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

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

Jessi wrote: "Finished Interview with the Vampire.

I'm thinking Anne Rice just isn't for me. This is my second book by her and I didn't really enjoy this one at all."

Ah see, your mistake is not being 12 years old when first reading Anne Rice.

Completion Post

The Russian Cage

Details on spreadsheet (assuming from a previous post that you don't need them all here as well ;D)

I will also go through the BINGO list again tonight and try to add some options for that too!
ETA: eh, nevermind, I don't think there's anything good for BINGO.

DQ Day 2 - Chapters 6-10

6. Were you surprised to find out Daniel had a wife? I personally was super surprised as I originally believed him when he said he was single. What do you think of the way Daniel died?

I was somewhat surprised, yes! But I guess I shouldn't have been, considering how Bess met him and all. I think he died a little oddly. His medical history as given so far seems really weird. Maybe he was being poisoned or something!

7. How do you think Alexandra Callard knew about Bess and her daughter?

I'm not entirely convinced she did, or at least not in detail. Maybe Ambrosia was a hospital patron and thought her widowed shut-in sister could do with a newborn baby, and had Bess followed home to find out her name and address, and it's just fate that the baby happened to be Daniel's, all still unbeknownst to Ambrosia and Alexandra. It would not be the first huge coincidence in this book (e.g., Bess meeting Alexandra and Charlotte at the chapel on her first outting with Dr Mead).

8. What do you think of the way Alexandra and Charlotte live? Do you think Alexandra keeps Charlotte home to stop her from being recognized or because she is truly scared of the real world?

I think Alexandra is extremely neurotic, due to some as-yet-unexplained trauma in her past. She was already living like that long before Charlotte was born. It's a little surprising that Ambrosia hasn't insisted upon Charlotte being let out of the house more often though, or just taken a bit of a firmer hand with Alexandra's issues insofar as they most directly affect Charlotte.

9. "Eliza" has been fired on her first day. What do you think of Alexandra's reasoning for firing her? Do you think part of Alexandra knows that she is Charlotte's real mom?

Again, I think Alexandra is just extremely neurotic, and also quite insecure about her own lack of warmth and maternal instincts. She is looking for an excuse to take back her agreement to employ "Eliza" in her home. I don't think Alexandra suspects anything about her being Charlotte's real mother (if she even is, and there's no huge twist coming).

10. Do you think Bess will find a way to still see her daughter? How?

I haven't read ahead so I'm actually thinking that Alexandra will walk it back the firing in the morning, and let "Eliza" stay on. Otherwise, this book would be a lot shorter...

Nearly done with first book! If I fall asleep tonight before finishing it, I'll finish tomorrow by lunch.

My family's school and work schedules (including mine, consequently) are just now changing dramatically and one of the bright sides is that I'll be getting some big chunks of my solo commute back. Boo for trains, but yay for extra weekday reading time :)

DQ Day 1 - Chapters 1-5

1. How are you liking the writing style ? Are you enjoying the story so far?

I like the style, and I'm enjoying the story so far. I don't read a ton of non-fantasy Historical Fiction, so when I do it'd better paint a vivid enough picture for me to get into the setting and feel something for the characters. So far this does fit the bill.

2. After reading that opening scene, what do you think of the practice of the Hospital taking babies based on a lottery (the coloured balls in the bag)?

'Twould be awful to be among those whose babies were not taken in by the Foundling Hospital, but at least the lottery is meant to be as fair a system as possible -- IF you take certain constraints (available space and resources) as a given. Could they just take all the babies if they installed more beds, or if their donors give more financial support, etc? Maybe! Are they actively trying to maintain an air of exclusivity? Maybe!

3. At some point Bess says that "knowing she [Clara] could be anywhere instead of nowhere at all was torture even more exquisite." Implying that not knowing where her child is is worse than knowing she's dead. What's your opinion ? Or would you rather not know?

OMG that's a terrifying question as a mother, but I know myself pretty well and I would definitely want to know. I hate not knowing. Even when something is not knowable, the continuing process of looking for an answer can be a comfort in itself for me, rather than just giving up.

4. What do you make of the child's father, Daniel Callard ? Everyone keeps asking Bess if he's really dead. Do you suspect there's more to Daniel than we've been told so far?

Daniel just seemed kind of typical, honestly. Maybe rather less callous than your average merchant-class boy slummin' it with a lower-class girl whom he intends to never see again, but certainly not someone who would have, like, dropped everything and married Bess if he'd known she was pregnant. People keep asking Bess if he's really dead, but besides Kez aren't they all like "The father''s dead, right???" because Bess still hasn't told anyone else in her circle who the father even was. At least that was my understanding.

5. Time for your theories ! Who do you think claimed Clara on the 28th of November 1747, the day after Bess gave up her baby?

