Vikki’s Comments (group member since May 25, 2014)

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

I have an audiobook where Christmas is celebrated in San Diego. Would this work for the "Christmas in warm weather"?

I never did BOMs before this challenge but the books have been good so far though some were ones I would not normally read.

I volunteer for DQ's for Team Anubis

I volunteer for DQ's for Team Anubis

I volunteer for DQ's for Team Anubis

So Paper Swans was the first BOM I thought I was going to have to give up on reading. I knew it was going to be dark but some events in the first 15% of the book had me sick to my stomach. I stuck with it and it ended up redeeming itself in my eyes but I am glad that Uprooted is a lot easier for me to read...

Anyone else reading any of the December BOMs? American Gods was pretty violent too and slightly hard to read but overall I have liked all the BOMs by the end of the book.

Here is the link to the top shelf for "Asia"

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

Sort of disappointed that there are not any Russian novels on this list even though Russia takes up a lot of the continent of Asia and I have a ton of Russian novels on my TBR list... And the Art of War is only 11,450 words so too short. I may be able to do an audiobook for this one but it may take a bit. Still trying to get through the 2 BOMs.

Here is some suggestions for "characters with names starting with X" in case we get it again soon ;)

http://www.librarything.com/topic/91149

I was hoping to find one in America Gods but just found a reference to a Xena doll and a xylophone so in case those come up.

Everything I Never Told You-- Nath (Lydia's brother) did not like that Lydia (MC) was trying to go out with Jack

It's main theme was Henry V was his claim on France and the battles to claim France. The main battle in France was the one at Agincourt.

The English victory at Agincourt is so lopsided that it seems like an act of God, making Henry one of the most famous and successful kings in English history. Henry is betrothed to Catherine and becomes heir of the French throne.

Henry V was partly in France:

settings (place) · London, at the royal palace and the Boar’s Head Tavern; various locales in France, including the battlefields of Harfleur and Agincourt and Charles VI’s court

Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent (particularly by Britons, Azores and Madeira Portuguese, Balearic and Canary Spaniards, Icelanders and other European island nations, and peninsular Scandinavians), is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding the islands of Europe.[1]

The most common definition of continental Europe excludes the Greek Islands, Malta, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, the Balearic Islands, Iceland, Ireland, and the United Kingdom and its dependencies. Most definitions extend the boundaries of the continent to its standard boundaries: the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, and the Caucasus Mountains.-- Wikipedia

Finished "Wheel of Fortune" goal

Discussion Questions
Dec 16 Chapters 9-12 Page 217-end


30. At what point in the book did you suspect that Lydia’s death was a suicide and do you think that had an effect on your reading of the book?

I thought it maybe was a suicide from the beginning.

31. Some posters have mentioned now that the book became predictable and/or repetitive as it went on. Agree or disagree?

Agree

32. When Nath ends up under the water, this quote, “he’s already learned how not to drown.” (p 290) is stated. What do you think this means?

He was taught at a young age to swim so his body floated and swam to the surface naturally.

33. We had a high suicide rate at the high school where I taught. We could not pin down only one reason that this happened so much at our school. What do you think is the major cause of teen suicide?

The pressure to do everything and be perfect and experience everything but any mistake you make could "ruin" your life.

34. Was the ending realistic and did you like it? Why or why not?

Sort of and yes.

So spin off book(s) of a popular series would include: (?)

Sorry I have been MIA too. Work got busy-- everyone wants everything done before the holidays. I am hoping to have Night Circus done by this weekend, hopefully sooner. I was planning to get some reading done tonight but my husband surprised me by being home when I got home today (usually works second shift). My birthday is tomorrow so I guess we are celebrating tonight :)

Discussion Questions
Dec 15 Chapters 7-8 Pages 158-216

25. Nath and Lydia seem to be very close up until a bit before her death. How much of the fact that Nath was going off to college do you think impacted what happened to Lydia?

A lot of it. She could not take the pressure by herself.

26. I've often joked when our eldest does something ridiculous that "Oh well, this one's ruined, we'll try again with the next." However, the Lee's seem to have actually taken that to heart. Why do you think it was Lydia that they focused on?

Because for her father, she looked white and would complete his dream of fitting in and for her mother, she was the image of herself that she wanted to live and complete her dreams through.

27. Do you think Lydia mentioned she was failing at physics just to put attention back on herself? Does she hate and crave the attention?

28. The affair has been found out! Or at least very strongly confirmed. What do you think the fallout will be?

29. Thoughts on Jack? Thoughts on what really happened?

Dec 14 - Day 3 Discussion Questions Chapters 5-6

18. Hannah has made a promise that she will find out what happened to Lydia. Do you think she feels guilty for not speaking up about what she saw the night Lydia disappeared?

A little maybe

19. In Chapter 5 when the police stop to update the Lees, James seems embarrassed when Officer Fiske mentions Lydia's lack of friends, and Marilyn just talks about Lydia's school work and intelligence. Do you think this foreshadows something, or is this just fitting in with the theme of the book? Do you think the police are looking into Lydia's parents as suspects? Does their suspicion have merit?

It is fitting. I think the police think it is suicide and blame the parents.

20. Marilyn finds Lydia's hidden contraband. Do you think Lydia was really using these items, or were they placed there to gain attention?

I think she was using them because it was hidden pretty well so how could she be using it to get attention.

21. There seems to be some familial violence like Hannah being under the table when her parents are fighting and James slapping Nath when he asks about astronauts. Do you think this has always been this way, or only during stressful times like Lydia's death and Marilyn leaving? Do you think the violence plays a part in Lydia's death?

I think the violence is only during stressful times. I am not sure about Lydia's death yet.

