75 Books...More or Less! discussion

I've had a challenging couple of years . . . hoping things are settled down well enough that I can be a frequently participating moderator . . . and that I can make a serious try at meeting the challenge in 2014. I do love to read!

Welcome back, Kay, and good luck! :)

Thanks, Elyse!

1. A Simple Amish Christmas by Vannetta Chapman, 3/5 stars.

This did show the "simple" side of Amish life, but it also showed some of the challenges people face as they decide for themselves whether to stay in the Amish community they grew up in, or move on to other communities and a different lifestyle. Overall I liked it, even though "Romance" tends not to be my favorite genre.

2. Deeper Water by Robert Whitlow, 4/5 stars

I love courtroom/legal fiction. Don't know why. This one was interesting as it involved a legal intern who certainly had a lot to learn . . . but who showed the courage of her convictions. Definitely from a Christian point of view, so if the reader is offended by such conversation then this book would not be for him or her. I did find the intern to be immature - which is what you'd expect from someone young and from a very sheltered environment. Since this is the first book in a series - and since the author does spend a lot of time in character development - it will be interesting to see how her thinking and style develop as she gains wisdom and experience.

3. The Secret Keeper by Beverly Lewis, 4/5 stars

Beverly Lewis has an Amish heritage (her mother was Amish), so she writes from her heart. This was an interesting novel because it addressed what it would take to join the Amish . . . and the setting was with the same family whose daughter was treated as an outcast in the well-known book (in Christian circles) titled "The Shunning".

I hope this year is a better one for you! Good luck!

Charleen wrote: "I hope this year is a better one for you! Good luck!"

Thanks, Charleen!

4. The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe, 4/5 stars

It was about time I read this book, having been a fan of the movie for many years. Thanks to getting this one as a gift from my brother at Christmas (plus he gave me a DVD of the movie), I've been immersed in Project Mercury once again.

5. The Missing by Beverly Lewis, 4/5 stars

Got this one and The Secret Keeper as a Christmas gift. Of the two, I liked this one better. Plus it was interesting from the perspective that it included characters in the Amish area near where I live, and which I often visit. The book had a real ring of authenticity with actual places and differences in customs between the Ohio Amish communities and the Pennsylvania communities noted. A great story, too, regarding adoption and searching for the child given up . . .

6. Rolling Thunder byMark Mynheir, 4/5 stars

7. The Shunning by Beverly Lewis, 4/5 stars

You are off to a great start Kay! Glad to hear things are going better for you, I've worried about you!

Andrea wrote: "You are off to a great start Kay! Glad to hear things are going better for you, I've worried about you!"

Hi, Andrea. And it looks like I was absent again, just when you came back!

Life is good now . . . things were so crazy/busy with the wedding and moving/unpacking. But now, 2 months after the wedding, I think I'm coming up for air. I am finding I have some reading time. Yea!

8. Dying to Read by Lorena McCourtney, 5/5 stars


9. The Second Time Around by Mary Higgins Clark, 4/5 stars

I read #8 just before I got married . . . Lorena McCourtney is one of my favorite Christian mystery writers. The main character in this series is younger, and although I'm used to the author writing about the older Ivy Malone, I felt she did a great job projecting a younger character too. Stylistically, the books are a bit different so I'm seeing some good diversity in her authorship.

It's surprising, as much as I enjoy mysteries, that I haven't read much by Mary Higgins Clark. I did enjoy this one, and also checked out a book by Carol Higgins Clark to read soon. (Working on one by J.A. Jance right now).

10. Waterfall by Lisa Tawn Bergren, 4/5 stars.

Young adult time-travel story, set in Italy. What's not to like?

Karol wrote: "10. Waterfall by Lisa Tawn Bergren, 4/5 stars.

Young adult time-travel story, set in Italy. What's not to like?"

Sounds right up my alley! I think I have it too. Was a free e-book!

Elyse wrote: "Karol wrote: "10. Waterfall by Lisa Tawn Bergren, 4/5 stars.

