The 104 Book Challenge - 2013 discussion

1. Wonder I loved this book! I wish this had been around when I had kids in grade school. I would have read it to them for sure. As it is, I think I will gift it to them, when I have grandchildren, and request they read it to them.
2. Larkspur Cove I enjoyed this book. A little bit of romance and some heartwarming characters and a little girl to save.
3. Seconds Away This is the 2nd Mickey Bolitar novel and it doesn't disappoint. This is Harlan Coben writing Young Adult fiction and I think he hits it.
4. Homeport A good mystery adventure with murder and a professional thief you can fall for.
5. Hot Stuff Some fun and wacky characters you can't help but laugh out loud. I didn't think the story was one of the best but sometimes it is just nice to smile while solving a little bit of wacky crime.
6. Thanksgiving Prayer: Thanksgiving Prayer\A Handful of Heaven Kind of a two-for-one Christian Romance. Surprisingly, I liked the Jillian Hart story better than the Macomber story. If you are in the mood for a little sweet romance.

7. Sorry, I forgot one...Shadowfell Loved this series beginner! This is a medieval type fantasy with The Good Folk and Humans at odds. The land is ruled by an evil and cruel king and no one knows who can be trusted. Neryn has a gift that is against the law and she is on the run with the Enforcers closing in. She ends up on her own with many tests she has to pass before she reaches her journey's end. When she gets into serious trouble,is her saviour/companion friend or foe? What happens when the end of the journey is just another beginning.

8. Against All Odds Nice, Christian romantic suspense. I hadn't remembered reading this author before but I will read more most likely.

9. Dodger I have never read Terry Pratchett before but I saw this and thought I would give it a try. I actually listened to it on audio and I thought the reader was very good. I loved the story. This was just pure fun. I love it when I am reading (listening) and I just have to laugh out loud. Very clever! Are all of his books like this?

10. An Eye for an Eye
2nd in the same sereis as my #8. I enjoyed it.
11. Princess of the Silver Woods This is the final in the series that began with Princess of the Midnight Ball For me, not as strong as the first two but I enjoyed it. The characters and setting are fun.

12. The Sherwood Ring This was a fun "helpful ghosts" story. I liked her other book The Perilous Gard a little better but I enjoyed this one and it provided good entertainment on a boring plane ride. The ghost story takes place during the American Revolution with some George Washington cameo's.
13. Deadly Pursuit Nice mystery/suspense. Christian romantic suspense. I am really enjoying this author and will continue to read more.
14. Vanished Again, I liked the characters and the mystery and the romance.
15. Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow Love Jessica Day George. If you like fairytale re-tellings or folk tales, you will enjoy this one as well. I think it ended a little more abruptly than I would like but a fun read and a telling of a Norwegian fairy tale I wasn't familiar with. Trolls, enchanted bears, and a young girl gifted because of her kindness.

16. Fatal Judgment

17. In Harm's Way

18. Child of Grace
19. A Father For Zach
20. Apprentice Father

21. An Unlikely Match
22. Lethal Legacy

23. The Breath of Dawn This is another of the Christian romantic suspense novels. I have read this author before and liked some, had a hard time with another. I gave her another try and I really liked this story. I think it actually comes at the end of a trilogy featuring the stories of some of the other characters but it was OK as a stand alone.

24. Jamaica Inn Years ago, I read several of DuMaurier's books but I didn't remember reading this one. It wasn't one of my favorites. It was OK but I was able to predict the ending quite a bit ahead of time. I guess that is what happens when it is written so long ago it doesn't have the sophistication of more modern works. The characters were a little hard for me to fall in love with. The Hero didn't really seem like a hero I guess.
25. The Hollow Kingdom I hadn't read this fantasy by Dunkle. It is the first of a trilogy I discovered. Thankfully the whole thing is already written. I am looking forward to reading the other two. How often can you say that you fell in love with a Goblin King. But hey, I think I sort of did. This reminds me of The Perilous Gard which I enjoyed last year. Interestingly, this began as letters to Dunkle's daughters who were away at boarding school. What a cool mom! You would really look forward to those letters as you anticipate what happens next.
26. Finding Home Light Christian romance which suited my mood.