22. Even Marilyn, who was studying to be a doctor thinks of a "man" when she hears the word doctor? I work in the ER as a nurse. The male nurses are still mistaken for doctors and our female doctors are mistaken for nurses. Is anyone else guilty of thinking this way?

Yes :(

23. Marilyn finds out she's pregnant with Hannah so she gives up on her schooling again. Do you think Marilyn resents Hannah because of this? Do you think this is why Hannah seems to be ignored by the rest of the family?

Yes and yes

24. During the scene where Nath pushes Lydia into the lake she seems to accept death and let herself drown. What do you think of this scene? Was she unhappy back at this point in her life?

Lydia is overwhelmed and feels she is to blame for her mom leaving. It is a lot of pressure for a child to feel like they are responsible for their mom's happiness.

12/13-- Day 2 Discussion Questions Chapters 3-4

9. Nathan has decided not to let anyone know about his suspicions about Jack. Has your opinion about Jack or his possible role in Lydia’s disappearance and death changed after Nathan confronted him and/or after he overheard the exchange between Jack and the police?

That Jack was a player but maybe Jack was really just friends with Lydia. I think that Jack breaking off whatever relationship he did have with Jack would have deeply hurt Lydia.

10. James begins a new kind of relationship with his research assistant, Louisa Chen. What role, if any, do you think his daughter’s death/ funeral play in his moving toward this change? Do your opinions of James (as a dad, husband, character) change as a result of their relationship?

I think it was going to happen eventually but the funeral gave them the opportunity/ excuse to do it. I think you could see it coming so it really didn't change what I thought about him.

11. In the flashback to 1965 in chapter 4, we see some of the various pressures that Marilyn feels on her life and her decisions. Are there any areas in your own life where you feel competing pressures or expectations that influence your decisions?

I think all women have competing pressures between work and children.

12. When Jack and Nathan are at the pool, Nathan is teased by his peers. Jack remembers his own experiences with teasing. What did you think of the way that Jack handled the situation at the pool? How did Jack’s expectations for Nathan and Nathan's behavior contribute to the situation and how it went? Why doesn’t he tell Marilyn what happened?

I think James handled it poorly and should have been more empathetic to the teasing Nathan endured and James was embarrassed by the situation too so that did not help the situation and was probably the reason he did not mention it to Marilyn.

13. In the summer of 1965, Marilyn leaves her family for a period of time. What did you think of that decision and how she did it? Did it change your thoughts about her as a mother, a wife, a character?

I think she should have at least left a note or just gone to the university in town. I understood her feelings but did not agree with the way she handled it.

14. Marilyn finds her mother’s old cookbook with advice about being a good housewife. What do you think they’d each say about being stay-at-home mothers? Do you think one is happier or more satisfied?

I think that it was sad and lonely being a housewife back then.

15. Already, the novel says a lot about how people are influenced by their parents. How did your parents influence your childhood and teenage years? Do you think they understood their influence (and the limits of their influence) on you?

I think all parents have a big influence on their child's childhood but as a child starts to become more and more autonomous that the parents start to have less and less of a say or influence on their children.

16. What do you think of the author’s use of flashbacks in this novel? Do you like this strategy? Does it work well here?

I like the use of flashbacks in this novel and think it works well.

12/12-- Day 1 Discussion Questions Chapters 1-2

1. Do you like the book so far? Why did you decide to read it? Is this a genre you normally read?

Yes. It has been on my TBR. Yes

2. Lydia dies May 3rd, 1977 (first lines of the book so this isn't a spoiler) and Lydia's parents met in September 1957. What differences and similarities do you see in regards to race and gender relations between these two time frames in the book (or in history, if you looked it up)? What part does it play in the Lee family dynamics? Apparently all races are not equal and interracial marriage is not legal in the 1950s. In 1977, there may have still been some racism in social interactions.

3. What do you think of Lydia's mother, Marilyn's description of her first born daughter's first steps and the line "...Lydia, still small enough to cradle, had secrets" ? How is Lydia different than her siblings?

It seems like Marilyn is not close to Lydia and was not around/ watching/ paying attention to Lydia when she was young.

4. How does your high school experience compare with Lydia's? Why do you think Lydia doesn't have any "real" friends? What other things do you think Lydia is letting her parents believe are true to meet her parents' expectations?

I think Lydia being interracial and academically inclined made her a social pariah. I think Lydia was faking most of her life and personality to please her parents.

5. Why do you think Lydia's siblings, Nath and Hannah, do not tell their parents about Lydia's friendship with Jack? Do you think Jack is involved in Lydia's disappearance and/or death?

They are afraid of disappointing her parents. I think Jack make have something to do with the disappearance.

6. Who do you think Hannah saw/heard on Wednesday at 2AM? I think Jack was looking for Lydia.

7. What do you think of Lydia's body being found at a lake when Lydia could not swim?

That her body was dumped or she outgrew her fear and her parents didn't know about it.

8. What do you think of the first lines of Chapter 2, "How did it begin? Like everything: with mothers and fathers... Because more than anything, her mother had wanted to stand out; because more than anything, her father wanted to blend in. Because those things had been impossible" ? Where are you on the personality spectrum of wanting to stand out versus wanting to blend in?

You can never totally fit in or be the center of attention. I think I am in the middle.

9. What do you think of Marilyn and James' courtship and marriage? What do you think happened in 1966 that made Marilyn disappear for a few days and do you think it is related to Lydia's disappearance and death?

I think it was quick. I am not sure why Marilyn disappeared but I think her marriage/life was not going the way she is expected. I think her parents unhappiness fueled the kids unhappiness.