On The Same Page discussion
2nd Annual Reading Challenge
>
***Michelle's 2023 Series Challenge the Sequel-List 3
Mod
Nice list. The Brass Verdict was not the best in the series, but still a decent one. I continued the series after it.Dogs of War...the bad news is that you're almost done with that series.
I am VEEERRRY curious about The Hidden Palace. I could not get into it, and I loved The Golem and the Jinni, so I feel like I need to try it again. Waiting for your review. Happy reading!
Mod
Look at you, making all this progress on your series. I've only read Stephanie Plum and The Thursday Murder Club, but I'm definitely going to read the Newsflesh series one of these days.
Great list! There are several series I've never heard of so need to check them out :)
Ioana wrote: "I am VEEERRRY curious about The Hidden Palace. I could not get into it, and I loved The Golem and the Jinni, so I feel like I need to try it again. Waiting for your review. Happy reading!"Jumping in here to say, try again! I think what helped me was that I reread The Golem and the Jinni right before I started The Hidden Palace. Once I realized that the second book was about the characters around the Golem and the Jinni, I ended up loving it.
Thanks everybody. I think series are my jam lately. Lots of light hearted comfort reading
Lillie wrote: "Jumping in here to say, try again! I think what helped me was that I reread The Golem and the Jinni right before I started The Hidden Palace. Once I realized that the second book was about the characters around the Golem and the Jinni, I ended up loving it"I think you're right, the main reason I had a hard time with was because I could not remember the details of the first book. I do remember the main storyline, the main 2 characters, but not much else. Plus, I did not think that book needed a sequel.
I think I need to re-read it first...
Mod
So glad that we could
Alondra wrote: "Great idea to get those series read! So glad that we could enableassist you in your reading endeavors."
Yes! I need your "assistance" so much. I'm not at all addicted to reading. Not me. unn-uh.
Time and Again
Last on the list, first complete!This has become a time travel classic. The main character is chosen to participate in a time travel experiment and travels back to New York City just before the turn of the century, finding intrigue and romance. Also finding that time travel is complicated. Not changing the future becomes one of his biggest challenges.
Time travel is always a winner for me so I enjoyed this tale but not as much as I thought I would. I did not feel as connected to the characters as I would have liked. I did enjoy the time travel and that the story didn't stress over the mechanics of it. Dress and live like the past indulge in a little hypnosis and meditation and shazam there you are in the past. Want to go back to the future just go back. Easy-peasy. This is the first book in the series. I will probably pick up the next one eventually. I didn't feel much for the characters but I would like to see how the main character works his way out of the conundrum he created.
3 Livin' in the past stars.
Quotes I like:
“It was an ordinary day, a Friday, twenty minutes til lunchtime, five hours til quitting time and the weekend, ten months til vacation, thirty-seven years til retirement. Then the phone rang.”
― Jack Finney, Time and Again
“Have you ever given someone a book you enjoyed enormously, with a feeling of envy because they were about to read it for the first time, an experience you could never have again?”
― Jack Finney, Time and Again
Mod
Last on the list, first complete!This has become a time travel classic. The main character is chosen to participate in a time trave..."
I just found this and put it on my kindle.
Didn't they have a movie with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour??? I loved that movie.
Alondra wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Time and Again Last on the list, first complete!This has become a time travel classic. The main character is chosen to participat..."
That's what I kept thinking the entire time. It's been so long since I saw the movie, I could never decide if it was the same story or not. If it wasn't it was very similar.
Checking another off the list.
The Hidden OneFormerly Amish Police Chief Kate Burkholder takes on a cold case to prove the innocence of a childhood friend. That this friend is also Kate's lost first love raises the stakes. Before she is finished not only is the friend exonerated but Kate has uncovered an old evil hiding amidst the Amish community.
I don't know why I like this series so much but I do. No matter how unlikely the plot, I always enjoy Chief Burkholder and her cast of characters and the setting in Amish country. This was actually one of the few books in the series where the murder did not happen in Painters Mill. It seems that Chief Burkholder's tough on crime initiative must finally be working. What a relief!
