☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎’s Comments (group member since Dec 20, 2013)

☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

S?

R?

C?

Hina wrote: "Hi Captains,

I read another ARC and there is no page number for the kindle edition. Sorry for more work. I couldn't find a kindle page number, but the paperback version is listing 416 pages on Am..."

Its good. Mods oked it :)

Discussion Questions - Set 5

1. So much to my dismay, Mae ended up returning to Francis. After having filmed her without permission previously and then posting to the cloud, I would have thought she would be reluctant to do anything with him again. Do you think since she has gone transparent she is now less concerned that people may see her in sexual situations than she once was.
I believe Mae is full on transparent. Ugh, I can't see how someone would want to do something intimate in front of the world. Its so impersonal.

2. Annie found out that the results of PastPerfect created difficulties in her life and that of her family. People are judging and reacting to her negatively based on the actions of her ancestors - something she had no control over. Do you think that people finding out every detail about the transgressions of your ancestors could be detrimental to your reputation?
I don't think it should be but you never know what goes on in peoples head. Its not like she knew anything about it or was involved. Cut her a break people.

3. I was so sad when Mercer decided to take his own life during Mae's pursuit of him from Circle HQ. What do you think was his motivation for doing so?
I have to say that was crazy. I'm all for not wanting to be controled but that was a bit much. He must have been think "no one is going to make me do anything."

4. I really found the airing of the aquarium merger between the shark, octopus and seahorse perplexing, as there didn't seem to be any reason why this was done and for what purpose it was aired. It only appeared to be Stenton that expected to see what ended up happening, and the shark's actions seemed to come as a shock to Bailey. If Bailey wasn't thinking this would be the outcome, what did he think was important enough about placing a couple of different species into an aquarium, that it needed all three of the founders and millions of people to watch it? Aquariums with multiple animals living together are a dime a dozen after all and are not in themselves anything out of the ordinary. What do you think the purpose was in airing the event?
I'm still confussed about all that. It didn't make any sense.

5. I quite liked the ending to The Circle as I think it was a realistic reaction that someone as brainwashed as Mae would have to Ty's revelations and request. What were your thoughts on the ending?
It was an eye opener. Its like saying see Mae, what all this caused!

6. I really liked the premise of The Circle and I did like the gradual brainwashing of Mae to become the biggest proponent of what the organisation had to offer, however, I really wasn't a fan of the writing. I found the dialogue incredibly cheesy and I thought there were several plot points that seemed pointless. For instance, why bother with the scene where Francis filmed Mae and posted it to the cloud, when nothing ended up coming of it and it was never mentioned again? I thought that the book could have been a really good thriller but just didn't hit the mark with me and I ended up giving the book 2 stars. What was your rating and what did you like and dislike about the book?
I thought is wasn't necessary either. I didn't see the point in it besides to show that Mae was easily swayed to do anything. I gave it a 3 but really wanted to give it a 2.5. It wasn't something I liked. It annoyed me so definitely disliked.

Discussion Questions for May 6
(Start - Book II; Ends - "when I got back tonight. We can try it.")

1. Mae is now fully transparent. I found it hard to believe that anyone would care what one ordinary person was doing 24/7, even if she works at arguably the most important company in the world. What do you think is the appeal? Do you believe that full transparency would help bring an end to crime as we know it?
I think Mae finds all this important to her since she's getting attention from everyone. I'm thinking no to the full transparency because where theres a will, theres a way and criminals will always find a wayto commit a crime. I'm mean it may slow things down but it won't fully work.

2. "THINK COMPLETION". "COMPLETE THE CIRCLE". "THE CIRCLE MUST BE WHOLE". All thoroughly creepy slogans, yet most everyone seems to be pushing for that goal. What do you think will happen when the circle is complete? With as pervasive as this company is, do you think it's too late to even try and stop that from happening?
I think when the circle is complete all hell will break out. Too much control in one place or person is just a problem for everyone.
Its never too late.

