Saar The Book owl’s Comments (group member since Jun 26, 2020)

Saar The Book owl’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

With my cheeks red of shame I must admit I've failed every year. There just a lot of interesting books coming on my way! But, I'll try again. So, here I go:

I'll start with 5 books per year that I've been adding books to GR. (I've left 2013 out of the list, because I had less than 5 - I've read them already - and between 2014 and 2016 I wasn't that active.)

1/35

2017:
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street
The Meowmorphosis
Everything Is Teeth
The Elephant Whisperer
Spare Change

2018:
All the Bright Places
Monster
Life After Life
Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned"
Elevation

2019:
Fire & Blood
London
De zevende zus
The Priory of the Orange Tree
De leestip

2020:
Christmas at the Cat Café
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Cécile
Pine
Old Bones

2021:
The Hidden World of the Fox 11/22/24
Nala's wereld
The Leaving
Ik ben een eiland
Het geknetter in de sterren

2022:
Race the Sands
The Wild Inside
The Four Winds
Ons huis
The School for Good Mothers

2023:
Felix the Railway Cat
Leila and the Blue Fox
Silent Came the Monster: A Novel of the 1916 Jersey Shore Shark Attacks
Our Crooked Hearts
Skandar and the Unicorn Thief

Thanks for all the fun and managing the challenge. I've enjoyed it :)

Completion post and added to the spreadsheet:
The Girl with All the Gifts
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music

Charybdis:
Task 2: Author's name (first or last) starts with one of the letters in POOL
Grote dromen by Sarah Lark. Finished 11/29/23.

Sorry, I've been sick the whole week, but I'll add my books in the following days.

@Cat: I don't know what GR is doing, but the books were already added to my shelf. I've doubled checked everything and normally it's okay now.
The book 'Bondi vet' seems to be missing some details, but I've added the pages from the edition that I've read to the sheet.

I've completed and added it to the sheet:
- Bondi Vet: De mooiste verhalen van de charmante televisiedierenarts uit Sydney
- Grote dromen

Hm, that's a difficult one, but my guts tell me that it's more blue - ish than grey.

Finished Starter Villain, added it to the sheet and answered the questions.

Alison wrote: "Cat wrote: "oh good grief.

The GR Choice first round votes are up, and they've put in a new category: "romantasy". I DESPISE that classification sooooooo much

ugh ugh ugh"

I'm not a fan of roman..."

I don't understand why children's books, middle grade an GN dissapeared. They do matter a lot too!

Links to DQs:
Day 1: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 2: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 3: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 4: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Final day: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Final Day DQs:

17. Charlie definitely came a long way towards leaning into the supervillain vibe before it was cruelly snatched away again. How about you? How would you decorate your supervillain lair?
I think I would hire more dolphins and cats and maybe build my lair into the vulcano. Also, there weren't enough gadgets. Charlie hoped for some James Bond gadgets, so I definately would have a team to design them.

18. How did you feel about the ending? Right? Too convoluted? Predictable? Needs more cowbell?
It wasn't predictable, but I was a bit bummed that Charlie didn't stay a super villain. He would've improved very well from a starter villain to a super villain, together with Mathilda, Dobrev and, yes, even Tobias. It's nice that he got a fresh start with the pub, a new life and his cats. Secretly I hoped that the Lombardy Convocation would have new super villains and there would be a second book, where Charlie is a pub owner by day, but a secret super villain by night.

19. If this was your first Scalzi, will you go back for more? If not your first, where would you rank this one compared to others you read?
I've read The Kaiju Preservation Society before and they are equally good.

20. And finally... Cats. Do you have any? Are you under the delusion you own them, rather than the other way around? If you don't have cats, is that because you're wise to the fact they they are indeed evil supervillains intent on taking over the world, or some more mundane reason?
Yes, I'm a slave for 5 cats: 1 adopted, 1 that lives in our garden for years and 3 strays who come for food and attention. I don't own cats, cats can't be owned. They are their own boss. Like cat people say: 'cats have slaves, dogs have owners'. But I still love them!

DQs Day 4: Ch 18 to 23

13) Well we now know what happens to Jacobs. No shark death for him! Were you surprised about how all that went down? Do you think all of those men (Dobrev, etc) are dead?
I was a bit suprised, but it would've spoiled the fun if he was actualy dead. With vilains you can expect everything! I had my doubts about Dobrev being dead. He seemed to be a 'helpful' villain.

14) "Humans do a good job of making outcasts." Do you agree with this statement?
Sadly, yes. Some humans are doing a great job at that.

15) Was everyone else as entertained as I was by the first Zoom call? There are times I'd love to do stuff like that at work.
That was hilarious! Gratas wanted to be a super villain, but he didn't know the basics about leading a villain meeting. Charlie was like a grown up putting up with an angry toddler.

16) What did you think of Charlie's response to the attach on Jenny's Bay? Settling in to his super villain role?
For not knowing a thing about his uncle Jake and the super villain business, Charlie was settling in great. Mathilda, Williams and Hera got his back with good advise.

