2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Well, I came up a bit short in my 2015 reading challenge, but I really don't feel like backing down from my initial goal for this year coming to an end.

2016, I will again attempt to read 25 books. At the very least.

Here I come--well, after a trip to B&N!!!

Good luck Scorpionmuse

good luck! do you bring a list with you when you go

Good luck with your challenge! Hopefully 2016 is the year to make it. :)

Blagica wrote: "good luck! do you bring a list with you when you go"

Not as a rule. Occasionally, I will read a review and put it down to look for. As a rule, and this may sound strange, I am usually drawn to the cover of the book. Then I will read the back cover/inside jacket. I have had pretty good luck with this method. I also tend to make a thorough look thru the discounted books. I've found quite a few in that area that have been pretty awesome reads (the ones I can off in a day or two).

Zara wrote: "Good luck Scorpionmuse"

Thank you!

Cassandra wrote: "Good luck with your challenge! Hopefully 2016 is the year to make it. :)"

Thanks! I'm sure going to try!

Book #1: Promise Not to Tell:
Good thriller/mystery/Ghost Story. I really enjoyed this book (yet another one I picked up in the discount section.

Book #2; The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra

As I wrote in my review, it is really hard to really write on how I felt after reading this. They weren't just exiled and had their royal status taken away, they had their lives removed from this earth. They were girls who had dreams, who weren't afraid to work, devoted to their family, and had hopes for a future. In one swift action, it was all lost.

Their lives were indeed lost. And I, as a reader, a student of history, cannot help but feel that there should have been something that could have been done...and never can be.

Congrats on finishing your first two books in 2016!

Book #3; Island of Lost Girls.
Jennifer McMahon

Copy & pasted from original Good Reads Review

This is the second book by Jennifer McMahon I have read and I found it every bit as enjoyable as the first book I read.

First, what I like about McMahon's writing is that she doesn't bog the narrative down with tons of detail. The detail moves the tale along. That I enjoy. When I compare this to some other books, like, for instance, VC Andrews "My Sweet Audrina," I just think, how many times do I have be subjected to Audrina's magic hair?

McMahon is good at weaving tales that are mysteries. Now this time, I did figure out the secret and there was some loose ends I do wish that she had tied up at the end, but I did thoroughly enjoy the tale. I cannot wait to read some more of her works

Book #5 2016 Reading Challenge: "Carrie" by Stephen King

Oh...the days where instead of busting into your school with an arsenal of weapons, you just turned your mind onto the offenders and let loose. . .

"Carrie" by Stephen King was probably the first book by King I read and I probably haven't read it in at least 20 years, maybe a bit longer. So when I spotted this at the local Goodwill store, I snatched it up. Even after a long hiatus, I remember why I enjoyed this book.

What more can you say? This story is probably why I really dislike those, who let religion totally rule their lives. I have nothing against religion, but when it thrust upon those who, A) don't understand all the ramifications, and B) makes them the pariahs of society, that is where I draw the line.

Carrie White is a victim in every sense of the word. Her mother not only tried to kill her not once, not twice, but three times, does the aforementioned; thrusting religion down her throat. She is constantly tortured by the people of her school. Obviously, the ribbing of her in the showers during her first menstrual cycle, wasn't the first occurrence of her being teased, tripped, tricked, harassed, ridiculed, etc.. Even when shown against adults other than her mother (the principal and Miss Desjardin), she is forgettable. Chubby, pimply, dowdy-clothed...she is ripe for the pick'ns, to coin a term.

During the infamous shower scene, the late onset of puberty, Carrie comes into power...that of Telekinesis. She begins basically honing the skills on the way home. So starts the trouble. One character hell-bent on torturing Carrie...who is Chris Hargensen. This chick and her legal beagle father, have skated thru life doing whatever she wants, while daddy-o gets her out of trouble. Instead of taking her punishment for the incident in the shower room, she makes a ploy to destroy Carrie. How is this done? Well, a bad-assed boyfriend and a couple of buckets of pigs blood seems to work.

However, for this to even work out, the other pieces of the puzzle have to fall in place and that has to do with the other main teenage female character, Sue Snell. Sure, Sue takes part in the tampon barrage in the shower, but apparently, Sue also has a conscious. This leads Sue to do something completely selfless: she asks her own boyfriend to take Carrie to prom instead of her. Sue has a little more going for her--

Without Sue convincing her boyfriend to take Carrie to prom--the infamous prom scene and revenge wouldn't be able to take place.

