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

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

Have a good trip

#2 -

This one is from 2017. It was a good audio as I was doing other things, nothing groundbreaking or that new but a nice synthesis. A little disorganized and starts too far in the past. I likely would have given it 3 stars if I read it but 4 with the audio.

All of mine are over 100 pages which is my personal cut off for calling it a book but word count is either clearly too short or unverifiable.

#1 for the year


This was my oldest on my TBR list from Feb 15 2016 (tied to be fair). I enjoyed it but it was a bit dark for a children's book.

What are our thoughts as a team in using non-standard books for this challenge? I know it’s officially allowed. I have some poetry and comics I’m reading this week and some unverifiable children’s books.

Sounds good, name has been updated everywhere

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late.

Shelby Van Pelt's debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.

What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe

Randall Munroe left NASA in 2005 to start up his hugely popular site XKCD 'a web comic of romance, sarcasm, math and language' which offers a witty take on the world of science and geeks. It now has 600,000 to a million page hits daily. Every now and then, Munroe would get emails asking him to arbitrate a science debate. 'My friend and I were arguing about what would happen if a bullet got struck by lightning, and we agreed that you should resolve it . . . ' He liked these questions so much that he started up What If.

If your cells suddenly lost the power to divide, how long would you survive?

How dangerous is it, really, to be in a swimming pool in a thunderstorm?

If we hooked turbines to people exercising in gyms, how much power could we produce?

What if everyone only had one soulmate?

When (if ever) did the sun go down on the British empire?

How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live?

What would happen if the moon went away?

In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations, and consults with nuclear reactor operators. His responses are masterpieces of clarity and hilarity, studded with memorable cartoons and infographics. They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind, or at least a really big explosion. Far more than a book for geeks, WHAT IF: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions explains the laws of science in operation in a way that every intelligent reader will enjoy and feel much the smarter for having read.

I stopped a few episodes into Peter Capaldi's doctor as well. I did not know David Tennant was returning.

Also, I added 2 books to the spreadsheet and feel free to claim as many spots as you want

Judith wrote: "And look, Sirens! A monster Lexi and I never managed to get during TT.

Too bad I already read True Biz"

We also never had Centaurs so 2 new ones and no snek (yet)

Jenny wrote: "Sammy, do you agree that "Blink" is the gateway drug to Doctor Who?"

That was the first one I was shown in college when I started watching, though I have seen none of the newer seasons

You could mix it up and have a domestication wheel versus slaying so mythical creature you might want as a pet

We do need a team name. I am fine with that one but due to the wings, the picture is a German Wolpertinger

Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

First Five Monsters:

1. Centaurs
2. Colchian Dragon
3. Sirens
4. Chimera
5. Colchian Dragon Chimera Manticore

(re-spun 5 to avoid duplicates)

Rules
1.) Each monster has a set of required tasks that must be completed in order to vanquish the monster.

2.) Books can be used to complete more than one task, but only for the same monster. If you can find a single book that meets all five tasks, congratulations, you defeated the monster with just one book! Expect other teams to notice this and copy your choice ;)

3.) Teams/individuals can have up to 5 monsters to vanquish at any time.

4.) Monsters are assigned at random and may be repeated by the same team/individual.

5.) We like players to be creative, that's what makes this fun. However, please do not hurt yourself over thinking the tasks. If there still is some indecision, post in the Q&A thread or just find a different book.

6.) Once you vanquish a monster and get a replacement it should be considered locked and you cannot swap out books.

The Walloping Wolpertingers' Marauding Monsters 2023


Team Members:
Jenny
Judith
Angie
Lexi
Kate
Donna

Links:
Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Master List: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

Greek Wheel: https://wheeldecide.com/?c1=Typhon&am...
Asia Wheel:https://wheeldecide.com/?c1=Ropen&amp...
Urban Myths Wheel:https://wheeldecide.com/?c1=Hoop%20Sn...
Human Monsters Wheel:https://wheeldecide.com/?c1=Mr.%20Bur...
Overly Specific Literary Monsters: https://wheeldecide.com/?c1=Behemoth%...
Dr. Who: https://wheeldecide.com/?c1=Ood&c...
Bad Romance: https://wheeldecide.com/?c1=Hot%20Pro...
Vegi-Might: https://wheeldecide.com/?c1=Ent&c...
Discworld: https://wheeldecide.com/?c1=Mr%20Salz...
World: https://wheeldecide.com/?c1=Anders%20...

I started the year with 542 and ended with 420. Lots of deleting as well as reading. I'm pretty happy with it. Likely less deleting next year, but my goal to end the year around 350.

New year, new goals:

Jan NetGalley Challenge
Beginning of month
Books on shelf: 31
Feedback ratio: 80%

2019:

2020:

2021:

2022:

2023:

Drunk in title

Drunk on All Your Strange New Words by Eddie Robson

Lydia works as translator for the Logi cultural attaché to Earth. They work well together, even if the act of translating his thoughts into English makes her somewhat wobbly on her feet.

She’s not the agency’s best translator, but what else is she going to do? She has no qualifications, and no discernible talent in any other field.

So when tragedy strikes, and Lydia finds herself at the center of an intergalactic incident, her future employment prospects look dire—that is, if she can keep herself out of jail!

But Lydia soon discovers that help can appear from the most unexpected source…