On The Same Page discussion

Here's my list. No rhyme, no reason. I made a list of books I wanted to read and chose 16 off the list. =)

I will also be giving some love to my neglected Instagram page in 2022 so please follow me at @alissa_reads_and_recs

16/16 COMPLETED

1. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune COMPLETED 1/8/22- 5 STARS
2. The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne COMPLETED 12/25/22- 4/5 STARS
3. When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O'Neal COMPLETED 3/29/22- 4 STARS
4. The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman COMPLETED 9/16/22- 4 STARS
5. The People We Keep by Allison Larkin COMPLETED 3/17/22- 5 STARS
6. Relic by Douglas Preston COMPLETED 8/4/22- 3 STARS
7. The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris COMPLETED 3/5/22- 4 STARS


8. Comes the Blind Fury by John Saul COMPLETED 7/11/22- 3 STARS
9. The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand COMPLETED 5/10/22- 3 STARS
10. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler COMPLETED 4/25/22- 3.5 STARS
11 Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier COMPLETED 6/7/22- 3 STARS
12. The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel COMPLETED 1/20/22- 5 STARS

Alternates:

Alt 1 The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie COMPLETED 3/23/22- 3.5 STARS
Alt 2 A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler COMPLETED 1/10/22- 3 STARS
Alt 3 Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy COMPLETED 2/4/22- 4.5 STARS
Alt 4 Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me by Adrienne Brodeur COMPLETED 5/26/22- 3 STARS


CURRENTLY READING:
NEXT UP:

I read Jar of Hearts in April and liked it. The only other one on your list I've read is Roger Ackroyd, and of course it's a classic. Will be looking to see what you think!

The Book Of Lost Names is on my to-read list. I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on it

Reading books you want to read!!! How dare you!!! Relic was fun, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is Agatha Christie at her best. I'm looking forward to trying Octavia Butler as well... Good luck!

Go ahead and put me down for a buddy read on A Good Neighborhood for January. I won't get to it this month....

You already know how I feel about this list. I almost did a copy/paste of my original comment!!

You will definitely have fun with Relic, so you might as well get #2 ready.

Good luck and enjoy your reading, Alissa

I gave the Book of Lost Names 5 stars, excellent book. I have a few of your others on my TBR. Wish you luck on your challenge.

Lindsey wrote: "Go ahead and put me down for a buddy read on A Good Neighborhood for January. I won't get to it this month...."

noted!!! Lea, we have Stay Close for January. Want to do A Good Neighborhood with Lindsey as well??

Loved The House in the Cerulean Sea and Kindred; The Heart's Invisible Furies was good, and so was Relic, although for some reason I did not love it (or the rest in the series).
Now I need to hide before Alondra sees this... but really, I hope you'll love them all.

Basically, what Bill said ... and Alondra. I think I'm on the 5th or 6th in the Pendergast series and it just gets better with each book. Happy reading!!!

Alissa wrote: "Lindsey wrote: "Go ahead and put me down for a buddy read on A Good Neighborhood for January. I won't get to it this month...."

noted!!! Lea, we have Stay Close for..."

Yes! I'd love to read A Good Neighborhood with you and Lindsey!

The only book I've read is The House in the Cerulean Sea, and I loved it. Hope you enjoy it also. I'm looking forward to all our buddy reads! :-)

will be the first book I start on this challenge in 2022 =)

I might join you for a buddy read.

I've only read #1 and #10 Alissa but I loved them both. I can't wait to see what you think about The Other Black Girl. I've had my eye on that one.

1st book of my 12+4 challenge completed and its my 1st 5- star read.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune


5 stars

This book felt so good. There have been books about magical children before (hello, Miss Peregrine) but this one just hit different. I loved these children. I loved this island. I loved Linus, the government official in charge of surveying magical orphanages to determine if they are run correctly .... but got a bit more of what he bargained for dealing with a group of spunky children, including the literal Antichrist (by far, the best character in the novel). "Lucy" as in Lucifer. A six year old child who delights in making people uncomfortable with his discussions on death and destruction, but is also hilarious and sweet and so desperate for acceptance. This book was a beautiful story about acceptance and wanting to be included. Just wonderful.

