Bea’s Comments (group member since Apr 29, 2011)

Bea’s comments from the Pick-a-Shelf group.

Ch. 28 - Alison is back! Just started...and she has appeared to speak with Jean Anglais (Rollo), when he went to Scotland hoping to speak with the Queen, a recent Catholic convert.

I've reached Ch. 28.

(view spoiler)[OK...so Bart died but how disappointedly...he just dropped dead. Now we have Pierre dead as well as Sylvie. Pierre's death was satisfying as he was such an evil man and those who killed him were so abused by him. Sylvie's death, however, only paved the way for Mr. Follette to get Ned and Margery together. I liked Sylvie. (hide spoiler)]

Tien wrote: "Bea, I didn't know you have this in you!!
LOL

I knew it was botched but still, reading it was euugh!
I wonder what will happen to Alison now... probably not pertinent to the story but I am a bit curious."

It was gruesome, wasn't it? I wonder if that was a measure of how reluctant many of the people were for her execution to occur?

Alison gave up her own life to serve Mary. It is a love that I, who have struggled so to be my own person, do not really understand. However, I imagine that she was lost for a time...not really knowing what she should do...although she has thought about it while riding by herself.

I suspect that Mr. Follett will drop her as a character. Heaven knows that he has plenty to keep track of in the other stories!

I plan to get to Ch. 28 today. The end is in sight!

Lusie wrote: "Bea wrote: "Mexican Gothic- I've been avoiding this book."

I read it and didn't like it. The writing and athmosphere are good, but the story was too weird for me."

I added it because I had intended to read it for another group but then never did. I did follow that group's comments on the book and most convinced me that I did not want to read it. However, it keeps coming up on recommends and lists, so I have not removed it from my TBR yet. Either I will read it in the future or delete it...and I am just not sure which I prefer at this time. Maybe in 10 years or so it will make it to my LOST list and I will decide then! LOL.

I think my rating will be 3*. I am enjoying parts of the story, but the writing and organization of it makes it more a 3 for me.

Well, to me, there was little to discuss as I was trying hard to figure out each of the separate stories. However...

I did want to post when Queen Mary of Scotland was executed...but didn't want to ruin that for you. It excited me...probably more than it should have. Seemed to me that one strand of the story was removed, and now we could get back to the Kingsbridge folk's various themes.

Finished: The Zookeeper's Wife for August Book It, Trim 20 and Lost & Found

Reading:
A Column of Fire for Buddy Read
Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean: How a Generation of Swashbuckling Jews Carved Out an Empire in the New World in Their Quest for Treasure, Religious Freedom--and Revenge for Trim 21 and LOST & FOUND

Let's Book It for DECEMBER 2021

December tasks: 📅
Simple Plan - 4 books

1. Revisit: Read from any picked shelves for December.
You need only read from 1 shelf but if you like, you can read from all these shelves or crossover between this month's shelves

Dec-18 archaeology: The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths
Dec-19 fantasy: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

3. Owned: Read book/s you owned (physically or digitally) by 11/30/21: Added to TBR 10/27/12
Deep Shadow by Randy Wayne White

4. Pick-a-Shelf 1: Read for another PAS challenge (LOST, Moving Mountain '21, Bookopoly, Seriously Serial '21, TRIM): Trim 21
Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World by Rita Golden Gelman

On my TBR (first 5 pages of list)

A Deadly Education
The Starless Sea
Magic for Liars
A Study in Charlotte
Mexican Gothic - I've been avoiding this book.
The Broken Girls
The Midnight Library
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
Gaudy Night

Lagullande, congrats of the finish! Doesn't it feel good?

I'm right with you. Finished ch 23 last night and onto ch 24 today. I am glad to be finishing this trilogy. I'm hoping to finish it also this week, although these chapters are really getting LONG and it is holiday week here.

I will be dog-sitting and going to a friend's for dinner...but, I should be able to keep up at least a chapter a day.

My next planned section is only 3 chapters...and each is LONG. It might take a few days.

Wow! We are right there together. I expect to finish chapter 22 today.

Hello, Tien. How are you doing?

I didn't start reading again on Monday as planned but I have now finished week #4 as Ch. 15-20 are much more interesting.

Sad that it took Mr. Follett so long to bring the stories together.

Still this selection works for me. Suddenly I am interested.

However, I must admit to a bit of head-scratcher as, when I got to Ch. 15 after the reading break, I thought I had missed some pages. It starts with Mary imprisoned in Scotland, and the last I had known of her was she was in France...although her supporters were telling her to claim the throne in Scotland, she had not yet left...and now it was 2 years later!

I had planned to take another break this weekend, but the story is getting interesting and I may keep reading.

How far have you gotten?

Meg wrote: "Hi, I've landed on U: Monopoly Air
Can I please have three options from my shelf?"

Meg, I haven't gotten to select for anyone for a long time. I hope you like these:

How We Love: Notes on a Life
Cloud Cuckoo Land
Fishing for Tigers

Finished:
A Wicked Slice for Trim and FOUND
Champagne for One for FOUND

Finished: The Cat Who Played Brahms for FOUND

Reading:
The Zookeeper's Wife for August Book It, Trim 20 and Lost & Found
A Column of Fire for Buddy Read
A Wicked Slice for Trim and FOUND
Champagne for One for FOUND

LynnB, it's not his best. Or maybe I am expecting too much. Each of the three stories is interesting to their time, but so far none are really tied together enough for me. That makes it hard for me to maintain interest.

Well, I reached 470 pages and took a break. I will pick it up again tomorrow.

I know. I was glad yesterday to reach the end of week 3. I am going to award myself with a couple of days off of reading.

This book, while easy to read, jumps around too much between the 3 threads for me to find many connections. It is like he wasn't sure how to bring side threads into a main story and so wrote 3 main stories. The result? I am having difficulty caring about any of the main characters.

I agree with the rating you gave. It is not a book that entices me to keep reading.

Congrats, Beverly!