The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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GETTING TO KNOW YOU
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<closed thread>What are you currently reading?
Rocket Boys – Homer Hickam – 4****
Homer Hickam Jr (a/k/a Sonny) grew up in Coalwood, West Virginia – a “company town” in built and owned by the mining company for whom his father worked. In his memoir, Hickam brings the residents of Coalwood to life. He shares stories of growing up, of high school football, a beloved teacher, unlikely allies, young love, and his mother’s determination that her boys would NOT go into that mine.
LINK to my review
I finished "The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane". I am starting "The Orphan's Tale"
Finished:
- 4*,
- 4*Reading:
Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of Native America
The Mists of Avalon
Starting:
Wide Sargasso Sea
The Bungalow
Fire Study
Cold Mountain
Sick Puppy
Finished:
- 4*,
- 3*,
- 4*Reading:
Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of Native America
Fire Study
Cold Mountain
Sick Puppy
Habibi
Book Concierge wrote: "
The Coincidence of Coconut Cake
– Amy E Reichert – 4****
What a deliciously delightful foodie romance! I liked the characters, and was inve..."
I usually use this post to find new book ideas to read and I wanted to thank you for this one! I've lived in Milwaukee, WI for so long and I've yet to read a book that takes place in the city. A romance story in Milwaukee? I was like whaaaaaaaa.
This author graduated from Marquette and as a fellow graduate, I would love to support her. All her books are now on my too-read list and, hopefully, I'll be able to fit them in next season.
Thank you for posting this book!
Shree wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: "The Coincidence of Coconut Cake
– Amy E Reichert – 4****
What a deliciously delightful foodie romance! I liked the ch..."
You're welcome, Shree. I'm also a Marquette grad (though a few decades before you!) ... I fell in love with winter that first year at Marquette, and decided to stay in Milwaukee after graduation.
Book Concierge wrote: "...I'm also a Marquette grad (though a few decades before you!) ... I fell in love with winter that first year at Marquette, and decided to stay in Milwaukee after graduation."Wow! I attended Marquette as a grad student...a LONG time ago.
Finished:
- 4*,
- 3.5*Cold Mountain - never got this book started before due back at library. oh, well.
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
Reading Champion. I'm glad to be finishing off the series. Young adult books, though are drawing me much less though, and it took a few years before I got around to this one. It's ok, but very YA.
After a month and half break from reading (and 2 CPA exams later...), I'm finally back at the library! I'm currently reading:
Book added to my to-read shelves for the purposes of a task. It's surprising how much fairy related novels I've read this season. (2 lol)
Also added for the purposes of a task. It seems funny but would've never picked this up on my own.
The series has been on my to-read/currently reading forever. I will read them. Even if it kills me.
Reading:Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of Native America - back on hold for now
Habibi
The Surgeon
Death: The High Cost of Living
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant
A Man Called Ove
I finished "The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff and going back to "The Couple Next Door"
Finished:
- 5*,
- 5*,
- 3.5*Reading:
Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of Native America - back on hold for now
Habibi
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant
A Man Called Ove
Finished
on May 14, 2017, 5*; and
on May 16, 2017, 4*. Now reading
.Jim
I finished "The Couple Next Door" and started "Fates and Furies"
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
Currently reading Hearts of Darkness, which was a surprise book. I was coming to the end and realized that I was only going to add up to 830 points, so I went through and found that I'd missed copying a 20 point task.
Finished:
- 4*,
- 4*Reading:
Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of Native America
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant
Wish You Were Here
At the Water's Edge
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
Currently reading The Sporting News Selects Baseball's 25 Greatest Teams by Lowell Reidenbaugh. It's a hardcover book from 1987 in which author Riedenbaugh, with a team of editors, selects and ranks baseball's 25 greatest teams which includes the 1927 New York Yankees (110-44, then an American League record for victories); the 1929-31 Philadelphia Athletics, whose 313-143 won-loss record was a major league record that still stands for victories in a three-year span; and the 1906 Chicago Cubs, whose 116-36 record and .763 winning percentage set a major league single-season record that still stands.Jim
A correction to my previous post: The 1929-31 Philadelphia Athletics set an American League record for most victories in three consecutive years with their 313 victories. The major league record was set by the 1906-8 Cubs with a record of 322-136. The 1907-8 Cubs were the first team in major league history to repeat as World Series champions.Jim
Finished!Ironside 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Very fast read and definitely YA, the characters had their teenage angst. I did love the fairy imagery.
