Reading challenge 2021

[willowsnn3]

#58/60 A Man Named Doll by Jonathan Ames
This one was just ok to me. About a private investigater named Happy Doll living in California.
Short read, supposed to be the first of a series but not interesting enough for me.

 

[willowsnn3]

#59/60 When You Wish Upon a Star by Nancy Marie
Interesting enough for a short book. Very predictable tho.
Abused wife with 2 daughters finally escapes abusive spouse. Car breaks down a few hundred miles from home, they are saved by a wealthy rancher who takes them in, offers her a job since his housekeeper wants to retire.
Abusive husband tracks them down & shows up. Shoot out. He goes to jail. Everybody else lives happily ever after.

 

[bobbiwoz]

72/90 How the Garcia Girls lost their Accents by Julia Alvarez. Bounces around people and topics, not a fan, bit thought I would like it. 2/5
I kept at it, but only because I wanted to like it.

Finished last book November 20, took me a long time to get through this. No way will I get to 90, my new goal!

 

[bobbiwoz]

73/90
Afterlife by Julia Alvarez
Now this one by the same author as 73, I liked, 4/5. It’s about life After. In this case, after her husband dies. If she carries out things her wonderful husband wanted to do, who will live HER life.

 

[OKW8297]

75/75 A Christmas Message by Debbie Macomber

 

[drwitz]

Time for another update, and time to speed up my reading if I hope to reach my goal of 60 by year's end.

52. A Planet of Viruses: Third Edition by Carl Zimmer

This is a short collection of essays written by the author on the study of viruses. This third edition, updated since the COVID pandemic, does a great job of discussing how viruses work, why they likely are the building blocks of life, and how they have both negative and positive effects on their hosts (depending on the virus and the host). Very approachable for someone without a scientific background, and very educational.

53. The Redemption of Time by Baoshu translated by Ken Liu

This is a wonderfully written piece of fan-fiction which "completes" The Three Body Problem series by Cixin Liu I mentioned in a previous post. This is a wonderful read and - while written by a different author - was authorized by the main series author. Fun and really completes the story. More science fiction from a very Chinese perspective (and wonderfully inventive).

54. Ball Lightning by Cixin Liu translated by Joel Martinsen

Another of this Chinese science-fiction author's work, and not connected to the previous series. This novel tells the story of a teenager whose parents are one day killed instantly by ball lightning, and the journey he takes to try to understand and harness this unexplained phenomenon. A worthwhile read, especially given the plot, pacing, and perspective. As you can see I am working my way through Cixin Liu's work and have not been disappointed yet.

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Only 6 more to finish out the year!

Down to the wire. Here it is 55-57 and after this post, I still have three more to go to make the goal of 60 for the year. I see some small chapter books in my future (lol).

55. Supernova Era by Cixin Liu

This is the last one I have read of the books by the Chinese science fiction author whose work I have been exploring, although it is one of his earliest books. What a fun read. The premise is that the Earth is exposed to the radiation from a nearby exploding supernova and all adults over the age of 13 are dying out. What happends to a world left to just the children? How will the adults prepare? And how will the kids govern and lead this new world? Kind of a combination of Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, and The Stand. Definitely a fun read!

56. This Land is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth County, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving by David J. Silverman

This is a much needed retelling of the real Thanksgiving story correcting many of the myths I was taught. The book explores the story of our First Peoples and focuses on the years of 1600 to 1700 (with some more modern references as well). I read this around Thanksgiving and it gave me a much better appreciation as to why some first people observe a National Day of Mourning at this time. I also better understood how our Puritan myth-telling and sense of manifest destiny met up against an epidemic of disease which decimated North American tribes, and how inter-tribal politics and other issues led to a fragile beginning. This book helped me better understand that in the moment, the American experiment had no particular assurance of success. It is only with hindsight now that we assume we were always "meant" to live in this land. Highly recommended.

57. Unmaking the Presidency: Donald Trump's War on the World's Most Powerful Office by Susan Hennessey and Benjamin Wittes

Again, not going to give a detailed review here as this is a political book. I will say this was published at the start of 2020, before COVID and during the first impeachment trial. Happy to discuss if you want to private message.

