Michelle’s Comments (group member since Dec 08, 2021)

Michelle’s comments from the On The Same Page group.

I felt the same way after reading I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons Bill. Unfortunately my library's selection of Beagle is limited. Time to scour the secondhand shops.

Currently reading The Thirteenth Tale. I'm anxious to see where this story goes.

“Fear cannot breed where there is action.”
― Peter S. Beagle, I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons

23 books
1886 pages

17 audiobooks
6 print

#19 No, David! This children's book was for my banned books challenge. It was banned due to nudity. All of you who find naked stick figure drawings offensive consider yourself warned. Otherwise, a cute little book with a very accurate representation of an active little boy and an homage to parental love. 3 a parent of boys appreciation stars. Children's Fiction.

#20 I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons Peter S. Beagle's classic fairy tale about a prince, a princess, and a dragon exterminator. Fun one! 3 dragon infestation who you going to call stars. Fiction-Fantasy.

#21 Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail Andrea Lankford former park ranger relates her encounters while helping to search for three lost hikers from the PCT. If you like nonfiction, this was a really interesting account of what it takes to actually search for someone who goes missing in a wilderness environment. 4 Countless volunteers, drone spotting, miles of trail hiked to look for clues stars. Nonfiction.

#22 The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison's prize winning book about a child, and race, and beauty, and all the unfairness life has to offer. The writing was wonderful. The story was heart breaking. 5 bluest eye stars. Fiction.

#23 Forever . . . You can never go wrong with Judy Blume. In this book she tells a typical story of first love between two ordinary teens who make good decisions. It was once considered racy. Now I think most teens would consider it boring. I thought it was good guidance. 3 M+K=Forever stars. YA Fiction.

Currently reading:
Onyx Storm I think I'm over it.
The Thirteenth Tale Where is this one going?

On the trail of the lost, you may not find what you’re searching for, but you will find more than you seek.”
― Andrea Lankford, Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail

“A solo woman is more likely to survive a perilous incident in the outdoors than a solo man. Yet, the average female hiker fears for her safety more than the average guy does. Ironically, this phenomenon, dubbed the Fear-Gender Paradox, may be why women fare better, because their angst makes them behave more cautiously. Meanwhile, their overconfident male peers are taking more risks and suffering the consequences.”
― Andrea Lankford, Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail

Contemplating first love with Forever . . . by Judy Blume.

In this landmark book beloved author Judy Blume writes the story of a first relationship between Michael and Katherine, two responsible teens who have all the right conversations and make all the good decisions but find out that it still doesn't add up to forever.

First, what a terrific job by Judy Blume of mapping out a realistic first relationship and how to handle it responsibly. She shows two young people experiencing all the feelings of first love and first lust. She then guides them and the reader through a typical first romance and the responsible decisions that should go with it. I thought the author handled it so well. I also thought that I should have read this back in middle school when the girls were passing around a bootleg copy (it was banned then too). If I had I would have been better informed and had realistic expectations. What would young teens today think of the book? Probably they would be bored. This plain-speaking little book cannot possibly compare to today's romantasy or whatever Twilight-esque book is currently popular. There is no magic, no soul bonding, no connecting on a cellular level to be had in this book. Just a real down to earth look at how many first romances go and what you should do about it. Should it be banned? I think it would be a pity. There is a lot of mature content but nothing that a modern teen wouldn't know about already. Maybe a realistic look at what may happen and how you may feel about it would be preferable to the romantasy version already available to them. Rather than ban it. I would recommend it.

3 was this an after-school special it reads like one stars.

Quotable:

“Like my mother said, you can't go back to holding hands”
― Judy Blume, Forever...

“I wanted to tell him that I will never be sorry for loving him. That in a way I still do - that maybe I always will. I'll never regret one single thing we did together because what we had was very special. Maybe if we were ten years older it would have worked out differently. Maybe. I think it's just that I'm not ready for forever.”
― Judy Blume, Forever...

“Suddenly question number four popped into my mind. Have you thought about how this relationship will end?”
― Judy Blume, Forever...

Lea wrote: "Michelle, I'm just getting acquainted with Morrison myself, and I haven't read everything yet. I am trying to read at least one a year. I agree that her works are very different. I've read and love..."

Song of Solomon and Sula both look promising but I'm going to need a bit of time between one of those and The Bluest Eye. I don't think my heart can take them back to back.

My first Toni Morrison was Beloved. A wonderful book but brutal. I went into this one with a little hesitation because of that. This one was an entirely different story. Still brutal in it's way but the writing is so expressive and beautiful. My heart ached for that little girl. I probably need more Toni Morrison in the future. What do you recommend?