Sounds right up my alley! I think I have it too. Was a free e-book!"

Elyse, I got it as a free e-book also. I have quite a few of those on my Kindle, and need to work through reading them all. This one was charming and fun.

Karol wrote: "Elyse, I got it as a free e-book also. I have quite a few of those on my Kindle..."

Yeah, I've got far too many free e-books to get through. BookBubs is so good but so bad! lol

11. Judgment Call by J.A. Jance, 4/5 stars.

I absolutely love J.A. Jance - at least, the Joanna Brady series. I don't seem to be able to get enough of the pint-sized Sheriff Brady who is able to successfully handle the very challenging elected position of sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona. I've been there often when I lived not far from the area; the ruggedness of the terrain is surpassed only by the ruggedness of its people.

This was a great mystery - both from the standpoint of "whodunit" but also from the standpoint of who WAS the murder victim to begin with.

Some day I will branch out and read something from this author outside the Joanna Brady series . . . I enjoy her character development as much as I enjoy her mysteries and her insights on police procedure.

12. Safely Home by Randy Alcorn, 4/5 stars.

A gripping but painful account of the persecuted Christian church in China.

13. Cloche and Dagger by Jenn McKinlay, 45 stars.

An amusing romp through Notting Hill with a most intriguing cast of characters. Quirky and light-hearted, the characters and the setting make the book readable. The mystery is OK, with a few moments of suspense.

14. Dying in Style by Elaine Viets, 3/5 stars.

This cozy mystery was OK - typical for its genre. Good, but not outstanding. I will probably pass on the rest of the series, at least for now.

The main character is a mystery shopper who runs into trouble when she royally annoys a company owner with her negative report about her shopping experience.

15. The Attentive Life: Discerning God's Presence in All Things by Leighton Ford, 5/5 stars.

I love this book. I savored it over several months, reading just a few bits at a time and mulling it all over. I have become more "attentive" and contemplative as a result. This has made my life richer.

16. Depraved: The Definitive True Story of H.H. Holmes, Whose Grotesque Crimes Shattered Turn-Of-The-Century Chicago by Harold Schechter, 3/5 stars.

I have to read three True Crime books for a challenge this year. It's not my typical genre . . . but I have to admit that once I got past the beginning of the book that outlined H. H. Holmes crimes as America's first serial killer, I found the manhunt, investigation, and court procedures fascinating. Crime investigations back then relied almost entirely on logic and a good deal of circumstantial evidence, given technology like DNA and even finger-printing were not available.

I'm back to reading at a 75 books a year pace, but I'm not gaining on the goal. . . every time for the last couple of months that I've logged a book as read, I find that I am still 22 books behind where I should be for the particular calendar date!

17. Still Life by Louise Penny, 4/5 stars

This was the author's debut book. I quite enjoyed the mystery, the artsy characters of the village of Three Pines, Chief Inspector Gamache, and the setting in Quebec, Canada. I'd like to read more by this author.

Karol wrote: "I'm back to reading at a 75 books a year pace, but I'm not gaining on the goal. . . every time for the last couple of months that I've logged a book as read, I find that I am still 22 books behind ..."

This series I recently added to my TBR. People seem to really like it!

Yea! I've picked up one . . . now 21 books behind the pace instead of 22.

18. Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin, 4/5 stars

Alice I Have Been was pretty wild!

Elyse wrote: "Alice I Have Been was pretty wild!"

You've got that right, Elyse! I ended up doing quite a lot of research to get a feel for which parts were true, which were likely to be true, and which were pure fiction ...

19. Code Blue by Richard L. Mabry, 3/5 stars

Wow Karol, you got a lot of reading done the past couple of months. I love when I get on a roll like that.

Andrea wrote: "Wow Karol, you got a lot of reading done the past couple of months. I love when I get on a roll like that."

Yeah, it's about time for me!

20. The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith, 5/5 stars

What can I say? After reading the first 11 books in this series (in order), I still love it.

