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

[MochaDrinker]

83/200-A Mood Apart by Peter Whybrow

 

[nemofans]

Book #29/50: The Light of the Fireflies by Paul Pen

From Goodreads:
For his whole life, the boy has lived underground, in a basement with his parents, grandmother, sister, and brother. Before he was born, his family was disfigured by a fire. His sister wears a white mask to cover her burns.

He spends his hours with his cactus, reading his book on insects, or touching the one ray of sunlight that filters in through a crack in the ceiling. Ever since his sister had a baby, everyone’s been acting very strangely. The boy begins to wonder why they never say who the father is, about what happened before his own birth, about why they’re shut away.

A few days ago, some fireflies arrived in the basement. His grandma said, There’s no creature more amazing than one that can make its own light. That light makes the boy want to escape, to know the outside world. Problem is, all the doors are locked. And he doesn’t know how to get out.…

Did you like this? It sounds creepy.

 

[tiggrbaby]

Did you like this? It sounds creepy.

I have to tell you that I did not even put it in my count of books read as I really did not like it!

 

[zippitydoo]

Did you get that as a Kindle First selection? I did and I really didn't like it.

I did get it as kindle first. I did not care for it either.

 

[superme80]

I just started reading the Fire and Ice series Game of Thrones is based on. I am in it for the long haul!

 

[Cantw8]

I rarely post here, just lurk but had to share this book I just finished, The Sister. It was awesome, lots of twists and turns and very suspenseful. I didn't have high hopes for it since it was a Kindle .99 deal but I was wrong!

From Amazon:
I did something terrible Grace. I hope you can forgive me …’

Grace hasn’t been the same since the death of her best friend Charlie. She is haunted by Charlie’s words the last time she saw her, and in a bid for answers, opens an old memory box of Charlie’s. It soon becomes clear that there was a lot she didn’t know about her best friend.

When Grace starts a campaign to find Charlie’s father, Anna, a girl claiming to be Charlie’s sister steps forward. For Grace, finding Anna is like finding a new family and soon Anna has made herself very comfortable in Grace and boyfriend Dan’s home.

But something isn’t right. Things disappear, Dan’s acting strangely and Grace is sure that someone is following her. Is it all in Grace’s mind? Or as she gets closer to discovering the truth about both Charlie and Anna, is Grace in terrible danger?

There was nothing she could have done to save Charlie … Or was there?

A compelling, gripping psychological thriller perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, I Let You Go and The Girl With No Past.

 

[Kirby]

38/80 - The Bingo Queens of Paradise by June Park.

In Oklahoma, where Kraft Macaroni & Cheese is a staple and Bob Barker is king, twenty-eight-year-old Darla Moon struggles to break free. But as she plans her escape to New York City, turmoil erupts and the demands of family stand between her and her suitcase. Darla must, for the first time in her life, cast an unflinching eye on the hard-to-accept truths regarding love, responsibility, and survival. The Bingo Queens of Paradise lyrically blends a powerful comic voice with a poignant tale of a woman who longs to pursue her dreams.

I don't know what I think of this book. Don't know if I would recommend it or not.

 

[zippitydoo]

Book #30/50: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Book #31/50: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Book #32/50: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

 

[MochaDrinker]

84/200-The Black Widow by Daniel Silva

85/200-the sisters: the saga of the Mitford family by Mary s. Lovell

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Book 11 of 15: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein when she was only eighteen. At once a Gothic thriller, a passionate romance, and a cautionary tale about the dangers of science, Frankenstein tells the story of committed science student Victor Frankenstein. Obsessed with discovering the cause of generation and life and bestowing animation upon lifeless matter, Frankenstein assembles a human being from stolen body parts but; upon bringing it to life, he recoils in horror at the creature's hideousness. Tormented by isolation and loneliness, the once-innocent creature turns to evil and unleashes a campaign of murderous revenge against his creator, Frankenstein.

Frankenstein, an instant best-seller and an important ancestor of both the horror and science fiction genres, not only tells a terrifying story, but also raises profound, disturbing questions about the very nature of life and the place of humankind within the cosmos: What does it mean to be human? What responsibilities do we have to each other? How far can we go in tampering with Nature? In our age, filled with news of organ donation genetic engineering, and bio-terrorism, these questions are more relevant than ever.

Semi-autobiographical book of verse written as a journal of a 10-year old girl from Vietnam during the last days of the Vietnamd war. Very quick read. I don't know much about the Vietnam war, and now, having read this book, I feel compelled to read more about it. Very sad and poignant, but with funny moments.

2.5 out of 5 stars.

Dense, impending prose. Switching narrator. Too much padding to fill in a short amount of plot. Muddled moral. A "classic" that began the science fiction genre. I don't remember disliking it this much the first time I read it.

Next up: Aftermath: Life Debt by Chuck Wendig. Another Star Wars novel. Part 2 in Wendig's trilogy. I wasn't particularly impressed by the first Aftermath, but I hear this one is better.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

#15 And Another Thing
Eion Colfer

Mostly Bad

A longer but less accurate review I wrote here.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1717163906?book_show_action=false

(If anyone is interested in reading any of my works, I would gladly send kindle gift versions of any (Written for You , Cemetery Girl, Three Twigs for the Campfire, or Reigning. You can see them on goodreads.)

 

[thepicklebee]

Is it too late to join?

 

[willowsnn3]

#36/72
The Good Girl by Mary Kubica
"I've been following her for the past few days. I know where she buys her groceries, where she works. I don't know the color of her eyes or what they look like when she's scared. But I will."

