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4th Annual Reading Challenge
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Lea's 12+4 Annual Reading Challenge
Bill wrote: "Not an author with whom I'm familiar."I think she's only written five books. I've only read her last two, and would recommend them both. This book won GRC Award for Mystery & Thriller, but I prefer her previous book and am curious about the earliest three. My libraries only have two of those on audio, so I'll probably try and read one of them soon.
Mod
I think she's only written five books. I've only read her last two, and would recommend them both. This book won GRC Award for Mystery & Thrille..."
Thanks, I'll check her out. I do like a good mystery.
Lea wrote: "Dear Ms. Moore,I recently finished The God of the Woods. While I think your writing is top notch and was entertained by the book, I must confess that I vastly preferred [book:Lon..."
Interesting Lea. I liked this book but did not love it. I agree the writing was stellar but I didn't enjoy a single character and I thought the overall story was....unlikely? For me it was a good book that didn't make it to a great book even though I wanted it to very much.
Bill wrote: "Thanks, I'll check her out. I do like a good mystery."I loved Long Bright River - that would be the first one to look for. :-)
Michelle wrote: "Interesting Lea. I liked this book but did not love it. I agree the writing was stellar but I didn't enjoy a single character and I thought the overall story was....unlikely? For me it was a good book that didn't make it to a great book even though I wanted it to very much."I agree with your assessment, Michelle. I also didn't enjoy the characters, could there BE a group that included more spineless, entitled, and/or crooked people? I mean, come on, every person has at least one of those qualities. And I had a lot of issues with the ending, but my main one is (view spoiler)
Lea wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Interesting Lea. I liked this book but did not love it. I agree the writing was stellar but I didn't enjoy a single character and I thought the overall story was....unlikely? For m..."I totally agree.
Dear Mr. Dahl,I might have read Matilda wrong. I might have fallen prey to having too high of expectations for this book. I might have been too old for this book when I finally got it read. I just know I have a couple of pet peeves for children's books, and this book just didn't hit right with me. If you have any issues with me not appreciating your work, you can commiserate with Judy Blume, who will reassure you that it is totally not you, it's all me.
Regretfully yours,
Lea
Lea wrote: "Dear Mr. Dahl,I might have read Matilda wrong. I might have fallen prey to having too high of expectations for this book. I might have been too old for this book when I finally got i..."
I'm laughing as I type. I haven't read Matilda but I always have problems with Roald Dahl as a children's author. All his stories have a hard edge to them as far as I'm concerned. Kids do still love them though. Love your letters. Keep them coming.
Michelle wrote: "I'm laughing as I type. I haven't read Matilda but I always have problems with Roald Dahl as a children's author. All his stories have a hard edge to them as far as I'm concerned. Kids do still love them though. Love your letters. Keep them coming."Yes! Two things I don't like to read, especially in children's books:
1. All of the ugly people are also bad inside, whereas all the pretty people are good inside.
2. Revenge heals and/or makes you feel better after you have been grievously abused.
I have found neither of those things to be true.
Lea wrote: "Dear Ms. Moore,I recently finished The God of the Woods. While I think your writing is top notch and was entertained by the book, I must confess that I vastly preferred [book:Lon..."
I completely agree. Beautiful writing, horrible characters, non-plausible ending...I liked it too, but did not love it. I have to read her Long Bright River.
Lea wrote: "Dear Mr. Dahl,I might have read Matilda wrong. I might have fallen prey to having too high of expectations for this book. I might have been too old for this book when I finally got i..."
**CLUNK**
that was my broken heart falling out of my chest
lol
Ioana wrote: "I completely agree. Beautiful writing, horrible characters, non-plausible ending...I liked it too, but did not love it. I have to read her Long Bright River."I hope you get a chance to read it and enjoy it. Either way, would love to hear your thoughts on it. I enjoyed comparing notes with you on The God of the Woods, even though we didn't read exactly simultaneously. :-)
Alissa wrote: "Lea wrote: "**CLUNK**that was my broken heart falling out of my chest
lol"
LOL, at least you HAD a heart. I'm not sure I ever have...proof is that I'm rating another 4.34 star book with 2 stars. :-) :-) :-)
I'm going to admit something here, I've never read a Roald Dahl. And the only movie adaption I've ever seen is of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. After reading your letter, I think I'll just stick with that, lol.
