Agnieszka’s Comments (group member since Aug 05, 2016)

Agnieszka’s comments from the Crazy Challenge Connection group.

Jan wrote: "Week 44 - April 28, 2025 -- 43

Ok - I have two more DNF:

I didn't like the "famous person" plus journalist aspect of this. I can tell it was going to get ugly.
[book:To Scotland with Love|188123..."

Your second one is #1 for the MC though #9 (plus several short stories) in the What Doesn’t Kill You world with a group of interconnected characters. I have at least one of those on my Kindle as well and since I wasn’t able to get the prequels in several years it’s most likely I will remove them the next time I’ll clean up my shelves.

Week 26 - April 26 Row 2 Column 1 I got Klucz do Rebeki=The Key to Rebecca by Ken Follett which is perfect as it’s another one of my father’s books I want read before July so he can take it home :-D

Week 25 - April 19 Column 3 When Jesus Makes A Path by George Papakonstantinou & Spotless by Camilla Monk

Couldn't make up my mind which one to pick and can use both for the following two Moldy-books tasks, so I'll tackle both

Angel wrote: "ROUND 2 Picks for Agnieszka

Hi Agnieszka! These are picks with cool covers. Happy reading!

..."

Thank you! The last two fit some of my next moldy-books tasks, so I think I'll start with these two.

Round 2 - Agnieszka picks for Michelle

The few of the books on your shelf I read I didn't like (a lot), so I decided to go with the oldest I heard of and the three you have the longest on your shelf - which by chance have interesting spell-out letters :-D



Lilac Girls
Yellow Moon
Ashes
Outcry: Holocaust memoirs

Enjoy!

Oops, forgot to save my books last time I was online; luckily I didn't close the tabs yet, so I was able to re-create my picks

Roll 42 - April 14: #53
C3 Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz another one I borrowed from my father ages ago, as we meet for Easter it's great time to see if it goes back or I'll read it before I see my parents in July again *sigh - why do people make a great deal out of some birthdays, I really could live without a party of special presents, it's just a number and it's getting higher each year anyway, so what? It's not like some kind of accomplishment to celebrate siiiiiiiiiiiiigh*
C5 The Chicken Sisters by K.J. Dell'Antonia the first couple of chapters last round of this challenge didn't help to make up my mind so I'm going to give it another couple of chapters - that way I get two chapter each sister's POV

Chaitra wrote: "Today's callout!

BL/HR : April 12, 2025: Read the FIFTH book on your TBR whose author’s first name begins with an N."

Great task, those pesky Ns are harder to fill in spell-out challenges than I expected.

April 12, 2025: Read the FIFTH book on your TBR whose author’s first name begins with an N.
Protecting Paige by Norah Wilson or Wrong Flight Home by Noel J. Hadley as there's very high probability the first one will be a DNF I already looked up replacement.

Oops I run out of books I really want to read soon, so I had to add some of those I could need for challenges or some of my paper book to cull down my overflowing home library, we'll see how many DNFs it created that I'll re-place with another one :-D

Week 24 - April 12 Row 5 Column 6 Nobody's Fool: Strasse der Narren=Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo - the first paper book made it though at least it's great for spell-out challenges with N & R YAY

Jennifer wrote: "Agnieszka: I'm not a stickler about book length on DNFs -- most of our challenges have a book length and I agree with that, but it's discouraging to have books around that can't go for any challeng..."

YAY and so good to know.

First a question to my Roll 37 book Death on Arrival book 5 in The Helen Bradley Mysteries: Boxed Set by Patricia H. Rushford - I forgot about the 150 pages rule and this one is only 83 pages. Do you want me to read #1 in series instead or is it ok because of the 50%+ rule (to read at least half of the book during the challenge duration)?


