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

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

DQs Day 1, Ch 1-5


1. This book begins in 18th century Cairo, with France and Turkey fighting over Egypt. I have never encountered this conflict in fiction before. Have you? Were you familiar with it before you started reading?

I was somewhat familiar from class but not in great detail. There have been other historical fantasy books that have given more detail than this one. I’m not sure I would trust this one to be historically accurate, as that is not this books point.

2. Nahri has several mysterious powers, including healing, the ability to sense illness in others, and the ability to understand and speak every language she hears. Which of her powers would you like for yourself?
Healing would be nice but not if also accompanied by knowing everyone’s illnesses. That is common in fantasy and seems a very hard burden to bear. Languages would be really nice esp as I am supposed to be learning French for work.

3. What do you think of the world building so far? Do you find it confusing, or do you feel like you’re along for the ride?
I have read a lot of books with djinn and this is one of the more confusing ones. This is my second read but it was a lot on my first read to keep everyone straight.


4. So far we’ve met 3 significant players in this book: Nahri, Ali, and Dara. Do you have a favorite character so far, or one who intrigues you the most?
This is the danger of a reread. I am finding everyone more whiny and less interesting on the second go.

Two new ones:

Solve for X - Read a book with author initials in SOLVE FOR X

10 Awards - Read a book that won a RITA
Link: https://www.rwa.org/Online/Awards/RIT...

Hard one:

X Books - Read a book where the author name starts with X

Helpful link: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

Brittany wrote: "Lexi wrote: "Brittany wrote: "There's an Easter Treasure Hunt in
"

If you just mean an egg hunt, I would not count it unless there was some kind of clu..."

Nice, perfect then

Brittany wrote: "Read a book with a spade / shovel / pick-axe on the cover
Would this work: "

I think that is a crowbar.

Brittany wrote: "There's an Easter Treasure Hunt in
"

If you just mean an egg hunt, I would not count it unless there was some kind of clues or a map?

Rebecca wrote: "Sorry, it's been a slower reading week for me. I'm hoping to finish The City of Brass tomorrow. I can't fully put my finger on it but for some reason I'm just not connecting to it but I WANT those ..."

I'm stuck at 8% on my reread. I will get there probably but right now I can't make myself reread it.

Used a few banked books, great job everyone:

New tasks are:

X marks the spot - Read a book with a spade / shovel / pick-axe on the cover

X marks the spot - Read a book with a treasure hunt in it

If you have a banked book from JUNE, that I missed for one of these, feel free to tell me

I went with Sharon's b/c it was shortest (200 range). Thank you, both. Sharon, it had the words childhood nemesis in the blurb so I think it counts.

Has anyone got a banked book that works for:

X-Men - Read a book that features an arch-nemesis relationship?

Just a reminder that children's books have to be at least 30,000 words and we can't use any shorter than that.

Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee

An immortal Knight of the Round Table faces his greatest challenge yet—saving the politically polarized, rapidly warming world from itself—in this slyly funny contemporary take on Arthurian legend.

Legends don’t always live up to reality.

Being reborn as an immortal defender of the realm gets awfully tiring over the years—or at least that’s what Sir Kay’s thinking as he claws his way up from beneath the earth yet again.

Kay once rode alongside his brother, King Arthur, as a Knight of the Round Table. Since then, he has fought at Hastings and at Waterloo and in both World Wars. But now he finds himself in a strange new world where oceans have risen, the army’s been privatized, and half of Britain’s been sold to foreign powers. The dragon that’s running amok—that he can handle. The rest? He’s not so sure.

Mariam’s spent her life fighting what’s wrong with her country. But she’s just one ordinary person, up against a hopelessly broken system. So when she meets Kay, she dares to hope that the world has finally found the savior it needs.

Yet as the two travel through this bizarre and dangerous land, they discover that a magical plot of apocalyptic proportions is underway. And Kay’s too busy hunting dragons—and exchanging blows with his old enemy Lancelot—to figure out what to do about it.

In perilous times like these, the realm doesn’t just need a knight. It needs a true leader.

Luckily, Excalibur lies within reach.

But who will be fit to wield it?

With a cast that includes Merlin, Morgan le Fay, the Lady of the Lake, and King Arthur himself—all reimagined in joyous, wickedly subversive fashion— Perilous Times is an Arthurian retelling that looks forward as much as it looks back . . . and a rollicking, deadpan-funny, surprisingly touching fantasy adventure.

Brittany wrote: "Chemical element like au?"

I think it is the element’s name so gold, neon, iron, nickel etc.

Judith wrote: "Aoife,

Can you add Archibald Lox and Mercy of the Vampire King to your TT shelf when you get a chance?

Thank you!"

Aoife, I was able to use your book for a Chimpmunk task so we can log it once you add it to your shelf, thank you

I’m reading an angel in title book and will add it to the spreadsheet tomorrow.

Next up: 10 Awards - Read a book that won the 10 Awards - Read a booker award

This seems to be a list but like any list, I would check before reading: https://www.bookishelf.com/man-booker...

Brittany, I put The Foxglove King down for Random 10 - Read a book with an X in the title

Also, to help, the unclaimed ones are:

10 Things the Chipmunks Love - Lobsters! - Read a book with a creature with 10 limbs on the cover (e.g. lobster, shrimp, crab)

Film 10s - The Whole Ten Yards - Read a book that shares a title word (NOTE: THE can't be used)

Solve for X - Read a book with MPG Popular Science

Random 10 - Read a book featuring a gymnast (in honour of Olga Korbut's perfect 10)

10 Things the Chipmunks Love - Wacky Ideas! Read a book with MPG Humour

Tricia wrote: "I'm not seeing the new tasks in the chipmunks spreadsheet. Were they hidden? (spreadsheet is locked for me and I can't unhide rows) And it also looks like some books got put on tasks that aren't un..."

It looked fine to me. I checked using my account and a guest account, but both on a mac. I unhid everything so that might help.

And an easier one:
10 Things the Chipmunks Love - Wacky Ideas! Read a book with MPG Humour