On The Same Page discussion

Progress 25/25 (May 10, 2023)

1. A book with a villain. The Marriage Portrait, by Maggie O'Farrell. Finished 1/16/2023, 4/5 stars

2. A book written by an author with the first initial of A or Z. The Seven Dials Mystery , by Agatha Christie. Finished 2/1/2023, 5/5 stars

3. A book released over 5 years ago. Til He Come: Communion Meditations and Addresses, by Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Finished 1/19/2023, 5/5 stars

4. A book with a protagonist that is over 40. The Mysterious Affair at Styles, by Agatha Christie. Finished 5/10/2023, 4/4 stars

5. A book that has an even number of pages. The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek, by Jane Myers Perrine. Finished 3/12/2023, 5/5 stars

6. A book with an intriguing title. Crooked House, by Agatha Christie. Finished 2/14/2022, 5/5 stars

7. A book involving a lie. Where Leads The Heart, by Colleen Coble. Finished 2/4/2023, 2/5 stars

8. A book with alternating time periods. The Murmur of Bees, by Sofía Segovia. Finished 3/8/2023, 4/5 stars

9. A book about revenge.Murder Simply Brewed, by Vannetta Chapman. Finished 2/9/2023, 3/5 stars

10. A book set in the 1980’s. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, by Fannie Flagg. Finished 5/7/2023, 4/5 stars

11. A book that is dusty on your shelf. Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens. Finished 3/26/2023, 4/5 stars

12. A book under 300 pages. Blue Nights, by Joan Didion. Started and finished 1/10/2023, 3/5 stars

13. A family drama. The Book Woman's Daughter, by Kim Michele Richardson. Finished 1/24/2023, 3/5 stars

14. A book with a one word title.
Elusive, by Sara Rosett. Finished 4/16/2023, 5/5 stars

15. A book centered around a holiday. Make, Take, Murder, by Joanna Campbell Slan. Finished 1/28/2023, 4/5 stars Note: each chapter title is one day during Hanukkah

16. A book that starts with “H”. Humility: True Greatness, by C.J. Mahaney. Finished 1/27/2023, 5/5 stars

17. A book with a beautiful cover. The Matchmakers of Butternut Creek, by Jane Myers Perrine. Finished 5/4/2023, 5/5 stars

18. A woman author that is new to you. The Bookshop on the Corner , by Jenny Colgan, Finished 1/6/2023, 4/5 stars

19. A new book by your favorite author. Love in the Time of Bertie, by Alexander McCall Smith. Finished 4/25/2023, 3/5 stars

20. A story about a road trip. Road Trip of Delusion, by Jean Ann Williams. Finished 4/12/2023, 3/5 stars

21. A book that is co-authored. The Wife Between Us, by Greer Hendricks, and Sarah Pekkanen. Finished 4/30/2023, 4/5 stars

22. A gothic or noir novel. The Lady in the Lake, by Raymond Chandler. Finished 4/18/2023, 4/5 stars

23. A book with an autumn vibe.

24. A book set in a place you want to visit. The Figaro Murders, by Laura Lebow. Finished 3/30/2023, 5/5 stars

25. A book with a purple cover. Photo, Snap, Shot, by Joanna Campbell Slan. Finished 1/9/2023, 3/5 stars


26. A book with a happy ending. The Layover, by Lacie Waldon. Finished 2/22/2023, 3/5 stars

Finished 18 - a woman author that is new to me.

The Bookshop on the Corner, by Jenny Colgan was quite interesting. I rated it 4/5 stars. Somebody (I can't remember who) encouraged me to move it up on my "to read" list. I'm glad I did.

Looking at other books from this author, I see that I've just read the first book in a series. I might pursue more in this series, or Meet Me at the Cupcake Café which is the first in another series. I see that all of her books get fairly high ratings on average.

4 completed already. This is a fast start for me!

My fifth book read in this challenge was The Marriage Portrait, by Maggie O'Farrell. 4/5 stars

I loved the novel. I found the time period and setting fascinating. I would not have wanted to be a woman in 1560's Italy, that's for sure. Options were so few and life was so tenuous, even at the highest levels of society. The author does a wonderful job of bringing this out through the characters (royals and servants) she has written.

