Dara Tries for 75

I'm in.

Hi Dara! :)

Welcome back!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year.

Finally, I finished my first book yesterday
1. Lovers and Liars by Sally Beauman.

2. First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung

This was not as good as I hoped, but I learned about what was going on in Cambodia in the mid to late 70's, which was interesting.

3. The Ballad of Tom Dooley by Sharyn McCrumb

This was not as good as her other Ballad novels. It was interesting because it is based on a true story.

4. The Survivor's Club by Lisa Gardner

I always enjoy Lisa Gardner.

5. Vanish in Plain Sight by Marta Perry

6. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

I read Kindred, not my usual type of book, but the setting for me made it very interesting. I really enjoyed this.

>11 dara85: How did you like the Marta Perry book? I know I've had one or two of hers on a wish list, but I haven't tried any of them.

Marta Perry is a lot better writer than I expected. This book is the second in the series. I have enjoyed both books.

7. Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown

This is a very realistic situation.

>14 dara85: Thanks for the info. I'm sure I'll eventually get to them.

8. The Undertaker's Daughter by Kate Mayfield

I don't know what I expected out of this book. It was not as good as I hoped.

9. The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

I enjoyed this book. It was what I would call a little offbeat. Not the usual type of book I read. It was creepy. I do plan on trying more of this author.

10. Gray Mountain by John Grisham

I enjoyed this book. Not as many twists and turns as in many Grisham books. One big bombshell. Interesting story.

11. Sarah's Quilt by Nancy E. Turner

This was not as good as the first book, But it was still enjoyable.

12. Big Little Lies by Laine Moriarty

I know a lot of people loved this. I didn't. (See my review)

It did keep my interest.

13. Brass Ring by Diane Chamberlain

This was pretty good. Although this was not the best book I have read of Diane Chamberlain's.

14. The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

I enjoyed this and the little magical aspects.

15. First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

This was not as good as Garden Spells. I enjoyed revisiting some of the characters.

16. Make Room for Danny by Danny Thomas

I have had this book on my shelves for 15 years. It was an easy read. I remember the TV show. I had no idea he was so successful.

17. Cold Cold Heart by Tami Hoag

18. Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult

This was a hard book to read. (see my review)

19. Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

I loved this book. First 5 star book for this year. The characters were well drawn.

20. The Man with the Candy by Jack Olsen

Not Jack Olsen's most riveting book.

21. Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen

I really enjoyed this addition to the Rizzoli/ Isles series. Great winter story.

22. End of Everything by Megan Abbott

This book was dark, like her book Dare Me. She is an excellent writer, I just have trouble getting into her stories. I think I will pass on her next book.

23. Deep as the Marrow by F. Paul Wilson

I really enjoyed this. It had an interesting premise, written so well as to be believable. F. Paul Wilson is one of the lesser known authors on LibraryThing. If you enjoy mysteries, I suggest you give him a try. I also read his book Select which was good also.

24. One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf

This was not as good as her first two books, but I had to keep reading to see what happened. I liked it.

25. Touching the Void by Joe Simpson

I probably would have enjoyed this more if I knew more about mountain climbing. Into Thin Air is a better book.

26. Fountain Filled with Blood by Julia Spencer Fleming The tension between Russ and Clare continues. A good addition to the series.

27. Gone Missing by Linda Castillo I love this series. I have rated every book highly. It is like visiting old friends. Her books never take long to draw you in.

28. Alicia: My Story by Alicia Appleman-Jurman The things Alicia had to endure at the age of 12. She is the only member of her family who survived.

29. Stripped by Brian Freeman I believe I liked his first book better. I look forward to the next book where he is back in Duluth. He is a rather unconventional cop.

30. Hate List by Jennifer Brown I liked this book better than the first book of hers that I read. This book is written from a different point of view from some other books I have read about school shootings. The ending almost had me in tears.

31. Pines by Blake Crouch I knew I was going to read this book when the TV show started. I usually like to watch the show and then read the book. I am glad I read the book after the TV show. It was a creepy read. (see review)

32. The Bone Tree by Greg Iles This was not as good as Natchez Burning, still a good read.

33. 14th Deadly Sin by James Patterson

This was not the best in the series.

