Annual Reading Challenge--2020

[bobbiwoz]

#15/60 The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
In 1936, tucked deep into the woods of Troublesome Creek, KY, lives blue-skinned 19-year-old Cussy Carter, the last living female of the rare Blue People ancestry. The lonely young Appalachian woman joins the historical Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky and becomes a librarian, riding across slippery creek beds and up treacherous mountains on her faithful mule to deliver books and other reading material to the impoverished hill people of Eastern Kentucky.
Along her dangerous route, Cussy, known to the mountain folk as Bluet, confronts those suspicious of her damselfly-blue skin and the government's new book program. She befriends hardscrabble and complex fellow Kentuckians, and is fiercely determined to bring comfort and joy, instill literacy, and give to those who have nothing, a bookly respite, a fleeting retreat to faraway lands.

Really liked this one. It was a recommendation from this board.

This was a great book, but truly talked about overcoming so much sadness.

31/80

 

[BonnieF]

14.Thin Air, Ann Cleeves. The continuing Shetland series - always good!
15. Christmas Cake Murder, Joanne Fluke. Fun, quick read, one in a long series. Good for a less serious read.
16. The Ice Princess, Camilla Lackberg. Interesting story, involving a murder and family issues.
17. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, Kim Richardson. A fictional story based on true events - an amazing story of determination and perseverance.
18. The Lost Family, Jenna Blum. The far reaching effects of Nazi atrocities. Definitely recommend.
19. Virgil Wander, Leif Enger. A dying Midwestern town and its quirky inhabitants. A good read.

 

[JayMass]

11/30-Wuthering Heights By Emily Bronte. I was certainly supposed to have read this in high school and as I'm a high school English teacher now, this is one of those books that I couldn't bring myself to read. I understand its importance to British Lit and the gothic style but, I was bored by it. At first I thought it was intriguing with the mysterious room and Catherine's ghost that Lockwood sees. I even liked it when he gets Nelly to start telling the story of Wuthering Heights and Thrushgross Grange. However, about halfway through it lost its luster. I'm glad I read it, but I'm glad no one has ever made me teach it!

12/30-Elevation by Stephen King. I liked this but it is certainly not one of King's best. The premise is basically an overweight man is slowly losing weight but you can't tell by looking at him. I haven't read Thinner but I imagine it's sort of the same premise. As with a lot of King's books, it's not really about the man's weight loss but about the relationships among characters. I'm not sure I buy these characters as real people but it's an entertaining book!

Now I am on to Doctor Sleep by King (an update on The Shining with the young boy Danny as an adult). My upcoming line-up includes Middlesex and my wife is telling me to read Catch-22. At least this time of stay at home allows me to get a bunch of reading done!

 

[JayMass]

25. The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger by Stephen King

OK, it is time to admit a deep, dark secret that I have been hiding for years. I've been reluctant to acknowledge this, but here it is. Once, when I was in high school (circa 1984), I stole a book from the library. The specifics are this: I actually checked the book out, I just never returned it. I did pay the lost book fee for it, but I kept the book in my personal library. It was this book! Only 10,000 copies were printed and I knew it was a limited edition book. There was no place to buy it; no Amazon.com or eBay. And to makes matters worse, I really didn't like the book. It felt like a loosely connected series of western/sci-fi stories with no real direction and no sense of a through-put story. Boy in retrospect was I wrong! Reading this now that I know the rest of the Dark Tower cycle, I can see how the seeds for what was to come were laid in this book, and I really enjoyed reading back through it this time now that I had a clear vision of the total story. For someone new to the Dark Tower cycle, just bear with it! It may seem like snippets from a weird dream, but the connection is coming; I promise! This tine through I also enjoyed seeing the construction of the giant universe King was building, and seeing the connections he was planting early on (The Dark Man from The Stand returns in this collection; is it the same man/mythical creature?).

I read this a few years back and didn't really like it. Maybe I should try book 2 if you think it's worth it?

 

[OKW8297]

27. The Pioneers by David McCullough. Fascinating book about the pioneers who settled Ohio. I am a total American history geek and this did not disappoint.

 

[caroline5177]

3/24 - Tidelands by Philippe Gregory
I haven’t read a book by her in ages and I really loved this one. Looking forward to more in this series...

On Midsummer’s Eve, Alinor waits in the church graveyard, hoping to encounter the ghost of her missing husband and thus confirm his death. Until she can, she is neither maiden nor wife nor widow, living in a perilous limbo. Instead she meets James, a young man on the run. She shows him the secret ways across the treacherous marshy landscape of the Tidelands, not knowing she is leading a spy and an enemy into her life.

