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

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

Day 4: 64% - 82%

17. Some of the major and minor questions developed throughout the story have been answered in this section: why young, pretty Helen was meeting with average Robert (Helen and her husband had planned to blackmail Robert); the connection of the girls' murders and their murderer (Simon Hess targetted women who were lonely); and why the murders had stopped after Viv had vanished (Simon was stabbed by Viv so he couldn't hurt any more girls). Did you see any of this coming? What clues gave it away?
I don’t know that I saw all of it coming but yes some of it. When Viv started hunting Simon I was pretty sure something would happen then when she bought the knife knew it would be used.

18. Both Viv in 1982 and Carly in 2017 mentioned that Tracey might have been alive had her parents kept her in the house. This echoes the warnings that Fell parents have been giving their daughters: don't go jogging or don't work nights. What do you think of such advice? What else could Tracey, her parents, and her school have done to keep her safe from a predator?
Tracey doesn’t seem as lonely as the other women to me. I guess her parents could have picked her up from school and the friends house. They could have gone to the police maybe. It’s hard to know if they really could have stopped it.

19. "The Sun Down Motel" has been tagged by 336 users as "Horror." What has been the most horrific scene for you so far? Is it a supernatural one or one connected to the murders?
I don’t know that I would have tagged this horror. I’m guessing it is because of the supernatural occurrence that it was tagged that way. I guess it was the first scene with the ghosts because I didn’t know enough yet to understand.

20. At the end of the last chapter set in 2017 in this section, Carly claims her aunt may have done something wrong (alluding to the stabbing of Simon). What do you think of Viv's actions? Do you think she was right or wrong, justified or unjustified in her actions?
I don’t think her trying to get something that would convince Alma was the right decision but I do think once she was there sheen needed to protect herself.

21. With only 18% of the book left to go, what do you think will happen? Do you have an idea of what happened to Viv after she stabbed Simon? Do you think Marnie and Alma know what truly happened to Viv? Do you think Carly will find out what happened to Viv?
I’m guessing we have the rest of the story as to what happened. It will be interesting to see.

Possible spoiler through 82% or day 4.

(view spoiler)[Does anyone else think that there are quite a few people in town who know what happened and are covering for Viv? (hide spoiler)]

Day 3 - July 4- 42%-64%- (edited to correct percentages)

13. Thoughts on Viv telling Mrs. White that her husband cheats on her. Do you think this is what gets her into trouble?
I don't think this is going to be what gets Viv in trouble.

14. We have another encounter with the angry man ( this makes at least 3) Who is he? Why is he important to the story?
I think you mean the angry man ghost. I don't know why he is important to the story. Kind of like why is the little boy there.
15. Which story line (Carly or Viv's ) are you enjoying more? Why?
I like both their story lines. at first I felt like Carly's had more going for it but Viv is getting out more now and her story line is gaining momentum. I can't pick.

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?
I wondered about the knife too. I wonder if Carly will find it at the hotel. It is going to get used by someone. The police seem a little lax so I'm not sure if it would be in the report. I liked the boy that sold Viv the knife though. But lots of people ask for protection? Sometimes I feel like this world is our world with ghosts and sometimes I think it isn't.

I was planning on reading or listening to it and I think I should be able to get it from the library in time. I can volunteer to be back up for you.

Edit: Looks like Judy already volunteered, so you already have back up.

Completion Post


details on SS

DQs Day 2
21% to 42%

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?
I would like to think I would get out of there and not go back. If Nick was there and he was saying lets get out of here it's creepy too I think I'd go with him and hope since he saw what I saw it wouldn't be bad. I'm inclined to trust him because of his age. I don't think I would go back though.

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?
I don't know if what she hears will result in her disappearance I think she might already have already been in trouble when she took the job. I would listen to the conversations if it was the only thing for me to do. It seems like a pretty boring job when the creepy isn't coming out.

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'm pretty sure they are all connected. I'm guessing that Viv's disappearance is connected in some way as well. I don't know if the police are just done with the investigation, or if they are scared, or maybe they really believe that they have only one/two unsolved murder/s and it's no big deal.

