bamaace83 ’s Comments (group member since Dec 11, 2018)

bamaace83 ’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

Hey everyone! I’m Anna and I live in southern Indiana. When I get to work, I’ll update this post better and pick out my books for the week. I should have some downtime before the day gets crazy. Sorry for running in late!

I'm back for a few minutes. I have played several wheels and I always enjoy this challenge. My favorite genre to read is Romance but I'm open to reading something for a challenge. I think I'm the odd one here and don't like sci-fi so space opera could be tough for me to find. I'll read it but I have to sandwich it in between other things. I work a normal 7:30-4 healthcare job but I have two hours in the car every day so I can knock out audiobooks pretty quick.

Here's the link to my shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

DQs Day 3
Chapters 26 to 43

9.) Did Ella coming from that level of money surprise you? Does it change your opinion of her so far? I did like that she corrected Jesse about the fact that her mother is rich, not her.

It didn't surprise me. I had the same opinion of her as I did through the story.

10.) Some more 1999 flashbacks and Vince has popped into the story again. Anyone else remember Zima? Tried to make it seem classy to drink but some things are okay never coming back. Was Zima something y'all remember? Was there a drink you remember from your younger days that you thought was super klassy at the time but now makes you cringe?

I definitely remember Zima. I also remember that we would put jolly ranchers in the Zima to change the flavor of it. When I was younger, I drank Squirt and RC Cola but I wouldn't think about drinking those now.


11.) And the plot thickens with the reveals about Jesse both her arrest and the situation with Chad from her previous school. Thoughts on where that plot thread may lead?

I've already finished the book so I can't comment on this one.


12.) Well, we've reached the middle of the book. Liking it so far? Predictions on the killer? If Vince will pop back up and give Chris a hug? Will Ella reconnect with her first love that was in the pictures being used as a bookmark?

I finished the book but I did want Ella to reconnect with her first love and I was curious about that person. I was interested in seeing where the book would lead at this time.

Day 2 Chapters 13-25

5. Ella runs into a house under siege to protect the son of a person of interest. What do you think of her rise to badass agent? Will this interfere with her ability to do her job?

I thought it was pretty cool that she rose to badass agent. I did see some barriers to her having that job but I also thought she would be able to handle it.

6. I am really enjoying the Nirvana Travel Vlog. I think the author does a pretty good job of using script formation to explain the action in these scenes. What do you think? Is the mysterious vlogger Vince? Do you have a favorite vlog you follow?

I didn't know what Vince's role was when I was reading it. I liked the vlog format. I don't follow any vlog's on a regular basis but I do like some instagram influencers that I follow.

7. The Secret Service having knowledge of Chris and Vince's father because of cigarette smuggling was unexpected. While I am familiar with some of the history of the Secret Service and their anti-counterfeit start, I did not think they would be involved in such matters. Do you like it when authors introduce these tidbits into their narratives?

I always enjoy when we get pieces of info like that. I was hoping for more though.


8. The author has used the phrase "tap eyes" a couple of times so far. I think it means a quick glimpse at the other person, not that they are high fiving with their eyeballs or tapping their own eyeballs with their fingers in unison. I find this term odd. Have you seen it in other books or heard it somewhere else? Is this a new phrase for you as well?

I hadn't ever seen this term before and it took me a few minutes to figure it out.

DQs Day 1 - Prologue - chapter 12:

1. How are you liking it so far ? The chapters are quite short and written from multiple pov's. Is that something you usually enjoy ?

I finished the book and now am going back to answer my questions but I liked the short chapters and I think that it added to the story. I do like shorter chapters compared to long drawn out ones.


2. The prologue was full of nostalgia. Unfortunately we don't get to revist the 90s since that first chapter. Was New Year's Eve 1999 something special for you ? Did you celebrate the new millennium in a more 'significant' way ?

I was a Junior in high school and I remember we stayed up watching the ball drop on the tv and we were on Central time. We figured if that went through okay than we were going to be okay an hour later.


3. What do you make of Jesse and her online background research on Ella ?

I thought it was smart and helped understand more about Ella.

4. 'Goodnight pretty girl'. Do you think that the Blockbuster case and the Ice cream shop incident are related ? Do you think Chris' brother, Vince, might be involved somehow ?

I thought both were related when I was reading it. I did think that Vince was involved but not sure how.

Day 4 p193 - 260
- starts "I keep trying to record my thoughts,..."
- ends "I know that, today, it will be my own."

