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

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

wren wrote: "I have Angels & Demons which is a #1 and I'm starting that tonight. I think I can try and finish right after the weekly reset since it's a good time for me."

That'd be really great, wren!
Especially because it is long. :D
If you are able to commit to finishing it after right the weekly reset, or the day after that at the latest, that'll be excellent.

If you end up unable to finish in that time, just let us know asap so someone else (probably me, lol ) can finish their #2 book without waiting. Then you can still finish yours after, just not for the ladder; it'd have to be for a "Sin."

I gather that you have some time off school for the Thanksgiving holiday. Yay for you!

Everybody knock on wood!

Yeah, the ladder is a Big Ask.
Which is why Jessi and I are not expecting everyone to do it :)

I have to say, I totally get why the Mods kept this Mini for fairly late in TT — we need to be pretty familiar with each other’s reading patterns in order to best to strategize and make this work to our best advantage.

Unless our 2 biggest readers (in both book numbers and lengths) happen to have a whole bunch of Higher Series Numbers they wanna read anyway, it probably does not make much sense for Team Ira to go more than, say, a dozen or so rungs, tops.

It’s 5 points per “rung” which (Sin Bingo notwithstanding) is only better than Color Covers for books that would otherwise be Top Shelves/Sin Specs, and the bonus for every 3 rungs averages out to 3.33 extra points per book. That is nice, but as usual it is not as good as reading doorstoppers and BOMs 🙂

We can leave the super-tall-ladder-building to the teams that care more about the Mini-Challenge prize category, lol.

Just to say —
I do not at all mind only doing #4 (which I have to return to the library soon anyway) and #6 (because it is long) and letting other people have all those other #s. Especially cuz I can’t go higher than 6 next week.
Not trying to hog all the numbers. Just trying to make coordination easier, and make it so fewer people end up sitting around waiting for other people. :)

I think we'll need someone to do #1 very quickly, if at all. So, choosing who will cover #1 will depend on the length of the book as well as how fast the person can read it vis-a-vis the Week 7/Week 8 turnover.

For instance, I can start a short #2 book tomorrow night and finish it by Sunday late-afternoon/ evening which is the earliest we're allowed to finish books for Week 8 anyway (I'm in EST). but if someone's reading a #1 I would potentially have to put down my #2, wait until that person checks in to say they've finished, and start something else as well.
I also have a short #4 book that I would like to read.
Then, a long (over 600p) #6 book which will take a few days, and which is the highest # that I'm able to cover next week.

Jessi and I were thinking that since looooong books are still the best, we're not gonna get too crazy with this Mini.
The more people trying to build more ladder rungs, the more we'll be waiting for each other to do stuff, and potentially fewer people reading long books.

@ Allison and M, do either of you have long, high-series-number books to work towards for the middle and later of Week 8?
We'll need a #5...
Plus maybe anything between 7 & 9 (if Jessi's got a #10) and 11 &up?
If not, it could better for you to stick mainly to big books for Sins...?

DQs Day 3
Chapters 12-19

11. So we've heard from Sadie again! (every time I hear her name she reminds me of Sadie by Courtney Summers and I have to keep reminding myself: wrong book sis)
I wonder if substance abuse is the only thing she struggles with, or if there's more to her. She feels a bit off to me... Is she hiding something, or is that just who she is? Do you think she knows or at least has an idea of what happened to her sister? Why does she not want to talk about Sarah at all, and why did she leave Echo Ridge? Would you have left?... Is she even still at the institute?

I think she's still in rehab, but as to the rest of the above... IDK. I think maybe she has some idea about what happened to Sarah, but has either blocked it out (be it consciously or unconsciously) or feels responsible in some way. Like, maybe she was the target and whatever happened... happened to the "wrong" twin. Or maybe they were both involved in something untoward and Sadie doesn't want to be caught out, even after all this time.

12. Even though Sadie has hardly ever been back to Echo Ridge, I have a feeling Ellery and Ezra's dad might be from there. Do you think we have met the twins' father by now? Could it be Vance, or Peter, or somebody else completely? (I actually have a theory, and it's neither of the guys I just mentioned lol)

But didn't Sadie leave Echo Ridge way before they were born? They're 17 and she left over 20 years ago? I suppose it could have been a hometown-visit-hook-up, if she was ever back at the right time, but I don't think so. Could be wrong, I think she's been upfront about the twins' being conceived in California. This book might be gearing up to have some "inappropriate hook-up" twists but I somehow don't think Ellery & Ezra's parentage will be one of them.

13. Viv has been acting very strangely towards Ellery. What is her problem? Do you think she's jealous of Ellery for getting nominated for Prom Queen, or that she has kind of gotten into their friend group without even trying?

Yes to the above. She seems jealous that Ellery, as the new new girl, is getting attention.

