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

[FlightlessDuck]

Book 14 of 15: George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade & Don Yaeger

When General George Washington beat a hasty retreat from New York City in August 1776, many thought the American Revolution might soon be over. Instead, Washington rallied—thanks in large part to a little-known, top-secret group called the Culper Spy Ring.

Washington realized that he couldn’t beat the British with military might, so he recruited a sophisticated and deeply secretive intelligence network to infiltrate New York. So carefully guarded were the members’ identities that one spy’s name was not uncovered until the twentieth century, and one remains unknown today. But by now, historians have discovered enough information about the ring’s activities to piece together evidence that these six individuals turned the tide of the war.

Drawing on extensive research, Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger have painted compelling portraits of George Washington’s secret six:

Robert Townsend, the reserved Quaker merchant and reporter who headed the Culper Ring, keeping his identity secret even from Washington;
Austin Roe, the tavern keeper who risked his employment and his life in order to protect the mission;
Caleb Brewster, the brash young longshoreman who loved baiting the British and agreed to ferry messages between Connecticut and New York;
Abraham Woodhull, the curmudgeonly (and surprisingly nervous) Long Island bachelor with business and family excuses for traveling to Manhattan;
James Rivington, the owner of a posh coffeehouse and print shop where high-ranking British officers gossiped about secret operations;
Agent 355, a woman whose identity remains unknown but who seems to have used her wit and charm to coax officers to share vital secrets.

In George Washington’s Secret Six, Townsend and his fellow spies finally receive their due, taking their place among the pantheon of heroes of the American Revolution.

I dabble in US history, and found this good to be very interesting. I had only heard about Washington's New York spy ring recently, and wanted to read more. It was a great read and added a good amount of context regarding the entire Revolutionary War and how the Culper Ring helped seal the American Victory. 4 out of 5 stars.

Up next: Apprentice in Death (In Death, #43) by J. D. Robb

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #61/65 - Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase

I liked this story. It is told with 2 narrators: Amber in 1968 and Lorna in present day. Lorna is looking for a wedding venue and comes to Black Rabbit Hall. The chapters with Amber tell what happened to her family in that house. This is similar style to Kate Morton's books which I enjoy reading as well.

Amber and Toby and Barney and Kitty.
The four Alton children spend every day of the hot Cornish summer playing games on sun-baked lawns or building dens in the dark woods. Endless days of laughter and fun, without an adult in sight.
But no one can foresee the storm that will bring it all to a tragic end.
Afterwards, Black Rabbit Hall, their home, with its endless corridors and ancient creaking clocks, is a twisted and changed place, set to steal the last vestiges of their childhood and innocence. A home that not all of the Altons will be strong enough to survive.
Now, thirty years later, a message from one of the Alton children is discovered carved into an old oak tree. Could the tangled truth of that terrible summer finally creep into the light? Or should some secrets be left in the past for good?

 

[tiggrbaby]

#58/75: The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah (4/5) (Hercule Poirot mystery in the style of Agatha Christie)

 

[rigs32]

#39 - Beyond the Ice Limit by Douglas Preston.

Sort of a sequel to a prior novel. I wasn't left super annoyed with the way he writes women in this one, though the strongest female meets a very unfortunate end under very sexist circumstances. So why do I keep reading his stuff? Because I like the stories and they're quick reads.

#40 - Landline by Rainbow Rowell

I really didn't like this one. I finished it because I've enjoyed other books by this author, but I didn't like the premise. I skimmed the last 25% just to find out how it ended.

#41 - The Purser by Walter Aschiero

This was my free amazon prime book last month. I felt bad for the author. He's head over heels for a woman he meets while working and I could see she was going to dump him as soon as she was mentioned. Though the stories of annoying tourists were often amusing.

#42 - A Zany Slice of Tuscany by Ivanka Di Felice

My amazon prime book for this month. So stories were amusing, but she let so many people treat her poorly and take advantage. I kept wondering why she was so passive.

#43 - Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda

This is the story behind the making of the musical and includes the libretto. Highly recommend, especially since the tour isn't coming to my city this year and I can't afford NYC tickets.

#44 - It's Not Ok by Andi Dorfman

Read this after watching bachelor in paradise. I was not amused with her selfishnesd and shallowness. Made me roll my eyes and think she'd have done much more for society if she'd never gone on TV.

#45 - The Big Short by Michael Lewis

This took me a long time to finish as the economics were tough to wrap my mind around. But it's clear the financial system laughed all the way to the bank and left taxpayers to pick up the pieces.