13. Lauren tells Olivia her story, which is horrifying. Did you think she was telling the truth? We later find out she was lying (or distorting the facts) to get Olivia to stab Ted, which hurts them as well. Why do you think she does this? Are Lauren and Olivia and Ted (and Night-time!) actually separate entities paranormally stuck together or is it dissociative identity disorder?

I thought Lauren was fabricating the story the whole time. She wanted attention and she wasn't quite all there mentally. I still didn't know at this time who all the characters were. It was hard for me to follow.


14. Olivia sees the rug change color from orange to blue. I had noticed these two colors of rugs mentioned before but I just assumed they were rugs in different places. What do you think this color change means? Could it actually be a physical transformation? Or does it signify something about the narrator’s state of mind?

I thought it was two different rugs. I'm not sure what the color meant at this time. I thought maybe she wanted it to be calm and saw it blue?


15. Olivia and Lauren badly hurt each other. Lauren initiates this. Do you think it indicates something else about her character and intentions or is she just desperate and lashing out?


I thought she was desperate and just wanted to lash out for attention.


16. The psychiatrist claims that he knows Ted is evil but just wants to use him to profit by using his case as a subject for his book. How do you feel about this? Do you think he is being honest here or could he have ulterior motives? What do you think the consequences of Ted’s altercation with him will be?

This psychiatrist definitely wanted to benefit from Ted and I don't think did everything in his power to truly help Ted.


17. Lauren talks to Dee, who ignores her and proceeds to try to kill Ted. Do you think Lauren has anything to do with LuLu? And what does it say about Dee that she doesn’t stop to consider it?

I didn't think Lauren had anything to do with LuLu. I think Dee already had her mind made up on certain facts and wasn't ready to dive away from her train of thoughts.

Day 3 p129-192
Day 3 starts "I was at the window,..."
Day 3 ends "Oh God, he's coming n-"


9. The bulldozers come to put in new rest areas to attract tourists. Ted freaks out and goes to unbury the gods. There are several of them, but they all fit into a single bag. What is your theory? Are these trophies from his kills? Personal artifacts from his own history? Something else?


I think they are some kind of item that means something to him but I haven't figured out what. He's creepy.


10. Lauren is a piece of work. 13-year-old girls can be a handful, I understand, but she seems so much younger than that. I don't understand where she is when she is not with Ted. I am starting to have an idea, but I'm not sure yet. What are your theories about where Lauren goes when she is not allowed to come back for six months?

I finished the book today just to get it done. At this point, I didn't know where she went or what her story was. I thought she wasn't quite all there in the head though.


11. Dee seems even more unsettled in this section. She is so dedicated to finding her sister but can't follow Ted because of a fear of possible snakes. Then she lies to the investigator (Karen) about where she is and what she is doing. Could there be more motivating Dee's activities than just missing her sister?

I thought it was strange Dee didn't want Karen to know where she was. I thought she knew more than what she let on and was trying to put her memories together with facts.


12. There was a bit of repetitive actions in this section. The music box and the nesting dolls were broken by Olivia and years earlier by Ted. A lot of talk about the color blue: dresses, clothing, rugs, etc. Is this just to keep the reader as confused as Ted or is there a deeper meaning to all of these duplications?

I thought it just added elements to the story and made us try to find connections.

5. So Dee is on the case but like all the characters and situations in this story I'm feeling there is more to her than meets the eye. Emotionally damaged by the loss of her sister or something else. Thoughts?

I definitely think she was damaged by her sister but also I think she already had some issues before that and think there's more to the story.


6. Interesting that the author uses Wuthering Heights as the one book Dee obsesses over because IMHO it has some of the most beautifully emotionally written passages ever written in English literature. Gush over.. back to this novel..
."the hammer falls to the floor. She kneels and comes face to face with it, the child, its silver-white flesh dappled in the moonlight, its mouth a black cherry, eyes gleaming like lamps, filled with the light of death, scalp stripped and wounded where the birds have plucked the hair from her skull."
How does language such as the above paragraph contribute to the overall feeling and tone of the novel?


I think they were trying to get a connection established with the type of stories. This book is still weird.


7. In all the scenes with Ted and the Bug Man I find myself scrutinizing every sentence for clues. Have you picked up any insights into Ted's character that may shine light on what is actually happening?


Ted uses other stories to try to get the Bug Man to know more about Ted without Ted actually talking about himself. Ted is weird.


8. Okay, here's a few theories. Ted is a harmless man with mental illness and Olivia and Lauren are delusions of his illness. He had nothing to do with Lulu's disappearance and is innocent. Or Ted is a raving psychopath, has murdered countless people and they are buried in the woods. Or somewhere in between. What's your theory on who Olivia and Lauren really are? Are you enjoying puzzling this out or is it altogether to cryptic and weird for your tastes?

