The Challenge Factory discussion

It Had To Be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips – 1*
A blonde bombshell inherits a professional football team she doesn’t want and has to learn to deal with the Coach. I knew it was a chick-lit romance going into it, but it was so stupid I lost 20 IQ points. I finished it only because it satisfied a couple of challenges.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly – 5*****
What a magical, wonderful story! This is a quest, a fairy tale, a horror story, a coming-of-age story, and a psychological study all in one. I love David, and I loved how Connolly incorporated so many life lessons in this imaginative tale. The adventures David has while in this “other” land are familiar and yet disturbingly different. Connolly is known as a writer of mystery thrillers, and his skill at writing a fast-paced, suspense-filled narrative shows here. I was immediately engaged in the story and couldn’t put it down.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

finished (Done 11/19) ★★★★
listening to

Finished

Currently Reading

finished & and now listening to

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa – 5*****
A beautifully elegant gem of a novel that explores a unique friendship between a Housekeeper, her son and the brain-injured Professor of mathematics whose memory is limited to 80 minutes. The slow way in which the Housekeeper, Root and the Professor get to know one another is framed by his lessons on the poetry of mathematics and the elegance of prime numbers. Cassandra Campbell does a fine job narrating the audio book; even when reading an equation she makes it sound like poetry.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy – 3***
Binchy writes ensemble pieces that reflect the ways in which we get to know one another. Strangers are drawn together by location and circumstance, and find common ground where they least expect it. Sharing a meal or a bus trip to a different village, the characters reveal themselves little by little to one another and to the reader. It’s an enjoyable read even if the ending is a little too neatly tied up with a pretty bow. By the end I wanted to visit this charming island myself. Terry Donnelly does a fine job performing the audio version.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I finished ★★★★ ★★★¾ ★★★★½ ★★★★ ★★★½ (Done 11/28) ★★★¾

Ezinwanyi~the Troublemaker wrote: "I finished ★★★★ ★★★¾ ★★★★½ ★★★★ [bookco..."

Ezi, I Do NOT know how you manage to get through so many books....

You know I have insomnia. I sleep about 2-3 hrs night. Besides 3 were audio that i listen to at work

I finished , I don't know. I liked it but I'm so over these stories where guys hold all the cards in a sexual relationship and the chick goes along for the ride.
is my new audio choice, I need some Scottish brogue in my life

I have that one to read Ezi is it a no go?

V Audio Nerd wrote: "I have that one to read Ezi is it a no go?"

I actually liked it but I don't see why the guy gets to make all the rules in the sex only relationship. I've read 4 of them this month but Ugly Love burned my hide the most.

I guess I'm not willing to cede total control so this girls make me mad. I'll be listening to book 2

Oh no you didn't like Ugly Love? I thought you'd like that one.
I've read a few of those books recently though and I know what you are saying, it would be good to see a flip side for a change.

I'm still stuck on sleeping 2-3 hours a night. (Yes, I'm typing from bed..). :D

If that's about Beauty from Pain, then keep in mind there are three books, but, ya, their relationship does start off totally one sided.

Well beings that both of you have read it and kinda liked it I'll read it anyway, you both usually give great rec's so I'll trust you :○D

Outside of paranormal, right?? LOL!!

Haha yeah there is that !!

Lol, my mom has insomnia, I have it too. I can relax enough for about max 5 hours but usually 3 hrs.

I don't know how you can function on so little sleep. It's truly a talent I wish I had. I'm such a spaced out zombie on too little sleep!

erghh I am awful if I don't have enough sleep, I can only imagine how tired you both feel.

Ezinwanyi~the Troublemaker wrote: "You know I have insomnia. I sleep about 2-3 hrs night. Besides 3 were audio that i listen to at work"

I still don't know how you do it. I wouldn't function. And I'm still amazed you can listen while you work. I can't do that at all. Sometimes I listen at work when I'm testing software or doing installs and even then it slows me down some. But the most of the time I'm coding/designing/meeting so listening just is not an option for my single task brain.

Penni wrote: "Ezinwanyi~the Troublemaker wrote: "You know I have insomnia. I sleep about 2-3 hrs night. Besides 3 were audio that i listen to at work"

I still don't know how you do it. I wouldn't function. A..."

If I'm filing papers or documents, I can. If I'm writing a memo, I cannot

I'm a Beyotch when I don't eat. I turn into the incredible hulk

Finished



Currently Reading

Finished

Currently Reading

Barbara ★ wrote: "Finished

Currently Reading [bookcover:Nightbred|1..."

Did you like Nightbred?

