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

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

Lexi wrote: "Yay, more Murderbot readers.

I picked up The House in the Cerulean Sea the day before the libraries closed here and have had it as a 14 day book since March 12. This kind of bother..."

My hold on the e-copy of the new Murderbot book *just* came in, a bit earlier than I expected! I have to check it out by tomorrow night or else I lose my place in line. But I think it's a 3 week loan, which means I can hang onto it until Wheel since it's good to have some N titles :)

That's funny about your 14 day book extended indefinitely. A lot of libraries are accepting returns in book bins, but just not able to check them back out to new users again. Though I know a lot are starting curbside pick-up sorts of arrangements. (I work in an academic library, not a public library, so my situation is different!)

Sammy wrote: "I'll come and do mine tomorrow! Had a nutty weekend and am still playing catch-up, lol."

LOL, yeah, I was like... Either people are really busy with the (long for USA) weekend, or nobody likes my DQs. :D

Hah, maybe nobody liked my questions so I will start :D

DQs Day 3: Chapters 11 - End

11. Uh-oh, the mutineers. Daphne has to think fast to get out of the sticky situation with Foxlip and Polegrave. After Foxlip dies from the beer, Daphne feels so guilty that she demands the Nation put her on trial for murder. What did you think of Daphne's decisions and behavior throughout this section? What did you think of the trial?

I thought it was fascinating how Daphne at this point identifies so strongly with the islanders, and is able to use the beer-making process to her own purposes. Her feelings of guilt then seemed too extreme to me. She had to do what she had to do, yet she then insists on applying her English morality to it. I really liked the trial, however, and the outcome. It was like, it applied islander logic to a European problem, with results both entertaining and thought-provoking.


12. Cox became the new leader of the cannibal raiders -- just as Daphne predicted he would, if he'd survived the wave. Was this credible to you?

Not really, but it's a Pratchett book, so... we all just go with it.


13. It turns out that the ancient islanders were scientifically advanced. A globe! Star charts! False teeth! Quite possibly, the island was the true birthplace of civilization. It remains only to convince the Europeans, once Daphne's father arrives, followed quickly by the Cutty Wren -- at which point we get much general hilarity, including some rather on-the-nose humor about imperialism. Did any of this make sense to you? How would you place it against real-life history? Any additional thoughts?

I didn't find the whole thing with the ancient islanders being super advanced to be all that credible, but see previous answer re Pratchett book/going with it. It's not that ancient islanders couldn't have been more advanced than previously believed -- stuff like this seems to be discovered by archeologists on the regular -- but that within the context of the book, I found it unlikely that they would have been SO advanced and yet these advancements would be completely forgotten by the Nation over time, but for traces that have passed into legend. The Nation is so into tradition, I feel like more would have been passed down through the ages.
Re real life history, I think Pratchett had quite a lot of fun poking at European imperialism. If only real life 19th century explorers had been willing to see Pacific islanders as sovereign to the extent they do (or at least Daphne and her father THE KING do!) in this book, colonialism may have gone a very different way.

14. These last few chapters continue to dig into the ideas that "people want lies to live by" and "lies help you understand what's true," but also that sometimes it's good to "just believe… in things generally." You might or might not be familiar with Terry Pratchett's public comments on religion, but how would you interpret the ultimate message of Nation when it comes to theology, religion, and belief?

As discussed in previous days' DQs, this book encourages Young Adult readers to question religious doctrine (that's actual doctrine and not doctorin' - LOL). I think the message is ultimately a rejection of religion, and at the same time an encouragement of theology. That is, a continued study of the nature of belief. Like, most people really need something to believe in, to help them get through life, but nobody should believe blindly and without thought, and belief does not necessarily have to be in a God or gods.

15. Concerning the non-romance between Daphne and Mau. Did they really just miss their right moment ("For some people, there is only one right moment for the right word," Chapter 12), or would a romantic relationship always have been impossible? This is discussed by the modern day characters in the "Today" epilogue, and also by Pratchett in the video posted here on NBRC, where he says that they had neither a happy nor a sad ending, but "an absolutely appropriate ending." Do you agree, or would you rather have seen something different?

I don't live in a bubble, so I get all "Awww!" when romances end sweetly, but I do agree that Daphne and Mau had an appropriate ending. There was just no way that they could be together given their respective duties to their peoples. If this book had somehow been written by a different author, I'd have half expected that Daphne, once queen, could marry and king/chief/whatever she wanted to, and that would be Mau. But then I'd have been upset by such a pat and unrealistic ending. Pratchett got it right.

Jenny wrote: "Dragon zombie shapeshifters from outer space that need freshly undead red headed human female concubines or their species will go extinct.

If it doesn't exist on KU, it should."

And if anyone can find it, it's Jenny!

Jenny wrote: "I just realized that his chat thread is called Terminus. Is there a hidden Walking Dead theme we are going to encounter? Extra points for travel books that include cannibalism? Do we have to get on train car "A"?"

