Nanci’s Comments (group member since Jan 29, 2016)

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

Way to step up, Jackie! Thanks!

I started listening to Fourth Wing. Those type of books are not usually my thing, but so far it's keeping my attention. I'm at the 14% mark. I wanted to start early as I knew it would take awhile. It's due in 19 days, so I figure an hour/day is very doable.

I finished my chipmunk book and have it logged. Super fast read!

I grabbed "X marks the spot-A book featuring pirates". I'm reading Rescued by the Buccaneer. It was free and only 128 pages. I'll have it done by tomorrow.

Kirsten wrote: "Nanci wrote: "My books are all logged now and I also went to the BOM and answered our team questions too.

So there was one part of the King book I did not understand. I know some of you are not f..."

Thank you so much, Kirsten! I've read a few of his books, but guess I never noticed. I was trying really hard to make it connect to the story. Good to have the mystery solved!

My books are all logged now and I also went to the BOM and answered our team questions too.

So there was one part of the King book I did not understand. I know some of you are not finished reading it yet, so I'm going to put it in with a spoiler. I would love to hear your feedback as it's making me a bit crazy that I can't make the connection!

(view spoiler)[ At the very end of the book, just the page before the Afterword, there are dates and then locations.
"January 2, 2009-December 18,2010
Sarasota, Florida
Lovell, Maine"

What does that mean to you? Does it have anything to do with the story, or do you think those are the dates/places where he wrote the book? I'm confused because the year the book takes place is 2011. If he finished writing it in 2010, do you think he just wanted it to be taking place in 2011 when it came out to the public? (hide spoiler)]

DQs Day 4 - 18 June
Chapters 9-11 32%

14) What do you think the cards symbolize for the yellow card man? I'm starting to think it could be like a warning, but I'm also connecting him to Al. They both died at the same time. Now that the yellow/orange/black card man has committed suicide am I alone in worrying that Jake may never make it back - and therefore not be able to reset things if he makes a mistake?
The card man has been an intriguing part of the book to me. I haven't figured him out yet, but I think he's going to play an important part later on in the book. Maybe some kind of twist at the end. Even though I think he will somehow come back, I also worry a bit that the reset may be affected until he somehow shows up again.

15) Jake originally though Carolyn's accident wasn't his to fix, but ended up fixing it anyways. What do you think the reasoning behind this was? The stay at the cabin in the lake sounds magical and relaxing. Do you like to canoe? And have you ever played cribbage?
Jake has a kind heart and I think he's still just wanting to help make things better for those who he meets. I used to canoe, but now I mostly kayak or SUP. We are fortunate to live on a lake, so it's very accessible. We have a lovely place we call "Monet's Garden" that is just full of lily pads and flowers in the summer months. We received a cribbage game for our wedding 44 years ago, but have never really played. I'm going to pull it out on the next rainy day and have a game with my husband. It's our least used wedding gift! Haha!

16) Jake seems to be enjoying his time in the past a lot more than last time. Do you think there is a reason for this? Do you think you would be happy living in the past knowing what would happen? The general feel in this section is that of simpler and more trusting time. But how is it that nobody is even a little suspicious of a new guy, with such an oddly specific bet and other strange behaviors? I agree he does seem to be enjoying himself more. Maybe it's bc he knows he can for sure get back home. I would like living in the past for awhile, as long as it's the time period I want to live in. It would be so much different to go back to when times were rough for me and not worry knowing in the end everything works out. I don't think I would be the type to take on dangerous missions the way George does. It was a more trusting time, but still I think people would have been at least curious about a person who had such strange behaviors at times.

17) How do you feel about Harry dying in Vietnam? Is Jake right in feeling he wasted his time saving Harry or do we know too little about Harry's life to reach a conclusion? Should we be judging at all, and if so, based on what criteria beyond life and death?
I was very sad when it came out that he died in Vietnam. That was when I first really started thinking about the consequences of the butterfly effect. I like to think his little sister is able to talk him out of signing up for a reset.

Bonus: (we had a fantastic team discussion with this one) I suspect that that event was one of those where so many people remember where they were that day/moment, how they felt, etc. Any others you all can think of?
I enjoyed our discussion on Ashara. It's always interesting to hear what are major events to others and how most people recall exactly where they were when the event occurred. For the Challenger I was working providing home day care for little ones. My husband called me and told me to turn on the TV. I turned it on and although the children were too young to understand, I turned it off quickly as I didn't want them to view it. I felt very alone and sad. It was hard to be all smiley and act as if nothing had happened, yet it was the way I had to be until all the children were picked up by their parents. When my husband walked in the door later, I could let my emotions out and we talked about it a lot after our children were in bed.

Thanks for the welcome back, everyone! The cruise was lots of fun! Lots of activity for our grands ages 7-12 and lovely beaches along the way for my husband and me to enjoy and relax. A perfect combo!

I've missed you all and good to have wifi again to catch up with all.

