Annalisa’s Comments (group member since May 04, 2018)

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

My books are not working well for the mini tasks. I guess sci-fi romance wasn’t made for gardening, meal prep, or office work. Only thing I’m seeing is series numbers.

I’m all done for round one with all my books on the SS. Nothing new added.

I've been reading a series of shorter books but almost finished that and I'll be reading a longer book soon. just came out on kindle unlimited and is about 750 pages.

Yay! I am starting with an escape sci-fi romance. Bound by Tana Stone.

Hi all, I'm Annalisa. I'm from Asheville, NC. This is my 7th Wheel. I need to reread the rules since they have changed but this is the first day I've had internet in two weeks. Where I live was affected by Hurricane Helene. I might be an almost invisible player or I might be very active. It will all depend on how things go as they stabilize. I'm currently visiting family that got back power, water, and internet. Where I live I think got power back today but no water and it will likely be a month or more before we get it back.

All this said I'm looking forward to a distraction. My family and I are all fine and didn't have damage to our property. It is just a lot and I'm hoping this is a nice distraction.

I will do my best to check in regularly and the min of a week. However, the internet is not all that reliable (it went down for about 5 hours today) and cell service is also unreliable (my phone is currently in SOS only mode).

My kindle is loaded with books and when I'm not hauling buckets of water and gallons of drinking water I'll likely be reading. So my chore I hope to not have to do again would be all water hauling related (dishes, flushing the toilet, showering, drinking all so much more work that you would expect when you don't have tap water.)

Link to my shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Thank you everyone. I have a safe dry place so I’m that regulars I am very lucky. It has been eye opening going a week without power and water. Im very grateful for all the aid organizations bringing in water, mobile kitchens, as well as much more.

I did go ahead and sign up for 2 books a round which is very doable under normal circumstances. I will be able to read more once back semi normal. The first couple weeks might be a challenge though.

Thank you all. I’ll sign up with a low number as I really could use the banter.

I would love to join Wheel. However, I live in an Asheville and this theme is more appropriate than you would know. I have no power, water, internet, and cell is still spotty. All I can say is I took running water for granted and when you have to go collect water to drink, water to flush, find a location that brought in mobile showers, try and find food and hope the camp stove still has fuel. Well it is exhausting.

I might join as a reserve when we have power/internet back as I need something like this. However, I can’t estimate a bi-weekly reading rate nor would it stay the same as utilities come back online and I’m spending less of my day on finding life essentials.

I hope everyone enjoys the challenge. I’m sorry to be missing it.

Thank you Deanna!

I think right now my book Fortissima is being used for an S with the author. The main character is Raven Araroa. If an S is easier than an A to find we could switch.

I reread the task and looks like my book would work for spell out s.

I just finished an audiobook that works for spell out T, W, V, or B. I don’t think it works for the other tasks but I can look when I’m next on my computer.

I’m working my way through my books slowly. July and August are very busy moths and I didn’t realize just how busy it would be.

I just finished the BOM for July and we I got DQs as well so extra points for us.

I’ll be traveling for a little over a week starting tomorrow so not sure I’ll be able to post books as I will just have my phone. I’m also not sure how much of any I’ll be able to read.

Day 6 Chapters 42 - 49

25. Lavira gets tired of searching for the Exchange and books that aren't in the library and realizes they must be held by the head librarian. She breaks in and steals a book, The Forest Between, and in the process she meets the 5th helper, Volente, a large dog. Were you surprised that the dog let her take the book?

26. Arpix is an ally to Lavira in her search for the Raven and the Exchange. He also helps her open the book. Out of all the companions from the initial table who would you have expected to be her confidant and companion?

27. Lavira learns that opening a portal is done with the White's blood in a circle. This matches with what Evar read and tried to do for years with his blood. Volente helps Arpix and Lavira find the Raven and the Raven's name so that they can get back into the chamber that is closed to them and access the fallen Assistants blood to open a portal. It feels like the Library is helping Lavira. Do you have a theory for why that is?

