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

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

I'll be back to answer the new questions but here is our new thread:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I can request a thread after work today. All three of us would count as the higher level buddy read and you only need four comments each.

Catherine, since I think you also play over in Hooked on Books. Do you have any interest in adding an informal buddy read over there?It is a big enough book to be worth quite a bit of points in the year long solo challenge.

DQs Part 2 - Chap 14 - 27

4. I enjoyed the part in Madras, as I have been there, as I stayed at a medical school in Tamil Nadu for 3 months during my PhD. If you are less familiar with this or any part of India, have you looked up anything online? In general, do you look thing up when reading if you are unfamiliar with food, clothes, places etc?

5. We then return to the first charecter and go back in time. Do you like the switching between characters? Is there one story you prefer so far and why?

6. There is a lot of discussion of the interactions of nationality (Indian v British), caste and religion in the book so far. Are there any thoughts that have really stuck with you so far in the book?

7. Death and the presence of water continues in this next section. What do you think about the family's "condition" and how it effects the children, as we see more variations between generations?

Part 1 - Chap 1-13
1. This book is written in 3rd person. Does that make it harder to read or is that your preference?
A lot of what I read is in third person if not most and I find it easier to follow than first a lot of the time. Second is becoming more popular and is very hard if not done well.

2. This is a more religious type read. Mentioning the Bible, conversing with the Lord, and praying, which seems to be an important part of the book. Are you surprised they have not mentioned so in the book summary. Do you find this to makes the book more powerful?
I agree that it works with the title. Also, I knew it was set in Kerala, India which has a large number of Christians, so that wasn't a surprise to me. I did my PhD field work in Tamil Nadu, right next door so I am familiar with the area.

3. The book is narrated by the Author, are you reading by audio or with your eyes? If audio, do you feel the author reading his book makes it more authentic?
I am reading it but will add the audio in as I drive to work this week and look forward to the author being the narrator. That usually means accents and names are done correctly, which is very helpful when I read it as well to get names right.

So, today did not go as planned and I am still just done with the first section. I am very sorry but real life does that sometimes and I will be caught up tomorrow. At least we have a rest day. Sorry, again

I thought I was today. I’m so sorry. I lost a day somewhere and I made the schedule. I’ll get them up shortly but feel free to post yours too.

I would like to complain that the book I jut finished was tagged 9 times Books-about-Books, 1 short.

Great, thank you

Sorry, yesterday was a bit hectic, but here are the sections.

Sept 5 - Part 1 - Chap 1-13 - Catherine
Sept 6 - Part 2 - Chap 14 - 27 - Lexi
Sept 7 - Part 3 Chap 28 - 44 - Amanda
Sept 8 - Break
Sept 9 - Part 4 - Chap 45 - 56 - Catherine
Sept 10 - Part 5 - Chap 57 - 69 - Lexi
Sept 11 - Part 6 - Chap 70 - 84- Amanda

I got two done last month but still way behind the line. TTs was not good for me reading these books. I did get two of my oldest ARCs read, and both were 4 stars, so that was good. I will need to read 7 this month to catch up. My goal is five, and I'll try to catch up over the next few months.

Read in Aug:

Judy wrote: "#13 -

I know this is many people's favorite here so my expectations were high... and after I somehow got through the first 300 pages or so, this really was as goo..."

I'm in the minority in not liking it for this group. I also found it boring and few odd choices seemed to me to made on the minor characters. I have not read any others, but others (Sammy) on here love and reread the series.

I can. How many sections should I divide it up into?

I can write DQ's as well.

Pink Slime by Fernanda Trías

A taut, harrowing novel about a woman and the people who depend on her as the world around them teeters on the edge of apocalypse—marking an award-winning Latin American author’s US debut.

In a city ravaged by a mysterious plague, a woman tries to understand why her world is falling apart. An algae bloom has poisoned the previously pristine air that blows in from the sea. Inland, a secretive corporation churns out the only food anyone can afford—a revolting pink paste, made of an unknown substance. In the short, desperate breaks between deadly windstorms, our narrator stubbornly tends to her few remaining with her difficult but vulnerable mother; with the ex-husband for whom she still harbors feelings; with the boy she nannies, whose parents sent him away even as terrible threats loomed. Yet as conditions outside deteriorate further, her commitment to remaining in place only grows—even if staying means being left behind.

An evocative elegy for a safe, clean world, Pink Slime is buoyed by humor and its narrator’s resiliency. This unforgettable novel explores the place where love, responsibility, and self-preservation converge, and the beauty and fragility of our most intimate relationships.

Picking a new random one, as not feeling my previous one:


Heartwood by Amity Gaige

Heartwood takes you on a journey as a search and rescue team race against time when an experienced hiker mysteriously disappears on the Appalachian Trail in Maine.

In the heart of the Maine woods, an experienced Appalachian Trail hiker goes missing. She is forty-two-year-old Valerie Gillis, who has vanished 200 miles from her final destination. Alone in the wilderness, Valerie pours her thoughts into fractured, poetic letters to her mother as she battles the elements and struggles to keep hoping.

At the heart of the investigation is Beverly, the determined Maine State Game Warden tasked with finding Valerie, who leads the search on the ground. Meanwhile, Lena, a seventy-six-year-old birdwatcher in a Connecticut retirement community, becomes an unexpected armchair detective. Roving between these compelling narratives, a puzzle emerges, intensifying the frantic search, as Valerie’s disappearance may not be accidental.

I finished my book as well. Went back to Bad Romance and got:

Karenin (Anna Karenina)
350 to 450
train on cover
has a love triangle
MPG historical fiction
a book from this Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Judith, that is quite a list. It is a mix of true classics and utter trash that people have added to the list. I think someone clearly needs to read Tarka the Otter: His Joyful Water-Life and Death in the Country of the Two Rivers, as I am not sure if it was on the original list or not.

Edited: My library has a copy so I may have to read Tarka.

My food item on cover book also works for unicorn and monarchy. If someone else has a book that works for one of those two tasks, I can put it for the other monster.

Edited: I moved it to Unicorn as that seemed harder

As part of being done with TTs, started some bread after work today. I will hold it in the fridge overnight and finish tomorrow.
(recipe for fun: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/nut...)

Hope you all get internet and are doing fine with the storm. I thought we might be over specific geography so spun Discworld.

Queen of the Elves
200-299
Author's initials in MORRIS DANCING
UNICORN mentioned in text
silver text on cover
set in a country with a monarchy