Laura’s Comments (group member since Nov 04, 2015)

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

-You are walking onto a stage with people clapping and cheering for you. What is the theme song playing you in?
I'm not sure, but it would need to be sung by Josh Groban, for sure!

-If you got your 15 minutes of fame, what would you want it to be for?
My excellent reading skills, of course!

-Do you talk to your plants?
No. That's probably why they all die.

-Do you still consider Pluto to be a planet?
Always. I was at an observatory many years ago and saw a t-shirt I have always regretted not getting. It said, "Pluto: 1930 - 2006. Revolve in Peace."

-If you decided to host a late night talk show, who would be your first guest(s)?
I don't really know. Maybe Sarah J. Maas. Maybe Rebecca Yarros. If you haven't read any of her contemporary novels, she can rip your heart out so fast.

-Who was your childhood crush?
Probably a boy in my school. But as far as celebrities, Rick Astley was one!

-Any current pets? Want to share pictures?
We have 5 cats. No pictures today.

-Whiskey or vodka?
Sweet tea. I don't really drink alcohol. I just have never cared for the taste.

-What was your worst haircut?
I think the first time I cut it short. But a lot of haircuts in the '80s were people's worst cuts!

-Backpacking or luxury hotels?
Neither. Affordable hotels. I use to camp as a kid, but camping with my own kids was a very different experience, and I don't do it anymore. But luxury hotels would be a splurge, so I would rather stay somewhere not as pricey, so I can travel more often.

-Speaking of luxury, what is your dream car?
As a child of the '80s, after watching the Cannonball Run movies, I wanted a Lamborghini so bad. It was going to be pink! Now, I just want something with pre-set settings for the driver's seat. We have multiple drivers in the house and I hate trying to get my seat back the way I prefer it.

-Would you rather have a cook or a maid?
Maid, definitely!

-And finally (for now), what books are you looking forward to reading for this challenge?
Too many to list.

lexie wrote: "Hello team! Super excited to get this started. Not sure how I feel about being in the Capitol for these games, but I'm determined to own it nonetheless, hehe."

Welcome. It's time to put on the most outrageous things you own, and read!

Claire wrote: "Laura wrote: "Claire wrote: "Hello team !!
My name is Claire, and I'm from Brussels, Belgium.
I am very excited about this challenge as I'm just getting out of a 3 month long reading slump, and I ..."

I think there are as many different ways of getting out of a reading slump as there are readers! Different strokes for different folks, as they say. :)

MelanieJoy wrote: "@Laura I usually buy books I don't own at a stepp discount that I'm pretty sure I'll really enjoy. I don't usually read books more than once. But I have only 1 shelf of books and most of my reads come from the library. I'm trying to figure out how to obtain a copy of The Malevolent Seven for the BotM, because I love De Castell, but this book isn't in any of the libraries in e-book form that I'm a part of.

PS - haven't read or seen the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Is it worth my time?"

I had a few Audible credits, so I went ahead and used one to purchase it. I couldn't find it from my libraries either.

I really enjoyed Songbirds. I was afraid it was going to be tragic backstory and an attempt to redeem Snow, but it wasn't. If you liked the original trilogy, I would say go for it!

Carrie wrote: "Hi all. I saw the SS that says I am part of this team but my name is not included as a team member up top. My name is on the tracking SS so I think I’m in the right place 😊

I live near Pittsburgh,..."

The tracking spreadsheet has your name because we copied from the official one. Honestly, I didn't even notice that the lists aren't the same. I've messaged the mods in our captains' group, just to verify, but it does look like you are suppose to be here. So Welcome!

I don't follow football much. I'm a baseball fan. And right now a tiny bit embarrassed to admit that the Angels are my team. Not really, just not happy with the season so far.

Claire wrote: "Hello team !!
My name is Claire, and I'm from Brussels, Belgium.
I am very excited about this challenge as I'm just getting out of a 3 month long reading slump, and I feel like this challenge will..."

The dreaded reading slump! I'm in a mini one right now and I think I might have to breakdown and listen to Murderbot again to get out of it. That usually does the trick for me. I think it's the short length, the audio as opposed to physical or e-book, and Murderbot itself as my soulmate in regards to peopleing.

Kamaria wrote: "Hello,
I'm Kamaria and I'm from Lebanon.
I'm currently in my last semester mastering computer and telecom engineering.
I've played Uno for three years and I'm in other challenges too.
Regarding my ..."

Uno is one of my favorite challenges. I've played every year. It was my first team challenge and really started my love of team reading challenges.

Keely wrote: "Hello team!

I don't have time to read through everything at the minute, but wanted to do a quick introduction.

My name is Keely. I am from the UK but I will be in Norway for most of this challen..."

What a fun (and possibly scary) new adventure for you! Good luck on the move and the process!