The Librarian🌟🌟🌟
Even faster read than Ironside. Good quick thriller. Almost every male in this book had a wonderful disregard for women in some shape or form.
The Girl Who Played with Fire🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Probably the best of the three. It really has it's moments. They way the story comes together is brilliant. The place Larsson ended the book was almost perfect and amazingly horrible at the same time.
Starting: Changeless maybe....
Finished:
- 3* Reading:
Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of Native America
Wish You Were Here
At the Water's Edge
The Bonesetter's Daughter
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Eleven Seconds: A Story of Tragedy, Courage & Triumph
The Heretic Queen
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
Finished:
- 3*,
- 4*Reading:
Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of Native America
The Bonesetter's Daughter
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Eleven Seconds: A Story of Tragedy, Courage & Triumph
The Heretic Queen
First Among Sequels
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
Finished:
- 3*,
- 4*Will finish tomorrow:
- vacillating between 3-4*Reading:
Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of Native America
The Bonesetter's Daughter
First Among Sequels
'Til Death Do Us Part
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
Finished:
- 3*,
- 3*Reading:
The Bonesetter's Daughter
First Among Sequels
'Til Death Do Us Part
Cold Mountain
A Darkly Hidden Truth
The Name of the Wind
June 3- Currently ReadingTEXT –
We Are Called to Rise / Laura McBrideAUDIO in the car –
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry / Gabrielle ZavinMP3 Player AUDIO -
Catch-22 / Joseph Heller
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
Finished:
- 3*,
- 3.5* (rounded up to 4*)Reading:
'Til Death Do Us Part
Cold Mountain
A Darkly Hidden Truth
The Name of the Wind
The Underground Railroad
Currently reading Killers of the Flower Moon, Dodger (Why am I so late to the game in finding Terry Pratchett?), All the Time in the World: New and Selected Stories by E.L. Doctorow, American Gods, and re-reading On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.
Finished:
- 4*,
- 4*Reading:
Cold Mountain
The Name of the Wind
The Underground Railroad
A Tan and Sandy Silence
The Whole Town’s Talking – Fannie Flagg – 3***
This is Flagg’s fourth book about the residents of Elmwood Springs. In this volume, she tells the history of Elmwood Springs, beginning with the 1889 founding of the settlement and up to about 2020. This isn’t great literature, but Flagg spins a darn good yarn. It’s entertaining and full of lively characters.
LINK to my review
Finished:
- 3.5*Reading:
Cold Mountain - expect to complete 6/13
The Name of the Wind
The Underground Railroad
Plan to start 6/13:
The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever
Trust Me On This
Orphan Train
June 11 - Currently ReadingTEXT –
Love Walked In / Marisa de los SantosAUDIO in the car –
Something Rotten / Jasper FfordeMP3 Player AUDIO -
Jane Steele / Lyndsay Faye
A Burglar’s Guide to the City – Geoff Manaugh – 3***
Manaugh looks at architecture and the central role it plays in the crime of burglary. The book begins and ends with the 19th-century New York superburglar George Leonidas Leslie, who used his training as an architect to figure out new and unexpected ways to gain entry to building. There were parts of this book that I found completely fascinating, however Manaugh has a tendency towards repetition.
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
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The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
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I, Alex Cross (other topics)
Fox & I (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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Rainbow Rowell (other topics)
Liam Moiser (other topics)
Barbara Mertz (other topics)
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The Mighty Miss Malone – Christopher Paul Curtis – 4****
In Bud, Not Buddy, Bud met a precocious girl at a camp next to a railroad track near Flint, Michigan. That girl was Deza Malone and this is her story. I just love Deza Malone! She’s smart, courageous, resilient and big-hearted. The family’s journey is perilous at times, and Mrs Malone’s worry is well-founded. But they also have moments of joy, and meet with kindness and compassion from total strangers. Curtis doesn’t shy away from the tragedies of the era, but he also gives a strong message on the power of family unity, and of never giving up your dreams.
LINK to my review