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

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

DQs Set 2: VI - Eve

5. We meet Ramona and get more cryptic warnings. What do you think of her shop? How are you liking the descriptions of the archives and libraries?
I am having troubling committing to this book and the spaces seem interesting but kind of repetitive. I like that you can only seem to find it if you know where it is.

6. A couple of flashbacks in this section. Did you enjoy them? And suspicions on what happened to split up the gang?
I am going with Wally as my guess as Eve hinted at the whole loved Tam thing, and he is the one who took the pictures Nell has so he could be around and she does not know it. It is always the person who takes the pictures. Also, does he resent paying for everyone's food and being taken for granted?

7. Another disappearing act when Francis vanishes! What's going on here? Why haven't Nell & Felix already leapt to the "magical shenanigans" conclusion?!
I think it is the maps that allow one to jump in space. Though, it is much easier as the reader to guess magic than the characters.

8. The Atlas of Dreamers - would you buy that book if it existed?
It sounds interesting and there are books of imaginary places as maps.

Side note: I have a 2-3 year old niece and one does not drive 16 hours with a single break with that age group. That is the most magical thing about this book so far unless they drugged the child.

Backroom BOM Poll is up until May 15:
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...

Truitt_T wrote: "Lexi - I was just looking to the sheet to see what people had already added and noticed that you'll be reading The City of Brass. I thought it was excellent.

And I haven't reread ..."

I did not see that she died. I have not read it in over 20 years but found my brother’s old paperback version of all three together when I was helping my parents move this summer. Right now, it is the only paper book I am planning to bring to Senegal.

Truitt_T wrote: "Question - I see that we have a Book Overflow tab on the sheet. May we add books to that section ourselves? I want to keep my page average higher than I did last year, but I may need to read a few ..."

Yes, please do so. We can move books back to the main SS if we want but esp any books under 200 or so could start there

Thank you, Preeti

Also, I posted more specifics here for anyone who is new and might have missed it in the rules: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Also, feel free to post a book to the thread if you think it might need word count checked and Judith or one of the co-captains can check for you

Sonia wrote: "I only had the roasted version here. Boiled peanuts is something weird to picture. I'm almost positive there is no such thing in Portugal, but I don't want to be lying."

I have only had the ones from the Southern US, but they are also a thing in parts of W Africa, S America, and China, so I will hold out judgement on those.

Sonia wrote: "Sammy wrote: "Sonia wrote: "Another awesome task:
"Read a book with the word car, vehicle, bike, bicycle, truck or lorry (plurals are acceptable) in the title"

Now, since it wasn't bad enough, I a..."

Boiled peanuts are gross; I stand by this opinions.

Well, I just moved multiple spots since I decided that life was crazy enough right now to excuse missing the date published (said unknown on list so sneaky). If a book I read in order worked, I used it. Lucked out that I just finished a book that takes place in Iceland in winter for frozen country/world. Now on to a book where the title and series are the same

I just noticed that I read a book that works 15 days ago and just did not notice it was published in Aug. Sigh

Truitt_T wrote: "I just saw that the DQ spots for The Travelling Cat Chronicles have been assigned - Team Pandora didn't get any. :(

That was the only one of the BOMs selected so far that I was cer..."

That is sad, but we do have both June books so good to share the questions.

If anyone wants to volunteer as back-up for either June ones, that would be great in case something comes up. I should be good for mine, as I am going to read my day far enough ahead of time and send to the mods in case, I have internet issues.

Also, the book I nominated for the Backroom is a bit of a long running joke that has not won yet so feel free to vote whichever way you want.

DQs 1- Chapters I through V

1- We meet Nell, working in a dead end job. She had a dream job, worked with her father, and had a bright future. Then the junk box happened. Then her father dies. There is a lot that happens in the first few pages. What do you think of the intro to the story, and what do you think of Nell so far?
I am just now getting back to the book after stopping to read two other books so a bit of a slow start for me. Nell seems interesting but the whole Junk Box incident once it was explained just seemed a mess and a clear example why you should not work with family.

2- The map. What is with the map? How many of you had to try to read one of those maps as a navigator on a road trip? (And then try to fold it again after?) For those of you who are too young, a map is GPS without the satellites. Or the iPhone.
Any clues or ideas as to why this is so important to anyone? Or, why her father was willing to become estranged from his daughter over it?
Treasure or magic since the person on the camera seemed to disappear is my guess on the map. Some rich person treasure hunt maybe like the one out West where the national park system kept having to rescue people. (Also, I used to collect the state ones you got for free from highway rest stops. Loved those maps. My third-grade teacher had a workbook on reading maps, and I was the only person in my class to finish it cover to cover).

3- I always have to ask myself whether I would disregard the danger to find the answers, like Nell has chosen to do. How about you guys? Any intrepid leading ladies in the group?
Hard to say, but I can understand the desire to find closure for something that you felt ended to soon.

4- We are introduced to a new character, Felix, and teased about another, Ramona Wu. Thoughts about either?
Felix’s job sounds like something someone with no idea of predictive modeling would describe but maybe there are jobs like that out there (with random colored dots) and I am being too cynical. Not that interested yet and they all seem to yell a lot and not handle conformation in the best ways.

Just a reminder that we can have up to 6 people volunteer for BOM DQs, and if you are planning to read the book, extra volunteers gain us more entries to get questions, which right not has Kate as primary and then Judith and then me as backup, so you are unlikely to need to write questions. We are at 4 of 6 people now, and the questions will likely be allocated in the next few days.
Link here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

We don’t need volunteers for the June BOMs so far since Judith and I nominated the books.

Already talked to Judith, but can I have Day 1?

I added the backroom BOM nomination thread to the post at the start of the thread.

Nominations will be open until 12 May; polls will run 12 - 18 May.

Cat (mod) mentioned that the backroom BOM might start May 22. I think everyone here is over 18 but just a reminder that the backroom is an 18+ group.

Edited: Post updated with all June BOM info - link: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Judy wrote: "#10 -

And another one done! This one is a double-edged sword cause it's great that I enjoyed it, BUT it's the first in a series... oh well, tower teams is co..."

That is one of my planned TT books for May so glad you liked it.

I've usually nominated books I think would work well for discussion and not books that I have read before. I have nominated awful ones before, so it doesn't always work out.

Truitt_T wrote: "When books are instantly popular - particularly when it's not a well known author - I wonder how much it has to do with good advertising/promotion vs a more grass roots 'I read it and liked it - yo..."

I nominated it since we did The Sun Down Motel as a BOM, and it worked well. Some books are better to discuss than others.

Update to BOMs

I'll fix the post later today, but in case people need to request from the library, The Witch's Heart and The Book of Cold Cases won for June. You have a month to read them after the start date so all the way into July if you library has a long line.

Laila Jane wrote: "No problem, it’s always good to clarify!"

Glad that has been clarified, thank you Lalia for helping

Just in case anyone (new or repeat) is confused, we all start and end at the same time regardless of time zone. Just some people will be starting on the 15th (most of Europe, Africa, and N and S America) and some on the 16th (most of Asia and Australia), depending on time zone, so if you are in the second group, you need to wait until the 16th and whatever the official start time is for your time zone (why the countdown is helpful).