Annual Reading Goal Challenge for 2016 - Come and join us!

[kahblue]

Would you recommend any of them?

I really enjoyed Florence Gordon, by Brian Morton and The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein.

 

[reginaastralis]

I take it you guys live in Florida as well

Yes, my mom is the librarian at my daughter's school, so she always reads her battle books. She's more than half way done with her book list for that.

 

[kahblue]

1/50: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved learning about the story behind HeLa cells, and was appalled at how hard her family had to fight to even fully know the whole story. I think I was more shocked to learn just how easy something like this could happen.

This was good. I learned a lot. When I was done I sent it to my nephew who was in his first year of Pharmacy school. He was just learning about it so reading the book was really interesting to him.

 

[Swimnoid]

2. Sycamore Row by John Grisham
From Goodreads: Seth Hubbard is a wealthy man dying of lung cancer. He trusts no one. Before he hangs himself from a sycamore tree, Hubbard leaves a new, handwritten, will. It is an act that drags his adult children, his black maid, and Jake into a conflict as riveting and dramatic as the murder trial that made Brigance one of Ford County's most notorious citizens, just three years earlier.
The second will raises far more questions than it answers. Why would Hubbard leave nearly all of his fortune to his maid? Had chemotherapy and painkillers affected his ability to think clearly? And what does it all have to do with a piece of land once known as Sycamore Row?

I really liked this. A lot of people rated it low because it is pretty much a court room procedural but there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. This gets 4 stars from me.

 

[Kirby]

2. Sycamore Row by John Grisham
From Goodreads: Seth Hubbard is a wealthy man dying of lung cancer. He trusts no one. Before he hangs himself from a sycamore tree, Hubbard leaves a new, handwritten, will. It is an act that drags his adult children, his black maid, and Jake into a conflict as riveting and dramatic as the murder trial that made Brigance one of Ford County's most notorious citizens, just three years earlier.
The second will raises far more questions than it answers. Why would Hubbard leave nearly all of his fortune to his maid? Had chemotherapy and painkillers affected his ability to think clearly? And what does it all have to do with a piece of land once known as Sycamore Row?

I really liked this. A lot of people rated it low because it is pretty much a court room procedural but there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. This gets 4 stars from me.

I enjoyed this book also when I read it last year. Thought it was a good follow up for the Jake character. Made me consider going back and reading the other book because I remember liking it also.

 

[Christine]

#4/50 - Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter. I think this is the first Karin Slaughter book I ever read and chose to do so because this one had a very high rating on some other sites I've looked at.

Not sure I'd recommend this. It is a very good "crime" fiction book. Typical violent psychopath serial killer that has everyone fooled up against a woman (women) that seem to end up being superheroes. The story was convoluted and good. The violence was a bit too graphic for me. Overall reminds me of Lisa Gardner books as well as some others I can't think of now.

If you like that sort of thing, you will probably enjoy this book. Not overly my cup of tea though.

Now that the holidays are over and very few days off now, my reading has gone back to a snail's pace apparently. Thank goodness for the MLK holiday today or I still wouldn't be finished. Even had to put off Downton and Shameless to get through this.

Next up: Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart. Lots of good reviews on this one.

 

[E&Cmom]

#4/50 - Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter. I think this is the first Karin Slaughter book I ever read and chose to do so because this one had a very high rating on some other sites I've looked at.

Not sure I'd recommend this. It is a very good "crime" fiction book. Typical violent psychopath serial killer that has everyone fooled up against a woman (women) that seem to end up being superheroes. The story was convoluted and good. The violence was a bit too graphic for me. Overall reminds me of Lisa Gardner books as well as some others I can't think of now.

If you like that sort of thing, you will probably enjoy this book. Not overly my cup of tea though.

Now that the holidays are over and very few days off now, my reading has gone back to a snail's pace apparently. Thank goodness for the MLK holiday today or I still wouldn't be finished. Even had to put off Downton and Shameless to get through this.

Next up: Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart. Lots of good reviews on this one.

I just downloaded Pretty Girls from the library today so it will be my next read.

 

[NHdisneylover]

1/50: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved learning about the story behind HeLa cells, and was appalled at how hard her family had to fight to even fully know the whole story. I think I was more shocked to learn just how easy something like this could happen.

This sounds fascinating--I think I will look for this one.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

This sounds fascinating--I think I will look for this one.

It is really good - one of my favorite non-fiction. The one thing I would say to people who haven't read it is that there is a glossary in back. I was reading it on Kindle and didn't realize it until the end. The glossary would have been very helpful!

