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

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

Sitting in the Memphis airport, heading home from vacation. Looks lukewarm I will have some catching up to do when I get home and can login with my computer 😲

Frida wrote: "Ah, "books that have been on my Kindle for over two years that feature a dwelling on the front cover”, that’s my very favorite genre!"

I would have to change that to ""books that have been sitting on my bookshelf for over two years that feature a dwelling on the front cover” 🤣🤣

Erin, I have It on my TBR as an audiobook - I'll like to know what you think about it.

My first book will be The Poisonwood Bible and first audiobook will probably be In My Dreams I Hold a Knife.

I start vacation on Wednesday. I'll be away for the first week and will update the spreadsheet when I get back. Robin, I'll be in your state for part of my vacation, but west of you. We're flying in to Memphis then driving to Hot Springs, Arkansas for a few days then back to Memphis to spend for a few days in Memphis.

Hot Springs is a National Park and my husband & I have been to 21 of them so far (out of 63). We hope to try to get to them all at some point. Hot Springs will be #22.🏞

Shannon, I am also a Stephen King fan. Some his best are not horror like Erin mentioned. Some of my favorites are:

and

Shannon wrote: "Hi everyone!

My name is Shannon! I'm another one of your co-captains and I am so excited to be doing this challenge with you guys! Im sorry I wasn't able to introduce myself sooner, but I had a lo..."

Shannon - you're moving to the other side of our lovely state? Just don't become a Pirates fan during the summer! Good luck with the internship. What kind of internship?

Pittsburgh is actually a very nice city, my husband has some family there.

Hello teammates – I live in a suburb of Philadelphia with my husband and his cat. During the day I'm a CPA/tax accountant at a national accounting firm, I have a flex schedule so this time of year I work 2-3 days a week. I do work some full-time weeks during tax season.

I prefer a real book to an e-book but about 5 years ago I started listening to audiobooks when my work commute changed, and I love them as well and that has increased my reading. I am a big library user and am currently on the Board of Directors of the local library where I live now, of course I am the treasurer and actually served on the Board of Directors of a local library where I grew up for 25 years!

I'll read almost anything if I have to for the team, but my favorites are Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery and Thriller. I'm not a fan of SciFi but I do like Fantasy.

I read the The Hunger Games series about 7 years ago and did see the movies. I will read them again now with this challenge.

I was on Tower Teams with Erin and Robin last year. I have also been teams with Shannon, Paula and Rachel in the past as well. Hi ladies👋🏻😃

I've finished my last book. Don't think I can finish another one before the end.

I just finished a book and can’t remember if I added it to the SS. My daughter gets married today & I will not be near a computer. I listened to:

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murders
Pages: 352
W - CLN - Wong
R - CFN - Riki
T - CFN - Tilbert
E - NFN - Eunice

Can someone add it for me if I haven’t?

I'll be starting My Name is Barbra soon. One of those genres has to be in that book!

DQs: Day 3 ~ Chapters 12 – 17

9. It seems like the whole book is a test of Charlie’s character. Hera’s conversation with Charlie is one example. Charlie suddenly asks if Hera and Persephone like him. She says they were sent to watch him, but they like him because Charlie chose to take them in and treated them well. Do you think the book is portraying a series of tests from his uncle? What do you think it means?

Not sure that the cats were truly a test, but they are interesting.

10. “Business is business. It’s different from respect and friendship.” What did you think of this statement? Do you agree with it or do you think these things can’t be separated?

Absolutely. You can be tough in business and still be friends.

11. Charlie was quick to pick up clues on the Lombardy Convocation members. What did you think of his assessment? Did it change your opinion of him?

He's smart, it seems like he will be able to figure things out with the help of the cat & assistant.

12. There has been a lot of great banter in the book so far. I have to say I think both parts with the dolphins were my favorites. What has been your favorite line/quote, or your favorite part of the book so far?

But then, no one ever needs a cat these days.

DQs: Day 2, Chap 7 - 11


5. We learn Hera and Persephone are both sentient cats. My cats love lying next to me and staring at my computer screen (when they’re not stomping all over my keyboard), so I can picture a cat using a computer vividly. What mischief would your pets come up with if they were sentient? Even if you don’t have pets, what mayhem do you think could happen?

Our cat loves tuna, eggs & cheese. We also fund him on the kitchen counter often. I see some kind of cooking involved.

6. Charlie seems to be surprisingly chill about going along with everything happening, from sentient animals to attempts on his life to being whisked away to the Caribbean. Does that make sense to you, with how his life was before the book started? How would you react if you found out your uncle was a supervillain?