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?
I didn't wonder about the lax management. Clearly the owners are scared of the place. I did wonder why it wasn't abandoned if they couldn't sell though. Seems like they would have just closed or abandoned the building. Why not destroy the building if bad things keep happening there?

10.) Any thoughts on the candy machine? It keeps popping up in both timelines. Maybe nothing, but in this type of story, who knows.
I feel like the candy machine is a time travel. I don't know why I think that but it adds a connection between Viv and Carly. I'm glad they propped the door open when they tried to fix it.

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 seems scared when Carly calls her. In the past she helped Viv and something happened to Viv. My guess is she is still scared by that connection. Callum was in the story pretty briefly so far. My initial thought was run when he came in and asked about her printed papers. I'm leaning towards him being to young to be the bad. However, maybe our bad guy doesn't age or it runs in the family.

Alison wrote: "I'm in a bit of a reading slump trying to finish up a few probably 3 star reads. Anyone have a recommendation (preferably available on Scribd) to boost my reading? I generally read fantasy, thrille..."

I just did a compare on our books and there are some that I would recommend that you have not read that I really enjoyed. I do not know if they are on Scribd, though. They are in no particular order.
- a light fast MM read.
- I really enjoyed this and it wasn't my typical read.
- This combines fairy tale, fantasy, and historical fiction. The characters were flawed and wonderful.
- It's been a while since I read this but it was easy to read even if the topic was a little darker.
- this is not an easy book to read as the writing takes a bit to get used to, but it is very well written and one of my favorite Science fiction fantasy novels.

Day 1 DQ's: 0-21% (ends "he opened the door.")

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've stayed at a Motel before, but it wasn't anything exciting. I don't remember the name though. I think it was probably a little less rundown then the Sun Down. I don't remember it being scary or strange just a place to sleep for the evening.

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."
I don't normally read thrillers, mystery, or horror and this quote very quickly made me realize this was going to be a very different book than I'm used to reading. I also realized that I was going to be sucked into the story even if it was outside my normal read.

3. What do you think the significance of the door to number 103 banging open/shut is?
I just assumed that was a ghost. The more I listen though the more I suspect that it is a room that something bad has happened in.

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?
I don't know about her mom's reaction it seemed like she just didn't want to talk about it because it was painful. Maybe there is more there though because it seems like talking about the past and what happens in Fell makes the scary come out. I have not solved the case and since this isn't my normal genre I don't expect I will see it coming. I don't know if Vivian is dead.

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 like the dual timeline so far. We get to know the both characters as we learn the story. It does seem like Viv was eased into the Sun Down scary a little more and for Carly the scary comes out right a way.

For tags looks like there are six finished books and three on the planing sheet not finished yet.

Completion Post

default for page count since I listened to the audiobook.

Day 1
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 2
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 3
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 4 & 5
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Day 4 Questions Chapters 16-21

15. We get to find out about the title in this section. What did you guys think about the new rule, and the reason behind it?
The new rule seems like a way of rebelling. I understand why Stella would want to take something back from CF though.

16. Did you all like Stella and Will’s first date? Do you think you would have the self control to stay away from the love of your life?
As an aside, are there any YA books of this type that allow the kids to spend more than 6 minutes together before falling in love?
I found the date interesting. It seemed like they were getting to know each other and that was nice. Self control to stay away from may be, but highly unlikely at 17. YA and the instantly falling in love does bother me. Teenagers do have fast emotions but I wish it wasn’t this is love and was more I with reality.

17. They spend a page or two discussing the afterlife. Do you think their takes on it made sense to the characters? Realizing I am wading into murky waters here, did you want to discuss your own views? (Optional, teehee.)
I remember them mentioning the afterlife on the date but I must have not been paying attention because I do not remember their views. I was kind of surprised that Stella didn’t mention Abby and the surgery though. Oh is anyone else bothered that she just had surgery and she got in the pool?

18. Abby. We find out why happens to her here. What did you think of this reveal? Was it a satisfying explanation of the missing sister story to you?
It was about what I expected. I don’t think it was half way between satisfying and unsatisfying. I’m glad the author included it but it could have been more after all the build up.

