Carol J's 2020 Completed Reading Challenge

[Carol]

58. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - Miss Fanny Price is brought into her uncle's home. She feels like an outsider. *** 2/27/2020

[Elyse, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "Juli wrote: "Carol wrote: "57. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole - Early gothic horror written in the late 1700s. ** 2/27/2020"

Ooooh, that doesn't bo..."

Librivox is the same, volunteer narrators.

[Juli, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "Juli wrote: "Carol wrote: "57. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole - Early gothic horror written in the late 1700s. ** 2/27/2020"

Ooooh, that doesn't bo..."

Good to know!

[Carol]

59. Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II by Robert Matzen - There have been lots of biographies on Audrey Hepburn, but this one concentrates on her early life, most of which happened during WWII. **** 2/28/2020

[Elyse, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "59. Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II by Robert Matzen - There have been lots of biographies on Audrey Hepburn, but this o..."

Oh I have this one too. Glad you liked it!

[Carol]

Elyse wrote: "Carol wrote: "59. Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II by Robert Matzen - There have been lots of biographies on Audrey Hepbu...

Oh I have this one too. Glad you liked it!"

It was really good.

[Carol]

60. Thunder Bay by William Kent Krueger - This story was mostly about Henry Meloux, who asked Cork's help to find his son. **** 2/29/2020

[Carol]

61. Gone Rogue by Marissa Meyer - This is the second graphic novel spin off of The Lunar Chronicles. The Earth and Luna are tentatively getting along, but the mutant wolf soldiers (that the former evil queen had created) are on earth wreaking havoc. **** 3/2/2020

[Carol]

62. The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice - This is the 3rd book in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. The author weaved 3 separate stories together. I was not into this book that much until the last 10%. I may try one more book in the series... ***3/24/2020

[Juli, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "62. The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice - This is the 3rd book in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. The author weaved 3 separate stories together. I was not..."

I loved the movie (though I haven't rewatched since I was a teenager).

[Elyse, Moderator]

Juli wrote: "Carol wrote: "62. The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice - This is the 3rd book in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. The author weaved 3 separate stories toget..."

Oh gosh I hated the movie!! lol. Aaliyah's acting was horrendous, even Stuart Townsend's acting was bad.

[Carol]

Juli wrote: "Carol wrote: "62. The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice - This is the 3rd book in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. The author weaved 3 separate stories toget..."

I haven't watched it yet...just ordered it from the library.

[Carol]

63. Xingu by Edith Wharton - A satire against psuedointellectualism. *** 3/5/2020

[Juli, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "Juli wrote: "Carol wrote: "62. The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice - This is the 3rd book in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. The author weaved 3 separate ..."

Let me know what you think.

[Carol]

Juli wrote: "Carol wrote: "Juli wrote: "Carol wrote: "62. The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice - This is the 3rd book in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. The author weav..."

Well... I liked it, but thought it meandered a bit. Maybe that is b/c I am not so invested in the series. I thought it could have been a lot shorter, but I guess I get what she was trying to do with the different story lines. Don't know yet if I will continue.

[Carol]

64. - Luke Ellis was kidnapped from his home one night and taken to a place called The Instiute. **** 3/7/2020

[Carol]

65. Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3 by Robert Matzen - What a good book of the life and tragic death of Carole Lombard. **** 3/8/2020

[Carol]

66. Aunty Lee's Delights by Ovidia Yu - A new series for me. Really enjoyed it. Aunty Lee a Singaporean senior citizen, runs an eatery. While throwing a soiree, she finds out about a death of a mutual acquaintance. She just might have to look into things. **** 3/9/2020

[Juli, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "66. Aunty Lee's Delights by Ovidia Yu - A new series for me. Really enjoyed it. Aunty Lee a Singaporean senior citizen, runs an eatery. While throwing a so..."

This sounds super cute! I need to keep this in mind for my cozy holiday reads!

[Carol]

Juli wrote: "Carol wrote: "66. Aunty Lee's Delights by Ovidia Yu - A new series for me. Really enjoyed it. Aunty Lee a Singaporean senior citizen, runs an eatery. While..."

It was really good. Her next few books in the series got better reviews.

[Carol]

67. Red Knife by William Kent Krueger - Cork O'Conner is investigating another murder. This time he is pulled between the two different parts of his heritage. **** 3/10/2020

[Carol]

68. The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman - Mrs. Pollifax is sent on assignment to Bulgaria to drop off something very important. ***** 3/10/2020

[Carol]

69. The Council of Twelve by Oliver Pötzsch - I am sad, this is the last book in The Hangman's Daughter series. Jakob Kuisl brings his family to Munich to support him at The Council of Twelve. A meeting of the 12 top hangmen in the area. As usual, the family seems to stumble over trouble. **** 3/10/2020

[Elyse, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "69. The Council of Twelve by Oliver Pötzsch - I am sad, this is the last book in The Hangman's Daughter series. Jakob Kuisl brings his family to Munich to..."

Oyyy I still need to catch up on this series!

[Juli, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "69. The Council of Twelve by Oliver Pötzsch - I am sad, this is the last book in The Hangman's Daughter series. Jakob Kuisl brings his family to Munich to..."

How do you feel about the writing???? I know this is a German series and I feel the English just seems so clunky!

[Carol]

Juli wrote: "Carol wrote: "69. The Council of Twelve by Oliver Pötzsch - I am sad, this is the last book in The Hangman's Daughter series. Jakob Kuisl brings his famil..."

Well, I am no expert, but I thought it was good. I listened to the audio book which was read by Grover Gardner and he was a rock and roll star. He could have made directions to a DVD player sound good. I put The Ludwig Conspiracy on my reading list.

