Nistha’s Comments (group member since Apr 16, 2023)

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

Completion Post



Book: When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy
Date Read: 23 June 2025
Pages: 304 pages
Rating: 4 stars - one of my most anticipated horror of this year, quite well done

Doesnt work for any mini

Character
Jessa Rae “Jess” Bailey
Cookie Montgomery
Santos

Completion Post


Book: Hidden Camera by Zoran Živković
Date Read: 20 June 2025
Pages: 217 pages
Rating: : 4 stars (this was such a weird book)

Mini 1. - Author born Serbia

Completion Post


Book: White Nights: And Other Stories by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Date Read: 20 June 2025
Pages: 265 pages
Rating: : 2 stars (this honestly read like a 500 page book - the writing style is dense - I enjoyed White Nights but the other stories were too much for me)

Mini 3 - author born Russia

Short stories so no MCs

Keely wrote: "I've had a busy day today so no reading time for me 🙁
I did collect my wedding dress today which is exciting! It is a bit bigger than when I tried the sample dress which was the same size which mea..."

Isn't it great when you realise that about the dress? It was similar for me during my wedding and then I gained more than enough bank in my honeymoon (the food in Thailand is amazing, not my fault).

And I think you should really get some rest before your Hen because it can get tiring tomorrow! Have loads of fun

Granny Dan by Danielle Steel
Pages: 304
Finished: 18 Jun
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
(streak is broken - it wasn't a bad book but I always deduct a star for books that glorify cheating)

Mini 3 - WW149
Ch 5, “Madame Markova was waiting for her in the station when she arrived in St. Petersburg” - Darina travels there

Character
Danina Petroskova
Nikolai Obrajensky
Czar (Nicholas II)
Markova

Completion Post


Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah
Pages: 304
Finished: 17 Jun
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(I think I have never given 3 books 5 stars back to back)

Mini 1 - Tanzania - author born

Characters
Karim
Badar
Fauzia
Raya
Haji

The summer dress sounds so elegant Keely! I visited Oslo and Copenhagen once and loved it. I thought the people were nice there. Its maybe good you are getting the legal stuff out of the way - almost like having 2 weddings haha

Congrats Keely! I can only imagine it might be so busy with all the preparations. You deserve that newly-wed time with your husband :)

Wohoo! All set for the middle month of reading ..

I finally found a bit where a character travels to St. Petersburg - I am not sure why I was so obsessed with that task haha

Completion Post


Book:A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci
Date Read: 16th June
Pages: 528
Rating: 5 stars

So glad finished my last book of the round with 5 stars! I read Baldacci after a long long time and it was so different from his usuals

Doesn't fit any mini atm


Character

John Robert Lee
Desiree DuBose
Jerome Washington
Hilda Lee
Frank Lee
Lucy Lee
Pearl
Anne Randolph
Leslie Randolph
Edmund Battle
Ambrose
Christine Randolph
Sam Randolph

Eldarwen wrote: "Nistha wrote: "For the prompt in Russia -> character (dreams of) going to St. Petersburg, is it sufficient if the characters are in St petersburg or do they have to travel there / or dream of trave..."

Ahh okay .. I had White Nights in my TBR, which was set there but I doubt anyone travels to St Petersburg in it

For the prompt in Russia -> character (dreams of) going to St. Petersburg, is it sufficient if the characters are in St petersburg or do they have to travel there / or dream of travelling to there?

Completion post

Strange Pictures by Uketsu
Date read 15 June
Pages 240
Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐
(If anyone would like to read a different and good psychological thriller, give this one a try)

Mini 3 - character is an artist
Yuta Konno is an illustrator (artist) as well as art student. There are multiple other characters in this book who are also artists like Haruto

Characters
Tomoko Hagio
Shuhei Sasaki
Yuki
Naomi Konno
Yuta
Yoshiharu Miura
Haruto

Completion post

The End of October by Lawrence Wright
Date read 13 June
Pages 374

Rating 3 stars

Currently doesn't work for mini 1 - I thought it was majorly set in Saudi before reading the book. But after having read it, I can't say it is >50% there

Mini 3 - I - Bambang Idris

Characters
Henry Parsons
Jill Parsons
Nikolai Ustinov Majid
Matilda Nichinsky
Teddy Parsons
Vernon Dixon,
Maria Savona
Bambang Idris
Jürgen Stark
Tony Garcia
Marco Perella
Jane Bartlett
Annisa Novanto

Haha! We are already at 66... Well glad all the banked books got used up

I hope R2 some minis also allow us some level of banking books

Completion Post

The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid
Read: 11th June 2025
Pages: 192

Mini 2
First word "One"
1st line of story "One morning Anders, a white man, woke up to find he had turned a deep and undeniable brown”

Rating: 1 star, for such a powerful first line, this book sure was a disappointment. This book read very pretentious to me

I was so damn done with this book that I almost did not add it to the TT shelf. But suddenly read the first line and it started with One - well atleast it did count for a mini.

We are nearing R2.. I think I will try to hit my cap by reading smaller books this weekend so can utilize all of them and finish the chonkers for next month

I think I will read this one. I found Tender is the Flesh quite a unique horror. I love dark bleak stuff haha

How did you like this book Ashleigh? I have my eyes on this one 👀

Book: Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson
Date Read: june 10, 2025
Pages: 391
Rating: 3 stars

Mini 3 - letters BIER in title (any order)
Before She Knew Him

Characters
Hen (Henrietta)
Matthew Dolamore
Lloyd
Mira Dolamore
Dustin Miller
Paul Gardiner
Susan Gardiner