READ 100+ BOOKS IN 2017 discussion
May challenge
date
newest »
newest »
May ChallengeBegins: 01May17 /Ends: 31May17
5 completed
1. Read a book whose author's last name begins with Z.
2. Mother's Day is this month in the U. S. so read a book where the mother is the central character - 22 Britannia Road ✔ - 21May17
3. Characters - Read a book with a character's name in the title - Maurice ✔ - 14May17
4. Vacations - read a book about an ideal vacation destination - Stowe VT (in fall and winter) - The Christmas Thief ✔ - 05May17
5. Memorial Day is this month in the U. S. so read a book with a character who is in the military.
6. Basketball and hockey both are in their playoff seasons so read a book about basketball or hockey.
7. Classic car shows are starting in local parking lots on the weekend so read a book with a car on the cover. - It's tiny, but it's there ....
✔ - 27May17 8. Read a book that is being made into a movie this year.
9. Your choice - Eligible ✔ - 03May17
Mod
8/9, 21 books
1. Read a book whose author's last name begins with Z--A New Prospect by Wayne Zurl--finished 5/11/17.
2. Mother's Day is this month in the U. S. so read a book where the mother is the central character--Heat and Light by Jennifer Haigh--finished 5/16/17
.3. Read a book with a character's name in the title--The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick--finished 5/27/17.
4. Vacations are being planned so read a book about where you are going on vacation this year or your ideal vacation destination--The French House: An American Family, A Ruined Maison and the Village that Restored Them All by Don Wallace--finished 5/31/17--ideal vacation--France
.5. Memorial Day is this month in the U. S. so read a book with a character who is in the military--Ask, Tell by E. J. Noyes--finished 5/20/17
.6. Basketball and hockey both are in their playoff seasons so read a book about basketball or hockey.--Crashing the Net by Samantha Wayland--finished 5/2/17
7. Classic car shows are starting in local parking lots on the weekend so read a book with a car on the cover.
8. Read a book that is being made into a movie this year.--Live By Night by Dennis Lehane--finished 5/8/17
9. Your choice--The Lawrence Browne Affair--Cat Sebastian--finished 5/5/17
BONUS:
Checking It Twice--Samantha Wayland--finished 5/2/17
Should've Known Better--Cassandra Carr--finished 5/4/17
Until You--Melody Heck Gatto--finished 5/6/17
Simmering Ice--Veronica Forand and Susan Scott Shelley--finished 5/8/17
Liliana's Letter--Alina K. Filed--finished 5/10/17
Point Shot Trilogy--V. L. Locey--finished 5/11/17
Love in the Stacks--Cara Malone--finished 5/12/17
How My Drum Major Turned Me Gay--Julie Zen--finished 5/13/17
The Missing Comatose Woman--Sarah Ettrich--finished 5/18/17
Return of the Earl--Sandra Schwab--finished 5/23/17
Plus One--Aleatha Romig--finished 5/24/17
Warriors: A Dangerous Path--Erin Hunter--finished 5/26/17
My Best Friend's Stepfather--Opal Carew--finished 5/31/17
Eligible – Curtis Sittenfeld – 4****
The subtitle is all the synopsis you need: A Modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice. This is the fourth installment of the planned retellings that comprise The Austen Project, wherein contemporary authors tackle one of Austen’s works and reimagine it in a modern setting. All told, I found it entertaining and fun. Definitely helps if you’ve read the original, though it spoils any surprises as you anticipate “when will they …?” or “how will she include …..?”
LINK to my review
Death in the Clouds – Agatha Christie – 3***
Christie’s Belgian detective has become my go-to comfort read. I never tire of watching Poirot exercise his “little gray cells” to the amusement and astonishment of fellow investigators, suspects, innocent bystanders, and, of course, the culprit.