Lillie wrote: "I'm going to admit something here, I've never read a Roald Dahl. And the only movie adaption I've ever seen is of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. After reading your letter, I think I'll just stick with that, lol."I hadn't read Dahl either until three years ago. I loved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator and Matilda have not been as good to me.
Dear Ms. Hannah,I finished The Women and I liked it. I really think it was valuable to write a book dedicated to the women who served in Vietnam and to people who have PTSD and may have not received support because they weren't in combat. Being in a combat zone is enough, but survivor's guilt is real, and trauma is real. I loved that about the book. I had to say that some of the soap operatic parts of the book were less enjoyable, and that took me out of the experience a little bit. I do plan to read more of your books, but I'm not sure we're an exact reader/writer match.
All the best,
Lea
Lea wrote: "Dear Ms. Hannah,I finished The Women and I liked it. I really think it was valuable to write a book dedicated to the women who served in Vietnam and to people who have PTSD and m..."
Even though I have read several of her books and liked them, I have been undecided about reading this one. For one thing, I think the title is like the worst ever. I don't know why that bugs me so much, but it does. Anyway, glad you enjoyed it & I feel like I'll probably read it someday.
Patricia wrote: "Even though I have read several of her books and liked them, I have been undecided about reading this one. For one thing, I think the title is like the worst ever. I don't know why that bugs me so much, but it does. Anyway, glad you enjoyed it & I feel like I'll probably read it someday."I don't think you have to read every title by an author, even if you generally like her work. You can skip this one...or change your mind and decide to read it later. I'm glad I did, but I agree...the title is not the best. It bugs me that it really wasn't about a bunch of women, as the title suggests. It was really about one woman, with a few side characters thrown in. I think the author chose the title because "the women" as a group have been forgotten for their nursing service in the wars, particularly Vietnam. Her rationale did not make me love the title to the book, though. :-)
Lea wrote: "Dear Ms. Hannah,I finished The Women and I liked it. I really think it was valuable to write a book dedicated to the women who served in Vietnam and to people who have PTSD and m..."
I probably liked this more than you did, but only because I learned about a time and group of people I did not know much about. It was not perfect, but I appreciated that the focus was not on the war itself - although Matterhorn, where the focus is on the war itself is one of my favorites. Go figure.
Ioana wrote: "I probably liked this more than you did, but only because I learned about a time and group of people I did not know much about. It was not perfect, but I appreciated that the focus was not on the war itself - although Matterhorn, where the focus is on the war itself is one of my favorites. Go figure."I liked the book but thought that some of the plot twists were unnecessary and contributed to a soap opera feel for the book that I would have preferred to avoid.
I really want to read Healing Wounds: A Vietnam War Combat Nurse's 10-Year Fight to Win Women a Place of Honor in Washington, D.C.. My library has the audio, but it is an 8-week wait. I also want to read Matterhorn.
Lea wrote: "I really want to read Healing Wounds: A Vietnam War Combat Nurse's 10-Year Fight to Win Women a Place of Honor in Washington, D.C.."And just like that, I added one more book to my TBR...
Ioana wrote: "And just like that, I added one more book to my TBR..."LOL, hopefully it is good. Fingers crossed...
Dear Mr. Riordan,I loved the ending to Wrath of the Triple Goddess. There were some moments in the middle there where I wasn't sure about the pacing in the book and got a bit bored with some aspects to the quest, but you tied it all together in the end. This is a series that I keep "finishing" and you keep writing more books. I'm not complaining at all. Looking forward to the next installment.
Lea
Lea wrote: "Dear Mr. Riordan,I loved the ending to Wrath of the Triple Goddess. There were some moments in the middle there where I wasn't sure about the pacing in the book and got a bit bor..."