Kirsten- I'm so sorry about your trip. The red tape is so crazy these days. Reading the 11/22/63 book made me a bit nostalgic for the past where you could just walk right on a plane and enter and leave the country without having to go through all the hassle of today's world. Frustrating when good, kind people have to pay the price for a few horrible, evil people's decisions. Sure hope your next trip goes better!

Great reading all and way to get all those chipmunk tasks and books read! I'm off now to log my books. I agree with a few of you that I liked the King doorstopper, but I'm sure glad it's done, so I can get to some other reading.

Kirsten wrote: "MN Lisa wrote: "Janeylou wrote: "But its great that lots of other groups have great challenges we can join in 😊
"
Keep me in mind if you find any that you think I might like. This is what I do. My ..."

That challenge looks great! I'll need to bookmark it or something to remember to sign up when it comes around again.

Off the cruise ship and back to having wifi. Hoping to be home by tomorrow and then I’ll catch up with everyone. I did finish the King book. Phew! I liked it, and now I know I can read a 800+ page book in less time than I thought.

Since I won't be available online this week, just a thought to keep in mind...my book, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... which does not have a mini task yet.

The cover to me is half brown and half green, so I don't think it works for color, but keep it in mind for a possible Chipmunk task, since it's already read. I finished it on June 10, so it won't work for the spell out Team Towers.

So happy that Day 3 questions were posted early! I was a bit stressing about how I was going to answer the questions while I was on our cruise and no wifi. Tonight I was able to answer all 3 days, so I'm done. No worries, I will still answer our questions and possibly a few others, but now there's no pressure and I can concentrate on finishing the book.

DQs Day 3 - 17 June
Chapters 7 - 8, 26%

10) We find out more about Frank Dunning. He is portrayed as a smooth talker and good looking. Do you find this stereotypical of someone who will go on to murder most of his family? It always seems to be someone no one suspects. Jake's opinion of him obviously isn't very good. Do you think Jake would feel differently if he didn't know what Frank was going to do?
Ted Bundy was good looking too. I don't think we can judge a book by its cover. It's the stereotype to be aware of the "creepy looking guy" that has innocent people in jail and killers running loose. Our society judges people on looks still. Frank fooled just about the entire town. I don't think Jake would have suspected him of evil either, if he didn't already know.

11) Jake plans how he is going to stop Frank. Would your thought process have been the same as Jake's? How would you plan to change the event?
Jake's plan seemed very sketchy to me. It just seemed like so many things could go wrong when left to the last minute, just like his first time travel when he tried to intercept the little girl who would be paralyzed for life. I'm not sure how I would have done it. I really don't think I'd be able to murder him, but I would probably try to get someone to interfere ahead of time, or at least plan to have someone with me, like the police, to take him down.

12) There is something off about Derry. The place itself feels weird and the people act strange. Would you stay somewhere where you don't feel welcome? Would you investigate more into what was going on?
Derry definitely seems "off". I would be very leery to stay there. Being unfriendly is quite different than finding the town and most of the people in it to be mentally unhealthy. I don't think he could stay in a town nearby and still accomplish his mission, but I sure would be locking my doors tight!

13) Well, stopping Frank didn't go to plan but he did get stopped. What do you think the consequences of changing the event will be in the present, if any? Do you think he will go back and try again? If so, what do you think he will do differently?
I'm sure there will be another butterfly effect, but I don't think Jake will know what it is until he returns to 2011. I do think he'll go back and try again, since it wasn't a total success. I think next time he will kill Frank himself before he allows him to enter the house and hurt anyone else.

Day 2 DQs
Chapter 4 - 6 or 18%

#5. How did you feel when you read Harry Dunning's essay? What would you have done if you had the power to enact change in the past?
Such a sad, sad account. I really liked how King wrote it just like Harry would have written it with all the grammatical errors and realistic speech patterns. As a retired school counselor, I am very aware that so many children have sad stories. Sometimes their life just seems normal to them; they don't even realize how dysfunctional it is. Jake loved his students and I can see if he had the chance to go back and make a change that would help a student he would feel compelled to do the same. He witnesses the butterfly effect, which makes him second guess his decision to interfere. That would be a scary thing for me too.

#6. Money is a big deal in any timeline. Would you be able to acclimate to the past in terms of financial transactions as well as Jake? Do you think Jake acclimated TOO quickly?
Since I grew up in the 60s and 70s, I think I would acclimate very well. I would get a kick out of how cheap everything was, especially since I would have a good amount of money from 2011. I did like the part about the dime not working in the pay phone and how Jake had to go through all his coins and throw out everything with a later mint date.

#7. Fashion is also an issue in the past. Do you think Jake is having an easier time of it because he is a man? What would be the most challenging fashion change for you to get used to? Is there something you would love to be able to wear?
I'm not sure men had it easier than women. They had to wear ties all the time. Fashion is not a big deal for me, but I would not be happy wearing girdles and those awful bras. I would also miss my athletic wear, which is so much more comfortable. It would be fun to dress up once, but other than that I would not choose to wear the clothing of the era.

