Annalisa’s Comments (group member since May 04, 2018)

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

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "Well done Annalisa ! I felt a bit the same about The Lovely Bones. In some ways, I thought it worked better on film"

I haven't seen the movie. Would you recommend it?

I've finished a few books and not posted here.

has been on my too read list and I've had a physical copy for years. I don't know why it took me so long to read this book.The beginning was a bit slow, but I really enjoyed it up until the end. I felt a little annoyed with the end of the book.

This was a very odd little book. I really enjoyed it. I really liked the world that was created, but at the end of the book I felt like there was more I didn't know. This is a limitation of first person, but I still like really knowing the setting and it's intricacies.

I've been waiting for a long time for this series to wrap up. I liked the book, but I think it could have been shorter. I'm glad we have a conclusion to the story.

This book has been on my TBR list since I first joined good reads. I found it to be a good historical romance. I liked that the characters were not part of the peerage. It was a nice change.

This has also been on my list for a very long time. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. A contemporary romance with a political scandal as a back drop.

I did enjoy it. I wasn't sure at first. It started a little slow and a little emotional, but then it moved more into the present time and I found that more engaging. I still like reading a well written WWII story, and this was well written.

Michelle wrote: "I'm a little late updating, but I've finished 2! Yay!


Finished Jan 13, 2019, 5 stars!


Finished Jan 25, 2019, 3 st..."

I really enjoyed the Girl with the Pearl Earring, but it has been years since I read it. I may need to go back and read it again. I also liked The Virgin Blue by the same author. They are very different stories though.

I just finished Sarah's Key, which I have owned for years. I'm glad I finally got around to reading/listening to it. I am doing really well now that I'm getting the audiobook to nudge me into reading the books I own.

I used to read a lot of historical fiction set during WWII and I enjoy it, however; I lean towards lighter reads now. This wasn't as dark as it could have been but it is a WWII story.

I just finished one of my loan books and it was much better than I expected, but also odd. The Core of the Sun is translated from Finish and I kept wondering if it would have been as strange if I had not been reading the translation. It reminded me a lot of The Handmaid's Tale, but with chili peppers. I would recommend it, but it does open with the main character testing hot chilis--not on her tongue.

I've been cheating and getting the books I own as ebooks or audiobooks from my library. I finished my first for the year and read it in a combination of ebook and physical book.

I don't exactly have your problem, but I do know I'm more likely to read a library book than a book I own. Seems like the return date is the motivation I need.

Hi I need to join this challenge. I'm going to be adding in books that are on my real bookshelf. As well as a few from my TBR shelf that have been on there for a while I'm going to try and read 25 books total. I may add more later if I finish quickly.

35/37 books

Read 12 books on my Own and Loan shelf
1. The Lovely Bones (3/8/19) 4 stars
2. The Core of the Sun (2/2/19) 4 stars
3. Sarah's Key (2/8/19) 4 stars
4. Keeper of the Bees (4/20/19) 4 stars
5. Kim (6/20/19) 3 stars
6. An Excess Male (8/3/19) 4 stars
7. Sirena (8/14/19) 4 stars (This was actually a reread for me but it is a book I own)
8. Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard (9/25/19) 4 stars
9. Warrior's Cross (10/14/19) 4 stars
10.Stories of Your Life and Others (10/25/19) 4 stars
11. A Man Called Ove (12/26/19) 5 stars
12.

Read 5 books added in 2013
13. Fairchild (4/1/19) 3 stars
14. In My Dreams (5/6/19) 2 stars
15. The Lie (5/9/19) 4 stars
16. Moloka'i (6/5/19) 4 stars
17. The People in the Trees (11/14/19) 4 stars

Read 2 books added in 2014
18. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (5/24/19) 4 stars
19. Only You (4/2/19) 3 stars

Read 2 books added in 2015
20. Salt (4/13/19) 4 stars
21.

