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

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

RachelvlehcaR wrote: "LOL I'm the only hater in there now. They all ignore me, well other than to say I don't see her as a caregiver. I see her as more of a friend. I'm like NO. She was hired as a caregiver. She crossed boundaries and professionalism, this is wrong! But everyone's a romantic. I have seen caregivers cross that line with their clients and it is very upsetting. "

I had no idea what the book was about, so I read through the BR thread. I've read exactly one JoJo Moyes book before and it was okay but it was also partly historical, which I like. I actually have avoided her for years because I can't get past the name JoJo, which is incredibly shallow and judgemental of me, but that's how I roll. ;) Anyway, I understand how you could be extra annoyed because it's your field. I was a paramedic for 11 years, it's basically why I stopped watching TV because I had to spend too much time yelling at the bad medicine on TV. Plus after you've had a few distraught family members screaming at you to zap their dead loved one with the machine like on ER, you become less tolerant of bad TV medicine. Know how many people I actually brought back with the defibrillator? One. Know how long before she flatlined? Ten seconds. TV paramedics always get them back. Sadly not true.

Also, I'm not sure who Robin Hobb is (I'll have to look her up) but 2 stars is technically "it was okay" not "I liked it". 3 stars is "I liked it". I hope she can write better than she can read.

To me, 5 stars means I LOVED the book, I will more than likely read it again in my life and I will recommend it to random people on the street and everyone I have ever met, 4 stars means I thought it was a great book and I'll recommend it to others but I probably won't read it again (unless it is part of a series I have to refresh my brain on when the new book comes out 10 years later, I am looking at you Jean M. Auel), 3 stars means it was a good book, I enjoyed it, but it wasn't fantastic (most of my ratings are here), 2 stars means I read it, I finished it, it probably irritated me at some point but I didn't throw it across the room, 1 star means I probably threw it at some point, possibly yelled at it, debated stealing it from the library so no one else would be subjected to it and will tell people why I hated it and zero stars is when I honestly think the world is a worse place for having that book in it eg. Fifty Shades of Grey (won't even link to it).

That Me Before You book is on my to-read list, I'm thinking now I'll probably be in the hate it minority. Maybe I'll try and read it soon so we can be haters together in the BR thread Rachel. :D

Finished Safe Harbour for 20 points today.

I have such a bizarre relationship with Danielle Steel novels. I don't like her, she seems like an unpleasant woman. She's not the worst writer in the world but she's a bad storyteller and she basically writes the exact same book over and over. I absolutely hate the characters she writes and the story she tells. Her women all are martyrs and it is mandatory for them to say at least once that they were stupid and they should have listened to the big strong brilliant man when he told her what to do. Her children are always the be all and end all of her life and gods forbid if she can't conceive it is a tragedy of brobdingnabian proportions, but no worries cause an orphan will show up or a miraculous pregnancy. They always go from extremely poor to extremely rich (unless of course they start out rich, get poor and then rich again), but they remain unspoiled by money and find true inner peace by ministering to the little people (in $800 shoes). I can't relate to anything about her novels, I am constantly telling the characters that they are stupid and I hate them, yet I am powerless to not read several of her books several times a year. It makes no sense. But I'm still going to read at least one more to get her out of my system.

Karen wrote: "Good morning

Just a team photo for you" />"

Looks like they are being sucked into a giant whirlpool. How sad! ;P

Finished two 20 point books today and then watched our boys win gold at the World Juniors, so all in all it's been an awesome day. It even got up to -23C so our cold snap is over. :D

Joi wrote: "How do you all feel about classics? One of my NYR's is to read more classics. I have a TERRIBLE time understanding old English so that turns me off from most classics. I have read Of Mice and Men b..."

Joi - there are a lot of great classic novels out there. Are you working from any kind of list? Some of my favourites that you might like:
To Kill a Mockingbird
1984
The Count of Monte Cristo
Madame Bovary
Vanity Fair
Anna Karenina
Brave New World
Invisible Man

I've read each of these more than once and really enjoy them. A few to avoid like the plague because they will put you to sleep(the stupid book link has stopped working, grrrrr):
Moby Dick
Heart of Darkness
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Wuthering Heights

I'm sure there are more for both lists, but this is off the top of my head.

And I'm done and my brain hurts from reading 90 million pages on my computer screen. I probably would have enjoyed this book more if I had a physical copy to read.

