Started By
Message

re: Reading Challenge 2019

Posted on 1/4/19 at 12:14 pm to
Posted by Cowboyfan89
Member since Sep 2015
12717 posts
Posted on 1/4/19 at 12:14 pm to
quote:

GIve up watching TV and video games.

Definitely helps. I didn't completely give up TV (I gotta have me some NCIS and Last Man Standing), but I turn it off more often.

I also try to hop on the excerise bike and get some cardio in several times a week. I can knock out quite a few pages while I'm on that thing.
Posted by PillageUrVillage
Mordor
Member since Mar 2011
14792 posts
Posted on 1/4/19 at 3:59 pm to
quote:

My goal is 2 books a month. Would like to read more, but with work and kids, 2 a month is a goal I can reach.


Same.

Almost done with Rise of Endymion (Hyperion), Then I’ll be starting either Wheel of Time or Stormlight Archive. Haven’t decided yet.
Posted by TIGERSTORM
parts unknown
Member since Feb 2009
4510 posts
Posted on 1/5/19 at 10:38 am to
i am shooting for 30

A combo of audio and actual reading.

Tragedy Plus Time by Adam Cayton-Holland 5 hours. 4 stars

Cherry by Nico Walker 8 hours. I'm torn on this, I could go anywhere from 2 stars to 3 and a half.

The Crossings by Michael Connelly 4 stars.

Devil All the Time Donald Ray Pollock. 1.5 stars

The Outsider Stephen King. 3 stars

The Drop Dennis Lehane 3 stars

Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle. 4 stars. I'm not sure he stuck the landing but I enjoyed most of it.

The Man from the Train: The Solving of a Century-Old Serial Killer Mystery by Bill James 4.5 stars. Really well done.

Full Disclosure by Stormy Daniels. 4 stars, I liked it and the Trump stuff was the least interesting imo.

The Force by Don Winslow 4 stars. It's the second thing by Winslow that I've read (Savages was the first and I didn't like it at all) and wasn't sure that I thought about 1/4th of the way into it but I'm glad I stuck with it.

Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly 3 stars.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell 4 stars. A solid change of pace book.


Past Tense by Lee Child 4 stars. An enjoyable Jack Reacher book after what has felt like a few misses.

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn 2 and a half stars. It wasn't great but I wanted to like it.

Lose Well by Chris Gethard 3.5 stars a solid fun listen. Sort of a self help book but I liked hearing about his struggle to embracing his weirdness.

Universal Harvester by John Darnielle 2.5 stars.

Bad Blood by John Carreyrou 4 stars

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie 4 stars


The Hunter by Richard Stark 1.5 stars

Radiant Angel by Nelson Demille 4 stars

The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow 5 stars. Holy shite a great read.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette 4 stars a fun read.

The Man Who Came Uptown by George Pelaconos 3 stars

The Cartel by Don Winslow 4.5. Not as good as The Power of The Dog but still very good.

Currently reading The Sopranos Sessions.
This post was edited on 4/24/19 at 7:18 pm
Posted by Azazello
Member since Sep 2011
3183 posts
Posted on 1/5/19 at 4:45 pm to
In again. Already bought my first 15 books.

Completed

1. City of Thieves - David Benioff
2. Fluent Forever - Gabriel Weiner
3. Eye of the Needle - Ken Follett
4. When a Crocodile Eats the Sun - Peter Godwin

In progress - Name of the Wind
This post was edited on 2/27/19 at 9:57 am
Posted by Adajax
Member since Nov 2015
6126 posts
Posted on 1/6/19 at 12:42 pm to
Completed 63