One night, Mia Dennett enters a bar to meet her on-again, off-again boyfriend. But when he doesn't show, she unwisely leaves with an enigmatic stranger. At first Colin Thatcher seems like a safe one-night stand. But following Colin home will turn out to be the worst mistake of Mia's life.

When Colin decides to hide Mia in a secluded cabin in rural Minnesota instead of delivering her to his employers, Mia's mother, Eve, and detective Gabe Hoffman will stop at nothing to find them. But no one could have predicted the emotional entanglements that eventually cause this family's world to shatter.

An addictively suspenseful and tautly written thriller, The Good Girl is a propulsive debut that reveals how even in the perfect family, nothing is as it seems.


Not as good as you would think. The characters were neither likable or hateable (don't know if that is a real word, lol). But it was all I had at the time so I finished it. Have another by the same author on hold so hopefully it will be better.

 

[Deffenm]

13/15
Maybe In Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

I LOVED this book! I thought it would be confusing going back and forth with the two scenarios but it wasn't at all.

From Amazon:
From the acclaimed author of Forever, Interrupted and After I Do comes a breathtaking new novel about a young woman whose fate hinges on the choice she makes after bumping into an old flame; in alternating chapters, we see two possible scenarios unfold—with stunningly different results.

At the age of twenty-nine, Hannah Martin still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She has lived in six different cities and held countless meaningless jobs since graduating college. On the heels of leaving yet another city, Hannah moves back to her hometown of Los Angeles and takes up residence in her best friend Gabby’s guestroom. Shortly after getting back to town, Hannah goes out to a bar one night with Gabby and meets up with her high school boyfriend, Ethan.

Just after midnight, Gabby asks Hannah if she’s ready to go. A moment later, Ethan offers to give her a ride later if she wants to stay. Hannah hesitates. What happens if she leaves with Gabby? What happens if she leaves with Ethan?

In concurrent storylines, Hannah lives out the effects of each decision. Quickly, these parallel universes develop into radically different stories with large-scale consequences for Hannah, as well as the people around her. As the two alternate realities run their course, Maybe in Another Life raises questions about fate and true love: Is anything meant to be? How much in our life is determined by chance? And perhaps, most compellingly: Is there such a thing as a soul mate?

Hannah believes there is. And, in both worlds, she believes she’s found him.

Next up: One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid (yes, another one by her)

Thanks for the suggestion. I read it last week and really enjoyed it. This book was number 23 for me.

24/50 - Save the Date: A Savannah florist is about to score the wedding of a lifetime—one that will solidify her career as the go-to-girl for society nuptials. Ironically, Cara Kryzik doesn't believe in love, even though she creates beautiful flower arrangements to celebrate them. But when the bride goes missing and the wedding is in jeopardy, Cara must find the bride and figure out what she believes in. Maybe love really does exist outside of fairy tales after all.

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #47/65 - Close To Home by Lisa Jackson

I liked other books from this author, but not this one as much. It had a good premise and I think would have been a great story, except the readers are stuck in the character's heads reading the same thoughts over and over which became annoying. There needed to be more action throughout the book than all at the end. (3/5 stars)

Vowing to make a fresh start, Sarah McAdams has come home to renovate the old Victorian mansion where she grew up. Her daughters, Jade and Gracie, aren't impressed by the rundown property on the shores of Oregon's wild Columbia River. As soon as they pull up the isolated drive, Sarah too is beset by uneasy memories--of her cold, distant mother, of the half-sister who vanished without a trace, and of a long-ago night when Sarah was found on the widow's walk, feverish and delirious.
Ever since the original mistress of the house plunged to her death almost a century ago, there have been rumors that the place is haunted. As a girl, Sarah sensed a presence there, and soon Gracie claims to see a lady in white running up the stairs. Still, Sarah has little time to dwell on ghost stories, between overseeing construction and dealing with the return of a man from her past.
But there's a new, more urgent menace in the small town. One by one, teenage girls are disappearing. Frantic for her daughters' safety, Sarah feels her veneer cracking and the house's walls closing in on her again. Somewhere deep in her memory is the key to a very real and terrifying danger. And only by confronting her worst fears can she stop the nightmare roaring back to life once more. . .

 

[MochaDrinker]

86/200-Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi.

 

[zippitydoo]

Book #33/50: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Book #34/50: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

 

[tiggrbaby]

86/200-Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi.

I remember reading that in high school, and I was so creeped out that I wouldn't read it after dark!

 

[Kirby]

34/80 - Songs of the Earth, Book 1 of the Wild Hunt Trilogy by Elspeth Cooper. Genre - Fantasy

Novice knight Gair has a gift: he can hear the songs of the earth, and weave that music into magic. But in the Holy City, that makes him a witch, and that means he must be tortured until he gives up the name of his demon master ...except that he has no demon lord; it's just something he can do. After the Questioning comes the court, and Gair himself is as shocked as the knights to find his death-by-fire sentence has been commuted to excommunication, branding and life banishment - but only if he can make it over the boundary by sundown. Gair may be starved, broken in body and with a festering new brand on the palm of his hand - but his spirit has not yet given up, and with help from an unlikely source he escapes to the Western Isles, where he hears about the Veil that separate the worlds, and the Guardians who protect it. But this peaceful haven is threatened by Gair's arrival. Those who condemned him set an implacable witchfinder on his trail, for they want him dead. And a renegade Guardian is striving to tear down the Veil, releasing evil, unearthly monsters into the human world. Before his training is complete, Gair must take his place in the frontline against these forces - and he will pay a terrible price.

I went back and forth on this book and decided by the end that I am going to read the next installment.

 

[tiggrbaby]

#45/75: The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King (4/5) (mystery/Sherlock Holmes) (Mary Russell book 1)

#46/75: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (5/5) (fiction)