Colleen’s Comments (group member since Dec 31, 2013)

Colleen’s comments from the Read 100+ Books in 2014 group.

Well I was sick so I read a lot but didn't have time to post. Here goes. First off, I have Simple secrets which Rachel just reviewed. I may have to check that out soon. Thanks to my daughter I read all 3 Geronimo Stilton Christmas books. They were all cute reads for kids and very easy holiday fun. I also read a book I've wanted to read for a long time. I read "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". It was interesting and much stranger than I imagined it would be. I loved it more than any movie version I ever saw done. Since I also had it, I read the sequel "Through the Looking Glass". That was also one of the strangest books I've ever read. They were fun though. Now I'm reading the Star Wars trilogy. Just want some easy reads through the end of the year. All fun. Hope we do this again next year. Look forward to a good 2015. Hope you all have a great, blessed new year.

So I finished reading Christmas Haven. It was a cute little mystery. I enjoyed reading it. I'm finishing up some more Christmas stories. May start next year with some classic literature "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". Been enjoying the holidays so far.

So I finished a few books that I haven't posted a review for in a while. So I book I started before this month and finished this month was "On the Banks of Plum Creek" which Ruth and I have been reading together. It was good. I had never read that far in the Little House series before. I like the books much better than the TV series. Very entertaining. I also read multiple holiday books. I started with "Blue Christmas". It was a book about quirky Southerners in Savannah, GA and their holiday adventures. Very good, fun light read. I also read "A Dog Named Christmas". Wonderful book and a nice family story. I finished reading "A Cedar Cove Christmas" which I liked since I 've watched the TV series. The book does give away a few things that hadn't been touched on in the series and since I never read the books before it had a few spoilers for me. All good fun books for the holiday season.

So I finished "Woodsburner" by John Pipkin. It is a fictional version of when Henry David Thoreau burned down the woods near Concord. It had some interesting characters and their reactions to the fire and its aftermath made for a good story. Well written novel. Next up "Blue Christmas". Time to start a little holiday reading. Have a great Thanksgiving everybody.

So my choice for this month was The Map of Time. It was a good sci fi book featuring H. G. Wells. I liked how they used time travel as the basis for the adventure and intertwined the characters. Well written and fun story. Next up is Woodsburner by John Pipkin. Look forward to reading that.

Well I finished up a few books that I haven't posted. "The Strong-Willed Child" was an interesting book but I knew many of the main points going in. Its section on ADHD was interesting since I didn't know much about that. I also read 2 Disney books that my daughter shared with me - Aurora the Perfect Party in which Sleeping Beauty plans a surprise party for her fairy godmothers. I also finished Rapunzel A Day to Remember which covered some of the other events that happened when Rapunzel was out of the tower for the first time. Both were cute books for kids.

So I just finished "Civil War Ghosts and Legends" as my spooky book. I liked it. It was a quick read of short stories. Some of the stories definitely held my attention more than others. It also got my kids curious from the title.

So I finished 2 books recently. I read "The Best of Me" which I thought was good. I liked knowing a little about where it was set. The setting improved this book for me. The characters were interesting and the story was good, though a little predictable at times.
The 2nd book I read was "Lean In". It was about women in leadership position. I thought it was interesting and well written. I found some of the ideas in the book practical for my position at work. Next up for me is "Long Remember", a novel about the Civil War.
Happy Fall All!!!

So I just finished my non-fiction for the month "Searching for Virginia Dare". It was an interesting book especially since I used to live in that area. The writer had interesting personal stories included with her research. It was well written and very easy to read for a non-fiction work. Very good book.

I finished "The Bethlehem Road". It was a great study companion to the book of Ruth in the Bible. It had some interesting ideas I never thought of and gave some history to me that I knew a little of. I enjoyed it.

So I finished "The Swift Boys & Me". It's a story of how 1 event changed the lives of 4 friends. It is a great read for a tween about real life happenings. It was well written and had interesting characters. Very good book. Now I'm reading "Bethlehem Road". It is a book about the book of Ruth in the Bible.

I just finished "The Scorch Trials". It was book 2 in The Maze Runner series. It kept things moving and introduced some new characters that made a few plot twists happen in book 2. I still like the characters and want to see how things resolve in book 3 though I suspect I may not like how things turn out. Next up is "The Swift Boys and me", another book recommended by Ruth.

I just finished "The Desperate Mission" from the Last Jedi Star Wars series. It is a really good book for early to middle readers. It lets you see some of what happens to Obi-Wan between movies 3 & 4. Good fun summer read.

So I finished "Children of the Jedi" and loved it. I love all the Star Wars books with the original characters. It was a great fast paced summer read. Up next "The Scorch Trials". So far it is also good.

So I finished "The Maze Runner" which was loaned to me by a coworker. It is another teen end of the world disaster movie. It was good. The action was fast paced and I liked some of the characters a lot. Of course the book started a trilogy so off again. Next up "The Children of the Jedi".

So it took me a long time to finish it but I finally finished "The Source of my Strength" by Charles Stanley. Good book if you need some peace of mind and healing. It is written just like he preaches. So my next book is "The Maze Runner" which was loaned to me by a coworker. It looks interesting. If anyone wants an interesting read on the Middle East, I would suggest "The Almond Tree".

I finished Opal by Laurie Snelling. It was a good historical fiction. I liked that the characters were open with their faith in real life. Good story.
Moving on now to The Source of my Strength by Charles Stanley. Time for some non-fiction in my life.

So I finished "In the Land of Magnanthia". It is the start of a pretty good young adult series. I liked the characters and want to see how they develop.

So I finished "The Dark Hollows of West Virginia". It was a good little summer read. It starts with a double murder and runs you through the investigation which shows that ordinary lives are not always what they seem.

So I finished "While We Were Watching Downton Abbey". I liked that a lot. It had interesting characters and a well-written plot. I enjoyed it and loved the ending. I also read "Mistress of the Storm". That was a great Sci-Fi read. It had interesting characters and some plot twists that kept it moving quickly. Good young adult book. I also read "Find Momo" which I won on a contest here on Goodreads. It's basically where's Waldo with some great photograph and a border collie. Cute dog. It was fun. Next up is "The Dark Hollows of West Virginia" which I bought on vacation, so that's my travel book.