 

[Christine]

It is really good - one of my favorite non-fiction. The one thing I would say to people who haven't read it is that there is a glossary in back. I was reading it on Kindle and didn't realize it until the end. The glossary would have been very helpful!

I read this book a few years ago and haven't forgotten it. HPV at its worst!

 

[MochaDrinker]

Just finished 6/200 "A Just and Generous Nation: Abraham Lincoln and the fight for economic freedom" by Harold Holzer and Norton Gardener.

I am a freak about Lincoln/the Civil War so I've read a ton of books on those subjects and this was just meh to me. The part actually about Lincoln was very basic and the part about presidents after him was boring.

 

[threeboysmom]

Finished #3 At the Water's Edge by Sarah Gruen

I LOVED this book! I think I liked her other book, Water for Elephants, better, but still, this was a fantastic read! In fact, I read the entire book over the weekend (that RARELY happens for me).

After embarrassing themselves at the social event of the year in high society Philadelphia on New Year’s Eve of 1942, Maddie and Ellis Hyde are cut off financially by Ellis’s father, a former army Colonel who is already embarrassed by his son’s inability to serve in WWII due to his being colorblind.

To Maddie’s horror, Ellis decides that the only way to regain his father’s favor is to succeed in a venture his father attempted and very publicly failed at: he will hunt the famous Loch Ness monster and when he finds it he will restore his father’s name and return to his father’s good graces (and pocketbook). Joined by their friend Hank, a wealthy socialite, the three make their way to Scotland in the midst of war.

Each day the two men go off to hunt the monster, while another monster, Hitler, is devastating Europe. And Maddie, now alone in a foreign country, must begin to figure out who she is and what she wants.

The novel tells of Maddie’s social awakening: to the harsh realities of life, to the beauties of nature, to a connection with forces larger than herself, to female friendship, and finally, to love.

Couldn't stand Maddie at first, but she grew on me. Enjoyed seeing her personal growth throughout the storyline. Some things I wish could have been different & some things were hinted at (?) but weren't really clarified, but all in all, I loved it and would highly recommend!

 

[BumbleB]

Finally finished a book!

6/100 Dreaming Death by J. Kathleen Cheney. 3/5 stars. Had a hard time getting into this because I did not like two of the characters. One of them remained unbearable, and I cringed every time he was in a scene. This is a fantasy with mystery elements. Mikael keeps dreaming of other people's deaths, and because he broadcasts his thoughts so loudly, all of the sensitives in town share his dreams. Shironne is a touch sensitive; she is able to read others' thoughts and feelings with a touch. She can even read the thoughts of dead people, so she's been helping the army solve murder cases. When a string of blood sacrifices leave a steadily growing number of corpses around the city, Shironne and Mikael are desperate to locate the killers. Mikael dreams of the deaths, and Shironne gathers clues from the bodies as they hunt the criminals before they kill again.

The magic system was interesting, but the world building was confusing. i still don't really understand the difference between the Houses and the Families, but maybe that will be made more clear in the next book? I still can't stand Kai, the heir to the throne, and worry about the city if he ever is made king. He's ruled completely by his jealousy and feelings of inadequacy, and that does not bode well for his rule. Ugh.

Next up is Crossbones, a zombie novel. Yay!

 

[Kirby]

3/80 Love Letters: A Rose Harbor Inn novel by Debbie Macomber. This is book three of this series.

Ellie travels to Rose Harbor to meet a man she's been writing to, but he reveals a secret that makes her question their relationship.

Maggie and her husband have grown apart. Can a love letter from long ago help them to find the spark they have lost?

And Jo Marie finds the courage to revisit the last letter her husband sent her before he was killed in Afghanistan and for the first time is able to see the future ahead of her.

Once again the Rose Harbor Inn proves to be a place of comfort and healing as the women find that these letters could change the courses of their lives forever.

I enjoy reading Debbie Macomber books. I enjoyed this one also.

 

[wilma-bride]

4/12
Fortunately, the Milk


So the dad goes to get some milk and on the way home he meets all these made up people like vampires and pirates

Sounds cool

I've finished a couple more! I read Troublemaker by Leah Remini. I loved it! I found her life very interesting. I finished Balancing it All by Candace Cameron Bure. I really like her style of writing and enjoyed this book. Now I'm reading Consent by Nancy Ohlin, about a girl who gets into a relationship with her music teacher. I'm only about 80 pages in, but am really liking it so far!

