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

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

I had to remove one of the U’s I was reading because of how boring it was to me. It was on line 71. We are near the end of this round so I am not going to start another book for this word. Sorry, but I just couldn't bear to read Under the Tuscan Sun any longer.

Captains - my next audiobook can be an I, U or Z. Which do you prefer?

Day 3: Chapters 15-18

12. In chapter 16 we see Justyce have dinner with Manny's parents to commemorate Garret Tison's indictment. What do you think of Justyce being invited over and what they talk about? Did you have any thoughts about Manny's parents giving Justyce the watch and his reaction to it?

I think they want to connect to someone who knew their son well and thought the watch would mean something to him and that he would appreciate it an take care of it.


13. Justyce sees Quan at the Fulton Regional Youth Detention Centre and a lot is said between them. What do you make of Quan's upbringing and his view on life now? Is there anything that stands out between what is said between them? Quan not saying that he killed the cop or the advice that he gives to Justyce? Do you think that Quan's advice will have a positive or negative effect on Justyce?

They grew up until similar circumstances but may not have had the same support systems.


14. We see a few media releases in this part:
"Transcript from evening news... More on this story as it continues to develop"
"Tison Indictment... A trial date has yet to be announced."
The news report in chapter 18 with the photo released of Justyce in his Thug Life costume.

We also see the reporters mobbing the funeral party at Manny's funeral:
"Mr. McAllister, how's it feel to be the Boy Who Survived?
Justyce, do you think there will be justice?
What's it like knowing it could've been YOU in that casket?"

What do you think of the coverage of the event by the media? Are they siding with the police officer more than Justyce? Are they reporting the story correctly or making things worse? Do you think the author's portrayal of the media is similar to real life? Will the media ruin his chance at going to Yale?
I for one do not like the reporters at the funeral and that last question is especially nasty.

The media coverage is as expected. Only the parts the want to show and will bring the ratings they want.


15. Chapter 18 goes through a lot. We see Justyace spending time with Doc to avoid making the call to Trey and the gang and isn't writing to Martin anymore SJ speaking to him again and she apologises. She also calls Jarod about the release of the photo. What are your thoughts on all these and the character development of the teens?

It's said that he isn't writing to Martin anymore but he is lucky to have caring supportive people in his life.

I had my deck & pool area renovated as well. Spending time today cleaning the deck furniture before it gets too hot tomorrow. I expect to have family visitors as "Club Daniel" tomorrow as the call it😂. I'll be listening to The One-in-a-Million Boy while I clean and hope to get through most of it!

I just had my kitchen renovated - turned out great! Spent yesterday getting everything back into cabinets and drawers. It was exhausting but I listened to Ape House while doing it. Thanks for the recommendation Faith.

DQ Day 2; Chapters 7 - 14

7. Let's start with Sarah-Jane. Justyce and her definitely had feelings for each other, and they didnt shy away from closeness until Jus was about to kiss her after the debate (lbr which was bad timing). Why did SJ suddenly give Justyce the cold shoulder, what are your thoughts? What's going through her head?

Not sure if she thought he was sincere about it

8. It sucks that it took being drunk for Justyce to call out Manny but it's finally done! "They're my friends" was the dumbest excuse ever, but at least Manny finally woke up shortly after Blake's party and the fight Justyce and the guys had.
It's hard sometimes to stand up for what's right. It might not be safe, depending on where you are or who you're surrounded by. Do you judge Manny for not being able to stand up for himself and everybody else his 'friends' made fun of sooner? Was there ever anything you needed to work on first in order to be able to stand up for it?

He's a teenager, everything is hard at that age. Peer pressure is hard to deal with

9. It seems like Manny didn't only call Dr. Dray to check on Justyce after the fight, but also his mama and Mela. It confused me a little since he doesn't like Mel and how she treats Jus. And it hasn't even been mentioned again (so far). What did you make of this? Do you think Mela will end up playing a big part in the rest of the book? And did you ever have a teacher who was as involved in his students lives as Doc is?

It's a resident school so I would expect some teachers to be involved and he is also African American. It makes sense for him to reach out to J''s mom, not sure why he would Mela.

