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

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

The King of Infinite Space by Lyndsay Faye

In this lush, magical, queer, and feminist take on Hamlet in modern-day New York City, a neuro-atypical physicist, along with his best friend Horatio and artist ex-fiancée, Lia, are caught up in the otherworldly events surrounding the death of his father.

Meet Ben Dane: brilliant, devastating, devoted, honest to a fault (truly, a fault). His Broadway theater baron father is dead--but on purpose or by accident? The question rips him apart.

Unable to face alone his mother's ghastly remarriage to his uncle, Ben turns to his dearest friend, Horatio Patel, whom he hasn't seen since their relationship changed forever from platonic to something...other. Loyal to a fault (truly, a fault), Horatio is on the first flight to New York City when he finds himself next to a sly tailor who portends inevitable disaster--and who seems ominously like an architect of mayhem himself.

Meanwhile, Lia, sundered her from her loved ones thanks to her addiction recovery, and torn from her art, has been drawn into the fold of three florists from New Orleans, seemingly ageless sisters who teach her the language of flowers and whose magical bouquets hold both curses and cures--for a price.

On one explosive night, these kinetic forces will collide, and the only possible outcome is death. But in the masterly hands of Lyndsay Faye, the story we all know has abundant surprises in store. Impish, captivating, and achingly romantic, this is Hamlet as you've never seen it before.

How it fits: Many students have to read Hamlet in school

The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis

A delightful novel about alien invasions, conspiracies, and the incredibly silly things people are willing to believe—some of which may actually be true—from the Nebula and Hugo award-winning author of Blackout and All Clear

When level-headed Francie arrives in Roswell, New Mexico, for her college roommate’s UFO-themed wedding—complete with a true-believer bridegroom—she can’t help but roll her eyes at all the wide-eyed talk of aliens, which obviously don’t exist. Imagine her surprise, then, when she is abducted by one.

Odder still, her abductor is far from what the popular media have led her to expect, with a body like a tumbleweed and a mass of lightning-fast tentacles. Nor is Francie the only victim of the alien’s abduction spree. Before long, he has acquired a charming con man named Wade, a sweet little old lady with a casino addiction, a retiree with a huge RV and a love for old Westerns, and a UFO-chasing nutjob who is thoroughly convinced the alien intends to probe them and/or take over the planet.

But the more Francie gets to know the alien, the more convinced she becomes that he’s not an invader. That he’s in trouble and she has to help him. Only she doesn’t know how—or even what the trouble is.

Part alien-abduction adventure, part road trip saga, part romantic comedy, The Road to Roswell is packed full of Men in Black, Elvis impersonators, tourist traps, rattlesnakes, chemtrails, and Close Encounters of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth kind. Can Francie, stuck in a neon green bridesmaid’s dress, save the world—and still make it back for the wedding?

Repeat tasks:
Read a book with MPG Space Opera
Read a book with a humanoid robot/android

While waiting on a TT spin, I got us a new moster:

Bakekujira
100 to 175
Author initials in WHALE
Birds or fish on cover
ghost important to plot
Setting is costal or on the ocean

Sharon wrote: "Lexi wrote: "New task:

Pick four different Muses, for each Muse, read a book that fits their role
Thalia (Comedy); Clio (History); Euterpe (Music); Melpomene (Tragedy); Terpsichore (Dance); Erato ..."

Added, thank you

New task:

Pick four different Muses, for each Muse, read a book that fits their role
Thalia (Comedy); Clio (History); Euterpe (Music); Melpomene (Tragedy); Terpsichore (Dance); Erato (Love); Polymnia (sacred poetry); Urania (Astronomy); Calliope (epic poetry)

I have found books that work for MPG Music, MPG Romance, and MPG Historical Fictions so we would need one for:
Thalia (Comedy), Melpomene (Tragedy), Terpsichore (Dance), Polymnia (sacred poetry), Urania (Astronomy), or Calliope (epic poetry)

DQ Tracking
Day 1 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 2 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 6 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Repeat tasks again:

Tower Teams 3: Find the Elf
Direction word in title
Direction word in title
Direction word in title
Direction word in title

New tasks (repeat):

Read a book you can connect to an elephant
Read a book you can connect to elves
Read a book you can connect to cats
Read a book you can connect to The Librarian (an orang-utan)

Rebecca wrote: "Fugitive telemetry is finished. Could someone please update the spreadsheet? Thank you…"

Added, thank you

DQs Day 6: Chapter 32 - end

24. Chapter 32, though! How did you feel about the heart-to-heart on the parapet? Did it fill you with fluttery lovey feelings, or did it fall flat? Are you loving “Vioden” (Xadlet?)??
I am always in support of good communication in relationship. However, the whole relationship seems like a mess and the whole I will never trust you again because you didn’t tell me something that effects a huge number of people’s lives is just stupid.