Another book finished! "The Hundred Foot Journey" by Richard C. Morais. I have wanted to see the movie, and when I saw the title in the library I picked it up on a whim. I really enjoyed it! From Goodreads: "Born above his grandfather’s modest restaurant in Mumbai, Hassan first experienced life through intoxicating whiffs of spicy fish curry, trips to the local markets, and gourmet outings with his mother. But when tragedy pushes the family out of India, they console themselves by eating their way around the world, eventually settling in Lumière, a small village in the French Alps."

The book follows Hassan's journey from an immigrant in his father's kitchen to a celebrated French chef. I loved most of the characters, but it was the description of the food and cooking that really got me!

This sounds fascinating, adding it to my list.

Trudging thru 'Bad Country' right now as library was closed for holiday, but I will sure be at their doors when they open tomorrow morning, lol. I have a couple in transit but if they are not in I'll find something.

I'm not liking the sound of that, is it really that difficult a read?

5/60 - The Proposal by Mary Balogh: First book in the Survivor's Club series. The beginning is slow and awkward as everyone is introduced and explained how they came to be a part of the Survivors Club. There were a few moments where I thought, was there another book I should have read before this? because it seemed like a very awkward place to start a brand new series that was not an offshoot of something else. One annoying thing is that Balogh name checks a ton of characters from other books, which is neat if you've read her previous books, but otherwise just becomes a slog of names of random people. It got much better towards the end and now that the "world-building" is complete I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. In general I enjoy Balogh as she takes the time to build up the characters and I'm invested enough in them to care that they all get their HEA.

6/60 - I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson: The over-the-top prose from Noah's POV was hard for me to get through at first, but I got used to it after a while and realize it's part of who he is as this unbelievably creative and artistic kid. The book got much more interesting to me in the second half, as I saw how all these characters were going to intertwine with each other. The ending was just a little too tidy and everything came together just a little too quickly, but overall I quite liked this book.

I hate it when you're reading a book and you wonder if you've missed something. My problem is I tend to speed/skim read sometimes and I can miss important facts, then have to read back to see what I missed And then, when you read back and realise you didn't actually miss anything...even more frustrating.

1/50: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved learning about the story behind HeLa cells, and was appalled at how hard her family had to fight to even fully know the whole story. I think I was more shocked to learn just how easy something like this could happen.

I am going to sound like a complete ignoramus but I had no idea who Henrietta Lacks was. I had to look her up. And now I am intrigued. Going to add this one to my list.

2. Sycamore Row by John Grisham
From Goodreads: Seth Hubbard is a wealthy man dying of lung cancer. He trusts no one. Before he hangs himself from a sycamore tree, Hubbard leaves a new, handwritten, will. It is an act that drags his adult children, his black maid, and Jake into a conflict as riveting and dramatic as the murder trial that made Brigance one of Ford County's most notorious citizens, just three years earlier.
The second will raises far more questions than it answers. Why would Hubbard leave nearly all of his fortune to his maid? Had chemotherapy and painkillers affected his ability to think clearly? And what does it all have to do with a piece of land once known as Sycamore Row?

I really liked this. A lot of people rated it low because it is pretty much a court room procedural but there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. This gets 4 stars from me.

Got to love a John Grisham novel I tend to prefer the movies though.

Just finished 6/200 "A Just and Generous Nation: Abraham Lincoln and the fight for economic freedom" by Harold Holzer and Norton Gardener.

I am a freak about Lincoln/the Civil War so I've read a ton of books on those subjects and this was just meh to me. The part actually about Lincoln was very basic and the part about presidents after him was boring.

Sounds like a difficult read. I have said before, History books are the one genre that hold not interest for me. Sorry you didn't enjoy it more.

Finished #3 At the Water's Edge by Sarah Gruen

I LOVED this book! I think I liked her other book, Water for Elephants, better, but still, this was a fantastic read! In fact, I read the entire book over the weekend (that RARELY happens for me).

Going on my list!

Finally finished a book!

6/100 Dreaming Death by J. Kathleen Cheney. 3/5 stars. Had a hard time getting into this because I did not like two of the characters. One of them remained unbearable, and I cringed every time he was in a scene. This is a fantasy with mystery elements. Mikael keeps dreaming of other people's deaths, and because he broadcasts his thoughts so loudly, all of the sensitives in town share his dreams. Shironne is a touch sensitive; she is able to read others' thoughts and feelings with a touch. She can even read the thoughts of dead people, so she's been helping the army solve murder cases. When a string of blood sacrifices leave a steadily growing number of corpses around the city, Shironne and Mikael are desperate to locate the killers. Mikael dreams of the deaths, and Shironne gathers clues from the bodies as they hunt the criminals before they kill again.

