Allison Ann’s Comments (group member since Oct 19, 2014)

Allison Ann’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

Books from yesterday and today. Definitely having trouble finding vowels so far this week. Also, I'm reading the shortest books I have handy, need a change from those chunksters last week. :)

Book - Heaven's Fire by Sandra Balzo - 203 pages - 3 stars

Colour - SONIC SILVER

S - author - Sandra Balzo
O - character - Ryan Orwell
N - character - Neal Cravens
C - character - Neal Cravens
L - character - Luis Burns
E - character - George Eagleton
R - character - Ray Guida


Book - Drive Me Crazy by Marquita Valentine - 212 pages - 2 stars

Colour - SONIC SILVER

S - character - Melanie Ann Smith
C - character - Carter Ambrose
L - character - Louis Smith
V - author - Marquita Valentine
R - character - Raylene Alfred


Book - Robert B. Parker's Lullaby by Ace Atkins - 310 pages - 3 stars

Colour - SONIC SILVER

S - character - Spenser
C - character - Red "Pepper" Cahill
L - title
V - character - Vinnie Morris
E - character - Epstein
R - character - Rita Fiore

I have a grey cover . I have to read one other book first, so if someone else gets to it first that's cool.

Great week everyone. :)

Thanks for your grenade jumping Rachel. This hockey game is making me homicidal/suicidal, I may have to abandon it for some reading. I am going to read short books this week. :) Maybe one or two big ones if I can find any that aren't historical fiction. :)

Finished my last giant book for the week. 6545 pages total. My brain hurts. :D

Book - Mexico by James A. Michener - 625 pages - 1 star

Colour - CHANGEABLES

C - character - Norman Clay
N - character - Normal Clay
G - character - Juan Gomez
E - character - Eduardo Palafox
B - character - Bernardo Leal

It is almost time for me to go to work and I am exhausted and ready for bed again. The worst thing about this time of year is how ridiculously early I wake up. In my head I am yelling at myself "stupid, go back to sleep, soon you are going to have to get up at 4 a.m. on purpose, why are you losing sleep now when you still have the chance???". Unfortunately I'm too dumb to listen to myself.

Also, today is supposed to be 22C (76F for our American friends playing at home), which is lovely and all, but then it is supposed to snow 10 cm on Monday. I've already switched to sandals people, it's too late to go back to boots. :D

RachelvlehcaR wrote: "I've been checking everyone's bookshelves. Allison would you please add in these books in your bookshelf:

- The Clan of the Cave Bear
- The Valley of the Horses

Thank you!"

Done, sorry about that - re-reads.

Didn't make it home last night, so here are Friday's books. Finished Eldest soon after I got to work and then I hit a spot in 11/22/63 where it just started to click and I loved it, after that, the reading went very quickly. :) Today's plan is re-arranging my store shelves and finishing Mexico. I'll post it when I get home tonight.


Book - Eldest by Christopher Paolini - 668 pages - 2 stars

Colour - CHANGEABLES

C - author - Christopher Paolini
H - character - Horst
A - character - Arya
N - character - Nasuada
G - character - Gannel
E - title
B - character - Baldor
L - character - Loring
S - character - Saphira (she's a telepathic dragon which is as close to human as you can get without actually being one I think) ;)


Book - 11/22/63 by Stephen King - 849 pages - 4 stars

Colour - CHANGEABLES

C - character - Charles "Chaz" Frati
H - character - Harry Dunning
A - character - Al Templeton
N - character - Norbert Keene
G - character - George Amberson
E - title
B - character - Bill Turcotte
L - character - Jim LaDue
S - author - Stephen King

wasn't the worst book I've ever read, in fact I think it was well written and the story was fairly interesting. I gave it only two stars because I found the characters mainly unpleasant and I want to have someone to like in the book I'm reading. I also really dislike books that glorify adultery as some sort of beautiful soulmate romance when in actuality it's just people being selfish and weak.

I will be done Eldest in a couple of hours and I'll post it when I get home. I am struggling through Mexico and 11/22/63 so I'll see which one strikes my fancy after that.

We're hanging on to first place with teeth and nails team. Tourmaline has already read as many books this week as we are allowed in total, so I'm not sure how we're going to keep our lead? Magic maybe? ;) Bribery is a time honoured tradition. Perhaps we should rent a cyborg?

Another for the list.

Book - The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters - 576 pages - 2 stars

Colour - CHANGEABLES

C - character - Christina Lucas
H - character - Constable Hardy
N - character - Netta Rawlins
G - character - Billie Grey
E - character - Emily Wray
B - character - Lilian Barber
L - character - Lilian Barber
S - author - Sarah Waters

Not too many options in this book, sorry.