Read 4 books added in 2016
22. Kingdom of Ash (3/27/19) 4 stars
23. Annihilation (3/21/19) 4 stars
24. The Singer of All Songs (5/26/19) 3 stars
25. Shades of Milk and Honey (6/7/19) 3 stars
26. The Lies of Locke Lamora (7/9/19) 4 stars

Read 5 books added in 2017
27. Dark Triumph (1/13/19) 4 stars
28. The Highland Commander (2/15/19) 3 stars
29. The Other Miss Bridgerton (2/16/19) 4 stars
30. The Highland Guardian (3/6/19) 3 stars
31. The Pillars of the Earth (4/11/19) 5 stars
32. Afterlife (4/24/19) 4 stars
33. Tangled Web (5/16/19) 4 stars
34. Dracula (7/12/19) 4 stars
35. My Plain Jane (8/8/19) 3 stars
36. Unearthed (8/8/19) 4 stars
37. Shōgun (9/20/19) 5 stars

Books removed from my TBR:
1. Analinde: The Chronicles of Loresse
2. Strega
3. Edgelanders
4. Rising Darkness
5. Company
6. A Highly Unlikely Scenario, or a Neetsa Pizza Employee's Guide to Saving the World
7. Thief of Lies
8. How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World's Most Dynamic Region
9. Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization
10. The Luck Uglies
11. Magic Burns
12. Assassin Queen (This is the 3rd book and I haven't read the first two books)
13. Full Fathom Five (Another book from the middle of a series when I haven't read the beginning)

This was my first time participating in Wheel. Thanks for being such a great team!

I just posted for Middlemarch.

Completion Post
Cover:
Title: Middlemarch
Author: George Eliot
Narrator: Kate Reading
Date: Dec 8th
Rating: 3 stars
Pages: 904
Spell-Out Letters
R- Rosamond (character)
E- author
D -Dorothea (character)

I just finished the BOM and posted. I am going to finish up Middlemarch now. When do we need to have posted by?

Completion Post
Cover:
Title: My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories
Editor: Stephanie Perkins
Date Read: Dec 8
Rating: 3 stars
Page Total: 338
Spell-Out Letters:
R - Rainbow Rowell (author)
E - Shy Espinoza (character)
D - David Levithan (author)

BOM
Daily questions 1-5 My day six is the next post so I'm not going to put that in the post.

DQs Day 6

Star of Bethlehem
36. Lydia was very impulsive, in switching tickets with Hulda. Have you ever done anything so impulsive? What did it make you think about Lydia's character and situation?
I don’t think I have ever done anything that impulsive. I liked Lydia, but I did wonder about her. I felt like the ending was very revealing about her character.

37. Being British, the idea that an airport is four hours drive away is insane to me - I mean, I can be in France in four hours! which means I find it hard to connect with the situation (and, incidentally, completely got Hulda's outrage in the airport that getting a bus wasn't practical!) Did the setting of the story add or distract from your reading?
Being American, this is pretty normal. I didn’t think the setting distracted from the story.

38. Ethan's family was a really tangible element to the story. Do you think Lydia fell for the boy or the mob?
I think Lydia fell for the full family, because it was what she missed. I think she and Ethan have a chance at a relationship but it seemed like it was more about family.

The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer
39. This story had a really unpleasant baddy, in the form of Reverend Thingy (I disliked him so much that all I retain of his name is that it began with S). Did you react strongly to him? Other characters?
I didn’t like Reverend Spear either. I didn’t react quite as strongly. I found this story to be a bit like Laini Taylor’s other writing: I just don’t understand the fuss. The writing is good but the story is just meh.

40. The fact that the baddy was the priest and the love interest was a primoridal god-like creature made this feel kinda anti-religion. Do you think it fitted with the holiday theme of the collection?
It was an otherworld setting so I guess if fit. It didn’t work in the same way as the other stories and I think maybe that is why it came last.

41. The imagery in this story was really powerful. Did you enjoy it?
Imagery really drives Laini Taylor’s writing, but when I sit back it always feels like something is missing. I don’t think I did enjoy it.

42. and finally: do you have a favourite story? which author(s) will you read more of?
I liked the Rainbow Rowell story, which was a bit of a surprise. I also really liked Stephanie Perkins’s story. I think I will likely look for more from these authors. I’ve never read anything from either of them before. The rest didn’t really stick out for me.

DQ's - Dec 1

Midnights
1. Mags and Noel meet at a New Years Eve party and we read dialogue from 4 consecutive celebrations. To me, it’s pretty obvious Noel is interested in more than a ‘friendship’ relationship with Mags. What are your thoughts about why Mags is so reluctant?
I think Mags likes the friendship and is worried it will end if their relationship moves into more than friends.

2. Not sure, but Noel appears to have some experience with other girls…Natalie, Amy, Alicia…while Mags doesn’t interact with other boys. What’s keeping Mags from other boys and if Noel really likes Mags why is he kissing/dating other girls?
I didn’t think Noel was dating other girls after they meet, just kissing them at New Years. It almost seemed like he was trying to make Mags jealous.