Is this the newest of his series? Every time I turn around, there seems to be a new one, lol. Good gift to give to my daughter as she loves Percy Jackson. She never got into Harry Potter but you mention Percy and she'll wax poetic
Lillie wrote: "Is this the newest of his series? Every time I turn around, there seems to be a new one, lol. Good gift to give to my daughter as she loves Percy Jackson. She never got into Harry Potter but you mention Percy and she'll wax poetic"Yes! He adds at least one book every year to the series, and my challenge is figuring out how all of the series books interconnect. I just saw that in Fall 2025 he is due to publish a new book in the Nico d'Angelo series, and 2026 will finish out Percy's senior year. I am really enjoying the series, glad your daughter loves them too. :-)
Dear Ms. Barnes,I just finished Games Untold: An Inheritance Games Collection, which I was not expecting to enjoy as much as I did. Rarely do I appreciate compilations of short stories as much as I should, but I have long felt that The Inheritance Games series books go on too long, so some of the shorter stories were paced better for me. That said, there were some stories that weren't my cup of tea and this book didn't make me want to go ahead and read The Grandest Game series, so there's that. All in all, I'm glad I read it, I can mark another series complete.
Regards,
Lea
Mod
Alondra wrote: "Already 10 books down, Lea!! Did you do 2 lists?? :)"No, just one! I don't think I've ever done two lists. Although my Individual Challenge is really like having six lists...but at least I have 5 years to get to the books! :-)
Dear Ms. Bishop,I watched Gilmore Girls during COVID, having to find something that was boring, but not too boring, to put me to sleep at night. I came to enjoy the series and I read Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls when it won the GRC Award in 2017.
I don't know that I would have read your book, The Third Gilmore Girl, if it hadn't won, but that would have been a mistake. The first chapters of your early life were eye opening! I had seen A Chorus Line, but I was much younger and did not make the connections.
I'm glad I read your book, and I wish you all the best.
Regards,
Lea
Mod
No, just one! I don't think I've ever done two lists. Although my Individual Challenge is really like having six lists...but a..."
Ahh, okay. Yes, you are right. The individual lists are a bunch of challenges all in one.
Dear Mr. Alston,I finished Amari and the Despicable Wonders, and I was pleasantly surprised. I hadn't enjoyed Amari and the Great Game as much as Amari and the Night Brothers, so I was wondering if I should continue. I think this was originally meant to be a trilogy, so I thought I'd just finish the last book...but then I found myself enjoying the book more than I expected and also discovered that you are writing two more books. I'm excited about continuing this story. I was disappointed with Quintin's character; he wasn't at all what I expected. I also felt like there were several plot holes. That said, I really loved the creativity and the twists and turns, and the way kids were kids here. I enjoyed it more than the last installment and there was an ending to this book. While I might quibble with the ending, it made things interesting and also makes me interested in reading the next one. Series complete...for now...
Regards,
Lea
Alondra wrote: "Already 10 books down, Lea!! Did you do 2 lists?? :)"She needs to................... ;-) ;-) ;-) :-)
Alissa wrote: "Alondra wrote: "Already 10 books down, Lea!! Did you do 2 lists?? :)"She needs to................... ;-) ;-) ;-) :-)"
LOL, maybe, but May was kind of a slow month. I've got to get back at it!
Mod
She needs to................... ;-) ;-) ;-) :-)"
She definitely needs to.
Alissa wrote: "wheres that listtttttttttttttttt lol"I cannot even read any of the books on this list. I'm so disappointed in myself this month. :-)
Edited to add: and last month. Two months of not reading anything on this list! Yikes!
Lea wrote: "Ioana wrote: "I probably liked this more than you did, but only because I learned about a time and group of people I did not know much about. It was not perfect, but I appreciated that the focus wa..."Oh wow, what a great find on that book on nurses from Vietnam. Just added it to my list!!!
Alissa wrote: "wheres that listtttttttttttttttt lol"Um... i second this!!! Bring on another list!!!!
Lindsey wrote: "Oh wow, what a great find on that book on nurses from Vietnam. Just added it to my list!!!"I need to get to it! Too many other books are line butting their way into my reading schedule, and I'm so moody that I'm tolerating all of this! :-) Maybe we can read it together when we both get it!!
Lindsey wrote: "Alissa wrote: "wheres that listtttttttttttttttt lol"Um... i second this!!! Bring on another list!!!!"
Maybe, if I can make any progress on this list. July is not looking too promising although I have pinky sworn to myself that I will finish at least one book on this list in July.
