Alysa’s Comments (group member since Jun 27, 2015)

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

So... I read

Really bad, really guilty-pleasure.
Part of me wants to give this only 1 star... but I was so entertained!!! So, 3 stars I guess???

Li'l Owl wrote: "I'm not sure I'm doing this correctly. I'd be very grateful if someone could please clarify my numbers for me? Thanks!"

In your example, the total # of books is 115.

I think the Mods haven't had a chance to double-check the #s in the explanation posts yet (probably they were in a rush to post this Challenge because of obnoxious people like me constantly asking them about ;D)

Jessi wrote: "**Waves** Hey Alysa! "

Hellooooooo!!!!!!!! :D

Decades Challenge 2021
1 Feb 2021 - 21 Feb 2022 [but completed very late!]

Full Version - Level V : 87-115 books
(might move up to Level VI; we'll see how it goes)

Read corresponding ending number for six (6) years of your choice (2012 to 2021) then one (1) book for others.

✔︎ 2021: 21/21


✔︎ 2020: 20/20


✔︎ 2019: 19/19


✔︎ 2018: 1/1


✔︎ 2017: 1/1


✔︎ 2016: 1/1


✔︎ 2015: 15/15


✔︎ 2014: 14/14


✔︎ 2013: 13/13


✔︎ 2012: 1/1


Total: 106
Completed late — no gem coin award!

Yes!!! I have been waiting for this challenge to go up!
Saving my spot. Will come back later and set goal. Done.

BTW, in message #1 is still says Duration: 1st February, 2020 to 21st February, 2021 so you may want to correct that. :D Fixed!

Full Version - Level V : 87-115 books
(might move up to Level VI; we'll see how it goes)

Read corresponding ending number for six (6) years of your choice (2012 to 2021) then one (1) book for others.

✔︎ 2021: 21/21


✔︎ 2020: 20/20


2019: 17/19


✔︎ 2018: 1/1


✔︎ 2017: 1/1

(but might want to replace w/something NOT AWFUL)

✔︎ 2016: 1/1


2015: 11/15


✔︎ 2014: 14/14


✔︎ 2013: 13/13

(but might want to replace AUA w/something longer)

✔︎ 2012: 1/1



Projected total: 106


Currently Reading:
Torn Sky 2015
Depth 2015

Finished #s 6 and 7

An enjoyable Ellen Datlow-edited anthology with a lot of well-known authors. Your mileage may vary, but there were only a handful of entries that I didn't like!


Somehow I ended up concurrently reading two very different historical novels both taking place in the 1600s and featuring women getting accused of witchcraft (the other was The Witch of Blackbird Pond). I dunno how that happened!
But in any case, this one was okay. I remember it being a big deal when it first came out in English, but having finally read it, I don't get what all the fuss was about. It's well-written, but kinda... low-key sexist maybe.

Finished #5


I somehow never got around to reading it as a kid, though I'm sure I'd have loved it then. I read it aloud to my daughter, and she liked it too.

Surprisingly still really good, though obviously Puritan New England via a 1950s author is not going to be unproblematic from a 21st century perspective. (All of which my daughter noticed an commented on, because she's awesome :D)

The Captive by Fiona King Foster

A rural noir about a woman on a pulse-pounding expedition to deliver a fugitive—and forced to confront her own past on the journey

In a secessionist rural state that has cut itself off completely from urban centers, where living is hardscrabble and poor but “free,” Brooke Holland runs a farm with her husband, Milo, and two daughters. Their life at the fringes of modern society is tenuous—they make barely enough from each harvest to keep going—yet Brooke cherishes the loving, peaceful life they have carved out for themselves. She has even begun to believe she is free from the violent history she has kept a secret from her family.

When escaped criminal Stephen Cawley attacks at the farm, Brooke’s buried talents surface, and she manages to quickly and harshly subdue him. She is convinced that he has come in retribution for the blood feud she thought she escaped years ago. Brooke sets out to bring Cawley to justice, planning to use the bounty on his head to hide her family far from danger. Fearing that other members of Cawley’s infamous family will soon descend, Brooke insists Milo and the girls flee with her, travelling miles on foot across an unforgiving landscape to reach the nearest marshal. Their journey, started at the onset of winter with little preparation, brings already strained family dynamics to the breaking point. As Brooke’s ghosts—both real and imagined—close in, the ruthlessness that let her survive her past may become the biggest threat to her hopes for a different future. What follows is a harrowing exploration of family loyalty, trauma, and resilience.

