Challenge: 50 Books discussion
Finish Line 2016
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Tim's Trying for 50 in 2016
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2. Sackett's Land by Louis L'Amour. Was looking for a different kind of series for 2016. When I was growing up my grandpa always had his nose in a L'Amour book so I came across this one and thought I would try it out. Really enjoyed it, looking forward to getting into the next one.
3. To the Far Blue Mountains by Louis L'Amour. Really liked this one and was sad at the ending. That Barnabas Sackett was a good fellow and I would have liked more than 2 books from his perspective. Waiting on the next in the Sackett series to be delivered, will have to read something else in the interim.
4. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. Wow, what a surprisingly good book. I wasn't sure at the beginning, but I ended up really enjoying it. Patchett really gets you connected with the hostages, and the hostage takers as well. A really interesting spin on the relationship between the captors and the captives, etc. I recommend it.
5. The Warrior's Path by Louis L'Amour. Really enjoying these L'Amour stories about the Sackett family so far this year. Fun, light reads - just enjoyable stuff. Still miss Barnabas but his boys are fun, too.
6. The Innocent by David Baldacci. Had not read a book by Baldacci before - enjoyed this one. Robie is a bit different character compared to the usual thrillers I read - a little darker. Trying to track down the next one.
7. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich. Well, that was a different one. While I didn't agree with many of the author's opinions on the roots of some of the issues discussed, I did enjoy her story telling style and some of the anecdotes about particular low paying jobs that she attempted for brief periods. Overall, a good book.
8. The Hit by David Baldacci. Another fast, exciting read. Liking the Baldacci books - and the Will Robie character. 2 left to read.
9. The Target by David Baldacci. Enjoyed it, but not quite as much as the previous "will Robie" books - the inevitable "okay this stuff is totally unbelievable" factor entered into this one for me. I am still looking forward to reading the next one. I like the characters.
10. Breakdown by Jonathan Kellerman. I always enjoy the annual Alex Delaware novel. Some more than others, I actually thought this was one of the better recent ones. Avoided a few of the repetitive parts that bug me now and then, interesting story. Alex and Milo. I wonder how many more stories they've got left. Pretty cool (and lengthy) series.
11. Columbine by Dave Cullen. Really haunting but excellent book. He notes so many mistakes or things that were overlooked that you can't help but feel might have prevented the tragedy. The writer's style is engaging, the book moves rather quickly and is a quick read as far as this kind of thing goes. Really liked the book.
12. Jubal Sackett by Louis L'Amour. Loved it! Cool new character this Jubal. Doubt we'll see him any more stories but he was a good one. Fun stuff these Sackett books.
13. The Guilty by David Baldacci. Still loving Will Robie. Fun series, and this one gives a little background into Robie's early life that was missing from the other books. Hope he writes more Robie books.
14. NYPD Red 4 by James Patterson. Fun Patterson read. I like the two lead characters in this series, although it is already a little repetitive with the drug addict husband acting up every round. Hoping they do write another one in this series as I do enjoy them.
15. Ride the River by Louis L'Amour. Another fun "Sackett" clan read. Pretty cool how the same themes run throughout all the stories as they continue to span across different members of the family.
16. The Steel Kiss by Jeffery Deaver. Loved it! Love the Lincoln Rhyme series and Jeffery Deaver's work in general.
18. Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Anthony Bourdain. Really enjoyable and funny book. Second Bourdain book I have read (Kitchen Confidential, a while back). I find his takes really funny and am looking forward to reading his other book when I can.
19. Dodgers by Bill Beverly. Sad story about 2 early teenage brothers that are sent out to commit a homicide. Sad, but entertaining story. Nice work by Bill Beverly, hope he writes another one.
20. 15th Affair by James Patterson. Typical Patterson. Fun, quick read, a couple plot twists. Lindsay Boxer character bugs me a little bit sometimes, but I have read all of the books in the series and will continue to do so. It's a character defect of mine, once I have read a certain number in a series I feel obligated to continue. So.... when is #16 coming?
21. Roasting in Hell's Kitchen: Temper Tantrums, F Words, and the Pursuit of Perfection by Gordon Ramsay. I love watching this guy on TV and enjoyed reading his book. Some pretty tragic stuff in his childhood and I just enjoyed getting to know more about him. Still want to go and eat at one of his restaurants, some day!
22. Is This a Great Game, or What?: From A-Rod's Heart to Zim's Head--My 25 Years in Baseball by Tim Kurkjian. I watch a lot of baseball and have for all my life. Enjoyed a lot of the stories in this book by Kurkjian, who has been covering baseball for 30 years. Really a fun read.
