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

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

Take care Martha! Thinking about you both.

Alondra wrote: "Faouzia wrote: "that's actually a great idea Lillie. The last couple of books were rather disappointing for me and I don't know what to read now. So I'd better follow your lead and start working on..."

I definitely won't start a list anytime soon. That would mean abandoning the current list and eliminating the new list via pre mature reading which would put me behind on both lists.

Jackie wrote: "Michelle wrote: "My gosh Jackie! Do you also have all your Christmas presents purchased, a pantry organized as per TikTok and a color coded book shelf? If you do you're going to have to mentor me. ..."

Too bad Jackie. I was looking forward to pictures of your bookshelf. Turns out we are the same. I'm maybe even worse. I don't even have a bookshelf just boxes and piles of books. Oh well. Maybe those TikTok folk can get busy and come up with an overly complicated solution to our problem.

Ioana wrote: "Book #56 of 2022: American Cartel: Inside the Battle to Bring Down the Opioid Industry I've read quite a few books on this subject, and this was different: from the law enforcement'..."

Thanks Ioana! You've added another one to the old TBR.

Lillie wrote: "August update: 13 books read, 9 audiobooks and 4 print books

Previously reviewed:
Burntcoat
The Bean Trees
Special Topics in Calamity Physics
[book:A Gre..."


Loved the ranking this month. I also enjoyed The Sentence and All Systems Red and I have Clark and Division on my hold list. Congrats on reading more than half your challenge list!

My gosh Jackie! Do you also have all your Christmas presents purchased, a pantry organized as per TikTok and a color coded book shelf? If you do you're going to have to mentor me. No never mind it might take up too much reading time. I'll just envy you quietly on Goodreads.

Kristine wrote: "Michelle wrote: "I started reading Shoeless Joe over the weekend. Absolutely loving it! Maybe this is what I need to get back to this list. I don't know why I'm not reading this list m..."

Thanks Kristine! You're right of course. It just always seems that as many books as I read I should finish these lists much faster.

I started reading Shoeless Joe over the weekend. Absolutely loving it! Maybe this is what I need to get back to this list. I don't know why I'm not reading this list more quickly. I have enjoyed every single book I've read. Shinier new books just keep getting in the way.

Looking at the above I realized that without any plan to do so, I have just read three books in a row that dealt with spiritualism and psychic phenomena. One I did not like, one I thought was beautiful, and one I thought was fun. For the record I'm not inclined to believe in any of that stuff. So why the different reactions. I think it was how the books were written. In one case the psychic phenomena was a plot device to further the story, in one a poetic representation of reality and in one it seemed to be a recruitment manual.

I'm not sure why I'm sharing this except that this recent flow of books has had me thinking about why I read certain books and why I react to them as I do. I think the way the author handles this or any other controversial subject directly affects my reaction to the book. I like to read to learn about other points of view but clearly when it is something out of my comfort zone a heavy handed or clumsy treatment of the issue by the author serves more to close the mind than to encourage empathy. I suspect this is true no matter what the topic. Whether that is an argument to read more broadly or more carefully, I haven't decided.

#84 Proof of Life This was for my RL book club and I am only going to admit here how much I really disliked it. I won't relate all my complaints. I'll just say it was poorly written. ebook. 2 stars. Horror?/Romance?/Paranormal?/Spiritualism.

#85 The House of the Spirits A young woman relates the story of three generations of her family. Isabel Allende at her finest with magical realism, family drama and a turbulent historical setting. Beautifully written. Audiobook. 4 stars. Modern Classic/Magical Realism

#86 Grave Reservations A psychic travel agent helps a police detective solve some cold cases. Light hearted and funny. Audiobook. 4 stars. Mystery

86 books/9929 pages

Currently:
Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing As We Age ebook.
Cloud Cuckoo Land hardback.
Bitcoin Billionaires: A True Story of Genius, Betrayal, and Redemption audiobook.

I was thrilled to read your letter on Dictionary. I thought I was the only person who felt that way about this book. You summed it up perfectly when you said you "liked it without loving it". I thought the idea of this story had so much potential and there were moments that I really liked it but there were also moments when I didn't like the direction the story took. I felt like the author tried to squeeze too much into one story.

Alissa wrote: "I love that you have a currently neglecting section lol"

Unfortunately its only too true.

I think you will enjoy both Horse and The Lifeguards Patricia. Both were great books. Thanks for the encouragement on Cloud Cuckoo. I need to settle down and read it my reading life feels a little scattered right now.

Followed Jack Reacher on in to Montana as he rescued a damsel in distress from her kidnappers in Die Trying by Lee Child.

Listened to this on audio earlier. I have enjoyed every Ruth Ware book that I have read but the most recent 2 or 3 were beginning to wear a bit thin. Not the case with this one. I really liked the POV of a woman looking back on the murder and how it defined her life. I also enjoyed the fact that the victim was not very likable. I felt like it added to the suspense that virtually everyone she encountered had a reason to want to kill her.

#81 Die Trying 2nd in the Jack Reacher series. I liked it just as much as the first one maybe more. It was a perfect vacation read. Action packed, take no prisoners. I'll be back to this series. Paperback. 4 stars. Action Thriller.

#82 Raft of Stars A contemporary, coming of age, adventure story. The second half of this book was definitely better than the first. It took about half the book to get all the characters and their various issues laid out but the conclusion was top notch. Audiobook. 3 stars. Contemporary Fiction.

#83 Horse What a nice surprise this book was. I have read Geraldine Brooks before so I knew it would be good but this was really outstanding historical fiction. It followed the life of a famous race horse but interwove that with the story of the characters and reflections about racism in america. A really good, well written book and a great audiobook production. Audiobook. 4 stars. Historical Fiction.

83 books/9606 pages

Currently reading:
Proof of Life ebook. For my RL book club. Other members are raving about it but I'm rolling my eyes.
The House of the Spirits Audiobook. Isabel Allende always a treat.

Currently neglecting:
Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing As We Age ebook.
Cloud Cuckoo Land Hardback.

Glad to see you liked Clark & Division that's on my hold list. I loved The Sentence, hope you enjoy it.

Congratulations on completing your challenge. You have an awesome 2nd list. I don't think I will ever have a 2nd list. I predict I will just slip under the wire at year end with this one. Assuming I finish it at all.

Adding one more:

11. Read two books by one author, name author. Aurhor Lee Child. The books: Killing Floor and Die Trying.

Love Jack Reacher. The first two of the series but not my last.

Alissa wrote: "Started the audiobook of this morning and I'm already at 42%. It is so well told"

Such a great audiobook. Enjoy!