Off to read the last three (or more?) for the year. Who is hosting next year's thread??

 

[fla4fun]

I am a fast reader, and when I got laid off in February 2021, I was reading a couple books per day. I have read more than 100 so far this year. Then I decided it might be more prudent to keep my typing skills up to par. So I started writing instead. First novel is just past the first self-edit run through, and second is almost there. Goal is to have three done and ready for professional editing by the end of January, although I am not sure if I plan to publish. I don’t know if they’re any good, but my sister has enjoyed her proofreading. I have always wanted to write and never had the time. It’s been fun!

 

[RangerPooh]

26/26. Home in Carolina by Sherryl Woods

 

[melk]

40/35 A Stranger In The House by Shari Lapena

Karen leaves her house after a mysterious phone call, ends up crashing her car and ends up in the hospital with some amnesia. Then a man is found dead across town and Karen is tied to the crime.

A friend had recommended this author and I had high hopes for this book. While it was okay, I was determined to see it through to find out whodunnit, I didn’t love it. Not sure if I’ll give this author another chance.

 

[bobbiwoz]

39/35 The Downstairs Neighbor by Helen Cooper

When a teenage girl disappears without a trace it turns out everyone in the building is harboring secrets.

I got this title from a previous poster. I liked it, I thought the mystery unfolded well. I looked to see if this British author had written anything else but her second book isn’t out until next July.

I had read the review too, and really enjoyed the book!
74/90

 

[bobbiwoz]

This was the first review I read!

#53/60 The Downstairs Neighbor by Helen Cooper
One House. Three Families. Countless Secrets.

From her downstairs apartment in suburban London, Emma has often overheard the everyday life of the seemingly perfect family upstairs–Steph, Paul and teenage daughter Freya–but has never got to know them. Until one day, she hears something that seizes her attention: Freya has vanished and the police are questioning Steph and Paul about their life. Do either of you have any enemies? Anyone who might want to harm or threaten you?

The effects of Freya’s disappearance ripple outward, affecting not just her parents, but everyone who lives in the building, including Emma and local driving instructor Chris, who was the last person to see the teenager before she went missing.

Great book, 4.5/5 I think!

 

[willowsnn3]

Down to the wire. Here it is 55-57 and after this post, I still have three more to go to make the goal of 60 for the year. I see some small chapter books in my future (lol).
Off to read the last three (or more?) for the year. Who is hosting next year's thread??

Are you volunteering?
I am willing if no one else wants to do it. Still a few days if anyone wants to take charge, lol.
Would love to see the thread keep going no matter who hosts.

 

[drwitz]

Down to the wire. Here it is 55-57 and after this post, I still have three more to go to make the goal of 60 for the year. I see some small chapter books in my future (lol).

55. Supernova Era by Cixin Liu

This is the last one I have read of the books by the Chinese science fiction author whose work I have been exploring, although it is one of his earliest books. What a fun read. The premise is that the Earth is exposed to the radiation from a nearby exploding supernova and all adults over the age of 13 are dying out. What happends to a world left to just the children? How will the adults prepare? And how will the kids govern and lead this new world? Kind of a combination of Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, and The Stand. Definitely a fun read!

56. This Land is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth County, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving by David J. Silverman

This is a much needed retelling of the real Thanksgiving story correcting many of the myths I was taught. The book explores the story of our First Peoples and focuses on the years of 1600 to 1700 (with some more modern references as well). I read this around Thanksgiving and it gave me a much better appreciation as to why some first people observe a National Day of Mourning at this time. I also better understood how our Puritan myth-telling and sense of manifest destiny met up against an epidemic of disease which decimated North American tribes, and how inter-tribal politics and other issues led to a fragile beginning. This book helped me better understand that in the moment, the American experiment had no particular assurance of success. It is only with hindsight now that we assume we were always "meant" to live in this land. Highly recommended.

