Brooke’s Comments (group member since May 15, 2014)

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

i just fixed it :D

i know round 4's sheet isn't set up the same as previous rounds, i screenshotted what i planned for myself, so it can all be deleted if the sheet needs changed/replaced, etc, i don't have a lot of computer time at home, so was just pre-planning while at work

I have a book that works for the tagged Japanx5, I can get it done before round ends so we can work that additional mini right off the bat. I know Vian has it claimed, though, but I'm not sure if they'll have it done soon or not.

we just need the one i have left for that right? if so, it'll be done in 4mins XD

if we still need a book for the H2O one, i can get Savage Sourdough done today to clear it, it's only a 3hr audio.

A7 is done :D

DQs Day 3
Ch 8 to 10

10.) Any guesses about "find the extra coffee cup and you can rest in peace"? Does that fact Lawrence found it indicate guilt or innocence do you think?
neither, either he knew where it was because he put it there, or he just happened upon it or just saw it randomly. i rather not think either way though as it can be a very clear red herring.

11.) With books as old as this, some language/terms just do not age well and can be jarring to randomly come across in the text. Should language like this be censored/edited to match less offensive terms of the times (though not sure there is a correct way to say a lady dressed up in blackface). Or should they be left as is and used as a point of discussion on race/sexuality/class/gender/etc?
any censorship is bad censorship. just leave it and know why it's not acceptable now vs why they did it then.

12.) Lots happening in the section, arrests abound! Do you think John was arrested for his step mother's murder or for some other reason like Dr. B?
i assume nothing XD just leaving it up to the narrator to tell me the reason at some point, otherwise idc, his arrest doesn't mean anything yet.

13.) What do you think about our narrator and giver or random marriage proposals, Hastings?
probably had BPD or just really like making quick choices/changes. he likes looks, not the person inside.

DQs Day 2
Ch 5-7

6. Poirot is concerned because Cynthia does not take sugar in her coffee and calls back to when he tasted all the coffees, but it’s never expanded upon. We later find out that the poison was likely administered in coffee and that it has a bitter taste that coffee could mask. Do you have any theories as to why Poirot put such importance on “Cynthia does not take sugar”?
if she doesn't take sugar, how would they get her to add anything poisoned to her coffee? if you hide it in sugar, easy for others to add without you being there, but then again, if it's just mixed into the pot, you don't have to worry that they didn't the right sugar cube.

7. Witnesses have testified to overhearing an argument between Mr & Mrs Ingelthorp the day she was murdered — but Mr Ingelthorp claims they are mistaken. Do you believe he is truly the one who was having the argument, or do you have any other suspicions? Poirot certainly thinks he is innocent and claims to be able disprove the other claim (about him buying the poison) — does that sway you at all?
but he bought the poison to "kill a dog" :( :( HE'S GUILTY IN MY EYES

8. Most people seem to believe Mr Inglethorp is guilty (ESPECIALLY Evie), while Lawrence seems to believe the death came by natural causes, and Mr. Inglethorp doesn’t seem to have any theories at all except to believe it was murder but never pointing fingers at a suspect. I have to admit, I expected more finger-pointing from this group! Have any characters’ reactions so far stood out as peculiar to you?
you know how cocaine and all those other drugs were just given for everything awhile ago, i wonder how many deaths they had from overdosing, and maybe people just didn't worry about death as much. i always put her books back in like the 1800s for some reason, like i picture Bridgerton when i read her books, so i don't think they'd be super upset over deaths.

9. One of my favorite things about mysteries is trying to figure out what happened before it’s revealed. Are you trying to solve the murder, or would you prefer to be surprised by the eventual reveal? Do you feel like you’re usually good at solving the mysteries, or do they evade you?
i try to guess, and i try to guess people who have barely been mentioned or have no motive to do it. sometimes i'm right. listening to a LOT of true crime stuff like Dateline's podcast, i tend to think more outside "normal" motive for things.

I'll get A7 done tomorrow, wrapping up another challenge today, so my books won't be as restricted and can hopefully get more done.

DQ Day 1
Chapters 1 - 4

1. The first few chapters set the scene for this (first) instalment of Hercule Poirot. What do you make of the various characters we are introduced to? Especially "Alfred dearest" whom everybody seems to dislike. Do you agree with Mrs Howard that they're all only interested in the money? Do you agree with Hastings that they're all somewhat suspicious?
People dislike others for such small things, probably just comes from the jealous most have towards almost everyone they see. We're supposed to start disliking him too, so I'll look elsewhere.

