The Great Carpezio
Pearl Clutcher
Something profound goes here.
Posts: 2,930 
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Post by The Great Carpezio on Dec 27, 2015 22:55:09 GMT
Hello Readers.
Yeah, I didn't get a single book read his week. I'm also ten books from my reading goal of 75.
I hope you all did better. So, what did you read this week? Did you or will you reach your 2015 goal?
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luckyexwife
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,067
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Post by luckyexwife on Dec 27, 2015 22:57:11 GMT
My goal was to read more books than the year before, and I made it. I read 31 in 2014, and 36 in 2015.
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Post by leannec on Dec 27, 2015 23:23:52 GMT
I don't do reading goals ... too much time spent on the computer cuts into my reading time  This week I read Finding Jake by Bryan Reardon which was recommended by a lot of readers here  I thought it was pretty good but I didn't LOVE it like I thought I might ... too wordy in some places for my liking  |
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Post by smalltowngirlie on Dec 27, 2015 23:34:14 GMT
My original goal was 35 books and I reached that late summer so I upped my goal to 50 and met that last week. I have read 52 books this year and may finish one more before Friday.
I just finished "The Color of Secrets".
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SabrinaP
Pearl Clutcher
Busy Teacher Pea
Posts: 4,350
Location: Dallas Texas
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Post by SabrinaP on Dec 27, 2015 23:44:49 GMT
My goal was 100 and I really didn't think I would make it, but I had an injury in early October that had me off my feet (complete non-weight bearing) for 12 weeks, so I've had quite a bit of time to read in the last 12 weeks during my recovery. I just hit my goal this morning.
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Post by littlefish on Dec 27, 2015 23:52:22 GMT
My goal is usually just to read more than I did the year previous. I'm not sure how far off I am, I'll have to look.
I've been unusually busy (for me anyway) this first week of vacation so I haven't gotten much reading done.
I'm working through A Place at the Table, the companion book to the documentary by the same name. It's ok, I have some issues with the federally funded breakfast program (things like, giving our kids up to 60 grams of sugar in their "healthy breakfast" before 9am), but my mom gave it to me to read so I'll stick with it.
I also just started reading a YA book called The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp.
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Post by kellybelly77 on Dec 27, 2015 23:57:33 GMT
I read 2 books this week.
Grace of Monaco by Jeffrey Robinson. I was always intrigued with Grace Kelly. Actress turned princess! Based on the book she was a fascinating person. This book had great info but it was a little disjointed. The book gave background info on each of her children and went from when they were young to adults after her death, but then the last chapters of the book were devoted to the accident. It just seemed out of order or something. But I did love the story and the background on Monaco.
Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. I had this book on my Nook for-ever!! I finally got around to reading it since I had nothing lined up. It was that or a Nicholas Sparks book I have tried to start about a dozen times! I loved the book! However, if I hadn't known there was another after this one, I would have been so pissed off at the ending! I was like, you are just going to end it now and not tell me how it turns out? So now I have to read the next one!
As far as my goal, I didn't realize that Goodreads had reading challenges until April or May. So I set a smaller goal at that point to make up for not starting in January! So far I have read 42 books this year and have two more I am reading right now. I'll probably end up with 43 as I doubt I can get both read this week. In May I set it as 20 for the rest of the year.
I think I will set a new one for 2016 at 45.
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purplebee
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,734
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Post by purplebee on Dec 27, 2015 23:57:53 GMT
I was happy to reach my goal of 52 books on Christmas eve, with a re-read of John Grisham's Skipping Christmas. I'm reading #53 and should finish before Friday. Will try for another 52 in 2016. Thanks reader Refupeas as for so many great recommendations!
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
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Post by Mystie on Dec 28, 2015 0:19:17 GMT
This week I finished my Sinatra biography and also read The Wright Brothers by David McCullough.
I don't set reading goals but I do keep track of what I read. This year I've read 128 books and may squeeze in one more before the new year.
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Post by AussieMeg on Dec 28, 2015 0:28:25 GMT
This is the first I've heard of "reading goals". It's not something that I'd particularly want to do. To me it sounds like it would almost make reading like a chore that you have to get through. I'd prefer to read at my own relaxed pace without having to rush through a book to meet a deadline. I do read every single night before bed, but it might only be one chapter which means it takes me 2 or more weeks to read a book. I read a lot more when I'm on holiday, and usually get through a book in 2 or 3 days. I have no idea how many books I have read over the year.