Alissa wrote: "1st book of my 12+4 challenge completed and its my 1st 5- star read.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
..."

I'm so happy that you liked it, such a wonderful book.

Alissa wrote: "1st book of my 12+4 challenge completed and its my 1st 5- star read.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
..."

I've never read. It definitely sounds interesting.

Alissa wrote: "1st book of my 12+4 challenge completed and its my 1st 5- star read.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
..."

Yay! Your first book was a 5-star read. Phew! Hopefully, that sets the tone for an enjoyable year of reading. :)

Completed my second book, A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler



3 STARS

Oh boy. So many things to discuss with this one. I liked it? And I use the question mark for a reason. There were parts I really enjoyed and there were parts I flatout hated. What starts off as two neighbor fighting over a tree turns into a heated debate about race and nature vs nurture and right and wrong. I feel like this book would be an excellent book club choice, and I glad that it was a choice for our buddy read.

I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea also. I now want to catch up with you and Ioana and finish A Good Neighborhood! :-)

Good Luck with your Reading Challenge. Glad you loved The House in the Cerulean Sea. I read it, too and it was just so touching and heartfelt. The Book of Lost Names I read, too. I thought it was really moving, too. Enjoy

Completed The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel



5 STARS

I had a feeling this book would be a winner, as it is not only Historical Fiction, which is my favorite genre, but it is also a Book about Books. I LOVE Books about Books, and when it is about a secret book designed to hold the real names of Jewish children as they attempt to embark to freedom during WWII, I was in.

Reading books set in WWII never is done with dry eyes and this one is no exception. And that ending? Double fist the Kleenex. All the Stars.

Alissa wrote: "Completed The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel



5 STARS

I had a feeling this book would be a winner, as it is not..."

Ohh, I'm so glad you liked it, I'm bringing it up on my TBR.

Added to my tbr.. how can I resist Kleenex?

Great start to the year, Alissa! I have to get to The House in the Cerulean Sea this year. And I'll have to add The Book of Lost Names to the list. Enjoy your next read!

I will be starting Once There Were Wolves today at lunch!

Ioana wrote: "Alissa wrote: "Completed The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel



5 STARS

I had a feeling this book would be a winne..."

I'm considering doing that too

Completed an alternate, Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy



4.5 STARS

This book was small but it packed a lot of emotional punches. A somewhat simple story- a scientist releasing wild wolves into the forests of Scotland to help bring back an environment balance, and monitoring their progress- but with an emotional backstory of Inti, her twin sister Aggie, and their strained relationship with both of their parents, as well as dealing with Aggie's trauma with her husband. There are a lot of chapters that go back to time as you try to figure out out happened. There's also a bit of a mystery involved, where one of the townspeople is found murdered, and Inti needs to figure out if the person was murdered by a person or by one of her beloved wolves.

This story felt both basic and complex. I would have rated it 5 stars but I figured out the ending about halfway through. I still enjoyed it immensely.

Alissa wrote: "Completed an alternate, Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy



4.5 STARS

This book was small but it packed a..."

Cool, this is on my TBR and it's with/about wolves...do I need to say more?

Alissa wrote: "Completed an alternate, Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy



4.5 STARS

This book was small but it packed a..."
Alissa, Thanks for your review. So glad you liked this book so much. I have it on my shelf to read this month and also Migrations. Sounds terrific ☺️📖

Completed The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris



4 STARS

The summary for this calls it Get Out meets The Devil Wears Prada which I think is THE perfect description of this novel. Nella works hard as an editors assistant at Wagner Books but finds it difficult being the only black employee and making her voice heard. So she is beyond thrilled when Hazel, an outspoken new editor's assistant, is hired and Nella is psyched to have another black female to work with and commiserate with. However, as Nella starts receiving threatening letters telling her to leave Wagner, she starts to wonder who exactly is on her side.