4 formerly Amish female Police Chief stars
Quote I like:
"I'm a cop"
- Linda Castillo, The Hidden One
Michelle~Best of Luck with your 3rd Challenge! My Dad loved Massie Dobbs and got the entire series. Let me know if you like it, mail the books to you. Just got him The White Lady, a new series Jacquline Winspear started. Just thought perhaps your TBR was short and needed some more suggestions 😂
Kristine wrote: "Michelle~Best of Luck with your 3rd Challenge! My Dad loved Massie Dobbs and got the entire series. Let me know if you like it, mail the books to you. Just got him The White Lady, a..."Actually I read The White Lady earlier this year and absolutely loved it. It was the first Jacquline Winspear that I have read and I decided I needed to check out the Maisie Dobbs series. I'm hoping I will become as big a fan as your dad.
Michelle, I love Time and Again. Way back when it came out, one of my co-workers recommended it to me. And then I read it again a few years later. I'm glad you liked it!Also, that Kate Burkholder series sounds interesting to me . . . I've got so many things on my To Read list already that I've started a separate list (off Goodreads) of authors I'd like to try sometime. Linda Castillo and this series has made that list. Maybe once I whittle my To Read list to below 200 books . . .
The Kate Burkholder series is a fun one. I can't offer any advice on reducing your TBR. I've resigned myself to an infinite TBR. I just want to keep reading until the lights go out.
Michelle wrote: "Time and Again Last on the list, first complete!This has become a time travel classic. The main character is chosen to participate in a time trave..."
Love the second quote! You are doing great lists!
Alondra wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Time and Again Last on the list, first complete!This has become a time travel classic. The main character is chosen to participat..."
I believe you are thinking about the movie Somewhere in Time which I loved!
Michelle wrote: "Kristine wrote: "Michelle~Best of Luck with your 3rd Challenge! My Dad loved Massie Dobbs and got the entire series. Let me know if you like it, mail the books to you. Just got him [book:The White ..."I’ll let him know about The White Lady. Thanks. Let me know about Maisie Dobbs, if you ever want the books.
Jackie wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Time and Again Last on the list, first complete!This has become a time travel classic. The main character is chosen to participat..."
Thanks Jackie!
Kristine wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Kristine wrote: "Michelle~Best of Luck with your 3rd Challenge! My Dad loved Massie Dobbs and got the entire series. Let me know if you like it, mail the books to you. Just got him..."Will do!
Joe Ledger rides again!
Dogs of War complete!Joe Ledger and his team scramble to prevent a new techno-apocalypse. Even while the department neutralized threat after threat some of Joe's arch enemies were fostering a new threat, years in the making. Now Joe and his team battered and drained from previous battles must fight to prevent the ultilmate threat-an AI takeover.
I love Joe and his take-no-prisoners crew. As action thrillers go this series is one of the best. Campy and predictable? Maybe. Loads of fun? Definitely. Bug takes a lead role in this one and I loved that too. I also want to give a shout out to the audio productions of this series. They are spot on. They get Joe's sarcasm and darkness just right but will still make the listener smile. When I do read this series, rather than listen, this narrator's voice and cadence are in my head. Ray Porter IS Joe Ledger as far as I'm concerned.
3 evil robo war dog stars.
Quotes I like:
“Bunny, Top and Cole kept themselves belted in and braced, because Lydia Rose drove like a maniac.
"She's going to kill us all," yelled Cole.
"Don't want to play the man card here," yelled Top, "but woman up."
"'Woman up' is not a thing, you sexist freak.”
― Jonathan Maberry, Dogs of War
I'm really enjoying Maisie. I don't know why I never read this series before.
Adding
Maisie Dobbs to the completed column and another favorite series to the old TBR.In the post WWI years, Maisie Dobbs, a former army nurse, builds her new investigations business. Her current case brings back bittersweet memories of the war. With the successful conclusion of the case she not only provides closure for some veterans and their families but is able to make peace with a part of her own past as well.
I read The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear earlier and knew then that I had to give the Maisie Dobbs series a try. I am really enjoying this author and I loved the Maisie Dobbs character. I look forward to continuing this series. While this book seemed to be soft on the mystery portion, I would say that Jacqueline Winspear is the queen of the backstory. Normally I wouldn't have enjoyed such a long and complicated flashback section but I enjoyed the character so much in this book that I couldn't get enough of it.
4 retrospective stars
Quotes I liked:
“The feeling inside that she experienced when she saw the books was akin to the hunger she felt as food was put on the table at the end of the working day. And she knew that she needed this sustenance as surely as her body needed its fuel.”
― Jacqueline Winspear, Maisie Dobbs
“Coincidence was a messenger sent by truth.”