10. Manny's dad tried to keep all signs of racism and how he could be mistreated from him for as long as he could whereas Justyce's mama has prepared him ever since he was little. They also grew up in two completely different neighbourhoods and surroundings. What are your thoughts on the parents' different ways of bringing up their sons? Do you think there's a right way to go about this?

They had different lives so I would expect to raise their children differently have different race feelings.

11. 😳 that's one way to end today's chapters! My heart is still racing. What do you think happened, who got shot? And be honest, did you keep reading or take a peek just to find out what happened? (I'll be honest I did take a quick peek :x)

I do know how it ends.

I thought I was going to have trouble with this word, but it hasn't been that bad.

Day 1 BOM questions were a bit much though - 6 questions! And there were numerous questions within each question.

DQ Day 1
Chapters 1 - 6


1. We meet Justyce when he's trying to do a good deed by helping is drunk ex-girlfriend. This scene sets quite the mood for the upcoming chapters and (I assume) the rest of the book. Do you like our main character so far? Do you like his inner monologue, portrayed in the letters to Martin?

He seems like a good kid. I like letters to MLK. It's an interesting concept.

2. Let's talk about the girls - Melo and Sarah-Jane. The ex-girlfriend (sort of?) and the debate partner. Let's also factor in the other important female in Justyce's life, namely his mother. What do you make of each of them? And what to you make of their interactions with Justyce? And more importantly, what are we supposed to make of Justyce's interactions with them in light of his mother's statement not to bring a white girl home?
So many questions - Melo is trouble and only cares for herself; SJ means well but doesn't totally get J's life but truly cares for him; Mom - time will tell but her life has not been easy.

3. Jared is our token white boy who thinks all is right with the world when clearly it isn't. The equality discussion was interesting, I found, because Jared's logic is sound. And yet at the same time, it isn't at all. What example would you give Jared, where you speaking in SJ's stead, to show how wrong he is?

4. The Equality Brigade was quite the spectacle! Literally. Disguised as a klansman to portray equality. I can't help but wonder if Blake is an idiot of epic proportions or if there was a message he would have liked to show the world including his friends, especially considering the fact that the "costume" was the genuine thing. What did you think of this brain child of Jared's?
What Stupid idea!

5. Justyce as well as his best friend Manny are black boys stuck in a rich white school. They each have their own issues to deal with in regards to this situation. Manny, the rich black guy, who is considered one of them, and Justyce, the poor black guy, who is more and more often questioning his place in this world, the place he is trying to carve for himself. Do you think Manny should have acted differently in the lounge scene when he was peer pressured into drinking to equality? Knowing full well what happened to his best friend not too long ago?

It's hard to speak out when you with your friends when you are a teenager.

6. Short mention of Trey and his friends needs to be made. The Black Jihad gang, one of whose members shot Officer Castillo. Personally, I can't help but wonder if someone shot him to take revenge on the crap he's probably pulled for quite a while - Justyce certainly wasn't the only one - or if it was a shooting gone wrong. That thought aside, Trey makes Justyce (and maybe also Manny) feel like he's turning his back on his own people. Do you think he is right in telling Justyce this? Is Justyce right in questioning the things Trey tells him and wondering whether there may not be a grain of truth in it? Should Justyce have stayed at the party regardless or was it better to leave (with the others) when he did?

He was in a tough position.

Shannon wrote: "Just finished reading my 2nd book, “The Tattooist of Auschwitz.” I personally loved it. 100% would recommend if you haven’t read it yet"

It is a very good book! I thought about putting that on my recommendation list.

I'm done for this round and updated my last book. On to Pub Quizzing!

Tammie wrote: "Geesh....we’re going to need to be deliberate with those Qs...we can do it!"

I have 3 "Q" books already. I think I will have trouble with "Z"!

Donna wrote: "

I started to enter books into the SS and noticed that we have a lot of shelved books with no page counts. These will get flagged. I need all of you to check that you have the correct version of y..."

Donna, does this mean if I listened to an Audiobook I should not shelve the Audiobook because it has no page count listed?

Stacey wrote: "Ashlee wrote: "I added 2 finished books to the spreadsheet.

I will finish another today. I am going to try my hardest to finish the BOM by Friday, as I don't think that it will fit any of the let..."

That does seem like a tough word. I think Pub Quizzing is probably like Quizzo, just my guess.😊

I would like to participate.