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Post by kckckc on Dec 28, 2015 0:29:37 GMT
My goal was 120 books - I am at 105, so I won't make it. One of my goals for next year is to spend less time online (especially on games and Facebook) and more time on other things including reading - so I will aim for 120 again next year.
I finished two books this week. Uprooted by Naomi Novik. This one is a fantasy novel recommended by a couple of Peas. I enjoyed it.
Seven Stories of Christmas Love by Leo Buscaglia. I always like to read a quick, heartwarming Christmas book during the week before Christmas. This one fit the bill.
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lisaknits
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,357
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Post by lisaknits on Dec 28, 2015 0:32:32 GMT
This week I read David Spade is Almost Interesting: A Memoir. His book gives a great insight into how hard it can be to make it as a stand-up comedian and a writer/performer on SNL. For some reason he stopped the memoir when he reached the year 2000, prior to his sitcom years. Maybe he's planning a second volume? It's a fast read, interesting, but ultimately he comes off as an immature man-boy.  |
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Post by bc2ca on Dec 28, 2015 0:43:23 GMT
I don't have firm goals, but have read at least a book a week for the last few years and somehow have only read a couple in the last few months. My list of books I want to read keeps growing though, so I hopw to make more time in the new year.
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Post by annabella on Dec 28, 2015 0:44:49 GMT
Last year I read 25 books so I set a goal of 35 books this year. Well I read 52 books! I love Goodreads, just found out about it at the start of the year. I just got back from a 10 day vacation in Cancun where I read:
The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak This is by a famous Turkish author and it's an epic tale that takes place during the Ottomon Empire. It was a thick book, fictional but based on real people. I really enjoyed it.
Cartwheel by Jennifer duBois A fictional account of the Amanda Knox story but based in Buenos Aires. I was disappointed with the book because there's no ending, I still don't know who did it! You need a dictionary to read this book.
Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget by Sarah Hepola This was a fascinating memoir by a young woman who was social drinker but couldn't remember anything the next day.
Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed: A Memoir of the Cleveland Kidnappings by Michelle Knight
I had watched the movie before I left staring Taryn Manning so I downloaded the kindle book at the airport and finished it on the way home.
Now I'm reading Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland by Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus to get the other side of the story. See Amanda and Gina are no longer speaking to Michelle, even though they were held hostage together for 11 years! Each book only tells their side of the story. I've been reading this at night on my kindle in bed and it's been giving me bad dreams.
The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee I'm also reading this historical fictional about a British woman who gives piano lessons in Hong Kong in the 1950s, very fascinating!
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Post by RobbyKay on Dec 28, 2015 0:46:51 GMT
Hey Readers!
After last weeks heavy read, I picked up a lighter title, Superheroes Anonymous by Lexie Dunne. It's a cute adventure/romance about a woman who is constantly getting into predicaments, having to be rescued by the local superhero. She is kidnapped by a supervillain and transformed into her own version of a superhero. Chaos ensues. It was cute and light - just what i needed.
My book club title this month is In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O'Brien. It's a mystery set in Minnesota in the mid-eighties. A couple who have been through a tough political campaign, only to lose by a landslide retreat to a lakefront cabin to rest and recover. Then someone disappears. There were some heavy themes in this one, but it was really engaging.
As far as reading goals go, I set a goal of 75 books on Goodreads this year, and I met my goal at the beginning of December. I noticed on Goodreads that you could view your stats for the year, including number of pages read, and I may set a goal of pages read rather than books read, because I tend to shy away from really long books if I think my books-per-year goal is in jeopardy.
Happy reading!