Preeti wrote: "Hi, all! My name is Preeti (she/her/hers) and I live in the south of India.
I will read pretty much anything though romance is one genre I do not enjoy as much.
I have been travelling a lot this ..."

The new movie is good!

I don't like buying books I haven't read, unless I know I like the author. I use the library a lot! So the books I do own physical copies of are always favorites. They're my trophies. :)

Kari wrote: "Hi teamies, checking in!
Excited to start, I liked Hunger Games when it first came out, but it's been a while since I read them or watched the movies (team Gale, sorry Peeta).
I read mainly romance..."

Another Team Gale? Poor Peeta. :)

Daniel wrote: "Laura wrote: “Murderbot is a comfort read for me when I just want a friend.”

Me too! How do feel about Alexander Skarsgård being cast in the show?"

I didn't even know there was going to be a show! I might have to subscribe to Apple TV for it!

I'm not familar with his acting (I do a lot more reading than watching!), but I think he could look the part.

Daniel wrote: "So. Hunger Games. Read it? Want to? Are y’all fans? I have the best memory of watching the first movie at the Alamo Drafthouse, which is a Texas movie theater chain that serves hot food and cold be..."

That sounds like such a cool theater! We saw them all in the theaters for 4 years in a row for my daughter's birthday. And then Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes this past year.

I'm team Peeta. I just don't see how Katniss could ever get over Gale's idea being the reason Prim died. And Peeta has admired her from a distance, and then sacrificed for her as soon as he was able. I think Gale gets Katniss, but Peeta softens her edges. And she needs that going forward after the end.

It's for a much younger audience, but have you read her Gregor books? It's an Alice in Wonderland re-telling. Gregor the Overlander

Sana wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Sana from Pakistan. I live with hubby and two sons. Both are going through exams. Thankfully it will be over soon.

I read all genres except non fiction but I'll read anything for ..."

I have such a hard time differentiating Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance. So I just lump them all under Fantasy in my mind. I love a good PNR, though!

MelanieJoy wrote: "I do stay away from horror but for some challenges, specifically NBRC BotMs, I do branch out and I appreciate the discussion. I really like books about books and bookstores."

Same! I have already made sure I have both of the May BOTMs that work for the challenge.

I have discovered in the past year or two that I am a book dragon. I love a nice sprayed edge to display on my shelves!

Maddielucy(Patti) wrote: "Hi Team! I’m Patti and I live in Florida USA. I don’t have any kids but and old, lovely, sassy fur baby named Lizzi.

I read anything but Science Fiction or Classics — don’t love Horror either

L..."

If you ever do need a Science Fiction for a challenge, I highly recommend All Systems Red. Murderbot is a comfort read for me when I just want a friend.

The other one I recommend to people who don't care for Science Fiction is the Vorkosigan Saga, starting with Shards of Honor. The Science Fiction is secondary to the characters in these and Miles is ADHD personified!

Yasmine wrote: "Happy Hunger Games!

Hello! I'm Yasmine, I'm Swiss and I live in Switzerland, but I grew up in Singapore. I've recently moved in with my boyfriend and I'm still deciding on how to best set up my ho..."

I don't think the perfect home library set up exists. You'll get to a point where you're happy with it, and then you'll buy more books and end up re-arranging everything!

Daniel wrote: "My favorites are urban fantasy and mystery, but I also love a good historical fiction or non-fiction science books."

My favorite non-fiction reads are autobiographies/memoirs read by the person. I just love hearing it their words in their voices. Most of my non-fiction reads are history related. But I do love the What If? series! The audio is narrated by Wil Wheaton and he has become the voice of science/science fiction for me!

The Capitol is open for those lucky enough to liveread in the lap of luxury!

Welcome to The Capitol. The other teams will underestimate us because we live in the lap of luxury. But you know what that means? It means we have the time to read!

Let the Games begin!

Please, introduce yourself and post a link to your Book Games shelf! It looks like we have a very international team.

My name is Laura. I live in North Carolina (USA). I moved across the country to here last year, and I finally feel like we are settling in. I have 5 of my 6 kids here with me, and we moved 5 cats and one Guinea Pig with us. That was an adventure!

I'll read just about anything for a challenge. Although I do draw the line at straight horror, I can usually find something that I'm willing to read that has been tagged for just about any genre. I knew I had a real problem when I read How I Stole Johnny Depp's Alien Girlfriend for a challenge. But that's never stopped me!

My favorite genres are Fantasy, Science Fiction, and a generous helping of Contemporary Romances as well.

Sammy wrote: "I can't listen to them on my computer, I need them portable 😉

But I'll look into apps that may work in that case, and can move what I need to my phone when I need them.
Does the DRM need to be rem..."

I've used an app called Bookmobile. They give you a URL on the app on your phone. Then you type that into a browser window on your computer. You can then select the files to upload. This may work for you as an alternate.