Bernadette’s Comments (group member since May 28, 2020)

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

I've can cover 121 - MPG War with The Book of Lost Names

Looks like it is spell-out so I setup the SS as Gran Canaria, Spain. It's 16 letters so we all have 2!

I vote for spell out and would like to keep traveling!

Alyana wrote: "Should we start voting for the next stop?"

Looks like we are all done and ready for the next stop.....

The detour does not look appealing to me at all.

It's also our last stop😲

Pooja wrote: "thanks @bernadette for the recommendation . i see if I get book before the coffee gets cold ."

@Pooja - how was Before the Coffee Gets Cold? I see you added the next one to your TBR list so I guess it was good🤷‍♀️

Carlie wrote: "I finished today. I was really good but the ending made me really sad. I mean truly I don’t think it could have ended any other way, but it was a tad ..."

Carlie, The Last Thing He Told Me is on my TBR list. I liked Outlawed - I describe it as a female Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid🤠

Alyana wrote: "Thank you for the recommendations Bernadette! I'm still deciding between two books but I won't be finish until next weekend, hopefully earlier."

I'll be reading mine sometime this week🤞

Pooja wrote: "thanks @bernadette i also prefer reading.

books I started currently all r above 12 hours . I have to find some small books if any recommendations is there pls feel free to give me :-)

pls don't ..."

Here are some short books that are on my read/TBR list that fit:

A Separate Peace
News of the World
A Reason to Be
Cape Fear
Fever 1793
Winter Street
True Grit
The Art of Racing in the Rain
Out of My Mind
Nine Women, One Dress
Before the Coffee Gets Cold
In Five Years

@Pooja - I think audio version of the book just needs to be between 6 & 7 hours long - you don't need to listen to it. I plan on reading mine.

@Shy - looks like you chose a book that is too long - it needs to be between 6 & 7 hours long

SS ready to go!

Sophie wrote: "Tricky task update! You have all be fantastic at knocking a good number of these off the list.

1 Trunk/suitcase on cover
43. Repeated 4+ letter word in title - Ashlee
58. Set in India, Nigeria or ..."

I've got 231 - MPG Race covered with The Office of Historical Corrections

Looks like we have finished "visiting" Kathmandu. Did we come to a consensus for the next stop? Looks like #3 but Carrie can you confirm and I will update the SS.

DQ Day 3
Chapters 21 to 33

11. For someone claiming and trying to be body positive about herself, Willowdean sure isn't giving anyone else any slack. Her description of Hannah, like with others, was just mean. Do you think the author is projecting Willowdean's insecurities on how she sees herself onto others?

I do - I think she is unsure of herself and her confidence and this is hw she handles it,

12. What did you think about the incident Patrick kneed in the balls incident? He didn't seem like Mitch's best friend saying that (honestly, maybe Patrick and Willowdean should date). What did you think about her mom's reaction and the resulting blow up between mom & daughter?
Side note: to anyone with teenagers, we are here for you.

Patrick deserved it. Teenagers can be mean though. Mom's reaction seemed normal - it's not always easy to know how to react.

13. Did anyone else want to high five Ellen for calling out Willowdean on her crap? What did you think of their argument? Do you think the rift will be repaired? If so, do you think a Dolly Parton sing-along (thanks Cat) will be part of their healing process?

I'm far enough ahead that I know how this will end. Yeah to Ellen for calling out Willow.

14. Based on the blurb, Millie's attitude and pep talk while at the restaurant is what I would of expected from Williowdean. What do you think of these girls deciding to enter the pageant? What did you think of Millie's pep talk?

Girl power! They are becoming a great group of friends that they didn't expect.

15. Thoughts on Mitch? Where do you think his and Willowdean's relationship will go? Do you think she'll crush his poor soft heart?

Again, I know where this will go. I hope she doesn't let him down too hard. He is a good kid.