27. The Light Between Oceans This was a pretty moving book. I usually hate books that make me cry. I don't want to feel that deeply. However, this book caught me from the first page and I had a hard time putting it down even though I knew it was going to make me sad. This story is about love and loss and letting go and loving. The main character, Tom, is such a great man. Yes he made mistakes, yes he paid for them. He had a lot of baggage to deal with but he didn't let it dictate how he would live his life. Pretty amazing book for a first novel.

30.The Perfect Hope I forgot this one earlier in February.

31. Eon: Dragoneye Reborn
This was set in medieval Chinal. The story being that only a man can be a Dragoneye, a person who links with the dragons on the compass and uses it's power for good.
Eon is actually Eona who masquerades in order to help her master gain fortune and become a dragoneye. I liked the story. It was a little predictable in some ways but it was more in the way...When is she going to discover what she needs to know?
32. Freefall Good romantic suspense from Heitzman. I feel like she hit just the right romantic note and I enjoyed the mystery and the story.

33.Eona I am not sure I loved the way this set concluded. It was OK but it wasn't that really satisified feeling you have with some series.

34. The False Prince This is the first book in a trilogy. I wasn't familiar with this author so I don't know if she has written anything else but I loved this opener. Loved the characters, loved the story.
35. A Night Like This Julia Quinn always has some fun characters in her romances. I had a couple of laugh out loud moments and many smiles.

36. Uncommon Criminals This is a re-read while I wait for Perfect Scoundrels from the library.

Hi Nanci~ I love visiting your book list... thanks! I just finished The False Prince too and quickly bought the second one "The Runaway King". Lesley

Thanks! I actually really enjoy looking at your lists too. I am waiting on hold for Runaway King at the Library but I might just end up buying it as well. I will mostly likely want the whole set.

37. A Confusion of Princes Garth Nix is an author I like sometimes and I don't sometimes. I love his The Abhorsen Trilogy Box Set but I think his Keys of the Kingdom series isn't great. This book is totally a sci-fi so if that isn't your thing, you won't like it. I actually really liked it for the most part. I wanted more at the end but I liked the story. I liked the main character Khem and I loved watching him grow as his experience with life outside the box changes his perceptions. If you like a good YA sci-fi now and then, give this one a try. I would recommend this for older kids, maybe over 15 as there are some things talked about that I would rather not approach with anyone younger.

38. Swept Away Fun series opener. Texas cowboys, survivors of the Civil War POW's at Andersonville, and romance with danger and fun.So far, Conneally hasn't let me down when I needed a light romance with Christian values but very little sermonizing. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.

Hey Nanci, cool to hear what you think about Garth Nix. This one looks pretty good. Always like hearing about what you read! (And I'm waiting for Perfect Scoundrels, too!)

Mary wrote: "Hey Nanci, cool to hear what you think about Garth Nix. This one looks pretty good. Always like hearing about what you read! (And I'm waiting for Perfect Scoundrels, too!)"

You know, I really should just buy Perfect Scoundrels. I had it in my cart at Amazon and the price went up while I was waiting to add some stuff for free shipping. So then I thought I needed to wait till it went down again. Is that cheap or what? You'll have to let me know what you think of Confusion of Princes if you end up reading it.

Lesley wrote: "Hi Nanci~ I love visiting your book list... thanks! I just finished The False Prince too and quickly bought the second one "The Runaway King". Lesley"

So I saw that you finished The Runaway King Did you like it?

39. Hope Was Here this was my first by this author. Cute coming of age novel with excellent tips for being the best waitress you can be.I liked the characters and the back scene of a diner. The character I loved the best was the diner's owner, GT. He was the kind of guy you can't help but love. I listened to this on audio. Reader was pretty good.