14. I can't stop thinking about what happened in the past. First Sarah went missing, then years later Lacey vanished and had been found dead shortly after. Do you think Sarah shared the same fate, or is she still out there somewhere? Are their cases related? And then Mr. Bowman has been killed in a hit and run - what a nice introduction to town our twins had here. Do you think this is connected to everything else that's been going on in town, with Daisy and Declan being back, etc.?

I think Sarah's dead too, but I don't know if the cases are related. And with that Mr Bowman thing still out there too... And Daisy... Eh, I think the book will connect everything, but in a convoluted, eye-roll-inducing way that I won't like, lol.

15. Just like Viv, Brooke has been acting weirdly as well, but I don't think it has anything to do with Ellery. She seemed worn down when El sat with the girls at lunch, and Mr. Bowman's death seemed to get to her way more than to her peers. Do you think she had anything to do with the hit and run, or maybe was involved with the late teacher? Is this why she was so agitated at the party? Where do you think she vanished to when she slept over at Katrin's the week before but was gone for at least 20 minutes?

Ah, the late teacher comes up again! Yeah, I think there's some inter-generational hooking up happening in this town, but I still don't know who exactly is involved. And if people have been getting killed so they won't, say, reveal information, then IDK what's with the graffiti and bloody doll stuff. That could just be a red herring, some innocent-ish kids having fun with the bad town history and all.

Random:
Did anyone else get annoyed when Ellery described the "That's what she said" joke as coming from The Office?
I was like, jeez McManus, people have been using that line for yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaars before The Office aired. My first memory of it was from Wayne's World, and it was probably old before that.

M wrote: "I still have a bunch of big books left on my shelf. I will post later with what I have."

Cool. If any of them are series (especially upper numbers) that's great, but if not -- that's great too :D

Gluttony Mini Challenge next week!

Jessi and I have some ideas :)
But... take a look, everybody, and see what you think!

Because this will take lots of coordination, it's likely that not everyone on the team will be able to participate in this one, since some do not check in very often.
And since the general Team Strategy is still Big Books, we don't expect that we'll build a gazillion rungs. But a few sets will be nice for the Bonus points.
(Please note, too that there can be gaps between "rungs." That is, after #7 for example, we do not need to read #s 8,9, and 10 before reading #11. We just wouldn't be able to read them afterwards. ;D)

Well, unless you want to ;D

You are amazing, Allison!

I hope you and M aren't blowing through your entire big-book TBRs though. ;D

DQs Day 2
Chapters 6-11

6. It's taken me a bit to understand what's happening in town currently and in the past. Has anyone else struggled or have you caught on well? Do you think the author has set the scene well, or are there improvements/other ways you think would work better?

I caught on to the convoluted relationships a bit better in these chapters than I had in the previous ones. I’m not sure the author has done as well with the mystery yet though. All the graffiti and dolls and such doesn’t seem to be having as much impact as it is probably supposed to. The atmosphere is just okay.


7. We meet Declan Kelly in this chapter, Malcolm's brother. What are your impressions on him? Do you think he murdered Lacey? Or has anything to do with Sarah's (Sadie's twin) disappearance? The hit and run of Mr Bowman or the threats around town? If not, who do you think is responsible for all of them, or any of them? Do you have any theories so far on the connections of the occurrences? I feel like there's so many suspects and Sadie is definitely hiding something.

I don’t think Declan was responsible for any of that stuff (was he even born yet when Sarah and Sadie were seniors in high school???), and my theory is that some privileged adult or adults are responsible. Maybe the missing or murdered girls were having affairs with teachers or their friend’ dads or something like that.


8. The Homecoming Court announcements: Did it surprise you that Ellery was nominated for Queen? Why do you think she was 'chosen' as a potential Queen? It's kind of ominous to the Homecoming, isn't it? I feel like Homecoming is where things will go crazy. What do you guys predict will happen?

She was set up, for sure. I also think Homecoming is where things will go crazy.

9. As an Australian, I don't understand the craze around Homecoming. We have Formals which is similar to Homecoming but no one is chosen as a Queen or King. Did you go to a Homecoming in High School, or something similar? What was it like? I went without a boy (too cool for boys back then) and went with one of my girl friends. We had a blast! My aunty actually helped me design my dress and made it for me. It was actually my first introduction on how to dress feminine and like it!

I’m American but my school didn’t do Homecoming... as far as
I remember. I was “too cool” for some of that stuff too, lol. Though we did have Prom in the spring. I didn’t go to “mine” but when
I was in 9th grade I went with an 11th grade boy to his
Junior one. It was actually pretty terrible, and part of what put me off going to “mine” a couple years later. But I did come to regret that as an adult. I wish I’d been there.

10. It seems like Daisy has been through a lot... Her breakdown in the car and shutting herself in her room. What do you think is going on with her? Do you think she's finally dealing with Lacey's death or do you think something else is going on with her?

