Reading Challenge/Goals for 2024

[Beezle2]

11/75 Mislaid in Parts Half-Known. This is the latest book in the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire. I adore this series of small books. They have Narnia like magic and doors that beg to be opened. I think my favorite in the series has been Down Among the Sticks and Bones but Lost in The Moment And Found was a close second.

 

[MGMmjl]

5/32 - Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci

Description:
"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a tiger by its toe.

It's seared into Atlee Pine's memory: the kidnapper's chilling rhyme as he chose between six-year-old Atlee and her twin sister, Mercy. Mercy was taken. Atlee was spared.

She never saw Mercy again.

Three decades after that terrifying night, Atlee Pine works for the FBI. She's the lone agent assigned to the Shattered Rock, Arizona resident agency, which is responsible for protecting the Grand Canyon.

So when one of the Grand Canyon's mules is found stabbed to death at the bottom of the canyon-and its rider missing-Pine is called in to investigate. It soon seems clear the lost tourist had something more clandestine than sightseeing in mind. But just as Pine begins to put together clues pointing to a terrifying plot, she's abruptly called off the case.

If she disobeys direct orders by continuing to search for the missing man, it will mean the end of her career. But unless Pine keeps working the case and discovers the truth, it could spell the very end of democracy in America as we know it..."

I didn't like this book as much as Baldacci's other titles that I've read, but it was still a decent story.

 

[melk]

5/30 The Couple in the Photo by Helen Cooper

When Lucy is looking at her coworker‘s honeymoon photos she spies one in which is her best friend’s husband with another woman. Then that woman makes national news when she goes missing and Lucy can’t help but wonder if he had anything to do with it.

This was a pretty good, quick read.

 

[disneychick0412]

I enjoy reading, but have never participated in the reading challenge. You are all such avid readers, and I have a question for you: Where do you buy your books? They are way too expensive for me to purchase new. I have a Kindle, but those prices have gone up also. Is Kindle Unlimited worth the cost? I did mange to pick up a few books at the thrift stores yesterday that were recommended here.

Half Price Books
2nd and Charles
Flea Markets
Ebay

 

[KevM]

January reads:

1) Hagar Poems by Mohja Kahf – Poetry. 4.5/5

2) Artificial Condition by Martha Wells – Sci-Fi. 5/5

3) The Yellow Rose by Nobuko Yoshiya, Sarah Frederick (translator) – Short Story/Shojo Shosetsu. 3.5/5

4) The Book of (More) Delights: Essays by Ross Gay – Essays. 5/5

5) Another Country by James Baldwin – Classic/Literary Fiction/Queer. 4.25/5

6) The Accidental Pinup by Danielle Jackson – Cotemporary/Romance. 3.5/5

7) Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond – Politics/Sociology. 4.5/5

8) The Moonstone` by Wilkie Collins – Classic/Mystery. 3.75/5

9) The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji, Ho-Ling Wong (translator) – Mystery/Shin Honkaku. 3.75/5

10) The Women's House of Detention: A Queer History of a Forgotten Prison by Hugh Ryan – History/Queer/Feminism. 5/5

11) The Napoleon of Notting Hill by G. K. Chesterton – Classic/Speculative Fiction. 3.25/5

12) An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera – Historical Romance/Queer. 4.25/5

13) Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree – Cozy Fantasy/Queer. 5/5

14) The Future Is Female! 25 Classic Science Fiction Stories by Women, from Pulp Pioneers to Ursula K. Le Guin edited by Lisa Yaszek – Sci-Fi/Short Stories. 4/5

15) Abolition Geography: Essays Towards Liberation by Ruth Wilson Gilmore – Essays/Politics/Social Justice. 5/5

16) To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara – Historical/Dystopian/Queer. 3.5/5

17) We Are Not Free by Traci Chee – YA Historical. 5/5

18) All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir – YA Contemporary. 4.5/5

19) The Parisian by Isabella Hammad – Historical. 3.5/5

20) Joplin's ghost by Tananarive Due – Horror/Music. 3.5/5

21) The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett – Fantasy. 3.5/5

22) The Race To Be Myself by Caster Semenya – Memoir/Gender/Sports

 