Book - The Valley of the Horses by Jean M. Auel - 544 pages - 3 stars

Colour - CHANGEABLES

C - character - Carlono
A - author - Jean M. Auel
N - character - Noria
L - character - Laduni
S - character - Serenio

I always thought I was a fast reader, but then I joined Tower Teams and met the cyborg readers. :D I read about 100 pages an hour normally, but still I'm really pushing it this week because it's my last normal week where I have free time. Next week I start opening camp, so I'll be be back to 16 hour days, 7 days a week. Not much time for reading.

Hey Tonya, just cruising through the teams and saw this, hope your dogs are okay. Once my friend was visiting with her dog and he got into some rat poison, so I was squirting hydrogen peroxide down his throat with a turkey baster and my dog came along and started drinking the extra peroxide out of the bowl. She had a refreshing beverage while my friend's dog puked his guts out. She was my little garbage disposal, nothing could hurt her. :)

Book - Devices And Desires by P.D. James - 503 pages - 3 stars

Colour - CHANGEABLES

C - character - Caroline Amphlett
H - character - Hilary Robarts
A - character - Adam Dalgliesh
N - character - Neil Pascoe
B - character - Ryan Blaney
L - character - Miles Lessingham
S - character - Stuart Oliphant

I've read over 3200 pages in the past 3 1/2 days. My brain hurts. :D

I feel like I've done nothing but read since Sunday morning. :D Not many letter options for this one, sorry.


Book - Dune by Frank Herbert - 512 pages - 4 stars

Colour - CHANGEABLES

H - author - Frank Herbert
A - character - Paul Atreides
G - character - Gurney Halleck
L - character - Leto Atreides

Michelle wrote: "I finished Banker. Our first spell-out is completed and we. Have started our second spelling! Great teamwork. I should have another finished today and then I'm working on a 20 pointer..."

I'm pretty sure they are randomizing the questions, so if you do want to sign up, then we have one more chance of getting chosen.

Red teams are kicking butt this challenge. Yay us!

I finished a godawful book this morning, if it wasn't for you guys I would have thrown it away long ago.

In university I worked in a giant used bookstore. We would buy anything, but if it was an over-represented book we'd only pay a penny and then destroy the book anyway. Only 10 copies of each novel allowed in store (textbooks were different). The book we destroyed the most was which made me sad so I kept liberating the doomed copies and giving them away on the street. The book I finished this morning, I would have burned with a happy smile. :D


Book - Shanna by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss - 666 pages - 1 stars

Colour - CHANGEABLES

C - character - Carmelita
H - character - Hergus
A - character - Amelia Beauchamp
N - character - Nathanial Beauchamp
G - character - Sir Gaylord Billingsham
B - character - Ruark Beauchamp
L - character - Dora Livingston
S - title

I've been having trouble getting into most of my giant books, so I did a reread of The Clan of the Cave Bear to break up the depression. :)

Book - The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel - 587 pages - 5 stars

Colour - CHANGEABLES

C - title
A - author - Jean M. Auel
N - character - Nouz
G - character - Grod
E - character - Ebra
B - character - Brun

RachelvlehcaR wrote: "I'm currently on book 4. I plan on trying to finish this week. I love the HBO show of it."

I'm on Book 5, but I read the first 4 back to back and overdosed, now I'm taking a little break. TV just doesn't hold my attention and I am incapable of following a show from week to week. Maybe when the whole thing is done and out I'll mainline the episodes.

Book - A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer - 501 pages - 3 stars

Colour - CHANGEABLES

C - character - Danny Cartwright
H - character - Mr. Hagen
A - author - Jeffrey Archer
N - character - Nick Moncrieff
G - character - Gerald Payne
E - character - Elizabeth "Beth" Wilson
B - character - Elizabeth "Beth" Wilson
L - character - Lawrence Davenport
S - character - Spencer Craig

RachelvlehcaR wrote: "Good Michelle, I had to take some time away from reading to watch season 5 of Game of Thrones. I love that series!"

Some day I will finish reading that series. Probably I will never watch it though.

Book - The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff - 514 pages - 3 stars

Colour - CHANGEABLES

C - character - Chauncey Webb
H - character - Mr. Heber
A - character - Ann Eliza Young
N - title
G - character - Gilbert Webb
E - author - David Ebershoff
B - character - BeckyLyn Scott
L - character - Lydia Taft Webb
S - character - Jordan Scott