Read 100+ Books in 2013 discussion

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December challenge

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message 1: by Sheila (new)

Sheila | 103 comments Mod
Sorry for not posting sooner. I was in Detroit this weekend and am very slowly catching up on e-mails and stuff. I seem to be in a reading slump. I will endeavor to do better.

1. Read a book by an author whose name starts with L.
2. Read a book with an L in the title.
3. Read a book about Christmas or your favorite holiday.
4. Read a book about endings since the end of the year will soon be here.
5. Read a book about cookies.
6. Read a book about green.
7. Read a book about drinks.
8. Read a book by your favorite author
9. Your choice.


message 2: by Chuck (new)

Chuck | 132 comments Welcome back! I think all of us get into reading slumps once in while!

1. Read a book by an author whose name starts with L.
2. Read a book with an L in the title.
3. Read a book about Christmas or your favorite holiday.
4. Read a book about endings since the end of the year will soon be here.
"The Reason I Jump" by Naoki Higashida.
5. Read a book about cookies.
6. Read a book about green.
7. Read a book about drinks.
8. Read a book by your favorite author
"NOS4A2" by Joe Hill. . . One of my favorite writers!
9. Your choice.
"Restless" by William Boyd

Number 4. I selected "The Reason I Jump" because I work part-time in a Special Needs program at our local high school. With this book, I hope it puts and "End" to all our misconceptions about autism that we have.


message 3: by Rachel (last edited Dec 31, 2013 03:33PM) (new)

Rachel 1. Read a book by an author whose name starts with L. The Fiddler-Beverly Lewis 12/28/13
2. Read a book with an L in the title. The Little Sparrows-Al and JoAnna Lacy 12/23/13, All my Tomorrows-Al and JoAnna Lacy 12/25/13
3. Read a book about Christmas or your favorite holiday. The 12 Clues of Christmas-Rhys Bowen 12/16/13
4. Read a book about endings since the end of the year will soon be here.
5. Read a book about cookies.
6. Read a book about green. The Jewel of Gresham Green-Lawanna Blackwell 12/26/13
7. Read a book about drinks.
8. Read a book by [one of]your favorite author[s]. The Bridesmaid-Beverly Lewis 12/29/13, The Guardian-Beverly Lewis 12/31/13
9. Your choice. Sisters of the Quilt trilogy-Cindy Woodsmall 12/12/13, East of Eden-John Steinbeck 12/22/13, Life's Healing Choices-John Baker 12/31/13


message 4: by Sheila (last edited Dec 31, 2013 07:22PM) (new)

Sheila | 103 comments Mod
From Halloween to the New Year I just don't get much reading done. I guess it's everything that has to be done. But here I go for December:

6/9, 14 books

1. Read a book by an author whose name starts with L--The Keepers: Christmas in Salem by Heather Graham, Deborah LeBlanc, Kathleen Pickering, Beth Ciotta--finished 12/18/13.
2. Read a book with an L in the title.
3. Read a book about Christmas or your favorite holiday--Christmas Parade by Sandra Boynton--finished 12/12/13.
4. Read a book about endings since the end of the year will soon be here--The Newfoundland Vampire by Charles O'Keefe--finished 12/23/13.
5. Read a book about cookies.
6. Read a book about green--Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Suess--finished 12/12/13.
7. Read a book about drinks.
8. Read a book by your favorite author--Cherry Tune-Up by Adriana Kraft--finished 12/19/13
9. Your choice--Masters at Arms by Kallypso Masters--finished 12/1/13.

BONUS BOOKS:
Nobody's Angel by Kallypso Masters--finished 12/6/13
Nobody's Hero by Kallypso Masters-finished 12/9/13
Nobody's Perfect by Kallypso Masters--finished 12/14/13
The 12 Elves by Marina Fedotova--finished 12/15/13
Pete the Cat and the Magic Sunglasses by Kimberly & James Dean--finished 12/15/13
Pennie, the Christmas Pickle--Thomas Marini--finished 12/15/13
Christmas Carol Murder by Leslie Meier--finished 12/28/13
Soothing His Madness by Debra Kayn--finished 12/31/13


message 5: by Chuck (last edited Dec 10, 2013 05:00AM) (new)

Chuck | 132 comments 1. Read a book by an author whose name starts with L.
2. Read a book with an L in the title.
"The Light Between Oceans" by M.L. Stedman
3. Read a book about Christmas or your favorite holiday.
4. Read a book about endings since the end of the year will soon be here.
"The Reason I Jump" by Naoki Higashida. I selected "The Reason I Jump" because I work part-time in a Special Needs program at our local high school. With this book, I hope it puts and "End" to all our misconceptions about autism that we have.
5. Read a book about cookies.
6. Read a book about green.
7. Read a book about drinks.
8. Read a book by your favorite author
"NOS4A2" by Joe Hill. . . One of my favorite writers!
9. Your choice.
"Restless" by William Boyd


message 6: by Rachel (new)

