75 Books...More or Less! discussion

I've just joined and I can't remember all of the books that I've read this year! I'll just include the book's that I've read since joining Goodreads in May.

Glad to have you Kerry! Do you use the library for your books? I know with my library they can give you a list of all the books you have read. I can log into my accound and pull up a list as well.

Great idea! I'll give it a try. Thanks.

1. Summer in the South
2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
3. The Weird Sisters
4. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
5. Tempest
6. City of Lost Souls
7. Deadlocked
8. I've Got Your Number
9. This Dark Endeavor
10. Birthmarked
11. The Uninvited Guests
12. Pandemonium
13. The Midwife of Venice
14. Insurgent

Welcome to the group!

Ohhh! I just loved Saving CeeCee Honeycutt.

Andrea wrote: "Ohhh! I just loved Saving CeeCee Honeycutt."

Unfortunately, Andrea, I didn't share your love! Just a little too sweet for me. I'm rectifying it with a really dark read!

Hahaha, I understand! For me, the dark stuff is too much for my little active brain...lol

Andrea wrote: "Hahaha, I understand! For me, the dark stuff is too much for my little active brain...lol"

LOL You'll find that I'll read just about anything - except for books about zombies! Please don't let this affect my friend request :)

Hahaha NEVER, I try to read anything and everything but I'm mostly into contemporary literture, classics, and a bit of chick lit.

I can't believe that I haven't updated my reading in over a month! I wish I could do the fancy things that others do on their posts, but I'm technically challenged. So.....

15. Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
2 stars YA paranormal fantasy

This was a Sweet Disaster. I didn't think that it was suitable for younger readers. Main characters were the son and daughter of fallen angels called the Duke of Lust and the Duke of Addiction. What was I thinking?
I wasn't.

16.On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves
4 stars Contemporary Romance

I thought that this book would be outside my comfort zone, but my friends encouraged me to give it a try. A romance between a 30 yr old woman and a 16 yr old guy could have easily have backfired on the author, but the book was written in a sensitive and skillful manner.

17. The Peachkeeper by Sarah Addison Allen
4 stars Southern-lit magical realism

The author's style of writing is very charming. I was introduced to a very different form of magical realism - very different from One Hundred Years of Solitude and Perfume. A nice summer read.

18. The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
4 stars Horror???

This book is not only about a 200 year old werewolf, the last of his kind, who has lost his will to live. I wrote in my review that it is also a dark thriller, full of conspiracies. It is a love story. Most surprisingly, it is a philosophical study of morality.
Hauntingly beautiful prose.

19.Talulla Rising by Glen Duncan
4 stars Horror???

This book is the sequel to The Last Werewolf. I was surprised that it didn't have the brooding tone of its predecessor. The book had more action, although it did have some retrospective moments. I enjoyed it just as much as TLW, but for different reasons.

20.The Good Dream by Donna Vanliere
2 stars Historical fiction, Southern-lit

I thought that this story would be inspiring, but I was disappointed. It is the story of a 30 yr old single woman who saves a young boy from a lifetime of abuse. Unfortunately it reminded me of a story that could easily be adapted to become a TV movie. I read later that the author had actually written another book that was made into a movie for television - The Christmas Shoes!

21.Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
5 stars YA Sci-fi

I could not help falling in love with this book. I found myself laughing out loud from the bantering and fanning myself from the sexual tension. I like it when the main female character is strong and fiesty, it doesn't matter if she is a creation of Jane Austen or Jennifer Armentrout!

9.This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel
5 stars YA Horror??? maybe some creepy parts...

Darn, I listed this book in July. Oh well, I changed the number

I was totally blown away by this book. Kenneth Oppel envisions Victor Frankenstein as a 16 yr old. The book was much more than a character study of a mad scientist in the making. It was beautifully written, with a great plot and terrific pacing. Hopefully this will encourage young readers to try Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Eagerly anticipating the sequel this month!

22. Amped by Daniel H. Wilson
2 stars Sci-fi

This year, the books that I have been choosing seem to be either a hit or a miss. This was a miss. Amped is a sci-fi thriller and social commentary rolled into one. Amps are implanted into various members of society. They cure neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease. They give mentally challenged children artificially enhanced intelligence. Trouble arises when people start feeling that the "amps" have an unfair intellectual advantage over the non-implanted. Interesting premise, but the book had little character development and felt "rushed".

7. Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris
4 stars Chic-lit, fantasy

Darn, another book that I listed in July. I'm not doing as well as I had originally thought!(number adjusted)

The Sookie Stackhouse series is winding down. The next book will be the last. My interest had started to wane with the last two books, so I was very relieved when I found myself thoroughly enjoying Deadlocked. Romance lovers may be disapointed in the amount time devoted to Sookie and Eric, but I love how Harris is beginning to tie up loose ends and answering some of my nagging questions.

23. Exiled by M.R. Merrick
4 stars YA Fantasy

This was my first venture into the world of self-publishing. Exiled was getting rave reviews so I decided to take the plunge. Not only did Merrick come up with an original plot,but he also demonstrated his skill in world-building, characterisation and ability to sustain suspense. I realized how much I missed fantasy novels, so my next choice was.....

24. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
5 stars YA fantasy

WHAT A TREAT! Easily one of my favorite YA novels of the year. This novel totally transported me to a land of permafrost, even though I was sipping iced coffee, trying to ward off the heat. Shadow and Bone is heavily influenced by Russian culture and magic, which made it pure magic to me.

25. Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
4 stars Ya Sci-fi

I described this novel as an action-packed medley of sci-fi, romance, thriller, apocolyptic countdown and mystery. LOL. I think that I was having difficulty deciding on the genre! It didn't effect my enjoyment of the story. With it's theme of parallel universes, it reminded me of Fringe, and that's a good thing.

26. The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
4 stars Historical fiction

The Chaperone is the story of Cora Carlisle, a 36 yr old housewife and mother from Kansas, who accepts the job of chaperoning 15 yr old Louise Brooks in NYC during the summer of 1922. It is a fascinating story of how a conservative woman began to change her core beliefs in a time of great social upheaval (with a little nudge from Louise, who defies ALL social conventions). Moriarty did her research, especially when it came to writing about Louise(who had yet to become the famous silent movie actress), and Cora's story of self-liberation was powerfully told.

27. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
5 stars Mystery thriller Psychological suspense

WOW. I just finished reading this and could easily go back and read it again. Not for the faint of heart, I describe it as being:
a. a gritty, suspenseful mystery thriller
b. a story of a dysfunctional, toxic marriage
c. a terrifying study of narcissistic and sociopathic behavior
Gillian Flynn's writing style is impressive. The dialogue shines and the character-driven plot is dark.
I can see why Gone Girl is on many "Must Read" lists for the summer.

Andrea, I checked my library and they were unable to give me a list of the books I had read before joining 75 Books. It was a great idea though! Oh well, I'm a third of the way to my goal:)

Darn, it was worth a try though! I'm wayyy behind this year Kerry. I will be very lucky if I can get to 75!