Annual Reading Challenge--2020

[willowsnn3]

#21/60
Before This Is Over by Amanda Hickie
There is a deadly virus spreading around the world. At first it is a distant alarm bell in the background of Hannah's comfortable suburban life. Then suddenly, it has arrived on the doorstep.
The virus traps Hannah, her husband, and their young sons in their city, then their neighborhood, and finally their own home. As a formerly idyllic backyard and quiet street become battlefields, fear and compassion collide. But what happens when their water supply is cut, and then the power, and the food supply dwindles?

Bought this one at Dollar Tree as our libraries are closed right now.
Kinda scary reading this one (based on the SARS Pandemic from the early 2000's) considering current events.

 

[BonnieF]

I just found this thread and wanted to share:

Half Price Books is doing mystery grab bags that are $10 for 5 books. I ordered 1 mystery genre, 1 fiction genre and 1 YA genre.
Here’s what I got:

Fiction bag
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
The Bean Tree by Barbara Kingsolver
Turtle Moon by Alice Hoffman
Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank

Young Adult
Have Sword, Will Travel—Garth Nix and Sean Williams
Magic Tree House: Christmas in Camelot by Mary Pope Osborne (looks more like kids chapter to me)
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Innocent by Beatrice Small
Chronicles of Narnia: Lion, Witch and Wardrobe by CS Lewis (I also think this should be kids chapter)

Mystery
The Reckoning by John Grisham
Bad Things Happen by Harry dolan
Crosshairs by Harry Hunsicker
Shark Skin Suite by Tim Dorsey
Final Jeopardy by Linda Fairstein

All books were in very, very good condition. John Grisham looked brand new and still had dust cover. Out of all of these, the only books I’d previously read were Alas Babylon (one of my favorites) and Lion, Witch and Wardrobe (never cared for). I was kinda disappointed in YA as I expected more from it.

Middlesex and The Bean Tree are two of the best books I've ever read! I hope you enjoy them!

 

[OKW8297]

21. The Rebels by John Jakes. Second book in the series Kent family chronicles taking place during the Revolutionary War. Very good historical fiction.

 

[jen7233]

I had a slow go reading books due to many reasons the last month plus change, and I admitted before I'm a slow reader anyway. But latest book done:

#4/20: Open Book by Jessica Simpson. OK, yes I'm reading too many celeb/artist-types bios I suppose. Anyway, this was a pretty good book, as far as celebrities goes she comes across to me as a genuinely sweet and caring person in her writing. I don't think I'd say I found anything over the top like wow, this lady had some crazy times, what-in-the-hell type of crazy experiences like maybe I'd expect on reading something like a Mick Jagger or Ozzy Osbourne type bio if they do exist. She talks about her upbringing, reckoning with family, an abuse, her career ups and downs. Also mentioned are some of her struggles with her self-confidence, going a little of the rails on taking some things not good for her. Supportive of the troops as something near and dear to her. She seems to have a good core group of friends where I can imagine as a celebrity may be difficult to discern who is really genuine or wants to be near you for other reasons. I'd like to meet her one day.

 

[bobbiwoz]

28/80 A Better Man by Louise Penny

Continuation of the series, I loved it!

 

[monarchsfan16]

25: The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich. This was an excellent book. Great historical fiction novel. Very readable, very well written, and something different in the historical fiction market. 5/5

 

[JayMass]

Haven't posted in a while - I'm up to 13/42 as follows:

7. Cemetery Road by Greg Iles - not my favorite of his but above average

I usually like Greg Iles, but I couldn't get into this one. Gave up early on. Is it worth finishing?

 

[JayMass]

9/30--The Institute by Stephen King. Fantastic book by one of my all time favorite authors. It had all the elements so key to a good King story, interesting and well drawn characters, eerie/paranormal elements, and a plot where you aren't sure how things are going to work out. I liked it so much that I have decided that I will keep up my King kick and read some of the classics I never got around to. Figured the current stay-at-home situation makes The Shining as good a pick as any. That will be my 10/30 or 1/3 or the way to my goal in April which is a third of the way through 2020!

p.s.-Isn't there a someone on this thread that is reading a bunch of King this year?

 

[OKW8297]

9/30--The Institute by Stephen King. Fantastic book by one of my all time favorite authors. It had all the elements so key to a good King story, interesting and well drawn characters, eerie/paranormal elements, and a plot where you aren't sure how things are going to work out. I liked it so much that I have decided that I will keep up my King kick and read some of the classics I never got around to. Figured the current stay-at-home situation makes The Shining as good a pick as any. That will be my 10/30 or 1/3 or the way to my goal in April which is a third of the way through 2020!

p.s.-Isn't there a someone on this thread that is reading a bunch of King this year?

Read The Institute recently too. Really liked it!

 

[willowsnn3]

p.s.-Isn't there a someone on this thread that is reading a bunch of King this year?

drwitz is the poster who is re reading the King books

 

[drwitz]

I loved this book so, so much!!! I'm a big King fan and my love has been passed on to both of my kids. My 14 year old daughter recommended this one that I never got around to reading.

What do you think happened after the last sentence? My daughter and I have had pretty good discussions about it.

Sorry! It has been a cra-a-a-a-azy week. But back now.

To me, I think either he dies or he kills the *****. I would hope for the 2nd but knowing King stories it is likely the first.

What about you?

 

[drwitz]

And the Stephen King re-read goes on.