3. Kalden calls Mae and sounds very concerned. He starts to warn her about Completion and telling her that it would be a very bad thing if it were to happen... and she hangs up on him. Do you think that Mae is fully within the Circle's grasp? Or do you think she hung up before the audio kicked back in and Kalden could be exposed, even if it was just his voice? Do you think he can convince her to help him?
I think Mae is so gaga over the company that she believes that everyone else is wrong or dumb so I don't think she'll listen or even help

4. So not everyone is drinking the Kool-aid. Mae's parents and Mercer are both, in varying degrees, resisting having their whole lives wrapped in the Circle. Mercer has gone completely off grid. Do you think they'll be able to hold out against all this advancement? Or do you think, as Mae does, that they'll cave in eventually?
I hope they do because they should stand up for what they believe. I think they won't give in and they shouldn't.

5. In this section, they introduce the concept of YouthRank, a system to academically rank every student in America and, eventually, the world. Of course, this information would be available to anyone. It's touted as a way to get an idea about your child's chances at going to a good college and is even incorporated with TruYouth, the child tracking system developed by Francis. Do you think this would be a good idea or a bad idea?
I don't think its a good idea because everyone is different and we all change our minds so nothing can't be predicted.

6. Annie and Mae seem to be on equal footing, now, and Annie does not seem pleased. Do you think Mae's new position within the company will further affect their friendship? Mae says that they are peers now but Annie can't accept that. What do you think Mae is going to do to make Annie accept her?
I'm not sure it would improve because I think Mae is too into the company. I think Mae will try to do something to make Annie trust her but may do the opposite. Sometimes I think Mae is a bit too trusting in the people. So she doesn’t see what damage she can cause.

I'll look into it. No worries

Jen wrote: "Hi all, I was not nearly so successful at "just reading" today as I had hoped (so far, I have read four - 4! - pages since waking up "this morning"). But I am going to really try to unplug and just..."

I hope you got some reading done. That is usually my best reading time as well but lately I've been trying to get some reading/listening any time I can.

Alanna wrote: "I need a captain's decision, please. I finished The Broken Kingdoms today. According to the page, this books is 384 pages. However, if you read everything in it (which I did), it is ..."

Either page count will do since you would get the same points.

No I believe that was supposed to be hardcover or paperback but I'll double check with all of this.

Actually Alanna I just checked for other versions and there are other versions that has different page counts so you can click on that version instead.

Alanna let me check with the Mods and I'll get back to you because this has happened before on a challenge but not 100% what the outcome was.

T?

Hi everyone. Hope your all enjoying your books. I've added a few to my list as well. It's going slow but with all that's going on it's been a slow progress but glad everyone is reading.

I haven't been able to do much on the spreadsheet but if there's anything missing it'll be added :)

I checked the spreadsheet and it seems to be behaving. LOL

Discussion Questions ( Set 3) for May 5

1. What are your thoughts about Mae, Francis and the video? Do you think The Circle will see the video? Is Mae through with Francis now that he has hit the strike two mark?
I thought that was too much. Why would someone do something without letting the other person know especially when you plan on sharing it with the company. I would have been really pissed and I don't think Mae will stop seeing Francis because she feels the need to do whatever it is to stay at The Circle but she really needs to open her eyes and see whats really going on. I think therebis too much sharing in this place and it creepy.

2. Congresswoman Santos goes transparent. Nothing is private or secret. every conversation, every meeting, every part of your day will be broadcast . What are your thoughts on our elected leaders going transparent. Yay or nay?
Nay, because we get enough from the news about politicians and it would drive me insane if I had more than my share of their private lives.

3. Mae and Mercer are involved in another arguement. There are always two sides to an arguement. Whose arguement bears more weight? Are you more partial to Mercer or Mae's side? 
I would definitely go with Mercer.

4. Anyone else find it extremely ironic that Mae gets caught stealing a kayak by one of Marion's cameras, which we find out is a SeeChange camera from Mae's workplace? As a result of Mae's actions she is reprimanded at work and forced to be transparent. What do you think about what just happened? 
Not at all, I think no matter what you do everyone is being watched. No privacy at all.

