BSchultz19
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Posts posted by BSchultz19
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Coyote Blue Motel by Dianne HarmanGeneral Summary: The majority of the book follows a seemingly dissimilar set of people as each of them encounters an isolated motel in the middle of the desert. Each faced hardships in their life before they arrived at the motel and left suddenly feeling better. Despite coming from different cities scattered throughout the American west, these people are all tied together by their experiences at the Coyote Blue Motel.
My thoughts: Boy this book was slow to begin with. I seriously considered putting it down and starting something else multiple times, but I decided to stick through because I had heard such good things about the third book in the series. With that said, it's very obvious that this was always intended to be the first book in a series. The first part moves slowly because it's a ton of exposition that introduces us to a relatively large group of main characters. By the end of the book I understood why so much background was needed for so many different characters, but that doesn't change that it was tough to move past in the moment. Another factor in the book moving so slowly was that this author isn't a fan of using a lot of dialogue. I adjusted to her style relatively quickly, but it was interesting to see a novel with so many characters have so little dialogue. I went into the book expecting a lot of suspense, which could be another reason I was disappointed with the way it began, and it certainly delivered once I reached the last hundred pages or so. Overall I would recommend this book, but it certainly hasn't been one of my favorites. I'm looking forward to reading the next two books in the trilogy and hopefully being more pleased with those.
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I read three or four John Green books when I was a teenager and felt really connected to them, but now that I look back on it I don't know if I'm that much of a fan. Perhaps that speaks kindly towards Green's ability to reach into the young adult world, but I also kind of think I was an immature reader at the time and saw anything that kept my attention for hours at a time as worthy of praise. That said, if I can recall correctly I liked An Abundance of Katherines the most and read it most recently.
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I'm always amazed by your organization
Happy reading in 2018
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Mercy by Jodi Picoult
General summary: The MacDonalds were a clan in Scotland before they travelled as a group to Massachusetts. What was the clan leader passed down from generation to generation is now the police chief of the small town the clan resides in. Jamie MacDonald returns to the town after killing his terminally ill wife seeking the help of his cousin, the police chief. The book follows the trial of Jamie MacDonald as well as the twisted lives of Allie and Cameron MacDonald. In the end, it's up to a jury to decide whether Jamie should be sent to jail for his crime or whether he acted simply out of love and should be set free.
My thoughts: First and foremost, this was a quick read. There wasn't nonstop action as in a thriller, but Picoult managed to keep the action moving throughout the book. Despite the lack of thrilling action, there was constantly questions to be answered about how the rest of the story would unfold. At times I caught myself thinking I knew what would happen only to be hit with a sense of uncertainty. Perhaps this was just a personal experience and others would find it utterly predictable. Regardless, I enjoyed reading it. The book is centered around the concept of mercy killing, which was certainly a thought-provoking concept. However, I found the way the story approached relationships to be the heart of the novel. There are several relationships in the book and each has a different way of showing how much and in what way one person can love another. I think Picoult's approach to this and ability to describe these different kinds of love was impressive. If you're already a fan of Picoult, I highly recommend this book. If you're not, it may be hit or miss but I found it to have a solid plot that never appeared overly cheesy or predictable.
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4 hours ago, Athena said:
I hope it's okay to post in this thread? It's so nice to see you BSchultz! How've you been?! Good luck with the studies! I've studied Chemistry, and my brother and father has/have studied Engineering. So you're kind of studying a combination of it all XD. Good luck
!
I wish you a great year in 2018 and happy reading
! I'll be following your thread .
Certainly okay to post
I have been doing well and slowly adjusting to more adult-like life. I think that I've finally found a happy medium where everything in my life is well-balanced.
My reading will likely be very sporadic and come in bursts, but I think that even with those bursts I should be able to accomplish quite a bit of reading this year
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Life Update:
When I left the forum a couple years back I had just graduated high school and was preparing to go to college. I was totally unprepared for what that meant, lol. I'm studying Chemical Engineering, which is pretty much just as hard as it sounds. Over the past two and a half years my studies have basically consumed my life, but I want to try to squeeze more reading in to keep myself well-rounded and also to just relax.
Some short reviews of the books I've already read this year:
Calico Joe
I can't say that I recommend this book to anyone unless they already like, or even love, the sport of baseball. The entire story revolves around the lives of two ex baseball players, and it's told with such accuracy in terms of the game that I had to google to see if it was a true story (it was not). The storytelling is good and I enjoyed it, but once again, it's not really for anyone that isn't a fan of baseball already.
