Read 100+ Books in 2012 discussion
June challenge
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My June picks:1. Read a book that is the 6th book in a series or by an author.
2. Read a book with a J-U-N-E in the title or the author's name.
"Calico Joe" by John Grisham
"The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck
3. To honor those June brides, read a book about a wedding.
4. In remembrance of D-Day, read a book about WWII.
"The Wayward Bus" by John Steinbeck.
5. To honor graduates, read a book about coming of age.
"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
6. Read a book you had on a previous list but did not have time to read during the month it was listed.
7. In honor of summer, read a book about summer.
8. Read a book set in a place within 500 miles of your home.
"Southland" by Nina Revoyr
"The Reversal" by Michael Connelly
9. Your choice
"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot.
"The Black Echo" by Michael Connelly.
"The Whore's Child" by Richard Russo
Just started reading "The Wayward Bus" by John Steinbeck. "The Wayward Bus is a novel by American author John Steinbeck, originally published in 1947. The novel contains several references to the recent Second World War and America's attempts to adjust to life in the immediate postwar era. No single character dominates The Wayward Bus. The viewpoint shifts frequently from one character to another, often taking the form of internal monologue so that we are experiencing a given character's thoughts. Much of the novel's length is simply devoted to establishing and delineating the various characters. This novel takes place firmly within "Steinbeck country": most of the narrative occurs at Rebel Corners, a crossroads 42 miles south of San Ysidro, California."
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4/9, 17 books
1. Read a book that is the 6th book in a series or by an author--Deadly Sins by Kylie Brant.
2. Read a book with a J-U-N-E in the title or the author's name--Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James--finished 6/1/12
3. To honor those June brides, read a book about a wedding--Wedding Magic by Patricia Coughlin--finished 6/16/12.
4. In remembrance of D-Day, read a book about WWII--In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson--finished 6/26/12.
5. To honor graduates, read a book about coming of age.
6. Read a book you had on a previous list but did not have time to read during the month it was listed--Fear of Falling by Susan Kiernan-Lewis.
7. In honor of summer, read a book about summer.
8. Read a book set in a place within 500 miles of your home--Remember Me by Cheryl Robinson.
9. Your choice--The Maltese Falcon by Dashell Hammett--finished 6/18/12
Bonus reads:
Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James--finished 6/5/12
Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James--finished 6/7/12
Chase & Seduction by Randi Alexander--finished 6/11/12
Rescue Me by Rachel Gibson--finished 6/14/12
Freedom: The Rake and the Recluse, book 1 by Jenn LeBlanc--finished 6/19/12
Found: The Rake and the Recluse, book 2 by Jenn LeBlanc--finished 6/20/12
Taken: The Rake and the Recluse, book 3 by Jenn LeBlanc--finished 6/21/12
Ruination: The Rake and the Recluse, book 4 by Jenn LeBlanc--finished 6/22/12
The Perfect Servant by Rosanna Cole--finished 6/22/12
His Gift by Gillian Colbert--finished 6/22/12
Submission: The Rake and the Recluse, book 5 by Jenn LeBlanc--finished 6/22/12
3 Wee Peas byLaura Yarik--finished 6/22/12
Retribution: The Rake and the Recluse, book 6 by Jenn LeBlanc--finished 6/23/12
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1. Read a book that is the 6th book in a series or by an author.The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie
2. Read a book with a J-U-N-E in the title or the author's name.
A Death in Family by James Agee
3. To honor those June brides, read a book about a wedding.
Fools Rush In by Janice Thompson
4. In remembrance of D-Day, read a book about WWII.
Why Aren't You Sweet Like Me? by Carrie Nyman
5. To honor graduates, read a book about coming of
age.
Ink by Holly Hood
6. Read a book you had on a previous list but did not have time to read during the month it was listed.
Chime by Franny Billingsley
7. In honor of summer, read a book about summer.
Practice Cake byDalya Moon
8. Read a book set in a place within 500 miles of your home.
Never Mind Nirvana: A Novel by Mark Lindquist
9. Your choice
You're Next byGregg Hurwitz
The Devil's Hour by J. Carson Black
Talk of the Town by Lisa Wingate
The Witness by Dee Henderson
Finished "Ink" by Holly Hood last night. I have to say though, I kind of expected a little bit more from this book. It took almost half of the book for the real storyline to get started and then I realized it's basically Twilight but with witches instead of vampires. I think this is classified as YA novel, but I wouldn't let any of the teenagers I know read it because of the graphic sex scenes.