40. Deep Cover FBI/CIA mystery romantic suspense.

41. A World Without Heroes By the end of this I really liked it but I had a very hard time getting into it. I don't really understand why that was. Maybe it was the fact that I listened to it and the reader was just OK, maybe it was the fact that I had so many other things to read that it was last on the priority scale. I did end up enjoying it and I will read the rest of the series most likely. I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

42. Clockwork Princess Glad this ended the series. I enjoyed it. I think I liked the first 2 better but you gotta love the "Happily Ever After" solutions. Hope that wasn't a spoiler.

43. Wildflower Bride in Dry Creek
44. Baby Out of the Blue First one was Ok. I need a little romance every so often. These type of books I can knock off in about 2 1/2 hours so when I just need to veg I read this instead of turn on the TV. I hadn't read this author before but she wasn't my favorite. I don't think I will read more of her books. A little over top. When I read a "love inspired" book I expect some of that but this one was too much. The 2nd one, I often like Winters romances but this one was totally not worth the time.

On a different note, my goal this year was to read less rather than more. I am feeling pretty good about that. Last year at this time I was up to 75 books and that number is significantly lower this year. The bad part is that the list of books I feel like I need to read keeps getting longer and longer. I need to find some blinders to put on I guess.

45. The Great Gatsby It would most likely have been better to read this than listen to the audio book. The reader is good but it would have been better to think about it a little more rather than listen while doing something else at the same time. With some books this isn't a problem, for me it was with this one.

46. Red Leech OK, The book I actually read was called Rebel Fire by Andy Lane. When I typed it in, it came up as Red Leech so somewhere the name has been changed. It does have some things about red leeches and the cover looks pretty much the same so there you go. I liked it. Nothing to gush about. This is book two in the Young Sherlock Holmes series. I liked the first one better. I am not sure if I will read more of the books.

47. Every Secret Thing Once again, the book I actually read was a little different. It was actually by Susannah Kearsley. I guess it was previously published under the author name Emma Cole so that is what came up here on Goodreads. It is most likely all the same because the name on the book I read had both names on it. I enjoyed it. It wasn't my favorite of Kearsley but it was a good story. I love how she always has a historical story along with the modern story. It sort of makes it like 2 books in 1.
48. Eclipse Bay Fun little romance by Krentz. This was a re-read(this time I listened to it) from years ago. I was in the mood for a romance and this is what was available to check out on audio.

49. Navigating Early I just finished this book. I picked it up because I loved the first book I read from this Newberry winning author, Moon Over Manifest. I listened to this on audio and as I listened I knew I wasn't going to love it as much as I loved Moon Over Manifest. It turns out, I was wrong. Navigating Early hit me in a different way. It took longer for me to relate but this one pulled emotions out of me that the first one didn't. I really try to stay away from books that pull too much out of my heart but there are some that are truly worth it. This was one of those for me. This had a fascinating look at a young autistic savant, Early Auden. Since it is set shortly after World War II no one knew what that was or what it meant. Like her previous book, you come to discover what war and loss can do to a person and how it affects the people that love them. The thing is, it isn't just there at first. You come to it through a hidden back door. This was a fascinating book also in that Early, the savant, can see colors and stories in numbers and those stories have meaning for him just as numbers do. Jack Baker,suffering from the recent death of his mother, also finds meaning from the numbers for his life as he and Early travel on a quest together. It was an amazing book and I hope you take the time to read it. I recommend for both old and young.

50.Jackaroo I didn't know anything about this book. I had never heard of it until I was putting together a display at the library of older books people may not have read or thought of that are worth a look. "This is your mother's booklist" type of thing. One of the librarians suggested this book. That was about 6 months ago and I am finally getting around to reading it. I really enjoyed it! It was not a page turner but it kept my interest as I picked it up from the nightstand night after night. I loved the characters. It is different because it is told from the point of view of the downtrodden medieval villagers rather than from the nobility's point of view. It brings out the message of what a little education can do for one's point of view. I have never read Cynthia Voigt before so I will have to do some more exploring. It turns out she has written 3 or 4 books in a series and this one is the first book, although it stands alone and I think the others do as well.

