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

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

I like that, Amber, and I have a great big list of hundreds of characteristics that could keep us going in that vein for years. :)

I'll nominate All about Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business which I read recently and enjoyed.

I'm glad you like it because I just picked up the audio of that myself!

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 December, post your shelf and the number of picks you'd like to have below. See you on picking day!

December Pairs
Jennifer picks 1 for Jackie
Denise picks 3 for Lance
Jackie picks 2 for Denise
Joy picks 5 for Jennifer
Lance picks 3 for Joy

The colors for the December 2023 color challenge are emerald green or purple. Looking forward to seeing your picks!

Hi, everyone!


We've been considering some options to make the group more responsive to the members' reading habits.

One thing we've noticed is that the monthly reads don't draw a lot of comment. I can understand that - I'm a member of a number of groups that have group reads, and although many of them are on my TBR, it very seldom happens that they are books I intend to read that specific month.

On the other hand, we get a good number of nonfiction nominees for our quarterly read, and more commentary on them than the monthlies are getting.

So question: Regarding the monthly group reads, would you prefer

1) to have a poll for a genre instead of a specific book but keep it monthly,
2) have a specific book but do it on a quarterly basis,
3) make the monthly read both book-specific and reader-specific --in other words, each of us who participates would post a specific book we are planning to/committed to reading that month, but each member would choose his or her own book,
4) all three choices or
5) something else?

I'm putting up a poll to canvas the members about these options. If none of them work for you, please feel free to add suggestions below! The poll will remain open until December 15th to give the mods time to put up the winning option(s) starting in January 2024.

Got it!

Hi!

It's time to nominate non-fiction books for our first quarter 2024 NF group read. The nominations thread will be open through the 30th.

On December 1st, I'll put up a poll. The winner will be announced on December 15, which should give everyone who is interested some time to get the book if they are interested in starting it on January 1st.

Let the nominations begin!

Here! Take it! Don’t you want your boat?

Lolol

You should definitely hit 11/22 earlier rather than later. It's exceptional.

That's a good idea and a nice way to interact with your fellow clubbers! I never knew she did that.

As usual, a compelling review, Joy!

Heh, sounds almost like Tolstoy wrote a fantasy! I had to use the same strategy when I read Anna Karenina and I’ve heard that War and Peace has even more.

Patricia, it's definitely a commitment -- almost 900 pages.

I am not a big SK reader, but this book really grabbed me. I know that because I recall reading about three chapters of it on my phone, standing in line at Universal Studios to get on some roller coaster or other. Couldn't put it down even at a theme park.

I get that, Bonnie -- Russian-style literature is something you really have to be in the mood for.

Finished! Earlier than I expected.

18 Jackie After Jack: Portrait of the Lady (526)
19 If You Really Loved Me (644)
20 Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration's Response to the Pandemic That Changed History (556)
21 Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears (679)
22 Empty Promises and Other True Cases (541)
23 Everything She Ever Wanted: A True Story of Obsessive Love, Murder, and Betrayal (697)
24 Those Wild Wyndhams: Three Sisters at the Heart of Power (512)
25 Maggody in Manhattan (540)

The River We Remember
William Kent Krueger

In 1958, a small Minnesota town is rocked by the murder of its most powerful citizen, pouring fresh fuel on old grievances in this dazzling standalone novel from the New York Times bestselling author of This Tender Land.

On Memorial Day, as the people of Jewel, Minnesota gather to remember and honor the sacrifice of so many sons in the wars of the past, the half-clothed body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River, dead from a shotgun blast. Investigation of the murder falls to Sheriff Brody Dern, a highly decorated war hero who still carries the physical and emotional scars from his military service. Even before Dern has the results of the autopsy, vicious rumors begin to circulate that the killer must be Noah Bluestone, a Native American WWII veteran who has recently returned to Jewel with a Japanese wife. As suspicions and accusations mount and the town teeters on the edge of more violence, Dern struggles not only to find the truth of Quinn’s murder but also put to rest the demons from his own past.

Caught up in the torrent of anger that sweeps through Jewel are a war widow and her adolescent son, the intrepid publisher of the local newspaper, an aging deputy, and a crusading female lawyer, all of whom struggle with their own tragic histories and harbor secrets that Quinn’s death threatens to expose.

Both a complex, spellbinding mystery and a masterful portrait of midcentury American life, The River We Remember is an unflinching look at the wounds left by the wars we fight abroad and at home, a moving exploration of the ways in which we seek to heal, and a testament to the enduring power of the stories we tell about the places we call home.

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library
Michiko Aoyama

For fans of The Midnight Library and Before the Coffee Gets Cold, this charming Japanese novel shows how the perfect book recommendation can change a reader's life.

What are you looking for?

This is the famous question routinely asked by Tokyo’s most enigmatic librarian, Sayuri Komachi. Like most librarians, Komachi has read every book lining her shelves—but she also has the unique ability to read the souls of her library guests. For anyone who walks through her door, Komachi can sense exactly what they’re looking for in life and provide just the book recommendation they never knew they needed to help them find it.

Each visitor comes to her library from a different juncture in their careers and dreams, from the restless sales attendant who feels stuck at her job to the struggling working mother who longs to be a magazine editor. The conversation that they have with Sayuri Komachi—and the surprise book she lends each of them—will have life-altering consequences.

With heartwarming charm and wisdom, What You Are Looking For Is in the Library is a paean to the magic of libraries, friendship and community, perfect for anyone who has ever found themselves at an impasse in their life and in need of a little inspiration.