January Motif

[Tanya Patrice, Mod]

The Motif (theme) for January is ...

“Punctuated Titles” - Read a book that uses a form of punctuation in its title. Question marks, commas, periods, exclamation marks, etc.

Share with us! Which book did you read and what did you think of it.

[Tanya Patrice, Mod]

Challenge complete!
Punctuation: Apostrophe in the title
A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay
Quite an entertaining read.

[Cecil]

Challenge complete!
Punctuation: Question mark (This was a tricky assignment, other than apostrophes, not too many to pick from!)
Book: Where Are the Children? by Mary Higgins Clark

An older book, but not lacking for suspense and interest. Very much enjoyed this one. Now will have to read the recent follow up before I forget the background details.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Devika]

I read Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands

[Jennifer]

• Summer’s End - Kristy Brown
- Summer Solstice # 1
- Urban Fantasy/Romance/YA
- Finished: January 12th.
- 1 star on Goodreads. *SPOILERS*

This book went straight into the trash bin when I was done reading it. I only finished it because it fulfills part of a reading challenge I’m doing. My head hurts, and I don’t even have the mental energy to write a comprehensive review on why it was so fucking terrible. Or the fortitude to be nice about it. So here are all of my raw thoughts, just copied and pasted from my updates while reading.
Page 15: DOONEY? I'm sorry, but that's the stupidest fucking name ever. Storyline better be able to carry that.
Page 53: Oh no. Listen, if this guy is supposed to be an amazing killing machine, trained since he was 4, and supposedly no one has been able to beat him since he was 8......how the fuck am I supposed to believe a few high school jocks can take him down, even momentarily. And "hitting the tall one right in his special place"? C'mon now. Do better.
Page 54: Oh, my bad. I forgot this is university, not high school.
In my defence though, they're all acting like a bunch of immature jackass high school kids...
Page 126: Ah, shit. And now we've taken a religious turn...
page 128: I'm this close to DNF -ing, I swear. The light has to remain "pure"...what kind of misogynistic dogshit is this.
Page 135: More tingles in my "area"
Page 151: I can't get over the whole naming his bike Shelly and treating it like a real woman/person.
Page 159: Alex. My dude. You're being such a fucking creep right now. Stop.
Page 160: Holy shit, when u think it can't get worse. "I'm still a guy with needs". Gross.
Page 161: Seriously, what was the author thinking here??? Alex's thoughts and attitude are absolute trash. He's disgusting. "I just want to be a normal teen for once. I should get points, I mean I could 'do' anyone, but the fact that I don't...I should get brownie points, right?" JESUS CHRIST.
Page 162: And it just keeps getting worse.
Page 169: Shittiest angel back-stories I've ever read.

[Gilda]

Challenge Complete: Withered + Sere by T.J. Klune

This is not at all what I’ve come to expect from Klune. To say it’s dark is putting it mildly. There’s been a nuclear war and the people who remain are barely keeping it together. Some have resorted to cannibalism. The world is a dreary place.

Just about everyone is broken in some way; Cavalo and his prisoner both hear “bees” a lot. Maybe too much. I get it; they’re not playing with a full deck. Get on with it. I did feel that there was too much emphasis on the fact that Cavalo is going insane. And in a sort of convenient way. Just as things are going along well, BAM, he loses it and does something really stupid.

What makes the book for me are Cavalo’s two companions. SIRS, the robot, is slowly degrading, his processors dying. But he’s still a likable sort. The best, of course, is Bad Dog. Found by Cavalo as a puppy, he is devoted to “MasterBossLord.” I love that Cavalo can hear Bad Dog’s thoughts. Or at least that’s what we’re led to believe and I’m going to believe it.

I’d like to read the sequel, but only if Bad Dog survives; I’m funny that way.

[Lynna]

Punctuation: Apostrophe in the title
Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History

[Patty]

Punctuation: Apostrophe in the title

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

A delightful book!

[❄ Nina ❄]

Challenge complete: Apostrophe, colon and comma in the title...

I read Breaking the Code: A Father's Secret, a Daughter's Journey, and the Question That Changed Everything by Karen Fisher-Alaniz and it was an okay read...

[Tanya Patrice, Mod]

@Jennifer - I loved reading your summary - even though the book was trash :-)

[Jus]

Would “Fodor’s Florida” count for this challenge? It’s a travel book.

[Kimberly, Mod - @Chapter_Adventure]

This month I read What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena. Lapena is always a solid mystery read for me and this one was no different. I read through it pretty fast and gave it 4stars.

[Yalonda]

I am loving the motifs so far :-)

CHALLENGE COMPLETE: I read "Who Left That Body in the Rain?" and am just not sure what I think of this author. I read a previous book and loved it but this one ... meh. Maybe it hits too close to home as a Southern of a not-so-wealthy family. Maybe it is just so different from my normal fare. Whatever the reason, I did not enjoy as much as I could.


I am also finishing "Shall We Tell the President?" - audiobook version. It is a catchy little mystery about the plot to assassinate the 43rd President of the USA - and the Prez is a female! Can't wait to see how it turns out :-)

[Jerikay]

For January I read PS, I Love You by Cecilia Ahern

I enjoyed it. There's some differences between the movie and the book. Also, I did not realize there was a sequel, so I will be adding that to my list and reading in the near future.

[Bev]

For January, I read The Devil's Flute Murders by Seishi Yokomizo

[Indy_Chick]

I am so behind posting!!

I actually read two books for this month:

Nobody's Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips This has to be one of the worst books I've ever read, and I wish I could give zero stars on Goodreads. I've probably had it for at least 20-25 years. I decided this year I was going to make a serious dent in my physical library and since it met the criteria for the month, I actually finished it, but it took me a while, and I almost threw it against the wall a few times. I can't believe this was written in 1997; it felt like it was from the 1960's! I really should have DNF'd this!

Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life... by Spencer Johnson - I know this is a "classic" and used in business a lot, but I just don't get it. I really didn't find it helpful or inspiring. If this hadn't been so short, I would have DNF'd it. I didn't own this, but it's been on my library wish list for a very long time.

I did poorly picking challenge books this month!