1. The Forever Queen- Helen Hollick, 4.0*
2. Trial by Treason- Dave Duncan, 3.5*
3. The Spy and The Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War - Ben MacIntyre, 3.5*
4. Fire & Blood - GRRM, 3.0*
5. Spinning Silver - Naomi Novak, 4.0*
6. Viking Wars: War and Peace In King Alfred's Britain 789-955 - Max Adams, 3.0*
7. A Morbid Taste for Bones, Ellis Peter's, 4.0*
8. The Deep State, Jason Chaffetz, 4.5*
9. A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole, 3.0*
10. The Spy of Venice, Benet Brandreth, 5.0*
11. Shadows and Strongholds, Elizabeth Chadwick, 4.5*
12. The Poppy War, R. F. Kuang, 4.0*
13. One Corpse Too Many, Ellis Peters, 4.0*
14. The Rule of Law, John Lescroart, 3.0*
15. The Malta Exchange, Steve Berry, 2.0*
16. The Winter Soldier, Daniel Mason, 4.0*
17. Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring, Alexander Rose, 4.0*
18. The Wolf and the Watchman, Niklas Natt och Dag, 5.0*
19. Who Slays the Wicked, C.S. Harris, 4.0*
20. The Thirst, Jo Nesbo, 5.0*
21. Tombland, C. J. Sansom, 5.0*
22. Monk's Hood by Ellis Peters, 3.5*
23. The Outlaw Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick., 4*
24. I Am Pilgrim, Terry Hayes, 5.0*
25. The Vanishing Man by Charles Finch, 4.5*
26. The Year 1000: What Life Was Like At The Turn Of The First Millennium by Robert Lacey, 4.0*
27. Within the Fetterlock by Brian Wainwright. 2.0*
28. Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly, 3.5*
29. Seven Forges by James A. Moore, 3.5*
30. Treason by Meredith Whitford, 3.0*
31. Zoo Station, David Downing, 4.5*
32. The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk, 5.0*
33. Knife, Jo Nesbo, 4.5*
34. The Blasted Lands, James A. Moore, 3.0*
35. The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman, 3.0*
36. Saint Peter's Fair, Ellis Peters, 4.0*
37. The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century, Ian Mortimer, 4.0*
38. City of Wonders, James A. Moore, 3.5*
39. The Silent Army, James A. Moore, 2.0*
40. Wolf Pack, C. J. Box, 4.0*
41. One Night in Winter, Simon Sebag Montefiore, 4.5*
42. The Unquiet Bones, Mel Starr, 4.0*
43. The Leper of St. Giles, Ellis Peters, 5.0*
44. Bark of Night, David Rosenfelt, 3.0*
45. Traitor's Blade, Sebastien de Castell, 5.0*
46. The Son, Jo Nesbo, 4.5*
47. Nottingham, Nathan Makaryk, 5.0*
48. The Virgin in the Ice, Ellis Peters, 3.5*
49. Knights Shadow, Sebastien de Castell, 4.0*
50. The Dragon Republic, R. F. Kuang, 4.0*
51. Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel, 2.0*
52. Silesian Station, David Downing, 3.0*
53. Tom Clancy's Enemy Contact, Mike Maden, 3.0*
54. Saints Blood, Sebastien de Castell, 4.5*
55. Almost Midnight, Paul Doiron, 3.5*
56. Tyrant's Throne, Sebastian de Castell, 5.0*
57. The Burning White, Brent Weeks. 2.0* (very disappointing)
58. Sanctuary Sparrow, Ellis Peters, 4.0*
59. A Corpse at St. Andrews, Mel Starr, 4.0*
60. Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen, 4.0*
61. Age of Legend, Michael Sullivan, 4.0*
62. Tom Clancy Code of Honor, Marc Cameron, 3.75*
63. The Deserter, Nelson DeMille and Alex DeMille, 5.0*

That'll probably do it for this year. I don't think I'll get another one finished before the new year.
This post was edited on 12/27/19 at 4:34 am
Posted by Buckeye06
Member since Dec 2007
23128 posts
Posted on 1/6/19 at 7:25 pm to
Got through about 35 last year, but some were rereads

1. An Ember in the ashes (Tahir) - 464 - 4.5 - Really liked it and though the author who is a younger woman has a great grasp of diction reading the second one now.
2. A torch against the night (Tahir) - 452 - 4.5
3. Career of evil - Galbraith (Rowlings) - 512 - 4.25
4. Tai-Pan - Clavell - 4.5 (Only thing I didn't like about it was all the intentional broken english; at times it was hard to understand what was actually being said)

This post was edited on 2/4/19 at 11:03 am
Posted by FightinTigersDammit
Louisiana North
Member since Mar 2006
34683 posts
Posted on 1/6/19 at 8:04 pm to
As last year, I have no goal. Will keep track here. Books read for my monthly book club will be designated BC.

