Reading Challenge/Goals for 2023--2024 link added

[Rapunzeled]

I don't have a goal but so far in 2023 I've read Spare, I'm Glad My Mom Died and am currently reading Profiles in Ignorance by Andy Borowitz. Anyone else a nonfiction reader?

I also picked up the Unofficial Guide to Disney 2022 at a book sale for 50 cents as well as Birnbaum's Guide.

 

[Wood Nymph]

04/30 Personal Librarian - by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murry - 4 out of 5

This book felt like two books in one, maybe because it was written by two authors. It is the story of the woman who was key to creating the library for J.P. Morgan starting in 1904. Belle da Costa Greene was an amazing woman and the fact that she was a woman who was able to do what she did in a male dominated world spoke very highly of her abilities. The fact that she was a black woman living as a white woman was really a second story. This is historical fiction mixed with as many true facts as they could uncover. Her father was the first black man to graduate from Harvard University and was very active in the civil rights movement. I learned a lot about the period.

I was fascinated by the historical facts but felt the fictional life of Belle was a little less exciting, but totally believable.

 

[Shellsbutt]

I don't have a goal but so far in 2023 I've read Spare, I'm Glad My Mom Died and am currently reading Profiles in Ignorance by Andy Borowitz. Anyone else a nonfiction reader?

I also picked up the Unofficial Guide to Disney 2022 at a book sale for 50 cents as well as Birnbaum's Guide.

Yes, I have been reading more non-fiction lately, I like to mix it up a little. I did enjoy Spare. What did you think of I'm Glad My Mom Died? I saw that on the Lucky Day shelf at the library and it looked interesting. But as always I'm in the middle of reading two other books, lol. I'm constantly on the prowl for other books to add to my growing list.

 

[MGMmjl]

4/30 - Track of the Cat by Nevada Barr

Description:
"Patrolling the remote West Texas backcountry, Anna’s first job as a national park ranger is marred by violence she thought she had left behind: the brutal death of a fellow ranger. When the cause of death is chalked up to a mountain lion attack, Anna’s rage knows no bounds. It’s up to her to save the protected cats from the politics and prejudices of the locals—and prove the kill was the work of a species far less rare…"

I have seen the Anna Pigeon series mentioned in a past Reading Challenge thread, and thought I would give the first book a try. It was pretty good. It looks like my library has most of the e-books available for the series, so I will likely read more.

 

[Rapunzeled]

Yes, I have been reading more non-fiction lately, I like to mix it up a little. I did enjoy Spare. What did you think of I'm Glad My Mom Died? I saw that on the Lucky Day shelf at the library and it looked interesting. But as always I'm in the middle of reading two other books, lol. I'm constantly on the prowl for other books to add to my growing list.

Having had grown up with a mentally ill mother I related to it a lot. I also enjoyed the dry humor. It think it was well written and she's insightful.

 

[RangerPooh]

1/12 Cascade: A Sam Westin Mystery by Pamela Beason (book 6 in the series). Sad to runout of books in this series, hopefully there will be more.

2/12 Canyon Sacrifice by Scott Graham (book 1 in the series). It was slow to start but ok once it picked up speed.

3/12 Bed and Breakfast and Murder (Fiona Fleming Cozy Mysteries Book 1) by Patti Larsen. This was a good read. I was looking for something similar to Hannah Swenson mysteries and this is it! I'm enjoying the characters, the writing style, etc.

 

[sdk1231]

#8 A Night to Remember by Walter Lord. Inspired by KevM to mix some non-fiction into my reading list this year, and after having read a couple of recent so-so efforts about the Titanic, I decided to return to the 1955 "classic" telling of the Titanic story. There is a reason that this book is a classic.

Lord presents the events of the sinking of the Titanic in a cohesive and exciting narrative. The book starts with a bang, literally, at the moment that the Titanic hits the iceberg. As part of his research, Lord interviewed 60+ survivors, and includes their personal observations in a smooth and engaging narrative. He tells the Titanic story the way the survivors remembered it, and refrains from analysis, debate and technical minutiae. (His sequel The Night Lives On focuses on some of the enduring questions and legends surrounding the Titanic, for those interested in those aspects of the story. I have yet to read that one.)

Extremely well written, highly engaging and a very quick, exciting read, A Night to Remember remains the best book written on the Titanic.

 

[bobbiwoz]

14/75 “Mystery “ by Jonathan Kellerman.
Two murders, somehow connected. I enjoyed reading how Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis go about solving the sordid mystery.
3.5/5

 

[willowsnn3]

I don't have a goal but so far in 2023 I've read Spare, I'm Glad My Mom Died and am currently reading Profiles in Ignorance by Andy Borowitz. Anyone else a nonfiction reader?

I also picked up the Unofficial Guide to Disney 2022 at a book sale for 50 cents as well as Birnbaum's Guide.

