Louise’s Comments (group member since Aug 29, 2015)

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

Yasmine wrote: "Louise wrote: "We're doing well, don't forget if you are claiming BOM points please post the default pages assigned to each book regardless of which edition you read."

Do we then also have to link..."
You need to link 3 days of discussion comments when you post your book.

DQs Day 2

Starting with a Bonus question...
“They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance.” (Granny said)
First off, who are “they”? I have always wanted to know. Secondly, do you agree with “them”?
This is like the collective “we” and is generally titbits of information passed through the grapevine. The global events of the last year have highlighted that a little knowledge is dangerous and can be misinterpreted but at the same time being ignorant of certain facts is just as dangerous.

5. Esk went ahead and did not follow Granny’s advice, and thought since she had a feeling she could get into the bird’s brain, then why not do it.
When you were a kid, did you jump off the swing, or touch the hot burner? If so, give us examples.
Do you think she learned something from it, or are we looking at shades of her future University life?
I was a real tomboy growing up and would always be climbing trees and jumping over walls. Basically if someone said I couldn’t do it, my reasoning was why not and do it anyway. I still have a little of that in me where if someone questions whether I am able to do something because of my sex and size (I’m 5ft1) I go out of my way to get it done, although nowadays I know when I need help.

I think Esk’s borrowing experience is reflective of what is to come as she continues to test boundaries.

6. What do you think of Hilda and her version of Headology? What do you think of Headology in general?
Headology is reminiscent of the fortune telling and tinctures of Romany gypsies, Hilda’s description also evokes this image. Headology plays on the susceptible part of people’s perception of themselves, if they believe it’s all Mumbo Jumbo then they will get no benefit, but if they have the slightest inclination that it is real then they will always see a beneficial result to them.

7. Esk finds herself on a moving barge. Loved loved loved the resume of talents beyond washing and sweeping that Esk rattles off in an attempt to stay on the boat. What skills could you bring to the barge?
I love how TP has used the inspiration of England’s waterways in this. I can cook, keep books, read maps, and help maintain the boat.

8. Speaking of the barge, what do you think of Esk’s decision to just leave Granny? Did she mean to leave on her own adventure, or was it an accident? Do you think her matter of fact attitude is a product of her magic, or just her personality or upbringing?
I think she is very curious and leaving Granny behind was accidental. I think her matter of fact attitude is down to her personality and upbringing especially with older brothers in the mix.

DQs - Day 1

1. If you are new or relatively new to Discworld, what do you think of Pratchett’s world and writing style so far? For more experienced Pratchett readers, what are your favorite things about his writing style or Discworld in general?
This is my first adventure into Discworld and I have to admit I rather enjoyed it. I’ve even reserved the first two books.

2. So we have our plucky heroine Esk and her witchy mentor Granny Weatherwax. What do you think of our two main characters and their relationship with each other?
I like Granny, she has an iron will and is trying to impart her wisdom on young Esk, who like many a typical wilful child/ young adult knows better, and isn’t aware of the consequences of their actions.

3. A major theme is witch magic vs. wizard magic (and women vs. men), and I can’t wait to learn more about these different magical theories and world views. What do you think of this dynamic, and which type of magic are you more drawn to?

I like the natural elements of witchcraft but have to admit I am drawn to the flash-bangs of wizardry.

4. Oh dear. Esk went a bit too far with the borrowing. What do you think is going to happen next? And what will Granny say or do?
I’ve already read it so know the outcome, I’m not surprised that she went to far as she is testing and pushing boundaries.

Bonus: I am really enjoying Pratchett’s wit so far. What is your favorite quote from this first bit? Mine is:
“What’s an elephant?”
“A kind of badger,” said Granny. She hadn’t maintained forest-credibility for forty years by ever admitting ignorance.
This is a difficult one, but one that jumps out as what may have been a foretelling in the author’s own future is
“She was aware of a shrill chittering noise and shadows on the edge of sight. Well it happened to everyone sooner or later......You just had to learn to ignore them..."

We're doing well, don't forget if you are claiming BOM points please post the default pages assigned to each book regardless of which edition you read.

DQs Day 5: Chapters 44 - 51

20. Willowdean and her mum seem to briefly reach an understanding over the dress fitting but after the alterations are made they come to blows. It’s the first time that her mum tells her she expected her to lose weight and she fights back. Why do you think this is?


21. After the talent show Willowdean seeks help from the entertainers at The Hideaway, where they were shown how to walk in heels by pretending to walk the sobriety line. Why did she go to them and have you ever tried to walk the sobriety line, drunk or sober?


22. Willowdean is invited to Bo’s to study where she meets his stepmum properly and they discuss astrology. Is what she is told accurate from what we know of her? Does your star sign reflect you?


23. Bo lays his cards on the line with Willowdean and says he doesn’t want their relationship to be a secret, he wants to do it right. She is reluctant to give him an answer but accepts Mitch’s offer to be her escort to the pageant. Is this right? What do you think is going to happen? What would you do?


