Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

258 pp, ★★★★
This book was everything I was expecting and a bit more. I love Pizzolatto's style and tone, but I admit it isn't something everyone will fancy.

I believe he also has a book of short stories, but I'm not in the mood for that. I will definitely read his next full length novel, though.

◆ Christmas Bliss by Mary Kay Andrews 12/24 ★★★ 294 pages

Finished - on my TBR since May 2013

NancyHelen wrote: " by Umberto Eco - 502 pages ★★★★

Buddy Read
This was pretty hard going but still enjoyable. A good story, but it had quite a lot of dense, rather obscure, hi..."

Well done, NancyHelen. It isn't an easy read.

Lauren wrote: "NancyHelen wrote: " by Umberto Eco - 502 pages ★★★★

Buddy Read
This was pretty hard going but still enjoyable. A good story, but it had quite a lot of dense,..."

And now I am trying to get through ! Sucker for punishment more like...

NancyHelen wrote: "And now I am trying to get through Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky! Sucker for punishment more like...
"

I know that it is a favorite of many, but for me it was a crime it was written and a punishment to read it.

Lauren wrote: "NancyHelen wrote: "And now I am trying to get through Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky! Sucker for punishment more like...
"

I know that it is a favorite of many, but for me it was a c..."

LOL :-)!

◆ Cape Perdido by Marcia Muller 12/24 ★★★ 320 pages

◆ Dixie City Jam by James Lee Burke 12/24 ★★★★ 352 pages

On TBR since May 04, 2012

419 pp, ★★★★
Interesting take on the YA vampire romance. Starts out with a mass murder, and there's only 1 or 2 smooches in the whole book. It isn't scary, but it is well-paced. I was interested enough to read it all in one go.

I'm not sure if this is a standalone or the first in a series. The ending is such that it could be either. I was looking for a nice standalone, but by the end I was hoping for more books. I like the world Black built.

There were several chapters from her next book in the back for preview, and I definitely want to read it, too.

by Sara Shepard, 286 pages, finished 12/25/14, 2,5-3 stars, Buddy Read

I've seen the first season of the tv-show, so the mystery was spoiled for me. Didn't like any of the characters and it was just not my type of book.

Finished by Katie MacAlister 25 Dec ★★★ 352 pages
- Second book in the paranormal romance series Aisling Grey. Very light, fun and quick read. It's perfect for when I'm in a reading slump. It's a bit cheesy here and there but not too much, I'm enjoying it so far.

370 pp, ★★★★ (3.75ish)

A very strange book. The MC is a teenaged boy kidnapped by a serial rapist/killer. He escapes, but is traumatized by the event. He meets a strange man who gives him a pair of glasses that allow him to enter an alternate reality.

I initially believed the alternate world was a hallucinatory experience brought on by trauma, but I'm no longer certain of that.

I feel like some important details were left out. Some characters were less in depth than the story required, if the story were all that it could be. I don't love it enough to read the second book.

1008 pp, ★★★, Buddy Read

The 8th book in the Outlander series, and probably my last one to read. At some point, it's time to call it a day. This series hit its prime at least 2 books ago. I had to make myself finish this one.

My number one interest in reading this one was the fate of Roger & Brianna and their children. It's by far the most interesting thing going on IMHO. I don't have an accurate figure, but I would estimate that took less than 20% of the book. More time was spent preparing for and describing makeshift surgical procedures. That was fun the first 50 times, but it's not nearly as interesting now.

|| 4 stars || 266 pages

|| 282 pages || 3 stars

◆ The Runaway Quilt: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel by Jennifer Chiaverini 348 pages 12/25 ★★★

◆ If I Stay by Gayle Forman 196 pages 12/26 ★★★★

322 pp, ★★★★ (3.5 stars)
The 2nd book in the Anna Kronberg series. Dr. Kronberg, an expert in bacteriology, is forced into working with Moriarty to develop a biological weapon. To complicate matters further, she's in love with Sherlock Holmes.

Holmes pastiche isn't usually my thing, but this is interesting in that he's a secondary character. I intend to read the 3rd book soon.