[willowsnn3]

#4/50 In An Instant by Suzanne Redfearn
Life is over in an instant for sixteen-year-old Finn Miller when a devastating car accident tumbles her and ten others over the side of a mountain. Suspended between worlds, she watches helplessly as those she loves struggle to survive. Impossible choices are made, decisions that leave the survivors tormented with grief and regret. Unable to let go, Finn keeps vigil as they struggle to reclaim their shattered lives.
Finn needs to move on, but how can she with her family still in pieces?
This one was pretty good. I enjoyed it.

#5/50 At The End of Every Day by Arianna Reiche
A loyal employee at a collapsing theme park questions the recent death of a celebrity visitor, the arrival of strange new guests, her boyfriend’s erratic behavior, and ultimately her own sanity.
Easily one of, if not the worst book I have ever read. I didn't have a clue what was going on half the time, lol.

#6/50 A Face in the Crowd (Stephen King & Stewart O'Nan)/The Longest December (Richard Chizmar)
A Face in the Crowd: Dean Evers, an elderly widower, sits in front of the television with nothing better to do than waste his leftover evenings watching baseball. It's Rays/Mariners, and David Price is breezing through the line-up. Suddenly, in a seat a few rows up beyond the batter, Evers sees the face of someone from decades past, someone who shouldn't be at the ballgame, shouldn't be on the planet. And so begins a parade of people from Evers's past, all of them occupying that seat behind home plate. Until one day Dean Evers sees someone even eerier.
The Longest December: Bob and Katy Howard are a typical middle-aged couple living the good life in the suburbs. They're happily married, have successful careers, and a grown son starting college. Their recently widowed next-door neighbor, James Wilkinson, is practically a member of the Howard family. When police show up at the Howard's doorstep one snowy December morning with the news that they have been investigating Wilkinson for a series of violent crimes, Bob and Katy are left in shock and disbelief. The elderly James Wilkinson they know and love is kind and gentle. He shared their Thanksgiving table just a couple weeks earlier. He couldn't possibly be responsible for the gruesome deeds of which he's being accused. Or could he?
These were two short novellas in one book. Both quick reads & I enjoyed both.

 

[mgarbowski]

Book 1 of 24 - The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson
Book 2 of 24 - Dust (Silo #3) by Hugh Howey
Book 3 of 24 - Artificial Condition (Murderbot Diaries #2) by Martha Wells

Sunlit is the final of 4 "secret project" books released by Sanderson in 2023. I enjoyed them, but I also realized I don't love his universe (in his terming the "Cosmere") building as much as I thought.

Dust is the final entry in the Silo trilogy which AppleTV is adapting. Entry 2 was the weakest and I was happy for the last entry to get back on track. But nothing lives up to the promise of the first half of the first book. Honestly, I'm not sure anything could. I think Mr. Howey might have written himself into a bit of a corner form which he made a solid if not perfect escape.

I read Murderbot #1 a few years ago because it was available at a low teaser price. The series is a lot of fun but the books are short, taking usually just 75-90 minutes to read. Which is fine, but until recently the rest of the books in the series cost $16-17 each even on Kindle. Recently they dropped the price to $11.99 which is still a bit steep for short novels but I bit on it and I'll probably finish the series this year.

 

[RangerPooh]

4/25 Murder Mai Tai: A Small Town Mystery. (Book 3 in the Maple Creek Mystery series) Liz Lamar

When one of the regulars at Grams bar gets arrested for murder, it's up to Kelly to find the real culprit.

 

[willowsnn3]

#7/50 Holly by Stephen King
First of all let me say, I am a huge fan of Stephen King & have read most of his books. Would say all but occasionally I see one & think whoa, how did I miss that one? I loved the Holly character from her first appearance in the Mr. Mercedes series albeit she is quirky & a little strange most of the time. This could have been a really great book except for the following reasons (and no I did not do this count)
COVID is mentioned 78 times (every 5.5 pages)
Mask is mentioned 63 times (every 7 pages)
Trump mentioned 14 times (every 31 pages)
Vaxxed mentioned 13 times (every 34 pages)
Really seems like those numbers are on the low side as it seemed like a lot more to me. Enough to take away from the enjoyment of the story itself.

