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

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

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 I find books that have outdated attitudes like casual racism and misogyny hard to rate.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.

I kind of enjoyed Rivers of London. I thought his take on the UF/supernatural was interesting. Personally, I find it hard to get into male authored UF books, the great exception being one half of Ilona Andrews. Generally, I find male UF to be rather slow paced and a bit dull. I can't exactly explain why. Sure I like the romance involved often in female authored series, but Harry Dresden and Alex Verus have romantic interests or elements. It's something else. The best I can do is give a simile, reading Harry Dresden is like eating dry crackers, Alex Verus is like dry crackers with a glass of water. If all I have to snack on are dry crackers, I'll eat them but I'd have liked them better with peanut butter or cheese on top. Peter Grant doesn’t necessarily provide a slathering of peanut butter, more a thin layer but it's a bit more appetizing.

I've knocked another off my list. Five stars for Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. Brilliant characters and a heartbreaking but yet healing story

Sammy wrote: "Lexi wrote: "Wait, I did not know he narrated books."

Yes! I thought his Journey to the Center of the Earth was excellent! He's a seriously underrated actor too. Love him!"

Me too. He's brilliant.

E.J. wrote: "Finally reading A Gentleman in Moscow. Worth the wait and it will be a while before I read another from the TBR shelf because I'm savouring every single word of this masterpiece."

I adored that book. I have purchased my book quota this month, but next month among my purchases will be Rules of Civility.

Lexi wrote: "Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "Keli wrote: "I finished my 6th book, Sabriel, yesterday. It was quite enjoyable thanks to Tim Curry. I don't think I would've given it four stars without him."

I agr..."

YES!! He's done several. I might just have to listen to them all. But I'll start with a Christmas Carol or maybe reread of Dracula.

Here's his Goodreads link. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

I finished my 6th book, Sabriel, yesterday. It was quite enjoyable thanks to Tim Curry. I don't think I would've given it four stars without him.

Moderators of NBRC wrote: "Thank you for catching the mistakes everyone! I thought I'd spotted them all but apparently not...

If you are doing the lite version, remember that 2021 corresponds to 1 book, not 11.

You should ..."

Thanks for restating this. I completely failed to notice in the original post. 🤦‍♀️

Lexi wrote: "Sammy wrote: "Lexi wrote: "Today was a day of declaring DNFs. I have two physical copies, which I tend to be worse about stopping even if like these two, I got them free from a LFL. They are both g..."

Can I recommend From Sand and Ash. I just finished and loved it. It made me cry, was beautifully written, and has a very strong sense of time and place. Harmon uses some real life characters to build her story around.

Alright, I'm trying again. One year i will complete this!


Level L-9 = 55 books.

Read two books (2) for 2012, then three (3) for 2013, etc., on through the corresponding ending number to 2021.

✔2012
1. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - 13/05/21
2. River Marked - 18/05/21

✔2013
1. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War - 20/06/21
2. Frost Burned - 22/07/21
3. Chosen - 16/09/21

✔2014
1. The Book of Night Women - 14/04/21
2. Cold Mourning - 21/04/21
3. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender - 05/05/21
4. The Singer - 04/07/21

✔2015
1. The Axeman's Jazz - 21/02/21
2. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage - 19/04/21
3. The Three-Body Problem - 13/05/21
4. The Lightning-Struck Heart - 14/06/21
5. Mr. Crotchety - 06/07/21

✔2016
1. From Sand and Ash - 05/02/21
2. Duchess in Love - 10/08/21
3. The Mothers - 03/09/21
4. Fire Touched - 24/09/21
5. Rebecca - 08/10/21
6. Down Under: Travels in a Sunburned Country


✔2017
1. The Lunar Cats - 05/02/21
2. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine - 18/02/21
3. Blood Kissed - 17/07/21
4. How to Survive a Summer - 31/07/21
5. Rock Chick Reawakening - 25/11/21
6. A Luminous Republic - 14/11/21
7. Friend Request - 05/03/21

✔2018
1. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - 21/02/22
2. Moon of the Crusted Snow - 13/03/21
3. Kissing Tolstoy - 14/06/21
4. From Lukov with Love - 18/07/21
5. The Dead Fathers Club - 23/08/21
6. Silence Fallen - 23/10/21
7. Mr Dickens and His Carol - 31/12/21
8. The Lost Man - 03/01/22

✔2019
1. Jonny Appleseed - 19/03/21
2. My Sister, the Serial Killer - 13/04/21
3. Islands of Decolonial Love: Stories & Songs - 11/05/21
4. Magic for Liars - 18/07/21
5. Olive Kitteridge - 23/07/21
6. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing - 03/08/21
7. The Dressmaker's Gift - 21/08/21
8. The Gloaming - 06/09/21
9. Lucky Suit - 26/10/21

✔2020
1. A Memory Called Empire - 21/03/21
2. The Illness Lesson - 06/04/21
3. The Pull of the Stars - 26/04/21
4. Disappearing Moon Cafe - 20/05/21
5. Small Magics - 23/06/21
6. The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires - 30/06/21
7. Real Life: A Novel - 27/07/21
8. The Authenticity Project - 17/08/21
9. Recollections of My Non-Existence - 26/08/21
10. The Nemesis Manifesto - 09/09/21

✔2021
1. Blood Heir - 26/02/21

Sammy wrote: "Book #23. Loads of fun.

This also completes the series (So far. Here's hoping...) and I'm on track to have read an average of a book a day this month (if I count all t..."

Well done, that's some serious reading. I felt good reading one book every three days.😆😆

Sammy wrote: "My library has a whopping 11 audiobooks on overdrive. I've read 5 of them, three are books 2, 3 & 4 in a series, but they don't have book 1, and the rest I have no interest in.

I'm not bitter abou..."

That's terrible. I thought my library was bad.