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R12: SS Team 6 - Series of Fortunate Events
Selection Post - Week 2Spot 18
Escapes Can Be Murder, Connie SheltonHow it Fits: #18 in Charlie Parker series
Pages: 234
Selection PostWeek 2: Spot 18
A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas
How it Fits: Lady Sherlock #1
Pages: 323
Guys, I have been diagnosed with covid. Need to drop. I am 69 and very scared. Sorry
Leslie Ann wrote: "Guys, I have been diagnosed with covid. Need to drop. I am 69 and very scared. Sorry"So sorry to hear this. 🙁 take care of yourself.
Leslie Ann wrote: "Guys, I have been diagnosed with covid. Need to drop. I am 69 and very scared. Sorry"Oh, Leslie, it's really got to be scary. I'm sending up prayers, and sending you many, many hugs! 💟
Leslie, so sorry to hear that! I hope everything turns out good and take of yourself.
Hello Leslie, I wish you all the best and get well soon!
Mod
I've contacted a back-up player who will hopefully join the team shortly.
Completion PostWeek 2, Spot 18
Escapes Can Be Murder, Connie SheltonHow it Fits: #18 in Charlie Parker series
Pages: 234
I continue to really enjoy this author's writing. This was another very good mystery, this time centering around politics, sexual abuse, and the abuse of power. My only surprise and disappointment comes from the situation not being quite resolved in the end. I haven't seen a new book yet, but when it comes out I'm hopeful this will be all tied up.
Completion postThe Joy Luck Club
Read 9/28
How it fits: Protagonist over 60
This was a reread for me. I loved it the first time and i loved it even more the second time. The story that covers so many years of friendship is so wonderful. I may end up reading it a third time one of these days.
Completion Post - Week 2Spot: 18
Book:
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
How it fits: The Chronicles of Narnia (Publication Order) #1
Pages: 206
Rating: 3 Stars
Review:
This was nice but quite underwhelming. Probably nicer for children, since it's also a childrens book. I do not think that I will continue this series, it was just a little too meh for me.
Hi, all! I'm Barbara, and I am excited to be joining your team. I am, however, very sorry for the reason. Leslie, my best wishes and prayers are with you. My sister-in-law (who is in her 60s, diabetic, and otherwise at risk) had COVID back in March, and she came through it fine. I'm praying for a similarly positive outcome for you!As far as the game goes, I have switched my book from my backup selection, so now my selection will be:
Selection Post - Week 2 - Roll 18
Book: From Beer to Eternity by Sherry Harris
Pages: 320 (kindle)
How it fits: First book in the Chloe Jackson, Sea Glass Saloon series
Date Read:
Rating:
Review:
Although I am just starting this now, I will have it completed by Thursday!
Denise wrote: "Completion postThe Joy Luck Club
Read 9/28
How it fits: Protagonist over 60
This was a reread for me. I loved it the first time and i loved it even more the second time. The story tha..."
I read The Joy Luck Club many years ago and loved it. It's definitely worth a re-read . . . or two!
Completion Post - Week 2 - Roll 18Book: From Beer to Eternity by Sherry Harris
Pages: 320 (kindle)
How it fits: First book in the Chloe Jackson, Sea Glass Saloon series
Date Read: 10/1/2020
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Review:
From Beer to Eternity, the first book in Sherry Harris’s Chloe Jackson, Sea Glass Saloon mystery series, may just my favorite cozy of the year! Beautifully written and emotionally charged, it is an intriguingly complex mystery with tons of local color.
Chloe Jackson is a librarian from Chicago who travels to Emerald Cove, Florida to fulfill a promise to her best friend, Boone, who was killed in Afghanistan. Doing so becomes challenging as Vivi Slidell, his grandmother, is a fiercely independent woman who, seemingly, is not in need of the help that Chloe had promised to provide. Sensing this, she takes a job as a waitress at Vivi’s Sea Glass Saloon to keep an eye on things. When one of the bar’s regular customers is found dead behind the bar, Vivi becomes the prime suspect, and Chloe must use all of her considerable resources to vindicate Vivi and keep her promise to Boone.
Ms. Harris does a masterful job at setting a scene. I can picture myself sitting in the Sea Glass sipping one of Joaquin’s cocktails as the balmy sea wind ruffles my hair and the blue-green waves gently roll onto the sand. The characters and the Florida Panhandle setting, too, are vivid and robust. Vivi is charming, in a semi-cantankerous sort of way. Joaquin, the lead bartender, is multi-faceted, and may just be my favorite character. Rhett, too, is charming and mysterious. And Chloe is terrific. She is loyal and protective, with a logical practicality that allows her to see things that others cannot. I love how she uses her skills as a children’s librarian in reasoning with Vivi and the locals.
