Pam’s Comments (group member since Dec 07, 2021)

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

Thanks Jennifer for the pick! I will put the deadline on my calendar for next month. I really like this challenge idea!

I read The Betrayers by David Bezmozgis. I can’t post the cover from the App but it’s orange/tangerine.

Midnight at Malabar House by Vaseem Khan

I hope I’m not too late. My 3 authors are:

1. Barbara Kingsolver - Animal Dreams, Prodigal Summer, The Poisonwood Bible
2. Jane Urquhart- Away, The Underpainter
3. Michel Faber- The Book of Strange New Things, Crimson Petal and the White

247. The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero
248. The Trumpeter of Krakow
249. The Cat Who Saved Books
250. Maigret on the Riviera
251. A Tale for the Time Being

Finished books 8 & 9.

Prompt #6. A lesser known book written by any author.
- Maigret on the Rivieraby Georges Simenon
This was my 2nd book by Simenon, a very prolific mystery writer. I didn't like either one of them. I picked up 5 of his books for free. My dad is enjoying them but I'm going to pass on reading any more. The main character Inspector Maigret is just not interesting to me. Plus, I'm not a big mystery reader.

Prompt #8. A book with a different culture than yours. (Japanese)
- A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
Absolutely loved this book from start to end! So much to ponder, including quantum mechanics, and emotions to feel. I think I will go sit zazen right now in honor of the characters Nao, old Jiko, and Haruki #1! This book will be one of my favorites of the year!

I would like to read Rafa. He’s such an amazing athlete and my all-time favorite tennis player. Hope the book is good!

Finished books #6 and 7.
Prompt #9. A book about someone who is dead. I read The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero. Really interesting biography!

Prompt #3. A book about: book clubs, book stores, libraries
This was a prompt I thought would be really hard since I've already read the books that I was interested in. But, I found this wonderful title, The Cat Who Saved Books, that I couldn't resist reading. I thoroughly enjoyed it and read it in one day! I would classify it as Japanese YA Magical Realism.

I read this book in December and loved it! If you don’t like reading multiple books at one time you may not like it because that’s what it feels like! I took notes on the characters and the different story lines, which helped me understand what was going on. I loved Doerr’s writing and the way the stories tied together at the end!

I finished 5 books in January. My favorite was the classic Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy. I'm almost finished with my 6th The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero by Timothy Egan, which I highly recommend for any of you who like history. This book spans 3 continents and includes the Civil War. The writing is terrific, reading like an adventure novel. After finishing it, I'm going to attempt to finish the Count of Monte Cristo which I started in 2021. At 1100 pages, it's just a monster of a book! I'm going to take it 1 chapter a day so I can read some other books, also!

Alondra wrote: "Pam wrote: "Alondra wrote: "I have Roadside Picnic and I really want to read that on day 1 of the challenge. It looks really interesting"

Yes, I agree Alondra that it looks interesting! (It's actu..."

Alondra - I liked Roadside Picnic but I didn't love it. I like books that presents a different perspective, which this one does, but I had such high expectations for this one that I felt a little disappointed. I'll have to skim through it in December for our SF book club meeting since I read it a year in advance! I'm very interested how the other members will feel about it. I tried watching the Russian movie Stalkers which is based on the book. It was so slow, long, and boring that I couldn't finish watching it!

153. Cat's Cradle
154. The Aviator
155. The Crystal Cave

I’m doing a combo of listening and reading The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart. I always fall asleep during parts of audiobooks so I go back and read the parts that I missed!

53 The Dark Is Rising
54 Far From the Madding Crowd

I'm reading The Aviator by Eugene Vodolazkin, which is excellent so far!

I’ve got The Dry on my list also! Have fun with your challenge!

Zora wrote: "Roadside Picnic is one of my favorite SF books. Though it has flaws (I think I rated it 4 stars), the central idea is so, so excellent. And it was convincing to me regarding how aliens might see us..."

I'm glad to hear that Zora! I meant to read it earlier this year but read 2 other books by the Strugatsky brothers instead. Last night, I tried to watch the Russian movie The Stalker, which is based on the book, but it was so slow and boring that I turned it off and started reading the book!

Alondra wrote: "I have Roadside Picnic and I really want to read that on day 1 of the challenge. It looks really interesting"

Yes, I agree Alondra that it looks interesting! (It's actually on my 12+4 list for 2021.) So much so that I started it last night! I substituted it with The Dark is Rising. I also changed out another book (The Dispossessed) for The Book of Strange New Things, which was on a 12+4 list from a prior year. I did keep the substitutions in the SF/F genres.

Yours is the first list where I can say I have never heard of any of your books! I added 3, that look fascinating, to my TBR- Berezina, Marrow and Bone, and Mariposa Road. Enjoy your selections! I look forward to your comments/thoughts.

I’ve had The True History of the Kelly Gang on my bookshelf for years! Every year I say I’m going to read it. Maybe in 2022. Enjoy your challenge!