1- BC The Woman in Cabin 10. Ruth Ware 340pgs
2- The Pivotal Season. Charlie Rosen 279pgs
3- Zigzag. Bill Pronzini 271pgs
4- You Can Call Me Al. Joseph Moran 306pgs
5- Secretariat. William Nack 455pgs
6- Ted Williams' Hit List. Williams and Prime 197pgs
7- The German Aces Speak. Heaton and Lewis 327pgs
8- Every Pitcher Tells a Story. Seth Swirsky 187pgs
9- BC Delta Blues. Ted Gioia 400pgs
10- When All the Laughter Died in Sorrow. Rentzel 265pgs
11- Hard Rain. Barry Eisler 362pgs
12- The Enemy. Lee Child 393pgs
13- BC The Godwulf Manuscript. Robert B. Parker 204pgs
14- Daddy, Stop Talking. Adam Carolla 237pgs
15- Double Deuce. Robert B. Parker 224pgs
16- The Last Assassin. Barry Eisler 326pgs
17- BC First Man. James Hansen 575pgs
18- Killing Floor. Lee Child 524pgs
19- The Babylon Rite. Tom Knox 340pgs
20- The Code. Ross Bernstein 242pgs
21- Time To Hunt. Stephen Hunter 592pgs
22- Adolf Galland. David Baker 308pgs
23- Make Me. Lee Child 494pgs
24- BC A Separate War/Other Stories. Joe Haldeman 284pg
25- The Other Battle. Peter Hinchliffe 334pgs
26- BC The Alchemist. Paulo Coelho 167pgs
27- The 47th Samurai. Stephen Hunter 456pgs
28- Forever Flying. Bob Hoover 284pgs
29- BC The Cabinet of Curiosities. Preston/Child 662pgs
30- American Scream. Cynthia True
31- Live From New York. Shales/Miller 600pgs
32- Greatest Fighter Missions. Edward Sims 193pgs
33- Sing Your Heart Out, Country Boy. Horstman 364pgs
34- Golden Prey. John Sandford 392pgs
35- Night School. Lee Child 462pgs
36- BC Open Season. C. J. Box 289pgs
37- Skunk Works. Rich/Janos 350pgs
38- The Fight of the Few. Hough 237pgs
39- Havana. Stephen Hunter 489pgs
This post was edited on 12/29/19 at 8:52 pm
Posted by brgfather129
Los Angeles, CA
Member since Jul 2009
17101 posts
Posted on 1/7/19 at 11:12 pm to
24 books for 2019

1. Let the Great World Spin - Colum McCann - 349pg - 3.5*

2. Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse - 122pg - 4*

3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky - 213pg - (IP)
This post was edited on 3/3/19 at 3:48 pm
Posted by IllegalPete
Front Range
Member since Oct 2017
7182 posts
Posted on 1/10/19 at 1:42 am to
24 books, 104 audiobooks

In Progress
Wide Open World, John Marshall, 12:04
10x Rule, Grant Cardone, 7:24

Completed
Click Millionaires, Scott Fox, 6:57,3.5*
Think Your Way To Wealth, Napoleon Hill, 10:50, 4.5* (transcripts of the interviews with Andrew Carnegie that were the foundation of the more famous Think and Grow Rich)


On Deck
Psycho-cybernetics, Maxwell Maltz, 12:16
Miracle in the Andes, Nando Parrado, 10:05
Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut, 6:01
The Reckoning, John Grisham, 17:36
The Whistler, John Grisham, 13:10
This post was edited on 1/21/19 at 8:47 pm
Posted by memphis tiger
Memphis, TN
Member since Feb 2006
20720 posts
Posted on 1/10/19 at 10:24 am to
1. Cobola Burn, The Expanse #4. James SA Corey. 581p. Rating 3- not terrible but my least favorite Expanse book so far

Up next:

Deadhouse Gates (Malazan #2)
Nemesis Games (Expanse #5)

Posted by alphamicro
Shreveport
Member since Mar 2012
539 posts
Posted on 1/11/19 at 11:01 am to
My goal last year was 75, I read 97 (and it was a binge watch of Travelers that kept me from books 98 and 99).

My goal for 2019 is 50.