18. Roadwork by Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman)

OK so I think I hit it: my least favorite Stephen King book. Of course saying that is like saying this is my least favorite dessert - and I love sugar so they are all good. And the same is true of this book. It isn't my favorite Stephen King story, but is is still pretty good. What is it about, you ask? Well, that's part of the problem. It is kind of mundane. This is the story of a man whose house and workplace are about to be torn down as part of a road project. And his reaction. He reflects on the loss of his child, and goes a little crazy. That's it. I remember when I first read it feeling like Dawes was an angry old man. Of course now that I am older, and the character is younger than I am, he still seems like an angry old man. And there is the problem. The story is, frankly, a bit underwhelming and while I usually love King's storytelling, it does take some commitment to read through it.

19. Danse Macabre by Stephen King (non-fiction)

Now here is a book I love even more in the re-read. King's non-fiction review of the field of dark fantasy (aka horror) takes you through the novels, tv shows, and movies of the 1950s to 1970s and it is a wonderful review of the origins of today's horror for anyone who wants to learn where our modern masterpieces come from. He also goes back to the great origins of the field - Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde, and Frankenstein - in order to argue that they are the archetypes that the rest of the field imitates. A wonderful read which also now has given me 100 books and 100 movies to follow up on (see the appendixes for the book).

Took a break from the King re-read for two library books which had been sitting in my garage and were (likely) decontaminated by now.

20. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

So I adored her first book - Night Circus and fell in love with her writing, the story and the beautiful imagery in it. Her second novel, I thought, would promise more of the same. And, to an extent, it did, but after finishing it I do have to say I am somewhat disappointed. Let be clear, this had all of the gorgeously detailed prose that you would expect with stunning descriptions of sight, sound, smell and taste that make you feel like you are in the story. And while there was plenty of mythology what I was missing was more story. The conceit of alternating chapters between story and background (to say more would be to give away plot points) felt a bit jarring after awhile. Don't get me wrong, I loved reading (and savoring) this book - it took me 10 days to read because it is long (over 500 pages) and because I wanted to read it slowly - but at the end I can't say I will every go back and read it again.

21. The Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

I first heard about this novel from this thread. @willowsnn3 wrote about it and gave a good description above (post 218). What I want to say about this one is that it is a page-turner full of cliffhangers and thrills. Every chapter ended and I wanted to go immediately on. During the languid humidity of late April in Florida, this novel set in winter Wisconsin is filled with sexual heat and sensual passion, and nothing is what it first appears to be; this was just the sultry novel I needed after the cool passion of Starless Sea. I finished it in one day!

And today my copy of If It Bleeds by Stephen King arrived today, but I am saving it as a reward for when I finish my re-read. Off to the next one on the list -- Cujo. Hope my Yorkshire Terriers don't get any creative ideas.

 

[mini22]

17/35 Me Elton John by Elton John

 

[Simba's Mom]

Update this morning.

#15-The Giver of Stars 3 stars
#16-Big Lies in a Small Town, Diane Chamberlain-4 stars
#17-The Things We Cannot Say=4 1/2 stars, if you like historical fiction and romance, don't miss this.

 

[tiggrbaby]

Update this morning.

#15-The Giver of Stars 3 stars
#16-Big Lies in a Small Town, Diane Chamberlain-4 stars
#17-The Things We Cannot Say=4 1/2 stars, if you like historical fiction and romance, don't miss this.

Read #15, #16 is in my queue, just requested #17!

 

[OKW8297]

22. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. I hate winter and snow. So a story set in Alaska wasn’t overly appealing to me. But I love this author and she didn’t disappoint. Her descriptions of the last frontier were vivid and powerful. The storyline is hard. If domestic violence is a trigger for you, don’t read this. Having said this, there were times it was hard for me to read. The mother/daughter relationship this spoke to me. The ending.....well, I cried. This book will stay with me for a long time.

 

[monarchsfan16]

26: American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. There is a lot of controversy around this book, but having never been a migrant, it's not my place to determine the accuracy of the storyline. This is a well written book. It's engaging, heartbreaking, and powerful. 5/5

 

[JennM]

I usually like Greg Iles, but I couldn't get into this one. Gave up early on. Is it worth finishing?

So take my advice knowing that I RARELY quit books. I thought it got better as it went along. But it is not up to par with many of his others.

 

[willowsnn3]

The Mentor by Lee Matthew Goldberg
Kyle Broder has achieved his lifelong dream and is an editor at a major publishing house.
When Kyle is contacted by his favorite college professor, William Lansing, Kyle couldn’t be happier. Kyle has his mentor over for dinner to catch up and introduce him to his girlfriend, Jamie, and the three have a great time. When William mentions that he’s been writing a novel, Kyle is overjoyed. He would love to read the opus his mentor has toiled over.
Until the novel turns out to be not only horribly written, but the most depraved story Kyle has read.
After Kyle politely rejects the novel, William becomes obsessed, causing trouble between Kyle and Jamie, threatening Kyle’s career, and even his life. As Kyle delves into more of this psychopath’s work, it begins to resemble a cold case from his college town, when a girl went missing. William’s work is looking increasingly like a true crime confession.

Don't bother with this one. I only completed it because I am running out of things to read.

 

[melk]

14/25. The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate

Told in two different time periods, one by a freed slave in 1860’s Louisiana, the other by a first year high school teacher in the 1980’s, living on the old plantation land. The stories are quite separate but tie together in the end.

I really liked this book. Both stories, while different, were engaging and interesting. The chapters alternated however, and sometimes I would forget where the last person left off and it’s hard to go back when reading a kindle. The title comes from letters that would be posted in black churches by freed slaves, looking for family members that they had been torn from years before. In between each chapter is a real letter. They were absolutely heartbreaking. These letters are a part of history that I know I never learned about in school.