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

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

Duration: 5 weeks. Beginning November 14th, 9pm UK time

All Books Must be Started after November 14th, 9pm UK time

Countdown: https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown...

Important Links:
Rules and Announcements
Team Ove Official Spreadsheet - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Planning Spreadsheet - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

Team Shelf Links:
•Lexi (Captain) - Wheel2022
• Ariel (Co-Captain) - Wheel7
• Judith (Co-Captain) - Wheel2022
• Darren - Wheel7
• Melanie - Wheel-7
• Preeti- Wheel-7-NBRC
• Cordelia - Wheels
• Susan - Wheel2022
• Saar the Book Owl - Wheel-22
• Alison - Wheel_7

#35-36

One YA and one not but both epic fantasy. Continuing the tradition of first books in Epic Fantasy trilogies, whatever you call 4 books, generally annoy me. Everything gets set up and then goes to crap often by the MC being dumb about whatever bad thing is about to happen to everyone. I also rarely feel invested in the characters even if the worldbuilding is fun. I probably should give up on these but likely will read the others on my TBR list and also be annoyed.

At least, I am on track for the year at 80% of my 45 books.

Day 5
(Ted - end, p261 - end)

18. When I read what Ted's mother did to him as a child I instantly thought of his mother being let go from the hospital. Did you ever suspect her of being the kidnapper and murderer? Dee had the idea that it had to be a male who took her sister, what do you think about this assumption?
I wasn’t sure, but I knew she was abusive. There was too many mentions of scars and Ted clearly is set up as having issues from trauma. I knew there was more going on with Trevor and I can’t believe the cops never went to find him or try to since he could have been the kidnapper if the first story Dee told was real. She told a random male who disappeared on her that her sister was unsupervised.

19. Mental health is a key theme of this book. There is a lot happening within Ted. He tried to get help for himself but unfortunately for him his psychiatrist seemed more interested in writing a book and turning a profit than helping him. What do you think the book tells us about coping with traumas that are secret?
I don’t think it did a great job with trying to be sympathetic to DID. I also am not sure if setting up all of Ted’s issues as from childhood trauma is helpful in all cases and sometimes people just have mental health issues. I don’t know the studies on DID to see if it is always associated with trauma.

20. I thought that the afterword was helpful in helping me understand a bit more about DID, and I am planning to read more about it. Had you heard of the condition before and are you planning to read a bit more about it?
I learned about it in psychology class in college and not likely to read more unless I did a literature search. I would not trust most of the internet since it gets sensationalized a lot.

21. I liked the book and have a few friends I would recommend it to, but I have mixed feelings about how I would describe it to them. Did you like it? If so how would you explain this book without giving any spoilers? If you didn’t like the book why not?
I didn't like it and wouldn't recommend. I’m also not entirely happy calling it a thriller since it deals with DID and is trying to be sympathetic. It is difficult.

22. After reading this, I am thinking about picking up another of her books. Have you read any of Catriona Ward’s other books before?
I read Sundial. I did not like either so I am done with this author.


Links:
1 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
4 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
5- this one

Day 4 p193 - 260
- starts "I keep trying to record my thoughts,..."
- ends "I know that, today, it will be my own."

13. Lauren tells Olivia her story, which is horrifying. Did you think she was telling the truth? We later find out she was lying (or distorting the facts) to get Olivia to stab Ted, which hurts them as well. Why do you think she does this? Are Lauren and Olivia and Ted (and Night-time!) actually separate entities paranormally stuck together or is it dissociative identity disorder?

It was fairly clear from the start that this was going to be DID to me. I still do not like that it treated it as horror with DID being the “twist” if you will. I think this book could have been done differently and not setting up the one with DID as the horror character.

14. Olivia sees the rug change color from orange to blue. I had noticed these two colors of rugs mentioned before but I just assumed they were rugs in different places. What do you think this color change means? Could it actually be a physical transformation? Or does it signify something about the narrator’s state of mind?

