Challenge: 50 Books discussion
Finish Line 2016
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Connie's 2016 book challenge
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Good luck! Two read already is a wonderful start!
Connie -- I know what you mean about family issues. To be a really dedicated reader you must be a hermit living in a tiny house in the woods behind the library. I am considering this lifestyle.
Mod
hehehehehe
Susan, I'd ask to join you, but that defeats the hermit-ness of the plan. Still, I like your way of thinking :)
3. Big Little Lies **** Number 3 down for the year!! Woo Hoo. So I picked this book up for a new book club I'm joining (joined on Friday and they meet this Tuesday). So I reserved the book at the library picked it up yesterday and started reading. It's quite a large book, over 500 pages, and I wasn't sure I could finish in time. That wasn't a problem. This is a really quick read. I guess I would call it Chick Lit with a murder mystery. It actually tackles some pretty heady topics, ie. domestic violence, bullying & infidelity, along with some smaller topics like gossip & school politics. It's set in an upper middle class Australian suburb and the main characters are parents of kindergartners. As someone who isn't a parent I found the gossip and childish behavior of the parents to be entertaining yet quite disturbing as well. If you have children and have dealt with parental politics in schools, if you like chick lit or murder mysteries - I think you'll like this book. It's entertaining and engaging and quite funny at times. The murder mystery - you don't even know who the victim is until the book is almost done. I will definitely pick up other books from this author.
Mod
I had the same thought!
4. The Girl on the Train *** I don't think it lived up to all the hype. It started out good and it ended good - but somewhere in the middle I felt like the story just lulled on - like she was just regurgitating the same stuff over and over. I recommend the book it was entertaining and unlike Gone Girl I didn't figure it out early on - it was closer to the end that I figured out whodunnit.
5. Everything I Never Told You **** This was a very good book that delves into some very deep issues like teen suicide, interracial marriages (in the 60s/70s no less) and what it's like to grow up/live in America as a minority and as a bi-racial child. How a family deals with the suicide of a family member. Not a particularly "fun" book to read - but quite interesting. Although toward the end - I kind of felt like the story dragged on just a little too long.
6. Thirteen Reasons Why ***This is a YA book. It's an interesting topic - teen suicide, with a twist - before she commits suicide the girl makes audio cassette tapes where she tells the story as to why she decided to commit suicide. There are 13 reasons why, 13 people who she claims played a role in her decision and those people will receive the tapes. This book was definitely written for a much younger audience (yes I know YA - but some YA translates better for adults than others I just couldn't identify with the young protagonists in this book). This was one of those books that I found myself getting very annoyed at the teenagers and how they react to things. I do think this book is a very good book for teenagers and it touches on a very important issue (outside of teen suicide) which is you never know what someone else is going through in their life and how you treat them may affect them and their decisions in that moment. I gave it 3 stars based solely on my having a hard time identifying with the characters. The writing was decent - although like many books I felt that the story lulled in several places and probably could have been shortened.
7. This Is Where It Ends It is a quick read (young adult novel) that takes place over a couple of hours during a school shooting and is told through the perspective of several students some stuck inside during the shootings and some outside. I like this book, it was pretty fast paced - but given the issue it dealt with- I felt it just lacked something for me but I'm not sure what was lacking. I didn't really connect with any character.
8. The Glass Castle **** 4 stars for this memoir by Jeannette Walls. I'm still processing how I feel about this book - however it is a nonfiction book that reads like a novel. She grew up beyond poor and endured many hardships including neglect, abuse, having to dig in the garbage at school for her lunch, to eventually end up in New York, get accepted to Barnard College, graduate and make a life for herself. If you enjoy memoirs, this is one I think worth reading.
9. Ghostly: A Collection of Ghost Stories **Only 2 stars. Now I'm not a fan of short story collections. I got this book because I thought it was written by Audrey Niffenegger but it's actually short stories written by other people and introduced by her. There was one short story I really liked The Honeysuckle Cottage. I had previously read The Open Window in a English Lit class in college. Other than that I felt this collection was pretty unremarkable. Again - I don't like short stories.
10. Mr. Splitfoot ****1/2Really loved this book. It is told from 2 perspectives and the chapters switch between each perspective to open up the history as well as the present. It never says but I think it takes place from the late 1990s to present. The first couple pages the writing was hard for me to read and I almost thought I might just return the book to the library. I'm so glad I picked the book up again and gave it another go. 4 1/2 stars for this book. I really liked it even though I kind of figured it out pretty early on - but it kept me guessing whether what I thought was right or not. It turned out I was right but it didn't take anything away from the story.
11.