Dear Mr. Haidt,When your book The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness won the GRC Award for Nonfiction, I wasn't very excited. It was a very pleasant surprise, however. I do think there is much to say about the impact of smart phones on the youth of today and the anxiety kids experience is real. I'm not sure about all of the data and conclusions in the book, yet I do think that this is an important issue that requires more discussion and I think some of the solutions in your book would benefit the youth of today. I'm eager to read more of your books. I'm not sure we'd agree on everything, but I know we'd have a great discussion about it.
Regards,
Lea
I did think the author made some good points. It was the solutions that I had problems with. I did not disagree with them. I just thought they were over-simplifications. Like telling a smoker to just stop doing that.
Michelle wrote: "I did think the author made some good points. It was the solutions that I had problems with. I did not disagree with them. I just thought they were over-simplifications. Like telling a smoker to just stop doing that."Yes! And he seems to think the age boundaries on devices would reduce/eliminate children getting social media accounts. The Gen Z kiddos in my life were very clear about how they were able to circumvent any device boundaries on their phones. They know more about how to get around those than we know about how to get them on. And not all parents enforce the same boundaries, so they switch devices. I have to applaud the ingenuity and understand we did the same things - how many of us were exactly where we told our parents that we were going to be? :-)
Dear Ms. Bradley,I really enjoyed reading The Ministry of Time, despite the fact that I usually quibble with time travel novels, this one seemed a bit easier because you don't try to explain how the device works. I enjoyed the connection to history - the search for the Northwest Passage and the disaster that followed. Your book has so much in it - it's hard to know whether it is science fiction, historical fiction, romance or a spy thriller. Most of it worked, but it had a lot going on. I have a lot of questions, but it might be best that they aren't answered. The pacing on the book was a bit off as well - it is a very slow start and then it just ends. I would have preferred a little more speed at the beginning and a little less speed at the end. However, overall, this is an ambitious work and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I definitely want to read more of your work.
Your newest fan,
Lea
Mod
I really enjoyed reading The Ministry of Time, despite the fact that I usually quibble with time travel novels, this one seemed a bit easier because you don't tr..."
It sounds like it might be interesting.
Bill wrote: "It sounds like it might be interesting."It's very different, Bill, and that's what I liked about it. It does start out slow, but I could not put it down after I got into it.
Mod
I really enjoyed reading The Ministry of Time, despite the fact that I usually quibble with time travel novels, this one seemed a bit easier because you don't tr..."
Mmmm. That gives me a lot to think about. I have been waffling on it; but at least its under 400 pages. Time travel is not my favorite Sci-Fi.
edit!!!! CONGRATS ON COMPLETING YOUR CHALLENGE! LOL
Alondra wrote: "Mmmm. That gives me a lot to think about. I have been waffling on it; but at least its under 400 pages. Time travel is not my favorite Sci-Fi.edit!!!! CONGRATS ON COMPLETING YOUR CHALLENGE! LOL"
You know, I'd recommend The Ministry of Time as long as you know going in that the set up is going to be a bit slow.
Thanks for the congratulations! I'm hoping to read the last two books as well - one of which is a Stephen King book that you loved and recommended. I'm still super excited about my last two and I have four and a half months to read two books...so I should get it done...but never underestimate my powers of procrastination. So many great books keep line-butting their way ahead! :-)
Mod
Thanks for the congratulations! I'm hoping to read the last two books as well - one of which is a Stephen King book that you loved and recommended. I'm still super excited about my last two.."
Okay, let me look thru some reviews.
I really enjoyed You Like it Darker. Some are more weird, then it gets to the end of the story, and it becomes unsettling. I think one was Willie the Weirdo?? Ugh. Great story because it went totally left.
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Books mentioned in this topic
The Ministry of Time (other topics)The Ministry of Time (other topics)
The Ministry of Time (other topics)
The Ministry of Time (other topics)
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
E.B. White (other topics)Roald Dahl (other topics)
B.B. Alston (other topics)
Jennifer Lynn Barnes (other topics)
Kelly Bishop (other topics)
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I recently finished The God of the Woods. While I think your writing is top notch and was entertained by the book, I must confess that I vastly preferred [book:Lon..."
Not an author with whom I'm familiar.