Lexi’s Comments (group member since Jul 27, 2016)

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

I'm also within the 6 month re-read period but if anyone wants to volunteer to write DQs for the book, I am willing to help if that would be useful for anyone. Also, the backroom BOM usually gets fewer volunteers for DQs so it is a great opportunity for points.

Kim wrote: "i probably missed it, but does a book count for the mini and a resource? or just one? thanks :)"

It only counts for one mini but it must also count for a resource.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen won the backroom BOM runoff poll. I got the thread up if anyone wants to volunteer for DQs.
Here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Lexi's Tracking Post

Day 1 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 3- https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 4 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

DQs Day 4 - "Love Has Come to Mean Death" - end

15. I personally haven't read Jane Eyre and therefore can't compare the two books which makes me feel a bit regretting, but then again so many of y'all don't seem to like this as a retelling. Do you think you'd feel differently about the book depending on whether you've read Jane Eyre or not, and do you want to pick up Jane Eyre now if you haven't yet? What if you hadn't been aware of this being a retelling and the characters had different names?
Without Jane Eyre to give it some interest, this was just s standard insta-romance with some herbs and fae added on and a ghost.

16. I was secretly hoping that Agnes had romantic feelings for Antoinette and that she was more involved in the last part of the book, but alas it was Dr. Poole. No big surprise there. Has your opinion of him changed in any way after he "confessed" and tried to help Jane and Edward? And if you could bring someone back from the dead, would you do it? Theoretically you wouldn’t be aware of any consequences, but logically I think we've learned that there's always consequences...
I liked Agnes and wished she played a part in the end. Dr. Poole was just too convenient with her telling everyone the information and having the book, not that I wanted a longer book. Also, no on raising the dead by necromancy.

17. Jane came back for Edward and saved him of course, and now they're living happily ever after. How do you feel about them as a couple, and is there anything you would have changed about these last couple of chapters as the author or simply just a fan of the original work?
This was way too fast. The original book at least had her leave have another option and come back. She has never really talked to more than two men as far as I can tell and one ends up being her father.

18. Was this your first book written by Sharon Lynn Fisher, and do you think you'll be reading more by the author? Were your original expectations met? Anything else you want to add?
Yes, and her writing is very simplistic and replies on romance tropes so I am unlikely to look for more by her.


Bonus for everyone but especially those who have read Jane Eyre before: I challenge you to say at least one good thing about Salt & Broom - other than "it ended!!" lol :b
I liked the herbs and descriptions of the garden. However, did anyone else find the poems/spells laughable? I would have preferred they not be in poetry form.

DQs – Day 3 Protective Impulses-Pert Thing

11. What do you think about the revelation in the garden/the haunting? Did you see it coming, and do you think there are others involved with the “curse”?
I have finished at this point and can’t say it really was a surprise. The curse ended up unclear and never made a huge amounts of sense in the former generations and how it worked.

12. What do you think about Mr. Rochester sending away Jane and the staff? If you have read the original, how does this change Jane’s agency, and do you like the change? Either way, why do you think the author made it Mr. Rochester’s choice?
Ok, I wrote the questions and clearly, I thought it took away her choice which she had to leave in the original and wasn’t much of an absence since she went right back. The entire timeline of this book was deeply shortened.

13. Have you ever visited an Apothecary’s Garden? Would you be interested in seeing one? Do you grow any herbs or are you interested in growing any?
I have not either but would find it very interesting, as I took a toxic plant class in school. I did love growing herbs as a child, even very odd ones like borage and pineapple sage.

14. What do you think about the scene with Miss Ingram? What does this tell you about Mr. Rochester’s character and did that seem consistent with his character so far? Did his explanation make sense to you?
My question again and it made no sense to me. I can’t remember if it parallels a scene in the original, but it didn’t fit with the character of Mr. Rochester as presented in the book or even Jane, as up to that point, she wasn’t one to run away and cry for rude words.

DQs - Day 1 - Prologue-Blackthorn

1. A paranormal retelling?? of Jane Eyre - this prompts the question about the original or let's call it the "source for inspiration". What is your relationship to Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë? Have you read it? Loved/liked/disliked it?

