Kim’s
Comments
(group member since Nov 20, 2020)
Kim’s
comments
from the Reading with Style group.
Showing 81-100 of 438
60.71 G49 MPE Page count 400-499 (416 pages)Flight Patterns. Karen White
I can't really decide how I feel about this book. I enjoyed the narration, the beekeeper journal, the historical aspects and the character of Becky, the niece/daughter of the sisters who were the main characters. But the sisters themselves, I did not find likeable at all. Maisy was way too whiny, and blamed others for everything. And Georgia, I just didn't find it believable that (view spoiler) Then there was the covering up of the murder... This seems to be a pattern with books by this author, and yet I continue to read her.
+60 - task
+5 - review
Post total: 65
Season total: 3200
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60.70 O65 Book pub'd in the 70s, any centurySideways Stories from Wayside School. Louis Sachar
This was published at the beginning of my childbearing years (1978), so it surprises me that it wasn't something that I read to my children. We shared many books, including long chapter books and now they are all voracious readers. This was a humorous, tongue in cheek book about a wacky school and children that are sometimes smarter than the adults. A bit of a break from a long summer of reading.
+60 - task
+5 - review
Post total: 65
Season total: 3155
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60.69 N41 Title includes a number (either numerals or letters)44 Scotland Street. Alexander McCall Smith
This is a new series by a favorite author, set in Scotland and very philosophical in nature. This study of human nature is set in an apartment building and features occupants such as Bertie, a young boy wise beyond his years and his overbearing mother, narcissistic Bruce, with whom young Pat imagines herself in love, and Domenica. Matthew, an art gallery owner and painter Angus Lordie with his gold-toothed grinning dog. Alexander McCall Smith is definitely a comfort read for me.
+60 - task
+5 - review
+50 - Bingo #12: N35; N37; N38; N41; N45
Post total: 115
Season total: 3090
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60.68 O65 Title has 5 wordsThe House on Olive Street. Robyn Carr
This may be my favorite Robyn Carr book (out of 27 so far). This is one of her few stand alone books, the story of four women friends who are writers and who undertake going through another friends papers and unpublished manuscripts after she unexpectedly dies on the eve of her birthday. The women share their stories, pain and challenges, and the summer together results in a lot of personal growth.
+60 - task
+5 - review
Post total: 65
Season total: 2975
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60.67 O74 Title has On, Off, Out, Over, OnlyThe Light Over London. Julia Kelly
Finally, after a run of just so-so books, I've found one that I really enjoyed. The Light Over London is a dual timeline book, both the story of Louise Keene during the second world war, and the contemporary story of Cara Hargraves. Cara, who works for an antique dealer finds an old diary in a piece of furniture from an estate. She is given permission to keep it, and still reeling from the recent loss of her parents, becomes obsessed with the idea of finding the owner or her family.
Cara's story parallels Louise, in that they are both finding their way in the world, learning to stand independently and make a difference.
My parents were married during the war, and that is part of what interests me so much with this era of historical fiction. I look forward to reading more by this author.
+60 - task
+5 - review
Post total: 65
Season total: 2910
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60.66 N35 NoirRazzmatazz. Christopher Moore
The most interesting part of this book for me was the author's afterword, where he explained the historical background of the novel. The hardest part was the constant f bombs, and misogynistic aspects, which he warns reader of beforehand in a Trigger Warning. Most people thought this was great (it had a 4.0+ rating), but I just didn't enjoy it that much.
+60 - task
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Post total: 65
Season total: 2845
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Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Kim wrote: "I'm not sure if this is the appropriate thread - I have a question about my score on the Readerboard. The Update through 700 shows my score to be 1790. My records show 1810. I have abo..."
Thanks so much! I see now that a lot of my remaining posts had that, I hope that I got the numbering straightened out now.
I'm not sure if this is the appropriate thread - I have a question about my score on the Readerboard. The Update through 700 shows my score to be 1790. My records show 1810. I have about a dozen posts after that, if it turns out the error is mine, should I just correct the most recent post and make a note?
60.65 N37 Non human main characterThe Night Masquerade. Nnedi Okorafor
I was attracted to this author when I discovered that she was on the University of Buffalo faculty at and when I was pursuing my master degree there. An article in UB Now describes how her journey parallels Binti's, in the trilogy, which won both a Hugo and a Nebula Award. This is my fourth book by this author, and though not my favorite, I will continue to seek her out in the future.
+60 - task
+5 - review
Post total: 65
Season total: 2780
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60.64 I28 If, if, if ... Speculative Fiction, Time Travel, Alternate HistoryFlow My Tears, the Policeman Said. Philip K. Dick
One good thing about doing challenges is that it encourages me to stretch my reading wings. I would never have read this author, or this genre, as a matter of course. This is a dystopian, speculative fiction novel set in 1989 (written in the 1970s), where America is a police state, drugs are ubiquitous, college students are considered dangerous, entertainers are worshipped, and sexism and racism abound. Timeless.
