Keely’s Comments (group member since Aug 30, 2013)

Keely’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

Like a couple of others. I have not read the Priory so I might read that first before tackling this one. Luckily the Priory has a nice yellow cover for Uno so I will be encouraged to read it soon :P

There's a book I've been working on that I wanted to finish before the end of the year. It's a book I added in 2012 and I'm at 85% but I keep falling asleep before I get very far. So unless I have trouble sleeping, I don't think it's going to happen. But on the upside, it will count as an early start to next year!

Assuming I don't finish anymore, I have read 66 books from my TBR and deleted 35. And I will officially be starting 2025 with less books on my TBR than I did in 2024.

I didn't do this one in 2024 because I ended up pretty much ignoring it in previous years. But let's give it another go this year.
I will list 50 with the intention of hopefully reading at least 25 of them. My TBR is 1,073 at the start of 2025.

✔0/25

485 - The Hostage of Glenorchy (kindle)
282 - Groomed: Danger lies closer than you think
498 - An Ignorant Witch
230 - The Secrets of the Notebook
343 - The Last Continent (Discworld)
702 - Newport Harbor House (kindle)
796 - Case No. 56 (audible)
777 - A Long Shadow (kindle)
286 - Rainbow Valley (audible)
543 - My Sister's Keeper (kindle)
917 - The Second World War: Milestones to Disaster (library)
790 - A Royal Farce (kindle)
151 - Talon (book/Libby)
64 - Pollyanna Grows Up
391 - Captivate
700 - The Beach Hut (kindle)
1030 - The Winter Cottage
851 - What Happened at the Lake (kindle)
167 - Watership Down (library)
1057 - Behind Her Lies (kindle)
1051 - Old Man's War (book)
385 - A Quiet Place to Kill (kindle)
535 - School For Spirits (kindle)
927 - Thirty Seconds to Live (kindle)
29 - The Field Guide
712 - Littered with Trouble (kindle)
843 - The Waratah Inn (kindle)
1052 - The Water Thief (kindle)
589 - Transmission (kindle)
690 - The City on the Sea (kindle)
53 - Throne of Glass
221 - H.I.V.E. Higher Institute of Villainous Education
956 - Dead Wrong
778 - Deadhead and Buried (kindle)
36 - The Lost Child (book)
181 - Then There Were Nun (kindle)
1064 - Tiger Chair (kindle)
26 - Hostile Witness (kindle/audible)
163 - A Prayer for Owen Meany
867 - The Window (kindle)
1061 - In Any Lifetime (kindle)
48 - Killing Times 6 (kindle)
498 - An Ignorant Witch (kindle)
75 - In Between (kindle)
420 - Tempest in the Tea Leaves (kindle)
747 - Rise of the Dragons (kindle)
859 - Magical Arts Academy: Omnibus One (kindle)
146 - Fresh Doubt
957 - The Time Traveller's Guide to Restoration Britain
556 - The Harvest (kindle)

54 pages
320 pages
416 pages
246 pages
256 pages
704 pages
448 pages
437 pages
592 pages
49 pages
488 pages
174 pages
186 pages
827 pages
384 pages
230 pages
312 pages
1,276 pages
182 pages
509 pages
41 pages
30 pages

Current Total: 1,910,130

I've still got books I added in 2012 on my TBR. That year is now down to about 30. I'm unlikely to get them all read/deleted next year, but I hope to maybe half that. I only have 4 books left from 2014 so I definitely want to get those done.
The years pre-2019 don't have all that many left, but I discovered my library had an app in 2019 and then I found a website that sent me daily emails of Amazon deals so 2019 onwards still have crazy amounts of TBR books. I have been better this year though.

Melindam wrote: "I'd would be a terrible -almost apocalyptic- scenario, if we were all here with an empty TBR shelf, looking at each other with traumatised expressions and a need to talk about the good ole' days......"

I'm going to need at least another 10 years to get through the books already on my TBR and that's assuming I don't add any more in that time. I don't think I will ever see an empty TBR shelf, but my main thing is to try and not let them sit there forever unread.

I'm mostly spending this time reading those shorter books I've accumulated. Most of them have been acquired this year through Amazon First Reads so they don't apply to this challenge, but as they are usually too short for other challenges, now is the perfect time to get them read. And it will mean less books on my TBR next year.

I've been patiently waiting for next year's one to go live!

Cleaning out the TBR closet 2025 challenge
Duration: 1st January 2025 to 31st December 2025

In 2024, I read 66 books from my TBR and deleted 35. I started the year with 1,105 books and ended it with 1,077 so it at least went in the right direction. I would like to get it under 1,000 by the end of this year. I will go with a goal of 50 books read and continue to be ruthless when it comes to deleting or DNF-ing books. I will also do my mini challenge of 15 books from my Kindle again. Last year I read 10 although a lot more were deleted or DNF.

✔ Total Read: 34/50

Kindle Books: 7/15

Leftovers from previous years:
Added in 2012
The Last Anniversary
The First Assistant: A Continuing Tale from Behind the Hollywood Curtain
✔ Enemies and Playmates 13/1/25
FREE TO DIE


Added in 2013
✔ A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold 29/4/25
My Sister's Keeper


Added in 2014
I am the Dark
She's Gotta Be Mine
This Time Next Door
Killing Times 6


Added in 2016
Round Ireland with a Fridge


Added in 2018
The Rainmaker
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
The Girl in the Spider's Web
The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye


Added in 2019
Wild Dreams
The Sheik's Intimate Proposition
Dirty Secrets
✔ Crazy Beautiful 14/5/25
Wild Hearts
Deep
Wanted
Mindfulness for everyday people: EVERYDAY MINDFULNESS IN PRACTICE: Simple and practical ways for everyday mindfulness
The Girl Who Lived Twice
Watership Down