(view spoiler)[I am sick to death of all the war scenes. Half the time I couldn't remember who was fighting for which country. Too confusing. And I really hated Claire's breakdowns, I prefer my Claire badass thank you very much. Also way too much William and not enough Bree and family. (hide spoiler)]

All that said, I didn't hate the book but I think I need to let things settle a bit before I comment more. I do have to say that I have enjoyed each book just a little bit less than the one previous, until now. This one was better than An Echo in the Bone IMO.

That's awesome Ashley! I love that my dragon name is The Abomination. :D I'll pick my books tomorrow, currently my brain hurts from reading 1600 pages on a stupid computer screen. But at least I am finally done Written in My Own Heart's Blood. Phew! Now I can read some shorter books.

20/39

Rachel
Karoke Party!
B - Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs - 01/17/15
A - After: The Shock by Scott Nicholson - 01/08/15
U -
H - Heroes Are My Weakness
A - Answered Prayers by Danielle Steel - 01/09/15
U -
S - Sands Of Time by Sidney Sheldon - 01/05/15

Allison
Meal time:
S - Safe Harbour by Danielle Steel - 01/06/15
C - Commitment Hour by James Alan Gardner - 01/09/15
U -
R - Ready For Love
V -
Y - You're Not Safe by Mary Burton - 01/15/15

Angel
Claire likes to laugh at Miranda Hart and is terrified of being unable to breath.
H -
A - Angels Flight
R - Reunion
T - A Taste For Death by P.D. James - 01/14/15

Rosina
Meal Time: Rosina's favorite meal is borscht.
Hmmmmmm...Researching what borscht is.
S - Standoff by Sandra Brown - 01/16/15
O - Out of Sight by T.J. MacGregor - 01/11/15
U -
P -

Tory
Karaoke Party!
L - Last Reveille by David Morrell - 01/05/15
A - At the Sign of the Jack o'Lantern
M - The Maze Runner by James Dashner - 01/13/15
B - The Body in the Ivy by Katherine Hall Page - 01/17/15
E - The Enemy by Lee Child - 01/27/15
R -
T - Tatiana and Alexander by Paullina Simons - 01/21/15

Joi
She is a college student that would love to own a cat.
C - A Cat By Any Other Name by Lydia Adamson - 01/11/15
A -
T -

Ashley
Meal Time: Ashley loves sushi and ice cream, but not together.
H -
O - Only Son by Kevin O'Brien - 01/21/15
T - Time Bomb
F - Father Found by Judith Arnold - 01/15/15
U -
D - Does Your Mother Know? by Maureen Jennings - 01/10/15
G - The Gate House by Nelson DeMille - 01/07/15
E - Eragon

Chapter 116

(view spoiler)[NOOOOOOO, not Rollo. Now I am sad. I had many more thoughts before this point, but they are gone now. Perhaps after sleeping on it I'll have more insight and fewer tears. (hide spoiler)]

I'm at Chapter 55. (view spoiler)[There are just too many people in this book. I want to know what is happening to all of them, except maybe Lord John who is my least favourite character. But even he is in an interesting spot and with Germain showing up I'm eventually sensing a big giant family reunion. :)

I wouldn't have thought of Washington as tall. Surprising. (hide spoiler)]

Finished Persuader last night. Someone already read that option, but it's still a book. I'll try and get Written in My Own Heart's Blood done by tonight.

I didn't realize we had so many students on our team. :) Ah school, how I miss you. Read a good chunk of my 825 page book today but I hate reading on my computer, it goes so much slower than an actual physical book.

I'm concentrating on Written in My Own Heart's Blood today, so I'll have the "between 751 and 900 pages" book done for us by tomorrow at the latest. I don't have any over 900 page books handy though. And I almost never read a book under 200 pages, so the mini-ones are up to someone else. :)