I haven't figured out who Olivia and Lauren are but I kind of think they are the same person/thing just different pov's. I don't think Ted is the killer but he definitely is mentally unstable.

1. Ted is .... interesting. With blackouts, no pain sensitivity and a very strange relationship to the present and past, is there any "weirdo" characteristic unplumbed?! How do you feel this set of quirks plays into the unreliable narrator trope?

This book is weird and I'm confused with some of it. I'm glad there are multiple points of view because I think that may help me figure out the story.


2. Olivia - another unreliable trope. And a cat. (or is she?). And a cat who has found God. What's going on here? How do you feel about having a cat narrator? (as an aside, I'm amused we have now had two BOMs in the past 6 months with cat narrators)

Well, I thought it was a cat but now I'm like maybe it's a person that Ted thinks is a cat and the person thinks they are a cat. I think it's a different point of view but still really weird.


3. The general set-up of Needless Street seems exceptionally strange - Ted is open about having a daughter (or does he?), but she doesn't seem to go out. The lack of nosiness by the neighbours is possibly the least believable thing about this so far, cat narrator and weirdo bingo-full-house included! What do you think about the set-up?


The neighborhood is strange. I'm surprised that there aren't more nosy neighbors but at the same time what does this neighborhood really look like? I think Ted is crazy! Also, where does Lauren come from and who is Lauren's mom?



4. There's a reference to the gods having to be reburied. Want to hazard a guess?

I think it's bodies of some kind but I have no idea what kind of bodies. I don't think Ted is the serial killer because that would be too easy but it could be Olivia, the cat, if Olivia is really a person?

Day 5 - Jess - epilogue

17. The wrapping up of this was very hectic, with bonus tear-gas fueled bathroom sex! Was the ending satisfactory to you?

I thought it was a normal ending for one of her books. I was expecting some of it but not all of it.


18. Jess blackmails Sophie into helping out the sex-trafficked girls. What did you think of this plot line?

I thought it added a little more to the storyline.


19. Any changes in your view of the characters over the course of the book?

No, I didn't have any changes of the characters as I listened to the book.


20. Finally, do you think the inversion of the normal view of Paris as the city of love was effective here?

I thought it could be in any city. I don't know if it being in Paris really added anything more to the story then another city would've.

DQ Day 5- Nick - Mimi

13. There is a lot going on in this section with many twists. First we head to Amsterdam and the Ben/Nick encounter was this expected. What are your thoughts on how Ben treated Nick when he moved into the apartment?

I thought Ben used Nick to get the information that he was after.


14. Ben and Sophie embark on illicit rendezvous courting danger, while Mimi is on an obsessive mission to seduce Ben. Where do you see this ending?


I finished the book already but I thought this was going to end badly.


15. Jess and Theo succeed in gaining entry to the exclusive club owned by Jacques but are thrown out when they attempt to access the locked room, with one of the dancers being fearful when she spots them down there. Ideas on what is behind the door?

I thought some solicit activity was happening behind that door and I really wanted to know what was going on. I thought maybe a hidden torture room or something at this point.


16. We learn a lot about Mimi’s heritage and her connection to the Concierge. Do you think she’s aware of the connection?

I didn't think any connection was happening at this point in the book.

DQs Day 3 - Mimi - Sophie
9. Now, we know they are one big (not so) happy family. What do you think of the family dynamics? Do you think it is odd to live in an apartment in someone else’s house? This also means that anyone could have a key.

I was not on the family track at all. This is one creepy family. I will admit some of my family gets on my nerves enough that it would be very interesting if we did have to live together. Those ten weeks of stay at home a couple years ago was alot for just John and I let alone if I had been with extended family.


10. We have learned about the father and his view on sex/chastity with two of his children (“becoming a man” and his daughter’s outfit). How do these two scenes reflect on the family and character development?

He totally messed up their brains. He wasn't a nice person at all.

11. Ben seems to have been investigating the family business. What do you think is really going on and is represented by the “wine” transactions? I think there is one obvious choice, but I will wait for others to comment.

I finished the book already. I thought something hidden was going on though at this point.


12. Finally, do you have a favorite character so far? Do you think the characters have developed much or are they still mostly defined relationally?

None of the characters were my favorite but I did want to keep reading to see what other craziness came out.

Day 2 DQs Jess to Jess

5.) This section opens with Jess and Nick meeting which provides more insight into Ben and his relationships with friends. The conversation Nick and Ben had about the apartment rent seemed really odd, why was the rent for that apartment so cheap? And how could Nick really arrange it?