Welcome aboard!
I'm not much for non fiction unless it is something that just catches my eye. I do mix a few in occasionally tho.

 

[bobbiwoz]

15/75
Breakers Reef, the final in the Cape Refuge series.

3.5/5

 

[bobbiwoz]

16/75 Yesterday’s Gone by Cindy Woodsmall.

3/5 Not a fan of time travel in stories.

 

[Simba's Mom]

9/56-"Vacationland", Meg Mitchell Moore. overall a 4.5/5 stars. Most of the book was just an enjoyable read, nothing special, but I really liked it. Then the last few chapters were really outstanding. I understand why so many recommended it. I do too!

 

[KevM]

I don't have a goal but so far in 2023 I've read Spare, I'm Glad My Mom Died and am currently reading Profiles in Ignorance by Andy Borowitz. Anyone else a nonfiction reader?

I also picked up the Unofficial Guide to Disney 2022 at a book sale for 50 cents as well as Birnbaum's Guide.

I read a fair amount of non-fiction. I read I’m Glad My Mom Died last year and thought it was very good for such a tough subject(s).

 

[luvmarypoppins]

16/75 Yesterday’s Gone by Cindy Woodsmall.

3/5 Not a fan of time travel in stories.

I have a few split time books in my tbr but I haven’t read one in quite a while either

 

[sdk1231]

#9 The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah
Hm. How to review this one? I'll start by saying that I didn't realize I was going to be reading a full-on romance novel. I thought it was a WWII book. Instead, it was romance with a WWII backdrop. It's often compared to All The Light We Cannot See, but they're nothing alike.

Basically, The Nightingale is about 2 sisters in France during WWII, told in flashback form (to add to the drama). Both sisters are "impossibly beautiful". One is "impetuous". The author uses those same descriptions over and over again. "Impossibly beautiful" is an eye-roller of a description to me. That's how this book is written.

The plot moves right along thanks to all of the soap-opera melodrama and romance. I found many of the romantic elements a bit corny. The melodrama included every possible kind of WWII related tragedy and hardship that you can think of including child peril and death, rape, and concentration camps (sometimes included in a contrived fashion). All of these tragic elements are touched on briefly and quickly... nothing too gory or drawn out and horrible. WWII Lite.

I know the book was highly rated by many. I found it a quick read, not bad, just not what I was expecting. I didn't find it to be emotional or a tear-jerker, though I've heard it referred to that way. I just wasn't all that invested in either of the main characters. I'm not sure if I'll read anything else by this author. (If anyone else has a recommendation, I'd be glad to hear it.)

Side note - one of the characters is inspired by Andree de Jongh, a famous WWII heroine w/the Belgian Resistance. The author mentions this inspiration without mentioning the individual by name, just that she was Belgian. That was weird.

 

[bobbiwoz]

17/75 “As the Tide Comes In” by Cindy Woodsmall and Erin Woodsmall.

After an Unthinkable loss sends Tara Abbott’s life spiraling out of control. She flees North Carolina for Georgia’s St. Simon’s Island. Although confused and scared, she hopes to find answers about her past - her life before the years of foster care and raising her two half brothers.

I enjoyed the book 3.5/5

 

[willowsnn3]

16/75 Yesterday’s Gone by Cindy Woodsmall.

3/5 Not a fan of time travel in stories.

I don't go searching for time travel books but I do enjoy them if they are well written.

 

[willowsnn3]

9/56-"Vacationland", Meg Mitchell Moore. overall a 4.5/5 stars. Most of the book was just an enjoyable read, nothing special, but I really liked it. Then the last few chapters were really outstanding. I understand why so many recommended it. I do too!

I have seen this one mentioned on here a couple times so I just put it on hold at my library

 

[RangerPooh]

4/12 Chocolate Hearts and Murder (Fiona Fleming Cozy Mysteries Book 2) by Patti Larsen.

• A Valentine's Day murder with plenty of suspects at the ready.

Cozy mystery with relatable characters, and draws you in. Enjoyable read. I didn't catch the who dun it until it was in front of me

 

[willowsnn3]

#11/50 Long Shadows by David Baldacci
Things are changing for Decker. He’s in crisis following the suicide of a close friend and receipt of a letter concerning a personal issue which could change his life forever. Together with the prospect of working with a new partner, Frederica White, Amos knows that this case will take all of his special skills to solve.
Judge Julia Cummins seemingly had no enemies, and there was no forced entry to her property. Close friends and neighbours in the community apparently heard nothing, and Cummins’ distraught ex-husband, Barry, and teenage son, Tyler, both have strong alibis. Decker must first find the answer to why the judge felt the need for a bodyguard, and the meaning behind the strange calling card left by the killer.
This is book 7 in the Amos Decker/Memory Man series. I was so excited when I saw it on the shelf at my library. This is another one of my favorite book series but I was very disappointed in this one. Such a let down, hopefully the next in the series will be better.