1.Name. Allison
2.Where are you from? If you could live anywhere, where would it be? I'm from NW Ontario, Canada. I've lived lots of other places and I kept coming back here, so clearly this is the place I want to stay.
3.Tell us a little about your family. Kids? Pets? No kids, thank you all the gods of fertility that exist. ;) Presently I have two cats. They are old and cranky and they love people and hate other animals, so I suspect this is my situation until the ends of their lives. At my highest I had three dogs and three cats and they all got old and started dying at the same time - very sad.
4.Occupation? What is your favorite thing about your career and your biggest complaint? I work in tourism. Currently I own a resort, a bakery, a store and a marina. We are slowly working on adding an RV park to the mix. My favourite thing about my business is the people and the fact that my days are all different. My least favourite thing is that my town is dying and there is no money in tourism right now. Tied for least favourite is the government doing their best to put small businesses out of business.
5.Favorite book, genres, authors? Gun to my head forced to pick a favourite book, I would choose . Favourite genres - mystery, adventure, sci-fi, fantasy, biography, history, basically everything but horror. I like romance when it is historical or fluffy, not paranormal or urban. I'm not a huge fan of YA but that's where they are keeping all the dystopia these days, and that I like. Also I have discovered that "new adult" is code for "I'm a crappy writer."
6.What makes you laugh the most? Everything makes me laugh. If you don't have humour in your life, what are you bothering for?
7.What is your biggest fear? I have a ridiculous and irrational fear of being trapped in a cave that is slowly filling with water.
8.If you had to sing Karaoke, what song would you pick? If I had to sing karaoke, I would sing a few notes of anything and then take up a collection to have me stop singing. I am profoundly tone deaf, it's not pretty.
9.If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? I want to say bread and cheese but then I would get scurvy and die, so I'll say salad with lots of stuff in it, like bread and cheese.
10.If you were stranded on a deserted island, name three things you would bring. I am allergic to sun and salt water so I would bring shelter, a de-salinization plant and .... something to do. I could live without books, I can tell myself stories quite endlessly, but I need an activity. Is this a deserted island with trees? I would bring a knife and learn to whittle. I could also cut palms and work on my weaving. Yes, definitely a knife (and whetstone, I'm counting them as one thing).

Coolio. I go to work for a day and suddenly we have a duel and a team challenge. Awesome!

Books between 100 and 160 pages (100 pages or 25,000 words is the minimum) = 10 points
Books between 161 pages and 450 pages = 20 points
Books between 451 and 600 pages = 50 points
Books between 601 and 750 pages = 70 points
Books between 751 and 900 pages = 90 points
Books over 901 pages = 100 points


My shelf: TTIII


Current Reads:


The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
by Erik Larson
Turbulence by John J. Nance



Books Read:

No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay - 01/01/15 - 338 pages - 20 pts.
Persuader by Lee Child - 01/03/15 - 496 pages - 50 pts.
Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon - 01/04/15 - 1008 pages - 100 pts.
Buddy Read link - 30 pts.
Sands Of Time by Sidney Sheldon - 01/05/15 - 334 pages - 20 pts.
Last Reveille by David Morrell - 01/05/15 - 272 pages - 20 pts.
Safe Harbour by Danielle Steel - 01/06/15 - 336 pages - 20 pts.
The Gate House by Nelson DeMille - 01/07/15 - 677 pages - 70 pts.
After: The Shock by Scott Nicholson - 01/08/15 - 258 pages - 20 pts.
Lost Highlander by Cassidy Cayman - 01/08/15 - 210 pages - 20 pts.
Commitment Hour by James Alan Gardner - 01/09/15 - 248 pages - 20 pts.
Answered Prayers by Danielle Steel - 01/09/15 - 336 pages - 20 pts.
Does Your Mother Know? by Maureen Jennings - 01/10/15 - 380 pages - 20 pts.
A Cat By Any Other Name by Lydia Adamson - 01/11/15 - 208 pages - 20 pts.
Out of Sight by T.J. MacGregor - 01/11/15 - 352 pages - 20 pts.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner - 01/13/15 - 374 pages - 20 pts.
A Taste For Death by P.D. James - 01/14/15 - 459 pages - 50 pts.
Father Found by Judith Arnold - 01/15/15 - 297 pages - 20 pts.
Standoff by Sandra Brown - 01/16/15 - 224 pages - 20 pts.
Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs - 01/17/15 - 310 pages - 20 pts.
The Body in the Ivy by Katherine Hall Page - 01/17/15 - 256 pages - 20 pts.
Blood Work by Michael Connelly - 01/18/15 - 392 pages - 20 pts.
The 9th Girl by Tami Hoag - 01/18/15 - 405 pages - 20 pts.
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes - 01/20/15 - 369 pages - 20 pts.
Buddy Read link - 30 pts.
Irresistible Forces by Danielle Steel - 01/20/15 - 384 pages - 20 pts.
Tatiana and Alexander by Paullina Simons - 01/21/15 - 559 pages - 50 pts.
Buddy Read link - 30 pts.
Only Son by Kevin O'Brien - 01/21/15 - 304 pages - 20 pts.
The Whip by Catherine Cookson - 01/24/15 - 370 pages - 20 pts.
Scavenger Hunt - FARMERS - page 27 - "She was slightly afraid of the farmer and his wife, and of Luke too; that was until she used the whip for the first time when the fear left her and defiance took its place." - 5 pts.
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen - 01/25/15 - 290 pages - 20 pts.
Scavenger Hunt - ANNA - page 15 - "Anna lived in a cul-de-sac neighborhood just outside Orion College, and the only way to get to it was through the campus." - 5 pts.
Blow Out by Catherine Coulter - 01/26/15 - 400 pages - 20 pts.
Scavenger Hunt - LAMB - page 157 - "I brought him a pita sandwich, roast lamb, his favorite." - 5 pts.
Demon Street Blues by Starla Silver - 01/26/15 - 233 pages - 20 pts.
Scavenger Hunt - FISH - page 148 - "She flailed like a fish out of water, opening her mouth as if to speak." - 5 pts.
The Enemy by Lee Child - 01/27/15 - 393 pages - 20 pts.
Scavenger Hunt - TENNIS - page 278 - "One was decorated in shades of pale blue and had a sitting area and a bathroom the size of a tennis court." - 5 pts.
Leather, Lace and Rock-n-Roll by Mia Dymond - 01/29/15 - 194 pages - 20 pts.
Scavenger Hunt - BRIDGE - Loc. 232 - "Rachel pinched the bridge of her nose." - 5 pts.
The Long Road Home by Danielle Steel - 01/30/15 - 408 pages - 20 pts.
Scavenger Hunt - MOUNTAINS - page 249 - "... and the woman she would become when she reached the other side of the mountains life had put before her." - 5 pts.
Killer Cults: Murderous Messiahs and Their Fanatical Followers by Brian Lane - 01/31/15 - 310 pages - 20 pts.
Scavenger Hunt - DAVID - page 61 - "The thirty-three year old self-styled Messiah, christened Vernon Howell but since 1991 calling himself David Koresh..." - 5 pts.