2. A murder has occurred! Anyone want to venture a guess at this stage as to who has done it? And was it really death by poison? Or is Dr. Bauerstein's expertise in the matter and the fact that Mrs. Inglethorp suffered from severe convulsions in front of practically the entire household merely a red herring?
Red herring, if you're going to talk about something that much, this early, it's almost always a red herring. I've read a lot of cozy mysteries, always gotta sprinkle in a red herring to 'distract'

3. There was an argument the day before the murder between the late Mrs. Inglethorp and an unknown person, potentially Mr. Inglethorp. What might this have been about?
Probably money since they want you to think that's the motive to stuff, but maybe the affair, maybe both. Proof can be skewed.

4. What might Mrs. Inglethorp not have wanted to show Mary Cavendish that resulted in the latter feeling somewhat peeved?
Will seems too oblivious so maybe just something trivial

5. Are you enjoying the narrative so far? I assume I don't have to ask if this is your first Christie book? It seems like most everyone has read at least one of her books, or has seen an episode or two of the tv adaptations.
i've read 6 of her's at this point. i've jumped around in series and have a lot of time between reads, so i'm neutral to the narrative i guess.

maybe i forgot to click it, but for my Presumed Innocent, it's over 400pgs, but the bonus hasn't been added.

being a library only girly, the wait times for Spellshop are brutal, but I got the Agatha book!

Start of Month
Total audiobooks to read: 35
Audiobooks in monthly category to read: 20

Books in category:
[new narrator]


[new author]


Not in Category:


FINISHED


End of Month
Total audiobooks read this year: 28
(first month tracking)
Audiobooks in monthly category read: 17

MY MONTHLY RECOMMENDATION (and why):

O book done

I'll have the O book done in about a hour.

for the color covers, if i read the audio, do i have to use the 'default' cover for the prompt or can i use the audio cover? the default is black, and the audio is grey. i only see the note about page numbers related to audios, so just making sure.

okay thanks! very helpful

for the food in text one, it has to be in a legit sentence in the book, or if there is a recipe in the book, if the word is an ingredient listed, that works too? (or do i need to ask this somewhere else?)

oh fun mini game! the in text ones are sometimes hard for me though as i listen to audios most of the time and google books doesn't always have a preview to look at.

Day 3

11. "The sound of teeth against a spoon when someone's eating soup, insects that scuttle, people who don't listen, RATS, and when uncle Terry says 'WOMEN!'" - what a random list of pet peeves (Are they even pet peeves? Rats?? And uncle Terry 'all on his own'???),,, What are some of yours?
People who just stop in the middle of hallways. Whistling. People who see me press the 'down' elevator button, then see the light above the door indicate 'down', then watch me get into it, and then proceed to come in too and say "oh this is going down?"

12. Dylan's (and Marcus') trip through Europe has become much more than just that, ending up in Asia, trying to figure out what to do with his life when he's already been handed it all on a silver platter. His dad is a douche and clearly wants to dictate Dylan's life while Dylan just keeps running away from his problems. Lucky he has all this money (his dad's I would assume) to just throw away. Can you relate to him in any way? Do you feel bad for him?
Kinda bad, only because the poor kid just wants a purpose and no one will take him seriously

13. "Nowadays we date, we shop around. If we really like someone we spend more time with them. Then we move in with them a few years down the line. Then, maybe, if we've lost the will to live or whatever it is that compells people to settle down we marry them. We don't rearrange our lives because of a good shag."

"Addie, she's not right for you (...) Stop that! Don't you see what you're doing? You're turning her into something she's not. You don't understand her. She's not your beautiful muse, Dylan. She's messy and dark. And raw. She's a disaster waiting to happen. She's got power. And she doesn't even know it yet you know. She's like,,, she's untapped. (...) She's not right for you. Okay?"

Did Marcus already know something we didn't at this point? Did something happen between Marcus and Addie back in France? And then the way Marcus took care of Dylan after getting too high, in the bathroom.... Do you think he (not so?) secretely has feelings for Dylan? Or is he just jealous?
I thought Marcus and Dylan would get together, i would accept that, they clearly care for each other.

14. Rodney thinking Deb has drowned in the river and actually LOOKING FOR A BODY IN THE WATER!!! had me laugh out loud to be honest, but only because of how frickin ridiculous this book is. Definitely expected something more cutesie and wholesome for some reason. Being almost two thirds into the book now, how do you feel about it so far? Is it meeting your expectations?
I didn't like it as much as her other books. Time travel books are hard to get across in audios, and i got bored and found myself spacing while listening.