Linzi’s Comments (group member since Nov 20, 2023)

Linzi’s comments from the Chapter Adventure Reading Challenges (Formerly GXO) group.

I read The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. It was a sci-fi historical fiction book, and I really enjoyed it! You don’t often come across historical fiction about the plague, but that’s exactly what this was! It kept me hooked. I gave it 4 stars because a lot of the dialogue was really repetitive. But I would recommend it!

My key word was Deep. I read Deep Cover by Traci Hunter Abramson. It was a pretty good story, and it kept me turning pages well past my bedtime 😬😁 The ending was a little predictable and cheesy, but there were some seriously good action sequences in it! 4 solid stars!

I’m a little slow on this one, as I just finished my February book.

I chose the word “Club” and read The Birthday Club by Jack Petersen. This is one of those books that is self published by the author, so there are lots of grammatical errors. However, the storyline was intriguing enough.

It’s about 4 kids who discovered in high school that they have the same birthday, so they decide to form an exclusive club (hence the title). Their group is infiltrated once Freddy moves to town and claims to have the same birthday, too. Reluctantly, they let him into the club, not knowing the trouble it’s going to cause them in the future.

Flash forward a couple of years, and one member of the club ends up dead. This sparks a chain of events filled with kidnappings, murders, and betrayals that never seem to stop as they chase an infamous mob boss with the help of a detective.

The high school backstory is very slow and kind of hard to get through, but once you’ve accomplished that, it picks up significantly.

My word was Silence.

I read Beyond the Silence by Tracie Peterson. It kept me enthralled throughout the story, but the romance was CORNY!! And the ending was a bit over the top in my opinion. I enjoyed it though, and I’d gladly read another of Tracie Peterson’s books! 3.5 stars

Key word: School

I read The Mystwick School of Musicraft. It is a middle grade novel about a world where everything is accomplished by magic - and the magic is created by playing music! It reminded me a little of the world of Harry Potter, but the storyline was so unique that it was definitely its own magical world. I couldn’t put the book down! It was so captivating and entertaining! I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, fresh, entertaining, unique, easy read.

I just finished reading Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhhá Lai. It’s a middle grade book, following the life of a girl and her family that were forced to flee from Saigon. It shows their struggles as they move to America to escape the wars in Vietnam. It is written in verse, so it is a quick read.

I read One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-García. It was an interesting story, not like anything I’ve read before. It’s about 3 little girls who are put in a Black Panthers summer camp by their mother in the 1960s. It was a good glimpse into a culture that I am not apart of, but it’s not something I would read again. Read at your own discretion

I just finished the book The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. I absolutely loved the story! It was very captivating and well-written. It is one I would GLADLY read again! Highly recommend, especially because it is a fast read, too!

Key word: You

Book: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

It was an interesting book. It wasn’t what I was expecting it to be. It’s not a book I’m likely to read again, but it wasn’t awful! Good if you’re looking for a fast read!

I read The Princess Bride, and I absolutely loved it!! I’m a big fan of the movie, and the book, of course, was even better! I’d highly recommend to anyone!

I chose the word Down.

I read Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden. This book is definitely not for everybody, as it tells the tragic tale of the battle of the Black Sea in Somalia. It was absolutely heartbreaking, and a time in American history that is often skipped over. My heart goes out to all the soldiers that fought in this battle and lost their lives, as well as to those who suffer the PTSD from such a terrible 2-day battle!!! I would highly recommend this book to those who are interested in reading about tough topics like modern warfare! This book isn’t for the faint of heart though, so I recommend it with caution.

I killed two birds with one stone here; for both the motif challenge and the word challenge, I read the book The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. It won the 2021 Alex Award.

I did enjoy this book, though it’s probably not a book I would reread. If someone is looking for a heartwarming story, I would absolutely recommend it! It was a super cute story!

I just finished the book The *House* in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. It started out really slow; I didn’t find it interesting until I was about 42% through. After that point, it picked up and was SO GOOD! I loved the character development that the protagonist goes through, and it’s just a heart-warming story!

I read Specials by Scott Westerfeld. It’s the 3rd in a series, and I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the other books. I was a bit confused by the ending…

I read I’m Glad My Mom Died, and I absolutely LOVED it!

I read Hidden Figures. The movie was better…😬