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

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

It took several hours over 3 days.
Since I'm not doing any other challenges right now, I have all this amazing free time to do stuff besides reading -- even if most of what I'm doing is, like, reading-adjacent :D

I still haven’t read anything for this, but instead I deleted about 200 books so far, and almost all of those had been on TBR since 2013 or 2014! I apparently went through an adding spree of random self-published junk at that time.
My TBR is still huge, but I will delete a bunch more stuff.
Feels so good!

Cleaning Out the TBR Closet 2020

Targeting books on TBR since 2015 or before.

Read


Challenge Complete!
30 books as of 8/29/20

1 Emerald Coin

Additional eligible books...



Ended with 41 / 30
🙂

And... I started this off today by deleting like a dozen books on TBR since 2013, before just deciding to read a 2018 NetGalley instead. Ha.

Reading old stuff and deleting old stuff are probably equally good things about this challenge for me. My general GR TBR shelf has well over 3k items!
Although my official goal in this challenge is 30 of the oldest ones (and if this year is anything like last year I will read many more than 30), and my GR 2020 Reading Challenge goal is 200, maybe I should set myself an unofficial secondary goal of decreasing my TBR by at least 500 items, via deletions. If I can manage to do that without adding an equivalent amount in new stuff... :)

Ahahaha, it’s too bad I stopped officially counting mine after hitting 100%, or our collective stats would be even better!
Happy 2020 everybody! See you over in the new year thread... 😀

DQs Day 5 — The Lonely Door thru End

1. Continuing on the theme about January's smart decisions, how wise do you think it was for her to write to Locke, will her precious books collection to Jane, and leaving Samuel behind?

Writing to Locke was the most idiodic decision made by an idiot in Idiot Town. For me, who was suspicious of him from the very beginning, I wanted to reach into the book and slap January when she did that! Willing her book collection to Jane, I thought was a little odd only because I didn’t think Jane would care all that much. Leaving Samuel behind, I kind of liked, because as I mentioned previously, it’s important for January to first have a story unencumbered by romance. I do like those two together — and actually, I felt that Samuel was intentionally underdeveloped, because this was not his story! — but it’s better for this narrative that January goes off on her own.


2. Is the extent of January's powers well-defined or does it change when the story demands it? Case in point, her cashing the check and the Ilvane incident. What could the author have done to cement what January could do and couldn't?

Her powers are not well-defined, and this sometimes annoyed me (like the $40 paycheck thing — like, why work for the money at all when she could apparently have written herself a free train ticket?), but as Jeremy pointed out, the book does mention the idea that January’s not knowing the rules allows her to write her own, essentially. I usually look for authors to establish a little more internal logic, but in this particular book it kind of works (mostly; see $40 paycheck quibble) that this is kept loose.


3. How big of a surprise was Locke's identity to you? Had you found any clues in the text before that led you to it? Any foreshadowing? Moreover, did you find any evidence about him using his powers to subdue January all her life?

Zero surprise. Too many clues, too much foreshadowing. It wasn’t even foreshadowing, it was like bright spotlighting. I am glad that this book had other twists, and that the plot twists weren’t meant to be the ultimate point of enjoyment, because if this Locke thing had been meant as the biggest twist of all, I would have been sorely disappointed due to utter lack of surprise.
Are we not told explicitly that Locke sometimes used his persuasive powers on January when she was younger? I seem to recall that, but I might be misremembering.