― Jacqueline Winspear, Maisie Dobbs
I'm still working on Dead Man's Hand and I've got a vacation coming up in a couple of weeks so hopefully I can knock off a couple more of these.
Mod
Okay; that is it exactly. I loved that movie. It sounds like I will like this book. I have it on kindle (??)
Added Maisie Dobbs last year and good reviews from the group. Glad you enjoyed it.
I hope you enjoy them both Alondra. Happy reading!
The Man Who Died Twice Mystery solved!The Thursday Murder Club is back at work. This time trying to find out who killed Elizabeth's ex-husband and where he hid the diamonds he stole. As always with these four senior sleuths there are plenty of twists and hi-jinks along the way to solving the mystery. All of the old favorite characters are back along with Ron's young grandson Kendrick. The baddies won't escape this crew.
I enjoyed this second installment of the series. I thought this storyline was a little more straight forward but still contained all the humor of the first book. I do enjoy the zany characters in this series and senior citizens solving the crime trope. On the whole I might have enjoyed this second book more than the first.
4 Senior Citizen Justice stars.
Quotes I liked:
“More women are murdering people these days,” says Joyce. “If you ignore the context, it is a real sign of progress.”
― Richard Osman, The Man Who Died Twice
“And if one is never lost in life, then clearly one has never traveled anywhere interesting.”
― Richard Osman, The Man Who Died Twice
“I’m involved about as much as I want to be with the Thursday Murder Club. If they can plant cocaine in someone’s cistern, I don’t want to think about what they’d do with my love life.”
― Richard Osman, The Man Who Died Twice
I definitely preferred book #2, I am so glad I kept reading this series! I cannot wait for the next installment. I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed it too.
I think the author settled down a little in book 2. He had the characters down already. He just needed to not have such a frenzied plot. I think he did that in book 2. I liked it better too.
Michelle wrote: "I think the author settled down a little in book 2. He had the characters down already. He just needed to not have such a frenzied plot. I think he did that in book 2. I liked it better too."Yes, that's a really good way to put it. I thought the ending made much more sense. Maybe it was more predictable but I had some issues with Elizabeth's choices in the first book.
Dead Man's Hand by James J. Butcher completed with a smile!This urban fantasy follows Grimsby a young witch who's dreams of being an auditor (some sort of witch police) were crushed by the auditor trainer who failed him. The same trainer who has been murdered. It seems that Grimsby has been framed for the murder and now must convince his teacher's old partner that he is not to blame.
A great beginning to a series. There were great characters and lots of humor. This book was a lot of fun. Interesting side note, the author, James J. Butcher, is the son of Jim Butcher of the Dresden Files. I'm not sure I liked Grimsby as much as Harry but their writing shares a similar tone. I would recommend it to those who might be experiencing Dresden File withdrawal.
3 packed full of potential stars.
Quote I liked:
“You don’t find the right path. You make it. Whichever one you choose, walk it, and walk it hard, and you’ll do all right for yourself.”
― James J. Butcher, Dead Man's Hand
Just finished
The Hidden Palace!In this follow up to The Golem and the Jinni the story expands to include several of the support characters of the first book. These characters are explored more deeply and the next chapters of their stories unfold. The Golem and the Jinni also continue their stories and draw all the characters back to them in the end.
I was hesitant to read this book because I loved the first one so much. I am very glad I did read it. It really enriched and gave closure to the characters. The first book did leave me wanting to know more about what happened next. That said this book lacked some of the magic of the first book. I did not feel that the writing was as mesmerizing or that the historic aspect of the story was as prevalent. The writing was still very good, however, and I was right there for the final scene between the Golem and the Jinni.
4 magical stars
Quotes I liked:
“He'd given her his silences, and she'd filled them with her fears.”
― Helene Wecker, The Hidden Palace
“I am no saint, and he is no monster for me to slay.”
― Helene Wecker, The Hidden Palace
“It made little sense, and yet it was the truth.”
― Helene Wecker, The Hidden Palace
Mod
Mod
The Hidden Palace!In this follow up to The Golem and the Jinni the story expands to include several of the supp..."
I haven't been reading much, but this one is on my radar. So glad you enjoyed it.
I saw that James Butcher and it looks like a Jim Butcher novel.
@ Vikki Good to hear you enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to it.