I thought there was a hidden secret/friendship/side deal that kept the rent that cheap.


6.) More layers added to the Concierge, she seemed to like Ben because he treated her like a person. Anyone else think he had an angle there and he wasn't just being a decent person? However, she's following Sophie's instructions about Jess and vaguely threatened her. Any thoughts as to why?

I thought the Concierge was like a secret spy or something. She just knew everything. I thought Ben was on to something and was just looking for information. Sophie was a mystery but I think she's connected to the Concierge somehow.


7.) Things are not looking good for Ben, I'm back to pondering the freshly planted flower bed in the courtyard. Any guess at what he's been up to? The blackmail of Sophie?

At this time, I thought something was in the flower bed but I thought Ben was alive. I thought Ben was in a secret panic room or some place like that.


8.) The police station. Do you think Nick told them what Jess think he told them? Or do you think he told them "this is my friend's nutter sister who thinks he's missing when he's off getting laid".?

I didn't know what Nick told the cops. I thought he made up some story in between and didn't really believe Jess.

DAY 1 QUESTIONS - PROLOGUE - CONCIERGE

1. Lucy Foley has been a very popular author over the last few years starting with The Book of Lost and Found in 2015, this is her sixth book. How many have your read? Have you a favourite? What is it about her writing style that keeps you coming back? And if you are a newbie what are you expecting from The Paris Apartment?

I've only read The Guest List and now I need to go check out the rest of her books to add them to my list. I finished this one already and I would say I like both of them the say. I actually did audio on both of them and they kept my attention which I really liked. Sometimes, I have to switch back to the ebook if the audio isn't good and this one was good.



2. Ahhh.. Voila. Paris the city of love and light. 💕 How important do you think the apartment's location will be to the story? Have you been to Paris or is it on your travel bucket list? Any memories/stories you want to share.

I thought the location was going to be very important to the storyline. Anytime, I see a city in the title I always think what are they going to show us about that city and are they going to take us somewhere fun. We've done London but not Paris and it's definitely on the list. Now that the pandemic is slowly subsiding, we are hoping to do Ireland/Scotland next year and maybe Paris in a couple years.



3. And now to the prologue. Does is set the scene? What are your initial thoughts of Ben and what is to come? PS Isn't the key so cute with the Paris landmarks on it. I want one!

I thought it set the scene for the book. I thought we were starting to see more of Ben's personality. I was very curious to see what else Ben would do in the story. I was on audio and the ebook at the library waitlist is scary long so I'll have to make a point to get it to see the key.


4. It's a bit of a femme fest with all the main characters at this stage women. Jess, Sophie, Mimi and the mysterious Concierge - all seem to be full of subterfuge and secrets. Compare and contrast these women and what do you think their ongoing role in the novel will be?


I thought that all the points of view were interesting but I definitely thought they were all connected to Ben some way. I had no idea on who the Concierge was.

Totally my fault for not finishing my meals and names. I also have a nice little chunk of books to add. Tomorrow night is probably a good night for me to work on creating meals and working on things before weekend activities.

Yeah, we could use the vinegars to complete 3 meals and then maybe slip in another word to complete another meal depending on what we need ingredients for.

Maybe if it has curry, salt, or lemon in it? That would be good to go with the 4th word.

I made a private group that we can use if we want to and I can make everyone moderators in the morning so that we can all make threads and do all the things.

Not OCD at all! I may have been going back to search to see how we did it before and pulled up the old spreadsheet. It looks like the books read tab before got locked for each round so I can see where the previous rounds were but only see round 3 books. Should we make a private group? Maybe not a spreadsheet but just a group that we could make a thread for books read and the ingredients and then we could transfer them over to the spreadsheet in a couple weeks. If it's a copy and paste, I should be able to handle that on a weekend. I know that we have some pretty competitive teams this time because I already did some snooping of the team rosters and a bunch of us are playing Hogwarts on various teams so I have a feeling this version could get pretty competitive. I like goals!

Sure, I can do that. Yeah, that's what we did last time. Vicki, if you don't have all the fish n chip ingredients just leave spaces to finish and then kick your book to another meal. That way we can go back in and fill in the blanks. That will come in handy with those pesky words like vinegar because sometimes those words like to hide.

I don't mind being a go to person. I requested access also so hopefully they will come on and just click through the list and grant everyone access. I bet other teams are waiting also. I'm not the best at SS's but I can fill in already made ones pretty well. I know last time we tried to balance out our meals so that we had some of each one because we didn't know what the customers were going to be.