1. Sleepers (John Milton series, book 13), Mark Dawson, 406, 4.5*
2. The Wrong Side of Goodbye, Michael Connelly, 401, 4.5*
3. Verses for the Dead, Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, 353, 4.0*
4. Dark Sacred Night, Michael Connelly, 433, 4.0*
5. Through Fiery Trials (Safehold Series, book 10), David Weber, 750, 4.0*
6. NOS4A2, Joe Hill, 686, 4.25*
7. Twelve Days (John Milton series #14), Mark Dawson, 320, 4.0*
8. Hollow (Road to Babylon #7), Sam Sisavath, 322, 4.0*
9. Dark Space (Book 4):Revenge, Jasper T. Scott, 523, 3.75*
10. Dark Space (Book 5):Avilon, Jasper T. Scott, 622, 4.25*
11. Dark Space (Book 6):Armageddon, Jasper T. Scott, 546, 4.0*
12. Dark Space Universe (Book 1), Jasper T. Scott, 335, 4.0*
13. Dark Space Universe: The Enemy Within (Book 2), Jasper T. Scott, 516, 4.0*
14. Dark Space Universe: The Last Stand (Book 3), Jasper T. Scott, 333, 4.0*
15. Arisen (#13): Odyssey, Michael Stephen Fuchs, 384, 4.25*
16. The Killer Collective, Barry Eisler, 401, 4.5*
17. Ferrum Corde (Terran Armor Corps Book 6), Richard Fox, 411, 3.75*
18. Cemetery Road, Greg Iles, 587, 4.75*
19. Street Freaks, Terry Brooks, 375, 3.25*
20. Out of the Dark, Gregg Hurwitz, 385, 4.5*
21. Run Away, Harlan Coben, 384, 4.25*
22. Orphan X, Gregg Hurwitz, 368, 4.25*
23. Foundryside, Robert Jackson Bennett, 512, 4.5*
24. Tiamat's Wrath, James S. A. Corey, 531, 4.75*
25. The Nowhere Man, Gregg Hurwitz, 356, 4.5*
26. You're Next, Gregg Hurwitz, 406, 4.25*
27. Unbound (Dawn of Deception Book 1), A R Shaw, 206, 4.0*
28. Undone (Dawn of Deception Book 2), A R Shaw, 250, 4.0*
29. Redemption (Memory Man Series book 5), David Baldacci, 433, 4.5*
30. The Way of Shadows (Night Angel book 1), Brent Weeks, 659, 4.5*
31. Hellbent, Gregg Hurwitz, 416, 4.5*
32. Shadow's Edge (Night Angel book 2), Brent Weeks, 645, 4.5*
33. Beyond the Shadows (Night Angel book 3), Brent Weeks, 699, 4.5*
34. Mist City (After the Purge series), Sam Sisavath, 177, 3.75*
35. Gott Mit Uns (Terran Strike Marines, Book 5), Richard Fox, 408, 3.5*
36. The Rescue (Ryan Decker Book 1), Steven Konkoly, 390, 4.5*
37. EMERGENCE: Annihilation, JT Sawyer, 191, 3.75*
38. Incredible Victory: The Battle of Midway, Walter Lord, 306, 4.75*
39. Unbeaten (Dawn of Deception Book 3), A. R. Shaw, 264. 4.0*
40. Fall (or, Dodge in Hell), Neal Stephenson, 883, 3.0*
41. Neon Prey, John Sandford, 400, 4.25*
42. City of the Lost, Kelley Armstrong, 403, 4.5*
43. Last Night in Twisted River, John Irving, 554, 4.0*
44. Fractured State, Steven Konkoly, 402, 4.25*
45. Rogue State, Steven Konkoly, 380, 4.0*
46. A Darkness Absolute, Kelley Armstrong, 390, 4.25*
47. The Fallen Prey, Kelley Armstrong, 359, 4.0*
48. Steele's Hammer, Dietmar Arthur Wehr, 243, 4.0*
49. Wherever She Goes, Kelley Armstrong, 292, 4.0*
50. Watcher in the Woods, Kelley Armstrong, 356, 4.25*
51. The Night Window, Dean Koontz, 417, 4.0*
52. One Good Deed, David Baldacci, 420, 3.25*
53. Dark Age, Pierce Brown, 752, 5.0*
54. Steele's Demon Star, Dietmar Arthur Wehr, 204, 4.25*
55. Scimitar's Glory, Dietmar Arthur Wehr, 310, 4.5*
56. Excalibar's Quest, Dietmar Arthur Wehr, 257, 4.25*
57. Recursion, Blake Crouch, 329, 4.5*
58. Wolf, Matt Rogers, 342, 3.75*
59. Tempest (Beatrix Rose series), Mark Dawson, 399. 4.25*
60. Alpha (Black Flag Series Book 1), Steven Konkoly, 310, 4.0*
61. Redux (Black Flag Series Bk 2), Steven Konkoly, 383,4.25*
62. Bright Lights (John Milton series #15), Mark Dawson, 343, 4.25*
63. Apex (Black Flag Series #3), Steven Konkoly, 487, 4.5*
64. Vektor (Black Flag #4), Steven Konkoly, 417, 4.25*
65. Omega (Black Flag #5), Steven Konkoly, 337, 4.0*
66. All the Devils, Barry Eisler, 336, 4.75*
67. The Institute, Stephen King, 576, 4.125*
68. A Book of Bones: A Thriller, John Connolly, 683, 4.25*
69. Daybreak (Road to Babylon series), Sam Sisavath, 4.0*
70. Blue Moon, Lee Child, 368, 4.125*
71. Bloody Genius, John Sandford, 372, 4.125*
72. The Guardians, John Grisham, 375, 4.25*
73. Game of Snipers, Stephen Hunter, 383, 4.25*
74. The Night Fire, Michael Connelly, 405, 4.25*
75. The Hallows, Victor Methos, 346, 4.25*
76. A Minute to Midnight, David Baldacci, 415, 4.25*
77. Sword of Kings, Bernard Cornwell, 349, 4.0*
78. The Raid (Ryan Decker Book 2), Steven Konkoly, 383, 4.25*
79. Boy's Life, Robert McCammon, 608, 4.5*
80. Order of the Centurion, Jason Anspach & Nick Cole, 314, 4.125*
81. Iron Wolves, Jonathan Yanez, Anspach, & Cole, 198, 4.0*
82. Stryker's War, Josh Hayes, Anspach, & Cole, 205, 4.125*
83. Through the Nether, Richard Fox, Anspach, & Cole, 217. 4.25*
84. The Reservist, J.R. Handley, Anspach, & Cole, 257, 4.125*