23. The Last Mile by David Baldacci. Actually might have liked this one more than Amos Decker #1 (Memory Man). Fun story, some surprises. Interesting character, the investigator with the perfect recall. I like the two Baldacci series I have read quite a bit.
Been slacking off lately, but finished two books - 24. A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin. Loved it, love the TV Show and the books, prefer the books but both are awesome. Looking forward to finishing #5 this year sometime.
25. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson. Just an unbelievable book. A friend gave it to me and I am so glad that he did. Wonderful writing style, fascinating story of building such an impressive fair and the coincidence of having a monster like Holmes operating in the same vicinity at the same time. Amazing book, can't say enough about it. Looking forward to reading other work by Larson.
Congratulations! You've reached the half way point for this year.
Gonna be tough to hit 50 for the year at this rate. Finished 2 more - 26. Dark of the Moon by John Sandford and
27. Heat Lightning by John Sandford.
Getting a kick out of the Virgil Flowers series; different locale than I have read about in other fictional series that I enjoy and Virgil is an interesting character. Fun books.
Tough but not impossible. You can do it.
28. Rough Country by John Sandford. Really liking the John Sandford novels, which is cool because I'm all current on all the other series I'm into. So bring on more Virgil Flowers.
29. Bullseye by James Patterson. Kind of typical Patterson/Bennett - a bit unbelievable and crazy, but fun and fast paced. I always enjoy them. Looking forward to Patterson's next Alex Cross in a couple of months.
30. Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick. Made a deal with my son this year that I would read along with whatever novel they are assigned for his 5th grade reading class so I read this book this weekend. Actually really enjoyed it, a nice (emotional for a young kid) story. Hope the class enjoys it as well.
31. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Wish I woulda paid attention back when my high school English teacher tried to get us to read this book. Really enjoyed it. Probably would have gotten a better grade back then if I actually read the book!
32. Rules of Prey by John Sandford. Friend of mine turned me on to this old Sandford series and I really enjoyed the first one. Going to start in on the next one soon.
33. Shadow Prey by John Sandford. Another fun read by Sandford, one of my new favorite authors. Looking forward to more.
34. The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly. Really good book. I think Michael Connelly is my favorite author in the "suspense" series genre right now. I used to prefer Patricia Cornwell but where I think her books are getting a little outlandish, Connelly is awesome. Can't wait till another one comes out.
35. Eyes of Prey by John Sandford. Another good Davenport novel by Sandford, ending with Lucas leaving the PD. Interested to see where the character goes from here. 36. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. This was a tough read for me for several reasons. Really did enjoy the stye the book is written in, although the subject matter was challenging and in some ways hard for me to follow logically. Worth the read, definitely.
37. Chaos by Patricia Cornwell. Always read the new Cornwell every Thanksgiving. The stories get a little crazier every year, unbelievable at this point really. But still fun, and after all these years not going to stop reading them now!
38. The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports by Jeff Passan. Great book written by a great baseball writer, really enjoyed it. I played baseball in high school in the 90's and am amazed how much more crazy the baseball world is for youth athletes than it was even 20 years ago. Really a good book, I recommend it for anybody with a kid that is into baseball, or even just a baseball fan in general.
39. Cross the Line by James Patterson. Alex Cross used to be one of my very favorite series. Over the years it has gotten pretty whacky but I still enjoy the characters, and they're always pretty quick and entertaining reads. Not as good as Harry Bosch or Dave Robicheaux in my opinion, but still fun. 40. ¡Adios, America!: The Left's Plan to Turn Our Country into a Third World Hellhole by Ann Coulter. Interesting to say the least. Found the style a bit off putting at times but definitely some fascinating subject matter, things that you won't necessarily come across in the local paper or mainstream news very often. Lots of things to think about.
Challenge: 50 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Cross the Line (other topics)¡Adios, America!: The Left's Plan to Turn Our Country into a Third World Hellhole (other topics)
The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports (other topics)
Chaos (other topics)
Eyes of Prey (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
James Patterson (other topics)Ann Coulter (other topics)
Jeff Passan (other topics)
Patricia Cornwell (other topics)
John Sandford (other topics)
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1. Déjà Dead by Kathy Reichs. I'm not really sure what I think about this book. I am looking for a new series to get into, so I tried this one. I enjoyed it, but didn't love it. Might need to give the second in the series a try to see where it goes. In a sense some of the "forensic" stuff reminds me of the Kay Scarpetta series, and I might need to find something a little different. But, it was still a fun/enjoyable read.