Keli’s Comments (group member since Jun 23, 2016)

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

Melanie wrote: "Keli wrote: "And it also mentioned how Armentrout seemed to "borrow" or was likely inspired by a Rachel Caines series, the vamp one. I can't remember the name of the series but i read the first one..."

Yes, Vampire Academy! Soz, I got wrong author. Caine wrote Morganville. I read the first of that one too. But yeah, Richelle Mead. i'd just finished her fae series and was so excited about a vampire one. Was quite underwhelmed however.
The two Armentrout books I read were from her alien series Lux. I didn't read her Vampire Academy like book. I read the Richelle Mead book and didn't see much point reading a similar story.

I have yet to read The Catcher in the Rye. Your discussion is bumping it up my tbr reading list. I want to know whether I like Holden or not.

I won't, however, read Jennifer L. Armentrout anymore. I have only read two by her. But then read this very detailed and fact based blog on the strange story of Jennifer Armintrout and the above JA. It was weird and questionable is terms of ethics. And it also mentioned how Armentrout seemed to "borrow" or was likely inspired by a Rachel Caines series, the vamp one. I can't remember the name of the series but i read the first oneand was shocked at how, erm "similar" they are. I can't say identical, but it's crazy that a fantasy author wouldn't have read the Caine series. Anyway, I think I'm too jaded to read Armentrout without thinking where did she lift this from. But I will be absolutely clear that everything I've said about Armentrout is opinion. No one has accused her of plagiarism, as far as I know. But if you are curious

The orginal article i read abouth this
https://medium.com/@SarahSweetReads/c...

Jennifer Armintrout now Jenny Trout's not original post that sparked it all, but a rewrite of it.
http://jennytrout.com/?p=9886

Cat wrote: "Sophie wrote: "Right the 'romantasy' genre and I have issues. I like romance and I like fantasy. I quite happily read smut/erotica. What I object to is having a decent fantasy world and plot being ..."

She is a terrible writer and cringey enough without sex scenes. I can't imagine the horror of added genitalia.

Finished my first 7
1. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Added 2016
2. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Added 2022
3. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Added 2023
4. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Added 2021
5. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Added 2018
6. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Added 2017
7. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Added 2021

Moll Flanders was not a book I would've picked up had I not joined a banned book challenge, but it was pretty amazing. A little dated in style but an absolutely mesmerizing story. It blew me away that a man wrote this in 1722, a protofeminist story. Brilliant and I highly recommend.

I like the themed idea. Colors and places are always fun.

Carmen wrote: "I read Heartstopper vol 5! It's been on my TBR since 2021 so I feel like it counts, though it doesn't really matter, given I'm over 100% already, haha!"

I think as long as it's over a year, you're good

I exceeded my goal! I originally set a goal of 30, then upped it to 50, and I've read 52 in the end. My last few books have been mediocre, except for my final read, which was brilliant. It is a good one to go out on.
47. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - A little dull. A few good stories
48. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Had some real funny moments, but the repetition at the beginning of each story was annoying.
49. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Meh
50. ⭐️⭐️ - So dull
51. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - The love story was good, as was the murder mystery. It just lacked something for me.
52. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - I wanted to like it so much more, but in the end just not good enough.
53. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Absolutely brilliant. Heartbreakingly sad. So well written. The main character is superb. I can understand why this is so lauded. Also, listened to Dominic West read it. Fantastic voice.

I'm in again. 40 books Date added to tbr in parentheses

1. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(2016) 2. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2022) 3. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(2023)
4. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2021) 5. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2018)6. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2017) 7. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2021) 8. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2020)
9. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2019)10. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(2016) 11. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2022)
12. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2020) 13. ⭐️⭐️(2019) 14. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(2022)
15. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2019) 16. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2020) 17. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2022)
18. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2018) 19. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2016) 20. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(2019)
21. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(2022) 22. DNF 31%(2016) 23. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2016)
24. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2017) 25. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(2016) 26. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(2021)
27. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(2016) 28. ⭐️(2019) 29. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(2022)
30. ⭐️⭐️(2018) 31. dnf 26%(2019) 32. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2016)
33. ⭐️⭐️(2017) 34. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(2021) 35. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2022)
36. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(2017) 37. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(⭐️)(2021) 38. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(⭐️)(2022)
39. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2023) 40. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2023) 41. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(2018)
42. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2016) 43. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2019) 44. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2017)
45. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2016) 46. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2016) 47. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2016)
48. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(2019) 49. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(2017) 50. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2022)
51. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2020) 52. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(2022) 53. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(2022)
54. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2021) 55. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2023) 56. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(2016)
57. ⭐️(2018) 58. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️2016 59. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(2017)
60. ⭐️⭐️(2018)

I'm going to do it this year!!

