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

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

Alondra wrote: "Michelle wrote: "I have started listening to Blackout finishing up the Newsflesh series. Fingers crossed that it will end strong."

I don't know if strong is the word I would use.

..."

Hmmm. I don't like the sound of that.

I have started listening to Blackout finishing up the Newsflesh series. Fingers crossed that it will end strong.

Feeling cozy with Maisie Dobbs and Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear.

In the third book of the series Maisie responds to requests for help from three different friends. The police ask her to help interrogate a thirteen-year-old murder suspect. She is also asked by a father to help get the details of the death of his son in the war. This leads to a third request from a dear friend to investigate the circumstances of the death of her brother in the war. All three investigations become entangled and suddenly someone seems to want Maisie dead but which case has brought on the threat? Maisie is left to sort it all out. And of course she does.

I love the Maisie Dobbs series. The are such comfortable reads. The epitome of a cozy mystery. They are also extremely well written. You don't always find the two things together but when you do its good book therapy for sure.

3 war heroes and spies stars.

Quotable:

Seek the opportunity to swim beyond your own little pond.”
― Jacqueline Winspear, Pardonable Lies

“Sometimes you can’t slay those dragons; they can’t be done away with, just like that.” She snapped the fingers of her free hand. “You have to know how not to disturb them, how to mollify them if they become roused, and, above all, you have to come to respect them.”

Looks like you had a great month so far Lillie with more to come. I'll be watching for your reviews.

I'll keep your warning in mind and watch out for number 9. At the rate I'm going I still have lots of time to enjoy the series. I do listen to them on audio and enjoy them but I wouldn't say the audio productions are outstanding in any way.

I confess Bill it's not a series that I feel compelled to read the next book but I always enjoy them when I do get back to them. So well written and all the books have that comfortable feeling. True cozy mysteries.

I felt the same as you did about Weyward. I wanted to care more but I was just too bored. One of the women in the book and her story would have been enough. I think these multiple timeline authors need to stop and consider. Would one of these stories be enough to write an entire book about. If the answer is yes write that book, if it is no don't write anything. I also felt that the abused witchy woman theme was overused and poorly executed.

I loved both The Parable of the Sower and Where She Went. Glad to see you did too.

I did not love The Wager for all the reasons you stated. I liked Flower Moon but only because the subject was so fascinating. Your criticism of his writing holds true for that one too. Tip for you if you didn't love his writing on these two do not read Gann's The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon. Same.

Re-reading my last post, I am imagining high school English teachers everywhere whipping out their red markers getting ready to give me a big fat F. But seriously, explain it to me. What was the purpose of that intro.

Listening to Pardonable Lies, Maisie Dobbs. Great so far.

My suggestion Jackie. Skip the intro. I really couldn't see that it had anything to do with the main story.

“a good story doesn’t just copy life, it pushes back on it.”
― Barbara Kingsolver, Demon Copperhead

#33 The Bucket List After the death of her best friend, a woman pushes the limits of her comfort zone in order to finish her friend's bucket list. This was for my IRL book club. Not outstanding but a fun read. 3 would you kiss a stranger to inherit a beach house stars. ebook. Contemporary Fiction.

#34 Demon Copperhead I am of two minds about nearly every aspect of this book. I loved the first part of the story about an orphan boy struggling to find his place in the world. I did not love the later part of the story dealing with addiction and the opioid crisis. I thought after The Poisonwood Bible that I did not like Barbara Kingsolver's writing. Turns out after Demon Copperhead I do like Barbara Kingsolver's writing. I thought I didn't like Charles Dickens enough to enjoy a retelling of one of his books (David Copperfield). I did, however, enjoy very much the fact that this was a retelling. I think that was due to the author's devotion to following the original story arc. It just goes to show that a good plot never goes out of style. Excellent writing and execution by the author but now I fear I'm going to have to at least listen to David Copperfield. I don't know if I loved it or if I hated it but I'm giving it 4 still can't stop thinking about it stars. Audiobook. Fiction-David Copperfield Retelling.

#35 Shark Heart A VERY unusual book that I ultimately enjoyed very much. Two newlyweds are forced to revise all their basic beliefs about life, love, and family when the husband contracts a rare disease which will turn him into a great white shark. I know weird right? Somehow though the author makes it plausible. Even more than that the author uses this plot device to explore topics like change and losing loved ones and what is a life well lived and what are the truly important things in life. I was touched by this book in spite of its strangeness. It made me think about life and even some of the things happening in my life. That said I would only recommend it to you if you can suspend disbelief long enough to understand where the author is going with it. 4 magical realism with a purpose stars. Audiobook. Contemporary Fiction.

35 books/3692 pages

Currently:
The Stolen Heir ebook.
Pardonable Lies audiobook.

“...he did not fear death but grief, the ache of being alone and mangled by change. Yet he was not ready to make peace with the end.”
― Emily Habeck, Shark Heart

I love this one!

"If you love to read, or learn to love reading, you will have an amazing life. Period. Life will always have hardships, pressures, and incredibly annoying people, but books will make it all worthwhile. In books, you will find your North Star, and you will find you, which is why you are here."
- Anne Lamott

“People say that life is the thing, but I prefer reading.”
― Logan Pearsall Smith

Bill wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Beginning The Stolen Heir."

I'm starting to explore her work. I look forward to your comments."