England is in the grip of a bloody civil war that reaches into the most remote parts of the kingdom. Alinor’s suspicious neighbors are watching each other for any sign that someone might be disloyal to the new parliament, and Alinor’s ambition and determination mark her as a woman who doesn’t follow the rules. They have always whispered about the sinister power of Alinor’s beauty, but the secrets they don’t know about her and James are far more damning. This is the time of witch-mania, and if the villagers discover the truth, they could take matters into their own hands.


4/24 - Rosalia’s Bittersweet Pastry Shop by Rosanna Chiofalo
Recommended by a friend. Nice, easy read. If you bake/cook, or love pastries you will enjoy this book.

In Rosanna Chiofalo's touching novel, a unique pastry shop features mouthwatering creations that have the power to change one woman's life . . .

Food writer Claudia Lombardo has sampled exquisite dishes by the world's greatest chefs. But when she hears about the remarkable desserts that are created in a pastry shop operated out of a convent in the sleepy Italian hillside town of Santa Lucia del Mela, she wants to write a book featuring the sweets and the story behind their creator-Sorella Agata. But the convent's most famous dessert-a cassata cake-is what really intrigues Claudia.

Everyone who tastes the cake agrees it is like none other. Yet no one can figure out what makes the cassata so incredibly delicious. Though Sorella Agata insists there is no secret ingredient, Claudia is determined to learn the truth. As she enjoys delectable treats like marzipan fruit and rich cream puffs, Sorella Agata relates the shop's history and tells of the young woman, Rosalia, who inspired her.

As Claudia unravels the secret of the cassata cake, she discovers a deeper, fascinating story-one that affirms food can do more than nourish the body . . . it can stir memories, heal heartache, and even act as a bridge to those we love, no matter how far apart.

5/24 - The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Loved this dysfunctional family story. Check it out.

At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves.

The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakeable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures.

Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested.

6/24 - This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
Currently reading! Love it so far...
1932, Minnesota—the Lincoln School is a pitiless place where hundreds of Native American children, forcibly separated from their parents, are sent to be educated. It is also home to an orphan named Odie O’Banion, a lively boy whose exploits earn him the superintendent’s wrath. Forced to flee, he and his brother Albert, their best friend Mose, and a brokenhearted little girl named Emmy steal away in a canoe, heading for the mighty Mississippi and a place to call their own.

Over the course of one unforgettable summer, these four orphans will journey into the unknown and cross paths with others who are adrift, from struggling farmers and traveling faith healers to displaced families and lost souls of all kinds. With the feel of a modern classic, This Tender Land is an enthralling, big-hearted epic that shows how the magnificent American landscape connects us all, haunts our dreams, and makes us whole.

 

[MGMmjl]

15/30 - Serafina and the Twisted Staff by Robert Beatty

This is the 2nd in a young adult historical fantasy series set at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. I enjoyed both books. I originally read the first book just because it was set at Biltmore, but the stories have been really good.

 

[OKW8297]

28. Becoming by Michelle Obama. Outstanding.

 

[JayMass]

28. Becoming by Michelle Obama. Outstanding.

Yes! What a great book. Politics aside, it is a true American success story!

 

[Christine]

3/24 - Tidelands by Philippe Gregory
I haven’t read a book by her in ages and I really loved this one. Looking forward to more in this series...

On Midsummer’s Eve, Alinor waits in the church graveyard, hoping to encounter the ghost of her missing husband and thus confirm his death. Until she can, she is neither maiden nor wife nor widow, living in a perilous limbo. Instead she meets James, a young man on the run. She shows him the secret ways across the treacherous marshy landscape of the Tidelands, not knowing she is leading a spy and an enemy into her life.

England is in the grip of a bloody civil war that reaches into the most remote parts of the kingdom. Alinor’s suspicious neighbors are watching each other for any sign that someone might be disloyal to the new parliament, and Alinor’s ambition and determination mark her as a woman who doesn’t follow the rules. They have always whispered about the sinister power of Alinor’s beauty, but the secrets they don’t know about her and James are far more damning. This is the time of witch-mania, and if the villagers discover the truth, they could take matters into their own hands.

I enjoyed this one also. I had sort of put Phillippa Gregory books aside as they started becoming the same, but this one was a departure and I really enjoyed it.

 

[OKW8297]

Yes! What a great book. Politics aside, it is a true American success story!

I agree

 

[bobbiwoz]

32/80 The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons

I enjoyed this book about a young Jewish Austrian teen who was lucky to obtain a job in an English household before it was impossible to leave. Her English wasn’t as good as she thought it was, she had written “ I will cook your goose” on the application.

 

[drwitz]

I read this a few years back and didn't really like it. Maybe I should try book 2 if you think it's worth it?