DATE: July 6, 2020 - July 5, 2021
LEVEL: Washington - 25 or more books
COMPLETED: 50/50

COMPLETED July 5, 2021



✔️Alabama (AL) - Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
✔️Alaska (AK) - The Snow Child
✔️Arizona (AZ) - Half Broke Horses
✔️Arkansas (AR) - True Grit
✔️California (CA) - The Quilter's Homecoming
✔️Colorado (CO) - The Shining
✔️Connecticut (CT) - Small Great Things
✔️Delaware (DE) - Fight Club
✔️Florida (FL) - The Nickel Boys
✔️Georgia (GA) - Dear Martin
✔️Hawaii (HI) - The Unhoneymooners
✔️Idaho (ID) - Housekeeping
✔️Illinois (IL) - Finding Langston
✔️Indiana (IN) - You Should See Me in a Crown
✔️Iowa (IA) - Shoeless Joe
✔️Kansas (KS) - The Chicken Sisters
✔️Kentucky (KY) - The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
✔️Louisiana (LA) - Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery
✔️Maine (ME) - The One-in-a-Million Boy
✔️Maryland (MD) - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
✔️Massachusetts (MA) - The Identicals
✔️Michigan (MI) - The Recipe Box
✔️Minnesota (MN) - Ordinary Grace
✔️Mississippi (MS) - The Runaway Jury
✔️Missouri (MO) - The Whole Town's Talking
✔️Montana (MT) - The Smoke Jumper
✔️Nebraska (NE) - Attachments
✔️Nevada (NV) - The Heist
✔️New Hampshire (NH) - A Separate Peace
✔️New Jersey (NJ) - I've Got My Eyes on You
✔️New Mexico (NM) - Death Comes for the Archbishop
✔️New York (NY) - Still Life with Bread Crumbs
✔️North Carolina (NC) - A Walk to Remember
✔️North Dakota (ND) - Love Medicine
✔️Ohio (OH) - Little Fires Everywhere
✔️Oklahoma (OK) - Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
✔️Oregon (OR) - If I Stay
✔️Pennsylvania (PA) - Luckiest Girl Alive
✔️Rhode Island (RI) - The Geometry of Sisters
✔️South Carolina (SC) - One Summer
✔️South Dakota (SD) - Black Hills
✔️Tennessee (TN) - Stillhouse Lake
✔️Texas (TX) - Lonesome Dove
✔️Utah (UT) - The 19th Wife
✔️Vermont (VT) - The Broken Girls
✔️Virginia (VA) - Shine Shine Shine
✔️Washington (WA) - Rose Harbor in Bloom
✔️West Virginia (WV) - The Good Lord Bird
✔️Wisconsin (WI) - Little House in the Big Woods
✔️Wyoming (WY) - The Cold Dish

Day 3 - July 4- 42%-64%-

13. Thoughts on Viv telling Mrs. White that her husband cheats on her. Do you think this is what gets her into trouble?

No

14. We have another encounter with the angry man ( this makes at least 3) Who is he? Why is he important to the story?

Maybe he is the killer??

15. Which story line (Carly or Viv's ) are you enjoying more? Why?

I'm enjoying both equally.

16. The ending of this section just raises more questions for me. If Viv buys a knife, didn't she get a chance to use it?
Where is the knife? Was it mentioned in the police reports? What do you think?

What did happen to it? Great question! It doesn't seem to be mentioned.

DQs Day 2

6.) This section opens with some spooky stuff going on. If you saw literal ghosts in the creepy place you worked, would you split right away? Would you of left with sketchy-past Nick? Would you go back to work or think the overnight creep factor was making you see things that weren't really there?

Overnight creep factor making me see things

7.) Viv listens to guests' phone conversations. There is the saying 'people who eavesdrop are seldom happy with what they hear'. Or something close to that anyway. Do you think she may over hear something that results in her disappearance? Would you listen in if you were Viv?

Not proud of it, but I would listen...

8.) There really have been several deaths of young women in Fell, especially factoring in the size of the town. Do you think they are all connected? Connected to Viv's disappearance? Do you buy into the police stance of no connection between any of them?

I feel they are connected even though the police don't

9.) What do you think of the complete laxness of management and staff at The Sun Down Motel? Anyone else wonder how the heck that place is still open? And more importantly, why?