452 pp, ★★★, Buddy Read
This 2nd entry in the Lunar Chronicles is a twisted version of Little Red Riding Hood. (The first book was a take on Cinderella).
I didn't like this one as much as Cinder, perhaps because of some predictability in the plot. I will read the next installment.

◆ 44 Cranberry Point by Debbie Macomber 382 pages 12/26 ★★★

274 pp, ★★★★★
I loved this book. I'm glad it was a short book, because I read it uninterrupted and I think that's the best way to experience it. Masterful storytelling.

Cynthia, can you add the Diana Gabaldon book to your TT3 shelf? Thanks.

Finished - 4.5 Stars. I'm really enjoying this series. Don't know why I keep putting the books off.

Added to TBR in December 2013

|| 4 stars || 368 pages

Creepy!

|| 4 stars || 324 pages

I'm a Julie James fan through and through!

512 pp, ★★★ , Buddy Read
2nd book in the Darkest Minds series. Not extraordinary, but a good read.

I finished last night which was great ~ 4 stars.

I am going to update the spreadsheet now as I have been quite remiss over the week. Thank you Lauren for keeping on top of it! You're a super star. I'll also do a final update at the end of the day before submitting for anything you might finish today.

◆ Nowhere to Hide by Carlene Thompson 352 pages 12/27 ★★★★

New author to me - excellent mystery. I didn't see the ending coming

◆ The Dark Winter by David Mark 321 pages 12/28 ★★★

483 pp, ★★
This YA PA has a lot going for it. A pandemic that kills 99.96% of the population, an enemy that is 1/2 human and 1/2 robot, and a totalitarian government prepping for a revolution. Sounds perfect, right? No.

I was beyond annoyed with the MC and her boyfriend, giggling and tickling one another one minute and charging off to save humanity from extinction the next. It made it difficult to believe that these children were wise beyond their years. It kept the book from being 4 stars.

I'm still going to read the next installment. I think it will be better than the first book.

225 pp,★★★★, Buddy Read

This is the 2nd book in the Giver Quartet. IMHO, the quartet should have been a trilogy. This book just stops right in the middle. A big build-up, then nothing. I'll read the next book just because I feel like I've only read half a book. Luckily I'm checking them out on Kindle Unlimited and not buying books. I would be quite annoyed.

, 502 pages, 3,5 stars.
Finished 12/29/14
So far my least favorite book in series.

◆ Final Breath by Kevin O'Brien 446 pages 12/29 ★★★★★

◆ Play Dirty by Sandra Brown 416 pages 12/29 ★★★

On TBR since Jul 19, 2013

528 pp, ★★★★, Buddy Read

It took 3 tries for me to finally dig into this book, and if not for the BR I probably would have set it aside permanently. I hope the deficiencies in the start of the book are not repeated in the next installment. But for that, I would rate it a full ★★★★ rather than rounding up from 3.5 (not that the distinction is noted in GR ratings).

Skandia wrote: ", 502 pages, 3,5 stars.
Finished 12/29/14
So far my least favorite book in series."

I gave up on BDB after book #3. I only read #4 because it fit into 4 different challenges one week.

Lauren wrote: "Skandia wrote: ", 502 pages, 3,5 stars.
Finished 12/29/14
So far my least favorite book in series."

I gave up on BDB after book #3. I only read #4 because it fit in..."

I'll probably read another book sometimes but I prefer Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed series to BDB

Skandia wrote: "I'll probably read another book sometimes but I prefer Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed series to BDB "

Me too! Lara Adrian's series is much better both in terms of plot, characters and writing.

I gave up on BDB, too. When I first found it, I was almost obsessed and devoured them. I think a little of the separation was me, and a little was the books.

285 pp, ★★★★★
I used to hate short books. I felt cheated somehow, like the story could have been more given a little more effort and time.

This book is only 285 pages, but it doesn't need any more (or any less). It's perfect. I want to think about it, digest it, and read it again. It's so much more than I expected.

