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

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

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.

I have already had the discussion with my sister that starts with, you know I don't even own a dining/kitchen table? I do own a sofa as of last year, but I have more bookshelves than anything else.

Cat wrote: "Me three, cos I carefully picked what worked around a busy weekend with sister and nephew! :D"

Ah, sneaky. I have my niece and nephew visiting with parents in my one-bedroom apartment at the end of the month. It will be chaos.

I'm good with my day

Links for BOM Participation
Day 1 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 3 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 4 DQs - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 5 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

DQs Day 5: Cottonmouth Remembers Flowers ---> One Year Later

19. What an action-packed ending! What was your favorite part about how this all resolved? What do you think happened to Paul? Do you think Nina and her Grandma will be safe after everything that occurred?

I like that it keeps on going. Some things are resolved but many things are not. You get a sense of that with the locket story mid-text, but I read from one Native author (not to generalize) that many stories do not end the way more Eurocentric stories do, but there is a sense that you stopped in for a part of a life but that the story and the life keep going.

20. I love how this book casually talks about big issues, like climate change. Did you enjoy how that was woven into the story? Do you think the author should have done more to highlight the issue? Do you generally enjoy fantasy books that weave in real world issues?

I liked that it was just a part of life in Texas, and it did not even need to be that much further in the future considering what Texas is already dealing with on a regular basis. I think it was stronger making it so day to day because it was normal to them. I like when it is done well such as here but I feel some times authors think that if they don’t shout the message that a reader will miss it and that gets a bit old.

21. What do you think happened between the Mockingbird and Thou Own Dave? Do you think he truly turned over a new leaf?

That was definitely Mockingbird and she did well for closing legal loopholes. I think he will be in for a surprise.

22. I really enjoyed the concept of the St0ryte11er app! Does it sound like something you would enjoy or use? What do you think the author's own feelings on social media might be after reading her portrayal of this app?

Not for me, too public and still room for predatory activities. I think the author showed a balanced approach that it could be both good or bad.

24. Lastly, the obligatory question... how did you like the book?? What was your favorite and least favorite part? What did you end up rating the book? And would you read from this author again?

I loved Elatsoe and I enjoyed this one as well. I will read whatever Little Badger writes next. I gave it five stars and I liked the stories in the reflected world the best.

My copy came in early so I am good for DQs

DQs Day 4: Cottonmouth Falls to Earth to Nina, 2 Days Before Landfall


15. To get to earth, Oli and friends must go up to then fall to earth. This is further emphasized in the title and the chapter name. Why do you think the author made the choice that the path to Earth is by falling?

16. We meet the Mockingbird again in this section. What do you think of her role so far as a character and as a trickster character?

17. What are thoughts on Own Dave and what was shown about him in the give away scene? Do you think Nina is overly trusting that this will work out?

18. If you had the ability to have an animal form, what would you choose? (You may want to consider the potential tradeoffs like wing ears).

DQs Day 3: Nina, Age 16 to Cottonmouth Meets an Originator

10. We know why Ami is sick. What do you think of how the author has woven extinction and how humans treat the Earth into the story? (Did the revelation make you want to cry like I did?)
This is a reread but I thought it was a sad as they talk about losing the ability to transform and then the fading away.

11. The threads of the story are coming together. Oli and the twins are going to Earth. The twins and Bright immediately signed up for the journey and the danger. Do you think you would do the same for a dear friend? In our world, what? Donate a kidney, or something similar?
Yes, I think so. Hesitant on kidney specifically but have some of my own health issues.

12. Any ideas on why Grandma cannot leave her home? And, what will happen to her when the hurricane lands?
I thought she is tied to the spirt world since they come in there. Maybe not an animal but something.

13. Who is this nightmare king in our world, do you think?
I thought before that Paul is a minion since they keep saying he is in France.

14. What do you think of Nina decoding Rosina’s last story? How important is the story and the warning? Do you think Nina’s mom knows more than she is sharing about the family history?
I think it is wonderful that she has this both as a project and the story itself. I don’t think her mom would have any reason to know more, her dad either, but her grandmother might.