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Post by Blind Squirrel on Dec 28, 2015 1:32:40 GMT
I'm not disciplined enough to track my reading.  Based on a previous post, I picked up Inside the O'Briens from the library. I finished it minutes ago; absolutely phenomenal! |
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Post by smalltowngirlie on Dec 28, 2015 1:50:52 GMT
This is the first I've heard of "reading goals". It's not something that I'd particularly want to do. To me it sounds like it would almost make reading like a chore that you have to get through. I'd prefer to read at my own relaxed pace without having to rush through a book to meet a deadline. I do read every single night before bed, but it might only be one chapter which means it takes me 2 or more weeks to read a book. I read a lot more when I'm on holiday, and usually get through a book in 2 or 3 days. I have no idea how many books I have read over the year. I have set a goal the last few years just to see how much I have read. I have never felt pressure to read faster or to pick shorter books to meet a goal. I see it just as fun. During the summer when I am off work I can read a lot more than when school is in session. I may up my goal next year, but at the same time I will need to set a goal to do something else less, like watching TV or playing online. So having a reading goal will maybe help me in other ways. |
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Post by myboysnme on Dec 28, 2015 1:59:45 GMT
For Christmas I got 3 books called the Glassblower Trilogy. I am half way through the 2nd one. They came from Amazon. Very good books, easy read but about 500 pages each. Will have them finished by the weekend. Wish there were more volumes in the series!
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Post by smalltowngirlie on Dec 28, 2015 3:00:23 GMT
For Christmas I got 3 books called the Glassblower Trilogy. I am half way through the 2nd one. They came from Amazon. Very good books, easy read but about 500 pages each. Will have them finished by the weekend. Wish there were more volumes in the series! I recently read the first book in the trilogy and looking forward to the rest. |
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gottapeanow
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,752
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Post by gottapeanow on Dec 28, 2015 5:47:40 GMT
In 2014, I read 100 books. Silly me, I set my goal for the same in 2015. However, I didn't factor in a move and a much busier life. It's all good. So far, I am only at 69 books for the year - wayyyyy off. I will likely finish at least one more book. I managed to finish a book and read two more in the past week. I have no idea how! Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein, was the follow up to Code Name Verity and continued with the focus on female WW2 pilots. I liked it a lot - 4/5 stars while I gave the latter 5/5 stars. Next up was The Crossing by Michael Connelly, the new Harry Bosch book with a bit of Micky Haller tossed in as the pair join forces to free a framed man and uncover the plot against him. I could not put it down! 5/5 stars. Finally, I read The Life I Left Behind by Collette McBeth. She wrote another book that I read and loved last year, Precious Thing, which I gave 5/5 stars. I gave 4/5 stars to this one. This is narrated by three women, a police detective, who is the least developed character, a woman who has been murdered who is "lingering" until her assignment is finished, and the main character, who was brutally attacked six years ago and left for dead. The last woman, Melody, was seriously traumatized by the attack, and her neighbor was convicted for the crime. But did the police capture the right man? Why does she feel like someone is watching her, despite the walls around the palatial estate she shares with her doctor fiance? Again, this was really hard to put down! I thought the ending could have been more developed, or I would have rated it 5/5 stars. Happy New Year, reading friends! Lisa |
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Post by pjaye on Dec 28, 2015 6:37:21 GMT
Reading "goals" are just fun, I don't feel any pressure to read more, I'm just the sort of person that likes to see stats and track things, so this sort of thing is interesting and motivating for me.
Goodreads does it at the start of each year and I thought it would be fun to play along.
I initially set my goal at 100 and then upped it to 125. I'm currently listening to my 140th book.
Goodreads all does the stats for your year in review (they convert audiobooks to pages), so in 2015 I "read" just on 44,000 pages or in listening time that it was 1,680 hrs.
This year my goal will be 100 books again, and I've already drawn up my "book bingo" card for 2016.
I put in 80 books and left 20 spots for new books that take my fancy during the year.
I can often procrastinate about which book to start next, so basically, I start on a random line and read every book to the next side.
I did it this year too and found it worked well for me...it means I don't forget about older books that I want to read that get bumped for new ones. Plus I found a few times that I didn't think I'd feel like reading a certain book, but then still read it because it was on the list and found I loved it.
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Post by pjaye on Dec 28, 2015 6:40:47 GMT
However, if I hadn't known there was another after this one, I would have been so pissed off at the ending! I was like, you are just going to end it now and not tell me how it turns out? So now I have to read the next one! There's actually 2 more! So don't get pissed off at the ending of the second one, because the third book was released recently. Although I won't bother with the 3rd, I thought the first was good, didn't like the second much, so I think that's it for me. |
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finaledition
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,896
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Post by finaledition on Dec 28, 2015 15:34:59 GMT
Only one for me this week Wish You Well by David Baldacci. I'm not sure who the recommendation came from, but it became available through a digital library. I thought it was a very good story about people living in poverty in the Appalachians.