3. It seems that Noel is really the one open to different things and specifically change vs Mags who appears likes things status quo. One quote ’everything was the same and everything was different’… what does this mean to you?
We recognize that people/things change around us, but we don’t always recognize the change in our self.

The Lady and the Fox
4. The man (Fenny) is outside standing still…in the trees always at Christmas, always in the snow… What do you think about this man? He says he’s where he’s supposed to be…he’s only allowed to come when it shows…why do you think he’s supposed to be there?
I wondered about him, but it seemed like he was a ghost.

5. Fenny gives Miranda the Fox Damask from his coat as a present and she fixes it so the fox is no longer chained and returns it to him one year later, again as a present. Is this ‘fox’ magic? Would he have been able to be free of the lady had this not occurred do you think?
I really don’t know.

6. The fact that Miranda’s mother is in jail is one aspect of this story that requires ‘imagination’. What does her mother have in common with Finny (the man in the snow) and/or the lady? Do you think her mother is really in jail in Thailand?
I really don’t know about her being in jail in Thailand, but I guess it is possible she might be. Maybe there is more to this world that I saw in the short story.

7. The book was written in a ‘different’ style. If you were going to put a label on the style, what would you call it and why? Does Link’s style remind you on another author you’ve read…if so, who?
I don’t know that it reminded me. Maybe magical realism.

Angels in the Snow
8. Shy puts up a good front that everything is just fine when he is actually starving and lonely. Haley's invitation to dinner seems to be exactly what he needs. Why do you think he is making choices that are clearly making him miserable?
Because he doesn’t believe he can take kindness from others without them thinking he is taking advantage of them.

9. Haley asks Shy about his meals, invites him to dinner, and then brings muffins which she puts straight into the refrigerator without giving Shy a chance to stop her. Do you think she suspects that he doesn't have any food? What did you think of her solution of fixing dinner and then dragging him up to her apartment to eat it?
I think she suspects that he is hungry. Also, she knows that he doesn’t want to accept any help.

10. In the end, it turns out that Haley wasn't completely honest, and she confesses her deception to Shy. What do you think initially motivated her to deceive him? Why is she telling him the truth now?
I thought that deception was probably the most interesting part of the story. She is telling him the truth because they want to have a decent relationship and not have secrets.

Polaris Is Where You'll Find Me

11. Given that Natalie has lived at the North Pole since she was a baby, did you find it odd that she seemed so completely alone at the party and separate from the elves?
It did seem a bit odd, but is it really any different for race issues in some places?

12. What did you think of Santa as a dad: the dress, the dance, the fact he can't be lied to?
I thought he maybe wasn’t as aware as he should have been and the fact than he can’t be lied to would have made him more aware.

13. The end of the story was really open ended. Do you think Flynn is right that she will go away someday and stop believing or do you think she will stay at the North Pole?
I think she will leave the North Pole. It seems like she doesn’t really belong there.

3 December

14. We are halfway through. Do you have a favourite of the stories so far? Is there one you are particularly looking forward to reading?
I really enjoyed “It’s a Yoletide Miracle, Charlie Brown”. Maybe because it was set in a fictional version of where I live and grew up.

It's a yuletide miracle

15. Marigold's apartment was a suprise. Have you ever lived somewhere with things piled up around you like that or where you had boxes unpacked for months?
Yes, and I hated it. Moving the last time took a while to unpack.

16. I thought this story had a nice style. Have you read any books by Stephanie Perkins? What did you think?
I haven’t read anything else by Stephanie Perkins. I also really liked the style of this book. I think I will probably try reading a novel of hers.

17. I was trying to picture Asheville in my mind and ended up doing some google-ing. Have you ever been there or somewhere like it?
I live there. Probably one of the most popular travel destinations. The story did a pretty good job showing what it is like.

Your temporary Santa

18. This story was the most unusual for me. I felt like there was a lot more going on than what I understood (like the nasty sister and the strange interaction with the mum in the hallway). But I find that a lot with Levithan books! How about you?
I don’t really care for Levithan.

19. I like how he is Jewish and his parents gave him the story about Santa and how "you can wave to him as he flies past if you want". Did your parents have any unusual Christmas stories or traditions?
I don’t think so, but then again maybe I would think it was normal.