4. Now that you know how the book ends, chime in about how you liked it.

I enjoyed it very much. As YA, it’s exceptional, as it does not talk down to younger readers but rather expects a certain level of intellect and literacy. It also doesn’t shy away from horrors both real (e.g., racism) and unreal (e.g., vampiric monsters), or the points at which the real and unreal intersect (e.g., institutionalization; secret societies, etc).
The ending was needlessly rushed. That was a bit disappointing.
And I am not sure how I feel about the entire book being revealed as January’s letter to Samuel. I do not like this, but can’t quite articulate why not. I’m gonna go with... Adds an unfortunate layer of heteronormative performance, perhaps? It would have been better if she had been writing to fellow (and perhaps younger and/or female) Door-travelers. I had envisioned her writing to posterity, or to her own children or something. I appreciated her relationship with Samuel, but did not think that this book really needed for January to have any romance at all. Especially since her parents’ story already ticked the romance box.
But I loved the Doors, the alternate worlds, the dual stories, the writing, the meta, and the fact that several of the characters (including leads) are not white, especially considering the time period in which the story is set. As an “unqualified” novel I would rate the book 4 stars out of 5, but because it’s being marketed as YA, I would rate it 5.

DQs Day 4– The Birth of Julian S… thru The Burning Door

14. So, we've got the backstory of Julian's decisions leading to his travels without January. Did you find this reasonable? Do you agree with Julian's belief that Locke was a safe option for January?

He made what he thought was the best choice at the time, but should have realized much sooner that it was a devil’s bargain and figured out a way to get his daughter out of there. One could call him cowardly, but one could also say that most people choose paths of least resistance, so he can be forgiven for that.

15. The style of the two stories has got more similar - less scholarly more purple prose as we've read it, and now breaks into first person too. Do you like this move from scholar to father?

I actually would not call any of the prose in this book purple! To me that designates a style far more florid. But as to the question, yes, I do like the move from scholar to father (and 1st person) in Julian’s sections. And it makes sense that he would be unable to keep up the pretense of scholarly distance as the story he was telling got closer and closer to his present.

16. They manage to escape to Arcadia, where Samuel fits in well, and could (almost) see himself being happy in that strange world. I guess one of the reasons portal fantasies are so popular is the escapist hope they offer. Which bookish world would you most enjoy being in?

LOL, must I choose just one? I guess it depends what I would be doing there. (It’s a bit like asking about which historical periods I would choose, if time travel was real — well, would I get to be rich or poor? Because the latter would obviously be terrible in, say, the Middle Ages or whatever!) I have thought about this a lot, actually, and ultimately I don’t think I would want to live in any of the bookish worlds that I considered. At least not without those worlds already having been fully relieved of their more problematic elements (racism, sexism, and/or other inequalities). Often that’s the point of the books’ plots in the first place, but why would I opt to live pre- or during such a revolution or struggle if I could find a world that’s already perfect?!
I suppose that in terms of its magic system and its overall potential, I might choose the Potterverse (assuming I wasn’t a Muggle…)

17. Sadly Arcadia's safety is breached rather quickly, and they are trapped! I have to say, my eyes rolled at Jane's surprise at the lack of pistol (how light was it) and at January stealing it in the first place -she's not making the best decisions... What do you think about the characters in the story? Are they real and believable? Any predictions for the end of the book?

I like the characters, and I kind of enjoy how seat-of-their-pants January and Samuel are being, as this seems emotionally realistic. That is to say, it makes sense that they’re shaken up, and not automatically great at everything, as in many other “special mc” stories. Although, as the supposed adult and an experienced huntress, I do wish Jane would be a little more of a voice of reason and forethought. She could even have insisted that they not stay in Arcadia so as not to endanger the other settlers there.
I predict a happy ending for January, her parents, and Bad. Not sure about Jane. I predict a happy ending for Samuel too, but not necessarily coupled with January. In fact, though I like them together, I want to see January adventuring and learning to be on her own without a love interest. If they find their way back to each other after several years, that’d be cute, but it annoys me when practically every YA character ends their book happily-ever-after with a love interest. They’re really too young for that.
I predict that Locke gets redeemed in some way, at least through January’s eyes. She still seems unable to accept the extent of Locke’s culpability for everything she’s been through. I thought he was shady from the start, but I predict that January’s high opinion of him will be the official reading of his character and, to assuage his guilt, he’ll turn up to help her in some way.

