75 Books...More or Less! discussion

I'm going to say 200. We'll see how it goes...

You rock, Carol!!!!! 😊😍☺️😇

Welcome back, Carol!

Thanks, gals!

1. Murder on the Orient Express by by Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot has a very complex mystery to solve a (not so nice) man was found murdered in his sleeper car on the Orient Express train... behind a locked door! And that is just the beginning. ***** 1/1/2018

2. A Cup of Christmas Tea by Tom Hegg - A sweet Christmas Poem. *** 1/1/2018

3. The Shadow Girl by Misty Mount - OMG! I really enjoyed this book. Zylia, a young teenage girl easily blended in and felt like she was slipping away... disappearing. The author throws some real life issues into this story and makes it delightfully eerie. ***** 1/4/2017

4. X: A Short Story by Jack Croxall - A good short story about zombies. **** 1/4/2018

5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling - This is the 2nd time I have read this book. The second time I finished the series. It was exhausting but good. Harry finishes up this series by defeating Voldemort, but it was a long adventure to do so. ***** 1/5/2017

6. A New Leash on Death by Susan Conant - I love dogs and I love mysteries, but this just didn't grab me. Holly Winter is a dog lover. Another dog lover is murdered and she tries to figure out who did it (with the help of the murdered Man's malamute). ** 1/5/2018

7. Red Knife by William Kent Krueger - Cork O'Conner is involved in another murder. This time he is pulled between the two different sides of his heritage. **** 1/6/2018

Carol wrote: "7. Red Knife by William Kent Krueger - Cork O'Conner is involved in another murder. This time he is pulled between the two different sides of his heritage. **** 1/6/2018"
This sounds like a great book.

Don't forget Carol...when you finish your 200 you get to come read some of mine ;)

Andrea wrote: "Don't forget Carol...when you finish your 200 you get to come read some of mine ;)"

"Hahahaha!" she said, with a maniacal laugh.

Hahahah I know that laugh!!

8. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker - "...the story of two supernatural creatures who appear mysteriously in 1899 New York. Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a strange man who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York Harbor. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian Desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith." ~Goodreads **** 1/9/2018

Carol wrote: "8. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker - "...the story of two supernatural creatures who appear mysteriously in 1899 New York. Chava is a golem, a ..."

Ahhh I own this and still haven't read it!! *bumping* on my list!!

Elyse wrote: "Carol wrote: "8. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker - "...the story of two supernatural creatures who appear mysteriously in 1899 New York. Chava ..."

I really enjoyed this. Like a fairytale taking place in 1899...

9. Shadow on the Mountain by Margi Preus - This book was based on a true story. It was about how the youth and everyday people aided in the anti-Nazi war effort in WWII Norway. **** 1/9/2018

10. The Guns of Avalon by Roger Zelazny - 2nd book in the >Chronicles of Amber series. Lord Corwin is back. His vision has been healed from in blinding (in the first book). He and his brothers continue to fight for power in Amber, the one, true land (even our world is not the true land...). He befriends Ganelon who helps him get back to Amber to (hopefully) gain his rightful throne. *** 1/11/2018

11. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly - Wow. Why has this story never been made known? This book is about the black women computers in the early years of NASA. ***** 1/11/2018

Carol wrote: "11. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold St..."

I liked this one a lot, as well. Plus, the audiobook narration was excellent!

Carol wrote: "11. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold St..."

I tried so hard to like this but it was just so much information!! I listened to the audiobook and it didn't help. I spaced out a lot. lol

Elyse wrote: "Carol wrote: "11. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and..."

Did you listen to the audio book? The narration was very good. But I get what you are saying. A young adult version was also published that is (as I understand it) not so technical and shorter. I think the reason I was able to get through the technicalness was because I worked for engineers.

If you just want to get the gist of the book, watch the movie. I thought it was great.

Carol wrote: "Elyse wrote: "Did you listen to the audio book? The narration was very good. But I get what you are saying. A young adult version..."

I did listen to the audiobook. The Young Reader's edition is only in print/ebook. I wanted to listen to it, hoping to grasp it better. I will be watching the movie though!

12. Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney - A nice relaxing work of an octogenarian reflecting her life. *** 1/12/2018

13. Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer - This was great! All my favorite genres. Fantasy, comedy and a touch of adventure. Martin figures out how to change things with a certain file in his computer. Then he figures out how to go back in time. ***** 1/14/18

14. Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions By: Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi - A friend of the author asked her for suggestions on how to raise her baby daughter as a feminist. **** 1/15/18

15. The Cuban Affair by Nelson DeMille - I love Nelson DeMille's sense of humor. This book could have been written for (his character in another series) John Corey. But this book is about "Mac" MacCormick, a charter boat captain, who gets sweet talked into running a "mission" down in Cuba. ***** 1/17/2018

16. Killing Trail by Margaret Mizushima - This book didn't engage me. Don't know why. The story involved dogs (which I am a big fan). A teenager gets killed. Maddie and her dog Robo are on the case. ** 1/17/2018

Carol wrote: "15. The Cuban Affair by Nelson DeMille - I love Nelson DeMille's sense of humor. This book could have been written for (his character in another series) John ..."

