Erica’s Comments (group member since Apr 05, 2019)

Erica’s comments from the Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge group.

I was just wondering about the audiobook. Did the narrator use different voices for the other characters or did they just read the text like it was a journal?

Book 3

1. Are you a fan of the cliché of distinguishing good from evil by the love of cats or dogs?
Once again sorry for any confusion with this question. This jumps out at me frequently in books, films and tv but it's interesting that you guys have not noticed it. The scene where Hig discovers who was shooting at them at the Denver airport was startling because of the cats and the wall of baseball caps.

2. Was it plausible that Bangley survived both the initial attack and then the attackers coming back for the dead when he was in a more vulnerable state?
I was surprised that Bangley was alive because he had been shot and on his own plus Hig mentioned damage done to all the buildings. I just figured that a group of people would know they had injured him and would hunt him down if they bothered to come back.

3. Did you think it was going to end as positive as it did?
I thought Hig was going to end up with the plague so I was completely off.

4. What was your overall opinion and rating on the book?
I gave this 2 stars but this book got better as it went. I wanted a plot and quotations marks but even still I had to reread sections to figure out what Hig was mentioning. Somehow I came to really like the characters despite the little information Heller put in the text. I enjoyed the dystopian setting because I do like dystopian stories.

5. Have you noticed a change in your reading experience of dystopians/plague books since the covid pandemic?
During 2020 I read The Girl in Red and it was that much scary because of the coughing plague in that book for me but this hasn't happened in any other books.

6. What other prompts does this book fit and what prompt are you using this for?
I've already completed the constellation prompt so I won't be using this book for a prompt. I'm at 46/50 prompts so this doesn't fit any open prompt for me. I did think there is enough of the book that takes place in the plane to use it for that prompt.

Sherri wrote: "Thank You Erica for doing a wonderful job with the August book discussion. It wasn’t an easy read but you had thoughtful questions dealing with uncomfortable topics. I enjoyed the discussion."

Thanks Sherri. I did enjoy our discussion even if the book wasn't quite my speed.

JessicaMHR wrote: "Erica wrote:
4. Are you okay with authors not using quotations marks?

I really get annoyed when there aren't quotation marks because I need them to help follow who is speaking. Earlier in the book..."

Audiobooks do not work for me so I had to have a print copy. At the end of the day if I'm enjoying a book something like that should not pull me out of the story but I struggled to read this one so constantly having to reread portions of the book is more infuriating.

Sherri wrote: "Book 3

1. Are you a fan of the cliché of distinguishing good from evil by the love of cats or dogs? I was hoping someone else would answer the questions first so I could make sure I'm on the right..."

I'm sorry that I've phrased my question poorly. I was meaning that the author uses Hig's love of Jasper to show he is good people vs. the serial killer cat loving couple at the air port in Denver. I just have noticed in books, movies, tv the easy way that characters get established is by a love of cats or dogs determining their goodness. Dogs being heavily favoured.

I read And Then There Were None last year for a book club and it was a good mystery but changing the words of the poem didn’t change the meaning so much. It is a problem that goodreads plots the original title in my graph when I look at publication year of what I’ve read.

Happy check-in. I’m via app today so I’ll leave what I read for another time. This past week a bunch of my most anticipated 2022 publications were released so I’ve had a good reading week. Goodreads please allow book links and post replies when using the app. 😡
QOTW
Well The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence and Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler are the two that jump to mind. Both were required Canadian lit and they follow awful main characters who treat everyone in their lives poorly and then can’t figure out why they are alone in the end. Stone Angel at least manages to do this much quicker (it’s not 500 plus pages like Duddy) but it is supposed to showcase the prairies which is even worse because it’s just boring.

Thanks so much Lynn.

Book 3

1. Are you a fan of the cliché of distinguishing good from evil by the love of cats or dogs?

2. Was it plausible that Bangley survived both the initial attack and then the attackers coming back for the dead when he was in a more vulnerable state?

3. Did you think it was going to end as positive as it did?

4. What was your overall opinion and rating on the book?

5. Have you noticed a change in your reading experience of dystopians/plague books since the covid pandemic?

6. What other prompts does this book fit and what prompt are you using this for?

Book 2

1. Did you find the first chapter, with Hig actively being present to survive, to be suspenseful?

This chapter has been the best part of the book so far because it was suspenseful and Hig gave us consistent information about what was going on.

2. Hig visits the Mennonites and actually touches people who are infectious. Do you think he is going to get sick or will he be immune?

