You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

This month's challenge is based on "two". Report your success in this thread.
Reporting:

List your WoF name, link to the book you read and tell us which prompt you chose , and how your book fits the prompt. Also give us a small blurb of what you thought about the book.

WoF Marnie

I read 7th Heaven by James PattersonMaxine Paetro for the two author prompt.

This is a police procedural and the main crime is arsonists in California. I’ve read others in this series and enjoyed them. This one was just ok. Not sure if it was the narration I didn’t jive with or if the book seemed a bit dated. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

WoF Katrisa
I read What Really Happens in Vegas: True Stories of the People Who Make Vegas, Vegas by James Patterson and Mark Seal
Does James Patterson write any books by himself?

This was a an interesting book about some of the people who contributed to the modern las vegas. I give it 3.5 stars.

He's been criticized in the past for doing this. He has a formula which they use.

There are different theories - faster production (this more money), being the prevalent one.

WoF Shirley
I read Counterfeit
I chose it because it is set in two locations: China and the United States.
It's also the story of two college friends, now 30-something, Winnie, who has developed a counterfeit scheme and Ava who is also drawn into the scheme.
The story is told in two parts, from the point of view of each of the characters.
The story kept my attention throughout. It's fast-moving and, in parts, quite comic.

WoF Nix

I read Rouge by Mona Awad

I chose it because it fits dual timelines - one is Belle's childhood and the other is the present day when her mother dies. A magical realism element linked to beauty and mother daughter relation is linked to both the timelines and the story itself. While I loved Bunny and I love her writing style, this book was just too weird - I was like what was even that after finishing it. 3 stars

WOF Beth

The Two Destinies TWO in the title.

I really like Wilkie Collins. It was sort of gothic and a romance and all about the ridiculous expectations of women and different social classes in England of that time, but with a bit of supernatural and suspense. And all that explains why I thought Wilkie Collins was a woman. Which he wasn't. So I didn't do the double dipping with the yearlong that I thought I was doing. But no regrets, I liked the book a lot.

WoFSharonBiskit

I read The Betrayals. There were two time lines in the story. This was actually a point of frustration for me as there was very little transition between the two times. One timeline followed Leo as a student and the other took place years later when Leo is sent back to Montverre as an adult and as a consequence as perceived wrongdoing in his job as Minister in the government.

This book was not one that I was fond of reading. It was a very convoluted read and left many questions unanswered. Although some reviews raved about it, I gave it ⭐️⭐️ and felt very gracious in doing so.

WoF Odette

I chose The Ledge by Christian White, as it has dual timelines - 1999 and the present.

In the present, human remains are discovered in a regional area bringing old secrets to the surface for 3 old friends. In 1999, a group of teenagers came to find themselves involved in a tragic chain of events, and pact made to tell no one. There was an unexpected twist towards the end which took me by surprise.

I have read two of the author's previous books, and perhaps had too high expectations for this one, and was a little disappointed.
It was still an engaging and suspenseful read.

WoF Janice

I read Time's Convert. It is set in two timelines - Civil War and modern times. I wasn't pulled in by this book. I never felt connected to any of the characters. The twin toddlers were cute, and the griffin. I wish they had a bigger presence.

WoF Anusha

I read Magpie Murders. It is set in two timelines/arcs. One arc is set in the 50s, and another in the present.
The mystery was well-woven, and the characters were interesting for the most. However, the plot was a little flawed for my liking.

WoF: Kristie

I read The Phoenix Crown written by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang for the two author task.

This was a little different from the previous work I've read by Kate Quinn. It was a little less gritty somehow and had a touch of a women's lit feel at times. I'm not sure if that is the addition of Janie Chang's writing or just that it wasn't war based, which is typical of the Quinn writing that I've read so far. Either way, I enjoyed the story. I thought Quinn and Chang did a great job of working together to make the story feel cohesive. Each character was a well-defined individual, but the shifts in perspective were smooth.

WoF: Grainne

I read Greek Lessons for the two translators task.

This was the first book that I read by Han and it's quite different from the books that I have read by other Korean authors. There's two main characters who both have something that prevents them being a full part of the social life around them. The male character is slowing losing his sight and it's a condition that he has had since birth. The female character is losing her ability to speak which is also a condition that she had in her youth. They meet at Greek lessons in Seoul. She is hopeful that her language will be restored by a foreign language and he is her professor. It was a very interesting book! I might read another one by this author, maybe The Vegetarian.

