Alysa’s Comments (group member since Jun 27, 2015)

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

I didn't read it as glorifying self-harm, because the book also seems to be saying that that's the entirely wrong approach when dealing with revenants.

Lexi wrote: " Has anyone read the Penric and Desdemona series?"

No, but I'm adding it to TBR!

That's a good point about atypical behavior being linked to demon possession, and it being used it harmful ways.
This book almost takes an opposite approach when (view spoiler)[Artemisia explains to the revenant that her parents never suspected that she was possessed as a child, just assumed she was evil. It's in other, sadly real-world religions that parents would jump immediately to "our child is possessed". (hide spoiler)]

DQs Day 1: Chapters 1–9

1. Did you go into this book with any expectations? Have you read any previous books by this author (Sorcery of Thorns was a BOM)?

I read and loved Sorcery of Thorns (@Judith, I think maybe that BOM was where you and I first interacted!) so I was hoping I'd like this too, and so far I do
But going in I wasn't sure how the nun/religious aspects would be handled. As long as it's fantastical I'm usually fine with that kind of stuff, but it's weird to me that so many big fantasy series recently have revolved around a girl raised in an abbey or convent.

2. This has been described as a medieval Venom (which means nothing to me but is a recent movie). How do view the relationship between Artemisia and the revenant?

I also have not seen Venom and don't know anything about it, but hey, whatever the marketing dept thinks will sell the book, right?
I really love the relationship between Artemisia and the revenant! It's surprising, funny, complicated, poignant. I am looking forward to seeing how it develops, and what it's consequences might be for what happens to Artemisia vis-a-vis the clerisy.

3. This section ends with the first big battle and escape. Who do you think is pulling the string from within the city and why?

I've read ahead a bit, but at this point in the book I had no idea at all. And actually even now, with more information, I wonder if we're being cleverly misdirected.

4. Finally, the MC seems to be presented as neurodiverse in her avoidance of people and eye contact, but it seems to be implied that this results from the trauma of her childhood being possessed. How do you think this is handled, and do you think there are any concerns with aquating the two? (No right answer, I’m not sure on my thoughts on this either).

I do think there's concern about linking neurodiversity to childhood trauma. It's possible for someone to have both, of course, and perhaps that's the case with Artemisia, but it does seem like it's only the trauma and the resultant isolation and child abuse that made her socially awkward (understatement).
Or it's possible that being possessed as an infant baby caused permanent physical changes to her neurochemistry… argle bargle I'm not gonna try to science this book!

Finished another one! I think this is going to be my best round 🙂

Read

33/30

Both terrible and strangely engaging in kind of the same way that, like, Twilight is both terrible and strangely engaging.

Reading along, but not writing DQs.

Yay finishing meh books and starting something more fun. :)

I finished two books, including that long boring audiobook! Whooooo!

Onwards. Hard to believe we're well into the final round.

I'm going to finish "Alexander Death" today, but unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to finish my long audiobook ("To Sleep in a Sea of Stars") for a few more days so it'll be moved into the next round.

Why oh why did I pick a somewhat tedious chunker audiobook? Argh. Also I lost a couple days' worth of commuting when I had to stay home after a very bad reaction to a booster shot. I couldn't audio, because I was dead at the time. 0_o

Melissa wrote: "How was it Alysa? I have to start it so I can finish for this round."

It was cute, but not very deep. I liked it but not as much as I'd hoped!

Finished Left-Handed Booksellers BOM!
On spreadsheet :)

DQs Day 4: Chapters 13-16

14. Each of the chapters has been headed with a poem or snippet of a poem, in varying styles. Do you scour these for meaning, and if so, what meaning have you wrung from them? Do you like them - as poems or as elements of the book structure? And critically: who is going to take on the challenge of writing one for review of the book? (Jenny's position as NBRC poet laureate is under strong challenge after Kaley's backroom haiku)

I tend not to like these kinds of snippets as chapter headings (though there have been exceptions that prove my rule, in certain books). In this book they kick me out of the story a little bit. (And as I'm a terrible poet and I know it… well, you see where I'm going with that answer, lol.)

15. Okay... theories on Reg Holly and what is up with him?!

He's gotta be crooked in some way, like working for a crime boss who's connected to the Old World. I find it suspicious that his last name is Holly, like the plant, which has various spiritual/religious associations.

16. The Fenris wolf and the well-spirit - what do you think of these additions to the Old World creatures we've met? Do you think Susan did the right thing by removing the sword?