19. Chapter 21 is a bit of a rollercoaster. The birthday dinner is pretty cool. Did you like what Stella and all set up? Then, Poe. This hit me more than any of the other "feels" in the book. How did you take this? Discuss.
I also liked the Birthday dinner and wish Barb would have given them a chance. Poe’s death felt like it is being used to push the character changes forwards. The reaction Stella has seems what I would expect. I hope that we learn what happened because I’m wondering if he killed himself because he didn’t want to be a burden to others. This whole thing makes me dislike Barb.

Day 5 Questions Chapters 22- End

20. I was 6 miles into my walk when Will said “I’m all for being rebellious, but this seems like a death wish. Two kids with barely functioning lungs walking two miles one-way to go look at light?” and it hit me for a moment how often I take the the little things for granted. Even though this was not meant to be some life changing philosophical book, do you think you’ll look at certain things differently?
If I look at things differently it is less likely to be because of the book and more because of COVID. Maybe if we weren’t right in the middle of a pandemic this would have affected me more but as it was it really didn’t.

21.I suppose this question can be answered many different ways. But when Stella got a call about the lung transplant and purposely ignored it, what was your initial reaction? If you put yourself in that situation, what do you think you would do? If you are a parent, what do you think you’d want your child to do in that situation?
My initial reaction was that it was already to late she’s close to Will. I don’t think I would have ignored it though. I guess I would want my child to live a full life. I’ve watched a lung transplant go bad and it was not a good life after, so that probably leans me towards the don’t suffer unless you know it will work.

22. A part of me really thought they would go the whole book without touching and the ice skating scene actually surprised me. Are you glad that they added that into the book or did it feel unrealistic knowing how Stella was at the beginning of the book?
This entire book felt very much in line with my expectations for a YA novel and I wasn’t surprised. That part of the story was necessary for the lung transplant to have any meaning though.

23.Them seeing each other at the airport but not talking but knowing they still love each other is not how I expected the book to end. Were you satisfied with the ending? Would you have wanted them to get on the same plane?
I wasn’t dissatisfied with the ending but I also wasn’t satisfied. I still wonder if Poe commuted suicide and it bothers me that his death was a side note. He is the catalyst for Stella being reckless and wanting a full life. I really didn’t care if the got on the same plane or not. I didn’t really need the airport scene. It wasn’t necessary but I see why it was there.

24.Did you have a favorite character? What was your favorite scene? Be honest here, did you cry at any point in the book? Any final thoughts/rants/praises on this book you didn’t get to share yet? Drop them here!
I’m not sure I had a favorite character. Maybe Poe. Most of the characters were just formed enough to be individual but not enough for me to really care. No, I didn’t cry at any point during the novel. I did roll my eyes a few times. I really wish the story had more impact on me but it really didn’t. It was just an okay story and nothing more.

I’m #1 on the hold list for the audiobook of The Sun Down Motel so hopefully I get it soon.

I should finish Five Feet Apart today or tomorrow.

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?
I have a feeling Stella will have a bigger effect on Will. You can already see him taking his diagnosis more seriously and caring for himself better. He seems to be giving up on living though and that has been what I’ve liked about his character. Stella seems to be effected by Will in that she wants to live. She wants to do things and being careful hasn’t gotten the results she hoped for. I wonder if she might have started feeling that way without Will though. She just missed the school trip and that meant a lot to her so she might have come to the conclusion that she needs to live and enjoy life because you never know.

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?
I do think that Abby is used to show you never know. I don’t know that we have enough characterization of her for her to be a less than perfect. Stella misses her so we get to see her as a memory and that might be different than the real Abby.

12) I loved Barb's parental takedown. Do you think the shift in Stella's parents will last?
I have no idea if it will last but I’m very glad Barb said something because they were putting to much on Stella’s shoulders.

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?
I don’t know. I would want a full live but if I could have that and live longer I might pick that. I think it would depend on the day.

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?
I think you have to reach out for help. I would reach out for support. I don’t like being alone when things aren’t going well. It’s good to have someone to talk. It does seem like the

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?
This seemed about what I would have expected. Sometimes it is the other way and a trail will pay participants. Being in the US were the book is set I guess this didn’t catch my attention as much as other details like the baby and wondering if it was just a premature baby or if it had CF and that was why Stella was there.