I'm not sure when was my last (very long overdue) update, so I'm including all tackled books:

DNF: 6
Read/Reading/Later: 16
Not sure yet: 3
Still open: 30


C = Column; R = Row
📌 Currently reading/Read later/Started waiting to happen ❓Not sure yet 🚮 DNF ✔️ Finished

currently reading/waiting to happen/read later (7)
📌 Roll 13 - September 23: #52
C2 Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear - got stuck, but plan to continue later this year

📌 Roll 16 - October 14: #22
R2 Trauma Plan by Candace Calvert - will read during my next KU round

📌 Roll 24 - December 9: #56
R6 Christmas From The Heart - Boxed Set: My True Love Gave To Me - Forever Christmas - Home for the Holidays by Christine Lynxwiler - didn't finish by end of January, will continue in November or December

📌Roll 27 - December 30: #46
R4C6 Mystery of the Tea Cup Quilt by Jodi Allen Brice - don't love it, though don't hate it either, but it's shortish with a bit over 200 pages and I need it for the Quilting Challenge

📌 Roll 34 - February 17: #26
#8/C2 My People, the Amish: The True Story of an Amish Father and Son - got stuck, but plan to continue later this year

📌 Roll 40 - March 31: #64
C4 Divine Invasion: A Jesus Novel by Michael L. Monhollon - the American elements/language influences are a bit annoying (translating historical measures into American; using Sir or Mister - absolutely unfitting that time period and culture) otherwise well researched and I already learned a few cultural/historical facts I wasn't aware of yet

📌 Roll 41 - April 7: #13
R1 Zwei Bräute zu viel=Two Brides Too Many by Mona Hodgson ?* ?/?/? - have to pace myself so I finish it after my current moldy book task


not sure yet (3)
❓Roll 4 - July 22: #64
R6C4 The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams - doesn't look good, got stuck for the second time

❓Roll 13 - September 23: #52
C2 Seven Days From Sunday book 1 in The MP-5 CIA Thriller Series Boxed Set by M.H. Sargent - either I'll read it this month or DNF it we'll see in a couple of weeks

❓Roll 36 - March 3: #36
R6 Agent out of Time by Guy S. Stanton III ?* ?/?/? - a note from the author mentioned an element I'm not sure I can deal with (can be a trigger), I'll see it it's only mentioned or described before I make up my mind


DNF (6)

🚮 Roll 3 - July 15: #34
R4 Holmes und ich – Die Morde von Sherringford=A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro DNF 8/21/24 - not my cup

🚮🚮 Roll 10 - September 2: #31
#4 The Harlow Hoyden by Lynn Messina DNF 9/6/24 - not my cup
R3C1 Full House by Steffie Hall=Janet Evanovich & Charlotte Hughes DNF 9/6/24 - wasn't willing to deal with the issues for another 200 pages

🚮 Roll 14 - September 30: #45
C5 Neanderthal Seeks Human book 1 in The Neanderthal Box Set by Penny Reid DNF 11/11/24 - didn't get into

🚮 Roll 19 - November 4: #33
#6 Wszystko wina kota! (Everything’s the Cat’s Fault!) by Agnieszka Lingas-Łoniewska DNF 11/11/24 - just no; I really dislike superstitions and letting life dictate by horoscopes and similar nonsense

🚮 Roll 39 - March 24: #34
C4 Poodle Versus the Assassin by Anne Shillolo DNF 4/7/25 - are you jocking?! (only suitable for readers enjoying people 'reading' animals' thoughts & such an 'investigative' method: compile all kind of rumors (they don't have to be true), see if you can link it to the victim, stumble somehow through in interviews; I'm a dog person, but hated this dog, the MC even more)


Read (9)

✔️ Roll 1 - July 1: #11
C1 Tortoise Stew by P.C. Zick 3* 10/29/24 - interesting despite all the politics

✔️ Roll 2 - July 8: #23
C2R3 Marriage Bargain With His Innocent by Cathy Williams book 1 in Modern Romance May 2019: Books 5-8: Marriage Bargain with His Innocent / Wedding Night Reunion in Greece / Pregnant by the Commanding Greek / Billionaire's Mediterranean Proposal 2* 7/18/24 - only finished to tackle the last open task for the Quilting challenge - Part 1 (all other tasks were completed for several years)

