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

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

Camilla wrote: "Keli wrote: "Yay finished my first book for the challenge."

Congrats, Keli! The Mercy Thompson series is one of my favorites."

Thank you. It's such a good series. I thought I'd reread it before I got Smoke Bitten

Yay finished my first book for the challenge.

Yay!!!!

Woo-hoo I have finally read a book I bought 13 years ago! Every year since the purchase, I had intended to read it and every year I had put it off and been slightly disappointed with myself. But there will be no more slight self-flagellation because I have crossed The Seal Wife off my list. Sadly, it wasn't as good as I had hoped. On to the next.

I read My Sister, the Serial Killer and really enjoyed it. I listened to the audio and I can highly recommend.

I also removed a book from 2016 off. I started to read The Key to Creation, the third of the trilogy and I couldn't gey past the recap. It's not a small book and I just couldn't be bothered. So onward to better books for me.

I didn't know how many to recommend, so i just recommended all the four and five star books I've read so far this year.

I recommend
Fantasy

Historical Fiction

Contemporary

Memoir

Romance
Anything by Ilona Andrews or Penny Reid

Hi all. I'm a Texan now living in England. I have a 20 year old daughter and a 12 year old Jack Russell. I'm on at various times but regularly. I'm trying to read a book every three days but defo five.

Also, my friend request question is from Monty Python's Holy Grail. One of my favourite movies.

Meg wrote: "Keli wrote: "I was doing so well but I've not had a chance to read an old tbr book yet. I've been reading just all recently added books. Though I have been reminded to carry on with The Edge series..."

I know it's so hard cos they're all shiny and new. I've been really lucky this year with the books I have read, they were worth the wait. But given a choice between new or one I've passed up for 3, 4, 5 years now, I inevitably pick new. I am definitely going to read The Seal Wife this month as it's been in my pile since the start of the year and i kerp bumping it.

I was doing so well but I've not had a chance to read an old tbr book yet. I've been reading just all recently added books. Though I have been reminded to carry on with The Edge series. I'm up to Fate's Edge, too. I do have two for this challenge slated but will I actually get to them 🤷‍♀️

I read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. It was okay. I find books that have outdated attitudes like casual racism and misogyny hard to rate. I can appreciate that the author wrote in a certain time and place but I find it hard to completely ignore it and, quite frankly, I don't think I should. The world changes. It was brilliantly narrated by by John C Reilly.
I also read Moon of the Crusted Snow. I wanted to like this so much more. It started out like a First Nation The Road but it became a white man vs Native story which was boring. The best bits about the story didn't really take off. He could have really examined how the near extinction of a culture impacts the future. Or how modern conveniences and entertainment affect survival. Or how a community with some who've learned the survival skills of their ancestors vs those who embraced 21st century practices get along and cooperate in an apocalypse. But he didn't so it's only three stars.

Sammy wrote: "And #50

I needed cheering up today after a spectacularly sucky day. Wow was this ever the wrong book in the series for that! lol.
Still a great book th..."

I hope your day gets better.

I'd say read the first half of three. As Judy said, it might remind you of what's gone before in books 1 &2 and what is to come in 3.5.
Unless you really want to re-read all three, or even any of them again, I wouldn't bother. There are sooooo many books and only one lifetime to read them in, I think re-reads should be something you want to do.

Sammy wrote: "Oh, and #43 .

I'm starting to feel like a broken record when I say this series is so much fun, lol."

This one is on my tbr shelf too from 2016. I hope I'll get to it rhis year.

I gave God four stars (I'd give it 3.5 if half stars were possible). I think I always connect with books about loneliness. They resonate with me and so I overlook some things, like excessive metaphorical language. I did find all the disgusting bodily references annoying. I don't deal with snot and saliva well in real life and the last thing I want is to read about it. But, again, this is a personal thing, so I won't hold it against the author. I also wonder if it's a cultural thing too because The White Tiger had some of that about it as well.
Pi was a weird one. It took me almost a year to get from the start to the boat and sinking bit. Those 100 or so pages were so dull. I almost dnfed it but everyone was raving about it, so I persevered. The "unbelievable" bit was brilliant. I can still remember so much of it very clearly and it's been years since I read it, but that beginning was terribly boring. It would have been better if he'd avoided all the allegorical nonsense and just written a nautical adventure.
I'm looking forward to Meet Me in Bombay. It'll be interesting reading how India is written by a non-Indian. Though Ms Ashcroft may be Indian I'm only making an assumption based on her name.

Sammy wrote: "and #39 which I loved!

I'd had a lot of bad luck with books set in India this past year, to the point where I was actively avoiding them. this one has defi..."

Let me guess The God of Small Things and Life of Pi?

Sammy wrote: "#38

Not going to be a favourite, I'm afraid..."

Great review. Your last line made me lol. I think I'll still give it a go myself simply bc it's a modern classic.

Just finished another one. It was slightly better than a meh read. Though I don't think that's the author's fault necessarily, I just don't like the genre. Crime and gangsters are not my thing. But that doesn't stop me from constantly adding crime novels to my tbr.🙄
Ray Celestin got the fun-loving, licentious, and raucous nature of New Orleans perfectly. But sadly The Axeman's Jazz just bored me a little too much.

The other Sandy wrote: "Keli wrote: "I think this has been my most successful start of the three years I've taken part. Not just in the number of books I've read thus far but also in quality. Of the seven books I've read ..."

That sucks. That's how my previous years have been. And I
found it harder to stay motivated when every book I was picking was meh. I hope the books get better for you.

I think this has been my most successful start of the three years I've taken part. Not just in the number of books I've read thus far but also in quality. Of the seven books I've read three are four star reads and one is a five star. Usually, they're a chore and maybe merit three stars at best. 2021 is looking pretty promising.