This post was edited on 1/1/20 at 10:04 pm
Posted by FalseProphet
Mecca
Member since Dec 2011
11707 posts
Posted on 1/11/19 at 1:36 pm to
Just getting back into this whole "reading for pleasure" game.

My goal for 2019 is 26 books.

I can probably do a whole lot more, but I think a book every two weeks is good for dipping back in.

1. 1984, George Orwell, 328, (in progress).
Posted by Cowboyfan89
Member since Sep 2015
12717 posts
Posted on 1/11/19 at 6:36 pm to
quote:

The Johnny Lawrence

I see you have a lot of Roosevelt literature. If you haven't read The River of Doubt, I highly recommend it.

That book made me realize just how messed up the Roosevelt family was. For everything that Theodore was, it put an immense amount of pressure on the rest of the family, and really screwed up Kermit it seems. He tried to live up to his father's reputation, and ended up destroying himself because of it.
Posted by The Johnny Lawrence
Member since Sep 2016
2162 posts
Posted on 1/14/19 at 9:10 am to
I was gifted the Edmund Morris Trilogy for Christmas. These will be the first books I can recall reading on Roosevelt. Most of my political reading is one off books of presidential candidates on their proposed policies or behind the scenes books of the White House inner workings.

The two exceptions are W and Reagan. I've read a fair bit of biographies about both of those two guys, as they are my two favorite presidents to date.
Posted by DLSWVA
SW Virginia via Baton Rouge
Member since Nov 2012
781 posts
Posted on 1/15/19 at 8:54 am to
30 Books; 10 Audiobooks