I think it showed that the person narrating was using a different perspective on life. Changing things to fit a better worldview.

15. Olivia and Lauren badly hurt each other. Lauren initiates this. Do you think it indicates something else about her character and intentions or is she just desperate and lashing out?

I think all of the alts have experienced trauma differently and none have heathy emotional coping methods.

16. The psychiatrist claims that he knows Ted is evil but just wants to use him to profit by using his case as a subject for his book. How do you feel about this? Do you think he is being honest here or could he have ulterior motives? What do you think the consequences of Ted’s altercation with him will be?

I have finished the book, but it was clear that the entire transaction was happening under the table and thus, generally was self-profiting for the bug man in some way.

17. Lauren talks to Dee, who ignores her and proceeds to try to kill Ted. Do you think Lauren has anything to do with LuLu? And what does it say about Dee that she doesn’t stop to consider it?

I've read the end of the book but it is clear that Dee has her own issues and the need for a clear villain in this narrative.

Day 1: Ted - Olivia (ends ""I am pretty hungry now, so I will sleep.")

1. Ted is .... interesting. With blackouts, no pain sensitivity and a very strange relationship to the present and past, is there any "weirdo" characteristic unplumbed?! How do you feel this set of quirks plays into the unreliable narrator trope?
I think, like Cat, it is a bit overdone, and he clearly has both alcohol and mental health issues. I am guessing Lauren is not real either. I would like ghost but think this is going to be one of those try to comment on mental health issue books. I did read Sundial by this author and wasn’t fond of it much either. In that one, there were actual ghosts though and mental health issues..

2. Olivia - another unreliable trope. And a cat. (or is she?). And a cat who has found God. What's going on here? How do you feel about having a cat narrator? (as an aside, I'm amused we have now had two BOMs in the past 6 months with cat narrators)
I don’t think she is a cat either. I really think we are headed to a multiple/ dissociative personality set-up and those feel really lazy to me, so I’ll see.

3. The general set-up of Needless Street seems exceptionally strange - Ted is open about having a daughter (or does he?), but she doesn't seem to go out. The lack of nosiness by the neighbours is possibly the least believable thing about this so far, cat narrator and weirdo bingo-full-house included! What do you think about the set-up?

I feel like someone would have complained about the house and to child welfare by now especially for someone already a person of interest in a previous kidnapping case. Also, not sure it is not all Ted. Mum is clearly abusive in flashbacks and dad an alcoholic.

4. There's a reference to the gods having to be reburied. Want to hazard a guess?

I also think parents or at least mum.

I am not quite done with today's section but as a public service announcement, you can get animals off glue traps quite easily with mineral oil or any cooking oil. We did it all the time at the wildlife clinic I helped at when I was in school.

Third month in a row at 79% and still trying to make it to 80% this month. I added two last month, which clearly isn't helping.

Oct NetGalley Challenge
Beginning of month
Books on shelf: 35
Feedback ratio: 79%

Past Publication:
2019:

2020:

2021:

2022:


Not yet published 2022:

2023:

Still waiting on a library copy but I'll post if it comes in time to do DQ's

Going with the drinks as food as reason

A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin

For Ning, the only thing worse than losing her mother is knowing that it's her own fault. She was the one who unknowingly brewed the poison tea that killed her—the poison tea that now threatens to also take her sister, Shu.

When Ning hears of a competition to find the kingdom's greatest shennong-shi—masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making—she travels to the imperial city to compete. The winner will receive a favor from the princess, which may be Ning's only chance to save her sister's life.

But between the backstabbing competitors, bloody court politics, and a mysterious (and handsome) boy with a shocking secret, Ning might actually be the one in more danger.

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

An enchanting tale filled with magical realism and moments of pure love that won’t let you go.

Between the real and the imaginary, there are stories that take flight in the most extraordinary ways.

Right off the coast of South Carolina, on Mallow Island, The Dellawisp sits—a stunning old cobblestone building shaped like a horseshoe, and named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy.

