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

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

Day 6 DQs
Chpts 26-33 (End)

20. So Molly and Reid finally got together (not like we didn't see it coming) but I was surprised how it escalated so quickly. Talking about sex already, after Molly's first kiss ever? And not wanting to take things slow? What did you make of this?
I also found that surprising that it escalated as quickly as it did. They are teenagers so hormones, but it did seem really fast for someone who is so unsure of things.


21. Frankly my parents never gave me the dreaded sex or birth control talk so reading or hearing about them always makes me laugh. As much as I enjoyed that scene, do you think Patty jumped the gun with this considering how new the relationship between Reid and Molly was and that Molly had never had a boyfriend before?
I would guess that Patty has already had this talk with Molly and Cassie but that the birth control is a new aspect of the talk. I guess better to soon than too late.


22. We've seen how the relationship between Cassie and Molly has changed and how they have started to grow apart. Molly realizes how inevitable it is and believes that change is "the most basic of all tragedies." Do you agree with this?
I don’t know that this is a tragedy, I have a feeling since Molly and Cassie are not opposing anything the other one believes in they have a chance of remaining friends and maybe even best friends. Yes, relationships change.


23. I loved Molly's transformation from the beginning of the story. She gained more confidence, found her own voice and became more comfortable in her own skin. Overall how do you feel the author did in dealing with these issues?
I really didn’t think the author dealt with the issues. Things seemed like they were skimmed over and put to the side. This was a first person narrative so it was limited by that. As a result we only deal with what Molly deals with and there were a lot of issues still at the end of the book.


24. Going into this (& not really remembering the synopsis), I think I had different expectations for this story because of the title. What do you think of the choice of title and how it related to the story?
The title worked a bit, but I also thought the book might be about being refused.

25. How did you like the book? Thoughts, feelings? Any characters you most related to?
The entire book was a struggle for me. I didn’t relate to any of the characters. Reid seemed like someone I might enjoy knowing. However, the rest of the characters got on my nerves. The ending was sweat but it didn’t make up for the beginning of the book.

So I read over the rules again and it says at least 4 hours for audiobooks, but I don’t know how you would calculate the pages. If you want me to finish it for the week as an abridged audio let me know. If not I’ll stop by the library and get a copy that actually can be used for next week.

I just realized that the audiobook I have for Faro’s Daughter is abridged. It is 4.5 hours long. I seem to recall that abridged audiobooks aren’t counted. I don’t have access to a copy that isn’t abridged right now or I would switch. I’ll get the book and read it but then we don’t have it for this weeks books.

Wow!

Thank you

I’m not on my computer so I can’t do links for book of the month but I have answered all the questions so far. I will link them when I get on my pc in a bit.

I’ll switch editions now. I also finished Kim and added that to my shelve I listened to the audio so let me know if you need me to change editions on that.

I’m going to finish Kim now while I’m cooking and then I will start Faro’s Daughter. My finishing it or not will depend on the narrator.

I know we decided to keep our word for the week, but I thought I would point out in case we get it a gain that it is the only word that has no difficult letters.

Day 5
Chapters 19-25

15. The group decided to have a sleepover, with Will bringing alcohol and later we find out he was puking in the middle of the night, without any of the others noticing. There were quite a few things that bugged me in this particular chapter, but what are your thoughts on the sleepover and the conversations they had?
It seems like I they were just teenagers and that was a bit annoying. I would have expected Cassie to me a bit more mature after the grounding. Molly was upset about not liking Will and Reid seeming to like Olivia.

16. Molly likes Will. Molly likes Reid. Does Will like Molly? Does Reid like Molly? Oh wait, apparently Reid likes Olivia. And Olivia likes Reid. But then they don't, and Will actually likes Mina. WHAT. A. MESS. And we're not even at the end of the book yet.
Why do you think the author did this? Did they want to confuse us? Or were they trying to make the book a bit longer and hopefully more interesting?
I don’t think I ever really felt like Molly liked Will. He is attractive to her but I do t think she liked him. I think Cassie wants her to like him and Molly isn’t objecting. This part of the story for me was a bit like teenage drama I would expect.

17. Abby seems to know Molly better than anyone else does (even better than Cassie, it seems), so why has it taken so long for us to finally witness a proper conversation between them??
I’m guessing Molly and Abby have talked it just wasn’t a Skype talk where we got more of the details and Abby really liked her on her issues. Cassie probably would have done this is she wasn’t so wrapped up in her relationship.

18. We haven't learned much about Max yet. He just seems like a random side character even though he's always with the group. He's part of the group. Do you want to find out more about him and do you think we will?
Max has not been that interesting to me. I really don’t care if we see more of him or not.

19. We have read about Molly being in a daze a few times now which could have to do with her anxiety or maybe even some other mental health disorder(s). Can you relate to that in any way, and do you think her issues lie deeper than previously thought?
Anxiety really messes with the brain. I don’t know if she has anything deeper going on. Personally I think she is a teenager and that is where a lot of the daze comes from.

Day 4 - 19 June
chapters 12 - 18

10. In Chapter 12 Molly is given a make over and the girls go hang out with the boys, where she drinks for her first time. Do you remember your first drink? What do you think about drunken Cassie speaking so loudly about Molly crushing on Will? What do you think about Molly drinking even though she's taking pills?
I think my first drink was a vodka and orange juice. It was at a family gather and I was only a little tipsy as I didn’t have much. As I have stated before I don’t like most of the characters in this book. Reid is the one character so far that I like. Cassie is digging a hole and I don’t know if Molly will forgive her but I wouldn’t. As for Molly drinking I feel like it is a bit of peer pressure. It sucks though that she didn’t feel like she could say no.