#46 - The Royal We by Heather Cocks

Enjoyed this royal family fan fiction a lot. An easy summer read.

 

[willowsnn3]

#47/72

The Survivors by Will Weaver

YA book sequel to Memory Boy. I enjoyed both of these books, quick reads, good read for younger teens.

 

[willowsnn3]

#48/72

Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf

Just ok. Had potential but writing seemed amateurish in spots.

From Goodreads:
Sarah Quinlan's husband, Jack, has been haunted for decades by the untimely death of his mother when he was just a teenager, her body found in the cellar of their family farm, the circumstances a mystery. The case rocked the small farm town of Penny Gate, Iowa, where Jack was raised, and for years Jack avoided returning home. But when his beloved aunt Julia is in an accident, hospitalized in a coma, Jack and Sarah are forced to confront the past that they have long evaded.

Upon arriving in Penny Gate, Sarah and Jack are welcomed by the family Jack left behind all those years ago—barely a trace of the wounds that had once devastated them all. But as facts about Julia's accident begin to surface, Sarah realizes that nothing about the Quinlans is what it seems. Caught in a flurry of unanswered questions, Sarah dives deep into the puzzling rabbit hole of Jack's past. But the farther in she climbs, the harder it is for her to get out. And soon she is faced with a deadly truth she may not be prepared for.

 

[Colleen27]

#68 - Heir of Fire by Sarah Maas

Book three in the series that started with Throne of Glass. I'm still really enjoying the series and how the world and cast have expanded as the series has gone one. It is just such a fun series, with crazy, scary, fantastic characters and enough action to keep it an engrossing, escapist bit of fiction. I'm on a waiting list for books four and five from the library, though I'm not minding the wait too much since I'm so preoccupied with academic reading at the moment.

#69 - The Last Star by Rick Yancey

The third book in The Fifth Wave trilogy.

I didn't really love the way this one ended. It was rather bleak and unsatisfying, IMO, even though the conflict was resolved. It almost felt like one of those movies where they're leaving it open for a potential sequel so certain ends are left loose, but from everything I've read/heard The Last Star was meant to be the last in the series.

#70 - American Mojo: Lost and Found by Peter Kiernan

In American Mojo: Lost and Found, Peter D. Kiernan, award-winning author of New York Times bestseller Becoming China’s *****, focuses on America’s greatest challenge—and opportunity—restoring the middle class to its full promise and potential.

Our educated, skilled and motivated middle class was the cornerstone of America’s postwar economic might, but the country’s dynamic core has struggled and changed dramatically through the last three decades. Kiernan’s extensively researched story, told through individual histories, shows how the middle class flourished under unique circumstances following World War II; and details how our middle class has been rocked and shaped by events abroad as much as at home. By excluding too many Americans, the middle class we reverently recall was fractured from the beginning. What emerges through his storytelling is a picture of middle class decline and opportunity that is fuller, more moving and profound, and ultimately more useful in terms of charting a path forward than other examinations. His unique global perspective is a vital ingredient in charting the way ahead. This new frontier thesis shows that middle class greatness is again within our grasp—if we take some powerful medicine and seize the global opportunity. America possesses the skills and talent the world needs. Americans must embrace what brought our middle class to prominence in the first place—our American Mojo—before it is too late and other countries steal the march.

All that is at stake is the soul of our nation.

I didn't care for this one at all. I picked it up on impulse from the "new nonfiction" shelf at the library and had a hard time getting into it. I should have gone with that impulse. The book was disjointed, with each chapter a look at a different facet of the issue as the author sees it, but none were in depth in any meaningful way. It was more of a litany of complaints and criticisms that aimed to be non-partisan but had a clear slant nonetheless, with no real solutions to offer and a lot of "blame the victim" justifications aimed at those who are falling out of the middle class.

 

[zippitydoo]

Book #42 of 50: The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

 

[jenny105]

Finished book #24 of 30, Scarlet, the 2nd book in the Lunar Chronicles. Currently working my way through In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume. Interesting to read because I was born in Elizabeth and remember hearing about the plane crashes when I was a kid.

We are going on a cruise Saturday for 5 nights so plenty of time to read!

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #62/65 - Arrowood by Laura McHugh

This is a mystery about twin sisters that disappeared when the main character was 8 yrs old. This is only okay.