When Zoey comes to claim her deceased mother’s apartment at the Dellawisp she meets her quirky and secretive neighbors, including a young woman with a past, two estranged middle-aged sisters, and a lonely chef, and three ghosts. The sudden death of one of Zoey's new neighbors sets off a search that leads to the island's famous author and to a long-estranged relative of the sisters.
Each of them has a story, and each story has an ending which hasn't yet been written.

I am working on one right now, but I have also added one -

Links for BOM Participation verification:

Day 1: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 2: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 3 - DQs: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 4: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 5: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Lisa - (Aussie Girl) wrote: "** Bonus question. ***

Looks like most of us didn't really "like" the characters in this. Which made me ponder.. is it important to like or have some sort of empathy for the characters to make a g..."

I have to be invested in caring how it turns out. That may be because I like the characters or at minimum am curious as to how they got to where they got even if I don’t like them. The issue isn’t like or dislike but totally could care less and as Cat says this often happens with flat characters who are more defined by so and so’s wife than an actual person.

Day 5 - Jess - epilogue

17. The wrapping up of this was very hectic, with bonus tear-gas fueled bathroom sex! Was the ending satisfactory to you?
That was a mess. I am not sure why the riot scene was even necessary. The ending I discuss below but it wasn’t my favorite.

18. Jess blackmails Sophie into helping out the sex-trafficked girls. What did you think of this plot line?
Eh, I thought it was rather cheap/amoral of Jess to claim a finder’s fee since they were in way worse shape.

19. Any changes in your view of the characters over the course of the book?
Nope, I guessed the father was dead in the flowerbed quite early, but I wanted Sophie to be the one to do it. The way it ended with the daughter ended up giving no one agency and it was just a mentally unbalanced and in need of help young woman doing it, which was much less fun. Sophie covered it up, but I wanted her to be active, not just reactive.

20. Finally, do you think the inversion of the normal view of Paris as the city of love was effective here?
I don’t think it had a strong sense of place. It could have been most major cities in Europe where there would have been a language barrier and issues with sex trafficking. I do not know enough about the issues specifically in France as say Belgium but I doubt this book had that level of nuance.

I had to finish the book since the ebook was about to return itself yesterday. I will sort of answer today’s questions since most of today's are guessing what will happen next. (I did guess by ~60% what was in the flowerbed).

DQ Day 5- Nick - Mimi

13. There is a lot going on in this section with many twists. First, we head to Amsterdam and the Ben/Nick encounter was this expected. What are your thoughts on how Ben treated Nick when he moved into the apartment?
Ben only cares about himself and is willing to use those around him to get his own. I thought the relationship was more than one drunk blowjob, but the siblings seem to get caught easily with Ben.

14. Ben and Sophie embark on illicit rendezvous courting danger, while Mimi is on an obsessive mission to seduce Ben. Where do you see this ending?

I have finished the book.

15. Jess and Theo succeed in gaining entry to the exclusive club owned by Jacques but are thrown out when they attempt to access the locked room, with one of the dancers being fearful when she spots them down there. Ideas on what is behind the door?

This has been clear from the start what was going on here.

16. We learn a lot about Mimi’s heritage and her connection to the Concierge. Do you think she’s aware of the connection?

I finished the book, but I didn't think she knew.

DQs Day 3 - Mimi - Sophie
9. Now, we know they are one big (not so) happy family. What do you think of the family dynamics? Do you think it is odd to live in an apartment in someone else’s house? This also means that anyone could have a key.

10. We have learned about the father and his view on sex/chastity with two of his children (“becoming a man” and his daughter’s outfit). How do these two scenes reflect on the family and character development?

11. Ben seems to have been investigating the family business. What do you think is really going on and is represented by the “wine” transactions? I think there is one obvious choice, but I will wait for others to comment.

12. Finally, do you have a favorite character so far? Do you think the characters have developed much or are they still mostly defined relationally?

DQs Day 3 - Mimi - Sophie
9. Now, we know they are one big (not so) happy family. What do you think of the family dynamics? Do you think it is odd to live in an apartment in someone else’s house? This also means that anyone could have a key.

