Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic 50 Book Challenge 2015/What I've Read in 2015

#18 Childless by Dr. James Dobson and Kurt Bruner

The second installment in the trilogy transports readers to a not-too-distant future when the young and healthy strain under the burden of a rapidly aging population.

Joan

#19 The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

After watching the movie with my daughter, we decided we had to read the book. She told me it was darker than the movie. After reading it, I would agree.

Joan

57. Barricades: The Journey of Javert, by C. A. Shilton

This self-published novel tells the story of Les Miserables' Javert from childhood on, showing how he became so strict and letter-of-the-law. The fact that it is self-published occasionally becomes evident (the book could have used a good editor), but overall it's a good read.

58. Brooklyn Rose, by Ann Rinaldi

This young adult novel tells the story of the author's grandmother, who left her childhood home at age 15 to marry a man of 30. Some reviewers have been offended by the fact that the protagonist marries a man so much older than her, but the story is based on fact, and such marriages were far more acceptable in 1900 than they are now. (At the same time, the author shows the protagonist's essential immaturity -- she spends much of the story wanting to go around with people her own age and play rather than act like an adult; according to the author's note, her grandmother was so immature that she had to be called in from skipping rope in order to feed the baby she had at age 16.) It's an engaging story, one I read through in a very short time.

#20 Godless by Dr. James Dobson and Kurt Bruner

Things are finally looking up for Matthew Adams. As the top earner at MedCom Associates he has started to crawl out of the financial hole created during his "dark days." And now, out of the blue, a mysterious woman invites him to join a confidential research initiative. She says it will ease the mounting economic crisis. But at what cost to Matthew's fragile sanity, and his tortured soul?

Final book in the trilogy.

Joan

59. Dave Barry is Not Taking This Sitting Down, by Dave Barry

Another book of Dave Barry's hilarious columns. The best one is the column he wrote about dressing up as Batman for a kid's birthday party and learning why no one goes around wearing black rubber in Miami in August.

60. Frazz: Live at Bryson Elementary, by Jef Mallett

An anthology of comic strips about Edwin "Frazz" Frazier, a brilliant, underachieving elementary school janitor who discusses literature and philosophy. Some of it is pretty funny, and a lot of the educational commentary is right on the nose.

61. Dave Barry Talks Back, by Dave Barry

Another book of Dave Barry's columns, poking fun at everything from the IRS to Barry himself.

#21 Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

First book in the Infernal Devices trilogy

I finally got hooked on the Mortal Instruments series. When I finished the fifth novel and eagerly reached for the sixth, my daughter told me I couldn't read it until I read the prequel (a series with three books).

This story occurs in the 1800s with some of the same characters (and some which have been alluded to). It's got gothic romance and steam punk. I'm not hooked but it's an interesting setup. Just started the second novel.

Joan

62. From a Buick 8, by Stephen King

A stranger pulls into a small gas station, walks away, and is never seen again. The car, which should not be able to be driven, is towed to the police station and put in a shed. Soon, it becomes apparent that there is something not quite right about the car ...

#22 Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Book 2 in the Infernal Devices series

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when it becomes clear that the mysterious Magister will stop at nothing to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, tortured Will and the devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal and fueled by revenge. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

I'm officially hooked. Off to read the next installment...

Joan

63. Dave Barry Does Japan, by Dave Barry

This is Dave Barry's account of his trip to Japan in 1991 (paid for by Random House). Some of it is funny, but there's more serious stuff here than in most of his writing, especially in the chapter about Hiroshima.

64. Getting Rid of Bradley, by Jennifer Crusie

High school physics teacher Lucy Savage is finally getting rid of Bradley--and his hideous green recliner. In fact, her front lawn is littered with her cheating ex-husband's belongings. Because despite standing her up in divorce court, Bradley is out of her life for good. Or so she thinks.

When her sister takes her to lunch to celebrate Lucy's single status, all their talk of a no-good louse named Bradley catches the attention of a cop--who wants to arrest the very same Bradley for embezzlement. And Officer Zack Warren figures the lovely Lucy can lead him straight to his target.

65. Dave Barry Turns 40, by Dave Barry

Dave Barry takes a humorous look at getting older.

#23 Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.

Final installment in the Infernal Devices series.

I must admit I enjoyed the middle book of the trilogy the most. But this one was well done and had lots of exciting stuff happening.

Now back to finish the Mortal Instrument series.

Joan

#24 Something about Sophie by Mary Kay McComas

Answering a call that summons her to a stranger's deathbed, a reluctant Sophie Shepard is too late to hear what he was so anxious to tell her. What was so important that a dying man would think of her in his final moments? With the help of Dr. Drew McCarren, Sophie begins to dig into her past, setting off a chain of events that chills the quiet town of Clearfield, Virginia to its roots.

Normally I like these types of mystery books. The tone was a little more light romance oriented. But then it just got a bit silly.

Joan

66. Rain Makes Applesauce, by Julian Scheer and Marvin Bileck

The classic, dream-like children's book about rain making applesauce ("Oh, you're just talking silly talk!") This was one of my favorites when I was a little kid, and I read it to my nieces, who now love it, too.

67. Fallout: Lois Lane, by Gwenda Bond

I finally got a chance to read this! This is the Lois Lane we know and love -- she's stubborn, fearless, nosy, smart, and determined. At her new high school, Lois quickly uncovers a cyberbullying ring and, in spite of wanting to play it safe, starts investigating. She has a little help from someone she only knows as Smallville Guy ...

A good book, and one I recommend for LnC fans.