Rachel Sisters of the Quilt The Complete Trilogy by Cindy Woodsmall 12/12/13
I really loved this trilogy of novels. They are well-written, and the character development is very well done. They were also quite entertaining.


message 7: by Chuck (new)

Chuck | 132 comments 1. Read a book by an author whose name starts with L.
"Unaccustomed Earth" by Jhumpa Lahiri
2. Read a book with an L in the title.
"The Light Between Oceans" by M.L. Stedman
3. Read a book about Christmas or your favorite holiday.
4. Read a book about endings since the end of the year will soon be here.
"The Reason I Jump" by Naoki Higashida. I selected "The Reason I Jump" because I work part-time in a Special Needs program at our local high school. With this book, I hope it puts and "End" to all our misconceptions about autism that we have.
5. Read a book about cookies.
6. Read a book about green.
7. Read a book about drinks.
8. Read a book by your favorite author
"NOS4A2" by Joe Hill. . . One of my favorite writers!
9. Your choice.
"Restless" by William Boyd


message 8: by Chuck (last edited Dec 15, 2013 05:44PM) (new)

Chuck | 132 comments Finished reading "The Light Between Oceans" by M.L. Stedman - 5/5 stars. The last few pages were very emotional, lots of tears on my part.

Now reading "Unaccustomed Earth" by Jhumpa Lahiri.

"In the stunning title story, Ruma, a young mother in a new city, is visited by her father, who carefully tends the earth of her garden, where he and his grandson form a special bond. But he’s harboring a secret from his daughter, a love affair he’s keeping all to himself. In “A Choice of Accommodations,” a husband’s attempt to turn an old friend’s wedding into a romantic getaway weekend with his wife takes a dark, revealing turn as the party lasts deep into the night. In “Only Goodness,” a sister eager to give her younger brother the perfect childhood she never had is overwhelmed by guilt, anguish, and anger when his alcoholism threatens her family. And in “Hema and Kaushik,” a trio of linked stories—a luminous, intensely compelling elegy of life, death, love, and fate—we follow the lives of a girl and boy who, one winter, share a house in Massachusetts. They travel from innocence to experience on separate, sometimes painful paths, until destiny brings them together again years later in Rome."


message 9: by Rachel (new)

Rachel The Twelve Clues of Christmas (Her Royal Spyness Mysteries, #6) by Rhys Bowen 12/16/13
This mystery series is hysterical. It's well-written, and the characters are well drawn.


message 10: by Colleen (new)

Colleen Mertens | 56 comments Finished Pete the cat saves Christmas. Great book. Loved it. Hippie cat saves Christmas. How amusing.


message 11: by Chuck (new)

Chuck | 132 comments 1. Read a book by an author whose name starts with L.
"Unaccustomed Earth" by Jhumpa Lahiri
2. Read a book with an L in the title.
"The Light Between Oceans" by M.L. Stedman
"L.A. Noir" by John Buntin
3. Read a book about Christmas or your favorite holiday.
4. Read a book about endings since the end of the year will soon be here.
"The Reason I Jump" by Naoki Higashida. I selected "The Reason I Jump" because I work part-time in a Special Needs program at our local high school. With this book, I hope it puts and "End" to all our misconceptions about autism that we have.
5. Read a book about cookies.
6. Read a book about green.
7. Read a book about drinks.
8. Read a book by your favorite author
"NOS4A2" by Joe Hill. . . One of my favorite writers!
9. Your choice.
"Restless" by William Boyd


message 12: by Chuck (new)

Chuck | 132 comments Finished "Unaccustomed Earth" by Jhumpa Lahiri -5/5 stars! Excellent collection short stories, one of my favorite books of the year.

Now reading "L.A. Noir" by John Buntin.
Midcentury Los Angeles. A city sold to the world as "the white spot of America," a land of sunshine and orange groves, wholesome Midwestern values and Hollywood stars, protected by the world’s most famous police force, the Dragnet-era LAPD. Behind this public image lies a hidden world of "pleasure girls" and crooked cops, ruthless newspaper tycoons, corrupt politicians, and East Coast gangsters on the make. Into this underworld came two men–one L.A.’s most notorious gangster, the other its most famous police chief–each prepared to battle the other for the soul of the city.

Former street thug turned featherweight boxer Mickey Cohen left the ring for the rackets, first as mobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel’s enforcer, then as his protégé. A fastidious dresser and unrepentant killer, the diminutive Cohen was Hollywood’s favorite gangster–and L.A.’s preeminent underworld boss. Frank Sinatra, Robert Mitchum, and Sammy Davis Jr. palled around with him; TV journalist Mike Wallace wanted his stories; evangelist Billy Graham sought his soul.