I did like it. I know a lot of Golem and the Jinni fans didn't but I thought it was a good follow-up. It maybe took a step down on atmosphere but it wasn't enough to keep me from enjoying the book.
Fire Touched read!Mercy grants the protection of the pack in response to a petition for safety and inadvertently pits the pack against the entire fae nation.
I enjoy the lighthearted, funny tone of this series as much as the paranormal fantasy which includes werewolves, shapeshifters, vampires, fairies, and the occasional ghost. Mercy is a great character, a bad ass take no prisoners female lead with a kind heart. This was a great kick off to my beach vacation. A perfect fun under the sun read.
4 werewolves, and vampires, and fairies, oh my! stars.
Quotes I liked:
“He was a better fighter than I was, but he wasn’t faster than me. Nor was he as motivated, and I think he underestimated me. He thought he was fighting a girl with a stick when he was fighting Adam’s mate, Coyote’s daughter, armed with Lugh’s staff.”
― Patricia Briggs, Fire Touched
“Holy Avon, Batman, I thought as worry relaxed into annoyance-tinged humor, I’ve been attacked by a multilevel marketer.”
― Patricia Briggs, Fire Touched
“We are all monsters here, he said. It's too late for any of us to be anything else.”
― Patricia Briggs, Fire Touched
On a roll with The Cold Dish
by Craig Johnson.Sheriff Longmire is just trying to get a handle on his life as he leads his small town cast of characters in pursuit of a killer bent on administering his own brand of justice. The sheriff tries to solve the case before there is another death, even if it means putting himself in harm's way.
I knew I would like this book because my husband and I binge watched the series on Netflix and I really enjoyed it. What I did not anticipate is how well written it would be. The plot was tight, and the writing was really nice with just the right touch of humor.
4 cowboys and indian stars
Quotes I liked:
“Scientists say there is a noise that snowflakes make when they land on water, like the wail of a coyote; the sound reaches a climax and then fades away, all in about one ten-thousandth of a second.”
― Craig Johnson, The Cold Dish
“Seeing her again was like unearthing an emotional library card with a lot of overdues.”
― Craig Johnson, The Cold Dish
“I'd say the depths of his stupidity have yet to be plumbed, and yours is comin' up fast on the inside turn.”
― Craig Johnson, The Cold Dish
“It is another beautiful evening here at the Red Pony bar and continual soirée, how can I help you?”
― Craig Johnson, The Cold Dish
I really loved The Hidden Palace as well. I thought it was a good follow up to The Golem & the Jinni & wonder if there will be another one?
On The Same Page
Books mentioned in this topic
When Clouds Touch Us (other topics)When Clouds Touch Us (other topics)
Range of Motion (other topics)
Night of Miracles (other topics)
The Story of Arthur Truluv (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Elizabeth Berg (other topics)Michael Connelly (other topics)
Mira Grant (other topics)
Becky Chambers (other topics)
Craig Johnson (other topics)
More...
#1 Echo Burning Jack Reacher #5 complete 8/30/23 3 stars
#2 High Five Stephanie Plum #5 complete 9/24/23 3 stars
#3 Night of Miracles Arthur Truluv #2 complete 10/15/23 4 stars
#4 The Brass Verdict Lincoln Lawyer #2 complete 9/10/23 4 stars.
#5 The Man Who Died Twice Thursday Murder Club #2 completed 7/19/23 4 stars
#6 Dogs of War Joe Ledger #9 completed 7/5/23 3 stars
#7 Dead Man's Hand The Unorthodox Chronicles #1 completed 7/26/23 3 stars
#8 When Clouds Touch Us Inside Out and Back Again #2 completed 11/11/23 4 stars
#9 The Cold Dish Longmire #1 completed 8/5/23 4 stars
#10 Fire Touched Mercy Thompson #9 completed 7/31/23 4 stars
#11 A Psalm for the Wild-Built Monk and Robot #1 complete 8/24/23 5 stars
#12 Deadline Newsflesh #2 complete 9/1/23 3 stars
Alternates (but not really I won't feel like the list is complete without all 16 read)
#13 The Hidden Palace Golem and the Jinni #2 completed 7/28/23 4 stars.
#14 Maisie Dobbs Maisie Dobbs #1completed 7/10/23 4 stars
#15 The Hidden One Kate Burkholder #14 completed 6/29/23 4 stars.
#16 Time and Again Time #1 completed 6/27/23 3 stars