Finished:
1) Petty: The Biography, Warren Zanes, 323
2) Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire, 419
3) Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance, 269
4) Muscle Cars, Stephen Eoannou, 244
5) Moonwalking with Einstein, Joshua Foer, 320
6) Practical Digital Preservation, Adrian Brown, 336
7) Smart but Scattered, Peg Dawson and Richard Guare, 313
8) The O. Henry Prize Stories 2018, Laura Furman ed., 390
9) Tbe Drawing of the Three, Stephen King, 463
10) The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey, 352
11) Wizard and Glass, Stephen King, 670
12) The Dirt, Mötley Crüe, 430
13) Shiloh, Shelby Foote, 220
14) A Clash of Kings, George R. R. Martin, 969
15) The Last Gentleman, Walker Percy, 323
16) The Dragonlance Chronicles, Vol. 1, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, 447
17) The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton, 180
18) The Dragonlance Chronicles, Vol. 2, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, 361
19) The Dragonlance Chronicles, Vol. 3, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, 388
20) The Time of the Twins, M. Weis and T. Hickman, 398
21) Talk Talk, T.C. Boyle, 340
22) War of the Twins, M. Weis and T. Hickman, 411
23) Test of the Twins, M. Weis and T. Hickman, 345
24) Slash, Slash with Anthony Bozza, 457
25) First Things First, Stephen Covey, 335
26) Accounting Made Simple, Mike Piper, 101
27) Basic Budgeting Practices, M. C. Trumpeter, 159
28) Two or Three Things I Know for Sure, Dorothy Allison, 95
29) Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard, 288
30) Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer, 296

Audiobooks finished:
1) Atomic Habits, James Clear, 5h 35m
2) The Productivity Project, Chris Bailey, 8h 13m
3) Zen in the Art of Writing, Ray Bradbury, 3h 54m
4) 48 Laws of Power, Robert Greene, 23h 7m
5) The Talent Code, Daniel Coyle, 6h 6m
6) Start, Joh Acuff, 6h 4m
7) Raise Your Game, Alan Stein, 7h 36m
8) Deep Work, Cal Newport, 7h 44m
9) The Science of Rapid Skill Acquisition, Peter Hollins, 4h 3m
10) Indistractable, Nir Eyal, 5h 15m
This post was edited on 11/7/19 at 2:33 pm
Posted by Bham Bammer
Member since Nov 2014
14483 posts
Posted on 1/15/19 at 5:47 pm to
New dad and my time no longer seems to belong to exclusively me, so this could be a challenge. But I’ve found myself not turning on the TV nearly as much already this year, so that should help.

GOAL: 45 books
1) The Innocent, Harlan Coben, 370, 4*
2) Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, John Carreyrou, 299, 3.5*
3) The Outsider, Stephen King, 561, 3*
4) In Cold Blood, Truman Capote, 343 (in progress)
This post was edited on 1/26/19 at 3:18 pm
Posted by wordsmith
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2016
38 posts
Posted on 1/15/19 at 10:22 pm to
2019 Goal: 150 Books

Read 200 last year, but think I'll have a little less time this year. BTW, I count comics (collected editions), audiobooks, and poetry collections towards my reading goals.

Books Read:
1) A Natural History of Dragons, Marie Brennan, 10 hours 17 minutes, 4 stars
2) The Ancient Magus' Bride vol. 1, Kore Yamazaki, 180 pages, 3.5 stars
3) Wonder Woman vol.1: The Lies, Greg Rucka et al., 128 pages, 3.5 stars
4) Bellocq's Ophelia, Natasha Trethewey, 64 pages, 3.5 stars
5)The Masque of the Black Tulip, Lauren Willig, 450 pages, 4 stars
6)The Deception of the Emerald Ring, Lauren Willig, 426 pages, 3.5 stars
This post was edited on 1/24/19 at 7:27 pm
Posted by IllegalPete
Front Range
Member since Oct 2017
7182 posts
Posted on 1/21/19 at 8:38 pm to
How do you guys determine your star ratings?

Do you use a specific benchmark for each star or just wing it?

The reason I ask is that some books are good, some are great. Some I would recommend to others and some I would buy copies of to give out to people. Some I know are going to be great for me and where I am at in life but others may have a different perspective that rates a book lower.

I suppose this would mostly apply to nonfiction, and is probably overthinking it a little, but I was just wondering if there any TDBB established rules for ratings or if anyone took any of the above into account when rating a book.



eta: also, is this the thread to discuss and ask questions about books others are reading or should that be done in the "what are you reading thread"? This is my first year on the book board so I didn't want to breach any etiquette.
This post was edited on 1/21/19 at 8:53 pm
Posted by Sapere
Member since Feb 2015
58 posts
Posted on 1/21/19 at 10:14 pm to
Goal: 30