I don't keep track of the books I read, but I'd say that this year I probably listened to more books than I read which is a shift for me. I'd like to keep better track next year.
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luckyexwife
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,067
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Post by luckyexwife on Dec 28, 2015 15:54:06 GMT
However, if I hadn't known there was another after this one, I would have been so pissed off at the ending! I was like, you are just going to end it now and not tell me how it turns out? So now I have to read the next one! There's actually 2 more! So don't get pissed off at the ending of the second one, because the third book was released recently. Although I won't bother with the 3rd, I thought the first was good, didn't like the second much, so I think that's it for me. I loved the first Miss Peregrine's book, the second was ok, but I loved the third one. It actually ends, and I like how it all ended up. You should read (or listen to )the third if you get the chance! |
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tuesdaysgone
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by tuesdaysgone on Dec 28, 2015 15:59:58 GMT
I just set a generic goal of one book per week every year. Most years I exceed that goal, but it's arbitrary. This year I read 58 and will probably have 59 by Thursday.
I read a quick and easy book this week. She's Leaving Home (Shaw). It is the first novel in the series and is set in 1960's London. It's good escape lit for a busy week.
Now I must make a confession and hope it doesn't get me kicked off this reading thread (HA!). I tried to read The Nightingale and didn't like it at all. Compared to the other WWII historical fiction out there, it is trite and I didn't care for the writing. It's me, not the book. I know most people loved it. I'm just a picky reader.
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Post by jackie on Dec 28, 2015 18:13:57 GMT
This is the first I've heard of "reading goals". It's not something that I'd particularly want to do. To me it sounds like it would almost make reading like a chore that you have to get through. I'd prefer to read at my own relaxed pace without having to rush through a book to meet a deadline. I do read every single night before bed, but it might only be one chapter which means it takes me 2 or more weeks to read a book. I read a lot more when I'm on holiday, and usually get through a book in 2 or 3 days. I have no idea how many books I have read over the year. I understand exactly what you're saying and I felt the same way too, which is why I never set a goal until this year. I decided to do it this year, as pjaye said, "just for fun". And that's really all that it is. I'm not trying to compare myself to someone else or beat someone else. I'm not kicking myself because I didn't hit it--and I'm way off! I just thought it would be fun to track what I'm reading. I do this anyway because I keep a spreadsheet. I add books to it as I get recommendations/suggestions (mostly from here) and then mark them off as I read them. That way I don't lose track of books I want to read. Since I was tracking what I wanted to read and marking them off as I read them, it just made sense to track what I've read for the year. The one thing where the number does impact me though is that I look at it and think, you know, that's pretty low. I probably wasted more time than I should have watching reruns on tv or shows I'm not interested in--I want to make a point to read more. That's about as far as I go with the "chore" part, which I wouldn't really even call it that.
Anyway, I set my goal at 52 and I think I'm at 35. I do have three books that I'm actively reading though so I may finish at least one of them by the 31st. On 1/1/16, I'll copy my spreadsheet and carry over only the books I haven't read yet but want to and those that are in progress. Then I can continue to add to it as new interesting suggestions come up.
I haven't finished any since last week. My ds was in town from the Navy so I read very little. I am still in the middle of three books and they are all similar themes/genres, which is kind of interesting.
I'm listening to the audiobook, In the Blood by Lisa Unger when I'm in my car. This might be my favorite of my three in-progress books. It's a mystery (girls are disappearing/dying on a college campus), but it has several stories going on--women dealing with troubled childhoods and fathers who were murderers. One of them has a child herself who appears to be a sociopath. It's really good. You keep wondering, are the women victims? are they evil too? I'm interested to see how it all ties together.
I'm reading from the library, Black Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin. This one is about a girl (now a woman) who escapes a serial killer. He's on death row for his murders but there are questions about whether he really did it and if he didn't, who did?