Laziness - not sure how it still open. Front for drugs?

10.) Any thoughts on the candy machine? It keeps popping up in both timelines. Maybe nothing, but in this type of story, who knows.

11.) Marnie and Callum are interesting additions to the character line-up, thoughts? Did you think it was strange that Marnie won't talk with Carly? Callum local nice boy-helper dude or creeper?

Marnie just wants to stay out of it. Callum - creeper!!

Day 1 DQ's:

1. The Sundown Motel...what a perfect name for a motel! Have you ever stayed at a motel before...something like the Sundown? What was the name of the motel...Any interesting experiences come of that?

I have stayed at motels like the Sun Down. Remember staying at some in some in college on road trips for college basketball games. Not sure I remember the names.

2. Viv is young and working alone. I don't think I would tolerate my daughter doing anything of the sort. What were you thinking from the 1st few pages? Viv comments..."Being with people was easy, but being alone was hard. Especially along in the dark. The person who could be truly alone, in the company of no one but oneself and one's own thought--that person was stronger than anyone else. More ready. More prepared."

Working alone at that place in today's environment doesn't seem safe. But I have been in my office alone in a high rise office building alone and felt safe. As long as you know how to be smart.

3. What do you think the significance of the door to number 103 banging open/shut is?

It is where the creepiness' is....

4. So far Carly's mom's reaction to seeing the newspaper clipping..."Vivian is dead" has really bothered me. What's your take? Have you already solved the case? Is Vivian dead?
It is sister having a feeling....

5. What did you think about the dual timeline between Viv and Carly? In what ways are Viv and Carly very similar? How are they different?

I'm enjoying the duel timeline so far. They seem to be having similar event happening. Not sure about their differences.

reply | flag *

I was able to get a copy of The Sun Down Motel from the Library 📚 today. It will nice to read a real book 📖 again. I’ve been reading ebooks for the last few months. Oh...and I got to the nail salon today!

Day 3 Questions
chapters 10 - 15

10) I can't imagine the stress of trying to balance the knowledge of a fairly terminal prognosis with trying to be hopeful to live. I mean, we all know our days are numbered, but when you have an idea of what the number might be, you can either try to suck the marrow out of every day or curl up and try not to care enough to let anything hurt you more. Who do you think will have a bigger effect on the other, Will or Stella, and what do you hope will be the outcome, from a personal growth aspect?

Stella on Will

11) Maybe I'm too cynical, but I kept feeling like Abby was used as the personification of the idea that "See, you never know how long you have to live, so..." and not flawed enough to be a real person. Did anyone else feel that way or am I being a meanie?


Put too much pressure on Stella

12) I loved Barb's parental takedown. Do you think the shift in Stella's parents will last?

It will not last

13) Reflecting on Barb's story of Amy and Trevor: would you choose a much shorter but immediately fuller life, or a longer lifespan though it may be less vibrant?

Longer

14) Poe says "It's my sickness...it's my problem." While it's admirable to strive for self-sufficiency, a main message of the book seems to be about how it's imperative to open up and do the work to nurture healthy, supportive relationships. What is your take on this? When in crisis, do you distance yourself or reach out?

Sometimes both, mood can go up & Down

Day 2 Questions


6 . 'I wonder how many strings she had to pull and how much money she had to throw away to get me into this trial'
This quote caught my attention because in the UK we don't have to pay for treatment, even in a clinical trial in the UK. Did it catch anyone else's notice?
Not at all. Seems like something a parent with a lot of money that doesn't have time for their child would do.

7. Are you surprised at how quickly Stella has become attached to Will? I wasn't expecting this strength of reaction to him not taking his treatment seriously. Did you think it was in character?
I would expect things to happen quickly for them becasue they expect their lives to be shorter.

8. Wow Will's mum is controlling. I'm not surprised he's ended up rebelling from taking his treatments. Do you think you'd react like Stella (perfectionist, controlling about treatment and planning for the future) or Will (fed up, rebellious and living for the moment) to being in this type of situation?
They are both too extreme

9. Masks, lots of hand washing, staying 6 feet (or roughly 2m) apart, limited places you can go… The recent pandemic is giving me more insight into some of what this must be like than I'd had before. How are you coping with the changes?
It's getting old, but necessary so I'm doing what is required.