51. The Runaway King I loved this 2nd installment of Jennifer A. Nielsen trilogy. I knew how it would end right away but the twists and turns getting to that end was full of surprises for me. The intrigue and cleverness the author put into this was great. I can't wait until I get to read the next book! I listened to this on audio like the first book, I enjoyed the reader.
52. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight I also thought this book was clever and interesting. I really had a good time reading it. The supporting characters could have been a little more fleshed out but it was a cute quick read. I want to read more from this author.
53. The Bride Raffle I was in the mood for a quick romance. This book was OK. Quick read without too much of the "stop being so stupid and get it worked out already" sentiment.

52. Identity

53. These are some of Balogh's that are old enough I hadn't read them. I usually love her books. The first in the duo was the best of the two, I didn't love either of them as well as I have liked others.

54. Roses in Moonlight Not my favorite Kurland, just middle of the road.
55. The Bride Wore Spurs Cute.

55. Seeds of Rebellion Loved this 2nd in the trilogy. Liked it better than the first book ,which doesn't usually happen for me.

56. Head in the Clouds Very cute offering by Wittemeyer. Fun, happy, Christian romance without too much angst.

57. The Rising I finally got the book that ends this trilogy. I liked the way it ended for the most part. It didn't quite go where I thought it would. It linked with her other YA trilogy which begins with The Summoning which I had a hard time remembering, it has been so long since I read it. I may have brushed up on it if I had known. I think that in the future, the author could take up the story again and go further, which is most likely how she planned it.

58. Just finished listening to The False Princess I enjoyed it. The reader was just middle of the road. It is a good story, interesting, and romantic. I was a little annoyed with the heroine a few times as she was a little clueless as the feelings of the hero and what to do with them. But worth the read. It ended a little differently than I predicted so that is always a nice surprise.

59. Three Times Lucky What a fun book! I laughed and had a great time getting to know the quirky characters. The author addresses some serious topics but I felt they were handled pretty well . I would love to see this book made into movie. With the right actors and handled well it would be great! I would be interested to know if a 5th or 6th grader would think it was as funny and interesting as I did. If anyone knows the answer to that I would love to hear.

60. I went on a Christian romance binge. Here is the result...Stealing the Preacher
61. A Tailor-Made Bride Listened to this one, the reader was pretty good.
62. Deep Trouble
63. Petticoat Ranch
64. Doctor in Petticoats
65.Wrangler in Petticoats
66. Sharpshooter in Petticoats
67. Calico Canyon These are authors with fun characters and situations. There are serious things covered as well but I love them for the lightness and I can feel good all the way through. My son is living in Texas for a while and it is fun to read stories set there. It makes me feel a little closer somehow.
Then I listened to a Brandon Sanderson for variety. I have been waiting to read this for a while and it did not disappoint. I really like this author!
68. The Emperor's Soul

61. Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow I think younger people might like this better than and adult. It was pretty good but I had a hard time getting it finished.
62. Sophia's War: A Tale of the Revolution Historical Fiction taking place during the Revolutionary War with events surrounding the Spy John Andre and his association with Benedict Arnold. I liked it. The reader wasn't my favorite but I the book kept me interested.
63. Maid for the Single Dad (Harlequin Romance This was cute.

63. Big Sky Mountain
64. Big Sky River
65. Wednesdays in the Tower This is the sequel to . I absolutely loved Tuesday's at the Castle. This was engaging and I enjoyed it but I didn't close it with as much joy as I did the first one. That isn't to say it isn't worth the read. One thing you may want to think about is that it leaves you with a cliff-hanger waiting for number 3. If I had known that, I might have waited till next year to read it.