BTW, after tonight I'm traveling, and probably won't be able to answer subsequent DQs (or be on GR much) for a few days. But I look forward to resuming! I am still really enjoying this book. :)

DQs Day 3 – The Locked Door thru The Ivory Door

1) When Havemeyer goes to see January at the asylum, he tells them he is her uncle. Why do you think he says that? Do you there there is any truth to it? Why or why not?

It’s just a way to get to her. I was also slightly wondering at first if Locke, who is paying the asylum to take January, also paid them to ensure Havemeyer’s access, but from what Havemeyer says regarding Locke’s assurances to the other Society members, that’s probably not the case. Locke would just come himself if he shared Havemeyer’s most nefarious motives.
I also like Jeremy’s suggestion that he is establishing a kind of shared “otherness” between them, as children of different worlds.

2) Havemeyer asks January how she got out of her room and she said, "Maybe I cast a magic spell...Maybe I'm a ghost...I'm mad now, didn't you hear?" Why do you think she chooses these words to say to him? What is the significance of her response to him?

She just can’t help but antagonize him, since they both know full well that she’s not crazy in the slightest. I would probably be the same way, for better or worse!

3) Yule promised Ade that he'd love her and their daughter so much that he'd never leave them. Yet, he has done just that. Whey do you think he wasn't able to keep his word?

He’s certainly not the first fictional father to avoid his child in his grief over the loss of his spouse. I wish he’d snapped out of it at some point when January was still small, but there may yet still be information we don’t have, regarding why he works for Locke.

4) Once January finds out who her parents are, she changes in significant ways. What changes have you noticed take place in her?

She seems to feel less alone in the world, and to feel more worthwhile all around, knowing her parents’ story, who they were and that they loved each other and loved her. This also, interestingly, allows her to recognize the depth of affection that Jane and Samuel obviously feel for her too. All of which makes her feel more empowered as a person.
(But like Cat said, it’s annoying that she’s still seeing the best in Locke when he doesn’t deserve it. He obviously is not the one who left her the gifts for all those years!)

5) Before Havemeyer dies, he tells January, "They'll never stop looking for you, girl." Who is "they" he refers to and why do you think they are after her? What could she possibly have that "they" want?

The Society! Although there could be other forces too. I think they still want to keep her under their proverbial thumb. They see her as a curio, and a tool. Dangerous, but special and possibly of use to them if she can be controlled.

DQs Day 2 — A Door to Anywhere thru Much on Doors...

1) One person that January seems to really need in her life is Jane. When January is concerned that Jane will leave and tells her "Now that -- now that Father is dead" Jane will leave, Jane corrects her and says, "Missing." When Jane says this, it gives the reader the first real indication that her father might not really be dead. What do you think has happened to her father, and if he is not dead why do you think Mr. Locke told January emphatically that he is?

It's pretty clear that he’s not dead, and Locke is just saying that because he wants to control January. Compared to the other people who have been doing this BOM so far, I think I’ve been the most suspicious of him and his motives. Now we know that he doesn’t want January claiming her birthright, essentially, because he must know of her parentage and her writing powers. He wants her to be as detached from her father as possible, and making her believe he’s dead seems like a pretty final way to do that.

2) Yule earned proficiency in three languages by time he was nine. By eleven his mother knew he would be a scholar. When he goes to the university he was "near-genius, which provoked both frustration and admiration from his instructors" because he wasn't mastering any languages. Yule was broached and told to pick a path/discipline or move on. Yule saw this as a way to stifle his dreaming, and it was disconcerting to him. So he ends up at one point leaving and he comes to an area where he sees an arch and he finds it nearly impossible to look at anything else. As he walks towards the arch he is inundated with hope, but when he pulls back the curtain he sees only "knotted grass and stone beyond it." What do you think the attraction or lure was to the arch? Why did he not turn back at that point but instead continued toward it?

Well it did say there was the smell of another world… and the kid’s obviously a daydreamer so would be drawn to the mystical. Especially at a vulnerable moment, after he got told what-for by the Scholars. I think most dreamy kids would have a similar reaction – too bad that in real life they’re not lucky enough to find an actual magic door, lol!