 

[melk]

6/30 The Midwife of Berlin by Anna Stuart

This is the sequel to The Midwife of Auschwitz which I found very heavy and difficult to read at times. But I was intrigued that the character’s stories were continued in this book so I decided to try it. I’m so glad I did because I loved this book.

It‘s not a WWII novel but rather takes place in the early 1960’s when the Berlin Wall goes up. I remember when the wall came down but I never really understood the whole situation there. This book has interesting characters, a good plot, plus it gave me a basic education on the Berlin Wall.

 

[Kirby]

#5-10 - Lancaster County Second Chances 6 Book Boxed Set by Ruth Price Genre - Inspirational
I enjoy reading Amish stories and this did not disappoint. Sometimes I just need a break and read these for a change. I got it free through BookBub and have been sitting on it for a year or so.

#11 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros Genre - Fantasy
I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next one!
Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.

 

[bobbiwoz]

9/80 Blueberry Blunder by Amanda Flowers
3.5/5
Bailey King, star of TV’s Bailey's Amish Sweets, is building her dream candy factory in Harvest, Ohio. But no sooner is the frame of the new building up than she finds the dead body of a surly contractor who has a long list of enemies—including people in the Amish community. To add to the drama, Bailey is being filmed by a crew for her upcoming show. . .

When Bailey’s TV producer pitched a reality show about building the factory, Bailey was shocked that the network picked it up. She’s not shocked that many of the Amish working on the jobsite refuse to be on camera. However, local community organizer Margot Rawlings is ecstatic—because the filming coincides with Harvest’s First Annual Blueberry Bash. Margot believes the media attention will make Harvest the most popular destination in Holmes County. But now, the county may become known for all the wrong reasons . . .

Bailey will have to sift through a crowd of angry villagers and thousands of blueberries to solve the murder, save her new venture, and protect her Amish friends. At the same time, she and her longtime boyfriend, Aiden Brody, are making big decisions about their future together—a future that may be in jeopardy if Bailey is the next pick on a killer’s list .


Bailey and Aiden are now engaged, so we’ll see what happens in the next book.

 

[disneychrista]

I am reading a lot more this year than I have in the past couple of years. I might have to increase my goal for the year.

#5 - Indelible (Grant County #4)- Karin Slaughter
#6 - The Medical Examiner - James Patterson (book shot/novella)
#7 - The Trial - James Patterson (book shot/novella)

 

[MGMmjl]

6/32 - Force of Nature by C. J. Box

Description:
"In 1995, Nate Romanowski was in a Special Forces unit abroad when his commander, John Nemecek, did something terrible. Now the high-ranking government official and cold-blooded sociopath is determined to eliminate anyone who knows about it—like Nate, who’s hidden himself away in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains. And he knows exactly how Nemecek will do it—by targeting Nate's friends to draw him out. That includes his friend, game warden Joe Pickett, and Pickett’s entire family. The only way to fight back is outside the law. Nate knows he can do it, but he isn't sure about his straight-arrow friend. And all their lives could depend on it."

This is book #12 in the Joe Pickett series. I really enjoyed it, and I look forward to reading more of the series.

 

[Beezle2]

Book 1 of 24 - The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson
Book 2 of 24 - Dust (Silo #3) by Hugh Howey
Book 3 of 24 - Artificial Condition (Murderbot Diaries #2) by Martha Wells

Sunlit is the final of 4 "secret project" books released by Sanderson in 2023. I enjoyed them, but I also realized I don't love his universe (in his terming the "Cosmere") building as much as I thought.

Dust is the final entry in the Silo trilogy which AppleTV is adapting. Entry 2 was the weakest and I was happy for the last entry to get back on track. But nothing lives up to the promise of the first half of the first book. Honestly, I'm not sure anything could. I think Mr. Howey might have written himself into a bit of a corner form which he made a solid if not perfect escape.