[Elyse, Moderator]

Juli wrote: "Carol wrote: "69. The Council of Twelve by Oliver Pötzsch - I am sad, this is the last book in The Hangman's Daughter series. Jakob Kuisl brings his famil..."

It is clunky! I find myself struggling through the books but ending up liking the story as a whole in the end. Maybe I should try audio for the last few!

[Carol]

Elyse wrote: "Juli wrote: "Carol wrote: "69. The Council of Twelve by Oliver Pötzsch - I am sad, this is the last book in The Hangman's Daughter series. Jakob Kuisl bri..."

I listened to them all on audio and had no problem.

[Carol]

70. Stars Above by Marissa Meyer - Short stories and a novelette that are prequels and fill in the blanks for the main characters in The Lunar Chronicles. **** 3/12/2020

[Carol]

71. Warriors of the Storm by Bernard Cornwell - Another Saxon Story featuring Uhtred Uhtredsen. The Northmen are still a threat to the land now called England. Uhtred defends the land. **** 3/14/2020

[Elyse, Moderator]

Holy cowwwwww, Carol, we've only had 46 days this year and you've read 71 books!!! I'm so impressed!

[Andrea, Moderator]

Wow, that is nuts Carol! Bravo!!

[Carol]

72. Arsenic with Austen by Katherine Bolger Hyde - Emily inherits a fortune from her great aunt, including a mansion and some real estate. This is just the tip of a deadly iceberg. Lots of literary references included in this mystery. *** 3/14/2020

[Carol]

Elyse wrote: "Holy cowwwwww, Carol, we've only had 46 days this year and you've read 71 books!!! I'm so impressed!"

Thanks Elyse and Andrea. Am just trying to make the best use of my free time. I listen to a lot of audio books. It drives my hubby crazy.

[Carol]

73. High Five by Janet Evanovich - Stephanie's Uncle Fred is missing and her aunt asked her to find him. Plus a whole lot of other stuff is going on that could risk Stephanie's life. **** 3/16/2020

[Carol]

74. The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald - The story of a woman who opens a bookshop in a small town. At the end of the story, she has an epiphany. ** 3/16/2020

[Carol]

74. The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald - The story of a woman who opens a bookshop in a small town. At the end of the story, she has an epiphany. ** 3/16/2020

[Carol]

74. The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald - The story of a woman who opens a bookshop in a small town. At the end of the story, she has an epiphany. ** 3/16/2020

[Carol]

75. Wildflower by Drew Barrymore - What a sweet, fun, heartwarming memior. Rolling through Drew's life. I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by her. You got to feel her joy and her struggles. ***** 3/17/2020

[Juli, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "75. Wildflower by Drew Barrymore - What a sweet, fun, heartwarming memior. Rolling through Drew's life. I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by her. You got..."

This sounds like something I need to check out!

[Carol]

76. Hot Six by Janet Evanovich - Stephanie has so much going on in her life. She seems to have two guys trying to get her attention, bad skin and her bounty hunter job. Plus, her Gra'ma moves in with her! *** 3/18/2020

[Carol]

77. Straight River by Chris Norbury - A solid crime novel about a good guy that keeps getting a raw deal, but that doesn't stop him from righting a wrong that is seeping into his county and affecting him and his neighbors. I want to tell you more about the story, but I don't want to spoil it. Let's just say, for the local Minnesotans, you will recognize lots of locations in the book. For the rest, this story had a couple of unique hooks. **** 3/19/2020

[Elyse, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "75. Wildflower by Drew Barrymore - What a sweet, fun, heartwarming memior. Rolling through Drew's life. I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by her. You got..."

I enjoyed this one. I will always listen to memoirs vs reading them if the author narrates. It's so worth it.

[Charleen]

Elyse wrote: "I enjoyed this one. I will always listen to memoirs vs reading them if the author narrates. It's so worth it."

I agree. I read most of my nonfiction by audio anyway, but especially if it's someone narrating their own story.

[Carol]

Elyse wrote: "Carol wrote: "75. Wildflower by Drew Barrymore - What a sweet, fun, heartwarming memior. Rolling through Drew's life. I listened to the audiobook which is narrated b..."

Drew was AWESOME narrating it. You really felt her emotions. Am considering reading her book, Little Girl, Lost, but I think it would be a very different book and she was a different person at the time of writing it...

[Carol]

78. Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne - Professor Liedenbrock, a famous geologist has a theory that one could travel to the center of the earth, so he goes on a journey through an Icelandic volcano taking with him his nephew, and a tour guide, Hans. **** 3/21/2020

[Juli, Moderator]

Elyse wrote: "Carol wrote: "75. Wildflower by Drew Barrymore - What a sweet, fun, heartwarming memior. Rolling through Drew's life. I listened to the audiobook which is narrated b..."

Same!!!!

[Juli, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "Elyse wrote: "Carol wrote: "75. Wildflower by Drew Barrymore - What a sweet, fun, heartwarming memior. Rolling through Drew's life. I listened to the audiobook which..."

I am listening to this one right now too and I agree. I love Drew.

I am also listening to Jessica Simpson's Open Book and she too gets really emotional reading it. I am quite impressed with the book so far.

[Carol]

79. The Godfather by Mario Puzo - The story of the Corleone family and the head of it, the Godfather. ***** 3/24/2020

[Carol]

Juli wrote: "Carol wrote: "Elyse wrote: "Carol wrote: "75. Wildflower by Drew Barrymore - What a sweet, fun, heartwarming memior. Rolling through Drew's life. I listened to the a..."

Thanks Juli, I will have to check that Jessica Simpson book out.