From Beer to Eternity is an excellent start to what promises to be a fantastic series. I can’t wait until the next installment!
Note: I received an ARC of From Beer to Eternity from NetGalley and Kensington Books. The above is my honest review.
Completion PostWeek 2: Spot 18
A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas
How it Fits: Lady Sherlock #1
Pages: 323
Finished: 10/1/20
Review: I don't know ... I'm kind of torn on my feelings on this one. It felt a little bit like a roller coaster to me, but not necessarily in a great way. There would be 40 pages that I would just fly through but then there were many times when it slowed down and I felt like I'd never get through the next two pages. I wasn't even all that wowed by the ending. I felt like there was too much time introducing who Charlotte Holmes was and not enough plot to carry the book to the end. This one was just an okay read for me; I don't think I'll be actively seeking out the rest of the series.
Completion post - Week 2Spot 18
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
How it fits: The Borrowers #1
Pages: 180
Finished: October 1st
Review:
I really liked getting to know the Borrowers, what I enjoyed the most was how their houses were described and how they moved across the big house and interacted with the humans in there (the boy and aunt Sophy. It was a fun book, and I'll be reading the rest in the series 😊
Week 3Previous Spot: 18
Rolled: 1+2=3
New Spot: 21
Alternative: Cover Item: One person
Paula - Review
Barbara - Review
Jane - Review
Meg - Review
Denise - Review
Tara - Review
Selection Post - Week 3Spot: 21
Book: Armórica by Sergio Alejandro Amira
How it fits: one person in cover
Pages: 181
Selection PostWeek 3: Spot 21
The Cinderella Murder by Mary Higgins Clark
How it Fits: Under Suspicion #2
Pages: 320
Selection Post - Week 3 - Spot 21Book: My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella
Pages: 448 (kindle, but I’m listening to audio)
How it fits: Standalone (can be used for 1) and one person on cover
Date Read:
Rating:
Review:
Wanted you all to know that I am feeling better , not 100% but on my way. Glad you were able to get a replacement player.
Leslie Ann wrote: "Wanted you all to know that I am feeling better , not 100% but on my way. Glad you were able to get a replacement player."Oh, good news!!! Have been thinking of you.
Completion PostWeek 3, Spot 21
The Curse of Arundel HallHow it Fits: #2 in Yellow Cottage series
Read 10/02
Pages: 257
I did not see it coming - the culprit was a real surprise. I really enjoyed this one, set in the 1930's England. The mc is an intelligent, methodical sleuth with connections with Scotland Yard. A very good mystery with a light paranormal element.
Completion PostWeek 3: Spot 21
The Cinderella Murder by Mary Higgins Clark
How it Fits: Under Suspicion #2
Pages: 320
Date Finished: 10/4/20
Review: I really enjoyed this book! It had been some time since I had read the first book in this series, but that didn't hurt my enjoyment of this one at all - it reads quite well as a standalone. I had no idea who the Cinderella killer was, and it was fun to watch the case unfold. Highly recommended!
FINALLY chose a good book this week :) After two duds it was great to finally have a book catch my interest so quickly!
Tara wrote: "FINALLY chose a good book this week :) After two duds it was great to finally have a book catch my interest so quickly!"It's been ages since I've read one of her books but your review was so good that I've put this on my wish list!
Completion Post - Week 3 - Spot 21Book: My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella
Pages: 448 (kindle, but I’m listening to audio)
How it fits: Standalone (can be used for 1) and one person on cover
Date Read: 10/7/2020
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Review:
It’s rare when I read a rom-com book, but this one by Sophie Kinsella is a very enjoyable read. My Not So Perfect Life is part social commentary, part breezy entertainment, and at times laugh-out loud funny.
When Katie Brenner moves to London to take a job as a creative marketing assistant, she decides to re-brand herself as “Cat.” While her Instagram life is colorful and ever-so-positive, her reality is not. Instead, she is sharing a flat with roommates who have no concept of personal space, dealing with an unrelenting boss, and barely has enough money to live on. Things go from “not so perfect” to far worse when her employment is terminated and she has to move out of London and back home with her father and step-mother at their newly opened “glamping” vacation experience. When her former boss and family arrive at the glamping business, Katie embarks on a journey that is both humorous and heartwarming.
Katie’s predicament is much like that of many people today. She compares her ordinary life with the glittering social media images of her friends and feels the need to exaggerate her exploits. What makes this book work is that Katie has a deep moral center, and in the end, she will do the right thing. Her character arc from the beginning of the book to its end is quite dramatic and very much in character. I really enjoyed discovering the person she was at heart.
