length essay. Part memoir of how film has impacted his life, part critique of the racial politics of Hollywood films. 4.5/5


12) Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral by Phillis Wheatley - Poetry. Wheatley is credited as the first published African American woman poet (although she was born in West Africa and was 8 when she was taken and enslaved). It’s a good read, but 18th century poetry isn’t really my thing. 3.25/5


13) Silent Gesture: The Autobiography of Tommie Smith by Tommie Smith - Memoir. Listed as a memoir, I’d say it’s more of an autobiography as while it does focus on the ‘68 Olympics in Mexico City it covers his entire life. Smith goes into great detail into what lead up to Mexico City and dispels many myths about it. 3.5/5


14) The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison - Fiction. This is Morrison’s first novel. It’s a look at a young black girl’s struggle with not fitting into (white) beauty standards. A frequently found on challenged/banned book lists. 4/5


15) Cane by Jean Toomer - Fiction. Considered a masterpiece of the Harlem Renaissance (although he resisted the association with the Harlem Renaissance). The novel’s vignettes look at African American life. It’s nontraditional structure was highly influential. 3.75/4


16) The Souls of Black Folks by W.E.B Du Bois - Essays. Considered a seminal work in the history of sociology. In these essays Du Bois looks at race and the life of Black People in the late 19th/early 20th century. 4.25/5

 

[tiggrbaby]

February

#10/90: Beartown by Fredrik Bachman (5/5) (fiction)

A heart wrenching story of a town where hockey is king, and a tragic event tears them apart. I just put a hold on the sequel, Us Against You.

#11/90: The Likeness (Dublin Murder Squad #2) by Tana French (4/5) (suspense)

Someone has taken on Cassie’s former undercover identity – and turned up dead. Now Cassie has agreed to once again assume the identity to try to find the killer.

#12/90: A Merciful Fate (Mercy Kilpatrick #5) by Kendra Elliot (4/5) (mystery)

A skeleton is discovered that is related to an old bank heist. Mercy is on the case to track down the remaining robbers while her fiancé is dealing with attacks on citizens who may or may not have a connection to the heist.

According to Amazon, the first book in this series is supposed to become a television show.

#13/90: Broken Harbor (Dublin Murder Squad #4) by Tana French (4/5) (suspense)

A successful detective is called to investigate what a first seemed to be an easy solve, but things did not just add up.

#14/90: The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers (3.5/5) (historical fiction/Civil War)

Told through letters and journal entries, a young woman has to deal with the difficulties of life on a remote farm when her husband of two days returns to battle. A horrific event that occurs in his absence upends their lives.

#15/90: Us Against You by Fredik Bachman (5/5) (fiction)

The town and the inhabitants try to recover from the tragic event that tore them apart in Beartown. Another emotional tale.

#16/90: The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff (3.5/5) (historical fiction/WWII)

A young woman in NYC finds pictures of young women in a suitcase and tries to solve the mystery of their origins. The story of the women is told in flashback chapters.

I was interested in this as I had read a novel dealing with female spies during WWI, but I did not enjoy this one as much.

 

[virge]

8/50 Play Dead by Harlan Coben I didn’t enjoy this as much as his other books.

 

[bobbiwoz]

16/75. All the Beautiful Girls by Elizabeth J. Church

A broken childhood and a young woman’s struggle to heal.

 

[Tiggerish]

Murder in the Merlot by Aaron Stander. Police procedural/murder mystery. This is the 8th book in the Ray Elkins Thrillers series. Ray Elkins is the sheriff of a small county in northwestern Michigan. The fictional county borders on Lake Michigan and is just south of the Mackinac Bridge. I have read several other books in the series and this one did not disappoint.

20 of 104

 

[Kirby]

8/50 - Of Moose and Men; Lost and Found in Alaska by Tory Martin and Doug Peterson, genre - inspirational.
Torry Martin—a comedian, actor, and hippie—fled from California to the wilderness of Alaska, searching for answers to life's big questions. He found what he was looking for...and a lot more!