This book is not making sense at all.

7. Although travelling there was a bit of a hassle, St. Genevieve sounds like a pretty sweet place to be. Where would your ideal villain (sorry, process disruptor) lair be set?

This place sounds OK, but I would say deep in a National Park

8. We got a list of more or less exciting options including sharks, so: what is Charlie going to decide? How is Jacobs going to “die”? Or might his death end up being a real one after all?

I don't think it will be real, but I'm not interested enough to give it much thought until I actually read it.

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "I finished

Which I loved so much. All the feels. Julia Whelan is such a great narrator and to have her write and narrate her own book about audiobooks w..."

I love Julia Whelan narrated books. It's always a treat when I get an audiobook and I didn't know she was the narrator until I started listening.

DQs: Day 1, Chap 1 - 6

1. I'm so excited to be reading another John Scalzi book with you all. He has quickly become one of my "always read" authors. Is this your first Scalzi book? What are your expectations?

First - no expectations

2. What are your first impressions of Charlie? Do you think he is using his sad life events as an excuse to coast through life easier as his siblings and attorney seem to imply? Do you relate to him so far?

I don't think he is trying to coast. He did take care of his father and has a career in a difficult field. I like him so far.

3. “When people name cats, they usually do it in one of three categories: food, physical characteristics or mythology,” Morrison explained. What do you think Mathilda imagines Charlie's choice of "the goddess route" says about him? What sort of name would you choose and what do you think that could tell someone about you?

Dear Lord - it's a cat! Who can care that much. Can you tell I'm not a cat person?

4. What would your reaction be if a rich, but estranged family member left you a huge inheritance?

Woohoo!

I will finish Seabiscuit: An American Legend for this round.👍🏼

Karen & Fiona - hoping you both feel better soon.

I already read The Violin Conspiracy so won't be able to help with that one but will read the other.

@Captains - there is a bad cell on our official Team SS. The number of books read on the Summary tab for this round is pulling from Round 2 SS cell C4 but it should be cell C3. Looks the problem is there for every teams' SS. You might want to pass this along to the moderators.

DQs Day 3; Chapters 16-22

10. Pupkin is,,, alive??? Okay, no big surprise there to be honest, but we did finally get some interesting background info from Louise and Mark's childhood, even if that's not how Louise remembers it. Do you think she really doesn't remember, has simply forgotten, due to trauma or it just having happened way too long ago, or does she remember but chooses not to acknowledge it? Or maybe Mark misremembers himself and it didn't even happen (that way at least)? They were both still very young after all, Mark especially. Is it possible to remember something that happened when you were only two years old?

I certainly don't. My sister & brother have better memories of our childhood than I do, but that far back.

11. The second perspective adds a new layer, however it only got added halfway through the book. Were you surprised we got Mark's POV at all, and would you have preferred for it to be there from the beginning of the book? Also, has this last section changed your opinion on him in any way? He did save Louise from Pupkin after all....

Mark's POV added a new level of creepiness.🤡👺👽

12. To me, the last chapter feels a bit like a fever dream, definitely like they were on drugs. I personally don't remember which MPGs the book has and don't want to check in case of 'spoilers' now, but do you think there's a possibility the house, our main characters, the puppets, the dolls, Pupkin, everything- isn't actually haunted and none of it is actually happening?? What if it's just a dream (which would be the worst ending ngl), mental problems like Louise wants to believe, or mold in the house that's effecting them like this plus possible drug use from Mark when he was away?

I've already finished the book - I know what happens.😉

13. I can't help but wonder how the book is gonna end... If Pupkin is indeed an evil puppet come to life I only see one way it can be destroyed - fire. Do you think they'll end up burning down the entire house (although Hill House (in the show at least) wouldn't let itself be burned down either, so who knows if that would work), or will the dolls and puppets take over? What do you predict will happen in the rest of the book?

I've already finished the book - I know what happens.😉

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "@Bernadette can you add After I Do to your shelf please"

Done

Keely wrote: "I finally have internet again! But I am currently stuck at work.
I only have a little bit left of my book that works for an I so I will finish that at some point in the next 24 hours. I would real..."

Yeah! Internet.

Louise wrote: "All books are updated on the Main team sheet. We have completed our 4th spell out and started our 5th. To complete our 5th spellout we need:
S - 2
Y - 1
T - 1
I - 1
Z - 1
R - 1

Don’t forget if yo..."

I just finished 2 books that cover a few of those letters.