I usually have 2 going at once - one audiobook 🎧 and one real book📚

DQ for Day 2
Chapters 11-20


6. Picking up on the previous grief question to turn it around towards Willowdean and her mother. Will seems to think (I'm paraphrasing here) that her mother is a heartless cow and wants to use Lucy's room all to herself without any consideration whatsoever for anyone else. I can't help but wonder though if the mother isn't somehow trying to be close to Lucy - her own sister - by setting up a craft room in Lucy's space. Everyone deals with grief in their own way, and while yes, I agree with her (unlike Will) that the dusty old things will eventually need to go, I feel like she's trying to find a way to cope at the same time.

I agree - I don't really see a question here.

7. Will and Bo. Thoughts? More particularly, Will's reaction to finding out that Bo will start going to the same school?

Will & Bo seem good together. Will is overreacting bu why didn't he tell her?

8. The more I read, the more I wonder how Ellen and Will are (still) friends with the way they talk to each other. According to Will, they are drifting apart because Ellen is having sex and because of Callie (she doesn't quite say it but it is definitely there). Their interactions however do make me wonder, a lot. I feel like they're friends more because it's a habit than anything else. They're both dependent on each other - Will because she doesn't seem to have other friends and can't stay in the pool alone? Ellen because she needs a back-up when she goes to pick up her pay check?) What do you make of their friendship now that we know more. Irreparable rift? Habit? Undying friendship?

Undying friendship having growing pains - they are teenagers after all.

9. And this inevitably brings me to Will's interactions with Callie. It seems like Callie is at least trying, even though there is the fat-girl-issue, but she isn't completely ignoring Will, unlike Will herself, who barely manages to be civil to the girl. Sure, I completely understand the jealousy of thinking that someone is stealing your (best) friend from you, but it isn't helping Will's case that she is basically being a douche to the girl.

I don't like Callie - she is "all about Callie" and vain. Will does need to realize though that her friend is allowed to have other friends.

10. Did anyone else have that moment of "oh shit, something really terrible is going to happen on the date" when Ellen and Tim tell Will that Patrick Thomas is Mitch's best friend. Or is it just me who thinks that there is a very obvious lack of mobbing and finger-pointing? Not that this is a bad thing, on the contrary! Though I do find it odd since Will has A LOT of issues and basically hates people who are not Ellen (and Bo).

I didn't have that thought at all - and Mitch agreed with Will!

Sophie wrote: "I'm happy with that as having all 3 colours in it.

Bernadette- how was the show? I've got mixed feelings about the book at the moment."

Sophie - the show on Neflix was good not great. I'm listening to the book and the narrator is great so I'm enjoying the book so far.

Carlie wrote: " <-- this works for #6 right? A cover with green, yellow & purple?"

I think it would but will let Sophie decide.

Carlie - I forgot to tell you when you said you were from west Chester, my daughter graduated from WCU 5 years ago so I know your neck of the woods.

DQs Day 1 - Chaps 1 - 10

1. What do you think of Willowdean? Does she feel like a sufficiently real person?

Willowdean is likeable and seems like a real person.

2. What you you think about her relationship with Ellen? They are starting to keep secrets from each other now - do you think that this is the start of a drifting apart or will they stay close?

Teenage girls relationships are always hard to figure out and constantly changing. I think they are good for each other.

3. Bo is interesting - the opposite of Will in terms of being reserved in comparison to her chattiness, but with something lurking in his backstory. Do you want to have a guess at what's up with him? Would anyone NOT have done the same as Will and followed him to the abandoned school in the hopes of more making out?!

I'm not sure I would have followed or have been happy if my daughter did, but she probably did things I didn't know about when she was a teenager. There is probably a family issue haunting him.

4. Will claims ownership of "fat" when she introduces herself to Bo. How successful do you think she is in her aim to stop it from being an insult?

I think she uses it as a method of protection.

5. Lucy has clearly been a big influence in both Will and Ellen's lives, and yet they haven't been talking about her at all since her death. Do you think this is a normal reaction to a sudden death? Would you be like Will's mother, and get rid of everything, or keep it

Death of a family member is difficult to handle. I don't think her mother has come to terms with it yet.

I watched Dumplin' on Netflix a year or so ago but didn't realize it was based on a book😲 - I may need to re-watch it after I'm done the book📚

Preference in order #3 and #1