Annual reading challenge 2018- Join in on the Fun

[Tiggerish]

Love and Other Consolation Prizes: A Novel by Jamie Ford. The story fluctuates between 1902-1915 and 1962. In 1902 in China, a four year old half Chinese/half white boy is sold to an "Uncle". The Uncle is actually a human smuggler and the child ends up being smuggled into the United States. During the boat trip to the US, the boy makes friends with a Japanese girl, Fahn but they are separated upon arrival. Eventually, at age 12, the boy now called Ernest Young, is raffled off from the orphan home at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle. The winning raffle ticket belongs to an infamous, high end Madam and Ernest becomes the houseboy for her brothel. He is reunited with Fahn who is a kitchen maid in the same establishment and they make friends with the "little sister (daughter) of the Madam who is their age. The 1962 part focuses on the Century 21 Expo taking place in Seattle which features the new space needle. Ernest's daughter is a newspaper reporter trying to get a story about the boy raffled at the prior Exposition and confronts her father about what he knows. Eventually, tells her in a series of flashbacks about his coming to the US, his life in the brothel and who Fhan and the "little sister" grew up to be.

36/52

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Three more to add!
#9/30 A History of Scotland by Neil Oliver (4/5). A very broad overview of the history of the land now known as Scotland, beginning at its formation. It was a great way to get a general idea of major events in Scottish history, but the author gets a little bogged down in details and there were parts that were quite dull. However, it was helpful in preparing me for our upcoming trip to Scotland.

#10/30 Edinburgh Twilight by Carole Lawrence (2/5): A detective in Edinburgh in the late 1800s works to solve the case of a serial strangler. The story was interesting enough to keep me writing but the writing itself wasn't of incredible quality. There were very obvious uses of foreshadowing and very forced descriptions of the characters.

#11/30 Thorn in My Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs (5/5): Alas, this is a reread for me but I love this series so much. It's a fictional retelling of the story of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel from the book of Genesis in the Bible but set in the the Scottish lowlands in the 18th century. The story is compelling and even though I've read it before, I stayed up far too late on many nights wanting to read more and more. An excellent novel and I look forward to rereading the rest of the series!

 

[willowsnn3]

#11/30 Thorn in My Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs (5/5): Alas, this is a reread for me but I love this series so much. It's a fictional retelling of the story of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel from the book of Genesis in the Bible but set in the the Scottish lowlands in the 18th century. The story is compelling and even though I've read it before, I stayed up far too late on many nights wanting to read more and more. An excellent novel and I look forward to rereading the rest of the series!

Ohh, I'll have to look for some more Liz Curtis Higgs! Haven't read her in a long while and had forgotten how much I like her books.

 

[willowsnn3]

#35 F is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton

Floral Beach wasn't much of a town: six streets long and three deep, its only notable feature a strip of sand fronting the Pacific. It was on that sandy beach seventeen years ago that the strangled body of Jean Timberlake had been found.

The people of floral Beach didn't pay a whole lot of mind to past history, especially when Bailey Fowler, the self-confessed killer, had been properly processed and convicted. They weren't even unduly concerned when, a year after the murder, Fowler walked away from the men's prison at San Luis Obispo, never to be seen again. After all, everyone knew Jean had been a wild kid. "Like mother, like daughter," some said--though never within hearing of Shana Timberlake, who, whatever her faults, still mourned her murdered child.

And then, by sheer fluke, the cops stumbled on Bailey Fowler. And a case seventeen years dead came murderously to life again.

For Royce Fowler, old and sick with not much time left, his son's reappearance was the chance to heal an old wound. For Kinsey Millhone, the case was a long shot, but she agreed to take it on. She couldn't know then it would lead her to probe the passions buried just below the surface of family relations, where old wounds fester and the most cherished emotions become warped until they fuse into deadly, soul-destroying time bombs.

I said I was going to read all the alphabet books this year. 'E' wasn't available at the library the other day so I skipped to 'F' but will surely go back for 'E'

 

[tiggrbaby]

#35 F is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton

Floral Beach wasn't much of a town: six streets long and three deep, its only notable feature a strip of sand fronting the Pacific. It was on that sandy beach seventeen years ago that the strangled body of Jean Timberlake had been found.