21. Hostage in Havana by Noel Hynd, 3/5 stars

I like the McCall series too Kay. They just make me smile :)

22. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, 5/5 stars

Finally read it . . . inspired to do so after reading "Alice I Have Been".

Still 21 books behind the pace for 2014 . . .

23. Eye of the God by Ariel Allison, 3/5 stars.

Interesting book about the Hope Diamond . . . and art/jewelry thieves.

24. Force of Habit by James Scott Bell, 4/5 stars

However, (rats!) . . . I'm back to 22 books behind the pace for the 2014 challenge. I hope to rectify that today, however, with my participation in the Read-a-thon.

25. Medical Error by Richard L. Mabry, 1/5 stars.

I found the characters in this story annoyingly stupid.

Still 22 books behind pace for the year . . . but I've got 3 others in progress so I just might close the gap by a book or two soon!

26. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane, 4/5 stars.

Quite the twist at the end. I didn't see it coming at all.

Still 22 books behind pace for the year! Hoping to close the gap by 1 this weekend.

Shutter Island was a good movie!! I'll have to check out the book!

Elyse wrote: "Shutter Island was a good movie!! I'll have to check out the book!"

Elyse, from what I've seen online, the movie was fairly true to the book.

27. Toward the Goal: The Kaka Story by Jeremy V. Jones, 4/5 stars.

It's kind of hard to rate this book, as I believe it was aimed for 10 - 12 year-old readers. And also, it's about soccer of which I know little. Still, the story was interesting and I did learn some things about Brazil's history and culture. So for that, I'm giving it a rather generous rating.

I did pick up one against the pace for 2014 over the weekend . . . so, 21 behind again. At this point I'd like to hit 60 books for the year, but 75 is probably going to be out of reach for me. We'll see . . . I haven't totally given up yet.

28. Ireland Rose by Patricia Strefling, 2/5 stars

Not quite my cup of tea, but it's an OK romance set in post-civil war years as an Irish yankee grapples with helping make life better for African orphans in the south, and eventually returns to Ireland.

Still 21 off the pace, but at least I am not losing ground!

29. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, 4/5 stars

Still 21 books off the pace! At least I am not losing any ground.

30. Any Place I Hang My Hat by Susan Isaacs, 4/5 stars

I like this story about a young woman sorting through, ultimately, what she really wants in life and finding the courage to go for it. It's about relationships, with her boyfriend of two years, her criminal father, her absent mother, and her best friend. Aside from the bold/obscene language that occurs in places, I found the novel rich.

I've been at about 21 books behind the pace for quite a while, now - meaning the amount of my reading has returned to the days of old. But I got off to such a slow start that I know, realistically, I won't hit 75 books this year. I'm going to informally adjust my goal to 50 books for this year, and then hopefully get to 75 or more in 2015.

31. Outbreak by Robin Cook, 4/5 stars

Despite the medical technology (and other technology) in this novel being nearly 30 years old, I still found this one quite suspenseful. Really enjoyed it.

AND, I've finally closed the gap by 1 book. Now, I'm 20 books behind pace . . . with two in progress.

You are doing a GREAT job this year Kay!!! WHOOT!!!

Dawn Michelle wrote: "You are doing a GREAT job this year Kay!!! WHOOT!!!"

Thanks, Dawn Michelle!

32. The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club by Wanda E. Brunstetter, 3/5 stars.

A sweet book about an older Amish widow who gives quilting lessons to an interesting group of non-Amish people. The book was very simplistic, but if you love a happy ending and enjoy a Christian perspective it's a fun and easy read.

(Holding steady at 20 books off the pace for the year. I should be able to exceed my new goal of 50.)

33. The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, 5/5 stars

This was a heck of a story. It was difficult to read about the fate of political prisoners during the Franco government in Spain (1940's). Yet the story of one man's resilience in the face of such horrible conditions was well worth reading. The main character, Fermin Romero De Torres, and his deep friendship with the Sempere family was to me the best and most satisfying part of the book.