Cynthia wrote: "I gave up on BDB, too. When I first found it, I was almost obsessed and devoured them. I think a little of the separation was me, and a little was the books."

I know a lot of readers who say that. I think the series was just so original when it was first published (it might even have been the first PNR that focused on a group of warriors) and this contributed to its popularity. But once other authors got in on the game, readers began realizing that there were simply better books out there with the same themes.

325 pp, ★★★
A prominent surgeon is murdered, and it's revealed that he had three wives, three households, three lives. It's not a typical police procedural, nor is it very suspenseful. It's really a psychological examination (a surface exam) of the three wives, as the story is told from their POVs as well as the lead detective's.

I found it very shallow for a psychological type mystery. Not awful, but I wouldn't recommend putting it at the top of the TBR pile.

Cress by Marissa Meyer | 31 Dec | 550 pages | ★★ | BR - here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
- A bit disappointed how this series is developing. The story is almost exclusively plot-driven and it shows in the lack of character growth, some of them are pretty much cardboard cutouts. I can't root for any character in this series, I think they mainly lack common sense and are running around like headless chickens. I this 3rd installment nothing really big happens, and I really wonder its purpose in the series. Also 550 pages is unwarranted. Will read the 'next one' Fairest in the hope it will pick up, and I'm also curious how it finally ends.

This is my last book for this year :)

◆ My First Murder by Leena Lehtolainen 12/30 ★★★ 257 pages

341 pp, ★★★★
This is not a book about Boo Radley's family. Well, it could be I suppose. That's an interesting thought. The Radleys are a family of vampires. Except the children don't know it. Yet.

I loved that this wasn't a traditional vampire story, and especially loved that it wasn't the typical contemporary vampire story. An interesting take.

224 pp, ★★★★

This is a difficult book to explain. The MC is a spree killer, a lonely man living in an isolated cabin in the woods. The murder of his dog sets him off, and he is determined to kill the man that killed Hobbes (the dog).

I can identify with him in so many ways, and most certainly sympathize. That feeling is quite scary, because I should find him horrible and evil and despise him and what he's done.

A little book with a big punch.

◆ I'll Find You by Nancy Bush 12/31 ★★★ 384 pages

by Eloisa James
372 pages, finished 12/31/14, ★★★★

What I enjoyed most in this book was a hero made after one Dr. Gregory House :)

Cynthia wrote: " 224 pp, ★★★★

This is a difficult book to explain. The MC is a spree killer, a lonely man living in an isolated cabin in the woods. The murder of his dog sets him..."

Oh! I could totally sympathize with someone who wanted to kill the person who killed their dog. Sounds like an interesting book.

368 pp, ★★

This is the 2nd book in the Revenants series. I read the first one for our pink book in the Christmas challenge. Apparently I thought that one was great and gave it 4 stars (that had to be a clicking error).

The series in general is very juvenile, even for a YA book. The MC and her adult undead soulmate go to the French countryside for the weekend, sleep in the same bed, and just kiss. While I commend them, I don't find that likely.

I also get annoyed every time someone says 'I know you can hold your own' to a just turned 17 year old girl at risk from attack by evil undead with swords. Because that's the most unrealistic thing in the book, not the eternal battle between good and evil revenants.

Nightwatcher by Wendy Corsi Staub (Nightwatcher #1)

I was totally surprised by this book. With a title like Nightwatcher I thought it would be about vampires or zombies or something. Instead it was a very good murder mystery.

What was really different thought was the setting. Starting on 9/10/2001 in NYC the entire drama is entertwined with the chaos and grief of WTC bombings. Communications are down, the police force is devastated and yet the murders continue. Very well written and a good reminder of how much all our lives changed on that fateful day.

I loved it and gave it ★★★★★ 12/31 384 pages

260 pp, ★★★★★

I recommend this book to everyone that loves books. It was amazing, and I was so caught off guard by that. I was shelving books for GCA and liked the cover, then spotted it on 3M Cloud Library so gave it a whirl. So glad I did!

I don't give every book that makes me cry ★★★★★, but this one made me cry more than once. It was both sad and full of hope, and it was about a bookshop.