William H. Parker was the proud son of a pioneering law-enforcement family from the fabled frontier town of Deadwood. As a rookie patrolman in the Roaring Twenties, he discovered that L.A. was ruled by a shadowy "Combination"–a triumvirate of tycoons, politicians, and underworld figures where alliances were shifting, loyalties uncertain, and politics were practiced with shotguns and dynamite. Parker’s life mission became to topple it–and to create a police force that would never answer to elected officials again.

These two men, one morally unflinching, the other unflinchingly immoral, would soon come head-to-head in a struggle to control the city–a struggle that echoes unforgettably through the fiction of Raymond Chandler and movies such as The Big Sleep, Chinatown, and L.A. Confidential."


message 13: by Rachel (new)

Rachel East of Eden by John Steinbeck 12/22/13
This is a well-written and truly interesting novel. There are several biblical themes that are explored, and the characters are extremely well portrayed and developed. I truly enjoyed it.


message 14: by Rachel (new)

Rachel The Little Sparrows (The Orphan Trains Trilogy, #1) by Al Lacy 12/23/13
This is a sweet story about kids finding new homes. In it, several people receive Christ into their hearts as well. It took me a while to get into it because of the simple writing style designed for children, but I ended up liking it a lot as I got to know the characters and got more into the plot. A fairly well written children's novel overall.


message 15: by Chuck (new)

Chuck | 132 comments A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!


message 16: by Sheila (new)

Sheila | 103 comments Mod
Chuck wrote: "A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!"

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you!


message 17: by Rachel (new)

Rachel All My Tomorrows (The Orphan Trains Trilogy, #2) by Al Lacy 12/25/13
I'd read this one once before, and I like it a bit better than the first one in the series. It is a sweet story about kids finding new homes. In it, several kids receive Christ into their hearts as well. The simple writing style is designed for children, but I ended up liking it a lot as I got to know the characters and got more into the plot. A fairly well written children's novel overall.

Merry Christmas and happy new year, everyone. Sheila, are you going to extend/edit the group for next year as well?


message 18: by Colleen (new)

Colleen Mertens | 56 comments I just finished reading "A Log Cabin Christmas Collection". It is a collection of short novellas around a theme of log cabins. Several of the stories were very good. I liked Snow Angel, A Star for Christmas and Under His Wings best. Cute reading for this time of year. Looking forward to a new year of reading. Hoping to squeeze in one last book for this year too. On to some new Star Wars books.


message 19: by Rachel (new)

Rachel The Jewel of Gresham Green (Gresham Chronicles #4) by Lawana Blackwell 12/26/13
This is a great historical novel. It's well written, and the characters are brilliantly done. I really enjoyed the story line a lot. It's a good part of the series although I haven't read the other three in a long time.


message 20: by Rachel (new)

Rachel The Fiddler (Home to Hickory Hollow #1) by Beverly Lewis 12/28/13
Beverly Lewis has long held a high place among my favorite authors of Christian fiction, and this particular novel has been one of the more unique Amish novels I've ever read because the plot is so highly original. I also enjoyed the characters, and they were portrayed well, but they didn't truly grow and change over the course of the story even though the two main characters made life-changing decisions. I found myself wanting to know a great deal more about the characters once I reached the end of the novel. Overall, I found the novel very good, and I greatly enjoyed it, but I found it somewhat lacking even though I will call it a new favorite.


message 21: by Rachel (new)

Rachel The Bridesmaid (Home to Hickory Hollow, #2) by Beverly Lewis 12/29/13
Beverly Lewis has long held a high place among my favorite authors of Christian fiction, and this particular novel is very good. I enjoyed the characters a great deal, and they were portrayed well, and in contrast to the first novel of this series, they grew and changed more over the course of the story. I still wanted to know more about the characters and their story, but I didn't feel deprived of story pieces as I did with the first novel. It's definitely a new favorite and five-star novel.


message 22: by Rachel (new)

Rachel Life's Healing Choices Freedom from Your Hurts, Hang-ups, and Habits by John Baker 12/31/13
A good book that talks about the 8 principles of Celebrate Recovery in detail. I don't agree with 100% of his theology, but it's a well-written nonfiction book with great testimonies after each step.


message 23: by Rachel (new)

Rachel The Guardian (Home to Hickory Hollow #3) by Beverly Lewis 12/31/13
Beverly Lewis has long held a high place among my favorite authors of Christian fiction, and this particular novel is good. It is written well, and the plot was unique as was the first in this series. I found the characters interesting, and they grew and changed during the course of the story but not as much as was the case with the second book of the series. It is a new favorite, however, and I enjoyed it.


message 24: by Sheila (new)

Sheila | 103 comments Mod
I read Christmas Carol Murder by Leslie Meier. It is a cozy mystery based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens but it was a fun, light read. Perfect for this time of year.


message 25: by Sheila (new)

Sheila | 103 comments Mod
I will be opening a new group for 2014. I hope you'll all be back to share more books and comments about them.


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