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

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

I would go ahead and finish it if you want. We only get 5 points for the animal “bird” and I think it is purple cover and that is also 5 points.

It’s green. I would not say blue for that one.

DQ’s Day One: Chapters 1-3

1. It’s interesting to see the dynamic between the main girls (Hetty, Byatt, Reese). They can fist fight over food one minute, but still be best friends the next. Reminds me of my sister & I. LOL. Have you ever had this kind of relationship with someone?
I don't think I have. I didn't fight with someone if I liked them, at least not that I remember.

2. Byatt sneaks out of the room when she thinks Hetty is sleeping, then crawls up in Reese’s bunk when she returns. Where do you think she snuck off to? & what did she mean when she said to Reese, ”If you know something...”? Reese shuts down & kicks her out of her bunk. Wonder what their secret is?
I'm also wondering what Reese knows. It seems like she might know something, and now that I went back and look I'm wondering if that is why her mother left. Maybe since Reese is from the island she saw signs before it really started.

3. Hetty says, “And I’ve wanted boys, and I’ve wanted girls, but I’ve never wanted anyone enough to miss them, enough to pluck them from the slideshow of my old life and bring them here.”
People have different ways of handling emotional stuff like this. Some people (like Hetty) believe thinking or talking about your loved ones or past life would only make the situation harder to deal with emotionally. Put yourself in this situation. How do you think you’d cope with missing your old life/family? Would you be like Hetty & shut down emotionally to prevent more pain? Or would you be like the other girls, laughing & sharing stories of your old life?
I think I would share stories, just to help myself remember those I care about. It seems like Hetty doesn't really have a family that is close so maybe that is part of her living more in the now.

4. Personally, I’m really enjoying the book already! I love the writing style, the world building, & the characters. I know we’re only a few chapters in, but how are you liking it so far? What aspect of the book do you like best at this point (writing, world building, characters, etc.)?
I am also really enjoying the book at this point. I find it very easy to read (unlike our adult BOM) and I actually read ahead because it was so easy to just keep reading. I really like the world building which also is part of the characters in this book. I find the world strange, creepy, but still light. The writing is doing an excellent job of engaging me.

I updated the ss to here.
I’m on my phone and it is hard to do links in the ss from my phone. I’ll get it when I’m on my computer tomorrow, unless you are able to do it, Paula.

Sometimes I look at a cover and I think that’s brown. Then I look at it again and I think that might be brown. Then I pick it up again and wonder it looks brown but is it really brown?

Completion Post

Warrior's Cross by Madeline Urban and Abigail Roux
Pages: 316
Date: October 14, 2019
Rating: 4 stars
Fits:
Gluttony - I have been binge reading this author
Sloth - Abigail Roux has not her expected publication and it has been 5 years.
Vanity - Contemporary top shelf, LGBT book
Wrath - brown cover?

Brandy wrote: "Completion Post

Dinner with a Vampire by Abigail Gibbs
Audio (paperback is default), 549 pages
10/14/19
3 Starts
Fits:
Av..."

This book has Young Adult and Contemporary top shelves.

****Updated to here****

Do you think this cover is brown?

I'm going to read a few quick reads this week. Glad we were able to meet our minimum for the week. It was close.

Updated to here

Updated with my book.

Gideon the Ninth was a very very slow start for me. I'm going to read a few lighter reads next. That's it for me this week.

We have about an hour and 25 minutes left before the end of the week.

Completion Post

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Date: October 13, 2019
Rating: 3 stars
Fits:
Wrath - space opera top shelf
Envy - young adult top shelf
Sloth - dark fantasy top shelf

BOM:
DQ1: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DQ2: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DQ3: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DQ4: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DQ5: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DQ6: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Day 6- Chapters 34 to the end

22. In chapter 3 we get the first of the big reveals. Were you surprised by the actual dynamic between the twins? And were you as creeped out as I was by Ianthe's little speech about the place between life and death..."where the things are that eat us."?
I was a bit creeped out by Ianthe and Coronabeth. It seemed like we knew that a bit from the way Ianthe saw Gideon early on in the story.

23. There have been many types of necromancy and magic and science talked about and demonstrated in this story. In sci-fi and fantasy books, I often find myself wishing that some of the science or magic was real. Are there any aspects of this world that you wish was real, or that intrigues you?
I have to admit that I still don't feel like I fully understand the world and why it is they way it is. I am glad this is a made up world.

24. The second big reveal gave us the name of the big bad. I personally did not find clues to this littered throughout the story, so I was surprised. Did you find this reveal satisfying? Surprising? Did you enjoy the fight at the end?
I wasn't surprised by the reveal, however, I didn't exactly expect her to be someone other than what she said she was. I did enjoy the fight at the end of the novel.

25. Was anyone else waiting for a sex scene? Why use the term "lesbian necromancers" in the description? Who cares if they are heterosexual or gay if it really doesn't come into the story? Marketing? Or do you think it was an important story point that the main character liked girls?
I was also waiting for something sexual to come into play but it didn't. I did feel a little mislead by the marketing as a result of that. It didn't seem to be that big a part of the story.

26. Will Gideon's and Camilla's bodies or selves be recovered? Will you read the next book to find out? Did you like the book?
I have no idea what will happen to Gideon and Camilla's bodies or if Camilla lived. I will really have to think about it before I read the next book. I might read it because I did end up enjoying the ending of this book. It was very slow at the beginning for me so I'm not sure. This was a book that I rated 3 stars. I didn't dislike it but I didn't really like all of the book. There were 18/20 characters in play and I was still getting confused over them as we neared the end. I read the text version and I was still referring to the Dramatis Personae up into the last section. I didn't like that at all.

Day 5 - Chapters 27 - 33

First off, can I say that I did not expect, at 85% through, to still be as confused as I am right now!