The people of floral Beach didn't pay a whole lot of mind to past history, especially when Bailey Fowler, the self-confessed killer, had been properly processed and convicted. They weren't even unduly concerned when, a year after the murder, Fowler walked away from the men's prison at San Luis Obispo, never to be seen again. After all, everyone knew Jean had been a wild kid. "Like mother, like daughter," some said--though never within hearing of Shana Timberlake, who, whatever her faults, still mourned her murdered child.

And then, by sheer fluke, the cops stumbled on Bailey Fowler. And a case seventeen years dead came murderously to life again.

For Royce Fowler, old and sick with not much time left, his son's reappearance was the chance to heal an old wound. For Kinsey Millhone, the case was a long shot, but she agreed to take it on. She couldn't know then it would lead her to probe the passions buried just below the surface of family relations, where old wounds fester and the most cherished emotions become warped until they fuse into deadly, soul-destroying time bombs.

I said I was going to read all the alphabet books this year. 'E' wasn't available at the library the other day so I skipped to 'F' but will surely go back for 'E'

Love this series! So sad that she passed before finishing the last book. When you are through the series, be sure to read Kinsey and Me. Gives you insight into her life and inspirations for the character.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

I updated the (author and title)tables on first post through page 19, sorry for the delay.


If anyone is interested, I would gladly send a kindle gift version of any of my works “Written for You”, “Three Twigs for the Campfire”, “Cemetery Girl” or “Reigning”. You can see them all reviewed at Goodreads. If you are interested in reading any just message me.

 

[Tiggerish]

What We Were Promised by Lucy Tan. Fiction. From the book's front jacket "Set in modern Shanghai,a debut about a prodigal son, whose unexpected return forces his newly wealthy family to confront painful secrets and broken promises." The book had a lot of interesting details about life in China, both in the flashbacks to the main characters childhoods in rural China and their currently lives having returned from 20 years in the United States to a luxurious, serviced corporate apartment in modern Shanghai.

37/52

 

[tiggrbaby]

I updated the (author and title)tables on first post through page 19, sorry for the delay.


If anyone is interested, I would gladly send a kindle gift version of any of my works “Written for You”, “Three Twigs for the Campfire”, “Cemetery Girl” or “Reigning”. You can see them all reviewed at Goodreads. If you are interested in reading any just message me.

Thanks for taking the time to do this!

 

[Tiggerish]

Beautiful Exiles by Meg Waite Clayton. Historical fiction. Covers the relationship between Ernest Hemingway and his third wife Martha Gellhorn from their meeting in Key West to their eventual divorce as he moved on to his fourth wife Mary. The story is told in the first person from Martha's point of view. This book is well researched while the thoughts of Gellhorn and the dialog are fiction, the events and travels of these two are all factual. In the end, neither Hemingway nor Gellhorn were likable people and their relationship was toxic.

In July, Amazon Prime gave away all of its monthly picks for free instead of just having to pick one. This is the only one I have finished so far and two I deleted after reading a couple of chapters; not sure about the remaining ones.

38/52

 

[KevM]

It’s the end of July, so it’s time again for what I’ve read this month. In July I read 12 books bringing my total for the year to 105. My goal was 104, which I’ve reached. So time to up it. I’ll now try for 165 by the end of the year. Any way, without further ado, the books I’ve read this month:


94) When We Were Bouncers 2: More Actors, Athletes and Others Tell Insane Stories of Their Days Behind the Velvet Rope by Paul Lazenby - I read the first book back in ‘16 and hadn’t realized that a sequel came out last year. Amusing stories of (semi-) famous people when they worked as bouncers and security. 3.75/5


95) Abaddon’s Gate by James S. A. Corey - The 3rd book in The Expanse series. Still loving the series, which is unsurprising since the tv series based on it is probably my favorite show on tv right now. 4.5/5


96) How to Lose a Marathon: A Starter’s Guide to Finishing in 26.2 Miles by Joel Cohen - Cohen’s a comedy writer and this is his memoir of his training for his first marathon. Decided to read it once I made the decision to sign up for my first marathon. 3.5/5


97) The Churn: An Expanse Novella by James S. A. Corey - Another side story in The Expanse universe. This one going into the backstory of one of the main characters. 4/5


98) It's Football, Not Soccer (and Vice Versa): On the History, Emotion, and Ideology Behind One of the Internet's Most Ferocious Debates by Silke-Maria Weineck and Stefan Szymanski - I first heard of this book when NPR reviewers the book and made the idiotic decision to only credit to male author. Amusing look into the history of the word soccer, who still uses it & why, & the de best around its use. 3.75/5