I got tired of waiting for No, David! on my library hold list so I'm going to admit I saw it in the bookstore this weekend and just picked it up and read it. Sorry BAM, I was very careful.

David a mischievous toddler is constantly told no. On every page of David Shannon's Caldecott Medal winning book the reader sees David doing something he shouldn't and being told no. Until the last page where his parents tell him Yes they love him.

A sweet book that underscores the love of parents for their children even when they misbehave. The illustrations are semi-stick-figure drawings styled as a small child might draw them. I point this out because I am told that the reason for banning this book is nudity. One of the illustrations does show David running down the street without clothes. There is, however, absolutely nothing provocative in the illustration. I discussed this one with my sister who is an elementary school art teacher. She said that this book was removed from their library along with all other books containing any kind of nudity. She told me that her school's policy is to remove books that receive objections rather than challenge them because if they challenge and lose the books will be banned throughout the system not just in their library. She also brought up a point that I had not considered. As an art teacher she is concerned about banning because she feels that when they are finished banning books art will be next. She is not wrong. How much more will we limit our world?

3 Yes David, I love you too stars.

Quotable:

"No David"
- David Shannon, No David

Continuing to read the banned with The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.

A young girl abandoned by everyone, outcast by society, focuses all her hopes on her one wish: to have blue eyes. The heart-breaking events that lead her to conclude that blue eyes would be her salvation are revealed by Morrison in the stories of the people she encounters.

This is one amazing book. Morrison tackles so much about race, poverty, prejudice, and body image in these pages and does it so skillfully. I don't think I will ever forget the imagery in this book. She drives home her point so piercingly that I don't think anyone could read this and not be a little changed by it. I think that this book illustrates perfectly one of the dangers of banning books. Studies have shown that books increase empathy in readers. It would be a cold heart that could read The Bluest Eye and not experience empathy. Not walk away with a little more compassion and understanding. The obvious reason for banning the book is mature content but if we ban the book we prevent readers from experiencing the empathy it holds. I would only recommend this book for a mature reader, but I can only see benefits to mature readers in reading this book. Who is mature enough? I think that has to be up to the individual or their parents. The way the world is going today we should be trying to figure out ways that more people could read this book earlier in their lives not the opposite.

5 compassion inspiring stars.

Quotable:

“It had occurred to Pecola some time ago that if her eyes, those eyes that held the pictures, and knew the sights—if those eyes of hers were different, that is to say, beautiful, she herself would be different.”
― Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye

“Each night, without fail, she prayed for blue eyes. Fervently, for a year she had prayed. Although somewhat discouraged, she was not without hope. To have something as wonderful as that would take a long, long time.”
― Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye

If there's anything better, God kept it for himself.”
― William Gibson, Neuromancer

17 books
12 pages

14 audiobooks
4 print

#16 Neuromancer. The cyberpunk classic by William Gibson is worth the read if only for the language and the atmosphere. Nicely done. 3 cyberspace cowboys and troubled 80’s atmosphere stars. SciFi-Cyberpunk.

#17 Pachinko Wonderful multi generational tale about a Korean family living in Japan. A layered story so well written with characters so real that they are unforgettable. 5 making the best choices that life will allow stars. Historical Fiction.

#18 The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo What a great book. What a memorable character. Forbidden love set against a Hollywood glamour backdrop. I enjoyed this one start to finish. 4 living life on your own terms stars. Fiction.

Currently:
The Bluest Eye. Audiobook. Breaking my heart so far.
I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons ebook. Fun fantasy.

Fill your mind with knowledge—it’s the only kind of power no one can take away from you.”
― Min Jin Lee, Pachinko

No one is just a victim or a victor. Everyone is somewhere in between. People who go around casting themselves as one or the other are not only kidding themselves, but they’re also painfully unoriginal.”
― Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Great update Alondra! Glad to see that you are enjoying Dresden. It makes me a little jealous actually. I gobbled down the whole series and now I have to sit around and hope for a new book. My sister has been telling me for years that I need to read Tell the Wolves I’m Home and now you’re giving it a four star review. Looks like next year’s have to read challenge is forming up for me already. I enjoyed the entire Wayfarers series including Closed and Common Orbit. Hope you enjoy the rest of the series as well.

Evelyn Hugo had me at hello with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Hit!

Evelyn Hugo is determined to get what she wants out of life and once she hits Hollywood she will do whatever it takes to have it all. But as she shares her life story with a reporter it becomes obvious that Evelyn is more than a Hollywood starlet, more than a woman married seven times and now at the end of her life she wants everyone to know the truth about her.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the best at writing about complicated love stories and forbidden fruit. I was as mesmerized by this book as I was Daisy Jones & The Six. And I loved the twists and turns Evelyn's story took. This book was just lots of fun.