Arrowood is the most ornate and grand of the historical houses that line the Mississippi River in southern Iowa. But the house has a mystery it has never revealed: It’s where Arden Arrowood’s younger twin sisters vanished on her watch twenty years ago—never to be seen again. After the twins’ disappearance, Arden’s parents divorced and the Arrowoods left the big house that had been in their family for generations. And Arden’s own life has fallen apart: She can’t finish her master’s thesis, and a misguided love affair has ended badly. She has held on to the hope that her sisters are still alive, and it seems she can’t move forward until she finds them. When her father dies and she inherits Arrowood, Arden returns to her childhood home determined to discover what really happened to her sisters that traumatic summer.
Arden’s return to the town of Keokuk—and the now infamous house that bears her name—is greeted with curiosity. But she is welcomed back by her old neighbor and first love, Ben Ferris, whose family, she slowly learns, knows more about the Arrowoods’ secrets and their small, closed community than she ever realized. With the help of a young amateur investigator, Arden tracks down the man who was the prime suspect in the kidnapping. But the house and the surrounding town hold their secrets close—and the truth, when Arden finds it, is more devastating than she ever could have imagined.

Finished book #63/65 - The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

A baby goes missing and lots of secrets are found out. I didn't care for this one.

Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all—a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story.
Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they've kept for years.

 

[willowsnn3]

#49/72

Long Lost by Harlan Coben
It begins with an early morning phone call to Myron Bolitar. His old flame Terese Collins is in Paris, and she needs his help. In her debt, Myron makes the trip, and learns of a decade-long secret: Terese once had a daughter who died in a car accident. Now it seems as though that daughter may be alive-and tied to a sinister plot with shocking global implications.

Didn't care for this one.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Book 15 of 15: Apprentice in Death (In Death, #43) by J. D. Robb

The shots came quickly, silently, and with deadly accuracy. Within seconds, three people were dead at Central Park’s ice skating rink. The victims: a talented young skater, a doctor, and a teacher. As random as random can be.

Eve Dallas has seen a lot of killers during her time with the NYPSD, but never one like this. After reviewing security videos, it becomes clear that the victims were killed by a sniper firing a tactical laser rifle, who could have been miles away when the trigger was pulled. And though the locations where the shooter could have set up seem endless, the list of people with that particular skill set is finite: police, military, professional killer.

Eve’s husband, Roarke, has unlimited resources—and genius—at his disposal. And when his computer program leads Eve to the location of the sniper, she learns a shocking fact: There were two—one older, one younger. Someone is being trained by an expert in the science of killing, and they have an agenda. Central Park was just a warm-up. And as another sniper attack shakes the city to its core, Eve realizes that though we’re all shaped by the people around us, there are those who are just born evil...

Sometimes I wonder if the In Death books are ghost written, or if Nora just phones them in. I have mixed feelings about this book. As far as plot goes, I actually was quite happy with this story. I thought it was interesting, intense, and a good twist on what I assumed the plot was going to be. But, I mostly read the In Death series for personal interactions between recurring characters, and it seemed like there wasn't too much of that. There was very little Eve/Peabody time, which is my favorite. Also, one of the subplots right now is the redecorating of Eve's office and Eve and Roarke's bedroom, and I honestly could not care less about that. At all. So, 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Up next: While I wait for Ahsoka to be release on the 11th, I'm reading Twenty Five Mystery Science Theater 3000 Films That Changed My Life In No Way Whatsoever by Frank Conniff

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #64/65 - Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

This was just okay. I loved the old bookstore and the secret society stuff, but didn't care for any of the Google part.

The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after a few days on the job, Clay discovers that the store is more curious than either its name or its gnomic owner might suggest. The bookstore’s secrets extend far beyond its walls.

 

[Christine]

#26/50: The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer: This was a light read and I enjoyed it. There were parts that did get a little boring but, for the most part, she was very honest about how her family life, her mother, her parents' divorce, etc. shaped who she is today. She has a very healthy and confident outlook for her body image and as well as how people treat her as a woman. I sort of disagreed with her whens he said that your mother will always damage you in some way. Understand that it comes from her perspective as someone who didn't have the greatest mother, but I don't think it's true for everyone (at least not in regards to my own mother.

 

[willowsnn3]

#50/72

Live Wire by Harlan Coben

Was ok but still unsure of just what the plot was.
Really read this one as Coben has a new YA book out that the main character was introduced in this book. Hopefully it will be better.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

#17 Killing Kennedy by Bill O'Reily
Like everything else, I did things backwards here as well. Probably one of the few boys who fell in love the musical Camelot, before diving into the many books and movies, about Camelot and Arthur then lastly accepting JFK as a noble knight.
I am not die hard republican and have watched O'Reily's show maybe handful of time. I use to be huge conspiracy nut. But since have fallen into line with the view that Oswald was just lunatic communist(Same as this books view). Book was okay, didn't see anything earth shattering. I enjoyed reading about Kennedy's patrol boat event. I knew about it but not the details. However, from my days when I was conspiracy nut, thought some of the things seemed different, for example: I thought a store clerk made aware to police Oswald running into theater(Not the ticket taker). I need to see what one is right because that would be a significant oops in the book. Aside from that I enjoyed it but it is a topic that I used to be very interested in.


