Jennifer’s Comments (group member since Dec 03, 2021)

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

I read The Sun Down Motel by her, Denise, largely because I needed a horror read for something or other. I *rarely* read horror as it doesn't appeal to me, but Motel was very good. I'm adding "cold cases" to my list. Thanks for the feedback!

We've all been there, Bonnie. :)

OOOOOOOH I *love* Bertie and Jeeves. My Man is good because it tells you who they are and what all their dynamics are but it's a typical series first -- for sheer comic *GENIUS* read a couple of the later ones as well. The way he uses language is priceless.

The winning genre for the August genre focus read is humor/comedy. Looking forward to seeing your picks!


I will be digging around in my unread P. G. Wodehouse -- he always leaves me rolling.

Lone Women
Victor LaValle

Goodreads Choice AwardNominee for Best Horror (2023)
Blue skies, empty land—and enough wide-open space to hide a horrifying secret. A woman with a past, a mysterious trunk, a town on the edge of nowhere, and an “absorbing, powerful” ( BuzzFeed ) new vision of the American West, from the award-winning author of The Changeling .

Adelaide Henry carries an enormous steamer trunk with her wherever she goes. It’s locked at all times. Because when the trunk opens, people around Adelaide start to disappear.

The year is 1915, and Adelaide is in trouble. Her secret sin killed her parents, forcing her to flee California in a hellfire rush and make her way to Montana as a homesteader. Dragging the trunk with her at every stop, she will become one of the “lone women” taking advantage of the government’s offer of free land for those who can tame it—except that Adelaide isn’t alone. And the secret she’s tried so desperately to lock away might be the only thing that will help her survive the harsh territory.

Crafted by a modern master of magical suspense, Lone Women blends shimmering prose, an unforgettable cast of adventurers who find horror and sisterhood in a brutal landscape, and a portrait of early-twentieth-century America like you’ve never seen. And at its heart is the gripping story of a woman desperate to bury her past—or redeem it.

Those are fabulous. All books that are calling my name!


Lance, if Joy doesn't stop back by, I'll pick your fourth for you.

It was interesting although I thought the Rule book about him was better.

One can't help but wonder how it would be possible to live with someone like that and not know, but the unthinkable is just that -- it CANNOT be thought. If there were 50 signs right in front of me right now that the sun was not coming up in 8 hours, I'd dismiss them without a second thought. It's that rudimentary.

So to me the interesting part was her mental journey from idea to acceptance, much more so than his behavior around her. His behavior created the effect he desired-- standard sociopath fare, and as such, not all that compelling.

I've read the first one, but not the second.

Our guy went one county south and committed an armed robbery. He got caught and put in their jail. A month or so later someone realized he'd had a journal with him when he got arrested and in it he'd detailed sufficient info to identify him as our killer. There was a collective exhalation in our community, but the real "return to normal" moment came three years later at the onset of his trial.

Instead of going ahead with the trial, he pled guilty. In those days everyone listened to the radio in their cars. I was sitting at an intersection when the announcer interrupted the music with the news that it was really, truly over, and I looked around, and other drivers had tears streaming down their faces. They'd had this pent-up anxiety all that time, and it finally was released. He got the death penalty, and spent the last years of his life 30 miles up the road in the same prison where Bundy met his end. So much for idolatry.

It was, but fortunately? Not really the word, but... we were so busy we didn't have time to think about it much. We went from 700 phone calls to 2100 phone calls in an 8-hour shift, overnight, and when that happens, it's not like you can miraculously conjure up extra desks, computers, phones and people. Everyone just gets stretched thinner.

Logical plan, Pam!

Joy D wrote: "Three for me, please!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list..."

Joy:

because it's on my TBR too,
because it's an excellent book, and
because it's also on my TBR and I wanted a fiction read to balance the nonfiction. I hope you enjoy!

Pairs are posted!

Denise, you didn't specify, so I put one for you since that's what you had last month. If you want more, I'm sure Jackie will load you up!

I read this when it first came out, Lea, and have re-read it once. For me it's one of the gold standards of true crime books; head and shoulders above much of what is out there.

I live in Florida and was in high school when Chi Omega happened. I later went to the University of Florida where, a year after Bundy's execution, we got hit by a serial killer who idolized him. I worked in the local 9-1-1 center at the time, and it's difficult to quantify what going through that experience was like. (One of the victims was a co-worker of mine, another had been the victim's roommate until two days before, and a third co-worker was supposed to have gone out with two of the victims for drinks the night their bodies were discovered.) Bundy's last victim was a little girl who lived about 30 miles north of where I'm sitting right now.

Broadway: A History of New York City in Thirteen Miles

Hi, everyone! This is the thread for the "Commit to one book monthly" challenge. In this thread, post one book you intend to read in May, so everyone else can see your pick. When you finish reading it, we'd love for you to come back and post your opinion. I expect everyone's TBRs to suffer because of this monthly reading challenge, but I'm prepared to make that sacrifice. Are you? :-D

In for five, please!
PIFM

Hi, everyone!

For anyone unfamiliar, this is a monthly challenge where you post a link to a shelf you created. It can be named "PIFM" or "Pick It For Me" etc, if you want one dedicated only to this challenge, or you can use an existing shelf you already have, as long as it has 100 or fewer books on it. The link must be to the specific shelf, or you will not be partnered.. Indicate how many books you would like to have picked for you from that shelf for the month in question. There is no lower limit as to how many books you can have on your shelf, but, of course, they should be books you are interested in reading during the next month and have ready access to.

On or about the 25th of each month, I will post who picks for whom. In order to accommodate an uneven number of participants, pairs will not be reciprocal -- in other words, it won't be Joanne picking for Jennifer and Jennifer picking for Joanne. It may be Joanne picks for Jennifer, Jennifer picks for Herman, and Herman picks for Suzanne, and someone else entirely picks for Joanne.

If anyone has not been "picked for" by the 30th, I will pick for them if the designated picker can't be contacted by PM.

When you are assigned someone to pick for, note the number of books in parentheses after that person's name in the pick list, go to the link for their shelf, and pick that number of books for them. Post the books in a new message here. That person has the entire following month to read his/her picks. Someone will be picking for you the same way. We all like to see what people think about their picks, so we hope you will keep us posted in this thread!

Example: "In for five, please!
PIFM"

The HTML template for linking your shelf can be found HERE and if you have trouble, PM me and I will help you.

Your designated shelf must be set so that others can see it. To set up a PIFM shelf for those who would like to, go to the "MY BOOKS" link in the GOODREADS toolbar, scroll down below your shelves on the left until you see the "add shelf" button, and click that. Name it PIFM or Pick It For Me. Add books to it, and post the link to it in this challenge as described above. Again, if you need help, please don't hesitate to PM me!

If you are in for August, post your shelf and the number of picks you'd like to have below. See you on picking day!


Pairs:

Jennifer picks 3 for Joy
Jackie picks 1 for Denise
Joy picks 4 for Lance
Denise picks 5 for Jennifer
Lance picks 1 for Jackie

The colors for August are hot pink or forest green. Looking forward to seeing your picks!

So of course I have made zero progress on my planned reads, but an unplanned one leapt into the mix: