ImScared3222’s Comments (group member since Jan 31, 2020)

ImScared3222’s comments from the The Bookshelf group.

I love that you mentioned connections with the characters and events. That is one reason why this book is my favorite. I'm not a spiritualist type personally, but I do believe that everything is connected in the sense that everything you do has a consequence, negative or positive, consciously or unconsciously. For me, this entire book showcases all sorts of consequences. This book doesn't particularly have a "happy ending": Caroline goes to jail and is still sick; Minna isn't any less lonely; Trenton is still an awkward teenager, but with more insight; and Amy is still a small child. Yet, it is happy in the sense that everything finally came out; Eva and Sandra got to move on when their big secrets were finally realized by the living and Alice got her to wish to have the place burned down. There's just so much one can analyze and dissect with this book and those are my favorite.
I'm really glad that you liked it. I was reading reviews on Goodreads and some were written by people that read and enjoyed other Lauren Oliver books but didn't like this book. So I was worried that I'd be the only one enjoying myself when I picked this book to read.

What did you think?

Thank you. I've always wanted to be in a book club, but I always had the idea that book clubs were bored housewives that read about other housewives as long as it was on the NY Bestseller list. I've never been very social anyways. The real reason why I wanted to be in a book club was to gain more insight into what I was reading and to reflect with someone that may have different experiences.
Literature is a big part of my life, but I'm the only person I know that likes books so much. It was late and I was having a pity party and thought it'd be cool to start a book club for unsocial readers, which is kind of like an oxymoron. I figured I can't be the only person that wants someone else to talk to about the amazing book they just read even if they hate socializing about any other topic. I don't even know if I'm making sense. But, I am grateful that someone joined.
That is an interesting thought that Amy attaches a type of smell to a type of person. That's awesome that your mom has a good sense of smell; I'm the opposite. I like that you can make more of a connection with that especially a personal one. I wonder if Katie's different smell is a reflection of her character.
I'm thinking we could just wrap up the book this week. It looks like there's only 85 pages left. Then we can read House of Furies for March. I think there's like 5 copies available at my county library (I don't know where you're at), but let me know if you have any issues or have a different book suggestion.

You're right; despite her emotional distancing, Minna does care about her family. It would be sad if Amy died. I thought it was interesting that Amy expected Katie to smell like dirt, but was surprised that she would smell like flowers. That could be telling of both Amy and Katie's characters. I think Katie does things with a flare as a result of her environment. Generally, at least in my experience, teenagers that act out do so as a result of neglect from their caregivers. Everyone wants someone to notice and care about them and when that need doesn't get met, they act out. This is the feeling I get from Katie; I think the things she does is a result of prior negative experience. It doesn't make her a negative character; I don't think badly about Katie at all. She does make for an interesting character study, though.
I see similarities between Minna and Sandra as far as their sexuality goes; they both slept with married men, but I think Alice did as well. Sandra is more extroverted than Minna, I would say. I think this is what makes Sandra more interesting and likable is she is more open about her experiences whereas Minna and Alice are more closed off and even resentful; we know next to nothing about Alice compared to Sandra. I, too, think Sandra is curious from an introverted person's perspective; most of the things she does, I can't imagine myself doing.

I felt like that took me a while to finish (not because it was boring but rather it been a crazy week). There's a lot to unwrap in parts V and VI.
Minna is coming across as an interesting character to me; on one hand, I really dislike her because she's mean, but on the other hand, I pity her. She's very emotionally distant from people, but she purposely distances herself. Near the end of part VI, after the fire, you get a feel for her loneliness and rejection. As the book goes on, I get the feeling that Richard Walker isn't the asshole Caroline and Minna describe him as, but there is something else going on. I think a lot of the animosity and distrust comes from them feeling rejected by Richard. It's apparent that Richard had an affair. I think a lot of this story deals in feeling rejected by the people who we think are inherently supposed to love us. I think Alice may have rejected her own child, Maggie. I do really love the turtle story, though.
I love Sandra's narratives; she lived such an interesting life. Alice is more closed off. I am curious about the significance of the items found in the briefcase.

Thanks! I have read this book once before; it was two years ago so there's things that I do remember and things that I do not remember. I remember things about Katie, but not so much Vivian. So some of my ideas are because I already know, but it feels a lot like reading the book for the first time also. I won't give anything away, though!
So following the trend would put us on page 217. I have a midterm this week, so I'll be a little bit slower; I'll try to shoot for the end of the week. I know you're a faster reader than me. Not to be creepy, but I check to see your progress bar on your profile. You're the only active member so I figured it would make more sense to move things along based on how fast you are reading versus how slow I read and sort of meet in the middle. If there were more members I would do a more even section every week. If we are both done with a section then it wouldn't make sense to wait until the end of the week. Anywhere, there are my ramblings.

Getting Cissy's point of view would be really interesting and insightful. I think we don't get a POV from Cissy because even though it is Cissy's story, the scene is about Sandra. It's about how Cissy impacted Sandra's life. I feel that if we had Cissy's POV it wouldn't have had the same impact.
I think Detective Rogers will be important in the future because he'll be the cause of tension among characters. I'm curious about Vivian's death because there is a trend with the spirits; if you die on the property you become a part of the house. Vivian would have to have died on the property to be a ghost. If her death was recent, her body could be in the woods somewhere. However, my other train of thought goes along with the idea that time isn't linear. Maybe Vivian did die on the property, but it wasn't recent. I just think that if Vivian died near the house she'd be found sooner than later.
I really like Trenton's character; I think it is sad that anyone would consider suicide, but at the same time, I understand where he's coming from. I really feel sorry for him. I would hope he goes to the party and I would hope that good comes out of knowing Katie.

One of my favorite scenes of part III is about Cissy and the spiders. Suicide is a common theme in this book; well, death all around is a focus point. What I love about this scene is that realization that we don’t know anything about other people’s lives. We can try to get to know others, but we still only get what is given to us. And I love the spiders as a symbol for imprisonment in one’s life. We generally think about spiders as being scary and predatory, but it is very different to think of spiders as being just as entrapped in their webs as their prey is. We can think that we know things about others, but we never really do.
And then the scene around page 113, when Caroline admits that she had really loved the house, but pretended to hate it because it gave her this feeling of control. Ugh! To make someone believe that they are the cause of your unhappiness just to feel empowered! I mean, Richard Walker sounds like a jerk from the accounts given by other characters, but Caroline definitely has issues of her own and it isn’t just the alcoholism. By the way her last section ended in part IV, she’s not going to have a whole lot of time left.
I also love how we are getting pieces of Sandra and Alice’s lives here and there and not all at once. For me, it makes the story more interesting.

Page 144 sound good?

Thanks Sam! I think you’re very articulate for a 19 year old. I’m impressed.
I guess now we should decide how far to read for this coming week. I don’t have my book in front of me right now but I’m always open to suggestions. I will leave this discussion open for anyone that wants to continue commenting on parts I and II. I am also looking for reading suggestions for March. I have a few ideas but I thought it would be more enjoyable to get more input.

Haha! I used to be a beautiful child and now I have adult acne and frizzy hair. You can't count on looks for anything.
I like how you compared the Walker home to a murderer's house because there's a lot of truth to that. It will always be "that" house.
The emotions I attached to their return to the house was akin to returning to my own home after being gone for a long time. Nothing traumatic happened to me or at my house. Because I had changed it felt like my house had, too. Of course, nothing really did change physically about the house, but I was seeing things through a different lens. In some cases a sharper lens, but mostly just a different one.
Trenton, I think, is different, not just cosmetically, but mentally. He's lost his innocence and he realizes that the adults in his life are untruthful, except for his dad. And Minna seems full of rage to me due to her environment. I can see hints of things, such as Amy's father only having a financial connection to Amy and Minna. I'm not completely certain about Minna's dynamic with her father just yet; I think part of Minna's anger is due to abandonment issues.
I enjoy Alice and Sandra's input throughout the story. Sandra is quirky and Alice appears wise. The imagery I enjoy the most is given by Alice and Sandra when they describe being a part of the house. That's why I enjoy this book so much because it contains two spirits that have become the house and don't haunt the house in a traditional way. In a way, the house haunts them.

What do you think of the book so far? I personally love the imagery in this book. I like on page 19 where it says, "Caroline Walker, like Minna, walks into the kitchen as though expecting a party and seems bewildered to instead encounter an empty room...". To me, that speaks of Caroline and Minna's attitude and how similar they are even if Minna likes to think she is better than her mother. An on page 73, I made a personal connection when Minna talks about seeing snow for the first time. I grew up in a desert and it did occasionally "snow", but it wasn't until I got into college that I got to experience a real snowstorm and it was a lot like being a part of a movie. Even though I've read this book before, I can't remember what happens! I wonder why Trenton got left the house and who Adrienne is.

In my edition Part I and II is 80 pages so let’s start with that for the week. If it’s too much or too little we can adjust.

That's an awesome question! I was going to do it section by section unless people are more inclined to just read it at their own pace and then discuss it after everyone finished. This is my first time doing a book club so I don't know what people generally prefer.

Sam wrote: "Hi :) I’m Sam, or Samantha—whatever you prefer. I’m going to try to start reading Rooms soon. I just need to see if it’s at my library or on overdrive."

It's great to have you, Sam! Welcome! I am excited to read this book with you.

I actually have "read" this book before. I first listened to it on audiobook a couple of years ago. The audiobook was amazing and I loved it. I ended up buying the book. I've been wanting to reread it for some time now. I don't believe I've read any other books by this author, but from what I've heard, this book is unique for the author. Having listened to the book before, my expectations are that reading it will be a different experience than the audiobook.
Have you read this book or another book by this author? What are your expectations for this book? Would you rather be reading something different?

Lol. Hello! I made this group on a whim to be funny, late at night during a self-pity party. I just logged in to delete the group. Imagine my surprise to see that this group has a whopping four members. NICE! Well, thank you so much for joining! My name is Kendyl. I was born and raised in EveryTown USA funded by your local Christian churches. I like to read and I love to talk about reading. I also love everything dark, scary, spooky, and controversial and obscene.
I put Rooms by Lauren Oliver down as a February read. I actually haven't started reading it, yet, because I've been reading texts for classes. If you guys are good for this selection then, hell, let's get to reading!