The Rainmaker
I read this because I was still trying to get myself kickstarted with reading and Grisham's novels are a good way to do that for me. However, I ran into quite a problem with this book. Normally I blaze through Grisham books because they are often fast-paced and don't require a high level of thought. This one was not so fast-paced, and I think it turned me off from Grisham for awhile. It was on okay book overall, but I think there were too many wayward plot twists that made it seem like a ridiculous story.
Moving on with reading in 2018, I'm unsure about what I want to read next. I definitely have an affinity for courtroom drama, but I want to move away from Grisham. I have found some good possibilities on Goodreads, but feel free to add a suggestion here if you have one.
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Popsugar 2018 Reading Challenge:
In parentheses I've put the books that I know for sure or think I will read to fulfill the challenges. Naturally there are some that I haven't decided yet, but I thought it would be easier to track if I already had a good idea for quite a few of the challenges
- A book made into a movie you've already seen (The Martian by Andy Weir)
- True crime
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The next book in a series you started (Coyote in Provence by Dianne Harman) - A book involving a heist
- Nordic noir (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson)
- A novel based on a real person (Burr by Gore Fidal)
- A book set in a country that fascinates you
- A book with a time of day in the title
- A book about a villain or antihero (American Psycho by Bret Ellis)
- A book about death or grief (Promise Me, Dad by Joe Biden)
- A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym (The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith)
- A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist
- A book that is also a stage play or musical
- A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you
- A book about feminism (Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay)
- A book about mental health
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A book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift (Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks) - A book by two authors
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A book about or involving a sport (Calico Joe by John Grisham) - A book by a local author
- A book with your favorite color in the title (A Different Blue by Amy Harmon)
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A book with alliteration in the title (Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn) - A book about time travel (Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman)
- A book with a weather element in the title (The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón)
- A book set at sea
- A book with an animal in the title (A Dog's Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron)
- A book set on a different planet
- A book with song lyrics in the title
- A book about or set on Halloween
- A book with characters who are twins
- A book mentioned in another book
- A book from a celebrity book club
- A childhood classic you've never read
- A book that's published in 2018
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A past Goodreads Choice Awards winner (Why not Me? By Mindy Kaling) - A book set in the decade you were born (The Runaway Jury by John Grisham)
- A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn't get to
- A book with an ugly cover
- A book that involves a bookstore or library
- A bestseller from the year you graduated high school (The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins)
- A cyberpunk book
- A book that was being read by a stranger in a public place
- A book tied to your ancestry
- A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title
- An allegory
- A book by an author with the same first or last name as you (Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit)
- A microhistory (Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History by Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson)
- A book about a problem facing society today (Change we Can Believe in: Barack Obama's Plan to Renew America's Promise by Barack Obama)
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The last time I had a reading log on this page was in 2015
. A lot has happened since then, but one of my goals for this year is to get back on track with reading outside of my studies. So that's why I decided to come back here to help track and stay motivated with my reading in 2018. I'm not exactly sure how I want to set up my reading log just yet, so I'm going to leave some empty posts just in case I want to expand into a few different areas.
I'm excited to be back!
Books Read in 2018:
Calico Joe - John Grisham
The Rainmaker - John Grisham
Mercy - Jodi Picoult
Coyote Blue Motel - Dianne Harman
Handle with Care - Jodi Picoult
Two by Two - Nicholas Sparks
Coyote in Provence - Dianne Harman
Leaving Time - Jodi Picoult
Why not Me? - Mindy Kahling
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
Vanishing Acts - Jodi Picoult
Promise Me, Dad - Joe Biden
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Happy reading everyone, I'm really excited about the read-a-thon!
BSchultz19, too bad you can't join this time, but have fun on your vacation!
And I'm echoing Athena's sentiments: you can do one next weekend, and ask around if other people would like to join you! 
Well I would do one next weekend, but I'm going on a two week vacation starting next saturday
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USA WON THE WORLD CUP!!
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Writers must be loving the storyline of this world cup though. The United States has said all along that they want to avenge their loss in 2011 and now they get to do it against the team that won in 2011. I'm really hoping they win. I trust the defense, and hopefully they can score 2 goals or more again.
Sad for England with how the game ended
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I've been busy again, so I haven't read much. A read-a-thon would be a great way to get back on track, but I'm going on vacation today through Sunday
Maybe I will have my own personal read-a-thon next week. -
I got Lovegood
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I think it's one of those books that you probably get the most from if you're familiar with all the pop culture references from the 70s and 80s - which I was - but I'd imagine the story is still great fun if you're not. I wrote a review of it here if you're interested
I might not get all of them, but I'm sure I will know a few. Hopefully that doesn't take away from the book.
