Holly’s Comments (group member since Nov 05, 2013)

Holly’s comments from the The Reading Challenge Group group.

Anthony Blanche in Brideshead is the best gay character I've come across!

Although having to study the novel really took the enjoyment out of it. There are certain books that I just can't study, and that was one of them.

I'm debating whether or not to read this. I am at a stand-still in my reading where I don't want to start my summer reading, but need to read something to fill the gap, and this might be it.

I'll see how much it is on Kindle.

Kaylie, I found Perks got better towards the end. I didn't love it, but it was an interesting read, and I can understand why people would love it. I agree though, the writing is very morbid.

Dely, don't apologise. We all have different time constraints and commitments. Hopefully we'll see you towards the second half of the year!

I didn't understand like half of that book! Hopefully I can get through some chunksters this summer!

Now my number seems pitiful!

I admit, not quite!

Me and Faye just wanted to get some feedback as to how people feel the group is going. People have been doing so well with their challenges, and the response to the Genre Challenge has been amazing. There's been some really interesting discussions and debates going on, and the general involvement has been more than we could ever imagine!

Now we're half way through the year (already?!), we want to get your opinions on how the group has been, and more importantly, where you want it to go. We're always trying to think up new ideas, but the best ideas come from our members.

Is there a particular idea you have? Threads you want to set up? Things you would love to have implemented? This is the time to say your ideas loud and clear. Or, if you just want to rant about horrendously awful this group is, that's okay too. We ultimately want your opinions on the past, present and future of the group!

Thank for spending this crazy half a year with us, and I hope you all do well in your challenges!

Sandy, you can start up a 'behinders' encouragement thread if you want to!

Don't forget our Buddy Reads section at the bottom of the page. You can always set it up there.

You're very welcome to continue using the Group Read thread. I know many people did this with The Count of Monte Cristo, considering its such a long book!

That way, people who have read it during May can take more part in the discussion. But it's honestly up to what you wish to do!

Roseanne, if you want to set up another mini-challenge, we can sort that out? We could do it for the remainder of the year, or perhaps for summer?

I'll probably continue with his Karla trilogy before I examine more of his works. Let me know what you decide!

You'll probably find one or two posts going 'NOOOOO!!! MY LIFE IS OVER!!!!'. I'm actually rather calm now, I blame being ill. I'm usually far more panicked at this stage!

I forgot about it for a long time too, Kassandra! I actually love the publication date information. It spurs me on to see that regardless of enjoying the classics, most of my reads still fall in the 20th and 21st centuries.

So far, I've read 12,818, pages, and my longest was Ulysses, at a whopping 933 pages. I've already read 3/4 of the pages I read last year, so I'm chuffed with myself!

40. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

40 is a nice milestone to reach! Especially with a book that I enjoyed so much!

Although we all like counting books as part of our challenge, I always think counting pages is a really interesting way to judge your reading!

If you want to see how many pages you've read so far:
1. Click on 'My Books'
2. In the top right, you'll see 'Stats'. This gives you the statistics of your books, by year, including number of books, number of pages, and the publication date of the books you've read.
3. Click on pages, and pick '2014'.

You can also see the longest book you've read, and how they are spread out over your shelves. I find this particularly useful as I shelve mine by the genre they are, and when they were written.

Obviously, it may not be exact. Different editions have different page counts, and depending on how accurately you record your books, your page count will be reasonably accurate!

I thought it would just be a nice thing to discuss and analyse!

The question is, Renee, which moderator?! ;)

Faye, you better not be starting a dictatorship!

I might get round to it some time this summer, although I'm doubtful it'll be June! Sorry!

I was having trouble getting to sleep, and due to all this talk of audiobooks, I thought I'd give Librivox a go again and I listened to a bit of The Woman in White. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

I'd listen to audiobooks a lot more, it's just unfortunate that I don't have a lot of opportunities to. I don't do any long commutes, and I'm pretty sure Mum wouldn't appreciate me playing Dickens and Shakespeare in regular car journeys! I think I'll have a 15/20 minute walk to my lecture theatre at Uni (Loughborough is stupidly big), so that might be an ideal opportunity to get some listening in each day!

I'm glad everyone is enjoying the audiobooks!

Renee, that sounds absolutely fascinating! Your 'Dead Frenchmen' summer sounds wonderful, and I'm very jealous!

What is your planned theme this year?

Kassandra, it was my first John Le Carre, and it surprised me. I watched the film adaptation (the cast was magnificent), and I rather enjoyed it. It's far more political than what I usually read, so it took some time to adjust to the writing. I also think I read it a bit too quickly. I wish I'd taken my time with it a bit more. Nevertheless, I'd definitely recommend it, and I'll certainly be hunting round for the sequel.

Sandy, exams technically haven't started yet (Friday, eek), and I'm avoiding TV shows like the plague, so reading is taking up most of my free time. I can't wait til June 19th when I can just read to my hearts content for like 3 months!