I was confused at why Hig was doing this and wondered if it was self harming because we haven't got enough info to explain the plague. So yes I'm thinking he'll get sick or at least make Bangley sick.

3. Did you think Hig was planning on not returning to Bangley?

I thought for sure Hig was returning.

4. Are you okay with authors not using quotations marks?

I really get annoyed when there aren't quotation marks because I need them to help follow who is speaking. Earlier in the book the author would make Bangley's words be in italics which was okay but for some reason they are just long gone by the time there are two new characters to speak. I kept needing to reread sections to figure out who was talking.

5. How receptive do you think Bangley will be to new survivors if they make it back to Erie? Better yet, will Bangley have survived without Hig?

I think Bangley will be alive and not be up for more survivors.

Sherri wrote: "I have a question that isn’t related to the book but the author. I apologize for jumping the gun. Has anyone read Peter Heller before? Since we have been reading The Dog Stars I see his other books..."

Great minds think alike, this was going to be a question in my last set.

Anyway I have not read anything else by Heller, and because this was so philosophic I'm not inclined to read more from Heller.

Heather L wrote: "Ron wrote: "Watching so many tiktok videos and I am so curious why people give their books so many 5-star ratings.

I don't know maybe I judge books a little too harshly/critically but there have ..."

I give things 5 stars often because I'm reading things for entertainment and thus a good plot and characters achieves what I'm looking for in a book. If the writing doesn't take away from my enjoyment I don't worry about it's quality. Lack of quotation marks will take a star off the rating though.

Yeah I had to read R+J, Hamlet and Macbeth as well as watch movies for them. We watched Othello but didn’t read it and I have it sitting here for me to finally read but other books keep being shinier. I really enjoyed Shakespeare and I loved R+J and still do. I also really liked learning about the sonnets. All the Canadian literature that was mandatory was awful. :)

If I want to read a book I wait until I've read it to look at reviews. If I've never heard of it I'll read to find out and decide if I want to read it.
Mostly a good review, regardless of the reviewers personal opinion on it, lets you know whether it's your type of book or not.

Sherri wrote: "Book 2

1. Did you find the first chapter, with Hig actively being present to survive, to be suspenseful? Yes.
2. Hig visits the Mennonites and actually touches people who are infectious. Do you th..."

I went back and double checked before posting the question, Hig does actually hold a little girl's hand when he visits as well as gets close enough to pass a bucket from a woman.

Ron wrote: "Thanks for those choices, Erica. I've heard of 'A Man Called Ove.' People say it's pretty good."

I loved it. But today a notable reviewer I follow posted a review to the opposite which reminded me of the book. I've mostly seen positive reviews though.

You can always read A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman for a fiction option.

August's BOTM The Dog Stars works as well.

Book 2

1. Did you find the first chapter, with Hig actively being present to survive, to be suspenseful?
2. Hig visits the Mennonites and actually touches people who are infectious. Do you think he is going to get sick or will he be immune?
3. Did you think Hig was planning on not returning to Bangley?
4. Are you okay with authors not using quotations marks?
5. How receptive do you think Bangley will be to new survivors if they make it back to Erie?
Better yet, will Bangley have survived without Hig?

Happy check-in!

Finished Reading:

Avengers of the New World, Part One ⭐⭐⭐
Black Panther comics by Ta-Nehisi Coates continued.

The No-Show ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Beth O'Leary keeps managing to create rom coms that aren't what I think they'll be.

Spy x Family, Vol. 7 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Loved the family dog adventure chapter.

Daughter of Sparta ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (2015 love triangle)
Ya Greek Myth retelling following Daphne. The author did take a couple of liberties to make this story work.

PS 2022 45/50
PS 2015 45/50
Goodreads 192/250

Currently Reading:

The Dog Stars
Ruby Fever

QOTW:
The Song of Achilles comes to mind.

Chapter 2-6/end of book 1:

1. Is Bangley a better survivalist than Hig?
At this point I say yes because he has the kill or be killed mentality.

2. We get more about Hig's wife through the memory of her death. Did this make Hig a more sympathetic character to you?
I too thought this did more for the post apocalyptic setting than for filling in Hig's character. Jasper is the reason I made it through this first section without a plot.

3. Was it smart for Hig to avoid killing the men at the coke truck?
No, he lost his supply and left people to come back and hunt him.

4. Just for fun, Coke or Pepsi?
Coke out of habit, but I don't really care.

5. Has Hig made it 9 years of surviving by luck?
It seems like it, definitely if you go by Bangley's comments.

6. With all of Hig's family gone now will Hig give up?
Probably although there's still a lot of book left, so I'll be wrong.