11. On the fourth of July, Reid and Molly hang out and we "see" sparks fly between them. The author seems to be giving a lot more dialogue between Molly and Reid than between Molly and Will. Do you think she's steering us into rooting for Reid?
I don’t know if she is steering us towards Reid but right now he is the only character I feel any connection too.

12. Cassie blows up at her mom for grounding her. How do you feel about her clear change in behaviour and her "obsession" with Mina?
First relationships often have a bit of obsession that go with them. However, I get the being upset about being grounded but she was being a little snot.

13. We are introduced to Mina's parents and they seem pretty chill and cool. However it seems like Mina hasn't told them she is dating Cassie. Since she seems to have a good relationship with them, why do you think she hasn't told them?
Mina is Korean American and I bet the Asian culture plays into that a bit. However, we only really saw a glimpse of them so don’t really know how they would feel.

14. Molly finally blows up with Cassie and tells her what she thinks. She also realizes she has a big crush on Reid, however she is reluctant to think about dating him over Mina's comment. What do you think about Molly's actions at the party?
This is the only crush of Molly’s that seems like a crush and not an infatuation or a “hey he is cute”. I get Molly at the party and I would have blown up at Cassie too. Cassie didn’t really talk to Molly and has been pushing what she wants on her. Also, changing the plan after the fact and then being angry and Molly for being upset was just immature. I keep telling myself they are teenagers but still I find them very frustrating. I hope Molly and Cassie get to have a real conversation not at the party otherwise it seems we are headed in the same direction as the aunt and mom.

I got through a lot of Kim last night when I was cooking and cleaning up, and I should finish it today or tomorrow. I still think it would be difficult for me to try and fit another classic.

I don’t read horror but it sounds like plenty if others do.

It needs to fit our word for the week “Chocolate”.

I can’t speed up the audio Kim much because of how fast the narrator speaks already. Normally I can listen at x1.75 but I’m only able to speed this up to x1.25.

Day 2 - chapters 7 - 11

6. In chapter 7 it dawns on Molly that whilst she's never been kissed she's also never been rejected, and she starts to wonder about that. I was surprised that it was such a revelation to her. Do you think she'll be able to start to act differently now, take chances and be open to rejection?
She has a lot to overcome, but I think she will try to take a chance. I doubt it will be a big one.

7. Reid takes Molly to the supermarket and plays the supermarket game - guess the songs that will be played. It turns out Molly is pretty good at the game. Do you do anything similar or have secret skills at obscure games? How do you like the developing friendship with Reid?
I did not like the beginning of this book. And I don’t like the majority of the characters but I do like Reid. He seems like a cool guy and he is kind and funny. I like that he tried to be a friend to Molly but was unsure how to respond. He seems human. I think he is a bit of an idiot for liking Molly...I don’t like Molly. She whines to much and feels sorry for herself. I am just not into that when it is a constant in a character. I did find I liked Molly a bit more at the supper market. The game was funny and so true. I don’t think I have a game like that.

8. We see a lot more of Molly's family in this section, including her Grandma! What do you think of the family dynamics?
They felt like a family, but I didn’t really see enough to feel pretty generic.

9. Cassie announces her new relationship via Facebook update, and doesn't tell Molly directly. Does this change how you feel about Cassie? Molly?
This was another really annoying thing about this book and made me annoyed. It certainly did not improve my opinion of Cassie or Molly. They were pretty low before. I’m waiting for these characters to redeem themselves.

Kim is a longer audiobook than I realized. I’m half way though and I’m not sure I’m going to get to a second classic by the end of week one.

16 June
Chapters 1-6

1. Have you read anything by this author before? Do you have a favourite? If not, why did you decide to join the read? I have not read anything by this author. This book and others like it aren't my normal YA read. I prefer science fiction or fantasy YA. I joined because of the extra points for wheel. If not for wheel I would have stopped reading the book after the two chapters.

2. Molly has a "generic face" and finds people always think they know her. **I have this exact problem!!** Is it just me? Do strangers often try and work out how they know you? I do not have this problem. When I was in high school people said I looked like a singer but if this happens it is always a specific person.

3. Reading about Becky Albernatti, she was a child psychologist who decided to start writing after she had her first child and claims Jaclyn Moriarty as her writing inspiration. If you wrote a book, which author would be your inspiration? I think it would be more books that would be inspiration than an author. The Game of Kings, The Poppy War, Red Sister, and the Song of Ice and Fire series come to mind as inspiration.

4. It always intrigues me when adult authors are able to write well with a teenage voice. I guess Becky's work background helps. Do you think she is accurate in her portrayal of teens? I feel like she is probably accurate. However, the discussion of labia just made me want to throw my hands up and say that does it I'm done. It seemed unrealistic to me. However, I was for when I was a teen but that was years ago. Maybe now teens talk about labia in normal conversation.

5. So we are setting up for the Will v Reid decision. Seems an easy one to me. Who do you prefer? I don't really have a preference for one verse the other as I don't really like any of the characters. I feel a little like a grouch when it comes to this book. It just isn't working for me. I guess right now I would pick Reid since I know a bit more about him.

Shelby wrote: "I'm already dreading this but I'm starting the Backroom BOM tonight. Not that I have anything against erotica, I've read a fair bit, but from the sound of it this isn't well written erotica."

It is great fun to discuss though.

Kushel’s Dart is one I’d be interested in reading and I know I can get it from my library on overdrive.

I got the current back room book free on kindle, and I think I saw someone say it was free somewhere else - nook maybe.