Discussion Questions for Day 2

1. What are your first impressions of Gina? How do you feel about her session with Mae? This session really bothered me. I wasn't sure if they actually wanted Mae to work, or post on social media all day. "For a company that thrives on order and efficiency, the Circle also seems to endorse—require, even—loose and extravagant socializing. What do these two seemingly opposite values say about what working for them entails? How does Mae’s value set evolve to accommodate these expectations?" (http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guid...)
I found that whole thing so crazy weird. I feel like this company just wants to know everything to be able the company and anything that has to do with family to be put in the back burner. It's like socializing comes first and everything else comes second. There's no life outside of this place. Too crazy.

2. Mae gets pulled into Dan's office for failing to RSVP to Alister's event. What do you think about this conflict between Mae, Alistar and how Dan mediated? [The whole time I was reading this section I was thinking to myself "Are you kidding me? What a baby!"] Do you think The Circlers are forcing new employees to participate in events by singling them out when they don't attend?
I thought that Dan needed to get a grip. It's not like life will fall apart because Mae wasn't there or that she didn't RSVP. I think The Circle is being a bit too pushy. If it were me I would have told Dan to get over himself. LOL

3. Mae and Mercer get into an argument regarding their communication. Mae cannot even sit and listen to what Mercer is saying because he "talks so slow". Mercer is frustrated with Mae because she gets all her information from social media instead of speaking directly to him. "Every time I see or hear from you, it's through this filter. You send me inks, you quote someone talking about me, you say you saw a picture of me on someone's wall...It's always a third-party assault. Even when I'm talking to you face to face you're telling me what some stranger thinks of me. It becomes like we're never along. Every time I see you, there's a hundred other people in the room. You're always looking at me through a hundred other people's eyes." How do you think social media has affected the way we communicate with others? How has technology changed our relationships (the quality of our relationships) with other human beings?
I think social media sometimes forgets that things aren't personal anymore and people tend to forget how to talk to each other without the outside world being involved. It becomes about what others think instead of getting your information from the source. I totally agree with Mercer, things become so impersonal.

4. Mae enjoys kayaking and stops at Marion's kayak rental business on her way home from her parents. She seems very at peace when she's paddling in the bay. When and where do you find solitude? What types of technology are you comfortable invading that space? Josiah and Denise find out May kayaks but doesn't document anything and are appalled. They are even further disgusted when they find out Mae uses a paper pamphlet. They even go as far as questioning her self-esteem. [I found it ironic that they questioned her self-esteem and in turn she felt even worse about herself. "Goddamnit, Mae, give a shit! Be a person of some value to the world."]Are we now expected to document everything we do instead of being in the moment? Is our self worth now dependent on what we "share" with the rest of the world?
I find solitude when I'm out for a long drive and I would rather have the radio playing some music or even an audiobook playing. I thought I was going to flip out when Mae sat there listening to them tell her and treat her like she some idiot or something. I was like snap out of it and tell them there is nothing wrong with being you but instead she agreed with them :/ I don't think that we need to share every single thing with the world. We all need our privacy.

5. How do you feel about the medical bracelet the circlers are required to wear? "To Heal We Must Know. To Know We Must Share" is posted in the clinic, do you agree with this motto? Would you wear one of those monitoring bracelets? (I feel like it's a double edge sword.) How much privacy would you be willing to give up for those amazing health care benefits?
I'm all for helping with my health but to trick me into ingesting something and its in me at all times is a bit much and they can keep their motto. I wouldn't wear the bracelet at all. I don't need anyone knowing what is going on with my body at all times. Hey there isn't a reason for anyone to be nosy when it comes to my feeling or whatever.

6. Mae spots Kalden at the circus event. What do you think of their relationship? I find it odd that Mae cannot find any information on Kalden, given all the resources she has access to. Why do you think Mae is not more zealous on her pursuit of Kalden? Kalden seems to be very secretive. He avoids personal questions, Mae cannot get in touch with him, what do you think he is hiding?
I think there is something with Kalden. He just doesn't seem to be telling the truth about something and it's bothering me. He's hiding who he really is and I think he's one of the top guys in the company. I think Mae is a bit in her fantasy world not to really see what is really going on.

I fixed them all. I hope, hehe

No worries Hina. I'll fix it. No big deal :)

Have a great time Parker. :-)