68. I'll Mature When I'm Dead: Dave Barry's Amazing Tales of Adulthood, by Dave Barry

A book about adulthood, by Dave Barry, so you know it's funny. It has all original material, except for the chapter about colonoscopies (which is available online; Google "Dave Barry colonoscopy" if you want a funny, spot-on description of, well, colonoscopies.

69. The Bachman Books: Four Novels, by Stephen King

A collection of four novels Stephen King wrote under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, all of them disturbing. The first novel, Rage, is about a mentally ill high school kid who shoots two teachers and holds his class hostage (and that's not the most disturbing part). King started writing this book when he was in high school himself, though it wasn't published until the 1970's. It has now been out of print for years, due to the fact that some kids who conducted school shootings called it a source of inspiration (like I said, disturbing). The second novel is The Long Walk, about a dystopian world in which a large group of boys compete in a long walk, where the lone survivor gets anything they want, and everyone else is shot along the way for walking too slowly or other infractions. It makes the Hunger Games series look WAFFy. The third novel, Roadwork is about a guy whose home is about to be torn down to make way for a highway -- and he decides to fight back. This is actually the least disturbing of these novels. The fourth novel, The Running Man, is another dystopian novel where people take part in game shows that pretty much guarantee their deaths, because it's the only way to make enough money to survive.

70. There Will Come Soft Rains, by Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury's classic story about a futuristic "smart home" where the house keeps functioning after the family that lived there are nothing more than the shadows on a wall left by a nuclear blast. The title comes from the poem by Sara Teasdale about the world after the extinction of mankind (but the poem is a lot more positive than the story).

71. Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins

The second book in the Hunger Games trilogy, which I decided to re-read before writing the next chapters of Panem. I knew I had a copy of this book but couldn't find it anywhere, so I went to the school library to check out a copy and discovered that I had neatly shelved my copy there along with the school's copies after a co-worker who had borrowed it returned it. Being on "It's almost summer break!" mode, I'd just automatically shelved it without checking for the spine label that identifies library books.

72. Avalanche, by Patrick F. McManus

This is the second book in the Sheriff Bo Tully series. While investigating a disappearance, Sheriff Tully and his father, Pap Tully, are cut off from the rest of the world by an avalanche. While staying at the West Branch Lodge, the luxurious ski lodge owned by the unlikable missing person, they start to investigate, and soon everyone looks like a suspect (including the missing person).

This book is good -- funny, a fast read, and with a mystery that keeps you guessing.

73. Kerplunk!, by Patrick F. McManus

A book of columns by Patrick F. McManus. The title comes from the first column, about a young McManus learning about fishing when you can't see the water (always listen for the kerplunk, because that means your line is actually in the water, as opposed to caught in the brush, hung up in the trees, etc.)

74. Dragon's Halloween, by Dav Pilkey

Dragon celebrates Halloween in three short stories guaranteed to interest small children and make anyone over the age of five roll their eyes.

75. Bears, by Kate Petty

A short children's book on bears, with lots of pictures of bear cubs. The information is presented in an easy-to-read format, and is enjoyable by both kids and adults. (It's amazing how much more comprehensible these scientific-type books for small children are than ones written for an older audience. Anyone can learn from them, although it tends to annoy the child if the adult keeps stopping to exclaim over a new bit of information.)

I just finished 'Go Set a Watchman' by Harper Lee which is the sequel to 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is one of my favourite books of all time. I was somewhat disappointed in this sequel. I'm eager to hear from others how they felt about it.

#25 City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Claire

Last in the series - a very satisfying read! Sebastian and his army of Dark Shadow Hunters try to take over the world.

I'm curious about "So Set a Watchman". Your comments sounds similar to other people's. I plan to check it out.

Joan

I just read Fallout. It was fine as a young adult novel, but there was nothing about it that required the characters to be Lois and Clark. "Smallville Guy" never did anything with super powers, so the author honestly could have changed the names of the characters and had the exact same novel.

L White, that is the perfect way of describing reading "Go Set a Watchman". 'I think I'm glad that I read it.'

Yes, I too didn't like what I found with the character development. I was also upset that a character I liked in "To Kill a Mockingbird" had been killed off in this sequel.

I've been meaning to catch up with this for a while, now.

Stargate Atlantis Legacy Series - 1 - 7
Various Authors

I adored SA and it'd been a while since I'd read any of the Fandemonium novels, so when I came across the first of these unaired season 6 novels I decided to give it a go.

Despite some minor irritations and character issues, they worked very well, keeping to the spirit of the show and moving the plot along in intriguing ways that could easily have worked on screen, and did keep me coming back for more.

Open Minds: The Mindjack Trilogy I
Susan Kaye Quinn

In a not too distant world where a generation ago everyone suddenly became telepaths, Kira believes she is a Zero. One of the pitied few who never develop the ability at puberty. Instead, she turns out to be something most of the world doesn't even know exists yet - a Jacker. Someone who can control other minds.

Suddenly, Kira isn't a despised outcast any more - with underground Jacker rebels, a sinister FBI agent, government agencies and more all trying to catch her and use her abilities for their own ends.

Throw in a teen love triangle and you have an exciting YA novel which I thoroughly enjoyed.

The Thief Who Pulled On Trouble's Braids.
Michael McClung

I just loved this fantasy novel. A feisty, intriguing heroine and a well-imagined, though sordid world, coupled with rounded, interesting characters. Although it finished as a complete novel, with no cliffhanger, I immediately bought the sequel.

LabRat