3) At this point in the book "change" has become a major theme. Yule was "a somewhat different Yule from the one who had found [the arch] three days previously." He goes back to the university and he takes his exams right away and surprises even the master scholar with how he has changed. What do you think initiated such a profound change in him?

I’m not sure I agree that “change” has become a major theme here. I think the quest for knowledge and freedom are the major themes, though of course change does often follow those things.
I think anybody would be changed by the profound experience of discovering that there are other parallel worlds – and in Yule’s case this was compounded by the fact that he met Adelaide in one of them! And even without the romance angle, it's not uncommon for someone like either of these two characters to throw themselves, full force, into something they've become passionate about.

4) The last chapter for these questions end with Adelaide Lee Larson and Yule Ian Scholar finding each other and and the narration says that "they were never willingly parted again." What do you think, if anything, this foreshadows? And do you think that somehow the universe/world will change because they're together? If so, what type of changes do you think might occur?

Definitely foreshadows their unwilling separation around the time of January’s birth. I had guessed early on that Yule and Ade were January’s parents, though I didn’t quite understand the timeline for that until a bit further on. To me it’s still unclear whether Ade went to another world, and that’s why Yule/Julian is traveling so much, looking for her, or if perhaps Ade is dead. Like, died in childbirth or something.
I don’t think that Yule/Julian and Ade being together would have any adverse effect on the universe (multiverse?!) but it’s possible that January’s latent, inherited writing powers might – at least as far as Locke and his Society are concerned. Perhaps a child “born of two worlds” and with heretofore unknown powers is the item that Locke desired to collect and control, for all this time.

The Strange And Deadly Portraits Of Bryony Gray by E. Latimer

A Tim Burtonesque retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray aimed at Middle Graders.

The most peculiar things always happen to Bryony Gray. As if it isn’t bad enough that her uncle keeps her locked in the attic, forcing her to paint for his rich clients, she’s becoming rather well known in the art world… since all her customers seem to go missing.

When her newest painting escapes the canvas and rampages through the streets of London, Bryony digs into her family history, discovering some rather scandalous secrets her uncle has been keeping, including a deadly curse she’s inherited from her missing father. It turns out, Bryony has accidentally unleashed the Gray family curse, and it’s spreading fast.

With a little help from the strange-but-beautiful girl next door and her paranoid brother, Bryony sets out to break the curse, dodging bloodthirsty paintings, angry mobs and her wicked uncle along the way.

Depth by Lev A.C. Rosen

In a post-apocalyptic flooded New York City, a private investigator’s routine surveillance case leads to a treasure everyone wants to find—and someone is willing to kill for.

Depth combines hardboiled mystery and dystopian science fiction in a future where the rising ocean levels have left New York twenty-one stories under water and cut off from the rest of the United States. But the city survives, and Simone Pierce is one of its best private investigators. Her latest case, running surveillance on a potentially unfaithful husband, was supposed to be easy. Then her target is murdered, and the search for his killer points Simone towards a secret from the past that can’t possibly be real—but that won’t stop the city’s most powerful men and women from trying to acquire it for themselves, with Simone caught in the middle.

I get what you mean, Emily! But insofar as modern “YA” is more than just a marketing construct, in my comparison between NH and 10k Doors I was actually thinking more about style than content or common tropes like the “special” character. (It certainly seems like January will be “special” in some magical way, in any case, though her being markedly different in other ways already, according to the standards of her day and age, goes some way towards mitigating the predictability of that trope.)

NH suffers from several pitfalls that are often to be found in modern YA fantasy since it became a huge industry label (though I am definitely not saying this applies to every book released under that banner, and the problems tend to be more glaringly obvious in High Fantasy than in UF): the world building and magic systems are underdeveloped, and the level of the writing is more or less average. Never bad, but average. At least IMO, on all those counts!

But I think in 10k Doors so far (I am now up to 41%), the magic & world(s!) seem to have consistent internal logic, and I find the writing to be of a higher caliber.