I've read a couple of others by Holly Black and I enjoyed them. So far I'm having trouble getting into this one. I think it is me though not Holly so I'm going to reserve judgement until I get to the end of the book.

Beginning The Stolen Heir .

Alissa wrote: "I keep side-eyeing Divine Rivals. Hmmmmmmmmmm"

Hmmm indeed. Give it a try Alissa. There were some interesting things going on there.

You should try it Lillie. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did.

“There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Lately I've been busy and tired. Too much of both to keep up with posting here. So here is all the listening and reading I've been doing between the life stuff.

#27 Divine Rivals A Romeo and Juliet type romance set in a world where magic abounds and discarded gods draft young people into their armies to fight their wars. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It was much more than I expected. I'm definitely reading the sequel. 4 surprisingly unique world building stars. Audiobook. Fantasy.

#28 The Wishing Game This was Willy Wonka meets Fantasy Island with a little Magic Treehouse thrown in. I loved the contest, the games and riddles and the eccentric writer. I wasn't as crazy about the adult issues that had to be dealt with. It was predictable and cheesy but fun. 3 I've got a golden ticket stars. Audiobook. Contemporary Fiction.

#29 American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road I have been meaning to read this book ever since I listened to Bitcoin Billionaires: A True Story of Genius, Betrayal, and Redemption. I wanted to hear more about Dread Pirate Roberts and the Silk Road. This book did not disappoint. A fascinating tale of the fall of a boy scout/genius into the dark world of crime and an even more incredible story about the dozens of law enforcement officers and agencies who pursued him relentlessly and eventually took him down. 4 nonfiction that reads like fiction stars. ebook. Nonfiction-True Crime.

#30 Divorce Horse A Longmire short story. An entertaining little nibble. 3 short story appetizer stars. ebook. Mystery.

#31 Earth's the Right Place for Love: A Novel The sweet story of Arthur Truelove's one great love and how he became the man he did. I loved learning about Arthur's boyhood and how he fell in love with Nola. This prequel completes Elizabeth Berg's Mason series for me. Beautifully written. 4 childhood sweetheart stars. Audiobook. Contemporary Fiction.

#32 Go as a River A young girl's first love ends tragically and her decisions in the wake of the tragedy determine the flow of her life and of many others. The highlight here for me was the comparison of the river and the way life flows on. 3 rolling on the river stars. Audiobook. Historical Fiction.

32 books/3376 pages

Currently:

The Bucket List ebook. For RL Bookclub.
Demon Copperhead Audiobook. Conflicted feelings about this one.

“You type lines of code into a computer, and out comes a world that didn’t exist before. There are no laws here except your laws. You decide who is given power and who is not. And then you wake up one morning and you’re not you anymore. You’re one of the most notorious drug dealers alive. And now you’re deciding if someone should live or die. You’re the judge in your own court. You’re god.”
― Nick Bilton, American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road

Finishing Elizabeth Berg's Mason series with the prequel Earth's the Right Place for Love.

Mason is a wonderful place for Arthur as he grows into a man. His family struggles but Arthur learns the value of hard work. His weekend jobs introduce him to new friends in town who teach him life lessons and are there when he needs support. His older brother Frank dreams of leaving Mason someday but in the meantime, he mentors Arthur through his teen years. Then there is Nola his first crush, his one true love. With time and patience, he is certain they will have a future together right there in Mason.

This book gives readers the backstory for Arthur Trulove and reveals how Mason and its inhabitants shaped him into the man he became. I enjoyed reading about Arthur's youth and most of all learning the details of his sweet love story with Nola. The character who is absent in later books but known to readers of the series by Arthur's devotion to her. Like all the books in this series this was a sweet story focused on the simple and ordinary things that lead to contentment and joy.

4 true love stars.

Quotable:

“You know, if I’ve learned anything in my life, it’s this: you can push away everything but love. It will not leave. It will wait. Unto death, it will wait. You might as well accept it. You might as well give it freely, too—even more than freely. Anything else is pure exhaustion.”
― Elizabeth Berg, Earth's the Right Place for Love: A Novel

“love came in without knocking and stayed without your permission. And when hard times came between you and the one you loved, you didn’t run away. You stayed. His mother had told him that. His mother had demonstrated that.”
― Elizabeth Berg, Earth's the Right Place for Love: A Novel

Ticking Go as a River by Shelley Read off the list. A thumbs up for this one also.

A young woman's first love ends tragically. Her decisions and actions in the wake of the death of her lover have repercussions for her life and the lives of many others, but she finds that life like a river goes on and we go forward with it. Resolution will come at last when she is brave enough to face her past.

This was not really a happy book, but it was interesting. Not only did I want to know what happened to each of the characters; I was equally interested in the fate of the peach orchard which becomes almost a character in itself. I also really appreciated the comparison of life to a river and the way that the river was used as a theme throughout the book. There were moments when the character's actions seemed a little extreme but on the whole, this was a well written and very well thought out book.

3 now I'm craving fresh peaches stars.

Quotable:

“Just as a single rainstorm can erode the banks and change the course of a river, so can a single circumstance of a girl’s life erase who she was before.”
― Shelley Read, Go as a River

“Flowing forward against obstacle was not my whole story. For, like the river, I had also gathered along the way all the tiny pieces connecting me to everything else, and doing this had delivered me here,”
― Shelley Read, Go as a River