I had a similar reaction when I read this book - I wondered if he wanted to put John Corey in it, but realized Corey's too old. Much the same voice, wisecracking and attitude. A good read.

17. Murder on Madeline Island: An Emily Swift Travel Mystery by Lorrie Holmgren - I love to support my home state. This is a book by an author that has settled in Minnesota. The story takes place in next door Wisconsin. Emily gets hoodwinked into taking a vacation with her boyfriends EXTENDED family. Lots of interesting family dynamics. One thing after another happens and she is in the middle of a murder investigation! *** 1/18/18

18. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer - I thought the author captured teenage angst pretty well in this book. Bella is crushed because Edward broke it off with her, for her own safety. **** 1/19/18

19. Summary and Analysis of Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race: Based on the Book by Margot Lee Shetterly by Worth Books - A condensed version of the book Hidden Figures. *** 1/19/2019

20. Arrival by Ryk Brown - I Don't know what I think about this story. At first I thought it was a slow moving sci fi story. Then when it started moving, am not sure I liked the direction it went. A group of humans are in the process of colonizing a planet. ** 1/23/2018

21. The Empire Strikes Back by Donald F. Glut - This was a true movie novelization. It stuck true to the movie, but I think I would have liked a little extra... something to flesh the story out. This book tells the story of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia. They are fleeing their frozen Rebel outpost. Luke goes off to train with Yoda. Han and Leia end up on a planet in the clouds. **** 1/25/2018

22. Zero K by Don DeLillo - Meh. I felt like I was listening to a 10 hour rant. Read this book for my ABC book challenge. The main character's step mother is dying and instead of accepting her fate, she decides to be cryo freezed until they can find a cure. Jeffery has a real problem with her choosing to go out this way and spends the whole book reminiscing and fussing about this, that and whatever. ** 1/26/2017

23. Q is for Quarry by Sue Grafton - This was a good one! Kinsey Milhone is asked to help out a couple of detectives in a cold case from the late 1960s. Almost 20 years have gone by since the murder of a teenage girl who was unidentified. This book was based on a true story. **** 1/27/2018

Carol wrote: "23. Q is for Quarry by Sue Grafton - This was a good one! Kinsey Milhone is asked to help out a couple of detectives in a cold case from the late 1960s. Almost 20..."

Yes, I really liked this one!

24. Treasury of Egyptian Mythology:: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Monsters & Mortals by Donna Jo Napoli - Interesting stories of the gods worshiped in ancient Egypt. There were some stories that I had never heard of. *** 1/28/2017

25. The Cat Who Wasn't There by Lilian Jackson Braun - Jim goes with a group to Scottland on a tour. Unfortunately, the tour guide dies. Jim thinks something is amiss and he is right! **** 1/29/2018

26. The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley - This was a really good (middle grades-ish) book. Ada and her brother live with their abusive mom during WWII in England. The children in the city are being sent out to the country for their safety. They end up being placed with a woman that needs them as much as they need her. ***** 1/29/2018

27. The Unexpected Inheritance of I Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan - Two of my favorite things... mysteries and international locales. Inspector Chopra has to retire. On the same day, he gets an unusual inheritance from his late uncle. As the story proceeds, he stumbles onto a mystery. I guess there is no rest for the weary... *** 1/31/2018

28. The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare - A tragic story with a happyish ending. The king thinks his queen has cheated on him and sends her to prison where she gives birth to a baby girl. *** 1/31/2018

29. Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris - Sookie was summoned to see the vampire queen of Louisiana and was also left the entirety of her cousin Hadley's estate. *** 2/1/2018

30. A Fine Imitation by Amber Brock - Vera has it all in 1920s New York. Then she met a painter and it all was at risk. ** 2/4/2018

31. Pirate by Clive Cussler - Just a random book I picked out and I really liked it. Sam and Remi accidentally get involved in a mystery that supposedly involves King John's treasure. **** 2/5/2018

32. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro - Creative take on the Sherlock Holmes legacy. Told from Watson's perspective. In this book, Sherlock Holmes and Watson had been real people. In fact, their grandkids are following in their footsteps. *** 2/5/2018

33. Odds Against by Dick Francis - Dick Francis was the first mystery author I binge read. In this story, an injured ex-jockey plays detective. ** 2/7/2018

34. The Dark Horse by Craig Johnson - Good mystery with a dark subject. Sheriff Longmire goes undercover to help prove the Innocence of a woman who confessed to killing her husband. **** 2/8/2018