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

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

The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal

Tesla Crane, a brilliant inventor and an heiress, is on her honeymoon on an interplanetary space liner, cruising between the Moon and Mars. She’s traveling incognito and is reveling in her anonymity. Then someone is murdered and the festering chowderheads who run security have the audacity to arrest her spouse. Armed with banter, martinis and her small service dog, Tesla is determined to solve the crime so that the newlyweds can get back to canoodling—and keep the real killer from striking again.

MPG Humor


Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

Everyone in my family has killed someone. Some of us, the high achievers, have killed more than once. I'm not trying to be dramatic, but it is the truth. Some of us are good, others are bad, and some just unfortunate.

I'm Ernest Cunningham. Call me Ern or Ernie. I wish I'd killed whoever decided our family reunion should be at a ski resort, but it's a little more complicated than that.

Have I killed someone? Yes. I have.

Who was it?

Let's get started.

EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE

My brother

My stepsister

My wife

My father

My mother

My sister-in-law

My uncle

My stepfather

My aunt

Me

DQs Day 2
Book II Home Again to Reset

6.) This section had a lot of Roger and Dodger breaking off contact and coming back together again for varied reasons. Have you ever broken off contact with someone for years only to come back together as friends? Anyone one you wish you could reconnect with?
Nope, I move a lot for school and work and I tend to keep one to a few people from each place and that makes me happy. Some people are better at long distance than others.

7.) Color seems to be an important theme in the book. As descriptors of people, places, things happening. Even as the balance between bright, colorful Dodger and colorblind bland Roger. Is this device helpful to you as you read the story?
Doesn’t make that big of an impact. I don’t see Dodger having any of the struggles that people I know who are colorblind have.

8.) Theories as to why it's so important for Roger and Dodger to be separate? Also, I find it interesting that their initials are R&D which is common shorthand for Research & Development considering they are basically Reed's experiments.
I think the note about the children who have merged into one person is why they need to be separate and have separate personalities.

9.) I thought Dodgers metaphor about prodigy kids being circus freaks/performers an apt one with adults and peers viewing them differently. Adults being amazed and peers ridiculing. Do you think it was an accurate description?
Yes and no, I think children are also on a range in terms of their response. We saw some adults who got it but the kids were more of one type or another and I think there are kids who care and kids who don’t.

10.) Halfway through the book. Anything you are hoping gets explained/revealed in the second half? Any character you hope gets a comeuppance?
I don’t care that much yet and not much has actually happened. I like the author’s novella’s so waiting for something to happen.

Bonus: Hand of Glory makes an appearance. Creepy!! Darren's hand? gross, but not all that surprised I suppose after reading some of the Wayward Children series. Thoughts?
Right now it just feels like she wanted it on the cover and so included it. I’ll see if it means anything else.

First review done as well; it was very standard and why do authors keep putting love triangles in urban fantasy
- 3 stars

I think gets lost should not be that hard for someone to just run across but up to you all.

I will also leave you both over 800 page books and go find something short.

Well, it is much short page count
Caucasian Eagle
200 to 299 pages
set in Russia
bird on cover
the letters LIVER in title (any order)
character goes to prison/jail (or is already there)

I saw we finished another monster so rolling us a new one. We seem to be doing everyother wheel so back to Greek.

800 is just hard.

Judith wrote: "So. . . now we have Yeti. Need to find a doorstopper

800+ pages
Book set (over 50%) in Nepal, Tibet, Russia, and/or India
Snow on cover
Title starts with a letter in YETI
2 in pages count"

Wow, I fully admit that is the worst one I made

That is quite a list

I like making tasks if you want any help

I'll leave it where it is but feel free to move it if someone else has a book for that spot

I have a book that works for 3 of the new ones but also works for MPG Myth if that is better

Judith wrote: "Oophf I’m so far behind with Middlegame right now. I’m glad each reading day is 2 days"

It's a fast read for whatever that is worth

DQs Day 1
1. How do you feel about the book starting with the ending? What are you thoughts on the overall style?

It didn’t really matter to me one way or the other. It seems done before, the bleeding out and then going back in time until you get to that point. (TV shows do this a lot). The writing is younger than I expected. I agree it reminds me of wayward children but maybe I thought this was supposed to be an adult book but then again, we start with 7-year-olds but there are more adult books with child narrators.

2. I have the audio and the hardcover and the cover image is much more striking on the hardcover. Any theories on what it represents?

It agree on the Hand of Glory from folklore, which I think only gives light to the holder so might be symbolic of Reed only wanting the power for himself or it’s just fun and creepy.

3. Asphodel believed "the balance between language and mathematics: the two methods through which Man has always been able to influence and even command Nature. The Doctrine must thus be viewed as the most dangerous and the most desirable of alchemical incarnations".
Does this make Roger and Dodger incredibly dangerous once they gain more knowledge, or unwitting weapons for Reed (or both)?

I think they will start out working for Reed and then figure out their out autonomy since this is a long book and we have to have some plot.

4. Is this book meeting your expectations so far? Have you read other books by McGuire (or 'Mira Grant')?

As I mentioned, I thought it would be older sounding, but it reads like the author’s other books. I have read almost all of the Wayward Children (minus the most recent, as I got bored with all the back story ones and the last ones felt repetitive) Over the Woodward Wall could be a fun BOM after this since it is quoted and inspired the author to write a full version.

5. What do you think of the excerpts of "Over the Woodward wall"? Are they foreshadowing something for Roger and Dodger?

Over the Woodward Wall was referenced as how the author used belief to change the rules of alchemy by writing a children’s book so I assume some of the rules in the book will also be enacted by Roger and dodger. The names seem the same so far such as the King of Cups and the road are mentioned in both.

Middlegame also works for character pretends to be something else but I'll leave it open in case Kate's book works there too

Judith, would you take "braver" for "brave" ?

I kept putting off as I told it was a mess and the characters were annoying. Yes, it was a mess and annoying, and I will add really cliche ending to the list. It is finished at least. Lowest rated ARC must count for something.

Thank you, both. A good mix of tasks. I'll finish a red cover today as the library wants it back sadly.

I finished Reopen if anyone is around to spin a new one or I’ll get it in the morning