10k Doors is the kind of book that assumes a certain higher level of intelligence and literacy from its readers, and is only being marketed as “YA” because of the title character’s age. Whereas NH is only being marketed as “adult” because of... well, rape. That’s pretty much it, really!

For those of you who also did the Adult BOM this month -
Who else thinks it's funny that the Adult BOM felt more like YA, and this YA BOM [at least after the first few chapters] feels more like an Adult book?
:D

Laura wrote: "Alysa wrote: "@Laura, just so you know, I have read several additional "character who plays hockey" books since the Right Side Up Spring Challenge, including one during TT. And I am going to Canada..."

Laura wrote: "Alysa wrote: "@Laura, just so you know, I have read several additional "character who plays hockey" books since the Right Side Up Spring Challenge, including one during TT. And I am going to Canada..."

LOL, you’re right, you’re not the reason for the trip. Only the reason I now apparently enjoy hockey novels (well, MM ones so far but we’ll see where my interest takes me 😉), since having to find one that time.

We’re going to BC, kinda near Kamloops (mainly a ski trip for my family, which means a sitting-on-ass trip for me, hehe) but have been to 7 provinces over the past few years for various reasons. Huh! I didn’t even realize it was so many. I guess I love Canada. ❤️🇨🇦

I’m gonna get out of your Team thread now though!
I hope everybody here had a great TT! (fwiw, Team Ira considered going for the Vanity prize, but y’all had pulled too far ahead by then. Congrats! 😁)

@Laura, just so you know, I have read several additional "character who plays hockey" books since the Right Side Up Spring Challenge, including one during TT. And I am going to Canada [again] next week.
IT IS ALL YOUR FAULT. :D

Emily wrote: "I feel this book is more about being lyrical then about plot development, which isn't typically a writing style I enjoy"

I think that's why so far I've also been enjoying Ade's story more than January's. The style is less lyrical. There have been moments during the January sections there are so many metaphors that it kicks me out of the story.
I'm only partway through the "Day 2" chapters though, so hopefully things will start to pick up for January too.

You also make an interesting point about January blaming her father instead of Locke, and whether she's been manipulated to do so. I have a feeling this too will become clearer soon.

DQs Day 1 — Beginning thru An Introduction to Miss Adelaide...

1) The beginning of this book explicitly evokes other magical doors in the reader's imagination, presuming a strong familiarity with the concept. Are you a fan of stories about magical doors? Why? Is that what drew you to this book?

Magical door/portal fantasies are awesome, and it’s obvious that the author loves them so much that not only did she write a book featuring them - a thousand of them! - but got all Meta about it. This is a booklover’s book. And I tend to enjoy metafiction, so I am happy so far.

2) Young January seems to exist as a kind of curio for Mr. Locke, who collects "exotic" things. Do you think this bears out in how he treats her and her father? Do you think the relationship between ward and guardian seems realistic, given the time and place?

It is an interesting relationship, but I actually find it a little clunky. Like, the author needed to line up these people in a certain way to make the plot work, and her seams are showing. Perhaps if Mr. Locke were a godfather or a business partner instead? The way it stands, it just seems off that she basically lives with her father’s boss. It makes me intensely suspicious of Locke. Racial difference notwithstanding (or possibly the point?!), if this were any other book I would be wondering if the girl is being groomed for child-bridedom by a latent pedophile or something.

3) The next sections interrupt January's story, to tell a story within a story. First we get a section of "scholarly" text, and then the story of another girl, Adelaide, from a somewhat earlier time than January. What did you think of these sections? Do you predict any connection between these characters, beyond just one reading the other’s story?

I really liked these bits. I really felt like January felt, sinking into the book she found.
Cat, I similarly wondered if Ade and the boy were January’s parents!

4) What do you think of the structure and writing style (or perhaps styles!) of this book so far, more generally? Do any “author tricks” stand out to you, good or bad?