20. Did you ever see Santa? When did you stop believing?
Never saw Santa and I think I was probably nine, but I really don’t remember when I stopped believing.

DQs Days 5

Krampuslauf
22. Krampuslauf is an unusual holiday festivity. Does your community and/or country have unusual holiday traditions and/or festivals?
Not that I know of.

23. Penny and Silke were given the opportunity to decide if Roth was going to be punished. Penny showed more compassion with wanting Grieselda to punish him like Krampus would. What did you think about Roth being turned into a donkey?
I thought that was interesting a little like Midsummer Night’s Dream.

24. Joachim told Hanna that his people are often beseeched for favors, but seldom invited to share feasts. When he offered her a gift, Hanna wanted to never forget that there’s magic in the world. Why do you think she wanted that?
Because she knows that the magic adds something from childhood to life.

What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth

25. Sophie is having a hard time adjusting to college life. Having to say “just kidding” and wondering what she has done this time. Do you think she misread situations?
At the start of the story I didn’t think she was misreading the situation but then as the story continued I realized she was misreading the situation.

26. Russell said the only constant in his life was the Simpsons. I feel when he was talking about his grandmother that she is a constant too, regardless of the amount of time he could spend with her. Is there something or someone that is a constant in your life that helps keep you grounded?
My family is a constant, but I think a lot of being grounded is internal. They certainly help.

DQs: December 6th
Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus
27. What do you think of Vaughn's pranks? Do you find them funny throughout the story? Could you relate to the way he thinks - like everything is just a step away from a disaster to happen?
I didn’t really relate to Vaughn and his pranks. I think maybe I needed to see more of the pranks to find them funny.

28. I've noticed that the stories in the book have some kind of continuity regarding fathers and them leaving. Did you get a similar feeling too? What do you think why Vaughn's dad left and what do you think of his mom and how she is handling the whole situation?
I didn’t notice that there were a lot of fathers leaving, but now that you have pointed it out it seems rather obvious. I didn’t get a good handle on the situation of Vaughn’s family. Not enough to say anything about it anyway.

29. In my opinion, the quick love-to-be between Vaughn and Gracie felt a bit rushed. Do you feel the same way or do you have a different opinion? Do you think they go together well as a couple and why?
It did feel a bit rushed, but maybe that was because at the beginning I thought Gracie had a boyfriend. They seemed like they would be a good couple, but I thought more time would have been nice.

30. During the reading, I also wondered how kind was Gracie's dad, the pastor, to Vaughn. What do you think was the course of his actions, do you think it was really just out of kindness as Gracie pointed out? Overall, how did you 'experience' the pastor? Did he seem like an actual pastor?
I didn’t really see him as a pastor. I didn’t really didn’t get a great feel for any of the characters in this story. It was missing something.

Welcome to Christmas, CA
31. Would you like to live in a town like Christmas? If yes/no, why?
No, it sounds like it would be pretty isolating and difficult.

32. What do you think you would be if you were a food?
If I was a food I guess I would be a dark chocolate because I eat a lot of it. Or maybe a peach.

33. Did you expect Rick acting this way and saving money so Maria could go to college?
I found that twist in the story unexpected.

34. Personally, I really liked Maria as a character - especially when she helped Candy so much. What did you think of her?
I also liked Maria and thought that her helping Candy was a very nice touch.

35. What part of Christmas is your favorite?
I like the smell of spruce trees.

I have a book that only works for e that I'm planning to finish as well as two that work for all letters. I really hope I can finish all three of them.

I also noticed the official spreadsheet is pulling BOM points from week 5 for week 6. Also BOM seems to be broken again. We should have 60 points from Ora reading the book and writing questions but doesn't show up.

We are supposed to be getting a pretty big snow storm here starting tomorrow. I am hopping we don't loose power. I think it should start snowing about the time this ends. It will be good reading weather. If anyone else is getting the storm stay warm.

Completion Post
Cover:
Title: Life After Life
Author: Kate Atkinson
Narrator: Fenella Woolgar
Date: Dec 6th
Rating: 4 stars
Pages: 529
Spell-Out Letters
R - Ruth Nesbit (character)
E - Edward Todd (character) called teddy
D - Dorcas Woolf (character) I'm not sure of the spelling of her name.

Bonus taks
23.Read a book that has a birth (40 points) -Ursula is born over and over again

I just finished my audiobook for the task with a birth. I'll get a post for it up when I'm on my PC.

That makes it seem like BOM can be used for the mini.