**** The final book of the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. I think I finished Specials, book 3 in this series, about 4 years ago, so there was a lot I forgot about this series. However, this book could be a stand alone novel, I don't think I missed anything even though there was a lot I forgot. this book takes place in Japan after the war that ended the mind control/Pretties era. Now the city she lives in is consumed by fame. Everyone wants to be famous and they do everything on camera to achieve a better "face rank." Aya is a kicker, basically like a YouTuber who kicks stories. this series takes place in the future but the book reminded me on how reality T.V., YouTube and the internet catapult people into their 15 minutes of fame as well. Aya stumbles upon a big story to kick that changes the world and catapults her "face rank" in her city. It's a fast-paced Young Adult book, so the language and writing are not at all difficult. However, the author's futuristic slang has you guessing a little. Good quick, entertaining read. 4 stars.
12.
*** I'm not sure how I feel about this book right now. I've given it a 3 star rating, but may, after thinking about it give it another rating. I read this book for my book club. It isn't a book I would've picked up otherwise. The story has made me think a lot - so in that respect it's really good. However, I didn't like the protagonist in this story and I'm not one for really descriptive writing which you get in this book. I prefer less description and a plot that moves quicker. The author is a very good writer and I liked how he used the paintings the protagonist was painting kind of as metaphors of what the protagonist was going through. If you'd asked me 2 days ago if I liked this book I would've said no - because I had just read the part in the book where the protagonist does something that shifts his life forever. I felt that his action was unforgivable, and that he had very few redeeming qualities as a human being. I loved the ending of this book and think it ended the way it had to. If you really enjoy descriptive prose, you may like this book. It was a little too slow moving for me though.
13.
**This was an odd little book that I picked up after seeing a YouTuber recommend it on his site. this individual is Italian and he said it realistically portrayed the odd state of affairs of the Italian political scene. I thought this book was o.k. It was filled with copius suggestions of conspiracies from the mundane to the belief that Mussolini wasn't actually killed, but his body double was killed and the Vatican helped hide him and get him to Argentina. A lot of those diatribes by that character who went into detail about all of his conspiracy theories I kind of skimmed over as they were wrought with names and places of Italians that I wasn't familiar. I actually was going to take this book back to the library without reading it but the author, Umberto Eco, passed away on Feb. 19, 2016 so I thought I should read it. It was just an o.k. read. Unless you are really interested to read something by a recent Italian author I don't know if I'd recommend this book.
14.
This is another quick read. A young adult fantasy novel. It kept my attention, moved pretty quickly, however as with much of the young adult/fantasy genre it had many predictable moments and in the end the fight-for-their-lives moments were dragged out a bit too much. All in all though this was an entertaining read as I try to move out of my comfort zone and read some fantasy - next up may even be science fiction!
15.
**This book was o.k. Now I did read it right after the 1st book A Darker Shade of Magic because I couldn't renew it from the library, which I don't usually like to read them 1 after the other because it's usually just a little too much of the same story. Anyway, both books are entertaining - I'm not a huge fan of fantasy and have been trying to step out of my comfort zone. I thought this book was a little too descriptive - I thought the story kind of dragged on longer than it needed to. I may not read the last book in the series. (I think there's only one more coming, not sure).
16.
**** Even though this book took me a very long time to read, it wasn't the book's fault. I ordered all five books for my kindle as a package deal & admit that I got a little overwhelmed. Anyway, I put the book down several times and didn't pick it back up for months. I love the HBO series and the 1st season really stuck to the book. The great thing about books is that you can get some insight you just can't get in a movie or tv show. Now on to book 2! I have the audio book as well as the kindle book and found listening & reading was a really great combination. My goal is to finish all 5 books by 12/31/16.
17.
**** 1/2 So this book is written like a investigative dossier. You are reading interview excerpts, IM excerpts, emails & investigative reports. So the reading/writing was very different and kept me interested. It did, about 3/4 of the way through - jump the shark, but the ending did make up for that. Sci-fi and fantasy are out of my comfort zone - but I really enjoyed this book
18.
**I read this book for my book club. It was an o.k. read. I've read better dystopian novels (I guess I'd classify it as dystopian as it deals with a future that is pretty horrific sounding). However, I did like how the author tied in a lot of what is current today -especially ignorance of environmental issues and class disparity, which lead to the poor situation the country finds itself in, in this book. However, I didn't find this book very compelling. My reason for reading and finishing was just to be able to discuss at the book club meeting. The writing is good, not great. there were some compelling points in the book but all in all, the big secret, if you can call it that, was a little underwhelming. the main issue I had is that there weren't really any characters that I cared about. They all were a little difficult to like, all with their own mottled sense of morality. I found myself frustrated with the actions of the 2 main characters often in the book. I guess it ended the way it needed to end, however I found it to be unsatisfying.
19.
A Clash of Kings Book 2 of A Song of Ice & Fire *** starsI mostly listened to the audio book interspersed with reading. The show differed slightly from the 2nd book. Theon, Aria & Bran's stories were slightly different. I'm enjoying listening to the audio books especially - they are giving great insight into the characters and story. The only issue I have with both the show and the books - too many characters to try to keep track of - especially in the books. There are many times when he just lists names of families & people who either attend an event, present themselves before the king or take part in the war. All in all though - I'm enjoying digging deeper into the world of Westeros!