25. Xaden has Violet join his special group for the War Games, and we find out about all the secrets that EVERYONE has been keeping from her. Do you think she overreacted to these revelations or is her reaction warranted? How do you feel about Dain’s betrayal? Surprised (hint hint - NO)?
I think she overreacted as it wasn’t entirely his secret to tell but at the same time if he didn’t feel like he could tell her, he should not have invited her with all the other marked riders. Dain was not a surprise really. He needed to stay as a bad guy since this book does not do subtilties on comparisons.

26. Anyone crying yet? I know I was losing it through a lot of the last 15% of the book. What are your thoughts on the major losses we see during this battle? Any thoughts on the battle itself (or the enemy themselves)?
I liked Liam but also figured if they author needed to kill someone the reader care about to show how this was a serious battle, Liam was the only choice. No crying, though. I think the author left a large plot hole with the time delay business. Why didn’t they start with holding time and stabbing the four figures then try it at the very end ineffectively.

27. That CLIFF-HANGER of an ending had me stunned! What did you think of the sudden appearance of (view spoiler)? Was it too much, or just enough?
I was not surprised and didn’t really consider it a cliff-hanger. I will be more interested in how they explain why her dragon didn’t tell her since his rider supposedly died trying to resurrect her brother and if she’ll get all angry about that.

28. What are your overall thoughts on this book? Will you read the next one?
Nope, I still have no idea how this is going to be 5 books.
I’m not reading the next one since I don’t care enough for the next one to be even longer. This wouldn’t have been bad at about 200 pages shorter and much less angst and description of Xaden’s abs. I haven’t even read Red Queenand I find this book derivative. I have DNF’d A Court of Thorns and Roses.

Tricia wrote: "I finished Practice Makes Perfect yesterday and it would work for princess/rogue trope. She's the beautiful virgin and he's the dashing, womanizing rake."

I used yours for this space. Thank you

New tasks:

Read a book with MPG Space Opera
Read a book with a humanoid robot/android
Read a book with a princess and rogue trope characters - this does not need to be literal any romance with a bad boy type and a women who would work as a princess type

Brittany wrote: "If you switch the alien books, you will complete one of the Sith sets"

I did , thank you

DQ set 5: Chapters 26 - 31

19. I'm so confused by the logistics of this world! Firstly there's the comment that 6 hours in flight left them all super-stiff, but surely they've been putting the hours in in flight fight practice? And then the sudden realisation that actually it's TOTES fine to put a saddle or harness on to secure them in flight, as if that wouldn't be the very first thing you'd do the first time the dragons decided to plummet and every rider loses their seat!
Anyway, that rant is mostly to say: how are you enjoying the world-building now we are further into the story?
The logistics of traveling have clearly not been thought out in this world. I would have thought they would have been flying at least six hours a day since they said they did not have time for other classes. Why doesn’t everyone have a saddle? I have no idea. How do they get supplies to these mountain areas and how did the trainees carry any gear if they can’t have saddles. Do they wear backpacks on dragons?

20. We discover that riders of mated dragons can now talk in each others minds... What do you think this adds (or detracts) to the story, characters, world?
Detracts. Now I have to deal with their nonfunctional relationship if situations where it is not appropriate. Too much talking and stupidity. I thought Xaden was supposed to be the brooding silent type.

21. Lightning! Who'd've guessed that Violet would end up with a super rare, super powerful signet?! What do you think the lightning says about her character?
That she is super special and powerful and destined for greatness of at least another 4 books. It does put her in contrast to the dead brother who was a healer.

22. There's some destructive sex, followed by a decision that it can never happen again. What do you think about the different approaches that Violet and Xaden have towards their attraction to each other?
Now, we get my whining on how these books what to make a sex positive and free-thinking world, so they have a secondary character and then make the main female character obsessed and jealous over some boy with no causal sex and following all the usual tropes. Honestly, I would rather neither as this entire section has been all relationship drama and not actual plot.

23. Finally - is it just me, or is Dain starting to redeem himself? I feel like I'm seeing signs of improvement in him....
I agree with Cat that they kept talking about being like siblings growing up so the whole romance thing is weird anyway.

New tasks:

Read a book featuring aliens
Read a book featuring a rebellion

Cannot use the BOM b/c it is over 400 and right now the one labeled alien book is being used for an I so seeing if anyone else read a book with aliens

Rebecca wrote: "I just finished Everyone is Beautiful. Could someone please update it on the spreadsheet? Thank you in advance"

Updated, thank you

If anyone is reading one or has one banked (not over 400 pages and not a hard letter), we have one uncovered, new task:

Read a book set on a form of transport (e.g. train, ship, space ship)

It has to be over 50% on the transport.

From what is currently on the planning spreadsheet, we need another 7 books in 500 page range if anyone has any they plan to read by the end of the month.

We have a repeat of Tower Teams 1: The Original:

"Read two pairs of books where the second is a spin-off from the first. This could be a secondary series by the same or different author (e.g. Sherlock Holmes original and Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell), a continuation of a series by another author (e.g. Poirot by Agatha Christie and Sophie Hannah) or a retelling (e.g The Great Gatsby and The Chosen and the Beautiful)
It is NOT two books from the same series"