I read Murderbot #1 a few years ago because it was available at a low teaser price. The series is a lot of fun but the books are short, taking usually just 75-90 minutes to read. Which is fine, but until recently the rest of the books in the series cost $16-17 each even on Kindle. Recently they dropped the price to $11.99 which is still a bit steep for short novels but I bit on it and I'll probably finish the series this year.

Loved the Silo series! Such a good TV adaptation also.

 

[Beezle2]

12/75 The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence. An eternal library that transcends space and time. A boy who grows up trapped in one of the endless chambers. A girl from a tiny settlement out in the Dust. Their stories come together across worlds and time. Loved it looking forward to more in this new series. I was a fan of his Red Sister series and also The Prince of Thorns.
13/75 Emily Wilde's Map of The Borderlands by Heather Fawcett. I am listening to this one and I adore the narrator for this book. She also reads Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Fairie the first book of the series. Just charming enjoyable and fun.

 

[willowsnn3]

#8/50 The Night House by Jo Nesbo
In the wake of his parents' tragic deaths in a house fire, fourteen-year-old Richard Elauved has been sent to live with his aunt and uncle in the remote, insular town of Ballantyne. Richard quickly earns a reputation as an outcast, and when a classmate named Tom goes missing, everyone suspects the new, angry boy is responsible for his disappearance. No one believes him when he says the telephone booth out by the edge of the woods sucked Tom into the receiver like something out of a horror movie. No one, that is, except Karen, a beguiling fellow outsider who encourages Richard to pursue clues the police refuse to investigate. He traces the number that Tom prank called from the phone booth to an abandoned house in the Black Mirror Wood. There he catches a glimpse of a terrifying face in the window. And then the voices begin to whisper in his ear . . .

This was just ok for me. Part one was very good, part two not so much & part three was a rambling mess.

 

[Beezle2]

14/75 Empire of The Vampire by Jay Kristoff. I loved this book! I loved the world, the characters and the art. It gives a Witcher/Last of Us mashup vibe, but also some cool vampire lore. I am super excited to see that the second book in the series will be out in March! I burned through this 700+ page book like a fiend and getting the rest of the story so soon is amazing. Loved it.

 

[Christine]

#7/50 Holly by Stephen King
First of all let me say, I am a huge fan of Stephen King & have read most of his books. Would say all but occasionally I see one & think whoa, how did I miss that one? I loved the Holly character from her first appearance in the Mr. Mercedes series albeit she is quirky & a little strange most of the time. This could have been a really great book except for the following reasons (and no I did not do this count)
COVID is mentioned 78 times (every 5.5 pages)
Mask is mentioned 63 times (every 7 pages)
Trump mentioned 14 times (every 31 pages)
Vaxxed mentioned 13 times (every 34 pages)
Really seems like those numbers are on the low side as it seemed like a lot more to me. Enough to take away from the enjoyment of the story itself.

My goodness, I thought I was the only one. The COVID stuff was really such a distraction from the story.

 

[disneychrista]

#8 - Beware the Woman - Megan Abbott

Honey, I just want you to have everything you ever wanted. That’s what Jacy’s mom always told her.

And Jacy felt like she finally did. Newly married and with a baby on the way, Jacy and her new husband Jed embark on their first road trip together to visit his father, Doctor Ash, in Michigan’s far-flung Upper Peninsula. The moment they arrive in the cozy cottage in the lush woods, Jacy feels bathed in love by the warm and hospitable Doctor Ash, if less so by his house manager, the enigmatic Mrs. Brandt.

But their Edenic first days take a turn when Jacy has a health scare. Swiftly, vacation activities are scrapped, and all eyes are on Jacy’s condition. At the same time, whispers about Jed’s long-dead mother and complicated family history seem eerily to be impeding upon the present. As the days pass, Jacy begins to feel trapped in the cottage, her every move surveilled, her body under the looking glass. But are her fears founded or is it paranoia, or cabin fever, or—as is suggested to her—a stubborn refusal to take necessary precautions? The dense woods surrounding the cottage are full of dangers, but are the greater ones inside?