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

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

Her captivating bestseller of loss and the healing power of love now re-issued with a stunning new jacket look. Elfrida Phipps loves her new life in the pretty Hampshire village. She has a tiny cottage, her faithful dog Horace and the friendship of the neighbouring Blundells - particularly Oscar - to ensure that her days include companionship as well as independence. But an unforeseen tragedy upsets Elfrida's tranquillity: Oscar's wife and daughter are killed in a terrible car crash and he finds himself homeless when his stepchildren claim their dead mother's inheritance.

Oscar and Elfrida take refuge in a rambling house in Scotland which becomes a magnet for various waifs and strays who converge upon it, including an unhappy teenage girl. It could be a recipe for disaster. But somehow the Christmas season weaves its magical spell and for Elfrida and Oscar, in the evening of their lives, the winter solstice brings love and solace.

Winter Solstice

Marie Benedict, the beloved New York Times bestselling author of The Only Woman in the Room, uncovers the untold story of Agatha Christie’s mysterious eleven day disappearance.

In December 1926, Agatha Christie goes missing. Investigators find her empty car on the edge of a deep, gloomy pond, the only clues some tire tracks nearby and a fur coat left in the car — strange for a frigid night. Her husband and daughter have no knowledge of her whereabouts, and England unleashes an unprecedented manhunt to find the up-and-coming mystery author. Eleven days later, she reappears, just as mysteriously as she disappeared, claiming amnesia and providing no explanations for her time away.

The puzzle of those missing eleven days has persisted. With her trademark exploration into the shadows of history, acclaimed author Marie Benedict brings us into the world of Agatha Christie, imagining why such a brilliant woman would find herself at the center of such a murky story.

What is real, and what is mystery? What role did her unfaithful husband play, and what was he not telling investigators?

A master storyteller whose clever mind may never be matched, Agatha Christie’s untold history offers perhaps her greatest mystery of all.

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie

One Christmas wish, two brothers, and a lifetime of hope are on the line for hapless Maelyn Jones in In a Holidaze, the quintessential holiday romantic novel by Christina Lauren, the New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners..

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.

But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.

The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.

Jam-packed with yuletide cheer, an unforgettable cast of characters, and Christina Lauren’s trademark hijinks, this swoon-worthy romantic read will make you believe in the power of wishes and the magic of the holidays.

In a Holidaze

I’ll move them, Elizabeth. :-)

Kim. E. wrote: "I added three of these to my tbr list. I love nonfiction. I just wish it didn't take me so long to inhale the information so they take me much longer to read than I'd like"

I do most NF on audio. Winds up kind of feeling like a documentary and goes much faster!

Amy wrote: "Are we able to restart the December Color Challenge here, or is that too much work? I like watching the progress of the list through the month."

I moved the existing December color challenge over, but not all the comments. However there weren't many comments on the old page, and most of the month is left, so you should get most of the same benefit out of the one here. :)

Wow you're knocking them down, Michelle!

Here's my update:

My picks:


Well, totally by accident (the timing, anyway), I've already finished six of these books: the two Hannah Swensen ( a favorite series), the two Melanie Travis (entertaining, not a fave yet but I am keeping it in the TBR so it may become one) and the two nonfiction:

Six Wives of Henry VIII -- about what you'd expect but the character's emotional reactions are surmised in some situations and it seems to make the history more accessible. I enjoyed this. As seems typical, though, most of the story seemed to involve the first two wives, and the last four felt a little short shrifted.

American Serial Killers -- interesting but I'd have liked the book much better if it didn't start and end like someone defending a master's thesis, and while I think his theory is interesting, I'm not completely sold.

Some of the members wanted to be able to still see what the December color book picks were, so here they are below, with a nod of thanks again to Jackie for putting this together every month. While we won't be copying over prior progress posts about these, anyone is free to post their progress for the rest of this month on this thread.