TBR Tackler Challenge 2024
Duration: January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2024
Headlock: 1-8 books.
Coathanger: 9-17 books.
Spear Tackle: 18-26 books.
No Suspension: 27 + books

10/27

January
#1750 - The Hole - 10/01/24 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

February
#1375 - Tidelands - 07/02/24 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#230 - Life After Life - 15/02/24 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

March
#353 - Masque of the Red Death dnf

April
#2161 - The Lost Village - 18/04/24 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

May
#1435 - In a Field of Blue - 28/05/24 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

July
#563 - Into the Wild - 12/07/24 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Just One Damned Thing After Another - 08/08/24 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Portnoy’s Complaint

August-
#1790 - Velvet Was the Night *
#2436 - The Enchanted Hacienda
#1851 - Black Water Sister - 13/08/24 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sep
#147 - Even Cowgirls Get the Blues *
#754 Curse the Day
#516 Silver in the Blood - 16/08/24 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oct
241 - Everybody's Fool #2
1417 - Eight Perfect Murders
608 - The Beekeepers Apprentice*

Nov
1125 - Candide
983 - The Night Tiger*
963 - A grown up kind of pretty



Dec - Any books listed above not read

Thank you Judy, Christina and Aoife for all the work. Another really fun wheel challenge, I had a great time and read some fab books. And it really helped me knock some books off my tbr. Thanks team! Merry Xmas and happy new year!

Dang, i was at the work's Xmas do and forgot to check in my final U book!.

I'll finish Urban Shaman. Not sure about Uncle Tom's Cabin. I don’t think I will get that done.

I loved the witching hour in my teen years. Rowan was awesome.

I'd also like to nominate New York
Edward Rutherfurd celebrates America’s greatest city in a rich, engrossing saga, weaving together tales of families rich and poor, native-born and immigrant—a cast of fictional and true characters whose fates rise and fall and rise again with the city’s fortunes. From this intimate perspective we see New York’s humble beginnings as a tiny Indian fishing village, the arrival of Dutch and British merchants, the Revolutionary War, the emergence of the city as a great trading and financial center, the convulsions of the Civil War, the excesses of the Gilded Age, the explosion of immigration in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the trials of World War II, the near demise of New York in the 1970s and its roaring rebirth in the 1990s, and the attack on the World Trade Center. A stirring mix of battle, romance, family struggles, and personal triumphs, New York: The Novel gloriously captures the search for freedom and opportunity at the heart of our nation’s history.

I've got three more U titles lined up. Two will be knocked out fairly quickly. Well, I'm not sure how long Uncle Tom's Cabin is, but hopefully won't be more than a few days. Should I stick with U or move on to a different letter?

Judy wrote: "Keli, can you please add The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant to your shelf? :)"

All done. Thanks for the reminder, cos i forgot the other one too.

I've got three more U titles, not too.

Judy wrote: "I've started the BOM and... I knew it wasn't going to be my taste but it's already so tedious - and Scribd is being mean to me so I can't even switch to the audiobook from time to time 😩"

That's a shame because it sounds really good.

I've downloaded and TinEye says it's 69.7% grey.
I'm going to try to go out with a bang and read as many as possible.

Thy Rebecca is stunning. Okay, I now feel like I'm not doing good enough. I never even thought about folio editions.

I did a version of these book box subscriptions for my daughter. So they're very tailored custom boxes, obvs. She asked for it for Xmas last year. It was fun finding snack and trinkets that went with the books. The boxes were not easy to find though. I had to make half of them. She loved them so much that she has asked for a repeat this Xmas. It will be subscription bags though. I've got a stack of decorative boxes in my garage.