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

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

Jackie wrote: "The summary from Goodreads for Parable of the Sower begins with "In 2024, with the world descending into madness and anarchy, one woman begins a fateful journey toward a better future...."

Alondra wrote: "JYep!!! ...and then reading all of the similarities; ugh! We are living in a simulation, I swear!! LOL"

She seemed to be able to see into the future more accurately than most sci fi authors.

Lea wrote: "I'm hoping to read Parable of the Sower this year too. I have read The Woman in White, The Man in the Iron Mask, and Crime and Punishment and liked them all. Hope you enjoy the books you selected. :-)"

Thanks. Dumas is one of my favorite authors, and I've wanted to read The Man in the Iron Mask for a long time. It should be excellent. I've owned these classics for a long time, so I thought I should finally get to them in 2024.

Patricia wrote: "Interesting list! I haven't read that series by Tad Williams. I plan to read the third in his Osten Ard series next year. Look forward to hearing what you think about Shadowplay as well as your oth..."

I am halfway through the previous book (Shadowmarch), and it is really good. It's a bit slow, but that is normal for his works, and it doesn't bother me.

Alissa wrote: "Great list! Parable of the Sower is on my short list for my 12+4 list as well!"

It's hard to go wrong with Octavia Butler.

Alondra wrote: "Eeepp! I need to order it .... NNEEEOOOWWW. It's so cool that you got a signed copy!! Woot!

I hope you enjoy Parable; you will see how much it parallels our current state in the U.S.."

I am excited to have a signed copy. The author is super-nice too. He invited everybody to come to a steakhouse with him. If I hadn't been still recovering from a bad cold, I would have been tempted to join them. A couple got engaged at the signing too, which was cute.

From the book description, it sounded like it would parallel US events, but I'll have to wait and see what I think.

On The Same Page Monthly Reading Challenge DECEMBER 2023
Start Date: 12/01/2023
End Date: 12/31/2023

Total Pages Read: 3,887
Bonus Points: 885

Books Read:
1. The Night Hawks 12/3, last 291
2. The Man in Black 12/3, 14
3. The Likeness 12/5, last 361, +125 (goal, suspense, audiobook)
4. The Little Mermaid 12/1, 37
5. Dirty Thirty 12/10, 328, +35 (D, 2023)
6. Early Riser 12/13, 402, +135 (winter, goal, audiobook)
7.A Mirror Mended 12/14, 128, +50 (goal, novella)
8. Deadspeak 12/16, 487, +35 (D, goal)
9. The Day of the Triffids, 12/23, 222, +25 (goal)
10. The Last Devil to Die, 12/24, 353, +135 (winter, 2023, gathering)
11. Akata Woman 12/25, 353. +50 (audiobook)
12. Olivia 12/21, 40
13. I, Robot 12/31, 224, +60 (red, goal, beverage)
14. Battle Ground & Christmas Eve 12/30, 419, +185 (gift, goal, xmas, gathering)
15. Imago 12/31, 228, +50 (goal, beverage)

I love The Lies of Locke Lamora and its sequels. I will probably reread them whenever the next book in the series comes out. I've read a couple other books on your list, but they weren't favorites. Sometimes certain books just aren't for me.

Happy reading!

Statistics:

Genre:
Mystery - 35
Thriller - 4
Fantasy - 27
Science Fiction - 10
Horror - 5
Non-fiction - 15
Classic - 6
Play - 1
Humor - 2
Misc. - 11
Historical - 1

Gender:
Male - 51
Female - 64

Length:
400-600 - 24
601-800 - 2
801-1,000 - 1
1,001+ - 1

Monthly totals:
January - 2,741 pages (88.42/day)
February - 2,863 pages (102.25/day)
March - 3,775 (121.84/day)
April - 2,787 (92.90/day)
May -2,824 (91.10/day)
June - 2,845 (94.83/day)
July - 4,433 (143.00/day)
August - 3430 (110.65/day)
September -3,105 (103.50/day)
October - 2,340 (75.48/day)
November - 3,619 (120.63/day)

I am still making progress, but I will need to be very focused in December if I want to complete any more of my challenges.

