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

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

Late to get my post up this month but finally made it to 80%.

Nov NetGalley Challenge
Beginning of month
Books on shelf: 33
Feedback ratio: 80%

Past Publication:
2019:

2020:

2021:

2022:

2023:

I'm back in the US from my 30+ hour trip back. It looks like most everyone is doing fine with the spreadsheet.

Preeti, it looks like someone fixed the missing box so that's great.

There are no points from BOM this round so feel free to volunteer as you want. There is a side prize for the team with the most BOM points to pick some future BOMs, but it does NOT affect team standings for Wheel.

Preeti wrote: "Would this count as blue??? Thanks.

"

I'd be ok with it being blue

I'm headed to bed, but books can be started in 2.5 hours. Happy reading, everyone

Darren, I saw that you put a book on the spreadsheet that you have already marked as started reading. If you have not actually started reading it yet, can you wait the 2.5 hours so we can use it. Thank you

For the first one since you have the audio, you would use the default edition which is the kindle. You would need to ask, or I can ask for a GR librarian to add a page number.

For the second one, which edition are you reading? I assume for an ARC that you have a kindle/ebook version and the UK cover. The US version of the ebook does have a page number, and it is 384. (This one: Strange Sally Diamond). The UK publisher site says the UK ebook is also 384 so I might go with that for now.

Here is the countdown to the start so everyone can check their time zones.

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

Welcome, everyone. I have better internet for the next day. Can everyone please post their wheel shelf name?

My shelf is: Wheel2022

Also, just a reminder that all books must be started after Wheel starts, so you have just over 24 hours to finish anything you already started.

The only bonus that will keep adding is the Space Opera tag, which is equivilant to 50 extra pages. A way I think about is for a book is to ask myself if this is a book that I would read slower than a 50 page longer book that I want to read more. That, at least, helps me focus on books I like as well as points. Hope that makes sense, running on very little sleep.

Team Ove is open for all.

Welcome,
my name is Lexi (she/her), and I’m currently in Madagascar. The internet is not good enough for my computer to connect, so I’m on my phone. I normally live in northern Indiana and I’m a postdoc. This is my fifth wheel.

Please introduce yourself, including pronouns, and say if you’ve played wheel before. Also, since our first shelf of the week is Space Opera, do you have any recommendations? Also feel free to ask any questions.

Countdowns
End of Round 4 / Start of Round 5: https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown...

Wheel Spins:
Each round lasts for ONE weeks.

 Round 1 - THE BOOK OF COLD CASES (blue) - Genre: SPACE OPERA (needs 10 tags)
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/genres/spac...
 Round 2 - THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET (red) - Genre: MYTHOLOGY (needs 10 tags)
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/genres/myth...
 Round 3 - RAZORBLADE TEARS (pink) - Genre: QUEER (needs 10 tags)
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/genres/queer
 Round 4 - BLUE SKINNED GODS (blue) - Genre: Contemporary
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/genres/cont...
 Round 5 - THE GOOD WIFE OF BATH (green) - Genre: Zombies
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/genres/zombies

Point System
Books less than 160 pages = 0 points
Books between 160 and 1000 pages = 0.1 points/page
Books over 1000 pages = 100 points

Bonus points
Each week teams can gain 5 bonus points if a book used in the spell out is:
- at least 50% the colour cover associated with the team's word - to a maximum of 25 points
- that has at least 10 shelvings that matches the week's shelf. The same shelf will be used for all teams. There is no maximum points for the shelving

Spell-it-out Rules
Find the letters needed using the first letter in:
◈ book / series title*
◈ author first/last name
◈ FICTION ONLY: character name**
◈ If listening to the audio book: audio narrator first/last name
◈ If you are reading a translation: translator first/last name

* if the first word in the title/series is a definite or indefinite article you can ignore them if you prefer (i.e A, The)
** characters must be significant to the plot. you can use first, last or nickname.

Note that non-fiction books don't have characters

Page and Word Count
◈ Books must be at least 160 pages in length
◈ Books with MPGs Childrens / Kids / Poetry / Play / Graphic Novel / Illustrated / Photography / Art (or which have "Illustrated" in the title or an "Illustrator" contributor in the metadata) must have at least 40,000 words or a 4 hour audio book
◈ Judith and Lexi can help you check wordcount if this is unclear before you read
◈ Can check audio using Audible/Amazon or https://www.arbookfind.com/ (https://www.arbookfind.co.uk/ and www.arbookfind.com.au)
◈ "Re-reads" will be allowed, if it has been six months (this includes both audio and print)

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