Julie ’s Comments (group member since May 14, 2013)

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

9) Mat’s plan of making a book sounds amazing. It looks like having an f/x guy as a roommate is handy. What do you think about this? Don’t you think weird that the only customer targeted by google app is a google tech with a purely academic interest in Clay’s 3D model?
At first, I felt that Kat might be some kind of spy from the benefactor because that targeted ad just seemed too coincidental… but now I think she is just nerdy + curious + interested in Clay. I love Mat’s “real” approach which is in contrast to the virtual approach.
10) A virtual presence in a party? And drinking while working? Talk about doing strange things to impress a girl.
This just shows the level of desperation that Clay feels to connect with Kat. And maybe his sense of fun.

11)"Festina lente". OK, so I googled it. According to wikipedia is s a classical adage and oxymoron meaning "make haste slowly" or "more haste, less speed" and it was used as a motto of many people. I'm wondering what's the connection with the secret book club.
I googled it, too! Ha. I think the connection to the book club is that you have to work quickly, but carefully. You work diligently and with careful attention to detail.

13)“I see it now. You cheated—would that be fair to say? And as a result, you have no idea what you have accomplished.” Wait, what?
I guess a little more information here and we might not be heading off on an adventure to New York!

14) So now we now what a novice is and that they know each other. We also know that the puzzle was to find the founder of the game. And that Clay's stunt with the 3D model had some drastic consequences. What do you think the all burn the book and let the novices abandoned mean? Is it literal?
Maybe the book to be burned is the book that would be contributed to the collection to represent Penumbra? It was interesting that the society members were all at the novice level.

Hi everyone, This is my first time to do a group read with you. I love the interaction. So far, I am enjoying the book and look forward to joining in the discussion.


Questions and Comments for Help Wanted/The Prototype

1) What is your first impression of Clay? Do you like him?
Clay feels comfortable like someone you already know... and I do like him. I can relate to getting distracted from the task at hand by getting the “googles”.

2) What do you think of the bookstore and its three requirements--Would you look?:
I’m both curious and a rule follower, so it would be a struggle for me. But I probably could not resist sneaking a peek.

3) Did you notice the book is set in the future? It talked of "the great food chain contraction that swept through America in the early twenty-first century." It also talked of a rusty Golden Gate Bridge.

I thought the orangey Golden gate was already a rusty color? I guess not. The economic contraction and job loss sounds like the recent economic downturn, so I just assumed that the food chain contraction was a part of this. So, I didnt' catch that it was in the future.


5) What do you think is in the books? Why is it all in code? Any thoughts as to what the bookclub is about or doing? Penumbra's says it's more than a bookstore. How much more?
I think it is a big puzzle that people are working to solve… working with an obsessive zeal. So, it is a puzzle with a purpose that we don’t know yet.

6) What do you think the angry customer, Eric, meant about Clay not even being a novice?
I think he meant that Clay hasn’t joined the group trying to solve the puzzle yet.


7) What do you think of the model of the store Clay's built and the pattern of check outs he found?
I think based on Eric’s response, it is going to create some trouble. :o)