LINK to my review
The Christmas Thief – Mary Higgins Clark & Carol Higgins Clark – 3***
There’s not much holiday spirit in this slim volume; it is more a fun and entertaining comic crime caper than a mystery. I do like the cast of characters, and while the coincidences required for the plot to work stretch credulity a bit, but they do add to the suspense and enjoyment.
LINK to my review
I am SOooo far behind in posting reviews! ...
Stargirl – Jerry Spinelli – 5*****
I’m long past high school, but I still remember the “pack” mentality that required conformity. It’s painful to revisit that, but Spinelli does a great job exploring what might happen, and how the events might affect some of the students.
LINK to my review
--------- * * * * * * * * --------
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon – Grace Lin – 4****
What a delightful story for middle-school readers (and adults). Inspired by Chinese folklore, Lin weaves a fantasy tale of one young woman’s quest to help her family. Minli’s courage, grace, kindness and perseverance are to be admired. I am reminded of the stories my grandparents, aunts and uncles told on many a night, as we sat on the front porch in the dark, my imagination running wild with tales of adventure.
LINK to my review
Mod
Death in the Clouds
– Agatha Christie – 3***
Christie’s Belgian detective has become my go-to comfort read. I never tire of watching Poirot exercise his “l..."
I do enjoy Agatha Christie. I haven't heard of this one. I'll have to look it up.
Mod
Eligible
– Curtis Sittenfeld – 4****
The subtitle is all the synopsis you need: A Modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice. This is the fourth installment of the p..."
I enjoyed this book. You are definitely right that it helps to have read the original. It makes reading this version more fun.
-Stephenie Meyer 5-1-17This was an intriguing, thought-provoking, well-written fantasy novel. Having already watched the movies, I knew the characters and plots and liked them, but what you get a better feel for in the books are the moral and ethical dilemmas as well as some religious questions that aren't portrayed in the movies.
-Stepehenie Meyer 5-4-17This was an intriguing, thought-provoking, well-written fantasy novel. Having already watched the movies, I knew the characters and plots and liked them, but what you get a better feel for in the books are the moral and ethical dilemmas as well as some religious questions that aren't portrayed in the movies.
However, I wasn't a fan of the perspective changing for a big section of the novel in the middle even though I understand why it made sense to do so.
-Sandra Byrd 5-6-17This was a fairly entertaining historical novel with some Gothic overtones; however, unlike most Gothic romances typical in the 19th century, this novel had more mystery because several of its characters are full rather than flat, so it made it harder to tell who the villain was in the story, which in turn made the story more interesting. For some reason though, I just didn't like it as much as the second one in the trilogy of stand-alone novels (that is, there are zero overlapping characters), Bride of a Distant Isle. In any case, I liked the novel, but it just wasn't that great. This was my least liked book of the trilogy.
-Jennifer Becton 5-7-17This was a sweet and entertaining romance in an extended Pride & Prejudice universe.
-Jennifer Becton 5-8-17This was a sweet and entertaining romance in an extended Pride & Prejudice universe.
-Jennifer Becton 5-10-17This was a sweet and entertaining romance in an extended Pride & Prejudice universe. This novella actually makes me sympathetic to Charlotte, a character I never really cared about before, but I still didn't like this story as much as the other two in the series.
-Elaine Schulte 5-13-17These two books are written fairly well and have well drawn characters. They are the second half of a historical Christian romance quartet. I was definitely missing some back story about some of the characters because I hadn't read the first two books of the series, but I still enjoyed them.
-Kathryn Stockett 5-15-17This was a really well written, informative, and entertaining fiction book about black domestics and their white employers in Jackson, Mississippi in the time of Martin Luther King, Jr. I really enjoyed it.
-Jan Karon 5-21-17This is the first book of a laid back series about an Episcopalian priest in a small town in North Carolina. It is often funny and sweet with the occasional sad vignette mixed into the plot. I'm enjoying rereading this series.
