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

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

The problem is not that they are trying to tell us what to read. The problem is that they are trying to dictate what we think.

I'm surprised to hear The Goldfinch was better. I don't know if I'll ever be up to reading it after this book. Ugh!

I'm liking Jonathan Strange but it's sort of meandering along. I'm hoping we get somewhere soon.

29 books is incredible! Congrats!

Looks like you had a great reading month Bill. Lord of the Flies as a graphic novel sounds interesting.

Looks like you had a great month Pat! I've read and enjoyed several of these glad to see you liked them too. The Feather Theif is a wild tale.

Right Bill! Or read it.

Alondra wrote: "Michelle wrote: "“It is is better to know one book intimately than a hundred superficially.”
― Donna Tartt, The Secret History

65 books
5200 pages

51 audiobooks
14 print

#62 [bookcover:The Secre..."


People do seem to have strong feelings about it Alondra. I was taken to task on another thread for saying it wasn't a good audiobook. I'm standing by that though. The story was well written but weird with very unlikeable characters. Not horrible but not great IMO. The audiobook was a different story. It was bad. The author should never have been the reader for this book. The main POV was a young male. The author was not male and did not have a good male reading voice. Many of the characters supposedly had an affected way of speaking but this was poorly done by the author. A good reader with some vocal acting skills or even better a cast of readers would have made this an audiobook to remember. Instead, I am trying to forget it. This book is too long to suffer through a tortured audiobook. If you decide to go ahead with this one, definitely do not listen to the audiobook. That's all I'm sayin'.

Sounds like a great reading month Lea. Congrats!

I read recently that a bill has been proposed in Texas that would hold bookstores liable for selling a book that a minor or their parents claimed was psychologically damaging to them. Just another form of banning. We cannot let that happen.

I would click Lillie's button for all of your comments. Every one of you make great points. This is an example I think of a book we should have public discussion about. This book informs. It invites empathy. It is not incendiary. If read and discussed, it could inspire understanding. It could open minds a little if we let it. It is a shame that instead of celebrating this book, we restrict access to it. It saddens me that a book like this might not be available to the person who needs to read it because we have limited access to it.

I feel the same about Virginia Woolf. I'm not sorry I read it but it was a little too much like having to eat your least favorite vegetable.

Roz is my grandson's current favorite character. I'm trying to keep up.

“It is is better to know one book intimately than a hundred superficially.”
― Donna Tartt, The Secret History

65 books
5200 pages

51 audiobooks
14 print

#62 The Secret History A young man tries to become part of an elite group of students at a small private college but in doing so opens himself up to the clandestine activities of the group. First of all, I listened to the audiobook which was unfortunately read by the author. I think it is a perfect example of why authors should not read their own books for the audiobook. I might have enjoyed the book more if I had opted for the print version, but I don't think so. The characters were all so unlikeable and the story was dark and long. 2 I can't see what all the hype is about stars. Fiction.

#63 Last Night at the Telegraph Club A sensitive and well written story about a young woman in the 1950's questioning her sexuality. Unlike the previous book I liked this one very much. The characters were relatable and the history was well researched and presented. 3 a very nice piece of historical fiction stars. Historical Fiction/YA.

#64 The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus's Final Days in Jerusalem Two Christian historians follow Jesus through the week leading up to Easter using the book of Mark as a reference point. 4 a little Easter reading. Nonfiction-Christian.

#65 Mrs. Dalloway Virginia Woolf follows a group of people through the day leading up to a party and through the party itself. I really wanted to like this one, but I did not. It is written in a stream of consciousness style that was difficult to follow. While the prose did flow almost lyrically at times, listening to all of the characters' inner thoughts did not make me like them. Outside of the characters themselves there might have been some astute observations about life but not a lot of story. 2 overall sad tone stars. Fiction-Classic.

Current:
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell Not much headway so far.
Among the Bros: A Fraternity Crime Story Frat boy true crime
The Wild Robot Escapes to read and discuss with my grandson

“The word felt dangerous, and also powerful, as if uttering it would summon someone or something”
― Malinda Lo, Last Night at the Telegraph Club

“Her life was a tissue of vanity and deceit.”
― Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway

“Still, life had a way of adding day to day”
― virginia woolf, Mrs. Dalloway

Lillie wrote: "Michelle wrote: "This was a very well written and well researched piece of historical fiction. While the topic is a sensitive one, it was handled very well by the author and I would say the book is..."