✔️ Roll 5 - July 29: #13
R1C3 Trials of Artemis by Sue London 3* 8/6/24 - fun but otherwise unremarkable

✔️ Roll 20 - November 11: #25
R5 69 Million Things I Hate About You by Kira Archer 3* 11/12/24 - better than expected; most important it helped to complete a very difficult (for me) task, the A-author was just a bonus

✔️✔️ Roll 21 - November 18: #35
R3 Assault and Batting by Tess Rothery 3* 12/10/24 - only finished because of the Quilting challenge - Part 3 (don't have enough books to complete the challenge)
C3 Love Notes in Reindeer Falls by Beth Labonte 3* 11/17/24 - nice light Christmas read, though some of the issues caused by change of the location caused some confusion

✔️ Roll 24 - December 9: #56
C5 A Christmas Charade by Karla Hocker 4* 1/7/25 - such a positive surprise; I loved Annie so much (she's not the female MC, can't say more without spoilers)

✔️ Roll 27 - December 30: #46
C6 A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas by Kim Redford 3* 1/6/25 - can-but-not-must read, ok for Christmas season but that was it

✔️ Roll 37 - March 10: #11
C1 Death on Arrival book 5 in The Helen Bradley Mysteries: Boxed Set by Patricia H. Rushford 3.5* 3/31/25 - interesting start to a new series, plus it turned out my issue with another book by this author was because it was a spin-off of this series (which is a spin-off of a youth mystery series staring this MC's granddaughter), so far the hints to the previous series were not confusing nor contained spoilers; if it keeps that way I'll read the entire box/series

Jan wrote: "Week 41 - April 7, 2025 -- 13

Got my two DNF for this week. One cozy that didn't pull me in and a thriller that is just too dark with Satanic elements.

Killer Mousse | [author:Mel..."

Good to know about the thriller. There's not much I'm not willing/able to give a try though occult elements and horror are those on my very short no-go list.

Barb wrote: "True, especially with the older books. I've not noticed it so much in the newer series, so maybe authors are starting to realize we as readers don't appreciate TSTL MCs?"

Let's hope it's the case.

Roll 41 - April 7: #13 -> R1 Zwei Bräute zu viel=Two Brides Too Many by Mona Hodgson I need a Z-title for moldy books and I own this one for ages now and it’s time to tackle it one way or another

Week 23 - April 5 Row 5 Maui Widow Waltz by JoAnn Bassett because it was among my HMD picks today

Olivermagnus wrote: "Week 23 - April 5 --Row 5

I'm going with "

Oh I have this one on my Kindle and enjoyed the prequel a lot, so I’ll be curious to see what you think about it.

Amanda K wrote: "Round 1, for Agnieszka
I have only read one on your shelf. It was okay, but I decided to go with books you had that sounded fun to me. Enjoy!

..."

Thank you so much - especially as I always appreciate and welcome fun! Not sure which I’ll read first though I already have downloaded on my phone, so it looks promising.

Round 1 - Agnieszka picks for Olivermagnus



Genuine Lies of the two NR books from your shelf I read I rated this one higher
Little Women one of the few classics I enjoyed enough to recommend it (though I rarely like those at all)
No Turning Back one of the early romantic suspense books for me (in case it helps - it includes a love triangle)
Crossfire Lynette Eason is one of my favorite authors

Enjoy!

Barb wrote: "Read all but one of the books chosen for me and would have read that one if I hadn't run out of time.

2024/25 HELP ME DECIDE, 4/1/24 - 3/31/25
24/24 ROUNDS COMPLETE
Use this shelf : Help Me Decid..."

Impressive! I want be like you when I grow up ;-D

Both links work perfectly. Thank you!

Jan wrote: "Week 22 - March 29 --Row 2
Away with the Penguins | Hazel Prior
"

This sounds interesting! I'm curious what you'll think about it