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn – 4****
On a fictitious island nation off the coast of South Carolina, the people pride themselves on their literacy and writing. A monument in the center of town immortalizes the pangram “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” in ceramic tiles. But when one of the letter tiles falls off and breaks, the Council decrees that the letter should no longer be used. It’s just one letter. But then another falls… and another. This is a wonderful little satire on the use/abuse of power, but it is also a love letter to all of us who love and cherish words.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I finished . Now listening

Orchard by Larry Watson – 4.5****
What a gem of a novel. This is a character-driven story involving two couples: Sonja and Henry House who live and work on the House orchards that Henry's family has farmed for generations, and Henrietta and Ned Weaver, a wealthy and famous painter and his long-suffering wife. When Sonja begins to pose for Weaver jealousies flare. Beautifully written, and so evocative of time and place. Of course, I know Wisconsin's Door County Penninsula very well, so I'm sure that helps.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Hell or High Water by Joy Castro – 4****
A fast-paced psychological thriller set in post-Katrina New Orleans and featuring a strong female lead. When reporter Nola Cespedes begins writing a feature story on the city’s sex offenders, her own unresolved issues begin to surface. I’d read another book by Castro.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished

Currently Reading

I just finished reading and am now reading

The Amazing Mrs Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman – 3***
This is a delightfully imaginative (and highly improbable) cozy series. Mrs Pollifax is a marvelous main character – a widowed grandmother who occasional serves as a courier for the CIA. Her ability to make friends of total strangers and gather about her a variety of allies makes for a colorful cast of characters and some unexpected turns in the plot. A fast-paced, easy read. I’ll definitely keep on with the series.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished and now Listening to

How'd you end up liking law man Ezi? Would like to hear your thoughts on the br thread. Maybe you already have. I'm just starting to get caught back up. You ready to start shooting scars soon?

Penni wrote: "How'd you end up liking law man Ezi? Would like to hear your thoughts on the br thread. Maybe you already have. I'm just starting to get caught back up. You ready to start shooting scars soon?"

I will post thoughts there later today but I Loved it!

Finished

Currently Reading

We Are Water by Wally Lamb – 5*****
Intricate and nuanced, Wally Lamb has given us a portrait of one American family’s disintegration and coming back together. Rather than use a single narrator, Lamb gives voice to various characters, switching point of view from chapter to chapter. All these characters suffer trauma and loss, and struggle to find their way back to hope. There were some very distressing scenes dealing with pedophilia and hate crimes. But we should be bothered by those issues and facing what makes us uncomfortable is a theme of this book. The audio book is narrated by a cast of voice artists, including the author himself.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished (Done 12/15) ★★★; (Done 12/16) ★★★★; (Done 12/17) ★★;

No reading

Revenge of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz – 3***
In this third book of the series, Isabel (“Izzy”) Spellman is undergoing court-ordered therapy and trying to decide what to do with her life. This is a fun, fast “mystery” that is more focused on the zany relationships within the Spellman family than on any actual case. I think I may have reached my limit with this series. I found Christina Moore’s delivery on the audio somewhat droning, and at times I abandoned the CDs for the text.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld – 4****
I was expecting a somewhat light look at a fictional first lady. What I got was a nuanced, complex portrait of a woman who found herself in a very public position. I liked that Sittenfeld takes the reader back to Alice’s childhood and introduces us to this young, quiet but inquisitive girl. While her life takes some unexpected turns, Alice remains true to herself, confident in her opinions, compassionate and thoughtful. She is no less strong because she is quiet. Kimberly Farr does a fine job performing the audio version. She has good pacing and really brought Alice to life for me.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished and jumping into . Love Scottish accents
Also

Finished

Currently reading

Instructions For Visitors by Helen Stevenson – 3***
A charming memoir of life and love in a small French village near the Spanish border. I didn’t understand the attraction to Luc, but I did fall for the village life.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Autobiography of Santa Claus by Jeff Guinn – 3***
This was not the light, fluffy holiday book I thought it would be. It is a history of Western civilization told through the lens of the legend that is today’s Santa Claus. John Mayer’s delivery on the audio is ponderous. Still it was fairly interesting.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Bones of Betrayal by Jefferson Bass – 3***
Book # 4 in the Body Farm series is a solid mystery thriller, with a back story that involves the Manhattan Project in World War II, particularly the work done in Oak Ridge Tennessee. It’s fast-paced, informative and has interesting characters. I did think the plot got a little too complicated and perhaps there was one body too many, but I was still entertained and engaged from beginning to end.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished and didn't like and .
Sarah Maclean's series is a hit or miss. I didnt like book 1, but really liked book 2. Now I disliked book 3's heroine .

I think I'll try On audio while I finish

Currently Reading