Keely’s Comments (group member since Aug 30, 2013)

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

5 blue cover which we have completed. There hasn't been any word of us being able to get any extra bonus points this round.

Thank you, Elisabeth. It looks like it was just a typo. I've fixed it now.

I just did a little update to the spreadsheets and we have completed our first spell it out for the round!

We have 3/10 instruments on the cover finished! 5 more are claimed so we are only looking for 2 more.
No blue covers have been finished yet but we have 11 claimed so we are good for those.

Oh no, Louise. We're just not a healthy bunch at the moment.

I hope you had a good time though, Louise!

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?
It does seem like he is being tested.

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?
Business is business, but it should still be conducted respectfully.

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?
I wasn't overly surprised. It didn't change my opinion of him.

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?
I also think the parts with the dolphins were my favourite parts so far.

That's a shame. Oh well, it still works for one task.
I'm about halfway through now. I'm enjoying it so far.

Lisa - I'm listening to Starter Villain as an audiobook so it's hard for me to check if 'invisible' has shown up in the text. Did you happen to read it as an ebook and if so could you do a search for the word?
I feel like it has come up.

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?
One of my cats is laying on my bed with me while I am listening to this book so the thought did cross my mind. I feel like Jack, one of my cats, would be more in on the action while Milly, his sister, would be the brains of the operation.

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?
I'd probably be the same way he is. Just go along with it and hope it eventually makes sense.

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?
I don't know where mine would be set, but definitely somewhere remote.

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?
I feel like it might end up real by accident. I don't know how it will go though.

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 just liked everything about the dolphins. Especially when Charlie took their names literally (maybe those where their real names).

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?
This is by first. I don't have any expectations, but a quick glance at reviews told me this is a must for cat lovers, which I most definitely am.

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 can't say I relate. I think he is trying to make the most of his circumstances, but maybe he could try harder. I like the character though.

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?
Maybe Charlie uses mythology to try and make his life a little more exciting.
My boyfriend and I have had a few foster kittens over the last year or so. We generally name them after something we have watched. We had Jack and Hector from Piractes of the Caribbean, and Merlin and Arthur from the BBC show Merlin (or just mythology I guess). Merlin got renamed to Meep because that's the noise she (we thought she was a boy at the time) would make. We also had a pair we named Salt and Pepper. I don't remember how we came to that. We know we aren't going to keep them so we don't take naming them too seriously, especially as they will most likely be given new names when they are adopted.

4. What would your reaction be if a rich, but estranged family member left you a huge inheritance?
It is possible as I don't know my father or his family, but it is very unlikely. I woud be skeptical.

Thank you for the updates Lisa and Fiona.

I have also finished reading for Round 2 now.

DQs Day 3; Chapters 16-22

10. Pupkin is,,, alive??? Okay, no big surprise there to be honest, but we did finally get some interesting background info from Louise and Mark's childhood, even if that's not how Louise remembers it. Do you think she really doesn't remember, has simply forgotten, due to trauma or it just having happened way too long ago, or does she remember but chooses not to acknoledge it? Or maybe Mark misremembers himself and it didn't even happen (that way at least)? They were both still very young after all, Mark especially. Is it possible to remember something that happened when you were only two years old?
I suspected Louise had some supressed memories. I guess it is possible to remember something from when you were two years old, but unlikely, or at least not remember it well.

11. The second perspective adds a new layer, however it only got added halfway through the book. Were you surprised we got Mark's POV at all, and would you have preferred for it to be there from the beginning of the book? Also, has this last section changed your opinion on him in any way? He did save Louise from Pupkin after all....
I think Mark's POV helped with the story.

12. To me, the last chapter feels a bit like a fever dream, definitely like they were on drugs. I personally don't remember which MPGs the book has and don't want to check in case of 'spoilers' now, but do you think there's a possibility the house, our main characters, the puppets, the dolls, Pupkin, everything- isn't actually haunted and none of it is actually happening?? What if it's just a dream (which would be the worst ending ngl), mental problems like Louise wants to believe, or mold in the house that's effecting them like this plus possible drug use from Mark when he was away?
It better not all be a dream. I'm going to keep an open mind for now.

13. I can't help but wonder how the book is gonna end... If Pupkin is indeed an evil puppet come to life I only see one way it can be destroyed - fire. Do you think they'll end up burning down the entire house (although Hill House (in the show at least) wouldn't let itself be burned down either, so who knows if that would work), or will the dolls and puppets take over? What do you predict will happen in the rest of the book?
Again, I would like to keep an open mind for now. But fire does seem a logical way to go.

We just finished our 8th spelling!

With just over 12 hours until the end of round 2, please can you let us know if you will be finishing any more books as the captains only get a short time after the deadline to finalise sheets before they are locked.

That sucks, Silje. I hope you start to feel better real soon. Don't stress too much about the books, your health is more important.

DQs Set 2: Chapters 8 - 15

6. Were you expecting those wills? Why do you think both parents were so unfair on the kids?
I expected the wills to make things complicated. It wouldn't make a good story if it wasn't complicated. I'm not sure why their parents were so unfair.

7. Yikes! killer stuffed squirrels! The first violent haunting here, was it effective?
I thought she was going to wake up having dreamt it, but she didn't. It seemed to have really happened. I think it was effective.

8. Despite the various creepy things that Louise has experienced, she's refusing to let her aunt exorcise the house. Would you still be hanging onto rational reasons over accepting family help?
I think Louise just wants to be done with the house as soon as possible and an exorcism could take time.

9. We've had more insight into the childhood of Mark and Louise. Does this change your opinion of either of them?
Not really. It feels like Mark is hiding something. Maybe Louise has some suppressed memories too.

I have at least one book with an instrument on. I also have some blue covered books saved up. It's nice to see we have a bit more variety of letters for Round 3.

I just finished my green book which means we are all done with green covers!

I also did a bit of shuffling on the SS and we have now completed our 7th spell it out!

I'll volunteer as backup for Rock.

I've had a really bad sore throat all day so I may be joining the sickness club, but hopefully it is just a sore throat.

I just did a bit of spreadsheet maintenance and we need a D and an I to finish our current spell it out.

Personally, I intend to finish at least 2 more books this round. I'm working on my green book which so far only works for an E and should have that done at some point today. I'm going to work on finishing October's BOM which will give us an I (or a G if the I gets covered). I'm off work for 3 nights now so I may be able to get that other book I have on the spreadsheet done too, but the other 2 are my main focus for now.

Oh no, I hope you feel better soon!