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It's coming along. He only has excited piddles inside, and he's super good when it comes to kids and strangers (not typical of min pins at all). Which means we must be doing a good job of socializing him. He's learned ball as in go get me your ball and he will get it. He's been sleeping through the night since we got him but never more than 8 hours at a time. He's a total sweetheart. Always cuddles me when I've had a bad day. But if I could get him to stop chewing on me I'd be super happy!
Thanks Manda, it's been a crazy couple of months around here. And naturally with it being almost summer, I'm still finding time to read, it's the time to go online and discuss what I am reading that I don't have anymore.I'll try your suggestions, sometimes though I swear I have like 3 different dogs in one! I've found if I wrap my hand and arm in his blanket he'll just sit there an chew on that. Sometimes he will pinch me, but not too bad.
Finished Chime today. I know this book has gotten mixed reviews and to be honest I'd never even heard of it but my cousin bought it for me for my birthday and I have to say this is one of the better books I've read in a long time! I don't know what it is about this book. It it was the first book I've read in a long time where I just found myself so immersed in the story that I wasn't wondering about who the murderer was. I thought it was a wonderfully told story, but I would also say that of you don't like supernatural things like witches, faeries and demons this probably isn't for you. 5/5 star read for me.
I think Chime is one of those books where you are either going to love it or hate it. And combines ancient mythology with more modern times (not our times, but around whenever the motor car was invented, sorry it's Monday and I don't feel too smart). I just like the blending of the two different worlds, spiritual and real.
Finished reading this afternoon "The Wayward Bus" by John Steinbeck. Now reading "Southland" by Nina Revoyr, a terrific writer whom I got to meet just a few months ago."Southland brings us a fascinating story of race, love, murder and history, against the backdrop of an ever-changing Los Angeles. A young Japanese-American woman, Jackie Ishida, is in her last semester of law school when her grandfather, Frank Sakai, dies unexpectedly. While trying to fulfill a request from his will, Jackie discovers that four African-American boys were killed in the store Frank owned during the Watts Riots of 1965. Along with James Lanier, a cousin of one of the victims, Jackie tries to piece together the story of the boys’ deaths. In the process, she unearths the long-held secrets of her family’s history."
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Wayward Bus sounds good. I'lll have to give it a try.
Kristy,
Chime sounds interesting also.
Manda,
50 Shades of Grey is a Harlequin or Mills & Boone with a lot of sex. The sex is graphic, but for all the hype about it being BDSM, there are very few scenes of BDSM. I like the story. I am totally immersed in book 2, Fifty Shades Darker, which picks up where 50 Shades of Grey ends. You have to read it in order. I have read much more hard core BDSM than this. This is soft core at best. If you know nothing about BDSM, you will be shocked. If you do, you'll be asking where is it. But it is a good story and worth reading.
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Finished "A Death in the Family" by James Agee today. I really liked this book,even though it was heartbreakingly sad. I like how the author showed the same situation through many different eyes. And the writing itself was quite poetic.
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Some of it is kind of hard to read, when it's the son. It's literally trying to follow the thoughts of a child. But its worth it I think.
Just finished "Why aren't you sweet like me?" by Carrie Nyman. Here is my review:Not what I would call a love story for the ages. I had a hard time believing the two main characters even liked each other, let alone be madly in love with one another. I know this is based on letters between the authors grandparents, but the story was lacking any emotion. I probably would have loved this book, probably would have cried even if I had cared about either of the characters at all.
Set in WWII times the story follows Camille and Don in their courtship, marriage and his being sent to France. One star read for me.
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Oh, sorry I do know that many people did like it. I'm just picky sometimes.
Finished reading "Southland" by Nina Revyor, a very good story about post WWII in Los Angeles and its effects on the community.Now reading "The Reversal" by Michael Connelly,
Traveling to northern California on vacation so we'll be listeing to the audio book "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot.
We'll end our vacation by driving to Salinas to visit the John Steinbeck Museum, something I've wanting to do for some time now.
Good reading to all!
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I've had to suspend the childrens book on audio as i'm losing the plot and have changed it to 1Q84.
I'm not abandoning the childrens book though..."