I also read The Courage to Be Disliked: How to Free Yourself, Change your Life and Achieve Real Happiness which co-incidentally has two authors.

It is a personal development book based around the philosophy of Alder. It is written as a dialogue between two characters, a philosopher and a youth. It starts by taking a look at the individual and then develops into concepts of community. It was a very worth-while read.

I also read A Song to Drown Rivers
This book is set between two rivalling kingdoms in Ancient China: the Kingdom of Yue and the Kingdom of Wu. In Yue, the main character is born to an ordinary family and her beauty is remarkable and she is acclaimed by all. She must use her beauty to attract the King of the rivalling Kingdom of Wu to help her kingdom to win and that's as much as I can say without inserting spoilers.

WoF - Wendy (inactive/deleted)

I read Time's Undoing by Cheryl A. Head which has a dual timeline with events unfolding in 1929 and 2019, respectively.

The description of this book as a historical family drama, murder mystery and social commentary appealed to me. The main character is a young reporter covering the BLM movement in 2019 for a Detroit newspaper. While reporting on the latest police shooting of a black man in Detroit and the history of police involvement and brutality against the black community, she decides to investigate the unsolved killing of her great grandfather allegedly by police in Birmingham, Alabama. The story switches between 2019 and 1929, as the reader learns about her great grandfather’s life in those last few months before his mysterious death. What seemed like an interesting premise for a book ultimately fell short on execution. The writing is plain and choppy at times (e.g. lots of dialogue, repetitive and often unnecessary descriptions, passages meant to thrill/ convey danger fail to build suspense). I found it to have a distinctly YA feel/tone which I was not expecting. While this is a work of fiction, it is based on the author’s personal experience and it takes courage to write on matters close to the heart (2.5 stars rounded up to 3).

Wendy, you can use "Wendy" as your wall of fame name. A new wall will be created once it's time to award a badge to you.

WoF Jayme

I read The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis which has a dual timeline with events occurring in 1936 and 1978.

I actually enjoyed a lot of this book - the focus on the beginnings of Egyptology, the archeological dig, and the inner workings of The Metropolitain Museum of Art were fascinating. Where the book lost interest for me was the life drama of our main characters - stick with mummies dummies - they were more interesting. 3 stars

WoF Lynn

Book - Good Material
Prompt - 2 narrators

Honest and poignant, a great look at relationships vs being on your own. However, it really dragged in the middle and I began to get annoyed with the male whiney pov view eventually. The female pov saved it. 4 Stars

WoF Name: Amanda(Mandy)

I read Can't Spell Treason Without Tea for two narrators prompt.

This is a sapphic fantasy that the two woman both narrate. It was a good story about two woman who fell in love and left their lives to open a tea and book shop.

WoF - Jenn

I read Girl Two: Taken which was a quite good second book in a mystery/thriller series. It had decent detective work, interesting story, good teamwork, and it didn't fall into the typical romance tropes. Am intending to continue with the series.

I also read Two Can Play which was a fun romance. Two Game designer companies on a team building retreat, looking at themes of gender stereotypes in the field, and the importance of open communication. So far I have enjoyed the few that I have read from this author.

WOF Jane Reads


I read Laid Out to Rest by J.C. Eaton for the Two Author prompt. J.C. Eaton is the pen name for Ann I. Goldfarb and James E. Clapp.

Laid Out to Rest is a cozy mystery and a fun start to a new series. The protagonist Katie Aubrey is starting a charcuterie board business, and is reluctantly sleuthing to solve the murder of Edith Elliott. Edith is the former resident of Katie's rental home and uh, oh yeah, Edith's a ghost.

Badges have been posted. Please let me know if I've missed anyone.

Wendy, your wall is here.

Only me as I did not report in a timely manner, sorry :(

WoF: Rusalka

I read This Is How You Lose the Time War which has two authors.

I really enjoyed this little book. I found it a little hard to work out what was happening every now and then, but got into the swing of it. And then thought it was the most wonderful book of (view spoiler)[longing and love, on so many levels not just the one we automatically think of (hide spoiler)]. The world was interesting (once I got it) and unique, and I liked the little spins on different parallel time lines that came up now and then to be a point of interest and not bang the reader over the head. It was the perfect length for the story too, I very much appreciate someone(s) who knows when to stop. I'm not quite sure it was 5 stars, but a very solid 4.5.

Your badge is posted Rusalka.