Added in 2020
Sleepless


Added in 2021
The Truth


New for this year

Added in 2012 (9/31)
✔ Heart of Darkness 8/2/25
The Book of Dreams and Ghosts DNF 18% 16/3/25
✔ Hostile Witness 27/2/25
✔ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl 10/3/25
✔ The Lost World 8/2/25
✔ The Diary of Samuel Pepys 5/8/25
✔ The Phantom of the Opera 23/8/25


Added in 2013 (6/23)
✔ A Feast for Crows 14/6/25
✔ A Dance with Dragons 1: Dreams and Dust 14/8/25
✔ A Dance with Dragons 2: After the Feast 16/8/25
✔ On Chesil Beach 31/8/25


Added in 2014 (0/4)

Added in 2015 (0/13)

Added in 2016 (2/27)
✔ Me Before You 11/4/25
✔ World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War 22/4/25


Added in 2018 (0/29)
Tainted


Added in 2019 (12/171)
Roughing It
✔ The Grapes of Wrath 2/6/25
✔ Stormbreaker 24/2/25
✔ Kidnapped 20/3/25
✔ Promise You Won't Tell? 15/4/25


Added in 2020 (0/36)

Added in 2021 (7/218)
✔ The Wee Free Men 13/1/25
✔ Hogfather 16/1/25
✔ Interesting Times 8/4/25
✔ Going Postal 10/2/25
✔ Thief of Time 14/2/25
✔ I Am Pilgrim 26/3/25
✔ Feet of Clay 29/3/25


Added in 2022 (0/316)

Added in 2023 (1/131)
✔ Winter Dark 3/1/25


Added in 2024 (7/78)
✔ Dietrich 23/1/25
✔ An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good 1/2/25
✔ Trapped: My Life with Cerebral Palsy 23/5/23
✔ The Winter Cottage 7/6/25
✔ Purrs and Peril 23/6/25
✔ The Madman's Hotel 22/8/25
✔ No Country for Old Men 2/9/25


Deleted: 9

I need to go through my Audible and Library apps and add whatever I've got waiting. I've tried to be good, but I'm sure I've missed some.

Cleaning out the TBR closet 2025 challenge
Duration: 1st January 2025 to 31st December 2025

In 2024, I read *61* books from my TBR and deleted *35*. I started the year with 1,105 books and ended it with *1,062* so it at least went in the right direction. I would like to get it under 1,000 by the end of this year. I will go with a goal of 50 books read and continue to be ruthless when it comes to deleting or DNF-ing books. I will also do my mini challenge of 15 books from my Kindle again. Last year I read *10* although a lot more were deleted or DNF.

✔ Total Read: 0/50

Kindle Books: 0/15

Leftovers from previous years:
Added in 2012
The Last Anniversary
The First Assistant: A Continuing Tale from Behind the Hollywood Curtain
Enemies and Playmates
FREE TO DIE


Added in 2013
A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold
My Sister's Keeper


Added in 2014
I am the Dark
She's Gotta Be Mine
This Time Next Door
Killing Times 6


Added in 2016
Round Ireland with a Fridge


Added in 2018
The Rainmaker
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
The Girl in the Spider's Web
The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye


Added in 2019
Wild Dreams
The Sheik's Intimate Proposition
Dirty Secrets
Crazy Beautiful
Wild Hearts
Deep
Wanted
Mindfulness for everyday people: EVERYDAY MINDFULNESS IN PRACTICE: Simple and practical ways for everyday mindfulness
The Girl Who Lived Twice
Watership Down


Added in 2020
Sleepless


Added in 2021
The Truth


New for this year

Added in 2012 (0/31)
Heart of Darkness
The Book of Dreams and Ghosts
Hostile Witness
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl


Added in 2013 (0/23)
A Feast for Crows


Added in 2014 (0/4)

Added in 2015 (0/13)

Added in 2016 (0/27)

Added in 2018 (0/29)
Tainted


Added in 2019 (0/171)
Roughing It
The Grapes of Wrath


Added in 2020 (0/36)

Added in 2021 (0/218)

Added in 2022 (0/316)

Added in 2023 (22/136)

Added in 2024 (0/*58*)

Deleted: 0

Once Wheel is over, I will help find books to get through Monsters a little quicker. I'm a few books away from my yearly goal so it will help keep me motivated.

I hope you all have a great end to the year!

I finished Sins of the Fathers and that might be my last one. I may squeeze another short one in, but I won't add anymore to the spreadsheet unless I am sure I will finish in time.

I finished The Lost Symbol.

As yours has pants in it, we will probably swap mine out for yours anyway (if we both finish them).

I will definitely get The Lost Symbol done today. And The Sins of the Fathers. I'm unsure if I will get Hostile Witness done, but I'm going to give it my best shot after I've got The Lost Symbol out of the way!

When you are in the book, there should be a magnifying glass symbol. If you go on that, you should be able to search for words there.

I'll be mostly working on my book on the Relax mini tomorrow. Might also finish Count of Monte Cristo tomorrow.

Sarah wrote: "I've read it, and remember it as quick. A Hawaii tag would make more sense (it probably has it) as I think the characters visit there? Anyway, THANK YOU!!! :)"

You are correct. They did go to Hawaii. I think I remember seeing it on the list when I was looking for books I could potentially read for the countries.

And you are very welcome. I'm always happy to help out wherever I can and it helped me get one book closer to my cap. I feel like I have fallen behind.

Mine was a fairly short one so I was able to get through it quickly. I'm not entirely sure why 12 people tagged it as Jamaica other than the main character being half Jamaican. But I'm not complaining. I enjoyed the book and it helped us with a task!