Alissa, you are doing great with your challenge. Love the books you picked. I just read Once There Were Wolves, and really liked it. The Book of Lost Names, read last year and also loved. Read Kristin Harmel’s The Forest of Vanishing Stars, that is incredible. I just ordered, The Other Black Girl, so found your review very helpful. Glad you enjoyed it. Good Luck with all your books.

Completed another off the 12+4, The People We Keep by Allison Larkin



5 STARS

I know it's only mid-March, but this book right now is the front-runner for Book of the Year for me. Just incredible.

This story has been told before- a down-on-her-luck girl with a terrible family background decides to leave her town and start over. This story is about April and the people she meets along with way. I don't know what it is about this particular book- I think it's the characters she meets and how they affect her life and her decisions- Margo. Justin. Bodhi. Carly. Adam. Ethan. Robert. This book was so incredibly told and I didn't want it to end.

Wow, book of the year, recommended by Alissa...must move it up the list. Done!

Alissa wrote: "This book was so incredibly told and I didn't want it to end ..."

This line right here is what will make folks want to read it. Nice review Alissa; and kudos on your progress. 💪💪💪

Completed another alternate, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie



3.5 STARS

What can I say that hasn't already been said about one of the greatest to ever write the genre? This book isn't long but packed loads of details with colorful characters (Caroline, the narrator's sister was annoying but hilarious).

I did guess the ending and I thoroughly enjoyed the journey getting there!

Alissa wrote: "Completed another alternate, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie



3.5 STARS

What can I say that hasn't alre..."

I've been enjoying Agatha's books as well. I don't know why I avoided them in my younger years.

Bill wrote: "Alissa wrote: "Completed another alternate, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie



3.5 STARS

What can I say t..."


We had a few of hers that were required reading in high school- And Then There Were None, The Mousetrap and Other Plays. But I just read Orient Express recently in the last few years, and I still haven't picked up any Miss Marples.

Alissa wrote: "Completed another alternate, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie



3.5 STARS

What can I say that hasn't alre..."

These are always quick, fun reads. I am on #16 (??) in the Poirot series and #3 in the Miss Marple. The Miss Marple series is not too bad, but AC usually has a whole host of characters and then Miss Marple shows up late in the book. I don't like that.

Alissa wrote: "Completed another alternate, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie



3.5 STARS

What can I say that hasn't alre..."

I remember enjoying this book when i read it. Glad you liked it too Alissa.
You actually reminded me that it has been a long while since i read Agatha Christie :D better get back to her then!

Completed When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O'Neal



4 STARS

*happy sigh*
*sad sigh*
*angry sigh*

So many sighs. Overall I really enjoyed this book. The bare bones of the story is two estranged sisters and one of them desperately searching for the other. There were some hokey parts to it, but overall I felt this was a beautiful book about broken people attempting to repair themselves.

Finally starting Kindred today!

Alissa wrote: "Finally starting Kindred today!"

Hope you like it!

Alissa wrote: "Finally starting Kindred today!"

Enjoy.

Completed Kindred by Octavia E. Butler



3.5 STARS

This book was SO interesting! A historical fiction/science fiction collabo written by an African- American woman. This book was so ahead of its time as it was written in the 1970s. There were some parts that felt a bit muddled but overall the premise of a African-American woman in the 70s time-traveling back to pre-Civil War times and dealing with her family (as well as her white slave owning relative) was so good. Highly recommended!

"Ahead of its time" would describe everything I have read by Octavia Butler. I can't figure out why we didn't hear more about her work when she was writing. If this were written today, it would be discussed everywhere.

Michelle wrote: ""Ahead of its time" would describe everything I have read by Octavia Butler. I can't figure out why we didn't hear more about her work when she was writing. If this were written today, it would be ..."

This book would be a great book club discussion!!

9 books down!! Woot!!

And just started #10 =)

Alissa wrote: "And just started #10 =)

"

You're on a roll!