As haunting and propulsive as it is powerfully written, The Captive is a thrilling debut novel about the impossible choices we make to survive and protect the ones we love.

Saving Fable by Scott Reintgen

Side characters can be heroes too!

Indira has been a character-in-waiting her entire life. So she can't believe her luck when she's finally chosen to travel to Fable and study at the renowned Protagonist Preparatory, a school known for producing the best heroes.

But Indira's dreams of achieving hero status don't exactly go as planned. A failed audition lands her in the school's side-character track, and her best efforts to prove advisors--famous characters like Alice from Wonderland and Professor Darcy--wrong are constantly sabotaged. Indira is starting to feel like an evil antagonist might be to blame.

As the danger spreads, Indira discovers all of Fable is under siege. With her friends Maxi and Phoenix by her side, she pieces together clues that will reveal who is behind the dark magic threatening them all. But the more Indira uncovers, the more doubt she feels about her place in this world of stories. After all, can a side character really save the day?

This is on my TBR and think I can get a library copy in time to participate! Not writing DQs though.

God I love the Chronicles of St Mary’s.
I am a little bit behind on the new installments only because I have been trying to pack in all these super old TBRs! 😂

Judy wrote: "And #5 and #6 are done as well: Norse Mythology & The Emperor's Soul!"

Ooh, The Emperor's Soul was pretty good! I also need to read more Sanderson. :/

I recently read a so-so book that I would have DNF'd except it had the name "Severus Snape" in it, as well as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" because a character was reading it.

I also deleted an old Kindle Freebie book that I'd been considering, thought it also had at least one HP character name in it.

A few minutes ago, I was sampling through another old Kindle Freebie and randomly found "Marcus Flint"! And I was about to delete that book too! What to do, dammit, what to do?!

I also found the name "Draco Malfoy" in an eARC that I was looking forward to reading, only to discover that it's been removed from the final published version. Drat.

/end rant
:D

Finished another!


I thinks someone else here (Aiswrya?) read this recently too.
I liked this a lot in some ways, but disliked it in others. The way the Psychic Cops are woven into the real world is fairly clever and the plot moved at a good clip. But it's kind of dated in its portrayals of certain characters types (uh, stereotypes) and I actually did not like the sex scenes between the lead and the main love interest. The book would have been better without them.
I'm still adding Book 2 to my TBR though :D

Snowtulip wrote: "Just finished #3, The Windup Girl, this has been on my list since 2011! So far I'm liking all these older books :)"

I have been sitting on that one for ages! Not sure why, as I have liked everything else I've read by that author. :/
Maybe I'll read it this year too. :D

Finished #3


Meh. It's a book that's got its heart in the right place, but is somewhat tedious and screws up when you examine the details. TBH, I would have deleted or DNF'd it if I weren't using it for another challenge (it's got some words in text that I needed for a scavenger hunt).

✿~Danielle~✿ wrote: "Haven’t read any books for this yet. However, I have been spending time doing some cleanup of some GR shelves.

- Deleted 600 odd books, that for various reasons wouldn’t read now."

@Danielle, 600 deleted is AMAZING!
I've deleted about 100 since the start of the year, but I aspire to your number :D

Sammy wrote: "I can understand why other people like it, but the author just seemed too much in love with her own writing for my tastes. "

LOL, I think this might be the problem with The Once and Future Witches. It sort of works in 1000 Doors, because it's so meta, but in Witches it just comes off as pretentious. We'll see if I still think that after I actually read it.

Sammy wrote: "Aaaaand book 6 done!

Not a fan, unfortunately :("

Aw, that's too bad! I really loved that book.

However, I will say that I've tried to start reading the author's latest book, The Once and Future Witches, and was having trouble with it. Put it aside and will try again another day.

Finished #2!



That was super fun!
It didn't at all match how it's been described, IMO, but that's fine. Probably better that way. I will definitely read more of this series and this author.