+60 - task
+5 - review
+5 - published in 1974
Post total: 70
Season total: 2715
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60.63 G54 Title has 4 wordsHere Comes the Bride. Hope Ramsay
This just didn't do it for me, there was too much manipulation, convolution and general disgusting behavior. There really wasn't a single character that I really liked in it.
+60 - task
+5 - review
Post total: 65
Season total: 2645
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60.62 O69 Often: Author you have read beforeDeep in the Valley. Robyn Carr
I've read many books by Robyn Carr, but this was a brand new series for me. It's a companion series to the Virgin River books, but better. The characters June Hudson and John Stone are peripheral characters in that series, but here we learn their individual stories. It was a nice change of pace.
+60 - task
+5 - review
Post total: 65
Season total: 2580
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60.61 B6 BEARDS: First letter of title is found of "beards"A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons. Kate Khavari
A new mystery series taking place in 1923 in London, England at the University where Saffron Everleigh is a research assistant in the botany department. When her mentor, Dr. Maxwell, is accused of poisoning another professor's wife, Saffron and Alexander Ashton, a fellow researcher, work together to solve the mystery, and end up with their lives in danger, as a result.
I look forward to further adventures for Saffron and Alexander, and her friend, Elizabeth in future installments.
+60 - task
+5 - review
+50 Bingo #11: B3; B6; B13; B14; B15
Post total: 115
Season total: 2515
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Rosemary wrote: "Kim wrote: "As we approach the last few weeks of the challenge, is anyone else reconsidering their posting strategy? I have been posting row Bingos (BINGO - 1 each), but I'm down to my last 5 books..."I have 1 B, 2 I's, 3 N's, 4 G's and 5 O's left.
As we approach the last few weeks of the challenge, is anyone else reconsidering their posting strategy? I have been posting row Bingos (BINGO - 1 each), but I'm down to my last 5 books in each column. I'm not sure whether I'll totally finish so it might make sense to switch to posting columns. Anyone else running into that?
50.60 N38 NICKEL: first letter of title is found of "nickel"It's Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake. Claire Christian
Noni Blake is in her mid-thirties and searching for her best life. She lives in Australia, teaches high school and has spent the last few years getting over the break up of a long term relationship and loss of a hoped for child. She decides to take six months to travel to Europe and see and do things and people and just be happy to be her. The problem arises when she meets someone whom she has a fling with, but it turns out not to be a fling. For me, the point of the book was finding out and wholly accepting who were are.
+50 - task
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Post total: 55
Season total: 2400
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50.59 I25 ITW Thriller Award (winners and nominees) - found on page 9 of the listThe Poacher's Son. Paul Doiron
As a rule, I prefer cozy mysteries to suspense/thrillers, so I was a little concerned that this would turn out to be something I didn't like, but I did. It moved right along, and the parallel storyline about the world of being a game warden in Maine was interesting. My heart went out to the main character, as I found what he had to cope with to be unfathomable.
+50 - task
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Post total: 55
Season total: 2345
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50.58 B3 Booker Prize, winners and nomineesThe English Patient. Michael Ondaatje
This book has been on my radar for a few years, and this challenge gave me the impetus to read it. Sadly, it was everything I don't like about Literary Fiction, and I'm ready to go back to some light reading soon.
+50 - task
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*+5 - published in 1992
Post total: 55 + *5
Season total: 2285 +*5 (2290)
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50.57 O66 Title has a repeated word (any except A or The)As Bright as Heaven. Susan Meissner
Evie, Maggie and Willa are three sisters whose parents have an opportunity to leave their subsistence living as tobacco farmers to move to Philadelphia to become partners in their great-uncle's mortuary. The family is grieving the loss of their son/little brother, but find peace in helping others. When the 1918 Influenza epidemic hits, their family suffers more loss, but also takes in a toddler who appears to have lost all his family. The rich historical details capture life in a big American city during a time of terrible loss (war and disease) and shows the spirit of people who won't give up.
+50 - task
+5 - review
+50 - Bingo #10: B8, I21, N44, G53, O66
Post total: 105
Season total: 2230
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50.56 N44 Author has 2 sets of double letters in name (Ellen Herrick)The Sparrow Sisters. Ellen Herrick
Very enjoyable book featuring three sisters who own a nursery. Patience, the youngest, is a healer by nature and most of the town benefits from this in some way. Matty, a little boy on the autism spectrum, loves Patience and her nursery. His mother has died, his father is emotionally absent. But when Matty dies mysteriously, all bets are off...
+50 - task
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Post total: 55
Season total: 2125
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