(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.)

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Book 16 of 15: Twenty Five Mystery Science Theater 3000 Films That Changed My Life In No Way Whatsoever by Frank Conniff

In 1990, Frank Conniff joined the staff of Mystery Science Theater 3000. First he was hired as a writer, then he was called upon to play TV's Frank, the bumbling yet lovable Mad Scientist henchman in Deep 13. And then he was given the sacred duty of finding the films that would be riffed on the show. Thus, because of his actions, the world now knows of Manos: The Hands of Fate, Monster A-Go-Go, The Brain That Wouldn't Die, Teenagers From Outer Space, and many other cheesy movies that the world would just as soon not know about.

In these essays, TV's Frank focuses on twenty-five of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 films he found and riffed with his fellow MST3K writers and cast mates. It tells the story of how a comedian who was lucky enough to work on a beloved Peabody Award winning TV show was transformed into a comedian who was lucky enough to work on a beloved Peabody Award winning TV show. It's a story that will stay with you for the rest of your life, if you happen to die just as you finish reading the book.

This wasn't the book I expected, but that's not Frank's fault. I was expecting some stories about the selected movies or the process of making of the episodes. Instead, this book is a series of essays of random cultural references only vaguely related to the movies. This should have been expected. On the bright side, these essays were funny.

On the not-so-bright side, the editing was at best atrocious and at worst completely missing. It felt like a self-published PDF instead of an actual book.

2.5 out of 5. Maybe 3...

Up next: Ahsoka by E. K. Johnson. Comes out at midnight tonight. Woooooooo!!!!

I think I might hit 20 books this year.

 

[BonnieF]

I've taken to posting updates in blocks this year - so, here's kind of a big one!
Books 29 through 40!!!!

A Rule Against Murder, Louise Penny
The Boys in the Boat, Daniel J. Brown
The Hangman, Louise Penny
Siracusa, Delia Ephron
Three Sisters, Three Queens, Phillipa Gregory
The Husband's Secret, Lianne Moriarty
The Brutal Telling, Louise Penny
Revenge in a Cold River, Anne Perry
The Cruelest Month, Louise Penny
Fates and Traitors, Jennifer Chiaverini
Nutshell, Ian MacEwan

2016 Reading Challenge COMPLETED!!!!!
And, done before the annual trip to Food & Wine!! It'll be fun to see how many I can add as "Bonus Books" by the end of the year!

 

[WowLookAtThat]

Book #42 A Curious Christmas Bride by Emma Morgan
Book #43 A Pregnant Christmas Bride by Emma Morgan
Book #44 The Relunctant Christmas Family by Emma Morgan
Book #45 Put up your Dukes by Megan Frampton
Book #46 Melody by VC Andrews
Book #47 Heart Song by VC Andrews
Book #48 Unfinished Melody by VC Andrews
Book #49 Laura by VC Andrews
Book #50 Olivia by VC Andrews
Book #51 What to Expect When you Are Expecting by Heidi Murkoff
Book #52 The Advent Bride by Mary Connealy
Book #53 The Nutcracker Bride by Margaret Brownley

Book #54 Game of Crowns by Christopher Anderson
Book #55 The Gift Wrapped Bride by Maureen Lang
Book #56 The Evergreen Bride by Pam Gillman
Book #57 The Wet Nurse's Tale by Erica Eisdorfer
Book #58 Child Bride by Ssuzanne Finstead
Book #59 The Royal We by Heather Cocks
Book #60 The Gingerbread Bride by Amy Lillard
Book #61 The Yuletide Bride by Michelle Ule
Book #62 Royal's Bride by Kat Martin
Book #63 Jane fo Lantern Hill by LM Montgomery
Book #64 Rule's Bride by Kat Martin
Book #65 Reese' Bride but Kat Martin
Book #66 Worrier's Guide by Gemma Corrier
Book #67 Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson
Book #68 Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
Book #69 Anne of Avonlea by LM Montgomery

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Up next: Ahsoka by E. K. Johnson. Comes out at midnight tonight. Woooooooo!!!!

Woho, it's Tuesday!



Get to read about Ahsoka's reaction to Order 66, the Siege of Mandalore, and some new canon material about the nature of Kyber crystals!