34. What Alice Forgot by Laine Moriarty

This was the second book I read by Moriarty. I was disappointed in both books. The premise was good. I won't be reading any more books by her. (See review)

35. Death List by Paul Johnston

I enjoyed the book and the ending was unexpected.

36. Nightingale by Kristin Hannah Another hit by Hannah. I loved this book. The ending was not what I expected. Excellent book.

37. Astronaut's Wives Club by Lily Koppel This was a real interesting book. I enjoyed it.

38. Ana's Story by Jenna Bush

I have had this book on my to read list for a long time. I even had it on a To Be Read list last year and did not read it. I think this is an important book for teens to read.

39. Victim Six by Gregg Olsen

I thought this was a good book, not for the faint of heart or those who don't like explicit sex.

40. Working Stiff by Judy Melinek

This was very well written and easy to understand. It was very heart wrenching reading about September 11.

41. The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

This was okay. It had been on my to read list for a long, long time.

42. Rage by Jonathan Kellerman

This was not his best book. Everything was not tied up neatly at the end, there were several loose ends.

43. The Sunflower by Richard Paul Evans

This was really good. I had not read Richard Paul evens for a long time. I enjoyed the story.

44. Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain

This was not my favorite by this author. I think it was good she pointed out how sterilization was done on the poor in this book.

45. Sick Girl by Amy Silverstein

Whine, whine, whine. (See my Review)

46. Low Pressure by Sandra Brown

Really enjoyed this book. Sandra Brown never fails to tell a good story.

47. 13 Hours: The Inside Account of what Really Happened in Benghazi by Mitchell Zuckoff

Very well-written and researched. This is not political, it is just intended to tell what happened.

48. All Fall Down by Erica Spindler

Another good book by Spindler.

49. Blind Love by Peter Meyer

This was written before the trials. The information about the crime is well done.

50. Squint by Jose P. Ramirez

This was interesting.

51. Think Twice by Lisa Scottoline

A lot of what happened was coincidental, but it is fiction. I enjoyed the story of the evil twin and the good twin.

52. In a Perfect World by Laura Kasischke

This is not the usual type of book I read. I did enjoy it. The writing was wonderful. I hope to read more from this author.

53. X by Sue Grafton

This is was not as good as her last few books.

54. Lost Angel by Mike Doogan

This was a good mystery. It was set in a commune in Alaska, so it was different.

55. Sleep Tight by Anne Frasier

This was another good mystery by Anne Frasier.

56. Benediction by Kent Haruf

My third book by Haruf. I loved it, as I did the first one I read. With an old man dying you'd think this would be a downer. It was not. (See my review)

57. Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

If I had not just read Benediction I might have rated this higher. It was a mystery and a good coming of age story.

58. The Year that Follows by Scott Lasser

This is a strange book. I wanted to read this, I chose this this year because I was doing an A-Z title challenge. This was my Y.

59. Blue Heaven by C. J. Box

I have loved every book I have read by C. J. Box. This was no exception, 5 stars.

60. The Accident by Linwood Barclay

This was a good story about a bunch of people in a corrupt town. People kept dying.

61. Jackie after Jack by Christopher Andersen

I always enjoy Andersen's books. This was very eye-opening. Jackie coming from money never paid for anything when she invited people to the Greek island. Jackie was such a b----h at times.

62. The Angels of Morgan Hill by Donna VanLiere

This was such a sweet story that took place in the 40's in Tennessee. Jane' s best friend was Henry who ran the General Store. The father of the family was a man who beat his wife and he dies in the first few pages. Jane wishes for a "real" family. This reminded me of Cup of Dust because both books take place in poor area and in the past.

63. Cup of Dust by Susie Finkbeiner

I enjoyed this book which was part historical fiction and part mystery. This book was more sinister or violent than Angels of Morgan Hill. (See my review)

64. Zero Day by David Baldacci

This was a great story. It is the first of a series. I enjoyed the tension between John and Samatha.