It is absolutely worth it... But I love high fantasy (like Lord of the Rings, or Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, or Stephen R. Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever). If you like those kinds of books (and you like Stephen King), you will love this series. Give it a chance.

 

[drwitz]

And the beat goes on...

24. Creepshow by Stephen King

So this might be a cheat, but given how lo-o-o-ong some Stephen King novels are, I'm counting it. Creepshow is a graphic novel presentation of the ideas from the like-titled movie. Presented like a comic and in the form of a "Weird Tales" -like adaptation, this collection of tales is wonderfully interesting and entertaining. This was a quick read, but a fun one.

25. The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger by Stephen King

OK, it is time to admit a deep, dark secret that I have been hiding for years. I've been reluctant to acknowledge this, but here it is. Once, when I was in high school (circa 1984), I stole a book from the library. The specifics are this: I actually checked the book out, I just never returned it. I did pay the lost book fee for it, but I kept the book in my personal library. It was this book! Only 10,000 copies were printed and I knew it was a limited edition book. There was no place to buy it; no Amazon.com or eBay. And to makes matters worse, I really didn't like the book. It felt like a loosely connected series of western/sci-fi stories with no real direction and no sense of a through-put story. Boy in retrospect was I wrong! Reading this now that I know the rest of the Dark Tower cycle, I can see how the seeds for what was to come were laid in this book, and I really enjoyed reading back through it this time now that I had a clear vision of the total story. For someone new to the Dark Tower cycle, just bear with it! It may seem like snippets from a weird dream, but the connection is coming; I promise! This tine through I also enjoyed seeing the construction of the giant universe King was building, and seeing the connections he was planting early on (The Dark Man from The Stand returns in this collection; is it the same man/mythical creature?).

26. Different Seasons by (you guessed it) Stephen King

If you don't like "Stephen King" stories, this may be the book for you. Have you seen and enjoyed any of these movies: "The Shawshank Redemption", "Stand by Me" or "Apt Pupil"? Then you've been exposed to a Stephen King story! Long before these were made into hugely successful films, this collection of novellas provided a wonderfully broad exposure to King's excellent prose and (with the exception of "The Breathing Method") doesn't have a supernatural element in them. I also loved the small connections between stories: the prisoner in "Shawshank" is the banker of the old man in "Apt Pupil"; Constable Bannerman in "Apt Pupil" is Sheriff Bannerman in Cujo and The Dead Zone. A very satisfying collection of longer short stories, and a worthwhile reread. These stories fit like comfortable pajamas; and King is at his best with each of them.

Now off to read a book about a haunted car.... Oh, my life.

27. Christine by Stephen King

This was sooooo much better than I remember, likely because the last time I "touched" this story, I watched the movie. If you have only seen the movie version of Christine, you owe it to yourself to read the novel. As much a tribute to what it means to be a teenager, and to rock'n'roll and car culture, this novel is an entertaining ride. Unlike many King novels, it is written in short, easy-to-read chapters, and the book is in three sections. The first and last section are written in first person (from the POV of the the lead character's (Arnie's) best friend Dennis), with a middle section written in third-person from an omniscient narrator, the structure should fall apart, but once again King handles the heavy lifting with grace and great traction. A fun trip (and I hardly noticed the odometer -- I mean page count -- as I read through it).

28. Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King

This is one I hadn't read in years and it was as wonderful as I remembered. More a collection of very short chapters (12 of them, one per month) and beautiful illustrations (both color and b&w), this 128 page brief read is beautifully constructed. Telling the story of a small town in (where else?) Maine, and the monster that terrifies its residents, the narrative structure makes this a quick but fun read. For those of you who have seen "Silver Bullet" (the movie), this is the story that the movie screenplay is based on. It definitely made me shiver.

 

[willowsnn3]

 

[OKW8297]

29. Park Avenue Summer Renee Rosen. A fictionalization account of Helen Gurley Brown’s start at Cosmopolitan. A flirty, fascinating inside feel.

 

[mini22]

21/35 The Promise by Danielle Steel

 

[bobbiwoz]

33/80 Summer of ‘69 by Elin Hilderbrand
So many of the stereotypes of that time are presented in the characters, but it was a quick read, and I enjoyed it.

 

[melk]

17/25 The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

About a pack horse librarian in 1930’s Kentucky who also happens to be one of the blue-skinned people of Kentucky. While delivering her books to the poor people on her route she makes friendships, enemies, and encounters unbelievable prejudice.

I know others on this thread have read this book. I really liked it. As far as the pack horse librarian storyline it reminded me of The Giver of Stars which is also based on that. But the fact she was blue skinned was different and of course something I had to google.

 

[SaintsManiac]

18/30--I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
I wanted to read this before watching the miniseries on HBO. Great book. It could be pretty depressing/upsetting at times, but the journey was worth it.