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

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

I finished Flavor but I'll come back tonight and post my words, because the paper where I was writing stuff down is at home.
I had stopped writing stuff after a while, because -- with the exception of legume and ube -- there may not be a food word that is not in this book.

@Lexi, we can use 8 words from this, so I'll just list all the watermelon and vinegar and a few spices that can go in curries.
If we need anything else, LMK. I can keep the ebook checked out for a couple more weeks. :D

No, just tons of rain. And it is pretty cold for this time of year, but not excessively so.

That is nuts. I hope it warms up in OK, Jessi!

Rebecca wrote: "Haha 😂 sounds like she has a sarcastic sense of humour."

Definitely.
She gets it from both parents but her dad is much worse than I am!

I am almost done with 2 books, and between them I have several instances each of watermelon and vinegar. 😀

I am starting to think about what to read next. I had signed up a while ago for that Apples to Apples game, which is 1 book per week. Lucky for me, they will be announcing the Week 1 theme tomorrow afternoon right about the time that I’ll most likely be ready to start a new book.

In other news, I showed my daughter Little Shop of Horrors (the 1986 movie musical one) for the first time this evening. She really liked the sadistic dentist song... which was especially funny because I also took her to the dentist today.

If this game goes well, maybe we should play a book version of Cards Against Humanity... but it would probably have to be in the Back Room, lol.

It opens fine now.
Thanks! I’m glad I asked 🙂

Hi! I assume we’ll be able to view the tracking sheet when the challenge officially begins? It’s still locked, so I’m making sure that’s not just me somehow :)

Finished Harrow the Ninth
10/26
512 pages

There is a lot...

tea x11 : 98, 143, 144 (x3), 145, 146, 155, 158, 184, 449
coffee x10 : 142, 239 (x2), 240 (x3), 362 (x2), 363 (x2)
water x12 : 98, 167, 176, 177, 203 (x2), 220, 250, 262 (x2), 284 (x2)
salt x5 : 219 (x3), 220, 327
mincemeat 267
meat x8: 160, 176, 177, 200, 219, 221, 223, 233 (stopped counting!)
marrow x3 : 221, 233 (ditto this!)
kidney(s) x7 : 264, 294, 342, 420, 421 (x3)
herbs 189
spices 363
lavender x2 : 159, 270
potato x3 : 124 (x2), 487
onion x2 : 219, 220
carrots 220
root vegetables 221
vegetable(s) : 124, 219, 220, 309, 346
leeks 410
coconut 221
“lemony greens” 284
fish x3 : 311, 323, 371
sausage x6 : 178, 394, 435, 487 (x3)
cockerel 354
ducks 473
clams 160
peanuts 322
milk 143
margarine 270
egg x2 : 354, 392
flour 327
preserved lemon 98
walnuts 108
jelly 393
custard 137
ice cream 172
cake 212
chocolate x2 : 239 (x2)
ginger biscuit 218 (many instances of just “biscuit” too, e.g. 184)
pudding 278
pie 283
muffin 322
liquorice 252
peppermint candy 317
banana 158
melon x3 : 248, 258, 417
plums 303
lemon 336
apples 253
juice x2 : 161 (x2)
beer 440
white wine 258
wine x10 : 256, 261, 262, 263 (x3), 264, 265, 266 (x2)

ETA:
@Lexi, I see that when you read this book last month, you had some words that I didn't, including parsnip and chips. I did see chip/chips in the book but I didn't include it on my list because I wasn't sure at first whether we could separate word from meaning ("bone chips" for example). I figured out at some point that we can, so let me know if you want me to go back and find "chips" or whatever :D

Lexi wrote: "Alysa wrote: "After I finish Harrow the Ninth, I think I might read Flavor: The Science of Our Most Neglected Sense. I can get it on CloudLibrary.
But I think it would make more sen..."

Okay, sounds good!
Just verified audio on that as 10 hrs and 19 mins, so that’s fine. My partner had recommended it, so I was going to read it anyway at some point.

Lexi wrote: "Also, for everyone, I am not logging words for the 2 item books so far to make it easier to replace them if we have extra books, which I am hoping we will have this round. I will add the words for ..."

Figured as much :)

After I finish Harrow the Ninth, I think I might read
.
I can get it on CloudLibrary. But I think it would make more sense to look for specific ingredients that we need most, rather than try to note every single word in the book... There will be too many!
So what do we think we need most this Round (besides Ube, legume, and watermelon)?

Finished Summer Frost
10/23
75 pages

Salt 37%
roasted duck 37%

Also has water several times if needed for tea, and author’s name is Blake if we want to use for a spell-out of UBE instead of for scavenger words.

Donna wrote: "I used bananas in a sandwich so you are good."

I had this one apple and Gouda sandwich once, a really long time ago, and enjoyed it. But every time I have tried to eat similar sandwiches since then, they are never good. Must have been in a weird mood that first time, or something!

Finished This Savage Song
10/22
428 pages

Green Apple x3 — p6, 55, and 164
* Apple x5 — p55 (2), 57, and 164 (2)
Coffee x2 — p6 and 326
Peaches — p55
Steak — p55
Water x6 — p194, 322, 348 (2), and 350 (2)
Fish — p270


* This list counts “green apple” separately from “apple” (generic term). So, 8 apples in total, with 3 of them green.
I just realized that the rules put fruit in the dessert category, but I had been counting those things in this book because I was thinking of apple on sandwiches and peaches in summer salad.
Totally fine with it if they can’t be used though. 😉
That still leaves 2x coffee, steak [for on a sandwich], and fish, and at least 4 instances of water that can be used for tea...

I’m about halfway through. I liked Gideon better. This 2nd one is... weird. It doesn’t feel anything like a direct sequel, and I have no idea what is going on. Like, at all. The whole book is like a febrile dream sequence.
Muir is a really good technical writer but had better pull a rabbit out of this necromantic hat soon, else I will feel like my time has been wasted.

I haven’t seen “kidney” yet (or could have missed it), but since [my edition of] the book is over 500 pages, I did flag cake and ice cream and chocolate and ginger biscuit 😃 plus there’s been coffee, onion, carrot, root vegetables, coconut, and marrow. Which is totally a thing people eat! But so is viscera, really, and I can’t imagine being able to use that. Viscera pasta?

In other news, I am almost finished with This Savage Song, which has surprisingly few food words in it. If only more of the characters would eat food instead of SOULS!

Harrow the Ninth

One of 3 books that I started after Round 2 began but before I got put on the team. I wouldn’t have chosen to start any of these if I had already been playing, but at least there are some good food word surprises in this one.
I mean useable ones. Not bowls of nun! 🍰🍦

Hahahaha, someone in one of my books just said they “ate a whole bowl of nun” ! Cannot use nun in a sandwich, I imagine. 😂

I was just re-reading the rules again just to check on this exact thing:

Each Book can be used for either scavenger hunt words or as spell-it-outs.

That’s a bummer because I have a U title book (for spelling “Ube”) that also has the word “watermelon” in text. I suppose the latter will be worth more, but too bad we can’t use both.

Excellent! Now to hope there are at least 12 good, useable words.

For my clarity... we can’t use generic words like “meat” or “vegetables”, right? It has to be something specific for use in pasta and sandwiches and such? Like, beef or bacon or steak or asparagus or whatever?