It was just really well done and I did enjoy it. The author was clearly very aware of the audience she was writing for and took great care in how things were presented.

Reading the last few on the list with Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo.

A seventeen year old girl in 1950's San Francisco struggles to understand her sexuality. The expectations that she has been raised with are challenged when a local trans nightclub act catches her attention. She struggles to remain respectful to her family and her community but also to be true to herself.

This was a very well written and well researched piece of historical fiction. While the topic is a sensitive one, it was handled very well by the author and I would say the book is appropriate for older teens. I know that for many people anything LGBTQ+ related would be questionable but this book was not provocative. The historical aspect of the book was actually interesting and informative. Again, not provocative.

3 sensitive handling of a sensitive topic stars.

Quotable:

“An unfamiliar emotion swelled inside her at this image. A strangely sharp pang for a place she had never visited. For a people she resembled but did not know.”
― Malinda Lo, Last Night at the Telegraph Club

“Perhaps that was the most perverse part of this: the inside-outness of everything, as if denial would make it go away, when it only made the pain in her chest tighten, when it only made her emotions clearer.”
― Malinda Lo, Last Night at the Telegraph Club

“She’s having a hard time right now because you’re not what she expected. But we’re never what our parents expected. They have to learn that lesson.”
― Malinda Lo, Last Night at the Telegraph Club

“Here was her mother sitting down across from her, reaching for her hands and chafing them as if she were frozen. She felt the rub of her mother’s wedding ring against her skin, and her mother’s face swam into focus, her brown eyes full of the sharp worry of love, and Lily thought, You will never look at me like this again.”
― Malinda Lo, Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Patty wrote: "So interesting - much better than I expected and better than any celeb memoir I've read in the past while

"

A strong recommendation Patty. Adding it to my TBR.

Lea wrote: ""of course not I would have had to read hundreds of books."

Oh, poor him. Having to read hundreds of books is such punishment.

I love your idea of the complainants being required to participate ..."

I'll bet you are right Lea. Reading many of these books I have thought that the banners really didn't understand the point of the book, but it is more likely they just didn't take the time to read it. Still I really wish that a public official would have taken their vote to ban a little more seriously. I don't think reading the book would be too much to ask. Even if there are hundreds. Many of them were children's books.

Maybe discussion and information would actually tune down this wholesale banning. I'll bet the librarians in that school district could have been very helpful to the people making the decision (if they didn't want to read the book and decide for themselves). I was discussing this with my grown children, and one pointed out that this is exactly what a good librarian is for. He related how his school librarian would redirect students when they tried to check out a book that the librarian thought contained content that they were not ready for. His comment about that was "It really doesn't have to be a big deal."

Alondra wrote: "Early EOM Review for April

There is no review and I don't foresee finishing anything before the end of the month.

ITS SPRING IN THE GARDEN!!

Everything is so pretty. My vision for my garden is c..."

I think it's great that you are out in the garden Alondra. I have all these other projects and potential hobbies that I think about doing but I usually just end up reading. Enjoy spring while you can!

Just a little Tennessee book banning update. I read an article online yesterday about the county in Tennesse that has banned nearly 400 books from their public schools. The banned books that I am reading for this challenge came from that list of banned books. The school board there is currently being challenged by the ACLU which maintains that some students' rights are being ignored. Apparently, the school board banned any book that received a complaint whether the complaint was from a parent, student, or outside group. It even appears that some of the books were banned due to complaints from a group with Nazi ties. My favorite part of the article was when they asked a school board member if he read all the books that he voted to ban. He said, "of course not I would have had to read hundreds of books." I think maybe that tells us all we need to know.

Alondra wrote: "Michelle wrote: "This banning thing is making me tired...."


Yeah, fascism and hate, can be quite exhausting. Not sure how they maintain that, but for us regular folk; it is exhausting.

Kudos to..."

Thanks Alondra!

I also enjoyed this author's The Lost Story