10. We have learned about the father and his view on sex/chastity with two of his children (“becoming a man” and his daughter’s outfit). How do these two scenes reflect on the family and character development?

11. Ben seems to have been investigating the family business. What do you think is really going on and is represented by the “wine” transactions? I think there is one obvious choice, but I will wait for others to comment.

12. Finally, do you have a favorite character so far? Do you think the characters have developed much or are they still mostly defined relationally?

Day 2 DQs Jess to Jess

5.) This section opens with Jess and Nick meeting which provides more insight into Ben and his relationships with friends. The conversation Nick and Ben had about the apartment rent seemed really odd, why was the rent for that apartment so cheap? And how could Nick really arrange it?
I have read the next section, but one should always be suspicious of unrealistic pricing on apartments. There is always some catch.

6.) More layers added to the Concierge, she seemed to like Ben because he treated her like a person. Anyone else think he had an angle there and he wasn't just being a decent person? However, she's following Sophie's instructions about Jess and vaguely threatened her. Any thoughts as to why?
She needs the job and the tie to her daughter seems to keep her in Paris. She is old and likely is stuck here since it is both pay and housing. Ben seems to always have an angle to be fair.

7.) Things are not looking good for Ben, I'm back to pondering the freshly planted flower bed in the courtyard. Any guess at what he's been up to? The blackmail of Sophie?
See I’m leaning towards that he is in the attic/maids’ quarters and alive. That does lead the question of who or what is in the flowerbed. It certainly gets mentioned enough.

8.) The police station. Do you think Nick told them what Jess think he told them? Or do you think he told them "this is my friend's nutter sister who thinks he's missing when he's off getting laid".?
I think most likely the second one.

DAY 1 QUESTIONS - PROLOGUE - CONCIERGE

1. Lucy Foley has been a very popular author over the last few years starting with The Book of Lost and Found in 2015, this is her sixth book. How many have your read? Have you a favourite? What is it about her writing style that keeps you coming back? And if you are a newbie what are you expecting from The Paris Apartment?
I didn’t mind the Guest list. It was a little too contrived for plot reasons, but I thought it was fun and gave it 4 stars. This one did not otherwise interest me if it was not a BOM. However, her stuff tends to read fast and be typical multiple perspective thrillers so expecting something similar.

2. Ahhh.. Voila. Paris the city of love and light. 💕 How important do you think the apartment's location will be to the story? Have you been to Paris or is it on your travel bucket list? Any memories/stories you want to share.
Never been and not high on my list of places to go. I hope it is important to the plot but so far, it is not except the MC cannot understand the language.

3. And now to the prologue. Does is set the scene? What are your initial thoughts of Ben and what is to come? PS Isn't the key so cute with the Paris landmarks on it. I want one!
It lets you know that something has happened or implied that, so you don’t think that Ben is just off somewhere for a few days on a bender. It gives the rest of the novel weight but is also an easy way to do so without having to build up suspense from a more limited point of view.

4. It's a bit of a femme fest with all the main characters at this stage women. Jess, Sophie, Mimi and the mysterious Concierge - all seem to be full of subterfuge and secrets. Compare and contrast these women and what do you think their ongoing role in the novel will be?

We also got Nick’s point of view so that is a lot of characters. Sometimes it feels like an easy way to do a novel as the author can add info that one character wouldn’t know but then you get lots of scattered thoughts that feel contrived, so the reader does not get too much info. I would have preferred one or two perspectives. Everyone interacted with Daniel differently but so far, we only know the woman by their relationship with a man and other men so I hope that gets changed as the story progresses.

I'm still at 79% and trying to make it to 80% this month.

Sept NetGalley Challenge
Beginning of month
Books on shelf: 34
Feedback ratio: 79%

Past Publication:
2019:

2020:

2021:

2022:

Sept 2022:
Not yet published:

I ended the month at 79% because I picked up a new book but maybe next month.