Everything culminates at the prom and the carnage is something to be beheld.

Look for mention of Teddy Duchamp from "The Body" Mind you, he is mentioned in passing...and I'm sure there are a couple of other spots from future King novels.

The moral of the story is: be careful of who you torture today--they may hold your future in their hands...literally.

Book #6: Brooklyn by Colm Toibin

I liked this book. I felt that the characters were engaging....but....

I felt that there was something missing from this book. That there was some element that was just there, beneath the surface waiting to be found, but never was. When a character dies--the character of Eilis feels it horribly, but I don't. As a reader, the character wasn't enough of an element for me to feel vested in their death.

Not sure what to expect with the movie, which I've held off watching until I read this...so I don't know. May revisit this one later and see if it improves on the second reading.

3.5 stars.

Looks like you are doing pretty well with your reading goal so far. What do you have planned next?

Kadijah Michelle wrote: "Looks like you are doing pretty well with your reading goal so far. What do you have planned next?"

Thank you! I'm no sure what I have up next. I usually have upwards of five going at any one time and deciding on just one to off...well, who knows. Maybe a classic or historical fiction. :P

I'm glad I'm not the only one who reads more than one book at a time. I typically have 5 books going at once as well.

Book #7: Auschwitz: A New History by Laurence Rees

Like a book on Titanic, most, if not all, know exactly what Auschwitz is about. The name invokes emotions across a huge spectrum. As well it should.

This book tells the tale of the concentration camps of World War II (Rees does not skip the importance and "mission" of the other camps throughout the Reich) but the focus is indeed Auschwitz. How it was built up. . .everything.

Rees also has testimonials from many different points of view: SS officers, Soviet POW's, and of course, the Jewish people from Slovakia, Poland, Germany, France--many other places. It also tells the aftermath after liberation and how it was not a sweet homecoming for many former prisoners.

It was a book I recommend if you are a student of history or just need to know.

Book #8: "The Winter People" By Jennifer McMahon

This was a pretty enjoyable book. I've read some of McMahon's other novels and I have been pleasantly surprised by them. This was no different.

There are essentially three stories going on at one time. Sara's story starts in the early 1900's. She has a special relationship with her little daughter, Gertie. One winter day, Gertie goes missing. The events surrounding Gertie sends Sara into a bit of a tail-spin.

The second & third are more the common day, between two other women. The first is Katherine, who moves to this small town after her husband dies tragically in an automobile accident. The second is Ruthie, a 19-year-old who comes home to find her mother missing and a little sister.

The common denominator in these stories is the house that Ruthie currently lives in. Sara's story happens here, as well as portions of Katherine's. The tale twists around into the supernatural and leaves the reader trying to figure out what is going on.

I know some readers have compared this to "Pet Semetery" in terms of burying people/animals in hallowed ground, but this is a bit different, if I remember King's novel. In all fairness, I did figure out one mystery that McMahon had in her story-line, but the rest I hadn't really figured out, so kudos there...I love how her storylines draw the reader in.

Book #9: Summer Sisters by Judy Blume

Where to begin? I read Judy Blume as a young girl (though I will admit, I have never read, or even cracked the cover of "Are you there God? It's Me, Margaret." I hadn't even realized until recently that Blume even wrote adult novels. So, I was a bit on a border about it.

is about Caitlin & Victoria, two girls from two vastly different backgrounds. Caitlin comes from a fairly well-to-do family while Victoria is a bit of a shy girl with not the best family to fall back on. One summer, Caitlin decides that Victoria is going to be her Summer Sister: spend the summer with her, her father & brother in Martha's Vineyard.

So begins their escapades at the tender age of twelve, when things begin to get going. They do things that are girlish and experimental (hey, there is nothing like considering that spot below The Power). Throughout the years, the two girls see changes happen in their families and have a very interesting preoccupation with sex.

Once they graduate, their lives take on very different paths.

Okay, so now that I've got that out of the way...wow. I've never seen two girls so preoccupied with sex. They do the "experimentation thing" their first summer and fall in love so easily with two young men just a few years older than themselves. Caitlin seems to fall in love at the drop of a hat and Vix (Victoria) has the hots for one guy...and that--well, I don't know. Both girls have some pretty serious faults which I feel can be traced back to their families. That says a lot. One desperately wants to fit in and the other doesn't know where she fits. That is probably the worst thing.