1. After Virtue, Alasdair MacIntyre, 278, 4*
2. The Final Empire, Brandon Sanderson, 672, 4*
3. The Well of Ascension, Brandon Sanderson, 763, 3*
4. All That Is in God, James Dolezal, 4h 22m, 4*
5. The Hero of Ages, Brandon Sanderson, 724, 3.5*
6. Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle, 171, 4*
7. The Nature of True Virtue, Jonathan Edwards, 5*
8. The Alloy of Law, Brandon Sanderson, 383, 4*
9. Shadows of Self, Brandon Sanderson, 436, 4*
10. Scholastic Metaphysics: A Contemporary Introduction, Edward Feser, 263, 4.5*
11. The Bands of Mourning, Brandon Sanderson, 503, 4*
12. Warbreaker, Brandon Sanderson, 652, 3*
13. Is God a Moral Monster, Paul Copan, 222, 4*
14. Elantris, Brandon Sanderson, 615, 4*
15. The Eye of the World, Robert Jordan, 782, 4*
16. Bondage of the Will, Martin Luther, 12h 7m, 4*
17. The Great Hunt, Robert Jordan, 681, 4*
18. The Dragon Reborn, Robert Jordan, 674, 3.5*
This post was edited on 6/19/19 at 10:15 pm
Posted by Big Chipper
Charlotte, NC
Member since Sep 2008
2777 posts
Posted on 1/22/19 at 6:46 am to
Gonna go with 72 books in 2019 (6 per month). Thus far (through 5/29) I've read the following:

The Lore of Prometheus Graham Austin-King 294 4.00
Steelheart (Reckoners Book 1) Brandon Sanderson 418 4.00
Mitosis / Firefight (Reckoners Book 1.5 & 2) Brandon Sanderson 470 4.00
Calamity (Reckoners Book 3) Brandon Sanderson 418 3.75
Someone Like Me M. R. Carey 512 3.75
Kings of Ash (Ash and Sand Book 2) Richard Nell 665 3.75
The Hod King (The Books of Babel Book 3) Josiah Bancroft 608 4.25
Never Die Rob J Hayes 274 4.25
Grim Solace (The Chasing Graves Trilogy Book 2) Ben Galley 472 4.25
The Grey Bastards: A Novel(The Lot Lands Book 1) Jonathan French 424 4.25
The Written (Emaneska Book 1) Ben Galley 449 3.00
Pale Kings (Emaneska Book 2) Ben Galley 572 4.00
Dead Stars - Part One (Emaneska Book 3) Ben Galley 484 4.00
Dead Stars - Part Two (Emaneska Book 4) Ben Galley 546 4.00
Underlord (Cradle Book 6) Will Wight 308 4.25
We Ride the Storm (The Reborn Empire Book 1) Devin Madson 444 4.25
Breaking Chaos (The Chasing Graves Trilogy Book 3) Ben Galley 421 4.25
Dawn of the Exile (The Infernal Guardian Book 2) Mitchell Hogan 395 4.00
Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor 1) Mark Lawrence 477 4.50
Grey Sister (Book of the Ancestor 2) Mark Lawrence 432 4.50
Bound (A Book of the Ancester Short Story) Mark Lawrence 49 4.00
One Word Kill (Impossible Times #1) Mark Lawrence 201 4.00
Holy Sister (Book of the Ancester 3) Mark Lawrence 367 4.50
The Gutter Prayer (The Black Iron Legacy Book 1) Gareth Hanrahan 544 3.75
Ghosts of Gotham Craig Schaefer 443 3.75
The Sealed Citadel (The Cycle of the Scour Book 1) Edward W. Robertson 224 3.75
The Wild Hunt (The Riven Wyrde Saga Book 1) Graham Austin-King 344 4.00
The Realm of Twilight (The Riven Wyrde Saga Book 2) Graham Austin-King 344 4.00
The Sins of the Wyrde (The Riven Wyrde Saga Book 3) Graham Austin-King 384 3.75
No Fairytale: A Tale of the Emaneska (The Emaneska Series Book 5) Ben Galley 40 4.00
Priest of Bones (War for the Rose Throne Book 1) Peter McLean 354 4.25
Winter World (The Long Winter Book 1) A.G. Riddle 418 4.00
A Time of Blood (Of Blood and Bone 2) John Gwynne 512 4.25
Aching God (Iconoclasts Book 1) Mike Shel 602

That's 34, 4 ahead of schedule.
This post was edited on 5/29/19 at 6:19 am
first pageprev pagePage 2 of 5Next pagelast page

Back to top
logoFollow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on LSU Football and Recruiting.

FacebookTwitterInstagram