24. The slumber party brings out a few secrets. Will this change how Willowdean perceives herself and the other girls? Knowing Hannah’s reasons for entering do you think she will go through with trying to ruin it?

I actually had to stop reading so that I could get my DQS done, and now I have to wait to see if it will fit into another challenge 🤷‍♀️

Yasmine wrote: "Yayy my copies of Fire Keeper's Daughter and The Midnight Library just arrived! Do they only count for the BOM points if I start reading them in June, or could I already start one of them at the en..."

As long as you answer the discussion questions before the end of that month you can read them at any point during the challenge.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Date Read: 5/14
Pags: 224

Tasks
21: Romance MPG
153: Historical Fiction MPG


Fern by Ann Omasta
Date Read: 5/17
Pages: 240

Tasks:
123: Sea on cover
188: Hat on cover


Vanishing Dreams by Nicole Edwards
Date Read: 5/17
Pgs: 214

Tasks:
92: Guitar on cover
103: MC Dalton is a country western performer

Bingo
G4: Guitar on Cover
H6: Katie wears a mask as a stripper


Choosing the Right Man by Violet Duke
Date Read: 5/17
Pages: 150

Tasks:
166: Abby is a college teacher
224: single person on the cover



Conspiracy in Death by J.D. Robb
Date Read: 5/18
Pages: 364

Tasks
132: CID Criminal Investigation Department


The Secret One by Ruth Cardello
Date Read: 5/19
Pages: 303

Tasks
148: Title T
176: One man plus blue sky
190: Title S
224: Single person on cover

DQ Day 3
Chapters 21 to 33

11. For someone claiming and trying to be body positive about herself, Willowdean sure isn't giving anyone else any slack. Her description of Hannah, like with others, was just mean. Do you think the author is projecting Willowdean's insecurities on how she sees herself onto others?
I think a lot of it is peer pressure, It seems that she is saying what everyone expects her to say so as not to draw more attention to herself.

12. What did you think about the incident Patrick kneed in the balls incident? He didn't seem like Mitch's best friend saying that (honestly, maybe Patrick and Willowdean should date). What did you think about her mom's reaction and the resulting blow up between mom & daughter?
Side note: to anyone with teenagers, we are here for you.
Good on you Will, her mum could have been more supportive of Will in trying to understand her provocation

13. Did anyone else want to high five Ellen for calling out Willowdean on her crap? What did you think of their argument? Do you think the rift will be repaired? If so, do you think a Dolly Parton sing-along (thanks Cat) will be part of their healing process?
I think Will is being rather selfish and is jealous of Ellen. I think they will repair their rift but it's going to require a lot of soul searching on Wll's part to do so. I do think Dolly Parton will feature in there somewhere.

14. Based on the blurb, Millie's attitude and pep talk while at the restaurant is what I would of expected from Williowdean. What do you think of these girls deciding to enter the pageant? What did you think of Millie's pep talk?
I like Millie and good for the girls to stand up and enter the pageant.

15. Thoughts on Mitch? Where do you think his and Willowdean's relationship will go? Do you think she'll crush his poor soft heart?
Mitch is a sweetie, I think he's good for Will's she just needs to believe in herself some more. She needs to sort through her feelings for Bo which will make her relatonship with Mitch better once she's done that.

DQ for Day 2
Chapters 11-20


6. Picking up on the previous grief question to turn it around towards Willowdean and her mother. Will seems to think (I'm paraphrasing here) that her mother is a heartless cow and wants to use Lucy's room all to herself without any consideration whatsoever for anyone else. I can't help but wonder though if the mother isn't somehow trying to be close to Lucy - her own sister - by setting up a craft room in Lucy's space. Everyone deals with grief in their own way, and while yes, I agree with her (unlike Will) that the dusty old things will eventually need to go, I feel like she's trying to find a way to cope at the same time.
They definitely need to talk about how to deal with Lucy’s room and belongings. It seems that they are doing dealing with the lose independently rather than leaning on each other for emotional support.

7. Will and Bo. Thoughts? More particularly, Will's reaction to finding out that Bo will start going to the same school?
I think Will is over-reacting which probably stems from fear and lack of self confidence. Had she been open about seeing Bo, then him going to the same school wouldn’t be such a big deal for her.

8. The more I read, the more I wonder how Ellen and Will are (still) friends with the way they talk to each other. According to Will, they are drifting apart because Ellen is having sex and because of Callie (she doesn't quite say it but it is definitely there). Their interactions however do make me wonder, a lot. I feel like they're friends more because it's a habit than anything else. They're both dependent on each other - Will because she doesn't seem to have other friends and can't stay in the pool alone? Ellen because she needs a back-up when she goes to pick up her pay check?) What do you make of their friendship now that we know more. Irreparable rift? Habit? Undying friendship?
I think they are at that stage in their friendship where they depend on each other out of habit rather than shared interest and understanding. They will grow apart but the underlying friendship will always be there.