1. 116/100 books COMPLETE
2. 43/30 series books COMPLETE
3. 15/10 nonfiction COMPLETE
4. 7/10 classics
5. 6/12 Reading group challenge, 1 in progress
6. 26/25 Motley challenge COMPLETE
7. 20/16 SF/F TBR challenge COMPLETE
8. a. 11/12 Level 1
b. 9/12 Level 2
c. 10/12 Level 3
d. 8/6 Level 4 COMPLETE
e. 6/6 Level 5 COMPLETE
9. a. 4/10 Countries
b. 5/10 States
10. 0/10 Realm of the Elderlings DEFERRED
11. 11/15 owned books, 2 in progress
12. 9/9 In progress books, 2 removed (will reread from beginning) COMPLETE

1. A humorous book
2. An autobiography/ biography
3. A locked room mystery
4. A children’s classic
5. A fairytale/retelling
6. A Nordic noir
7. Banned or challenged book
8. A survival or nature story
9. About a historical figure
10. A book with indigenous people
11. A holiday or celebration story
12. A novella under 100 pages
13. Snow/Winter in the title
14. Any color in the title
15. A title with more than 4 words
16. An animal on the cover
17. A house on the cover
18. An authors debut
19. A book you meant to read in 2023
20. A place you always wanted to visit
21. Book has four or more stars on GR
22. Winner of the GR awards of 2023
23. Bought from a second hand store or borrowed from library
24. First book in a series
25. A book translated from another language
26. Graphic novel Rivers of London: The Fey and the Furious

I've only read Bleak House, which I loved.

Happy reading!

I am finished!

Motley Challenge
1. A book with a villain. The Ink Black Heart
2. A book written by an author with the first initial of A or Z. The Bone Shard Emperor
3. A book released over 5 years ago. Babel-17
4. A book with a protagonist that is over 40. The Man Who Died Twice
5. A book that has an even number of pages. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
6. A book with an intriguing title. The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t with Her Mind
7. A book involving a lie. The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding
8. A book with alternating time periods. Severance
9. A book about revenge. Tear Down the Throne
10. A book set in the 1980’s. Daisy Darker
11. A book that is dusty on your shelf. The Great Troll War
12. A book under 300 pages. Stacey and the Bad Girls
13. A family drama. Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone
14. A book with a one word title. Severance
15.A book centered around a holiday. Claudia and the First Thanksgiving
16. A book that starts with “H”. How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler
17. A book with a beautiful cover. The Outcast Dead
18, A female author that is new to you. Digging Up Trouble
19. A new book by your favorite author. A Plague of Giants
20. A story about a road trip.World Travel: An Irreverent Guide
21. A book that is co-authored. Do the Work!: An Antiracist Activity Book
22. A gothic or noir novel. Starling House
23. A book with an autumn vibe. A Room Full of Bones
24. A book set in a place you want to visit. Alias Emma
25. A book with a purple cover.Blackmail and Bibingka
26. A book with a happy ending. Winnie-the-Pooh

I finished my 6th book: Babel-17. It was a very thought-provoking book, and I can see why it is considered a science fiction classic. I plan to read other books by this author some day.

I now will really have to scramble since I have less than 5 weeks to finish the last 6. I often read that many books in that timespan, but I am going to have to be much more focused than I normally am. I have been reminding myself to focus on these all year (as can be seen on this thread), but obviously that hasn't worked.

I've only read 2 from this year's list. I enjoyed Priory of the Orange Tree, but I didn't finish Upgrade. Other people have loved the latter book, so it may have just been me. I was doing it as an audiobook, and there were a lot of tech heavy info-dumps, which I hate.

I hope you enjoy all your selections.

I have several of these books included in my challenges or have already read them.

Like Alondra, I gave up on the Scarpetta books at some point. I don't remember what the final deal breaker was, though, because it was many years ago. I remember liking the earlier books.

The book on your list I am most excited for is the new Rothfuss.

This looks like a fun list. I have read a few of her books, and I hope to read more of them at some point in the future.

2401. Ruth's First Christmas Tree
2402.Predator One
2403. Downpour
2404. The Sound and the Furry
2405. Mary Anne and the Memory Garden
2406. The Running Grave
2407. The Tattooist of Auschwitz
2408. Starling House
2409. Murder and Mamon
2410. Upgrade
2411. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
2412. Birder, She Wrote

2394. The Stone Circle
2395. Abby and the Secret Society
2396. A Fistful of Collars
2397. Mary Anne and the Silent Witness
2398. A Plague of Giants
2399.The Lantern Men
2400.Kristy and the Middle School Vandal

Ioana wrote: "Ambitious and varied, I love your list. The Woman in White is one of my all time favorites. Parable of the Sower, Kill Switch, The Man in the Iron Mask and Crime and Punishment are all excellent, I..."

Thanks. I own almost all these books, and I am really looking forward to finally reading them. It's probably a good thing I'm still scrambling to finish my 2023 list, or I might have a hard time resisting starting these books early.

Alondra wrote: "Most of these are on my TBR; or i've read them. Really great choices.

Good luck and happy reading, Anne!"

Thanks. I recall seeing many of these on your list. Some may have ended up on my TBR that way, while others were good reminders of "Hey, I have that book. Maybe I should finally read it."