57. Unmaking the Presidency: Donald Trump's War on the World's Most Powerful Office by Susan Hennessey and Benjamin Wittes

Again, not going to give a detailed review here as this is a political book. I will say this was published at the start of 2020, before COVID and during the first impeachment trial. Happy to discuss if you want to private message.

Off to read the last three (or more?) for the year. Who is hosting next year's thread??

So I made it! Here are the rest of the year's books (although maybe I will be able to sneak one more in):

58. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

This was published over 13 years ago, but the lessons are still relevant. Have you heard that you need 10,000 hours to become a true master? It's covered here. Did you hear about the birth month bias in Canadian Hockey Leagues? It comes from here. An interesting view of what makes for success.

59. Christmas Chronicles by Michael Bennett

This is a fun collection of annual holiday letters published by Michael over the last 26 years. Michael is the AVP of Financial Aid at St. Pete College here in Florida, and he was previously at Brookdale Community College in NJ. His annual letters are hysterical, moving, and inspiring. There are times of joy and trauma in these years of letters. Even not knowing Michael, you will find his stories will bring you moments on laughter and of tears. The book is available for Kindle, paperback, or hardcover at Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Chronicles-Michael-Bennett-ebook/dp/B09MZRFNLQ).

60. The White Magic Five and Dime: A Tarot Mystery by Steve Hockensmith with Lisa Falco

Wow this was a fun and entertaining read. A Tarot card shop owner (and con artist) is murdered. Her daughter (whom she is no longer in touch with) inherits her shop and comes to town to settle the estate. But she finds herself drawn to the store, the stories, and the mystery of the murder. Each chapter begins with one of the cards of the Tarot and a quick "meaning" of the card, and the story goes from there. This is part one of a three part series. Looks like I will be reading the others soon.

 

[bobbiwoz]

24/25. Welcome to Serenity by Sherryl Woods

25/25. College (un)Bound: The Future of Higher Education by Jeffrey J. Selingo

When I saw this, I remembered I used to read Sherryl Woods, glad I did get to this one. Fun read.

75/90….probably should have upped my number to 75. 90 is not attainable!

 

[JayMass]

Hello All. It's been a while since I've updated. I'm a few books shy of my goal, but I'm feeling good about it. Here's the final books of 2021 (unless I squeeze one or two in the next week):

36/50 Running Man by Stephen King (as Richard Bachman). Really liked it, much better than the movie!

37/50 Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. A novel told in the poetry of a teenager. I've never read this style of novel before but I think Acevedo did a really good job of telling a compelling story in an interesting way.

38/50 Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibrahim X. Kendi. This is the YA version of Kendi's Stamped from the Beginning which I read a year or two ago. I really like Jason Reynolds and his style. He really breaks down what Kendi's dense text into a really readable book that can be enjoyed by all.

39, 40, 41/50: Inuyasha by Rumiko Takashi. So I'm not a big manga fan but one of my students suggested that I give it a try. He gave me his copies of this series and I did my best to read and get through them. I'm still not a big fan of Manga, but know I can say I actually gave it decent try!

42/50. All Adults Here by Emma Straub. I read this at the end of the summer and I'm surprised I didn't include it on here before. This was a relatively predictable book. It was entertaining, but nothing substantial.

43/50. Dark Tower: Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King. Last year I blew through the Dark Tower series and absolutely loved it. Thought I'd give one of the "not really a part of the series but part of the series" books a shot. I liked this one, but not as much as the other books in the series. It's kind of a story within a story within a story.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Reading to All!

 

[OKW8297]

76. The Christmas Escape by Sarah Morgan

 

[Simba's Mom]

Update time!

51. "Cajun Kiss of Death" by Ellen Byron, 2 Stars. Cozy Mystery that I thought was by a different author. It's been so long since I've read a cozy mystery that I truly enjoyed.

52. "Dead Silence" by Robin Carol. 4 Stars. A Mystery/Suspense. Not what I usually enjoy, but this was a great read.

53. "Gators and Garters" by Jana Deleon. 3 Stars. Another cozy mystery.

54. "The Willow Wren" by Philipp Schott. 3 Stars. Historical Fiction about WWII, told from the perspective of a German youngster.