I really liked the wolf and the well spirit, and the scene where Susan removes the sword was a lot of fun. She absolutely did the right thing, and she also got herself deeper into the Old World somehow. I did note the bit about nobody knowing that the "well in the dell" was there, and thinking sadly that in the nearly 40 years since this book takes place, more and more old growth forest has been lost, so it'd be even more unlikely now for a well such as this to remain.

17. We have another gender-swap in pop culture, with the characters from The Professionals being switched to female from male. Together with the political figures that have been gender-switched, and a comment earlier about how Britain took early steps to achieve equality, this is clearly an important part of Nix's world. Does the subtly of this work for you? Is there a deeper point to it than simply wanting gender equality? Why hasn't he gender-swapped any authors?

I didn't notice the thing with The Professionals because I've never seen it (don't hate me!) but I did notice the political figures. I'm not sure there's a deeper point beyond Nix's desire to rewrite history in a more equitable way. It's nice when fantasy writers have the wherewithal to imagine a world where, ya know, there's less sexism.

DQs Day 3: Chapters 9-12

10. We are about half way through the book now and I've been looking at the cover and trying to see how it fits with the story. The cover feels dark to me and so far I don't really feel that in the story. Do you feel like the cover fits the story?

I don’t mind about the cover feeling dark, but I don’t think it fits because it does not at all capture the 1980s backdrop of the story. I feel like this is the kind of book that would benefit from having people on the cover too.

11. So the old fashioned booksellers in charge might feel the need to remove Susan if they find out her father is one of the Ancients. It seems like Merrihew and Thurston are not greatly respected in the Booksellers realm. How do you feel about them? Do you think they might be involved in what is happening to Susan?

They seem out-of-touch and self-absorbed, and too ineffectual to be involved in whatever is happening to Susan. They are fun as book characters though!

12. We keep getting all these references to books, musical groups, and other pop culture from the 80's. Take for example this quote: "The ground floor facing the street was all floor-to-ceiling high windows, with a wonderful display of Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose complete with a cardboard castle to the left of the central revolving door, and a selection of new release thrillers an mysteries built up in a series of pyramids in the window to the right, including John Le Carre's The Little Drummer Girl, Jeffery Archer's First Among Equals, and Ken Follett's On Wings of Eagles." That sentence is long and the following one is not much shorter. How do you feel about all of these references?

I love the references! I like when I recognize something, and I also think that without the references it would be even more difficult to situate this book in the 1980s as that’s already something I’ve struggled with a little bit. If the characters spent more time out among the public, giving the book a chance to describe clothing and buildings and such, that would also help set the scene of this fictionalized version of Thatcher-Era London.

13. In the last section Vivian gives Susan a steel knife and salt and tells her how to bind something to herself. Do you think she will have to bind something? Any idea who or what she will bind?

She may have to forcibly bind some Old World creatures in order to stop being killed or hurt or kidnapped by them. Or possibly the human criminals that seem to have gotten themselves muddled up with some powerful Boss.

DQs Day 2 : Chapters 5-8

6. Merlin and Susan get pulled into the May Fair. "The happiness is unsettling, all the smiling and laughing". Was there a part of the fair that stuck out to you? And would YOU have noticed the colorless rose?

The only thing that really stuck out to me was the use, itself, of the Fair as a narrative device akin to those in other books featuring faeries and fairylands. But I did like how it was more or less full of normal people, just echoing like ghosts, as opposed to fae creatures. And no, I would definitely not have noticed something so small as a rose in all that chaos!

7. Susan seems to have some sort of powers of command, which we see with the wolf at the end of the fair, and hear more about at the end of Chapter 8. What are your guesses about her heritage? Do you have any new guesses about her father?

Nothing certain, but it seems like he must be powerful in the Old World, so to speak.

8. My favorite part of these chapters was reading about the New Bookstore and its contents. If you could spend time in there, what would you want to check out?

Oh man, first I would just grab a childhood favorite and sit in one of those comfy chairs and not come up for hours! Then I would look for something interesting that I’ve never read, and I would also have a look at the architecture and details of the space.

9. The grandmothers were interesting. Any thoughts about them? If I were one of the grandmothers, I'd totally be hanging out with my mastiff. What would you have keeping you company?

Super interesting. Reminds me a little of something from Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London books, with the echoes of London’s past, cycling backwards through time.
I cannot imagine being one of them well enough to say what animal I’d want as a companion.