A moose got its head stuck in Torry's window. A reindeer was trapped in his kitchen. A bear almost prevented him from reaching his airplane. He once woke up frozen to his cabin floor.
Like the Israelites of old, Torry experienced plenty of miracles and mishaps in the wilderness. And like them, he came face-to-face with God and was changed forever.
Each of these true stories of Torry's hilarious blunders and misfortunes contains a nugget of truth, but one theme prevails: If God can reclaim and repurpose Torry Martin's life, He can do the same for you and those you love.

I enjoyed reading this book. Instead of reading it through I read a chapter every day or so. It is written where you could use it as a devotional or a Bible study.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

A House at the Bottom of a Lake
Josh Malerman

https://www.amazon.com/House-at-Bot...way&sprefix=The+house+at+the+b,aps,144&sr=8-1

This is a book by the author who wrote Bird Box and it had the same effect on me. It pulled me in, I couldn’t put down, and I’ll leave it at that

 

[TexasBee]

23 / 115 - The Masked City - Cogman, Genvieve. Invisible Library #2 and I liked it better than the 1st one. Sort of steam-punk fantasy. The characters (at least Irene and Kai) get more depth here and it's a good story. Going on to #3.

 

[tiggrbaby]

10/75 The Punishment She Deserves by Elizabeth George

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a Lynley Novel, and enjoyed this one very much!

Thanks for the recommendation - really enjoying this one!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

3 of 20: Connections in Death by J. D. Robb (In Death #48)

Homicide cop Eve Dallas and her billionaire husband, Roarke, are building a brand-new school and youth shelter. They know that the hard life can lead kids toward dangerous crossroads—and with this new project, they hope to nudge a few more of them onto the right path. For expert help, they hire child psychologist Dr. Rochelle Pickering—whose own brother pulled himself out of a spiral of addiction and crime with Rochelle’s support.

Lyle is living with Rochelle while he gets his life together, and he’s thrilled to hear about his sister’s new job offer. But within hours, triumph is followed by tragedy. Returning from a celebratory dinner with her boyfriend, she finds Lyle dead with a syringe in his lap, and Eve’s investigation confirms that this wasn’t just another OD. After all his work to get clean, Lyle’s been pumped full of poison—and a neighbor with a peephole reports seeing a scruffy, pink-haired girl fleeing the scene.

Now Eve and Roarke must venture into the gang territory where Lyle used to run, and the ugly underground world of tattoo parlors and strip joints where everyone has taken a wrong turn somewhere. They both believe in giving people a second chance. Maybe even a third or fourth. But as far as they’re concerned, whoever gave the order on Lyle Pickering’s murder has run out of chances…

I have said this before with this series, but at this point I read these books more for the characters than anything else. The last maybe 10 books or sell kinda felt phoned-in. Not true with this one. I was invested in the story the whole time, even if I was looking for a twist that wasn't there. It was nice to see Eve involved in a good ole' gang hit as opposed to some serial killer for the umpteenth time.

4.5 out of 5 stars.



My next book will be Queen's Shadow by E. K. Johnson. It's a Star Wars book focusing on Padme Amidala in between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. It comes out on Tuesday. Until then I am reading A People's History of the United States, but I won't finish that before Tuesday.

Also doing a "read the bible in a year" program. Currently Numbers 28-30 and Mark 8.

 

[willowsnn3]

#14/50

"J" is for Judgment by Sue Grafton

"J" is for Jaffe: Wendell Jaffe, dead these past five years. Or so it seemed until his former insurance agent spotted him in the bar of a dusty little resort halfway between Cabo San Lucas and La Paz.

Another in the Kinsey Millhone series. Was ok but not as good as the others before.

 

[virge]

9/50 More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
I chose this book because I enjoyed Silvera’s book They Both Die at the End. This one is about a 16 year old boy looking for happiness after his father’s suicide and his own attempted suicide. It has an Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind aspect where a procedure exists to make you forget selected memories. This book touched my heart and made me cry. I loved it.