#8. There are a lot of interesting nods to older Advertising terms and slogans that King uses to help the reader recognize the timeline change of the past. Which one stood out to you the most and why?
Probably "I'd walk a mile for a Camel". I remember hearing that when I was growing up. I do like how King mentions how everyone in the 50s and 60s were smoking. That is a really strong memory for me. Smoking was allowed everywhere! No one gave it a second thought. My husband and I never smoked, but most people in our age group smoked. Many of my friends started when they went to college (in 1971) and I remember being angry with them that they started.

#9. If you have read any past King novels, some of these chapters have a lot of connections to early books about Derry, Maine, and surrounding locations. Did you find any Easter eggs from previous stories? If you haven't read earlier King novels, what about Derry seemed to stand out as unique to you?
Derry is just plain spooky and unfriendly. I did catch the references to how children had been murdered or disappeared and a few clown comments, but it's only with your question that the town name opened my memory to the town name. It seemed like a name I knew somehow, but I only made the connection now. Good catch!

Day 1 DQs: ch1- 3

1) I have only read a few of Stephen King's books. Is this your first book by the author or are you quite familiar with his storytelling?
I have read a number of other King books. Misery,Under the Dome, and The Shining are the 3 that remain foremost in my memory. I also read his nonfiction book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, which I found to be very good for people who are interested in writing a book.

2) What do you think about the character Jake so far? Would you have gone along with what Al wanted and took the initial step back into the past, or would you have not humoured him and tried to get him help?
As many others have said, I found him kind of bland to begin. He seems like a nice guy, who is at a crossroads in his life. Newly single and attempting to write a book, but also rather directionless.

3) I am not sure how I would feel if I just stepped back into the past the way Jake and Al have, but I am really curious about how the time traveling works in this story. It seemed that Jake was somewhat calm about it. How do you think you would feel if it was you?
. I like reading time travel books and often fantasize about being able to time travel myself. I wouldn't be calm, but I would be very excited and observant of the time frame. I was born in 1953, so I'm not far from that time period. For all the young women who have responded that they wouldn't have had as much decision making power and would have worked to further women's rights, hooray for you! Many of us who were on the scene in our teen years in the 1960's did take action to make changes, but change is slow and many times we were frustrated that we weren't able to make more inroads. I would welcome the opportunity to go back with the knowledge I have now.

4) I think it is clear that Jake is going to pick up Al's mission to try and stop the JFK assassination. Would you choose to continue Al's mission? Also how much do you know of the history surrounding this event?
Such a huge responsibility! Since I was in 6th grade when JFK was assassinated, I understand the utter devastation America experienced. Our climate was so very different in the 1960s. There were no mass shootings in the 60s. The evening news was something that was appropriate for the entire family to watch. Most families attended church regularly and respected and admired those in leadership roles. Manners were paramount and if you spoke disrespectfully to an adult (especially your parents or teachers) there were consequences. I'm not painting a Pollyanna picture, we had issues, but society was drastically different when I was growing up. So keeping that in mind, I think many people at the time would have done anything to erase an assassination. I would like to think I would have the courage to do what Jake is charged with doing, but I also fear the butterfly effect and would worry about what else would change.

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My vote would be to use Vi's #4 question. When I'm answering the questions, I enjoy reading other peoples answers after I write my own and it would interest me to know who plays cribbage. My husband and I got the game as a wedding present 44 years ago, but have never played! Now I want to give it a try. Personally, I like a question that helps me make a personal connection.

Also, I like the idea of Suzanne's to ask a broad question, like we've been discussing among our team concerning life impacting results. I think that will get people talking.

Elinor, you've done it again! All your questions are great, especially #4 and #5.

I was going to write a few questions, but you all have covered the bases and the few where I was curious how other readers interpreted them are already covered now. Good work! Off to answer the questions for the first day!

Are we allowed to use the BOM (in this case I'm thinking the Stephen King book) in the spell out Team Towers? I read through the rules, but don't see anything about BOM.
Thanks!

Nice to have another spellout. Those are easy to satisfy!

Janeylou wrote: "The nearest we come to Kennedys death was Princess Diana ..because it was in the early hours most of us were asleep and found out early on the sunday morning .., i ccan remeber the weather was dark..."

To this day, I still get teary eyed thinking of that beautiful woman. It was wonderful seeing so many tributes to her when we were just in London. I remember we just got home with our children from our state fair. It was early evening for us and we turned on the TV, just to catch the news before the children went to bed and we were all stunned. Our girls started to cry because they knew how much I loved her.

Oh, and Elinor, congratulations on finishing the big book! You did it, by George you really did it! It's helpful to know it picks up again at Part 6.

Suzanne, hope you feel better soon. It's probably from all the hustle and entertaining associated with the graduation. That's how it sometimes is for me.

Elinor wrote: "I finished 11.22.63 yesterday and felt it picked up from part 6 onwards.

My Mum told me about the day it happened - she was 12, and lived with her American mother who’d emigrated to England to li..."

Interesting story, Elinor. I love hearing about others feelings on those ground shaking events too. I'm always impressed when we travel overseas and the general public seems to know so much about US politics and events. It makes us feel very unworldly and ignorant since we usually don't even have a clue who rules their country.