I read it in high school and enjoyed it though I did get annoyed at Rochester a lot. The ending stuck with me.

2. What about Retellings? Is it a genre you like/avoid?

I have read some, but I prefer if they are in conversation with the original. Not just, what is Rochester was a standard romance wounded, brooding hero. This one does not attempt to converse with original and is just too saccharine.

3. Jane Aire as a witch in a school for orphan witches? How do you like the setting of this alternative Victorian world where magic is at least tolerated?

It was too shallow. There was no real setting up of the magic in this world and how it worked in the larger world despite some references to “the burning times.”

4. What are your first impressions of Jane and Rochester?

They made Rochester flatter and Jane has some agency (though that kind of goes away). The time line is made much shorter so we don’t have any of the buildup of characters and atmosphere from the original.

5. What do you think about the occurrences in Thornfield? Are they really caused by supernatural elements or is it human action?

I have finished the book at this point but the book promised a supernatural retelling of Jane Eyre so it was never in doubt that the supernatural was “real.”

I like muskrats but never thought of eating one. There was a particularly cute taxidermy one at a state park that I saw this weekend. It appears to be pretty common to eat historically. I found this Great Depression era article from the forest service: https://digitalmedia.fws.gov/digital/.... You do have to soak them to remove some of the musk but no one appears to clean feed them.

I would go with black walnut if I had to pick one. My mum is better at trees than I am. Generally if I can identify a plant, you shouldn’t eat it as my only botany in school was part of my toxicology course.

Thank you, Judith, for taking my comment seriously. I was mostly being silly, and this is the second NBRC challenge which I’ve got to discuss eating possum. I don’t think there are two types of apples due to leaf differences but yes to two fruit plus apparently non toxic mushroom. Though I wouldn’t recommend eating apparently non toxic mushrooms in real life.

I found a recipe: http://www.theoldfoodie.com/2015/07/h....

I wonder if you wouldn’t need to feed it clean for a few days before slaughter like possum. Which I haven’t eaten, but possum is traditionally captured live and corn fed for a few days before slaughter where I’m from.

I’m pretty sure they are supposed to be violets but still very commonly used in food. Good to know that we can use edible plants. When do animals become food? Can we eat the seagull?

DQs – Day 3 Protective Impulses-Pert Thing

11. What do you think about the revelation in the garden/the haunting? Did you see it coming, and do you think there are others involved with the “curse”?

12. What do you think about Mr. Rochester sending away Jane and the staff? If you have read the original, how does this change Jane’s agency, and do you like the change? Either way, why do you think the author made it Mr. Rochester’s choice?

13. Have you ever visited an Apothecary’s Garden? Would you be interested in seeing one? Do you grow any herbs or are you interested in growing any?

14. What do you think about the scene with Miss Ingram? What does this tell you about Mr. Rochester’s character and did that seem consistent with his character so far? Did his explanation make sense to you?

I have the same question on a different book with cupcake, frosting/cherry, and cookies, so I will let Judith answer:

Melanie wrote: "Would a dart be ok to use for weapon on cover?

Or how about rope as a weapon?"

Both would work for me

Tricia wrote: "Sorry to rain on the parade but I don't think the two titles listed in c16 and c17 will work - the hidden word needs to be at least 4 letters, right?"

Thanks, that is a good catch. I removed both books. I think Judith and I both missed the 4 letter rule with everything else getting set up.

Judy wrote: "Lexi wrote: "I should not have started more "classics" right after the last one and during Book Games. The Sound and the Fury is really challenging me. Still, slowly getting there. I'm..."

Just finished it and my least favorite of Faulkner's that I have read. I did switch to audio for part, so thank you.

Melanie wrote: "Are unicorn horns acceptable for that one?"

Yes, also dragon horns if clearly a horn

Last fun link for the evening to help with horn on cover: https://fossilrim.org/blog/antlers-vs...

Tricia wrote: "Can Harry Potter and the Cursed Child count for this challenge? I know it's written like a screenplay, so I wasn't sure, but it has cornupia in the title so worth checking. :D"

Word count comes in at 45,000 verified (https://www.arbookfind.co.uk/bookdeta...) so yes you can