Nicole’s Comments (group member since Jan 04, 2017)

Nicole’s comments from the 2022 ONTD Reading Challenge group.

I just finished The Stationery Shop and omg my poor heart. I enjoyed it, even though the beginning was a little slow. Overall, though? It's really lovely. Now I am weepy and looking to satisfy a craving for Iranian food.

I read Watermelon and it was just what I needed it. It was a fun read for me, but I can see why not everyone would like it. The writing is funny, but it has a lot of cringey 90's humor that does not fly nowadays. And as a deeply depressed bitch myself, I felt seen the first 100 pages with Claire being a bottomless pit of depression. Overall, looking forward to reading more books by Marian Keyes.

Took me longer than I thought but I finally finished I Am a Girl from Africa by Elizabeth Nyamayaro. A really engrossing and well-written memoir. Helped me learn a lot about Zimbabwe and the reality many faced there, but mostly it was a testament to the strength of this woman who did everything in her power to achieve her dream. I found her to be so lovely, warm, and inspiring, I legit want to be her friend lol

I read Astrid the Unstoppable after I saw that Darcy read it and I really liked it! It's a sweet little book that is a quick read. I also recommend it.

I read El fin del amor: querer y coger in Spanish and it was interesting but veeeeery dry, took me almost a month and some change to read it. I did enjoy reading about dating life in Argentina, though.

I read The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly and holy fuck, it was depressing. I feel that whoever recommended this book on the ONTD post lied to me ;-;

JAN – South Korea
-The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly (read)

FEB – Argentina
-El fin del amor: querer y coger en el siglo XXI (read)

MAR – Norway
- Astrid the Unstoppable (read)

APR – Zimbabwe
- I Am a Girl from Africa (read)

MAY – Ireland
- Watermelon (read)

JUN – Iran
-The Stationery Shop (read)

JUL – Poland
-The Last Wish (tbr)

AUG – Egypt
-Distant View of a Minaret and Other Stories (tbr)

SEP – Jamaica
-How to Love a Jamaican (tbr)

OCT – India
-Nectar in a Sieve (tbr)

NOV – Australia
-The Place on Dalhousie (tbr)

DEC – Philippines
-What Kind of Day (tbr)

I have no idea what to read for this challenge. However, I can definitely recommend Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. The MC is the creepiest character ever.

I love manga and I really liked my pick, Our Dining Table, a cute boys love manga centered around food. I would definitely recommend it to others if they are looking for something cute and sweet.

I read Big Little Lies for this challenge. I knew one of the twists but not the other one so I legit gasped when it was revealed. Overall, the book was ok. It's not what I usually read so it took me almost 3 weeks to finish it even if it was the book equivalent of popcorn.

If you want to have a good cry, look no further than The Travelling Cat Chronicles. The translation is not my favorite, though. It was so dry.

I read The Bell Jar and I didn’t particularly enjoy it, though some of the sentences were beautifully written. I can see why it was controversial for its time, but it also kinda scared me because I found myself relating to Esther in more ways than I'm comfortable admitting.

Super late to this because my reading has gone down the pooper (thanks pandemic), but I read Clap When You Land, and I highly recommend it, especially the audiobook. The performances were terrific, and the story itself destroyed me.

Super late but I read Stay with Me. It is a heartbreaking tale of a marriage that is caving under pressure to have children. It was hard to finish because, during these difficult times, I prefer lighter subjects. However, I enjoyed the writing and it is very easy to read in one sitting once you steel your heart a bit.

Super late to this, but I finished The Secret Garden last night. The 1993 movie is a childhood favorite, and I don't know how I feel about the one coming out this year.

Back to the book, I enjoyed it! Mostly because Indira Varma narrated it, and she's AMAZING. It was so lovely to escape to a beautiful garden and see two children grow into themselves along with it. I didn't love the racism ingrained in the text; it threw me.

I selected a picture book called When Sadness Is at Your Door. It's a very sweet, short book. I liked it.

Brittany wrote: "N. wrote: "I think I may get this from the library very soon so for this month I'm doing the audiobook for The Poet X."

I listened to The Poet X audiobook last week and it was amaz..."

I just finished listening to it and I loved it! It was so good. I am all emotional about it now lol

JAN - Read a Book That is Being Adapted Into a Movie or TV Show in 2020
- The Secret Garden (read)

FEB - My Cousin Just Moved to Nigeria to Discover New Talent
- Stay with Me (read)

MAR - Everyone Was Dad
- Clap When You Land (read)

APR - Read a Book With a Scandalous Past
- The Bell Jar (read)

MAY - Real Housewives Yelling at Cat
- The Travelling Cat Chronicles (read)

JUN - Ok Boomer
- Lord of Scoundrels (read)

JUL - Surprised Pikachu Face
- Big Little Lies (read)

AUG - Sparks Joy
- Our Dining Table (read)

SEP - Old Man Yelling at Cloud
- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine (tbr)

OCT - Get a job! Stay away from her!
- tbd

NOV - Hindsight is 2020
- Gone Girl (tbr)

DEC - Read a Book That Won an Award in 2020

I think I may get this from the library very soon so for this month I'm doing the audiobook for The Poet X.

I read Code Name Verity for this challenge and I am not ok. It was really well written and my heart is broken.