28. Lavira and Evar meet again. Again Evar doesn't recognize her as for him only a few days have passed but years have passed for her. They go into a portal and focus on it being a time of peace. When they arrive there are hundreds of Assistance and they are walking away from two portals. Leaving the portals are two small sets of footprints. Who do you think they belong to?

29. Question contains spoilers: (view spoiler)[Evar and Lavira are amazed by the city but horrified to find it full of the dead. They leave for the Exchange where Clovis is. What did you think of the reveal that both Evar and Lavira are sabber to the other? (hide spoiler)]

30. Lavira returns to her world and Arpix has spent his time in the Exchange asking and collecting the books that they have been unable to find in the Library. Lavira is wounded and devastated. Do you think her opinion on the library and history will have her reconsider Yute's offer to try and stop the war now?

Day 5 ~ Chapters 35 - 41

20. “Everything we see is seen through the lens of our expectations. Our prejudice provides a broad brush, imagination sprinkles detail, some of which may actually be there.” - Illusion by Copper Davidfield
This epigraph at the start of one of the chapters, stopped me for two reasons. One was due to whom it was credited. What do you make of this work/person? Did you have any thoughts or “lightbulbs” when reading this epigraph? How do you think it relates to the story or does it?
I think this quote is one that really paints how the "Exchange" and maybe the "Library" work. Yute has said a few times that the books that they share with the city are ones that put forward a certain view and reaffirm prejudices. I noticed that the name was not quite right but I admit that until this question I didn't put together why it didn't feel quite right. It makes me wonder about some of the other quotes.

21. Livira finds a way to get through the portals again and she and Evar have a bit more time together. This time they explore some of the pools/portals and are have different reactions to where they go. Did this give you any more ideas on what the portals are for or why the two of them can use them at times?
I think that Livira is probably accurate with her assessment. Those that are in the past for them they will not be able to interact with but those in the future they would be able to interact with. Thus Livira who is from further in the past would be able to interact with worlds that Evar can't since he is from a future world.

22. Yute took Meelan and Livira before the king, all along to appoint Livira as junior librarian. (She had the complete wrong idea until he made the announcement to the king!) This was met with complete disapproval by the king and others. Yute was able to persuade the king to accept the appointment with prejudice. What do you think Yute’s ultimate goal is by this action or by his recruitment of Livira, even?
I feel like Yute uses the Exchange since he says he has seen this before and it feels like he isn't just saying he read about the previous wars. It seems like Livira is a potential way to change things and Yute wants her to be that change and stop the cycle of destruction.

23. This section is full of time jumps. That twice we are told that 3 years have passed in Livira’s world and we know that she is “striding toward her twentieth year”. Then boom she is a fully fledged Librarian, when it seems just a few chapters earlier that the king and his followers were going to try to remove her as junior librarian. What are your thoughts on Livira now that she has aged and is developing her opinion of her world?
I still like Livira as a character and am curious to see what happens as she continues to grow.

24. Since we are a little over half way through the book now, has your opinion of the story changed? Are you liking it more or less than you were before? Any predictions on what will happen in the story?
I was enjoying the story early on and I'm still really enjoying it. I still think that Livira might be who Evar is looking for. Though I'm not really sure how that would work.

Day 4 - Chapters 26 - 34

15. We get to see what happened to Clovis before she went into the Mechanism. We already had a pretty good sense of what happened. Why do you think the author included this scene?
I think this was important as it gives us a better understanding of the "portals" and it also gives Evar a better understanding of his sister.

16. Speaking of authors, did you notice the quote at the start of Chapter 28 is from one of Lawrence's books? He chose it just as Livira tells Arpix that Yute suggested they read and write fiction. Arpix is shocked and wonders what would be the point. What do you think society would be like without any creative writing?
I wouldn't want to live in a society with out stories. It would be quite boring. Though maybe our histories would be more interesting.

