Chapter Adventure Reading Challenges discussion

The Motif (theme) for May is ...

“Virtual Book Club”

Read a book from a celebrity/ influencer book club list, an organization’s book club list, your library’s book club lists, or a book club you’re a part of.

Share with us! Which book did you read and what did you think of it?

Challenge Complete: From the Good Morning America Book Club

The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The book is slow to start, as we’re introduced to the main characters. There’s Vera, who has lucked into a prime role. Nancy, who probably isn’t as talented as she thinks she is. And then there’s Salome, whose story is intertwined with that of the actress who’s portraying her. There’s also the men in their lives, who don’t come across as strongly as the women do. Their roles are very much second string.

This is definitely a step away from Moreno-Garcia’s usual work; there’s not a touch of the mystical, and the only horror is the way some of the characters are willing to do anything in order to get ahead. I have to say, I missed the unworldliness that usually permeates her books.

It wasn’t until near the end that the pace picks up; enough to make up for the rest of the book. The tragedy of their lives comes full circle with Salome’s. No one walks away unscathed.

Challenge complete: Good Morning America Book Club

I chose to read Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera and it was a good one, peeling the whodunit layers little by little by little until it all unraveled on the last few pages.

From the Belletrist book club list
• How To Be Eaten - Maria Adelmann
- Retelling/Urban Fantasy/Horror
- Finished: May 27th.
- 5 stars on Goodreads
This was friggin fantastic! Easily one of the best I’ve read so far this year. The entire thing is just so gritty and atmospheric. The characters seem utterly preposterous, yet all too real at the same time. Each somehow makes their fairytale based story seem entirely plausible. Which is to say, the author has managed to create characters with personalities and storylines that draw the reader in, while also boldly inviting them to suspend disbelief. Well, I gladly did so, and was immensely entertained in return.

Heard so much about this - it was just okay for me.

The book I chose for May was Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. It was an Oprah book club pick back in 2022 I believe. I chose this book because I really enjoyed her other book, The Poisonwood Bible. Demon Copperhead takes place in a small, rural, poor county in Virgina. It follows a kid, Damon Fields, aka Demon Copperfield, in the 90s as he struggles with poverty, foster care, and opioid addiction. I would recommend this book.

Read “Table for Two” by Amor Towles
This worked out good, was able to use my book club book for this as well! Very much enjoyed this one, all of the short stories and the novella were excellently written.

I can't remember which book club online that I found this recommendation, but I finally read The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage by Mel Robbins, which was on several book club lists and on my virtual TBR for a while. This book was severely disappointing. It read like an infomercial. As others commented on Goodreads, I should have just watched the Ted talk: the premise can be summed up quickly, even with several examples. Can't get that time back!

GMA Book Club (2022) - Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.

Loved this and it's definitely worth the hype if you like quirky characters, and complex relationships.

I am catching up on 2025 posting. CHALLENGE COMPLETE with GMA Book Club read The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. While I have read quite a bit this year, this is perhaps my favorite & I plan to purchase a copy for my bookshelf. It would fit with the February motif - I was in tears, fuming mad, terrified, and overjoyed as the story unfolded. Yet I finished feeling seen and uplifted. Two thumbs up - five stars - definitely recommend!