It might be you don't want the story to end so that makes it last longer.
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This morning, I finished listening to "You're Next" by Greg Horowitz, I have to say that I was really enjoying this book, until I found out why people were trying to kill the main character. It kind of unraveled the whole premise for me. I also finished reading Never Mind Nirvana which is set in Seattle, WA. I think this book is meant for someone who is a little more into the local band scene than I am. It dropped a lot of names, some of which I knew and some I didn't. I have to say though, that I always enjoy reading about places I've been.
Although the book isn't about music, exactly the main character is loosely based on the author, former singer of a local band who goes on to become a prosecuting attorney, I would say this is more about growing up and realizing the differences between the life you have the life you want to have and how sometimes you are your own worst enemy.
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Finished reading Practice Cake by Dayla Moon.Another free Kindle book, but I enjoyed this one! Maddie just graduated high school and is looking for a summer job. She takes a job as a bakers assistant in a local bakery, to earn money for a car.
She's torn between her boyfriend Parker and a hot new co-worker named Drew. She's also wondering how the small local bakery is going to compete with a new large corporate bakery moving in blocks away.
I found it slightly improbable that her boss would let someone who has worked there for a week just use his supplies and kitchen for baking test ideas, but naturally she found a winner. Which also scored them their own reality show.
The book kept my interest, made me chuckle a couple of times and REALLY made me want to eat some cookies.
Back from vacationing in the Sequoia's and Central California. Had an opportunity to visit the John Steinbeck Museum in Salinas - A terrific place to visit!Finished reading the following:
"Southland" by Nina Revoyr
"The Reversal" by Michael Connelly
"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (an audio book)" by Rebecca Skloot
Now reading "The Black Echo" by Michael Connelly. This is Book #2 of the Harry Bosch series: "Narcotics officer Cal Moore's orders were to look into the city's latest drug killing. Instead, he ends up in a motel room with a fatal bullet wound to the head and a suicide note stuffed in his back pocket. Working the case, LAPD detective Harry Bosch is reminded of the primal police rule he learned long ago: Don't look for the facts, but the glue that holds them together. Soon Harry's making some very dangerous connections, starting with a dead cop and leading to a bloody string of murders that wind from Hollywood Boulevard to the back alleys south of the border. Now this battle-scarred veteran will find himself in the center of a complex and deadly game-one in which he may be the next and likeliest victim."
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Finished "Fools Rush In" last night. I gave it one star, but I'm afraid that even that was being a little too generous.There really isn't a way for me to say this without seeming anti-religious (which I'm not, just anti-preachy people/books). But the amount of bible verses and preaching in this book really started to bug me.
And that's all I'm going to say about this because I'm sure I could rant on and on about this book. Let's just say that the whole time I was reading it, all I could think of was that if this weren't a christian book (and I know, shame on me for not making sure before I downloaded it, but hey it was free so I just lost a few hours of my life), all the main characters would have been crazy psycho-stalkers. Which definitely would have been a better book.
Ok, now I'm done.
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This afternoon I finished reading "The Black Ice" by Michael Connelly - Book 3 of the Harry Bosch series.Why read Harry Bosch? "She turned for the last time and walked to the car, her high heels clicking on the asphalt once she left the carpet of grass. Bosch leaned back against the tree and watched the driver open the door for her. Then he lit a cigarette and watched as the sleek black machine carried her out the gate and left him alone with the dead."
The End
Now reading "Calico Joe" by John Grisham. "It began quietly enough with a pulled hamstring. The first baseman for the Cubs AAA affiliate in Wichita went down as he rounded third and headed for home. The next day, Jim Hickman, the first baseman for the Cubs, injured his back. The team suddenly needed someone to play first, so they reached down to their AA club in Midland, Texas, and called up a twenty-one-year-old named Joe Castle. He was the hottest player in AA and creating a buzz.
In the summer of 1973 Joe Castle was the boy wonder of baseball, the greatest rookie anyone had ever seen. The kid from Calico Rock, Arkansas dazzled Cub fans as he hit home run after home run, politely tipping his hat to the crowd as he shattered all rookie records.