**SPOILER Alert**




I would have given the novel 5 stars if it were not for the fact the the author clearly strayed from the accuracy of the small bit of information we have about the protagonist. I've seen other recent authors rewrite the history in historical fiction and I simply don't like it. Creating fictional characters who witness history, or creating conversations that would have been likely or at least plausible among the historical personages is one thing. But completely changing history is something else. That is what this author did. Thus, a 1-star demerit in my reasoning.

You're off to a great start.

Halfway through this challenge.

My most recent book, The Layover by Lacie Waldon was a fun romance/comedy. It was more of a comfort read and an escape than a guilty pleasure. Although I gave it only 3/5 stars due to predictability, there were enough surprises and adventures to hold my interest.

It takes place mostly in Belize which added a nice texture to the story.

Patting myself on the back for getting #11 done.

Finally read Oliver Twist, which was part of a Charles Dickens anthology that I purchase probably in the early 1990's. I had read everything else, but somehow never got around to poor Oliver. Now I have completed the anthology and have read something that was truly dusty on my shelf!

# 24 in the challenge: I desperately want to visit Austria! Part of it is the beauty of the area, but most of it is because of its music history.

The Figaro Murders, by Laura Lebow takes place in Vienna, Austria during the time Mozart was living and writing there. Of course I enjoyed the setting of the novel but I also enjoyed the main character who wrote librettos for various operas and who solved an intriguing mystery. Just loved it!

One thing I love about this challenge is the serendipity of finding an author I really like, all because I had to find SOMETHING for one of the categories!

For me, Elusive, by Sara Rosett was a great read. It was a fun and suspenseful romance/spy story. Refreshing, actually. I found it to be very entertaining.

Another serendipity of this challenge: reading Raymond Chandler for the Noir category (#22). Oh my - I didn't realize how dark some of the Philip Marlowe novels were. Apparently, Chandler's writing did get more dark in the latter part of his writing career - including books # 4 - 7 in the Philip Marlowe series. (This, according to a collection of his later works that I borrowed from my library for this challenge).

Anyway, The Lady in the Lake is a great story. Very dark, very noir indeed. Actually, I loved it.

#19 - A new book by your favorite author.

For this challenge I chose Love in the Time of Bertie, by Alexander McCall Smith which was published in 2022.

This book came from a series I've not read at all. I love the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series and have considered A.M.S one of my favorite authors.

In Love in the Time of Bertie, I saw many things I love about the author. However, I didn't like it as much. I think it's because in the Detective series, there is at least a puzzle or problem to be solved that holds the story together from beginning to end, while we see the details of the family and friendship relationships that go on all around the ladies at the same time.

In this book, there were 4 sets of main characters and the author moved from one group to another, each time picking up the thread from where he had left them before. So it was like 4 separate vignettes, each of them divided up and told in pieces. I didn't see a consistent whole.

#21 - Book that is co-authored

The Wife Between Us, by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen.

Intriguing story, and I enjoyed it quite a lot even though I didn't like any of the main characters. I did enjoy some of the supporting cast, however. The book certainly moved along but didn't keep me guessing too much after the end of Part I - other than what it was all going to lead to in the end. Quite an interesting read in the whole.

#10 - Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe was the book I chose for a book taking place in the 1980's.

I had tried The Marriage Plot but gave it up pretty quickly. So, I was glad to have found something I liked to help complete the challenge!

Somehow, I missed the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes" when it came out. Would love to see it now that I have read the book. I found the characters compelling. The telling of the story through the setting of a nursing home and the remembrances of one of the characters was done very well indeed.

Finished the challenge with #4, a protagonist over 40 years old. Hercule Poirot is referred to in this first book about him as "an old man". (The Mysterious Affair at Styles).

Karol~Congratulations 🎉 on Finishing this Challenge so Quickly❣️ Great Job

Kristine (So Behind, but keep having life events) wrote: "Karol~Congratulations 🎉 on Finishing this Challenge so Quickly❣️ Great Job"

Thanks, Kristine!

Good job on finishing!

Jackie wrote: "Good job on finishing!"

Thanks, Jackie! It was a fun challenge for me.

just checking to see how many people I "know" who've finished. Congratulations. Now it's basically fall, I'm getting antsy to finish 2023 challenges.

Bonnie wrote: "just checking to see how many people I "know" who've finished. Congratulations. Now it's basically fall, I'm getting antsy to finish 2023 challenges."

Thanks, Bonnie! It has been a good year challenge-wise for me. I'm sure you can finish things up with that "antsy" motivation. :-)