I'm also not sure about the small little interludes that come from different characters in this book. Some other readers have also thought that it was more about two girls with suppressed lesbian tendencies. Do I think that? Not really. I think they were two girls, who more wished they were a bit more like the other.

Book #10: Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

I love when I find a book that I'm not sure about and becomes one that I immediately fall in love with.

Orphan Train is just such a book. It takes place in two time periods: one in the early part of the 20th century prior and just into, WWII and in 2010. Our two main characters are Vivian (who starts out the story as Niamh (pronounced as "Neev") and Molly.

Vivian was a young Irish immigrant, whose family died tragically in a fire. She was put onto an orphan train that is sent out west. She was put in charge of an 18-month child, and made friends with the "trouble maker" Dutchy. The little one and Dutchy were snatched up almost immediately and Niamh found herself going on. She is first snatched by a couple who don't want so much as a daughter but as another pair of hands in their business of making women's clothing. The girl is practically starved but when the bottom falls out the market in '29, she is forced onto a new home.

The only improvement there is that the she gets to go to school (and at this point, she is being called Dorothy). The mother is more interested in hanging out in her bed and getting knocked up on a fairly regular basis and the dad is a total creeper. When he tries to rape Niamh, she runs away though a bad storm and stays in the school house. Through her teacher and the kindness of the matron of the boarding house her teacher lives in, Niamh is given a bit more of a chance. She finally ends up in a home a couple who had lost their daughter and owned a general goods store.

After some consideration, they ask Niamh if she would mind changing her name to Vivian (the same name of their deceased daughter). She grows into a pretty young woman who is smart and finds a home with a couple who make her life much better.

Eventually, she reunites with Dutchy, who is now known as Luke, who has learned he has a talent for playing the piano. He is eventually drafted into WWII and they marry. Unfortunately, Dutchy is killed in the Pacific Theater. Vivian, who was expecting their child, decides to give up their daughter upon birth.

In 2010, Molly is a girl who has been in the foster system for years. A different type of orphan, Molly lost her father in a terrible crash and her mother became a druggie. Molly has her problems and goes from home to home. Her current home, the mother doesn't like her and the father is always running interference between the two. The last straw purportedly comes when Molly tries to steal an older copy of Jane Eyre from the library and instead of going to Juvie, she gets an opportunity to work off her crime by doing fifty hours of community service.

This is where she meets Vivian. Molly helps Vivian clean out her attic--or more specifically, reorganize it. Through this and a school project, Molly and Vivian develop a bond. Vivian gets to tell her story and Molly realizes that they have a lot in common.

Molly finds out that the people who originally took Vivian to the orphanage, adopted her little sister, whom she thought had died in the fire. Molly also helped her find the daughter she gave up for adoption. Vivian, also helped out Molly, when she was kicked out of her foster home.

This book is engaging.I was aware of the orphan trains. There was a movie about it back in the 1970's I believe...and who hasn't heard of the characters of Oliver Twist, Anne Shirley, little orphan Annie.

Unfortunately, the orphan trains were a real thing. Many children were put on these trains and sent across the country and most the time, they weren't adopted by people wanting to adopt a chid out of the goodness of their hearts. Many of these children were taken by people who wanted extra hands on their farms, or help with a houseful of children, or work in some form or the other.

I probably was draw to this because my own great-grandmother came to America from Germany in around 1878 at approximately three years of age. She made it through Ellis Island, but her parents didn't. She ended up with a good German family in Illinois, but who knows the rest of the story. She was a lucky one.

The characters are engaging and I love how they come together. Excellent book!

Book #11: The Girl in the Woods by Gregg Olsen
Five Stars

I was first introduced to Gregg Olsen when I read "Starvation Heights" because I used to drive past the actual location multiple times per week. So when I found this--I had familiarity with the author.

Olsen doesn't let down. Being familiar with this area, I can visualize the places he writes about. Much nicer than, shall we say, a certain author who writes about sparkly vampires.

The story starts with school field trip and a gruesome find. From there, the story unravels with two seemingly unrelated cases, being related more than anyone could know. The characters are engaging, the story moves at a good clip and Olsen does describe without getting bogged down in the details.