20.
**** I finished this book on May 8 and forgot to come in here and update. As with the rest of this series - George R.R. Martin puts a little too much in here. Sometimes he just lists names of people who attended this event or that battle and it tends to get confusing. However, I think I enjoyed this book a little more than book 2 partly because in the epilogue there is a shocking event that didn't happen in the t.v. show. So I left this book on a high note.
21. A Feast for Crows
*** Making my way through the 5 books - I actually finished this audio book some time in June. These last 2 books are pretty difficult to read. Again - George R.R. Martin has sooooo many characters then he even changes what he is calling them. Sansa and Aria's characters have slightly different storylines than in the t.v. show and one chapter he called Cat of the something and I'm thinking is this Catlyn he's talking about and no it was a chapter about Aria in Bravos. Sansa's character also takes another name, Elaine - so he would call her chapters by that name. It really gets confusing. Anyway - these last 2 books (this book and A Dance with Dragons) take place at the same time - but he split up the story lines of the characters. So in this book you read about Samwell, Aria, Sansa, Cersei, Brianne of Tarth and several others. Now in A Dance with Dragons we get Jon Snow, Jamie, Danaerys and many other characters that only get a couple chapters. I have about 9-10 more chapters in A Dance with Dragons and I think I'm Game of Throned out. Personally - the audio books were the way to go for me in this series.
22. Salt to the Sea
****I really liked this book. Easy book to read. It is historical fiction about a group of civilians trying to get out of Germany as the Soviets & Americans are closing in. They get to a boat called the Wilhelm Gustloff. I enjoy books about WWII and this book was pretty good. Not sure if it's considered a YA book but it was that easy to read. Each chapter is from a different character's viewpoint so the book moves pretty quickly. I recommend this book.
23. A Dance with Dragons **Liked this the least of the 5 books. I have the same complaints about it as the others - too many inconsequential characters which make the storylines hard to keep up with. I'll still read the next book - since I'm curious to see what he will do with the books since the last 2 seasons took a very different turn than the books.
24.
**This is a fantasy YA book which takes place in a fictional village somewhere in Asia. The premise is that the village is completely cut off from the outside world and they rely on the outside world to send up food and supplies up a zip line which they pay for with the silver and precious metals they mine. It was an easy read but not particularly compelling. My basic reaction is just MEH. It's not a bad read but again not very compelling. The little love story is kind of sweet - there were a lot of twists & turns in the story that did make me wonder where the author was leading us.
25.
***The 2nd book in The Passage Trilogy. This is a series about a virus that nearly wipes out humanity. The virus, however, causes people to turn into vampires. Not the vampires that you find in say Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood - but very scary monsters. The 2nd book obviously picks up where the 1st left off. The people from that California town are now all spread out - some in the military and others doing different jobs in Texas. The all come together in order to kill off The Twelve. The 2nd book gives a lot of back story about right after the virus hit and what happened to many people and where some people in the 1st book, 100 years in the future - came from. I enjoyed this book. I've been listening to audio as well as reading - so it helps me get through the books a little faster as I can listen to them on my way to and from work.
26.
**3rd installment of this trilogy. Like many trilogies - didn't really need the 3rd book. All but the 1st book were just too long and drawn out. Whereas the 2nd book gave a lot of backstory on many characters that weren't touched on in the first book, the 3rd book picks up 30 or so years after the end of the 2nd book. The population has been lulled into feeling safe, like all the vamps are gone - but they aren't and it's only a matter of time until they strike. I really didn't feel like this 3rd book lended anything to the story. I mostly listened to the audio book for this, maybe I would've gotten a little more out of it had I followed along with the book more. You did finally get an end to the story, but even that Justin Cronin dragged on. Just 2 stars for this book.
Didn't quite reach my 30 books for the year - but I'm satisfied with my year seeing that I've been in a serious reading slump since 2011 - only reading 5 or so books a year since then. So I'm happy with 26. I finished 2 series and read a couple good stand alone books. Looking forward to 2017.
Challenge: 50 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The City of Mirrors (other topics)The Twelve (other topics)
Soundless (other topics)
A Dance with Dragons (other topics)
Salt to the Sea (other topics)
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1. The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man 3 stars. Well written and interesting. Had a bit of a hard time really liking the author that's why I give it 3 stars.
2. Wolf By Wolf another 3 star book. this is a YA novel. It's a quick read. It is fantasy - which I didn't realize when I got it I saw someone mention it on YouTube and I thought how interesting a book about the world after WWII if the Nazis won. I guess I was just hoping for more than a fantasy type novel. If you like YA and Fantasy you'll probably like this book. Again - it was a good book for what it was - I was just hoping for something different with that subject matter!