18. We get a lot of thanalogical (??) science theory chat in the section, with the exchanges between Palamedes and Harrow, which seems to confuse them at least as much as it did me! Did you enjoy the science chat and reveals, or did it get in the way of the action?
I was confused by it but I think we needed to see Palamedes and Harrow working together so it works from that aspect.

19. We see other sides to a couple of the Houses during this section: the Eighth, who had been reported as being super weird with the cavalier being effectively a vegetable, actually transpire to be super weird with the cavalier trying really hard to hold to whatever shred of his life he can claim as his own (Colum says: "I've got my sword. I've got my honour. Everything else is yours." "Your sword is mine also" said Silas. Silas is an ass of the highest order, btw)
Similarly, the Second become all noble and self-sacrificing in chapter 33, a change from the rule-bound nimrods they'd been up to that point.
Do you like the shifting understanding of the characters? Have your favourites / least despised changed over the course of the book?
I don't think how I feel about the characters has changed over the course of the book. I do find I'm enjoying the story a lot more than I did at the beginning. It took a long time for me to feel anything for any of the characters and it took a chapter where Harrow opens up in this section for me to really like her.

20. Speaking of changes: MASSIVE emotional reveal between Harrow & Gideon. I loved the line "she wrapped her arms around Harrow Nonagesimus and held her long and hard, like a scream", which is just SO Ninth House. How does this information make you re-evaluate Harrow & Gideon's relationship?
It made me realized that Gideon doesn't view the relationship the same way Harrow does. Harrow likes Gideon and for some reason she did a really crappy job of showing it and Gideon interpreted it as hate.

21. Something a bit lighter: in the midst of the blood and death and bone-key making and such, there are still some moments that made me snigger. one that I particularly enjoyed was "Hm," said Camilla neutrally, and Gideon knew immediately that she organised Palamedes's and her socks by colour and genre."
The little blips of humour have definitely helped me whilst reading the book. Do they work for you?
Some of them work really well, like your example, and some of them just didn't work for me. It does help having a snarky character as our point of view. I don't think I would have read this book if Harrow was narrating.

Week one ends in about 16 hours and 40 minutes. There is a timer in the sinful chat thread.

Day 4 - Chapters 21-26

14. More deaths! Do you have any theories on why the Fourth were killed? Why Gideon was spared? Who do you think is committing these murders?
Gideon is the narrator of this story so it makes since she was spared. I think the Fourth was to close to the truth of the "monster" and that is why they were removed. I think it is the emperor I don't think it is one of the 8 houses competing.

15. The Third House (maybe Ianthe) seem to be lurking in the background of this book, all sneaky and suspicious. Coronabeth seems like the nicer one out of the Twins. But do you think this is the case? Do you think Coronabeth has something up her sleeves?
I really don't know about the Third house. It seems strange the twins aren't working together. I really don't care about them.

16. Gideon had a weird encounter with the Eighth house. What did you make of the comment, 'because you grew up servant to a murderer, in a tribe of murderers. You are, more than anything, a victim of the Ninth House'. Do you think Gideon will accept their invitation?
I kind of doubt it, and if she does it will not be for the reason I would think of now.

17. (This is a bit of a silly question). Over the course of the book, Gideon has been getting closer to Harrow, Dulcinea and Coronabeth (although it seems she wishes she could get closer to the latter). Put yourself in Gideon's shoes. Harrow, Dulcinea and Coronabeth - Kiss, Marry, Kill.. Explain your reasoning haha!
Thanks for this question. Kiss Harrow--just to see what she does. The hung makes her go silent and kind. Kill Dulcinea--she is going to dye anyway. Marry Coronabeth--because she is the least known of the three.

Day 3 - Chapter 14- 20

10. Thoughts on the deaths, did you care to lose these two or are you just waiting for the body count to increase?
I did like Quinn, he seemed like a good guy. I can't say I care about any of the characters and whether they live or dye.

11. I like the electric toothbrush detail. What do you think of the room they found? Are there any details from the room that you think are going to be important later?
I doubt the details will come up again. Just the spell Harrow finds.

12. The letter clearly has Gideon’s name in it (see below) but we get no comment from Gideon as the narrator on her reaction to this. What do you think of this as an author’s choice and what do you think the letter means?
" ut we all know the sad + trying realit
is that this will remain incomplete t
the last. He can’t fix my deficiencies her
ease give Gideon my congratulations, howev"
I don't know what it means, but it does make you wonder if that is what Gideon's mother was screaming about...I really hope this doesn't turn into a time travel novel.

13. This quote feel like somewhat heavy handed foreshadowing , though I may be wrong.
“You’re all right. Gideon, Gideon … you’re so young. Don’t give yourself away. Do you know, it’s not worth it … none of this is worth it, at all. It’s cruel. It’s so cruel. You are so young—and vital—and alive. Gideon, you’re all right … remember this, and don’t let anyone do it to you ever again. I’m sorry. We take so much. I’m so sorry.”
She would remember each word later, loud and clear. It seems to imply this is Dulcinea’s voice and does this impact your opinion of her?
It made me think that Dulcinea is maybe taking advantage of Gideon and Harrow, but I don't know how.

Bonus Question: The skulls on top of the chapters belong to each house but I have been unable to find any pattern or meaning to their order. Anyone think there is a purpose or pattern? Did I miss something obvious?
I noticed they sometimes repeat. I went back and looked again a little closer and they are the house Gideon interacts with most or is involved in the story line of the chapter.

It needs to win the award.

Please link and go by the cover for the book you actually read.

Completion Notice

Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile
Date: October 11, 2019
Rating: 4 stars

Fits:
Envy: Green cover
Vanity: Contemporary Shelf

Not a book of the month.

***Updated to here***