There is a sequel of sorts I need to save up to buy...but definitely check him out!

Book #12: A Treasury of Royal Scandals

If you ever wanted to read about scandals about royalty and even some Popes...this is definitely an amusing read.

Some tales that are told are well known, others, not quite so well known. I personally love the story of Joanna the Mad and her obsession with her husband. If you want something to not get bogged down in and give you some laughs or head shaking, this is definitely up your alley!

Book #13: The Sister by Poppy Adams

I wasn't sure what this would be like. I found this book at the local library sale, sitting in the for sale room, up the stairs and sitting on top of a box of books. It looked interesting and jumped into my bag.

Ginny Stone's voice lends to a story that is interesting. I like the voice and find it fascinating, but there just a few things.

The story goes in depth to some stages. A little more about moths than I wanted to know and some of the storylines, just didn't lend themselves or perhaps should have been given more, with a little less about the Moths. Not my usual book, but once I got going, could not put it down.

A solid 4 stars.

Book #14: Sage's Eyes by VC Andrews

I wasn't quite sure what to expect. After all, the 'ghostwriter' has become somewhat repetitive and seems to lack (at times) some of the story-telling that was very prevalent in the first VC books written by the late author herself.

That being said, I can say that I really did enjoy this one. It was a bit of a departure from some of the last few stand alone books that has come out under Andrews name. Though I did the adults the same as always...a bit repetitive.

It surprised me and for once, I really enjoyed the ending of the book.

Book #15: Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

3.5 stars.

I have had this book in my bookcase for eleven years now. The movie, I've seen probably two-dozen times.

Like Susann's "Once Is Not Enough," I found Valley of the Dolls very slow going to start with (I still haven't gotten past page 31 of OINE, and I'm stuck on my second try at it). Skimming some reviews, I do tend to agree with some views. It is trashy. It is tragic. It is a statement of the time. God, how I wish some more of the novel actually made it to the movie.

I find most of the male characters not very interesting at all. The only one I seemed to enjoy was Henry Bellamy. The rest of the men--holy crap! Allen just assumes that Anne loves him, Jennifer can't figure out that Tony is a bit immature and the rest just love her boobs. Lyon is a huge douche. I could go on about the men, but they are like Kleenex...disposable.

The ladies, on the other hand, are interesting.

Anne, I get, does not want to be stuck in her small town forever. I didn't find her character as likable in the novel as the movie. She seems stuck on Lyon, which isn't exactly a good thing. I get why she doesn't go forward with Allen (get a clue!) and I feel that Kevin more or less fades into the background. She ends up fine in the end, but I almost find her character as cringe-worthy as Neely. I want to like the character of Anne...but something about her just doesn't strike me as sincere.

Jennifer I find to be tragic. I would guess if more of her story was incorporated into the movie, I would surmise an Oscar nod may have been given to Tate. Her whole story could be a novel; horrible mother, men who only want her for her body, an immature husband, a film maker making soft-core porn. The sad thing was that all she wanted was someone who loved her for her--not for her body and couldn't even have that. She had so much but never seemed happy. The only time the character seemed to have genuine happiness was in the presence of Anne and to some point, Neely.

Then there is Neely. She chews the scenery in this as much as Duke did in the movie. I agree with many other of the reviewers: Neely starts out as a sympathetic, sweet character that you just wish would get hit by a taxi, or drowned by Helen Lawson or anything by the end. I know that Susann based Neely on Judy Garland, but I found the comparison--while valid and there, seemed to go beyond the well-published antics of Garland. Neely doesn't gain any sympathy from me by the end of this novel. I really find her character to be distasteful, arrogant and just horrid.

The girls use the dolls because of their problems. Perhaps some proper comeuppance would have been a better route for these three ladies.

Susann took the credo, "write what you know." to heart with this novel. It smacks of the time and wouldn't really fit in now--nor would I want it to. I would hate the idea of someone like Lohan being the Neely character--because it seems like much of todays Hollywood has fallen for the dolls.

It's solid. It is trashy. It isn't bad. But it isn't great either.

Book #16: Bloody Mary: The Life and Legacy of England's Most Notorious Queen by Charles River Editors

This book wasn't too bad and I would most probably recommend this for someone who needed an overview of Mary Tudor. A lot of information was skimmed and touched on briefly. A good starting place, however if you are just starting on the subject or require an overview.

3 stars.