99) Twice Told Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne - Hawthorn is a master of words, but a number of the stories in this collection were definitely of the time and felt that way. I was manly interested in this collection because it contained the story The Gray Champion, which is considered the first American “superhero” story (although it wouldn’t fit today’s idea of a superhero). A note of interest, Hawthorne added the “w” to his name in order to distance himself from an ancestor who was an unrepentant judge of the Salem Witch Trails. 3.25/5


100) Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison - An incredible novel, both of story and how it was written. 4.5/5


101) Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life by Steve Martin - Steve Martin’s memoir of his life growing up & his time as a stand up comic. A highly amusing memoir from a master. 4.25/5


102) A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawkin - The 2027 edition which includes new material. It’s a classic in scientific writing. 4.25/5


103) The Mythology of the Superhero by Andrew R. Bahlmann - An interesting read on the models and lexicon of what falls into the superhero mythos. 3/5


104) Crash Test Girl: An Unlikely Experiment in Using the Scientific Method to Answer Life’s Toughest Questions by Kari Byron - Kari Byron, of Mythbusters, autobiography. 4.25/5


105) Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett - A classic by two masters. One of my favorite books. It’s been a few years since I last read and and, to me, it still holds up. 5/5

 

[tiggrbaby]

Beautiful Exiles by Meg Waite Clayton. Historical fiction. Covers the relationship between Ernest Hemingway and his third wife Martha Gellhorn from their meeting in Key West to their eventual divorce as he moved on to his fourth wife Mary. The story is told in the first person from Martha's point of view. This book is well researched while the thoughts of Gellhorn and the dialog are fiction, the events and travels of these two are all factual. In the end, neither Hemingway nor Gellhorn were likable people and their relationship was toxic.

In July, Amazon Prime gave away all of its monthly picks for free instead of just having to pick one. This is the only one I have finished so far and two I deleted after reading a couple of chapters; not sure about the remaining ones.

38/52

Which two did you abandon? I downloaded all but the kid's book.

 

[tiggrbaby]

#52/90: Due Process (Joe Dillard #9) by Scott Pratt (3.5/5) (legal thriller)
Joe takes on a case that brings out hate groups on opposite sides. I thought many of the characters were one-dimensional.

#53/90: Eve of a Hundred Nights by Bill Laschler (4/5) (nonfiction)
Tells the story of an American correspondent in Asia prior to the start of WWI and his romance/marriage. Interesting information about events in the Pacific.

#54/90: The Trial and Execution off the Traitor George Washington by Charles Rosenberg (4.5/5) (historical fiction)
This easy to read story imagines that Washington is kidnapped and brought to London to stand trial for treason.

 

[willowsnn3]

#36 My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni

 

[Simba's Mom]

Update time!
#31-"After You"-3.5/5.0 stars, I know some people loved it, but for me it was just OK
#32-"The Recipe Box", 4/5-especially good for Food Network fans
#33-"Mean Dads for a better America", 3/5 Not nearly as funny as advertised. The whole second part of the book seemed more like just an autobiography
#34-"Before We Were Yours, Lisa Wingate, 5/5-finally found a real winner, I loved this book
#35-"The Sea Before Us" 3.5/5-parts were interesting regarding the planning of Normandy, but details of the battles weren't for me.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

#16 Explosive 18 Janet Evanovich
Now and then I will grab random book from the Stephanie Plum series. The author is very funny and the characters are all reliable. The jokes are always similar but last book I read "Hardcore 24" and this one were way to similar. I usually don't read them as close as this so maybe it would have happened more if they weren't so spanned out, but in this case at least, it was an overload of similar scenes and jokes.

If anyone is interested, I would gladly send a kindle gift version of any of my works “Written for You”, “Three Twigs for the Campfire”, “Cemetery Girl” or “Reigning”. You can see them all reviewed at Goodreads. If you are interested in reading any just message me.

 

[tiggrbaby]

#36 My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni

I really enjoy this series!

Update time!
#31-"After You"-3.5/5.0 stars, I know some people loved it, but for me it was just OK It was the weakest of the trilogy
#32-"The Recipe Box", 4/5-especially good for Food Network fans
#33-"Mean Dads for a better America", 3/5 Not nearly as funny as advertised. The whole second part of the book seemed more like just an autobiography
#34-"Before We Were Yours, Lisa Wingate, 5/5-finally found a real winner, I loved this book Agreed!
#35-"The Sea Before Us" 3.5/5-parts were interesting regarding the planning of Normandy, but details of the battles weren't for me.