65. Dangerous Connections

66. To Win Her Heart

These were Ok. I enjoyed them but I am not raving.

66. Big Sky Summer

67. Tide Ever Rising 2 1/2 stars. It was nice.
68. Very much enjoyed this one. Kept me interested and wanting to know what comes next. It is not necessary but some of the characters from and are brought back so it might be a good idea to read them first. Again, you don't have to. It is a stand alone.

69. Chasing the Prophecy This was an interesting series end. The ending surprised me a little. Strangely the middle book was my favorite of this trilogy.
70. And Then She Fell Had to get a little romance in. Laurens isn't deep but I like her stories and most of her characters. Sometimes I just want a romance where the people fall in love and don't have to play mental games and pull apart and then find a way through the misunderstandings and mental anguish. Laurens generally does that for me. Her love scenes go on a little to long for me but I can always skip that to the rest of the story.
71. Proceed with Caution This one was just Ok for me. I loved the hero but the girl was annoying and so was the way she wrote some of the scenes. The reader was not my favorite but although the writing isn't great I cared enough to find out how it all ended. Then to my annoyance, it sort of ended and then a twist leaves you in a cliff-hanger.

72. Snow Whyte and the Queen of Mayhem Cute but very strange take on the Snow White story. The magic mirror is the narrator and it is told from his point of view. I enjoyed it. I think tween to teen girls would like it.

73. Murder at the Vicarage
74. A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax
75. The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts
76. Murder in Mesopotamia
77. Navigating Early

We went on a road trip so all of these were audio books. Great fun! I know I already have Navigating Early from a few months ago but I loved it so much I wanted to share it with my family so it is a re-read for me.

78. Crocodile on the Sandbank This is a re-read from years ago. I am not sure I will do the whole series again but I was in the mood and I love this reader so I indulged.

Previous to the road trip, I listened to
79. Devil's Bride
It seems like I am missing another one but I guess I will discover that later.

80. The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate Discovered the one I was missing.
I like this book, it has some interesting ideas that are easy to put into practice. Gives you many things to think about not just in a marriage relationship but in any relationship. (And of course, he has books for all of those too.)
81. The One and Only Ivan I know this was the Newberry winner and it supposed to be wonderful. I was not impressed. I know this is a children's book and maybe (not any of my children if I can remember that far back) kids will like it better than I did. I recommend that if you read this, read it. Don't listen to the book on cd! I started out with that and had to quit because I couldn't stand it. It is a quick read however, I knocked it down in 3 hours or possibly less (I wasn't really timing it.)
82. Raven Flight This installment of Marillier's fantasy trilogy has to travel into the dark and hopefully in the next installment it will find the light. Even so, I liked the first one and I liked this one as well. I love the characters and I really care about what is happening to them. I think that if you like Terry Brooks, you will like these books by Juliet Marillier.

83. Peace River I enjoyed this book. It is religious fiction so not for everybody but I liked the story and the characters.
84. The Hawk and the JewelA little disappointed at the ending of this one.
85. Beguilement I had read this many years ago and liked it but I didn't like it as much this time around. Elements of it were disappointing to me. The next book in the series, (my 86) had the same feeling for me. Not sure I will re-read the rest of them.
86. Legacy
87. A Simple Murder This one would be much better read than listened too. I didn't enjoy the reader at all and ended up getting the book to finish out with reading. An interesting mystery. This is a first novel, I am hoping the author will continue to grow and develop as she goes on. This is a good start but it is just a start, in my opinion.

87.The Tail of Emily Windsnap This was a cute tween kind of book. I listened to it on audio and I thought it was a fun little story.

88. The Book of Jer3miah This is an interesting thriller type story. Pretty religous and geared to members of the Mormon Church. I guess it comes from a web series I had never heard of.

89. Awaken This was the series end. I didn't like it quite as much as I liked the 1st one and 2nd one.