Annual Reading Challenge--2020

Update time!

29. Scat-Carl Hiassen, 4 stars-very enjoyable, kind of light read, especially for teachers. environmentalists. Lots of fun.

30. "The Volunteer: the True Story of the Resistance Hero Who Infiltrated Auschwitz", 3 stars-interesting, but written more like a history book

31. "The All-Girls Filling Station's Last Reunion"-Fannie Flagg, 4 1/2 stars-I really enjoyed this one.

32. "Has Anyone Seen My Sex Life?"-Kristen Bailey, 1 star. Not at ALL what I expected. I had thought it was about the difficulties of a young married couple with young children to find "private time". Umm, it started there, but then.....

33. "The Dearly Beloved", Cara Well(?), 3 stars-rather slow moving, about 2 men as co-pastors at a church.
 
20/30 Percy Jackson--The Sea of Monsters. I couldn't wait, I think this is a such a fun series. I'm glad my son got me into it!

21/30 So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo. A really in-depth and smart book that doesn't come off as preachy. I highly recommend this one to anyone seriously considering a conversation about race, whether you are white, Black, or anything else!

22/30 Fatal Invention by Dorthy Roberts. This is such an immensely powerful book. The author really breaks down race and racism and underscores the truth that there is absolutely no biological basis for race. Race is purely a political construct. At the same time, she emphasizes that while there is no biological basis, it does not mean race doesn't matter. When you look at outcomes for people based on race, you would have to be blind to say that it does not matter. What the author does so beautifully is take you through the history of the how and why race was constructed (to perpetuate slavery) and how that impact is felt today. This is the book I recommend for anyone struggling to understand race today.

23/30 Speaking of Summer by Kalisha Buckhanon. An interesting perspective and read. Not sure I like it all that much, though. I thought it was going to be crime fiction and it turned out to be something different.

Man, COVID-19 is giving me plenty of time to read! If I'd known I'd have upped my original number!!!
 
8 The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson
Well written interesting book about theft of valuable feather theft for sale on a type of black market. second part of book not nearly as interesting as first half.


If anyone is interested in reading any of my works. I would gladly send a kindle gift versions of any of them: “Written for You”, “Three Twigs for the Campfire”, “Cemetery Girl” or “Reigning”.
You can see them all reviewed at Goodreads (Click on link to view books). If you find any intriguing please PM me here and I can send out. I also have a couple of print copies that I could send out.
 
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19/30 - Virgin River by Robyn Carr

My wife and I recently watched season 1 of the Virgin River TV series on Netflix, and the first 2 books in the series are available on Prime Reading right now. I decided to give the first book a try, and I liked it. I will probably read the 2nd book too since it is on Prime Reading as well.
 


56/80. Dandelion Summer By Lisa Wingate. A wonderful ending to the series, which I give 5/5!
 
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34/60 The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher
When Mouse’s dad asks her to clean out her dead grandmother's house, she says yes. After all, how bad could it be?
Answer: pretty bad. Grandma was a hoarder, and her house is stuffed with useless rubbish. That would be horrific enough, but there’s more—Mouse stumbles across her step-grandfather’s journal, which at first seems to be filled with nonsensical rants…until Mouse encounters some of the terrifying things he described for herself.
Alone in the woods with her dog, Mouse finds herself face to face with a series of impossible terrors—because sometimes the things that go bump in the night are real, and they’re looking for you. And if she doesn’t face them head on, she might not survive to tell the tale.


Interesting. Not great, but kept my interest.
 
6 of 20: A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor By Hank Green

April May and the Carls are back in the much-anticipated sequel to Hank Green's #1 New York Times bestselling debut novel, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing.

The Carls disappeared the same way they appeared, in an instant. While they were on Earth, they caused confusion and destruction without ever lifting a finger. Well, that’s not exactly true. Part of their maelstrom was the sudden viral fame and untimely death of April May: a young woman who stumbled into Carl’s path, giving them their name, becoming their advocate, and putting herself in the middle of an avalanche of conspiracy theories.

Months later, the world is as confused as ever. Andy has picked up April’s mantle of fame, speaking at conferences and online about the world post-Carl; Maya, ravaged by grief, begins to follow a string of mysteries that she is convinced will lead her to April; and Miranda infiltrates a new scientific operation . . . one that might have repercussions beyond anyone’s comprehension.

As they each get further down their own paths, a series of clues arrive—mysterious books that seem to predict the future and control the actions of their readers; unexplained internet outages; and more—which seem to suggest April may be very much alive. In the midst of the gang's possible reunion is a growing force, something that wants to capture our consciousness and even control our reality.

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is the bold and brilliant follow-up to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. It’s a fast-paced adventure that is also a biting social commentary, asking hard, urgent questions. How will we live online? What powers over our lives are we giving away for free? Who has the right to change the world forever? And how do we find comfort in an increasingly isolated world?

The sequel to Green's An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. I loved everything about this: The plot, the themes, the metaphors, the characters. It was fantastic. 5 out of 5 stars.
 
25/25 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand

For 28 years Mallory and Jake spend Labor Day weekend together on Nantucket, like the movie Same Time Next Year. The book spans those 28 years, from the start to the end of their relationship.

A typical easy summer read. I did enjoy it but after investing so much time in it I found the ending unsatisfying, almost abrupt. I would have liked a little more.
 
25/25 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand

For 28 years Mallory and Jake spend Labor Day weekend together on Nantucket, like the movie Same Time Next Year. The book spans those 28 years, from the start to the end of their relationship.

A typical easy summer read. I did enjoy it but after investing so much time in it I found the ending unsatisfying, almost abrupt. I would have liked a little more.


Oh, Oh. I had my name on the waiting list for this book, and I just got it. Not sure now if I should be really super-enthused about reading it.
 
#35/60 Winter In Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
Irene Steele’s idyllic life-house, husband, family-is shattered when she is woken up by a late-night phone call. Her beloved husband has been found dead, but before Irene can process this tragic news, she must confront the perplexing details of her husband’s death. He was found on St. John island, a tropical paradise far removed from their suburban life. Leaving the cold winter behind, Irene flies down to the beautiful Caribbean beaches of St. John only to make another shocking discovery: her husband had a secret second family. As Irene investigates the mysterious circumstances of her husband’s death, she is plunged into a web of intrigue and deceit belied by the pristine white sand beaches of St. John’s.

I was a little hesitant at first to start this book as it was billed as a 'beach read' and I usually go for more intense mysteries/thrillers and such.
Surprisingly it was very good. A quick read because I really wanted to find out what happened at the end. Can't wait to read the second in the series.
 
Oh, Oh. I had my name on the waiting list for this book, and I just got it. Not sure now if I should be really super-enthused about reading it.

Don‘t get me wrong, I still enjoyed it. In fact, I couldn’t put it down all week. You may feel differently about the ending than I did. I say read it ::yes::
 
25/30 --Queen Bee by Dorothea Benton Frank
It was ok. I am not sure her writing is exactly what I want to read. It wasn't terrible, but there were some eye rolling moments to me.

26/30 --Call Me Margo by Judith St. George
I loved this book when I was a teen and saw it pop up on Kindle Unlimited, so I wanted to see how it held up. Just ok thanks to some cringe-worthy language.

27/30--Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
I really enjoyed this one! I had no idea what it was about, but it was available to borrow from Libby and I could not put it down. An interesting take on contemporary race relations in a The Help sort of vein.
 

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