The magic system was interesting, but the world building was confusing. i still don't really understand the difference between the Houses and the Families, but maybe that will be made more clear in the next book? I still can't stand Kai, the heir to the throne, and worry about the city if he ever is made king. He's ruled completely by his jealousy and feelings of inadequacy, and that does not bode well for his rule. Ugh.

Next up is Crossbones, a zombie novel. Yay!

3/80 Love Letters: A Rose Harbor Inn novel by Debbie Macomber. This is book three of this series.

Ellie travels to Rose Harbor to meet a man she's been writing to, but he reveals a secret that makes her question their relationship.

Maggie and her husband have grown apart. Can a love letter from long ago help them to find the spark they have lost?

And Jo Marie finds the courage to revisit the last letter her husband sent her before he was killed in Afghanistan and for the first time is able to see the future ahead of her.

Once again the Rose Harbor Inn proves to be a place of comfort and healing as the women find that these letters could change the courses of their lives forever.

I enjoy reading Debbie Macomber books. I enjoyed this one also.

This sounds interesting, don't think I have ever read any by her.

 

[Glynis]

Finished! "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. I've had this on my list for a few years, now. Recommended here on the DIS. I picked the book up for a dollar at a local thrift shop, and boy am I glad I did! This is one I'll want to read and re-read! Lots of good stuff in this book! From Goodreads: "

A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave--"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"--wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living."

Also finished, "Simply Magic" by Mary Balogh. A light and fluffy romance. Good reading, but didn't require any brain power. Just what I needed!

 

[wilma-bride]

Glynis, that first book sounds really interesting - very uplifting, I would imagine.

I have your total at 6 now, is that right?

 

[Glynis]

Glynis, that first book sounds really interesting - very uplifting, I would imagine.

I have your total at 6 now, is that right?

6 is correct!! I'm on a roll! Now, if pesky things like children and work don't get in the way, I might be able to make my goal.

The book is so uplifting. I was worried it would get really sentimental and maudlin, but it was not! There's stuff in there that I want my college aged daughter to read. Good stuff about how to achieve your goals and dreams. I'd love to get my husband to read it, but I don't know if that will happen, or not! I can tell you one thing... I won't be sending this book to the thrift store!

 

[jenny105]

Finished book #2 yesterday, Mr. Kiss and Tell which is book 2 in the Veronica Mars series. I like reading those books because I already know what the characters look and sound like so it's easy to picture in my head!

Book #3 is Lyfers by Rebekah Bryan, which was sent to me for free through Goodreads. It's about a boy band cruise. I'm an NKOTB fan so it's right up my alley but we'll see how good it is!

 

[PigletsPal2]

Goal/undetermined number of books

#4 - Queen of Hearts - A Royal Spyness Mystery by Rhys Bowen. Georgianna Rannoch, cousin to His Majesty King George and 38th in line to the throne, is currently serving as companion to the Dowager Duchess Eynsford, the only kind of employment open to titled young ladies of no independent financial means. When Georgie's mother, West End starring actress Claire Daniels, arrives to collect Georgie to accompany her on a trip to America, Reno, Nevada to exact, Georgie overlooks the fact that the trip is to enable her mother to obtain a quickie divorce from wealthy American Homer Clegg so that she can marry even wealthier German Max von Stroheim.

Their trip across the Atlantic is more exciting than they anticipated, with two jewel thefts, a possible man overboard/murder, and meeting big-time movie producer Cy Goldman and his mistress Stella Brightwell. Cy invites them, as well as various other hangers-on, to his mansion in Los Angeles, which is being decorated with priceless objets d'art that Cy has been buying a huge discounts from impoverished old families of Europe. During this house party, Cy's estranged wife arrives, many-sided arguments arise, and Cy ends up dead.

Georgie's experience with murders, coupled with the detecting skills of her boyfriend Darcy O'Mara, who is after the ship-board jewel thief, unmask the villain who is truly the dark horse in this story. Everyone else has a more-or-less happy ending, but with Rhys Bowen, one never knows!

I enjoyed this story as I've enjoyed most of what Bowen has written. She has two other series, the Molly Murphy series set in turn-of-the-19th-century New York, and the Welsh Constable Evans series.

Next up: Dreaming Spies by Laurie R. King. This series was recommended to me by portia9, and as she pointed out, we seemed to have spent the last year reading the same books, so I'm looking forward to starting this one.

Queen Colleen