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You Know You Love Me by Cecily von Ziegesar
Summary
In You Know You Love Me, the sequel to Gossip Girl, it's brunette vixen Blair Waldorf's seventeenth birthday, and she knows exactly what she wants— Nate, her studly troubles boyfriend of three years. But Blair's been too busy filling out Ivy League college applications to notice that Nate has found himself another playmate.
Opinions
Well I decided to use these books as fillers. In between groups of longer and sometimes more challenging books, I'm just going to read them. Not great, not bad. It is very interesting if you're into reading about gossip, and it's kind of fun to live in the world of rich New Yorkers. As far as quick, easy, teen reads go it was a good one, so I'm giving it a pretty good rating.
Rating
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Brilliant book
That's three recommendations already. I'm very excited to read it now
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Tonight's game should be interesting, to say the least. I would like to see Abby score 2 or 3 goals.
The U.S. didn't take many shots during the group round and that does need to change.Yes I hope Abby has a good game after what happened last time with Colombia. I wonder which strikers will start. It seems like Wambach and Morgan have better chemistry than Wambach and Leroux.
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U.S. plays Colombia on Monday. The games have been fun to watch. Germany I believe is still the favorite. They beat Sweden 3 to 1 yesterday and the best the U.S. could do was tie Sweden 0 - 0. Hopefully the U.S. advances to play Germany. The U.S. played some very good teams to get this far.
The U.S. has played really well, I think. But I'm a little worried about the offense. I'm sure it will come especially because throughout the group round they used so many different combinations of strikers, but they only scored 4 goals? 5 goals? the whole group round. The group was a tough one but it had me worried. The defense is outstanding.
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Library night sounds like it would be very fun. I wish my library was more welcoming. Maybe it's because I recently moved to the area, got a card, and only use the self-checkout but whenever I walk in I try to get out as quick as I can because I feel uncomfortable. I don't know why. I wish it was a place of comfort that I could spend more time at
Anyway....I hope you enjoy the books you bought! Also the marshmallow thing sounds very interesting
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I've added it to my wishlist as you make it sound so good!
I don't recognise the name but I definitely know her face from somewhere.She's quite popular. Especially some of her SNL skits before people really knew her name. So if you ever watched that or saw a clip from it, that might be where you have seen her face.
It must be from the new Pixar film. She's one of the main emotions inside the lead character's brain.
This too
I actually want to see this film because she is one of the voices and an actress from The Office is another one. I've seen and heard Amy Poehler in several films, I'm glad the book was amazing
!I'm happy as well. I had high expectations from her
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Yes Please by Amy Poehler
Summary
In Amy Poehler’s highly anticipated first book, Yes Please, she offers up a big juicy stew of personal stories, funny bits on sex and love and friendship and parenthood and real life advice (some useful, some not so much), like when to be funny and when to be serious. Powered by Amy’s charming and hilarious, biting yet wise voice, Yes Please is a book is full of words to live by
Opinions
I absolutely loved this book. I loved it so much that I regret only borrowing it from the library and not buying it. I actually might go out and buy it right now. I have to say that I had some original bias for the book because Amy Poehler is one of my favorite actresses, writers, and just overall people. I love how she carries herself and I love everything she has done for women's rights. That said, I believe this book would be fantastic to people that don't even know who she is. She gives so many life lessons and wise words in this book, but there are also many times she makes the reader laugh out loud.
That said, some of the chapters will make more sense and mean a lot more if you are familiar with her work on SNL and Parks & Recreation. And being very familiar and huge fan of both of these, this book meant a lot to me. I was able to see into the world of TV and learn the struggle it is but I have also learned how amazing every day of their lives are. It was really cool, added to the emotion the TV show already evoked in me, and was extremely funny.
I put this book down to go to the bathroom and watch about 10 minutes of TV while I ate lunch. That was about it, because it was that good. I understand that maybe I'm overhyping the book and it might disappoint someone, but holy cow I loved this book. I don't read much non-fiction, but I might consider reading some of the other books written by some names I'm familiar with from The Office and Parks & Rec, two of my favorite shows.
Rating
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I loved Ready Player One, so I'd highly recommend it!
Thank you
I Am Pilgrim was a standout read for me last year. It's a fast-paced spy thriller and oh so good.
Ooh. That sounds interesting
And thrilling
Schultz's Reading Log 2018
in Past Book Logs
Posted
There were some very unforgiving reviews on Goodreads that I thankfully only saw after finishing the book. They all had merit in why the book upset them, but I didn't have the same experience. I hope you enjoy it if/when you get to reading it because it seems that people either love it or hate it.