If you are looking for a light read, My Not So Perfect Life should fit the bill. Be forewarned that it tends to drag in a couple parts. But, listening to the audio version will definitely enhance the experience, as Fiona Hardingham is a fantastic narrator!
#readforkimberly
Leslie Ann wrote: "Wanted you all to know that I am feeling better , not 100% but on my way. Glad you were able to get a replacement player."So glad to hear that you are feeling better! I'm not sure about the rules, but if you decide you want to re-join the team (and it's okay with the mods), I will gladly bow out so that you can.
Take care of yourself and get well soon!
Tara wrote: "Completion PostWeek 3: Spot 21
The Cinderella Murder by Mary Higgins Clark
How it Fits: Under Suspicion #2
Pages: 320
Dat..."
This is the only one of the Under Suspicion series that I've read (okay, listened to). I really enjoyed it as well. Your review reminds me that I need to get back to that series.
Completion post - Week 3Spot 21
Armórica by Sergio Alejandro Amira
How it fits: one person on cover
Pages: 181
Finished: October 8th
Review:
I really liked this book, it's a mix between Sci fi and fantasy. The characters were great, especially because there were lots of kinds of people and that in a Middle grade book is really important to portray (for me at least).
The world was interesting too, a little difficult to get at times, because some things were thrown at the reader assuming that he or she knew everything about the world, which is a new one. I believe that last thing was its main flaw.
Hey guys, sorry for the late post!Completion Post
Week 3: Spot 21
The Secrets of My Life by Caitlyn Jenner
How it Fits: Standalone (Standalone books can be used for a 1 or a 0)
Pages: 368
Review:
Autobiographies are my guilty pleasure and even though I never watched anything by the Kardashians and do not really care for them, I was somehow curious to see what Caitlyn went through and what she has to say.
I am in no position to rate her life or her journey, I am only rating this from a reader’s perspective.
I simply did not like the writing style, it was not engaging, it was repetitive and boring at times. I do not feel connected with Caitlyn, I do not feel like I know her more now. I just did not really get anything out of this book, so I must rate it with 2 stars.
Completion PostWeek 3: Spot 21
Fleishman Is in Trouble
How it Fits: Standalone (Standalone books can be used for a 1 or a 0)
Pages:373
I picked this up for book club and I wasn't sure I was going to like it. I was sucked into the story from the very first word. I loved it! Each of the characters had body and you wanted to know what was going to happen the whole time.
Week 4Previous Spot: 21
Rolled: 4+5=9
New Spot: 30
Alternative: Cover Item: Animal
Paula - Review
Barbara - Review
Jane - Review
Meg - Review
Denise - Review
Tara - Review
Bonus Point earned: 2 in 1: for Meg's book.
You have NO IDEA how excited I am that there's a 0 this week because I'm DYING to read this standalone! Hopefully it lives up to my expectations of it!!Selection Post
Week 4: Spot 30
Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
How it Fits: Standalone
Pages: 256
Tara wrote: "You have NO IDEA how excited I am that there's a 0 this week because I'm DYING to read this standalone! Hopefully it lives up to my expectations of it!!Selection Post
Week 4: Spot 30
[bookcover:..."
I always love your enthusiasm! 😊 Can't wait for your review!
Selection PostWeek 4, Spot 30 (Oct 9)
Carlene O'Connor -
Murder in an Irish Churchyard How it fits: #3 in the Irish Village series
Hey guys,Last week Barbara and I had books that were a standalone and had one person on the cover. Does this maybe count for the "2 in 1" Bonuspoint? Or does it have to be #1 of a series to count?
Happy reading!
Mod
Last week Barbara and I had books that were a standalone and had one person on the cover. Does this maybe count for the "2 in 1" Bonuspoint? Or does it have to be #1 of a series to count?..."
Absolutely works. I recommend including a note in your completion post that your book earns a bonus point, it'll make it easier for your captain (and me) to keep track. :)
Awesome, thank you! I just noticed it now, but I will keep better track in the next weeks.
Meg wrote: "I always love your enthusiasm! 😊 Can't wait for your review!"I can't really say I was in a slump because I was finishing books, but I was also picking the wrong books for me. So I'm making smarter choices now and have my reading mojo back :)
Selection Post - Week 4Spot: 30
Book: Los Muchachos del Zinc by Svetlana Alexievich
How it fits: #3 in the Voces de utopía Series
Pages: 416
The Challenge Factory
Books mentioned in this topic
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Grace Topping (other topics)Jenn McKinlay (other topics)
Sarah Noffke (other topics)
Leslie Meier (other topics)
Rebecca Zanetti (other topics)
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Spot: 18
Book: The Borrowers by Mary Norton
How it fits: #1 in the The Borrowers Series
Pages: 180