The last one I am reading on my Kindle in bed at night and that's The Good Girl by Mary Kubica. It's about a young woman who was abducted from her home and it goes back in forth between points-of-view (the kidnapper, the detective, the mother) and time periods (during the abduction and after).
I'm really enjoying all three and they all have in common that the protagonist is a young woman where something troubling has happened to her, but there are secrets. Things about these women that we don't fully know and that make us wonder about their involvement. Anyway, these are the kinds of book I generally love so I'm glad to have three going at once!
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Post by birukitty on Dec 28, 2015 18:35:51 GMT
I don't like to do reading goals because I'm too competitive and a perfectionist. It would take all of the fun out of reading for me. I did try to keep an account on goodreads as to when I finished a book, but I forgot to record when I finished a book so many times, that's it's not an accurate account. I read at least one book a week, sometimes two a week. My yearly count according to goodreads is only 40 books, but if I read only 1 book a week it would be 48 books, so I know I forgot a few. I do like to do goodreads because my memory is horrible, and at least it helps me to remember those books I've read and would like to reread some day.
This past week I read "Catholic Q and A-Answers to the most common questions about Catholicism" by John J. Dietzen. It was a very informative book. I've read a lot of books about the Catholic faith. I became a Catholic late in life 14 years ago, and while I did go through RICA (a many week long instruction plan for adults wanting to enter the Catholic faith) I've forgotten some of it. This particular book was the first I've found like this that really went into depth with the answers. I'm planning to buy a copy.
I'm halfway through another book that's been really engaging (it's fiction) but I'll tell you about that one next week.
Debbie in MD.
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gottapeanow
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,752
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Post by gottapeanow on Dec 28, 2015 18:41:33 GMT
finaledition, I love the book Wish You Well - so sweet! Glad you enjoyed it! Lisa
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Post by pjaye on Dec 28, 2015 23:56:54 GMT
I loved the first Miss Peregrine's book, the second was ok, but I loved the third one. It actually ends, and I like how it all ended up. You should read (or listen to  )the third if you get the chance!
But is there more about the "whites" and running from or chasing monsters?
I hated that part, the weird children were fine, but once there's monsters with gnashing teeth...I'm out.
Considering book 2 focused so much on that, I'm not interested in book 3 at all...unless you tell me there's not a mention of "Whites" or any monster chasing or killing at all.
This week I spent 5 days at my mother's so didn't have much listening time.
I finished Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. It's a YA book about a group of mean high school girls, one of them gets killed in a car accident and then has to live her last day over and over. It was an interesting premise, and OK for an adult reader, although I think YA readers would like it a lot more. It was easy enough to listen to while I was running around doing pre-Christmas stuff. 3 out of 5 stars.
Next was a new release from the library What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan (her debut novel) Set in England in current times about a mother who is taking a walk with her 8yo son and he vanishes. It's more about how she copes than the actual police investigation. It's told from the POV of the mother and also the lead detective (his side is told via his sessions with a counsellor after the case is over, which makes you think something really horrible happened to him, which turns out not to be the case) It was a bit of an odd book, there's a big family secret revealed...but ultimately it had no bearing on the main story. I also thought the 'whodunnit' aspect was weak. It was OK, but could have been a lot better. Another 3 star rating from me.
I'm currently about 70% done with The Hiding Place by David J. Bell. 25years ago a 4yo boy was abducted from the park while he was being looked after by his older sister, then 2 months later his body was found in a shallow grave. The book starts at the 25th anniversary of his death and how his family are still struggling to cope with what happened. It's keeping me interested, but I have no idea where it's going.
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MsKnit
Pearl Clutcher
RefuPea #1406
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Jun 26, 2014 19:06:42 GMT
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Post by MsKnit on Dec 29, 2015 0:17:28 GMT
I loved the first Miss Peregrine's book, the second was ok, but I loved the third one. It actually ends, and I like how it all ended up. You should read (or listen to )the third if you get the chance!
But is there more about the "whites" and running from or chasing monsters?
I hated that part, the weird children were fine, but once there's monsters with gnashing teeth...I'm out.
Considering book 2 focused so much on that, I'm not interested in book 3 at all...unless you tell me there's not a mention of "Whites" or any monster chasing or killing at all.
Don't bother with book 3, then. Ended up with an interesting twist. But, they are still in book 3. |
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