It seems like a combination of things. Didn’t she leave some kind of high-powered job? If she is just a depressed person, it’s hard to say if that is just who she is, or if it was precipitated by events related to Lacey’s death. Declan being back in town at the same time is also a weird coincidence. Or not...

[edited for crap spelling]
Yeah I always saw it as that "Audio length verification" is only if there's no listing on AR. So, better safe than sorry: we can't use it.

What other book are you about to finish? :)

[[ Frankie ]] wrote: "Can books with a MPG of Children’s (but also Young Adult) count for the challenge? I was thinking it used to be that children’s books were not allowed, but I didn’t know if that restriction was sti..."

They can only be used if they have a verified word count of 25k or more (check arbookfind.com), or 3 hours for Audio.

DQs Day 1
Chapters 1 to 5

1.) Why are you participating in this BOM? Just for extra Tower Teams points? Because you were interested in/going to read this book anyway? Have you read other words by this author?

I normally don't read YA that isn't fantasy/scifi, except for during Challenges. This book is no exception. That being said, I like being forced out my my reading comfort zones on occasion. It was the same for me for this month's other BOM, The Chestnut Man :)

2.) I'm loving Ellery's true crime obsession. Pre-child I used to have the Discovery ID channel (true crime, all the time) on a lot as background. Though I'm thinking this is foreshadowing of not good things to come. What do you think? Have you read any of the crime books mentioned so far?

I don't read a ton of True Crime books, though there have been exceptions. Actually, I have of late developed a certain ambivalence towards True Crime books and Shows about murder cases, in that it feels weird ostensibly being "entertained" by someone else's terrible tragedy. I totally understand and share interest in these things, especially serial killers! I just, IDK, I have started to feel a little guilty about it. Or something.

3.) Characters, first impressions. What do you think of Ellery & Ezra? Sadie, and the fact they refer to her by her first name and not 'Mom'? Malcom & Katrin? Familial relations seems to be a central theme to this book and specifically sibling relationships. There's been several twin references and references to other sibling relationships (Declan, Daisy, Lacey's siblings, etc). Do you think these types of ties will play into the main story line?

These first few chapters, I have found all the pile-on of characters and their relationships a little confusing. I feel like I need to make a chart. I'm sure there will be thematic reasons, least of all the whole "everyone in small towns knows each other" thing and the "siblings" thing, so hopefully I will have less trouble keeping track of everybody as the book goes on.
I don't feel connected to anybody yet, except maybe a little bit Ellery. I am old enough to be her mother, but I can also relate to her in some quite personal ways.

4.) This book is set in a small town and that type of atmosphere has been highlighted strongly during the set-up of the story. However, it isn't really the bucolic small town setting being highlighted by the author, but the everyone is in everyone else's business and will judge the crap out of your entire family if given the chance. What do you think of small towns? Would you like to live in one (or do you already)?

And so it begins!!! I like that it's not bucolic, but the nosy and insular kind of portrayal. I tend to prefer to read about this in Southern Gothic and in UK-based books than in New England or other American settings for some reason, but that's just me.
I lived in a smallish town growing up, but my experience was unusual in that I didn't go to school in the same town that I lived in, so I had very little social life or community involvment, and also, because my parents were from NYC, we were in NYC a lot on weekends and such. I've been living in NYC my entire adult life, but I would not mind moving to a small town in future, and trying to make more of it than I ever could as a kid.

5.) I loved the epitaph of Mr. Bowman's tombstone.
"Tell me and I forget
Teach me and I may remember
Involve me and I learn"
What did you think about it? Do you agree with the statement? And why do you think there has been such a focus on a seemingly sad, but random hit and run?

It's a nice tribute to a supposedly beloved teacher. I have no idea whether the focus on his death will be part of something bigger, or if it's just been there to add atmosphere so far.

BTW, teammates, I added the finished BOMs to the main official spreadsheet just because I like putting BOMs there, lol!

But we're still not adding any Spell-Outs to the Envy Mini-Challenge tab there yet, as it's too soon to tip our hand on what words we found in the Boggle :D

I'm only on Chapter 4. I like the writing but am finding it a little hard to keep track of who's who so far. There seem to be a LOT of character in play, with convoluted relationships.

So I started Two Can Keep a Secret --
Why did nobody say there are more character names that work for letters this week?!
Rodriguez! Nilsson! and more!

:D

Allison Ann wrote: "just getting a little maxed out on Historical Fiction"

Gee, I wonder why :)

Don’t worry if you aren’t able to add a replacement book for this week. We don’t want anyone to burn out!

I will PM you. I don’t wanna be seen as “advertising” on NBRC (even though nobody is selling anything ;D)

Allison Ann wrote: "I read the paperback. I don't know why a duplicate shows up sometimes for no reason. So annoying.
I'll get it fixed."

Looks good now. Thanks!!