 

[bobbiwoz]

44/50 The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

Interesting book referencing events of WW I.

 

[Swimnoid]

#51/90: Man on the Run: Paul McCartney in the 1970s by Tom Doyle (4/5) (biography)
Since I have adored Paul since I was six years old, I enjoyed this book!

re: Paul...Me too! Now I have it on my kindle. Thanks!

 

[willowsnn3]

#37 Bent Road by Lori Roy
For twenty years, Celia Scott has watched her husband, Arthur, hide from the secrets surrounding his sister Eve's death. As a young man, Arthur fled his small Kansas hometown, moved to Detroit, married Celia, and never looked back. But when the 1967 riots frighten him even more than his past, he convinces Celia to pack up their family and return to the road he grew up on, Bent Road, and that same small town where Eve mysteriously died.

While Arthur and their oldest daughter slip easily into rural life, Celia and the two younger children struggle to fit in. Daniel, the only son, is counting on Kansas to make a man of him since Detroit damn sure didn't. Eve-ee, the youngest and small for her age, hopes that in Kansas she will finally grow. Celia grapples with loneliness and the brutality of life and death on a farm. And then a local girl disappears, catapulting the family headlong into a dead man's curve..

 

[Swimnoid]

I finally have a minute to post some more books. I'm way behind!

30. Same Beach, Next Year by Dorothea Benton Frank
I love Dorothea's books. Light beach read that are literally at the beach. This one is set in Isle of Palms, SC. While Adam is vacationing he runs into his old girlfriend, Eve. (yes, really) The story of the following years evolves and as Adam and Eve and their respective families grow older. Some good times, some bad. Fun read.

31. Rules of Prey by John Sandford
Since I read one of the more recent Sandford books I went back to start the series from the beginning. This one introduces the Lucas Davenport character. It is the typical find the murderer genre but this does have some unique subplots and twists.

32. Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty
This is a childrens' book about a young girl growing up on the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in the early 1900s. She is the daughter of the estate's maintenance man. Children on the estate start to go missing and Serafina and the estate's young master try to figure out who is taking them. There are some mystical threads woven in that reveal who Serafina really is. This is the first book of a series aimed at middle grade readers.

33. Enigma by Catherine Coulter
This is book 21 of Coulter's FBI series. I have read several of the books and enjoy the characters. This one has two story lines. One is about a man who is experimenting on homeless people to try to find the secret of immortality. The other is about a violent criminal hiding in Daniel Boone National Forest.

34. The Cove by Catherine Coulter
Since I read the above Coulter book I had to go back to the beginning and re-read the first book of the series. I'm just like that...
This book got a lot of bad reviews but I liked it. A woman escapes from an institution where she has been involuntarily committed for a mental breakdown. She decides to find her aunt and stay with her while she is being hunted by the FBI because of ties with her murdered father. Yes, a lot of the plot is inconceivable but hey, you read to escape, right?

35. Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs
This was the final installment of the Peculiar Children series. I loved the first book but did not like the second one. This one is not as good as the first but it does wind things up nicely.

36. Detective Cross by James Patterson
This is a "bookshot", a short novella that is part of the Alex Cross series. I enjoy these as they give a quick story with a lot of action. Here Alex's wife who is now chief of detectives receives a call about an impending bombing. Bree and Alex must set out and find the bomber. Good quick Cross adventure.

37. A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchley
Set in Ireland Chicky takes an old house and turns it into a bed and breakfast. The book details her back story and the stories of all the guests who arrive for the opening week. Loved it.

38. We were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
Set in WWII Poland this is the story of a Jewish family during the Hitler era. Very good

39. Stargazey Point by Shelley Noble
Abbey Sinclair suffers a very tragic loss and escapes to Stargazey Point to try to recover. She stays with her best friend's octogenarian relatives in this beach town. The town has also suffered in the past through hurricanes and wear. Abbey finds a purpose in helping these people and the town revive. Good light read.

40. Flesh and Blood by Patricia Cornwell
I really liked the earliest Kay Scarpetta novels. This one was ok, pretty good plot, some good twists but the characters are just becoming unlikeable.

41. Forever Friday by Timothy Lewis
I want to say I liked this book as I was reading it but I can't really remember much about it even though I finished it at the end of May. I guess that says it all!

That's enough for now. Be back soon!