I really enjoy the parallel texts, metafiction, and fake “scholarly” writings. I actually preferred the writing style of the Adelaide chapter the the previous January chapters - and it impresses me that the author could make that kind of switch.
But it annoys me that we seem to have the word “Scholar” being introduced as a formal title of some sort, and January’s last name is Scaller. Too on the nose!
I’m glad that Jeremy brought up the footnotes! The footnotes are fun, and add to the scholarly appeal.
Has anyone else read Jane Yolen’s Great Alta series? She does some interesting stuff with fantasy, meta, scholarly texts, and the way that true stories eventually pass into myth, legend, and eventual historical interpretation.

I never did Day 6! Doing now :D

Day 6 DQs – Chapters 26 – end

23. We start off this section with Blake trying to kill Alex for revenge. Did you expect this and did you accept that he was also responsible for Tara’s murder? Or did you suspect there was still something more? Also, were you surprised when Dawes came through to bash him in the head? I was not expecting that, but it was awesome.

I expected him to turn up angry, but I also suspected that he’d only be actually murderous if he was being controlled by some other force. Murder just didn’t seem like his MO otherwise. I also loved when Dawes bashed him!

24. We find out that girls had been killed over the years on dates that coincided with the formation of houses and that Dean Sandow knew about it. Did you immediately jump to the same conclusion as Alex, that Sandow killed Tara to form a nexus?

I liked that particular twist very much – it redeemed the book for me a bit! But I didn’t immediately guess that Dean Sandow knew about it. I’m still not sure whether I think the narrative up to that point clearly supports this, actually. There’s still a lot about the Sandow character that felt muddled to me.

25. What were your thoughts when Belbalm revealed herself? Were you surprised? Did you suspect the connection with North? It makes sense to me the Belbalm had a stronger role in the story than initially portrayed, but I was not expecting that.

I liked this twist WAY less. I did not suspect the connection with North at all, and as with Sandow but probably even moreso, I don't think that the narrative up to this point supports the Belbalm reveal. It felt more like a cheap trick than a clever twist. I also think it is provocatively “post feminist” in a way, to have the ultimate villain of a book that has been ostensibly critiquing patriarchy be a woman preying on other women. My critical faculties have many complex thoughts about this, but my kneejerk reaction was Do Not Like. I just don’t think we’re… there yet? As a society? IDK.

26. Belbalm seems to have the same power as Alex and she was able to live so long by stealing the souls from other girls like them and that they’re drawn to New Haven. Do you think Alex will meet other girls with her powers in subsequent books that are drawn to Yale?

That would be kind of cool! And they can tear down the patriarchy together, lol!

27. What are your overall thoughts on the novel? Will you read book 2?

I didn’t hate it, didn't love it. I rated it 3 stars. Maybe my expectations were too high. I thought the magic system was underdeveloped, I was expecting an “adult” writing style and got YA or maybe NA, and there was a lot of stuff that just didn’t work for me. I most enjoyed the parts about Alex’s past, when she was a teenager, which I guess makes sense in light of the YA writing style. I might read Book 2, if the plot sounds interesting, but it’s not high on my list.

Here we go!

DQs Day 1 — Beginning thru An Introduction to Miss Adelaide...

1) The beginning of this book explicitly evokes other magical doors in the reader's imagination, presuming a strong familiarity with the concept. Are you a fan of stories about magical doors? Why? Is that what drew you to this book?

2) Young January seems to exist as a kind of curio for Mr. Locke, who collects "exotic" things. Do you think this bears out in how he treats her and her father? Do you think the relationship between ward and guardian seems realistic, given the time and place?

3) The next sections interrupt January's story, to tell a story within a story. First we get a section of "scholarly" text, and then the story of another girl, Adelaide, from a somewhat earlier time than January. What did you think of these sections? Do you predict any connection between these characters, beyond just one reading the other’s story?

4) What do you think of the structure and writing style (or perhaps styles!) of this book so far, more generally? Do any “author tricks” stand out to you, good or bad?