4 Hollywood heyday and forbidden love stars.

Quotable:

“I’m under absolutely no obligation to make sense to you.”
― Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

“When you're given an opportunity to change your life, be ready to do whatever it takes to make it happen. The world doesn't give things, you take things.”
― Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

“You can be sorry about something and not regret it,” Evelyn says.”
― Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Lea wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Lea, I just want you to know that reading your response above made me feel seen. I also enjoyed The House in the Cerulean Sea. Such an interesting and hopeful book. For that reason..."

So true! The thing I liked in Cerulean Sea was the idea that we all should just try to be a little better and more understanding. I didn't feel like that at all from his talk. I think the feeling I got from the book is what we need more of. We have plenty of the other.

Lea wrote: "I learned about Pachinko too, as soon as I read this book. It's such a great metaphor."

It is! It's one of those books that makes you think and gets better the more you think about it. The relationships in the book. So complicated but so true to life.

Lea wrote: "Dear Mr. Klune,

I just finished Somewhere Beyond the Sea and it was just OK for me. That made me sad.

I was charmed by The House in the Cerulean Sea. It was suc..."

Lea, I just want you to know that reading your response above made me feel seen. I also enjoyed The House in the Cerulean Sea. Such an interesting and hopeful book. For that reason, I was excited to hear T.J. Klune speak when I attended the Southern Book Festival last fall. Somewhere Beyond the Sea was just about to release or maybe it had just released but I very much thought I wanted to read it. I was really looking forward to seeing this unique author and hearing what he had to say. While I got some of the insight into the book that I had hoped for and the author was funny, the overall tone of the talk was entirely different from the book. More in your face. More take that. More strident. I was disappointed. I decided after hearing him speak that I should not read Somewhere Beyond the Sea. I felt badly about that because I admire the fact that the author is giving a voice to those who are not always heard. I admire even more that in The House of the Cerulean Sea he did it in a way that inspires peace and understanding. I did not get the impression that the second book would have that. Your letter seems to indicate that I was right and that makes me really sad.

Just started The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Already enjoying it!

All bets are off for Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. It's a hit!

A multi-generational saga that follows a Korean family that immigrated to Japan during the 1920's. The story begins with Sunja a young woman facing pregnancy without a husband who is rescued by a kindly young minister who marries her and takes her to Japan to live. The story follows Sunja and her children and grandchildren as they navigate difficult lives destined always to live as foreigners in the country of their birth.

This book had it all. Love, loyalty, family, values, nationalism, racism, rich vs. poor, mothers and sons, mothers and daughters, fatherhood, romance and practicality. The plotting was lovely. The author was masterful at showing how the choices of one character affected all the other characters. One difficult decision leading to more difficult decisions for subsequent generations. The characters were equally compelling. I couldn't help rooting for all of them as each one's heart was revealed. I am not usually big on multi-generational historical fiction but this one was amazing. I knew nothing about pachinko and when I googled it (you know I am really into a book if it has me doing research) I appreciated the book on a whole new level. Even with the very basic understanding of pachinko that Wikipedia could give me I could see how the game was a metaphor for the story of this family buffeted about by life.

5 intricate plot, unforgettable characters stars.

Quotable:

“Living everyday in the presence of those who refuse to acknowledge your humanity takes great courage.”
― Min Jin Lee, Pachinko

“Patriotism is just an idea, so is capitalism or communism. But ideas can make men forget their own interests. And the guys in charge will exploit men who believe in ideas too much.”
― Min Jin Lee, Pachinko

“a man must learn to forgive—to know what is important, that to live without forgiveness was a kind of death with breathing and movement.”
― Min Jin Lee

“In the end, your belly was your emperor.”
― Min Jin Lee, Pachinko Pachinko

"His Presbyterian minster father had believed in a divine design, and Mozasu believed that life was like this game where the player could adjust the dials yet also expect the uncertainty of factors he couldn't control. He understood why his customers wanted to play something that looked fixed but which also left room for randomness and hope.”
― Min Jin Lee, Pachinko

Bill wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Excellent writing but so difficult to read. I'm debating whether to read the rest of the trilogy. What are your thoughts about the other two books."

I only gave Count Zero 3 stars..."

Great Bill, thanks! You probably just added 6 to 10 books to my TBR.

Alondra wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Finished the book but still trying to wrap my head around Neuromancer by William Gibson. An impressive hit!

Burned out ..."

I hope you enjoy it Alondra. It wasn't an easy read. My advice would be to just get into the flow of the story and don't overthink it.

Glad to see 4 stars on Burn Book. I think you just added that to my TBR

Excellent writing but so difficult to read. I'm debating whether to read the rest of the trilogy. What are your thoughts about the other two books.