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?
It seemed strange that she became attached to him. However, she does seem like she tries to fix things so this was in character for me. It also, is probably lonely being in the hospital and it seems like Will is a breath of life even if it is dangerous.

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?
I think I would be more like Stella. But I also would want to live like Will. It seems like Stella had more of a healthy life and Will was controlled by his Mom who is set on keeping him alive without quality of life.

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?
The changes have been interesting. I wanted to hide at first. Now, I’m more relaxed but I get annoyed (like Stella would) when I see people not wearing masks or hear people talking about wearing masks doesn’t help stop the spread. The US made some dumb announcements of advice and then countered that advice so now people don’t listen. I’m glad my state made masks mandatory in public. I hope it makes a difference.

I’ve updated to the right edition and it is on my shelf.

I’ll just have to get out my computer next time I have an issue. I’m beginning to think the app is only good for quick check-ins.

Yes, that is the right edition. I think the app is letting me down. Thanks.

Discussion Questions - Day 1

1) From what I know, this book is the novelization of the movie. While this doesn’t happen too often, I’ve read a couple books before that were only written after a movie/series (e.g. The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet). Have you ever read a book like this? What did you think? Was it successful? Did this experience influence your expectations of this book?
I don't think I've ever read a book that was based off a movie before. Maybe I have and I just didn't realize it. I didn't know that this was based on the movie before this question but I really don't think it will change my reading of the book (listening actually).

2) Stella and Will, wearing face masks & using copious amounts of hand sanitizer before it was cool. All jokes aside, this is an oddly timely reminder that face masks do make a difference to prevent the spreading of diseases. I knew next to nothing about CF before starting this book and I’ve seen very mixed reactions to the representation of CF so I was wondering… do you have any experience with CF and therefore expectations? (If you don’t feel comfortable answering, feel free to just skip this question!)
No experience with CF.

3) "If I’m going to die, I’d like to actually live first.“ This quote from Will’s POV reminded me of the countless bucket list stories and made me wonder whether this will go in that direction. Yet while Will takes more of a Devil-May-care attitude, Stella is very cautious to follow the rules. Do you think Will’s attitude is going to influence Stella as they got closer (literally?!). Will she also take more (dangerous) risks?
I have a feeling they will influence each other. I found it interesting that Stella is carefree with her friends before they go to Cabo. It made me wonder if is isn't as careful as she thinks or if being in the hospital changes things. I don't think Will will influence her and she will be less careful and more about living her life.

4) Stella is a "tech nerd", even programming her own app. Most MCs in YA books have artsy, "girly" hobbies (sorry for using that terrible gendered stereotype), if they have any prominent hobbies at all. Books about artsy people are among my favorites and I’m always on the hunt for more. While I like traditional hobbies, some of my favorite books (e.g. With the Fire on High) have non-mainstream hobbies and I am actually quite excited to learn more about this aspect of Stella’s story. Have you read any other books where the main character had a prominent hobby that wasn’t drawing/painting/writing/theater/an instrument?
I can't think of a YA book where the main character had a nontraditional hobby. Most of the books I read that are YA are fantasy so hobbies would be more of an after thought. I'm trying to think of a hobby in a book I've read recently and I really can't think of one. I guess they aren't prominent parts of all stories.

5) Stella’s parents are recently divorced, in what she calls the “most ridiculous divorce of all time”, and she worries a lot about them. It both breaks my heart and confuses me slightly why it is so far being kept from us what happened - we only know that Stella believes both parents are unhappy after the separation. So… what do you think happened?
My guess would be something happened to her sister. The sister is part of the story with the drawings. Stella also makes an off hand comment about her dad playing music again. And her surviving is so important because something happened that she doesn't want to think about. So my guess is that the sister died. It would be nice if I'm wrong but it doesn't feel that way.

I just finished I’ve got your number. I read it on my kindle and the cover there was the purple cover. However the kindle update to a different cover and none of the editions with the purple cover have a page count. Not sure what to do in the case.


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

Completion Post

Finished: June 27th

Updated SS

I will not be able to finish Sapiens before the deadline Friday. That is my only book on the planning sheet right now. I don’t think I’ll be able to finish anything else but I’m not sure.