9. And this inevitably brings me to Will's interactions with Callie. It seems like Callie is at least trying, even though there is the fat-girl-issue, but she isn't completely ignoring Will, unlike Will herself, who barely manages to be civil to the girl. Sure, I completely understand the jealousy of thinking that someone is stealing your (best) friend from you, but it isn't helping Will's case that she is basically being a douche to the girl.
Will’s defences are pretty high and basically sees every “beautiful” girl as a threat to her self-confidence. Although Callie seems to be trying to be nice, she isn’t actually listening to Will. It comes across as more of an act which is highlighted in the store scene.

10. Did anyone else have that moment of "oh shit, something really terrible is going to happen on the date" when Ellen and Tim tell Will that Patrick Thomas is Mitch's best friend. Or is it just me who thinks that there is a very obvious lack of mobbing and finger-pointing? Not that this is a bad thing, on the contrary! Though I do find it odd since Will has A LOT of issues and basically hates people who are not Ellen (and Bo).
I really thought that the date was going to be a set up which would have left Will humiliated and reaffirmed her opinions of how others see her.

Quick Task Update
The following tasks remain open/incomplete for Rincewind. If you wish to claim one, let us know and we can allocate your name to the task.

1 trunk / suitcase on cover
2 from Satire list (https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...)) - Louise
5 camera on cover
9 Features a barbarian
30 #8 in series - Louise
97 MPG History
98 Set in China (may you live in interesting times) Celia
100 butterfly / moth on cover Celia
128 set in one of the places listed: https://www.tentree.com/blogs/posts/1... Note: if the place listed is a town, then the region/country will be acceptable i.e. Siberia, Greenland, Tibet; for islands, it must be the island. 50% or more should take place in the location
129 from this shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/... Celia
130 "Last" in title (exact match) Geri
131 letters N-O-W-O-R-R-I-E-S in title Celia
132 a book whose title initials make a well-known acronym (like TLC - Tender Loving Care) Define your acronym, with a reference link. min three letters in your acronym, use all the letters in the title, in unchanged order Louise
217 MPG Sports Celia
220 set in a university
221 MC is a baker / cook Celia

Lexi wrote: "It is probably a good thing I was not picked to write questions because my number one question is did people actually keep their phone in their bra? Even when I had a flip phone, I can’t remember a..."

I have three friends who keep their phone in their bra’s I did try but my boobs aren’t busty enough to hold it there.

DQs Day 1 - Chaps 1 - 10

1. What do you think of Willowdean? Does she feel like a sufficiently real person?
I like her, she comes across as a typical teenager trying to navigate through to adulthood.

2. What you you think about her relationship with Ellen? They are starting to keep secrets from each other now - do you think that this is the start of a drifting apart or will they stay close?
I think they will drift apart as their as they begin to see different friends who share different interests. Once they realize that they don’t have to share everything in their lives they will grow closer again.

3. Bo is interesting - the opposite of Will in terms of being reserved in comparison to her chattiness, but with something lurking in his backstory. Do you want to have a guess at what's up with him? Would anyone NOT have done the same as Will and followed him to the abandoned school in the hopes of more making out?!
Something traumatic definitely, the leg injury probably has a part to play in this. I admit I would of followed, nothing ventured nothing gained.

4. Will claims ownership of "fat" when she introduces herself to Bo. How successful do you think she is in her aim to stop it from being an insult?
I think it’s her way of protecting herself from others, by saying she’s fat first she’s trying to say it’s okay I know I’m fat no need to point it out. Despite her bravado she is self-conscious as is demonstrated by the swimming pool seen.

5. Lucy has clearly been a big influence in both Will and Ellen's lives, and yet they haven't been talking about her at all since her death. Do you think this is a normal reaction to a sudden death? Would you be like Will's mother, and get rid of everything, or keep it?
Grief is a difficult thing to deal with and has it’s own agenda and schedule. I lost my partner of 18years nearly a year ago. People genuinely don’t know how to talk about someone that’s passed for fear of upsetting you and feeling guilty for doing so, which makes them uncomfortable, so they avoid it. I’m still going through the keep or bin phase.

Heli wrote: "Louise wrote: "Heli wrote: "Completion post:

White Fang by Jack London
Date read: 5/13/2021
Pages: 252

Possible uses and reasons/justificati..."
No need to remove Heli, just a reminder to make it easier for us to check. I’ve verified the word count on this and added it to the spreadsheet.
The only sources we use for verification are https://www.arbookfind.com
https://www.arbookfind.co.uk
Or an audio over 3hours

I’ll get Jenny to add them into her first post when she’s back off vacation.

Cilla wrote: "Louise said: "The following tasks remain open/incomplete for Rincewind. If you wish to claim one, let us know and we can allocate your name to the task."

See message 185 https://www.goodreads.com..."

All completed books have been allocated a task.

I’ll add your name to the others.

Colleen wrote: "Louise wrote: "Colleen wrote: "Completion Post:


5/12/21
400 pages

Uses:
21 Romance MPG
36 focused on a group of friends
51 MC has an office job..."

Thanks Colleen

Currently tryng to fit books in that work for SRC. My current books that I'm reading Love Bomb and the Pink Platoon: Once Upon a Kiss Northanger Abbey The Color Purple