Probably totally wrong, but I think Ned made a deal. I think Ned brought Catherine (or some other girlfriend of his at the time) to the hospital to claim the baby - for free, most likely, since it had only been a day! -- because he knew of someone who specifically wanted a newborn and would pay cash money for one. Ned would have known Bess's token, and gave the true name and address just as a nod towards honesty and because he's not especially creative. Or maybe this book has a surprise!unreliable narrator scheme and it really was Bess herself and she is nuts and can't remember?! I don't actually think it's that kind of book though, haha.

Sally906 wrote: "I am going to start with Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett"

Nice! If I do decide to re-read that for the BOM, I will wait until closer to when the DQs start, so it’s fresh as fresh can be in my mind. Same reason I’m not starting The Lost Orphan until tomorrow night 🙂

I’ve started tonight with The Russian Cage, which is pretty good so far.

Christina T wrote: "I am also excited to see the starting time as my Friday 7pm although I won't be able to start reading until much later as I have plans with family during that time."

My partner was just saying maybe we can watch a particular movie tomorrow night, and I was like “How DARE you, sir?!?!?!”


Karen wrote: "It hardly ever works as a good time in Australia, but we are used to being the problem children when it comes to timezones. haha"

Or you’re good, and it’s the rest of the world that’s the problem? 😆

Cat wrote: "There's a lovely article here, about TP: https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/ch..."


Aw, that IS lovely!
I think I might have so start my daughter on these books soon 🥰

Tina ❣ wrote: "I forgot to mention that if anyone wants a tab on the SS to track their own books for this challenge, then feel free to add a tab for yourself and organise as you would like. Otherwise I can create..."

I'll probably grab a tab soon. I usually track various tidbits and ideas in my own private documents too so it'll be nice to have things in one spot!

Countdown is here:
https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown...

:D
Am I counting??? No............

I really have been taking this week to read a whole bunch of little novellas and other short stuff I've been sitting on that wouldn't count for TT. It's actually been pretty fun! I am proud of me :D


ETA: Have I mentioned anywhere lately how much I love that challenges have been starting based on UTC times? Because I do love this so much. It means TT will start Friday night at 8pm for me, and anyone else who lives in EST!

Stacey wrote: "I'm doing DQs for The Foundling! (Or Lost Orphan, whichever way you want to think about it. I love the fact that my copy has some questions at the end to help me too."

Yay! Go Stacey! Great start for Team Carrot!

Do we know the "TT8 standard" page counts for the May BOMs?
Otherwise, editions are all different.

For May BOMs I'll be reading The Lost Orphan and probably re-reading Equal Rites (it's been a while).

Thanks Tina!

Melindam wrote: "Just finished

Just another nail in the coffin of YA or NA genre for me. (But it was a free listen & the narrator did the best she could.)

It works for "Alcohol...".

Wow that book sounds bad. 😬

Kristoff apparently considers some of his previous books “adult” but... eye of the beholder (and the marketing department)...
I guess once EotV is out we can see about BR :)

I read two more old TBRs recently that I hadn’t mentioned here yet:


A fun sci-fi war novel, with feminist leanings. This is one of those books where a woman has to disguise herself as a man in order to serve as a soldier, though I never quite understood why women were barred from the military in this story-world in the first place.


Gorgeous writing and impressive world-building. Does meander a little too much at times.

Since I am personally not counting deletions for this challenge, I am now officially at 15 out of 30. 50% done! 😃

I love Jay Kristoff talking about EofV, like "This book is really adult and very dirty, and has X dirty thing that happens in it (Hi, Mom)."
I wonder if it would need to be a Backroom BOM!

For genre authors who write for both YA and adult markets, but haven't become mainstream household names, it's really interesting to see cases where people assume all of the author's books are YA (or think that all sci-fi/fantasy is automatically YA, which is a big and different problem altogether). I mean, there are probably kids who first learn about certain sex acts because a book like EotV gets shelved in a library or bookstore next to the same author's YA novels.

Moderators of NBRC wrote: "We know the waiting is interminable, so how do you fancy a game of Sir Pterry Bingo? ..."

Aha, forgot about this! I finished Simon Fayter and the Tomb of Rone last Fri, and it fits for Footnotes*

*The book has tons of humorous footnotes 🙂

Audrey Jane wrote: "What confused me was why the Ra'haam didn't want Aurora and the crew to find out about Aurora but at the same time were quite satisfied she was on the planet..."

Good point! I guess we just were not supposed to be thinking so hard, lol.

"Empire of the Vampire" is a truly awful name (like srsly, who thought that was a good idea?!?) but otherwise that book has potential! Maybe we all can Buddy Read it when the time comes. I'd be hesitant to nominate it for BOM, in case of being blamed if it wins and is bad!