-Jan Karon 5-25-17This is the second book of a laid back series about an Episcopalian priest in a small town in North Carolina. It is often funny and sweet with the occasional sad vignette mixed into the plot. I'm enjoying rereading this series.
Mod
-Stephenie Meyer 5-1-17This was an intriguing, thought-provoking, well-written fantasy novel. Having already watched the movies, I knew the characters and plots and liked..."
I enjoyed the Twilight series but I preferred her THE HOST. I thought it was better written. I also loved THE HELP.
The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins – 3***
In a future dystopian North America, twenty-four contestants fight to the death on live TV. Collins draws the reader in and made me care about Katniss. She’s a strong, intelligent, resourceful female heroine. The cliff-hanger ending is a pet peeve and I dropped a star for that.
LINK to my review
--------- * * * * * * * * --------
Maurice – E M Forster – 4****
Written between 1913 and 1914, Forster’s novel of a young man’s awakening homosexuality was not published until 1971, a year after the author’s death. I loved the way that Forster developed this character, showing Maurice’s progress from a naïve student, to a young man awakening to the possibilities that a mature and loving relationship might offer him.
LINK to my review
Fates And Furies – Lauren Groff – 4****
The book is told by the two central characters: Lotto (Fates) and Mathilde (Furies). Groff is masterful building these characters, with qualities that draw the reader into their circle. One revelation breaks the bond. Forcing first Lotto, and then Mathilde to examine their relationship. By the end I’m left feeling battered and bruised and stunned. I want to start reading it again from the beginning so I can pick up any clues Groff may have buried.
LINK to my review
--------- * * * * * * * * --------
Trophy Hunt – C J Box – 3***
I like this series, mostly because I really like Joe Picket. Box gives us plenty of action, but I was dissatisfied with the ending. All the talk of “aliens,” and a too-convenient demise made me feel as if Box had run out of ideas and turned to 1950s sci-fi films for inspiration. Still, it’s a good story and a fast read.
LINK to my review
22 Britannia Road – Amanda Hodgkinson – 4****
Hodgkinson’s debut novel is a beautifully told story of how a family torn apart by war slowly comes back together. Hodgkinson divides her chapters by location/time and by character, telling parallel stories: Poland during the war, England after the war. I was engaged and interested in the story from beginning to end.
LINK to my review
Columbine – Dave Cullen – 4****
Gripping, fascinating, and horrifying. Cullen has done extensive research and made every effort to remain an impartial journalist, ferreting out facts and revealing them without judgment. The result is perhaps even more disturbing than what I thought I knew about it.
LINK to my review
-Jan Karon 5-28-17This is chronologically the third book of a laid back series about an Episcopalian priest in a small town in North Carolina. It is often funny and sweet with the occasional sad vignette mixed into the plot. I'm enjoying rereading this series. This is the shortest and most basic book of the series since its main focus is the wedding itself.
Mod
-Jan Karon 5-28-17This is chronologically the third book of a laid back series about an Episcopalian priest in a small town in North Carolina. It ..."
I've always wanted to read this series. I even have some of the books but haven't picked them up yet.
READ 100+ BOOKS IN 2017
Books mentioned in this topic
A Common Life: The Wedding Story (other topics)A Common Life: The Wedding Story (other topics)
Columbine (other topics)
22 Britannia Road (other topics)
22 Britannia Road (other topics)
More...
Here's May's challenge:
1. Read a book whose author's last name begins with Z.
2. Mother's Day is this month in the U. S. so read a book where the mother is the central character.
3. Read a book with a character's name in the title.
4. Vacations are being planned so read a book about where you are going on vacation this year or your ideal vacation destination.
5. Memorial Day is this month in the U. S. so read a book with a character who is in the military.
6. Basketball and hockey both are in their playoff seasons so read a book about basketball or hockey.
7. Classic car shows are starting in local parking lots on the weekend so read a book with a car on the cover.
8. Read a book that is being made into a movie this year.
9. Your choice