55. "The Bookstore by the Beach" by Brenda Novak. 4 Stars. Typical summer romance type, I really enjoyed it.

56. "The Rose Code" by Kate Quinn. 2 Stars. The only thing that really interested me was how a person with no training, but a mind for doing excellent at crossword puzzles was good at cracking codes. I found that interesting-otherwise the book didn't appeal to me.

57. "The Stepsisters" by Susan Mallery. 4 1/2 stars. I used to love this author but stopped reading her books several years ago. Now, this one has me really vowing to look for more books by her.

58. "The Glamour Years of Flying as a Stewardess" by Heddy Frosell da Ponte. 4 Stars. For anyone who wonders why their parents get dressed up to fly (I always wondered why my Dad wore a suit and tie for every flight), this explains it. The only thing is that you learn everything about 3/4 the way through the book. After that, I feel like she was just trying to make the book a little longer.

I've met my goal, and recently started a new book I don't expect to finish in 2021, so that's probably it for this year for me. It's been fun!

 

[drwitz]

So I made it! Here are the rest of the year's books (although maybe I will be able to sneak one more in):

58. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

This was published over 13 years ago, but the lessons are still relevant. Have you heard that you need 10,000 hours to become a true master? It's covered here. Did you hear about the birth month bias in Canadian Hockey Leagues? It comes from here. An interesting view of what makes for success.

59. Christmas Chronicles by Michael Bennett

This is a fun collection of annual holiday letters published by Michael over the last 26 years. Michael is the AVP of Financial Aid at St. Pete College here in Florida, and he was previously at Brookdale Community College in NJ. His annual letters are hysterical, moving, and inspiring. There are times of joy and trauma in these years of letters. Even not knowing Michael, you will find his stories will bring you moments on laughter and of tears. The book is available for Kindle, paperback, or hardcover at Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Chronicles-Michael-Bennett-ebook/dp/B09MZRFNLQ).

60. The White Magic Five and Dime: A Tarot Mystery by Steve Hockensmith with Lisa Falco

Wow this was a fun and entertaining read. A Tarot card shop owner (and con artist) is murdered. Her daughter (whom she is no longer in touch with) inherits her shop and comes to town to settle the estate. But she finds herself drawn to the store, the stories, and the mystery of the murder. Each chapter begins with one of the cards of the Tarot and a quick "meaning" of the card, and the story goes from there. This is part one of a three part series. Looks like I will be reading the others soon.

One of the things I love best about Winter Break is I am able to get a few more books read, so here is my truly final update for the year.

61. A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger

This is a fun and fascinating tale which is set in modern times but clearly owes lots to FIrst Nations heritage and storytelling. The story, interwoven in chapters set in our world (narrated by a teenager named Nina) and the Animal World (narrated by a cottonmouth snake named Oli), is entertaining and well-written. This was a great read, and highly recommended for young adults as well as older readers.

62. State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny

A combination of a political thriller, a mystery novel, and an old-time adventure story (think Indiana Jones), this novel i a page turner. Our lead characters are (surprise surprise) a female Secretary of State, and her best friend. The novel examines a moment of world-wide crisis that could lead catastrophe, and the journey our heroes go through to resolve the crisis. For those who want to read into it, there are plenty of digs at current and former political rivals, but I wasn't looking for that. I wanted an engaging, plot-driven, and fun read. And this satisfied.

63. Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain

This is a history book which will introduce you to characters from American history that you may never have met. This stunning collection of 80 essays (each spanning 5 years of history) and 10 poems serves as a correction to these missing stories. This is a monumental work, starting with the first known arrival of enslaved Africans in the Americas and ending with a chapter on Black Lives Matter. Each chapter is only 3 to 4 pages long, and all are written by a glittering array of African American scholars, writers and politicians. Definitely a book I will keep referring back to.

 

[willowsnn3]

For 2022
https://www.disboards.com/threads/reading-challenge-2022.3864659/post-63632800

 

[OKW8297]

77. Christmas Chronicles by Michael Bennett. I read this based on a recommendation here. It was excellent.