Calico Joe quickly became the idol of every baseball fan in America, including Paul Tracey, the young son of a hard-partying and hard-throwing Mets pitcher. On the day that Warren Tracey finally faced Calico Joe, Paul was in the stands, rooting for his idol but also for his Dad. Then Warren threw a fastball that would change their lives forever…"
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Sheila wrote: "I like that Grisham is moving into different genres of writing. I loved his "Skipping Christmas.""Haven't read "Skipping Christmas," it's on my list. My favorite Grisham works are "A Painted House" and "Playing for Pizza," both non-lawyer books. Have you read any of these 2? If not give them a read.
Playing for Pizza was a great book! I too enjoy that he's branching out. A Painted House is going on my to-read list!
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Haven't read "Skipping Christmas," it's on my list. My favorite Grisham works are..."
I haven't but I have Playing for Pizza on my TBR list. Actually I think I have it in my pile of borrowed books.
Finished "Calico Joe" by John Gisham this afternoon - 5/5 stars for me (me being an avid baseball fan) terrific ending that had me shed a few tears . . . Ok, maybe more than a few! My favorite line in the story?"Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't go to yours," as quoted by Yogi Berra.
Now reading "The Whore's Child" by Richard Russo.
"To this irresistible debut collection of short stories, Richard Russo brings the same bittersweet wit, deep knowledge of human nature, and spellbinding narrative gifts that distinguish his best-selling novels. His themes are the imperfect bargains of marriage; the discoveries and disillusionments of childhood;the unwinnable battles men and women insist on fighting with the past.
A cynical Hollywood moviemaker confronts his dead wife’s lover and abruptly realizes the depth of his own passion. As his parents’ marriage disintegrates, a precocious fifth-grader distracts himself with meditations on baseball, spaghetti, and his place in the universe. And in the title story, an elderly nun enters a college creative writing class and plays havoc with its tidy notions of fact and fiction. The Whore’s Child is further proof that Russo is one of the finest writers we have, unsparingly truthful yet hugely compassionate and capable of creating characters real that they seem to step off the page.
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Sheila wrote: "Just finished In the Garden of Beasts. Excellent read. It is about the early days of Hitler's regime. This tells the story of William Dodd as he becomes the American Ambassador to Germany in 193..."Thanks for the overview . . . It's on my list of 'Books to Read.' What's next on your list?
Finshed reading Richard Russo's collection of short stories, "The Whore's Child." Now reading "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck:"The novel focuses on the Joads, a poor family of sharecroppers driven from their Oklahoma home by drought, economic hardship, and changes in financial and agricultural industries. Due to their nearly hopeless situation, and in part because they were trapped in the Dust Bowl, the Joads set out for California. Along with thousands of other "Okies", they sought jobs, land, dignity and a future. When preparing to write the novel, Steinbeck wrote: "I want to put a tag of shame on the greedy bastards who are responsible for this [the Great Depression and its effects]." The book won Steinbeck a large following among the working class, perhaps due to the book's sympathy to the workers' movement and its accessible prose style."
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"The novel focuses on the Joads, a poor family of sharecroppe..."
Loved The Grapes of Wrath. It seems we have a theme here of the 1930's and the Great Depression. Currently I'm reading a book for review, A Clockwork Butterfly. It's a sci-fi/fantasy end of the world as we know it erotic romance. I'm not sure where the author is going but I said I'd review it and I will. But I do like it for as odd as it is.
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In the garden of beasts does look very good."
Most people in my book club liked it tonight. Very unusual for this group of people. One woman lived through it in Hungary and said she couldn't read it while another woman lived in Germany during her middle school years (she's only in her early 20's) and was able to tell us about Hitler's early life before he became Chancellor. Not sure how he went into politics. Was not a successful young man.
Read 100+ Books in 2012
Books mentioned in this topic
The Witness (other topics)Talk of the Town (other topics)
The Devil's Hour (other topics)
The Secret of Chimneys (other topics)
Fools Rush In (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Dee Henderson (other topics)Lisa Wingate (other topics)
J. Carson Black (other topics)
Agatha Christie (other topics)
Janice Thompson (other topics)
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1. Read a book that is the 6th book in a series or by an author.
2. Read a book with a J-U-N-E in the title or the author's name.
3. To honor those June brides, read a book about a wedding.
4. In remembrance of D-Day, read a book about WWII.
5. To honor graduates, read a book about coming of age.
6. Read a book you had on a previous list but did not have time to read during the month it was listed.
7. In honor of summer, read a book about summer.
8. Read a book set in a place within 500 miles of your home.
9. Your choice