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

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

Jenn wrote: "I just finished and I feel a little guilty that I did not like it as much as other people have. It was a good story and good writing but there was something about i..."

I tried that a couple of years ago and ended up just deleting it. Dunno what all the fuss is about.

Heather wrote: "I don't know if I understand it completely, but I am gonna give it a try."

It seems like you got the general idea, except you can’t use books you read in January :)

Laurie wrote: "I didn't read Bridge to Terabithia until college, and I had quite the emotional reaction. But I also thought it was really good. Then I made my parents watch the movie with me and they didn't know anything about the story. My dad was literally mad that I made them watch it! Oops! 😅"

Hopefully the 2007 movie? My daughter's teacher showed the class a few parts of it, and she wants to watch the whole thing with me. The internet tells me there was also 1985 TV Movie version that's no good.

#9 and 10


Another one of those books I should have read as a kid but somehow never did. It didn't occur to me to put it on my GR TBR until a few years ago, but it's been on my radar for like 30 years, so when my daughter was assigned to read it for school, I decided that I'd read it too, once she was finished with her copy. It was quite good! And it gave us a few things to talk about.


I started reading DC Vertigo comics around 1995. This wasn't very old at that time but for some reason I kept putting it off. Years passed, and it became one of those things that it kinda felt as if I'd read even though I still hadn't, because I knew so much about it indirectly. Well now I have finally read it... and, eh. The artwork is great and it's neat to see how many DC 'Verse characters Gaiman was able to pack in, and how, but in most other ways it was somewhat disappointing.
This is #0 in the larger series, with the rest written by different authors though, so perhaps I will give the next part a shot.

Sammy wrote: "Laurie wrote: "Alysa wrote: "I give you... Best Scene Ever..."

Something sort of like that happened to me with when I was literally on the LAST PAGE of Kings Rising.
I was in the break room at work, had been in there all alone for like 30 min, and all of a sudden my boss's boss walks in with a couple of contractors discussing their plans to take away said break room in what was then an upcoming renovation.
I was so pissed because A) WTF with blithely taking away an employee break room??? and B) YOU RUINED MY EMOTIONAL READING EXPERIENCE!!!!

Laurie wrote: "Alysa wrote: "You mean you watched The Ian Somerhalder Show too?!?! :D"

Elena never really bothered me, not generally speaking anyway. But yeah, I don't know about Sammy, but it was definitely the..."

It took me several seasons to even vaguely warm up to Elena. I think I came around a bit when she punched somebody in the face. I can't remember any other details but I was like, Oh, okay, the milquetoast grows a spine.

In the book, that is really not a problem. Elena Gilbert is only mildly less of a bitch than Regina George. It would almost be awesome, except for all the problematic 1991 gender tropes that go with it.

Re the TV show... at some shockingly early point in its run, Damon was already the only reason I kept watching at all, and for all the years after.

I give you... Best Scene Ever:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O2ah...

Sammy wrote: "I watched the show too, for one reason and one reason only...

And it definitely wasn't Elena... Out of all the annoying main characters I've come across, she easily comes out top of the list!"

You mean you watched The Ian Somerhalder Show too?!?! :D

I never liked Elena very much on the show, but wondered whether it was just a case of the actress not being right for the part.
Now that I've read that book.. well, for all the changes the showrunners made... I believe more than ever that it was a combination of the writing and the casting.


I need to read Thunderhead too! I almost started it last week, but went with something else. Eh, it'll happen.

I might continue with this "original" series, from 1991-1992 or so.
But definitely not any of the newer ones that came out years later.

And as far as I understand it, L.J. Smith basically ended up writing fanfic of her own series, because the rights to the "official" series were owned by the publisher and they had another author start ghostwriting it. Quite perplexing, that story.
Perhaps the ghostwriter is actually a better writer than Smith... (which would not be hard?!)... but I will probably never find out, lol.

I knew it would be different from the TV show, but WOWZA do I understand now why they made so many changes.
The MC is basically a "Heather" and the Salvatore brothers are legit Italian, with accent and all. It's like John Hughes meets Anne Rice, but even worse than that sounds.

And yet... so much fun!

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! 😂