I wish I could be more active on GR, and also be reading more!
So much going on IRL *sigh*

But I think I'll be able to catch up a little over Thanksgiving Weekend.
Happy Thanksgiving, fellow USians!

DQs Day 1 : Prologue - Chapter 4

1. I nominated this book because titles with libraries or books naturally draw me in and I've wanted to read a Garth Nix book for ages. What are your reasons for reading.. long term Garth Nix affectionado or "It's only about the points, baby"?

I really enjoyed Nix's first three Abhorsen novels (the only other books of his that I've read so far), and this book's been on my TBR since before it first came out. I probably wouldn't have gotten to it yet if it weren't for BOM though, as I'd have preferred to read more of the Abhorsen books first, and also Newt's Emerald, as it's been sitting on one of my kindles for a while, from Prime reading!

2. Wikipedia (The Oracle of quick searches about whatever and sometimes actually factual) defines a prologue as "Opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one and other miscellaneous information." What have you learnt in this particular prologue that seems important to the story moving forward?

Well TBH, I don't think I learned anything in this prologue that couldn't just as easily have been a normal "Chapter One" in which Susan Comes To London. We got a glimpse of her home life and her strangely airy mother whose airiness seems important somehow. Then the subsequent chapter feels like an especially jarring jump cut.

3. Chapter 1 introduces us to our main protagonists in a scene filled with murder, fashion descriptions and a giant louse! First impressions of Merlin and Susan and any sign if they will be friends or enemies or maybe even frenemies ?

I liked them both, they have chemistry. I think they'll be friends, or possibly something of a more romantic nature, but not enemies or frenemies.

4. Right handed and left handed booksellers policing multi layered worlds and realities. Set in 1983 London but the language and environment heavily leans on the Victorian Age. Are you comfortable with the preliminary world building, do you find it interesting and unique or same old same old in the YA fantasy genre?

I… don't know if I'm feelin' it. For all the fashion and music references and such, I am having a hard time remembering that it's supposed to be a version of 1983. It's definitely not same-old-same-old, but it's maybe too far in the other direction, like trying too hard to be unique. I hope it grows on me.

5. It seems someone is after Susan, probably because of her mysterious missing father. Who do you think he is and what maybe is his significance in this alternate world and to the plot in general?

He must have been tied to the "Old World" or the Booksellers in some way. Maybe Susan's mother's airiness is due to a memory spell or traumatic memory loss or something, and it's made her forget or block out Susan's father. Susan is going to learn more about him, one way or another. The Booksellers are going to let something slip, or tell her something outright.

DQs Day 5: It Came from the Rez - End 253 - 310 (100%)

17. And then there was one... Were you surprised by who the one was? Why do you think that this person was "the one" who was left? Was there significance there?

I wasn't too surprised, because "Final Girl" is a thing.

18. Let's talk about that basketball game. I'm not talking about the technical stuff with the moves and everything because frankly that doesn't mean much to me. But, what do you think that it represented? Why was so much time spent on that at this point in the book?

I actually liked how it fit in with the folklore mentioned earlier about games and wagers. And since so much has been made of Denorah being a basketball phenom, and that being a way out of Rez life, it makes sense to link everything up in this way and spend so much time on it.

19. What did you think about that ending? Did the story come full circle?
And I know that this is a little off topic, but were you suprised by who Denorah's stepdad was? I didn't remember his name being revealed before, or did I just miss it?

I thought the ending was a little pat, and came full circle in a somewhat too-convenient way. The whole "female revenge/protecting her baby" thing bothered me about this book from the start though, so I was primed to think it would end like it did. I don't think we were previously told who Denorah's stepdad was, and don't really understand why it was set up like some sort of Big Reveal. It was neither surprising nor unsurprising.

20. Finally, let's talk overall impressions. What did you think about the book? Is this your first book by this author? Do you think you'll read anything else by him?

I really enjoyed the writing. I though that aspect was excellent. By far better than the story. I tried one of this author's books several years ago and DNF'd it, so I was quite surprised to find the writing here so good. Maybe I'll give another try to that old book, or a different one.

And I just finished The Art Forger.
Going to update spreadsheet now :)

I am also planning to read Left-Handed Booksellers!

Melissa wrote: "We’ve received our Round 4 word!

Feast - no U’s!!!
Tag is Mythology
Color is White (text on the cover)

Bonus Points

Each word has been assigned a colour. Books with text on the cover of that ..."

Interesting! Will do some digging this weekend. I definitely at least have some "mythology" stuff in my TBR...