17. What did you make of how the Assistant and Soldier appeared in Clovis' past? They know about the lost children in the Mechanism and can see Evar. Are they controlling this world? And are they friends or foe?
It seems like they are protectors of the children. It seems like Evar and the Assistant have a connection that I'm interested to learn more about. The Soldier calls him "your boy". I don't think they are controlling the world, though maybe they do have some influence. I also think they are more of an ambivalent influence. I don't think they are friend or foe and I would say they could be either depending on the situation.

18. Livira once again jumps in to save lives without hesitating. And Malar thinks this is Algar's second attempt to kill Livira. Do you think she is really being targeted? Why is she so dangerous to the status quo?
I do think she is being targeted but I don't understand why she is a target unless it is because she is a disturbance to the hierarchy and views of the city people.

19. Why do you think Evar and Livira have such different experiences of the Exchange and even within the portals?
I would say that this is influenced by their individual experiences. They are also very different people. Livira is bold and jumps in where Evar is cautious and takes time to make decisions. It seems like the Exchange is an extension of their personalities.

Day 3 - Chapters 17-25

11. We learn a lot more about the library in this section, for example that new head librarians create new systems to secure their power and make themselves indispensable. I know we have a few librarians in this group… how do you feel about that? 😅 If you’re not a librarian –what would you do if the library you use just changed systems whenever it felt like it?
This would be very annoying. I'm not a librarian but I'd be annoyed. Though with the internet this might be less of an annoyance, but with out I'd be frustrated and I might not read as much as I do.

12. We also finally had our stories converging, albeit briefly. Livira and Evar were exploring new places in consecutive chapters, both of them marking their origin/path (Livira with books, Evar with a knife) and then their journeys culminate in them meeting in what Livira identifies as an “in-between place”. Were you expecting them to meet so soon? What was your impression of their brief time together – and why did the meeting end so abruptly?
I thought it was interesting to see them together. Livira is the child but in some ways Evar felt more childlike. I'm curious to see if this changes now that Evar has found the "Exchange".

13. In her time in the library, Livira acquired a companion in the raven: is he an ally or guide? Or something sinister? Do you think it’s actually “just” a (magical) animal or maybe even a character we know already?
I think that the Raven is a helper as they call them. I do think that it is less of a negative and more of a protector of the library and willing to help if you are not hurting the library but helping the library.

14. I can’t help but constantly think of the Book of the Ancestor as I’m reading this – the young girl protagonist who’s an outsider, the school setting, navigating friendships and political machinations while also learning about whatever type of magic there is… Have you read anything else by Mark Lawrence?
I've read the Book of the Ancestor series but I'm not seeing the similarities as much. I do have quite a few other Mark Lawrence books on my TBR. They always have very long holds at the library so I think that is why I haven't read more.

I'm going to be traveling next week for work so unfortunately can't really participate in this round. I might have time to read but just as likely I'll be busy all day and won't have any free time at all.

DQs Day 2 Chapters 8 - 16

6. How are you enjoying the book so far? How's the pacing for you?
I'm enjoying the book so far. I find the setting interesting and I'm wondering how we get from the library the Evar and his "siblings" inhabit to the library that Livira is learning about. I think that Evar is in the future for Livira but I'm not sure at this point. The pacing seems to be good, I'm interested in the story as it is happening.

7. What are your favorite characters, situations, quotes so far?
I really like Livira. It feels like Evar is a blank slate in some ways and doesn't have as much personality yet. I'm curious to see how that changes.

8. What are your fondest memories of a library?
I went to the library a lot as a child. I don't have a specific memory but I know that the librarians would give my family new books since we had already read the others in our age group.

9. Library as prison... does that ring true for you?
No, but this isn't like any library I've seen before. It feels dangerous in a way no library I've been do has.

10. If you could have one natural ability relating to books (view spoiler), what would it be?
I'd like to be able to read in any language with fluent understanding. I think that would be interesting and I often wonder how much a book changes when it is translated.