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

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

No it wasn't believable. That was exactly my point.

Lillie wrote: "Great progress!

Bummed to hear that about The Maid as I've been looking forward to reading it. I'll just go into it with lowered expectations and maybe end up loving it."

That should work. It is also possible that I am being too harsh. I can take an obvious mystery or an inscrutable one. I just don't like disconnect and "magic" resolution.

Lillie wrote: "Ioana wrote: "Book #23 of 2022: 'Salem's Lot. Unpopular opinion...it was ok, definitely not my favorite SK. I'll run and hide now.

Michelle wrote: "I haven't read Salem's Lot but don't feel bad ab..."

11/22/63 would definitely be Great King for me too. It is Good King but the ending is Bad King. I have theories about why his work is this way for me but I think you hit on one theory. He has written so much they can't all be winners. I will say though he is a wonderful story teller and when he is really trying his writing is amazing.

my car keys

Ioana wrote: "Book #23 of 2022: 'Salem's Lot. Unpopular opinion...it was ok, definitely not my favorite SK. I'll run and hide now.

Book #24 of 2022: The Death of Vivek Oji. Recommen..."

I haven't read Salem's Lot but don't feel bad about not liking it. I catorgorize all Stephen King books into Great King, Good King or Bad King. I don't know what it is but sometimes I really don't like one of his books - so Bad King. I think Good King and Great King vary from person to person. For instance, if you want another very unpopular opinion, the entire Dark Tower series is for me Bad King. Sorry! On the other hand, The Shawshank Redemption - Great King.

Lillie wrote: "#27 A Marvellous Light 4 stars

Ok! And we're back :) This is a super cute romance set in a magical England in which only some of the populou..."

Glad you're back to 4 star reads. May a 5 star be in your immediate future.

#28 52 Ways to Walk: The New Science and Timeless Joy of How, When, Where, and Why You can walk in the city; you can walk in the country; you can walk in the morning; you can walk at night. This was the Dr Seuss of wellness books but in the midst of all the common sense there were interesting kernels of information. I might not have made it through all 52 (I was already aware that I should wear waterproof clothing when walking in the rain and take a flashlight when walking at night) except it was an audiobook and the reader reminded me of Mary Poppins. It just made me smile no matter what she was saying. I loved every minute of it. Audiobook. 3 left foot, left foot, left foot right stars. Nonfiction-Wellness.

#29 The Maid First, this was not a bad story. Second, I did not love it. My biggest problem was the main character, Molly, a maid who was on the spectrum. Molly would have been great but she seemed to have a dark side at moments that didn't really fit. Also, I wasn't sure her actions at the end were plausible based on her actions earlier in the book. My other problem was the ending. It was sort of out of the blue. Did the author have someone else write the ending? Did she let the beta readers vote on the killer and then plug it in? ebook. 3 did not live up to the hype stars. Mystery.

#30 The Book of Magic I enjoyed the series and I enjoyed getting closure. There was a lot of back and forth in the series and there were a lot of characters in this book. I confess to feeling slightly confused but happy with the outcome. Audiobook. 3 dazed stars. Current Fiction.

#31 I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer While I did think this was a good book, I think it would have been a top notch book if Michelle McNamara had been able to finish it. I thought the book lacked continuity. Where the book really shines, however, is not the true crime story itself but the insight into the sleuths who pursue these cases and the lengths they go to for justice. Audiobook. 3 super sleuth stars. Nonfiction-True Crime.

31 books/4655 pages

Current:

Once Upon a Wardrobe Audiobook.
Daughter of Smoke & Bone ebook.
Waiting for Snow in Havana: Confessions of a Cuban Boy paperback.

Lillie wrote: "Alondra wrote: "Not the checklist!! bwahahhaha.....😂😂🤣"

My life is made up of checklists 🤣

And YES to everything you said about Twilight. Such a weak protagonist and then the whole I would die fo..."


Not to mention she was 17 and he was over 100. eeeew!

Lillie wrote: "Book #23 We Ride Upon Sticks 3.5 stars
Another Michelle recommendation and another fun one. Thanks :)
A girls hs hockey team that embraces w..."

Glad you enjoyed it Lillie. I was concerned about it at times but I felt like the ending pulled it all together. And I loved the 80's stuff. A fun one for sure, like totally!

He will regret

Am I the only person who had mixed feelings about this book? On the surface it seemed like a pretty good mystery but a couple of things made me really uncomfortable. First, the way Molly was treated not just by those who wanted to use her but by some of the people who were supposedly on her side i.e. the hotel manager. Second, I was uncomfortable with the character of Molly. I guess you could argue that everyone has dark thoughts but Molly definitely had a dark side that didn't seem to fit with the rest of the character. Also is someone who was not capable of figuring out that they were participating in a drug deal really capable of figuring out how to lie on the stand at the last minute in order to implicate someone as an act of revenge. I'm not convinced. Maybe I just took this one too seriously but I think there were some weak points.

Thanks John! Right now I'm just seeing how my normal reading fits the challenge. It will get harder later when I have to read certain books to fit a particular challenge.

