Joosje’s Comments (group member since Jan 07, 2020)

Joosje’s comments from the Chapter Adventure Reading Challenges (Formerly GXO) group.

I read The polka dot shop. It was a nice read, but I didn't love it as much as I thought it would. It's a good book for budding fashionistas. Challenge complete

I read Sunny days and sea breezes, It was a nice book, romantic, and the setting n the Isle of Wight made for some good beach scenes. It's not my favourite by this author though, I like some of her other books better. Challenge complete

I read Nantucked white Christmas. Food features prominently in this book, with plenty of descriptions of what the main characters eat at home or in restaurants, and in this particular book, also Christmas Eve and Christmas day food. It's a feelgood book and I really enjoyed it. It's part of a series about Nantucket but can be read as a standalone. Challenge complete

I read The dearly beloved for this month and what I loved about this book is that there is so much attention to detail in the descriptions. The book is not so much plot-driven, the author takes the time to set the scene and I enjoyed filling in the image in my mind. There is a story also, about two very different ministers and their wives, and I read it with great interest. Challenge complete.

Challenge complete. I read I see London, I see France, a YA novel about a backpacking trip through Europe. I enjoyed following their itinerary and visiting the tourist attractions with them, going from London via Amsterdam and Bruges to Paris, Switserland, the French Riviera and then Italy. It made me want to keep reading.

I read The glassblower of Murano. I loved that it's set in Venice, it was as if I was transported there while reading it, walking the narrow alleys and taking the gondolas and the watertaxis with the main characters. It has two storylines, one set in the present and one in the 1600s, and the story alternates between them. This was interesting, though there was a bit too much blood and gore for me in the storyline in the past. The book could have done with a bit less death for me. Challenge complete

I read Love & Luck, a lovely story about Addie who takes an unexpected roadtrip through Ireland with one of her brothers and his Irish friend. The descriptions of Ireland made me feel like I was there and I enjoyed reading about the bond between Addie and her brother, and seeing how Addie grows closer to the Irish friend. The book made me laugh and it made me cry. It's sort of a sequel to Love & gelato, that I loved as well. Challenge complete

I read Pandora's jar, a non-fiction book about Greek mythology from the women's point of view. I found it very interesting to read about the original stories in Greek and how they were altered in translations and retellings, making us view the women differently. Reading this book made me aware of lots of nuances I wasn't familiar with in the stories I thought I knew so well. Also, it's made want to look into reading some ancient Greek texts in translation. Challenge complete

Challenge complete. I read The winter wedding. It's an easy read about love, friendship and sisterhood. I liked it.

I read The litle Christmas shop on Nutcracker Lane, a very festive read that had me feeling Christmassy. Challenge complete

I read Christmas at Silver falls. Challenge complete

I read More than we can tell. In Letters to the lost we are introduced to best friends Declan and Rev. That book tells Declan's story. This book tells Rev's story. It's a strong bond of two young men who have been hurt by their parents. Challenge complete.

I read Heaven looks a lot like the mall. It was different than I expected. I read other books by this author that I liked better. Challenge complete

I'm not a fan of mysteries so I stretched a bit and read Pumpkinheads cause it takes place at Halloween. It was my first graphic novel, and I liked it better than I thought. Challenge complete.

I read Recipes for love and murder. It was out of my comfortzone, but I had fun with it. I especially enjoyed the parts about cooking and food. Challenge complete.

I read Little bits of sky. There are lots of lists and some letters in the book. Challenge complete.

I read Stargazing for beginners. I liked it so much I read it in one day. Challenge complete.

I read Finding Christmas, with the smart and funny dog Dasher, who's a real character. Challenge complete.

I chose My one true north for this month. I read a lot of books by this author and loved them all.

I'm reading The summer hideaway. Challenge complete.