Allison's November Total = 910 pts.
Allison's December Total = 1040 pts.
Allison's January Total = 1030 pts.
Allison's Total = 1950 + 1030 = 2980 pts.


Last edited 01/31/15

Hello teamies and Happy New Year to you all. Been a busy couple of days but I did finish one last book yesterday and I had some time to sit down this afternoon and read a great book - No Time for Goodbye - 20 pts. Good mystery. Nice to start the year with a four star read. :D

I finished 267 books in 2014 and only one was a 5 star read (I admit, I am stingy with my stars). If you haven't read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - I highly recommend it. The book wasn't at all what I expected and it was just so charming and lovely.

When a book makes me cry, I generally power through it to be done. I have The Road sitting here in my to-read pile but it's been there for awhile. Now I'm not sure about it, I'm not in the crying mood. And I never read books about animals, I can't handle bad things happening to animals at all. Humans being hacked apart by axes, no problem. Puppy with a hangnail, I'm a blubbering mess. I almost quit high school over The Incredible Journey. I won't watch cartoons ever because I was traumatized by Bambi and Dumbo. Completely irrational, but that's me.

I'm so unobservant my first thought was "the spotted animal of course is the one that doesn't belong, duh". I didn't twig to the live cat until I read your posts. I'm pitiful. I'm fairly certain I wouldn't notice that someone had a sex change operation unless they mentioned it. :D

Yay for finishing The Eye of the World Rachel. I have all those books, I just need to read them some day. Along with all the other books I have to read some day. :)

Finished Blood on My Shirt: Memoirs of a BC Paramedic for 20 pts today. I'm not feeling 100% so I did a lot of sitting around staring into space instead of reading. I'm going to aim for two more books before the end of the year. And now to bed. Night all!

Second place! Way to go team. We rock.

Finished a 50 point Sandra Brown book today - The Alibi. I've been on quite the roll of female authors lately, not sure why. I'm usually about a 60/40 split. I did hear an awesome interview on the radio about Circling the Midnight Sun so I put it on the next library purchase order. If the author is as good a writer as he is a speaker it should be awesome. We've got a die hard group of non-fic readers so at least I can justify those purchases since I can't buy the fantasy and sci-fi that only I would read. :D

Rachel - I hope your work schedule doesn't change before the end of TTiii. ;)

I am once again disappointed by the BotM choices. I don't read YA, my library doesn't stock fantasy so I have no access to the witch book and I have regretted the time I spent on every single Hollywood memoir I have read in my life (post 1960 anyway) so although I think Amy Poehler is a good actress, I doubt she has anything else to say that I would be interested in reading.

So no opportunity for me for extra points in January again. Sorry team.