Making some progress:

3. A book about: book clubs, book stores, libraries The Last Chance Library 2/21/22

6. A lesser known book written by any author. Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future by Elizabeth Kolbert 3/14/22

7. A book with a two word title. Bloody Rose 1/13/22

8. A book with a different culture than yours.Jade Dragon Mountain 1/23/22

13. A light hearted or fun book. Sourdough 1/17/22

14. A book about betrayal.The Light Between Oceans 2/27/22

15. A book written by an author who uses initials for his/her name.
ie: J.K. Rowling A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher 1/2/22

16. A book you own but haven’t read yet.The Current2/4/22

20. A book you bought/borrowed with out reading the inside blurb.52 Ways to Walk: The New Science and Timeless Joy of How, When, Where, and Why 3/16/22

21. A book that starts with the letter W, X,Y, or Z*We Are Inevitable3/10/22

23. A book with a number in the title.Mickey 7 3/10/22

24. Read a book set in a state with a direction in its name: North, South, East, or West. (N.C, N.D, S.C, S.D, W.V) The Santa Suit, North Carolina 2/25/22

25. A book written by someone from The U.K. (N. Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales) Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls1/5/22

26. A book with an Orange cover. High Fidelity 1/15/22

reply | edit | delete | flag *

Lillie wrote: "I have both Mickey 7 and Firekeeper’s Daughter on my list for this year. Excited to read them now."

I hope you enjoy both of them Lillie!

Ioana wrote: "As always, an interesting set, Michelle. Mickey 7 is on my TBR, should I reconsider?
Firekeeper's Daughter was not on my radar, but I guess it should be."

Obviously Ioana I would choose Firekeeper's Daughter over Mickey 7 but there's no reason not to read them both if you like. Mickey 7 was light and funny at times. I just felt like the author missed a lot of opportunities with the plot. I think there was no meat to it and I wasn't in the mood for vegan.

Lillie wrote: "Michelle wrote: “4.5 stars for this bad-ass indigenous Nancy Drew."

This sounds fabulous!"

It is still YA Lillie if that bothers you but I really did enjoy it. I felt like the author had so much to say and she managed to get all into the story skillfully. No easy task.

Lea wrote: "Yay, I have Firekeeper's Daughter on my individual list too. I'm looking forward to reading it. As always, I love to see what you've been reading - you always have such interesting choices."

Thanks Lea! I think this is what happens when I let myself choose by interest or mood not the library hold list. I hope you love Firekeeper's Daughter. I really thought it was going to be more YA than it was so I was pleasantly surprised.

#24 Mickey 7 A fun little scifi book about a clone or "expendable" attached to a colonization expedition for the express purpose of handling all the dangerous missions. If he is killed he is regenerated and carries on until the next fatal mission. The overall concept was interesting but the author seemed more interested in how multiple versions of the same person would affect eating and sex than in some of the more interesting plot twists that he could have used. As a result there was little action and at times I was bored. Also I found Mickey 7 & 8 to be more than a little annoying. audiobook. 3 star. SciFi.

#25 We Are Inevitable A young man struggling with loss discovers the value of friendship, books, and music among other things. This book also gives a new meaning to the term unreliable narrator. This is YA but like #26 it is so much more. I enjoyed this book and this young man's journey so much. audiobook. 4 star. YA/Coming-of-age.

#26 Firekeeper's Daughter The author says she set out to write an indigenous Nancy Drew and she was successful but there was so much more. Mainly she wrote a smart, strong, contemporary young woman who would not be broken by the tragedies she encountered. Good story, well written. A must read IMO. ebook. 4.5 stars. YA/Coming-of-age.

#27 Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future I her newest book Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, explores man's attempts to "fix" nature which have resulted in a lot of problems and a version of nature which is not actually natural at all. An extremely readable book and one that will make you think. audiobook. 3 stars. Nonfiction/Conservation?

27 books/4351 pages

Current:

52 Ways to Walk: The New Science and Timeless Joy of How, When, Where, and Why Audiobook. Yes, its common sense. Yes, I am still wandering in the world of wellness.
The Maid ebook. Halfway but not sure how I feel about this one. I guess it will depend on the ending.
Waiting for Snow in Havana: Confessions of a Cuban Boy Paperback. Just taking it slow and enjoying this one.

I completed another winner from this list: Firekeeper's Daughter . A young indigenous woman assists the FBI in an undercover investigation into a local drug ring in order to help her native american community. As a result she suffers great personal losses and discovers some unpleasant truths about those she loves. She also discovers her own strenghth and purpose.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought when it started that it would be your typical YA/romance. This book was so, so much more. It was about justice and prejudice and women's rights. There was a lot packed into this well written little mystery. I do think that there were a few unrealistic plot devices, i.e. would the FBI really use a teenager to go undercover on an investigation? On the whole, however, the book was well thought out and the ending was superb.

4.5 stars for this bad-ass indigenous Nancy Drew.

Favorite Quotes (I had so many for this one it was hard to select only a few):

“Inaction is a powerful choice”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper's Daughter

“My girl, some boats are for the river and some are for the ocean.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper's Daughter

“Mazina’iganan mino-mshkikiiwin aawen. Books are good medicine!
(From the author's note)”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper's Daughter

“I am so tired. The weight of my expendability is crushing.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper's Daughter

What a great month you are having Lea! So many books! I really enjoyed both The Reading List and Crying in H mart so I'm glad to see you did too. It looks like we felt similarly about Klara and the Sun. I won't ask what you thought happened because I might have to rethink the whole thing.