Red and Silver Covers

(Extra - red mittens and silver bells)

by Christine S. Feldman Jackie

by Xorin Balbes Jackie

by L.C. Wright Jackie

by Nathan Hale Jackie

by Anthony Horowitz Jackie

by Sonia Purnell Jackie

by Marie Lu Denise

by Alison Gaylin Denise

by Tim Butcher Joy D

by Donna Andrews Bonnie

by Melissa de la Cruz Bonnie

by Joanne Fluke Jennifer

by Joanne Fluke Jennifer

by G.A. McKevett Jennifer

by Alison Weir Jennifer

by Patrick F. McManus Jennifer

by Laurien Berenson Jennifer

by Laurien Berenson Jennifer

by Peter Vronsky Jennifer

by Michele Brouder Martha

by Ann Parker Martha

by Aida Brassington Rhonda

by Wanda M. Morris Michelle

by Xiran Jay Zhao Michelle *

by Donna Andrews Gaylinn

by Luke Jennings Desley

by K.A. Tucker Eileen

by Carole Johnstone Eileen

by Emily March Christine

by Brandi Carlile Amy *

by Charles Martin Lindsey

by Gena Showalter Christina

by Huda Fahmy Amy *

by Mary Kubica Amy

by Leslie Meier Amy

-- Michelle

Here is a thread where people can post about other not-challenge-related NF books they happen to read. This is a totally selfish thread for me because I have really enjoyed that thread when I've seen it elsewhere. It typically has not, however, been especially healthy for my TBR!

If you ARE doing the NF challenge but a book really impresses you (one way or the other), you can post about it on this general thread as well if you wish.

You can also see if a book is lendable from the kindle book's main detail page on amazon. Go to a book you've purchased. At the top you'll see the "our records show you purchased this book on X date" message. Below that in italics in the same box are some options you have. If the book is lendable, generally one of them will say "loan this book to anyone you choose."

Finding out if a book is "lendable" before you buy it is a little more work: from the book's main amazon page for the kindle edition, you have to scroll down to the product information section below all the hype and related book ads. In there, you will usually see a line that says "lending" and either "enabled" or "not enabled" afterward.

I love your challenge title!

Hi!

We will be continuing the monthly cover color challenge here at OTSP. Jackie is stepping back from hosting it because she has other commitments on her time, so I'll be hosting it here. However, Jackie had already come up with some excellent color choices for 2022 and we'll be honoring her hard work on this challenge over the last several years by using her 2022 rainbow.

There are no page requirements, and you can read any or all of the posted colors for the month: the only requirement is that the covers of the books you choose have the monthly color on them.

Here are the 2022 color choices!

January - White or Dark Gray
February - Rust or Pink
March - Spring Green or Lemon
April - Tangerine or Lavender
May - Blue or Brown
June - Green or Silver
July - Yellow or Fuschia
August - Red or Black
September - Lime or Purple
October - Orange or White or Black
November - Teal or Gold
December - Sky Blue or Khaki

I read Jar of Hearts in April and liked it. The only other one on your list I've read is Roger Ackroyd, and of course it's a classic. Will be looking to see what you think!

I've read A Week in Winter (I've read most of Binchy, actually) -- great curl up on the couch author, and I remember liking this book. And I read The Secret Garden -- lucky you getting to read it now! Good luck on your challenge!

You know, some people might think you're crazy for talking to your unread books...... but not me. LOL!

Hi, everyone!

Those of you who are familiar with the quarterly NF group read at the old LOBA group are no doubt aware that we have a poll up for the 1Q22 read there, and the poll doesn't close for another week. The read starts in January. At this point I'm hosting that, and my plan is either to host the actual read here (if all the voters make the move), or host a thread for the read in both places (here and at LOBA) if some people stay there and circumstances permit. Either way, if you voted in the poll, that vote will count, and a discussion thread for the winning book will be hosted here.

Additionally, starting with 2Q22, the entire group read will be conducted here.

Welcome to some future wonderful non-fiction, fellow readers!

Eileen, I'll PM you. Re the 12 + 4, there's a category for it here and some of us have moved our list from LOBA over here -- you are certainly encouraged to do likewise if you like!

Alissa wrote: "What a great idea! Do you have a list of books you may want to read by these authors or are you just going to pick an author and choose then?"

In some cases I have an idea. But others -- I probably have 25 books by Anthony Trollope I haven't read yet, and since they're standalones it doesn't matter where I start. (How much you wanna bet that the one I end up with has a title that starts with a vowel and isn't 700 pages long? LOLOL!)

Wow, glad to "see" so many new & familiar faces here! I'm Jennifer, I live in north central Florida, and I read just about everything other than sci-fi and fantasy.