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

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

***********SLIGHT CHANGE - WHEN YOU POST YOUR AUTHORS PLEASE ALSO POST TWO BOOKS BY THAT AUTHOR THAT YOU'RE CONSIDERING READING********

Most people are probably familiar with "series interactive" challenges, where someone posts multiple outstanding books from several series they are reading, and another participant picks which series they will read from in the following month, with the purpose of edging us all closer to being caught up in our favorite series.

This is the same idea, except we're doing it for authors who write multiple books that are stand-alones and **NOT** part of a series. Examples would be Marie Benedict, Jodi Picoult, Ron Chernow, etc. I find I get so focused on series books (in part because of challenges) that I forget to read these others and they pile up! I can't be the only person in this situation. :-)

How this works: on or about the 19th of the month (we're starting late but typically the 19th will be used), participants will be invited to post a list of three authors that they have at least two unread books by. On or about the 25th of the month, pairs will be posted. Everyone will pick the next month's "featured author" for the person they're assigned. I will pick for anyone who does not have a pick by the 30th if I cannot reach the member who is assigned the pick via PM.

The following month, participants should read at least one book by their chosen author. (If you don't get to it and have to backfill or skip it, that's fine -- the point is to whittle down that TBR and have fun!)

Books can be any length, and can be fiction or non-fiction -- they just CANNOT be part of a series, and you need at least two books by an author for that author to qualify for this challenge.


Come join us for March!

March Pairs:

Jennifer picks for Vikki
Joy picks for Jennifer
Denise picks for Joy
Karen picks for Denise
Kat picks for Karen
Sharon picks for Kat
J.J. picks for Sharon
Anna picks for J. J.
Vikki picks for Anna

Really glad you liked it, Andrea!

Sigh. I made it into the 90s and then caved like a mining disaster. But I did get a good 6 weeks in of no book buying, so I'm going to start it over. I actually felt good reading stuff I already have and controlling some of my spending.

LOLOL!

Actually I saw you reading it which is what made me remember I had it. :)

Ioana wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "The non-fiction since Dec 28:

Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920's-- fabulous, like..."

I'm tempted to say "you're welcome." LOLOL

The non-fiction since Dec 28:

Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920's-- fabulous, like reading William Manchester for the decade before Manchester's masterpiece, The Glory and the Dream, actually began in 1932. If you like history, I highly recommend Only Yesterday.

We Own This City: A True Story of Crime, Cops and Corruption in an American City disturbing!

Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science. I read his "Being Mortal" last year - both are riveting, and you can really see how he has grown and changed as a person between the two.

Leave Out the Tragic Parts: A Grandfather's Search for a Boy Lost to Addiction a difficult but rewarding read. My own family lost a member to addiction last summer, so this one was both close to home and enlightening.

In the Name of the Children: An FBI Agent's Relentless Pursuit of the Nation's Worst Predators Interesting albeit fairly typical cop memoir.

The Name Below The Title: 20 Classic Movie Character Actors From Hollywood's Golden Age A compendium of bit part and supporting actors, very entertaining, but I'm a sucker for this sort of thing!

The Final Days both picks up where "All the President's Men" leaves off and fills in some of the blanks.

Diagnosis: Solving the Most Baffling Medical Mysteries -- FASCINATING!

If This Was Happiness: A Biography of Rita Hayworth Oh dear god, I hadn't realized she was showing symptoms of Alzheimers at ****42*****!!!!!!!!

In Every Moment We Are Still AliveI would have liked this book if I could have stood the author, but every time he had a chance to be kind, it seems he chose to be dickish. Ugh.

Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 fascinating and what it must have been like to be Simon Winchester, publishing this book about the largest (most lethal) tectonic event in history in 2003, and then having the Tsunami come along in 2004!

At Random: The Reminiscences of Bennett Cerf. Cerf's memories of the golden age of publishing -- I'm a sucker for this kind of thing too!

Inside the White House: The Hidden Lives of the Modern Presidents and the Secrets of the World's Most Powerful Institution Meh meh meh.

90 Minutes at Entebbe: The Full Inside Story of the Spectacular Israeli Counterterrorism Strike and the Daring Rescue of 103 Hostages, interesting, particularly when you consider how quickly Stevenson pulled this together after the event, in that pre-internet, pre-computer (mostly) age.

That catches me up to today! :)

Not that we know of. The founder wanted it back so the mods here relinquished it so she could resume leadership. I don't know if she has. If she doesn't, and there is no moderator, anyone who wanted to could step into that position. If something other than what I've described here is happening (i.e. if posts are disappearing or people are being removed or whatever) it's not us doing it and I don't know what is happening.

PS, I messaged her on FB to try to make sure she knows the group is available. Hopefully she'll get the message.

Mine died over the weekend. So I turned them off and back on for the groups I'm in, and in a matter of minutes had 200 freaking emails about stuff I don't participate in and don't care about........ It seems to be back to normal at the moment, but only after I axed about 150 topics.

Peaktopeak wrote: "Overall - Glad I read it as it gave a lot of different experiences to ponder... ..."

I'm getting that impression a lot here -- that it's jarring to the comfort zone, not in a bad way, just that it gives the reader plenty to think about and plenty of avenues of approach to it. I like that kind of read, but I have to be in the mood for it or I don't get anywhere with it.

Every month the mods will get together and each nominate a book. On or about the 15th of the month I'll put up a poll of that month's recommendations and the group members can vote on which book becomes the "moderator recommendation read" for the following month.

A discussion thread will be put up in the monthly group reads folder, and the book will be added to our shelf.

Wow, some interesting choices already and a great variety!!

Hi!

It's time to nominate non-fiction books for our second quarter NF group read. The nominations thread will be open through the 28th.

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

Let the nominations begin!

Joy D wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "I liked your review!"

Thanks, Jennifer!

I finished book #2 of 3 for February and very much enjoyed it:
[book:When Books Went to War: The Stories That Helped Us Win World War II|2..."

I really liked that book -- especially how important the availability of books was considered to be during that conflict.

I'm 20 percent through Change of Scene and plan to read Deep Dish in the next week. I also just got Christmas Bliss (which I can't read for this challenge because it's part of a series but am looking forward to anyway).

Wow, Martha, I hadn't even heard of that book! (Adding it.....)

(Moving it up on my TBR and it's Carolyn's fault...)

I hate when that happens, Patty. I also find that "another day" never comes. :)

Amber wrote: "How spoilery are we allowed to get in this discussion?"

I would say be vague, please, since people often read this thread while they're reading the book.

197 Hush Puppy
198 Chow Down
199 Gone with the Woof
200 The Social Graces
201 Reading Between the Crimes
202 The Hotel Riviera
203 Meet Me in Venice
204 An Invisible Client
205 40 Love
206 This Pen for Hire
207 Letters from Home
208 Valentino Will Die
209 The Bishop's Wife
210 Dixie Diva Blues
211 Inside the White House: The Hidden Lives of the Modern Presidents and the Secrets of the World's Most Powerful Institution