DQs: Day 3 ~ Chapters 12 – 17

9. It seems like the whole book is a test of Charlie’s character. Hera’s conversation with Charlie is one example. Charlie suddenly asks if Hera and Persephone like him. She says they were sent to watch him, but they like him because Charlie chose to take them in and treated them well. Do you think the book is portraying a series of tests from his uncle? What do you think it means?
I don't think it was a series of tests. It felt more like a script that Charlie needed to complete. The question of the cats liking Charlie or not, I think, is more one of loneliness. Charlie didn't have anithing besides Hera and Persophene and maybe he felt that he got set up. That the 2 management cats were only there for villain business.

10. “Business is business. It’s different from respect and friendship.” What did you think of this statement? Do you agree with it or do you think these things can’t be separated?
I think this things need to be separated, but it's difficult, especially when friendship becomes business and you need to take a step back.

11. Charlie was quick to pick up clues on the Lombardy Convocation members. What did you think of his assessment? Did it change your opinion of him?
Yes, definately. It less felt as if Charlie played along and had no clue about what he was doing. He did his homework and stepped up.

12. There has been a lot of great banter in the book so far. I have to say I think both parts with the dolphins were my favorites. What has been your favorite line/quote, or your favorite part of the book so far?
There were so many!
“So now what?” I said. “Neither of us can get that gun, and if you try to attack me my cat will murder you.” “I’m thinking,” Jacobs said. “You’re bleeding,” I said. “I can do both.”
“Maybe I’m just better with cats than people, and cats seem to know that.” “That’s the toxoplasmosis talking.” “I’m sure it is.”

DQs: Day 2, Chap 7 - 11


5. We learn Hera and Persephone are both sentient cats. My cats love lying next to me and staring at my computer screen (when they’re not stomping all over my keyboard), so I can picture a cat using a computer vividly. What mischief would your pets come up with if they were sentient? Even if you don’t have pets, what mayhem do you think could happen?
Hm, I think my cat would just hold me hostage to pet him the whole day and I think he would plan a lot of mischieve with his sidekick.


6. Charlie seems to be surprisingly chill about going along with everything happening, from sentient animals to attempts on his life to being whisked away to the Caribbean. Does that make sense to you, with how his life was before the book started? How would you react if you found out your uncle was a supervillain?
Well, I've found it strange that he was so easy going with all what was happening and still wouldn't stay a villain. That surprised me. But come to think of it, his life wasn't much to talk about: a substitute teacher job that he didn't like, not much money, no family and siblings that didn't care...So yes, this was a big interesting change for him. There were moments that he would try to graps what was happening, though. Maybe it was the good guidance of Mathilda that made Charlie seem so chill about it. I don't think I would be part of the business of my uncle, but if it had sentient cats, well, maybe then, but only then.

7. Although travelling there was a bit of a hassle, St. Genevieve sounds like a pretty sweet place to be. Where would your ideal villain (sorry, process disruptor) lair be set?
Hm, I think somewhere in Iceland: cold, snow and vulcanos!

8. We got a list of more or less exciting options including sharks, so: what is Charlie going to decide? How is Jacobs going to “die”? Or might his death end up being a real one after all?
Well, I already know what happened to Jacobs, but maybe sharks is a 'better' way then being 'crisped' in a vulcano.

Bonus question: The (soon to be striking) dolphins have, uhm, quite the vocabulary. Any favorite insults? Do you want to give coming up with some creative insults a shot yourself?
I think I can't beat the insults of the doplhins. They were both hilarious and creative with the insults.

Yes, me too! I thought I've read it wrong or something. What's in a name?!

DQs: Day 1, Chap 1 - 6

1. I'm so excited to be reading another John Scalzi book with you all. He has quickly become one of my "always read" authors. Is this your first Scalzi book? What are your expectations?
No, I've read the The Kaiju Preservation Society before and I truly enjoyed it. I loved the writing and I'm happy to notice that the writing style is the same, same as the humor.

2. What are your first impressions of Charlie? Do you think he is using his sad life events as an excuse to coast through life easier as his siblings and attorney seem to imply? Do you relate to him so far?
I don't think Carlie is using his sad life events as an excuse. He seems to me as a normal guy, who doesn't meet the standards of his siblings. But I don't think he cares a lot. It seems like he's been through a couple of hard things.

3. “When people name cats, they usually do it in one of three categories: food, physical characteristics or mythology,” Morrison explained. What do you think Mathilda imagines Charlie's choice of "the goddess route" says about him? What sort of name would you choose and what do you think that could tell someone about you?
Well, cats have strong personalities and they're both female cats. Maybe Charlie likes Greek mythology?

4. What would your reaction be if a rich, but estranged family member left you a huge inheritance?
Well, I would be very happy, but then very suspicious. Maybe there's a catch or something.

I've started 'Starter villain' this weekend and should be finished in time.

If needed, I can do one more blue cover, but I really need to start with 'Starter villain' too.

Finished What Are You Going Through and added it to the sheet.