Nanci’s Comments (group member since Jan 29, 2016)

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

Keely,
Your kittens sound adorable! I'd like to spend a few hours with them, but of course with long sleeves and long pants, Their little nails are a tad ouchy. They grow up so fast. Enjoy these few months!

Oh gosh, Melissa! Good to know! Thanks!

Back to book conversation...I just have the Epilogue left in my book, so I'll finish it in the AM and add to the SS.

Melissa,
We biked on the Natchez Trace Trail in Mississippi. We also biked around Laurel, Miss. We both enjoy the TV show Hometown on HGTV and biking there was wonderful. In Louisiana we biked around New Orleans area. This was in October, so we did not burst into flames! The literary book tour sounds awesome! I'm currently doing the challenge to read a book from every state, which is a fun way to experience the states.

Mary, we lived in Hanover, NH very near to the Connecticut River. We also could kayak or ride bikes in one day in both New Hampshire and Vermont. Wonderful that you had the opportunity to live in many different states.

Covid really put a dampener on our overseas travel, but also encouraged us to travel extensively in the US. We rented a small RV and drove out west to visit many of the national parks. One of my favorite all time trips and fairly reasonable in price. We both worked hard and pinched pennies, so we would be able to travel in retirement. It's one of our favorite things to do!

I'm 60% done listening to The Broken Girls for the Boar monster. I'm east coast US, so won't be able to log it until tomorrow morning, as I can't stay awake past midnight, but I will finish all, but the very end before bedtime.

Mary, 42 states in 52 years...you're doing good! We went cycling through my last 2 contiguous states (Mississippi, and Louisiana) in the fall. Our very last state will be Alaska. We were going to go for my husband's 70th bday in September, but now have to push it back as I need my other knee replacement at that time. It's ok, as we really want to be able to hike a lot while there and another new knee will hopefully make that happen with less pain.

Laurie, the summer reading challenges are so important at the library. I love taking our grands to the library! Our one grandson, who is now 9, is my dedicated library buddy, which is so much fun. All 6 of them love books, but he's the real book lover. He asked me to get him a book light when he was 7, so he could read in bed just like NanNan. (That's me.) Be still my beating heart!

Melissa wrote: "I think we should get that boar!
Maybe we can use your book, Nanci for the boar, and Keely's. That would get us 1,2 4. I am reading [book:The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the W..."

Melissa, if you haven't watched My Octopus Teacher on Netflix yet it is fantastic! Such resilient, intelligent animals. The documentary is very educational and the photography is beautiful!

Sounds like a great plan, Melissa! I'll listen to mine as quick as I can.

Laurie B, I'm with you. It was just way too fast for me! This one seems more doable.

Ok, I am listening to The Broken Girls, which is 336 pages. It will work for:
Boar - #2 or #4
Harpies - Possibly #3?
Sphinx - Possibly #3 - The MC is trying to figure out who killed her sister. Would that be considered a riddle??

I am going to be reading a book with 576 pages for Turf Wars, but no way will I get through it fast enough.

I'll look to see another task that might work for the maze.

I finished a book and have a few others I need to log in still. Going to the SS to see what fits.

So sorry I haven't been contributing. I'm at the beach with our family of 11 this week, so it's just a bit chaotic. Especially since I'm the mom and grandmom, I'm getting pulled in many directions and honestly, just want to spend time with my kids, especially those I don't see often.
We leave Saturday, so next week I should be back on track with my reading and posting.

I talk fast and listen fast too. :) I usually do 1.75-2.0 depending on book. I can listen faster when I'm using my ear buds. I almost always walk when listening, so the faster I listen, the faster I walk! LOL
If it's a beautifully written book and I'm not reading it with a deadline, then I slow down to 1.25-1.5. I no longer can listen in real time...it just seems like everything is sooo slow.

Hi! I'm just checking in also. The maze challenge is really something, but luckily we have many people on our team who are BIG readers and chomping at the bit to read the specific books. If I were home I might be more interested, but getting a new home set up in Florida to rent, just doesn't leave much time for me to do my usual reading. I'm just reading a little when I can. Our team is doing great though, so it's nice not to feel the pressure like some other challenges!

I just finished Malibu Rising and added it to the SS. Looks like the mini is all covered, but if not let me know and I can add it there. It's a very popular book, which I'm sure many of you have read. I found it to be well-written and entertaining. The audio version was good and I'd recommend it.

Yikes! It has been 6 days since I checked in on our thread! Big apologies! Trying to get our new home in Florida set up has been keeping me working from early morning until late at night. This is the first time in my life that I have read so little. Even when working full time and raising 3 kids and taking care of my mom wasn't this busy. We're trying to get everything done in order to rent when we leave here on June 3. Excuses, excuses and again I apologize.

I will pass on the mini and it sounds like the pressure is off to read a lot of books, as you all are reading lots of books. I'll just keep listening to my books as I drive to the stores and as I work around the house and try to check in more often than lately. Thanks in advance for your understanding!

Shan ~A~ wrote: "Thanks everyone!!

We finally made it home after driving all day through thunderstorms. I'm so happy I could kiss the ground in my front yard. We just unpacked the vehicles prior to me logging on, ..."

What a great time that was for you and your family! Huge congratulations to your daughter! A milestone for her and now she's off to make her mark on our world!

Melissa wrote: "Finished a good mystery set in Australia."

I read that book in September of 2021. I still remember it well! I listened to the audio.

DQ May 19- How Noriko Learned to Love - End of Book

Do not read these if you haven't finished the book. Contains spoilers.

13. In this chapter we get to know Saturo's Aunt Noriko better. What adjectives would you use to describe Noriko's personality? How did you feel about the way Noriko revealed Saturo's birth story? Were you surprised to learn he was adopted?

14. Did you think Nana running off towards the end and living his former life as a stray was fitting for the story. Was it believable that he would come back and forth visiting Saturo in the hospital?

15. Endings...they must be the second hardest thing to write for authors after beginnings. Did you like the ending? You may consider the Epilogue also when answering the question, if you like.

16. The author, Hiro Arikawa, has written other books, with very different genre. She has written books about Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). (I have to admit I know nothing about that!).
Would you read another book written by her? And lastly, would you recommend this book to others? If so, would you only recommend it to people who you know are cat lovers or would you widely recommend it?

Keely wrote: "Nanci wrote: "Keely,
I loved all the Ken Follet series books, but Pillars of the Earth was my favorite. I never read such a fat book, so fast!"

I definitely plan to read the rest and check out som..."

Yes, it was a real page turner! Loved the characters and setting. The series does not disappoint, although as is typical in series, some of the original characters die off as time progresses and are replaced by new ones. I always hate to say goodbye to those characters that I liked so much. Glad you enjoyed it!