How about Pelham 123?

Jenny wrote: "I will if you will. Book masochists r us."

I am down, but as for the date, maybe let’s wait to see when this Quidditch thing might be happening... Or maybe we can talk Cat into doing it as a Back Room BOM for Wheel... heheh...

Lexi wrote: "Alysa wrote: "Lexi wrote: "I read The Mysterious Benedict Society as #24.

I have a copy of that but haven’t felt drawn to read it. Maybe I should just get rid of it. :/."

Maybe if y..."

Ugh, The Devourers was pretty bad, yeah. I gave it a very generous 2 stars, but have thought about going back and removing one of them.

Lexi wrote: "I read The Mysterious Benedict Society as #24. It was just standard. It did not need to be as long as it was and the whole plot was just ridiculous. I will not continue the series."

I have a copy of that but haven’t felt drawn to read it. Maybe I should just get rid of it. :/


In other news, I finished my #13:


This was another read-aloud to my daughter. As with many such books, she liked it more than I did and is more interested than I am in continuing the series. So, young target audience job done, but there was a lot that just didn’t sit quite right with me.

Anyone serious about Buddy Reading that "tree" book over in the Back Room? Heheh...

DQs Day 3: Chapters 11 - End

11. Uh-oh, the mutineers. Daphne has to think fast to get out of the sticky situation with Foxlip and Polegrave. After Foxlip dies from the beer, Daphne feels so guilty that she demands the Nation put her on trial for murder. What did you think of Daphne's decisions and behavior throughout this section? What did you think of the trial?

12. Cox became the new leader of the cannibal raiders -- just as Daphne predicted he would, if he'd survived the wave. Was this credible to you?

13. It turns out that the ancient islanders were scientifically advanced. A globe! Star charts! False teeth! Quite possibly, the island was the true birthplace of civilization. It remains only to convince the Europeans, once Daphne's father arrives, followed quickly by the Cutty Wren -- at which point we get much general hilarity, including some rather on-the-nose humor about imperialism. Did any of this make sense to you? How would you place it against real-life history? Any additional thoughts?

14. These last few chapters continue to dig into the ideas that "people want lies to live by" and "lies help you understand what's true," but also that sometimes it's good to "just believe… in things generally." You might or might not be familiar with Terry Pratchett's public comments on religion, but how would you interpret the ultimate message of Nation when it comes to theology, religion, and belief?

15. Concerning the non-romance between Daphne and Mau. Did they really just miss their right moment ("For some people, there is only one right moment for the right word," Chapter 12), or would a romantic relationship always have been impossible? This is discussed by the modern day characters in the "Today" epilogue, and also by Pratchett in the video posted here on NBRC, where he says that they had neither a happy nor a sad ending, but "an absolutely appropriate ending." Do you agree, or would you rather have seen something different?

Stray bits:
Cookie lives!
Doctrine =/= religion : Mau meant Doctoring, hahaha
Professor Dawkins, lol

Lexi wrote: "
The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey
Beyond the walls of the small village of Mythen Rood lies an unrecognizable world. A world wher..."

Oooh, I read that like a month ago. It was great!

I signed up with a number that seemed like it would balance out the facts that A) I have been reading less lately, B) I will probably go into a modest version of “challenge mode” for at least some of the time, and C) I don’t know what is going to happen over the summer with my work and childcare situation.
I like to give as accurate sign-up numbers as possible so it doesn’t create unfairness later, but sometimes this is just hard to figure out. 🤔

The new point system helps a lot though! Should be easier to balance book lengths with number of books read!

Oohooooh! Wheel!
I will go sign up later today.

I must, meanwhile, go and silently contemplate what it says about me that I now consider Wheel to be a low-key challenge... 🤣

#12 finished, thanks to the BOM!



So good. Dunno why I didn't get around to reading it years ago.
At some point, Sir Terry Pratchett called it his best book. Not sure about that, but it's definitely excellent!

Apropos of nothing, I apparently have a co-worker named Winter Scarlett.

Legal name, yes.
Birth name, probably not.

Lexi wrote: "I think we start at feral and go down hill from there."

Yes this.

I have not played before either, so have no idea what position would be best.
I am normally a pretty fast reader but have a lot less reading time these days because of The Situation.

I can get super competitive (*cough*) but solemnly swear I am up to no good that I will not get insane about it this time because See Above.

ETA: on a team.

Will the winners get to keep the Golden Snitch?!?

*rubs hands together in glee*

My reading is down too but I guess that means my current version of "challenge mode" would be like most people's normal reading. ;D

Sammy wrote: "One weekend a month sounds like a good plan (except for the fact that I read more during the week, can't win 'em all, lol)."

Well, for a lot of us, the distinction between weekends and weekdays has become meaningless these days. So there is that, hah.