SandyL’s Comments (group member since May 11, 2015)

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

It looks like we need more U books? I'll try to knock out a couple shorter ones before tomorrow's deadline.

Hi Louise & Rina
I just added a book to the spreadsheet (Kiwi Strong) - I thought I had already added it on the 19th, but couldn't find it. I'm hoping it's not a duplicate, and if it is I apologize.

I'm mostly done with tax season, so I'll have more time to read after tomorrow and I can hopefully make up my deficit!

Hi team! Sorry I've been MIA - we are coming up on the deadline for filing taxes in the US, and it has been so crazy at work - I've been working 10-12 hour days. I did not anticipate this schedule when I signed up for Wheel, so I apologize that my reading has been a lot less than I signed up for. Less than one week left, and then I can start reading a lot more. I just finished a book that I put on the ss - it's my last one for this round and hopefully there are no issues since I won't be able to get back on GR until late tonight.

Have a great day everyone!!!

Christina wrote: "Who of us is reading The Sun Down Motel BOM? What do you think so far? My e-copy hasn't come through yet from the library :("

I got a copy from my library, but haven't started it yet. It's not a genre I typically read, so hopefully it's good!

Hey Louise or Rina - do you think we'll make it to one more spell-out? I can try to finish my current book, but it only works for L or C. Or should I save it for the next word? LMK - I have a couple of hours before I have to go to work.

I've added my links to the DQ's for Five Feet Apart on the spreadsheet. I'm so sorry my reading has been below my estimated amount - my hours at work have been a lot more than I anticipated. I'm going to be busy for the next couple of weeks and then I'll have a lot more time to devote to reading. In the meantime, I'll try to get as many books as possible in.

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?
No.

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?
I thought she was being very selfish and short sighted. If those lungs were on their way to her and she didn't want them anymore, no one else would get them either and they'd go to waste.

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?
I thought it was unrealistic that they actually survived the ordeal at all.

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?
No, it was not a satisfying ending.

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!
Poe was my favorite character. I did not cry. The book was okay for a YA story.

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?
I think it was Stella's way of taking a little control of her illness.

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 don't normally read YA books, so I don't know about the 6 minute thing.

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.)
Yes, they are behaving in character.

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 sad.

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 was really sad at what happened to Poe.

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 think they both will have an impact on each other, Will teaching Stella to actually live life, and Stella convincing Will there's benefit to staying alive as long as possible.

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?

Most people are either risk takers or risk avoiders, and Abby was clearly a risk taker, using her personality to live for both her and Stella.

12) I loved Barb's parental takedown. Do you think the shift in Stella's parents will last?

I have finished the book, so I already know.

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?

Fuller

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

It depends on the situation

I've finished Five Feet Apart and so far I've done two days of questions. I'll finish the rest this after noon and mark them on the spreadsheet.

Day 2 Questions

Sorry these are a little early - I can't guarantee I'll get online tomorrow round work.

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?

In the US many clinical trials are not free. And I imagine even if they are, there are ways for people to pay their way into them.

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?

I think it's a lonely life for Stella, and meeting someone she's attracted to who doesn't take his life and treatments seriously touched a chord in her.

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?

Probably something in between.

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?
I'm a GP trainee so have been at work throughout with a massive shift to remote consultations. That bit is easier compared to entertaining a 2 year old without any of the friends/family/groups as distractions!

I've been working so that has kept me occupied. It is hard not to be able to visit friends thought.

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 remember reading any books written after the movie.


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!)

I don't know anyone 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'm guessing that their personalities will rub off on each other and Will will start being more careful and Stella will loosen up.


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'm not sure I'd call her interest in building a tech app a hobby, and I've read many books where girls/women have an interest in technology and math. I can't think off the top of my head about other interests, but I'm sure they're out there.


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?

Maybe the stress from Stella's illness or a disagreement over treatment?

Looks black to me!

I'm trying to get caught up on my reading. My work schedule has picked up (3 more weeks for people in the US to get their taxes done and all the procrastinators are finally showing up!) I just started Five Feet Apart.

Sammy wrote: "Hello there team Gulliver!

Having just finished The Art of Fielding (a book I can heartily recommend!), I am left in the mood for more sports-themed books, so have come to see if a..."

Sorry Sammy! I love a sports-themed book, but unfortunately I only read the "trashy romance" kind so I can't help you. :-)

✿ Claire ✿ wrote: "So my first day of the challenge is not going well. I came back from work two hours ago to learn that one of my cats had been run over by a car... I'm so mad and sad... I'm not going to be able to ..."

I'm so very sorry about your kitty cat, Claire.

I'm still thinking about what I want to start with - I'm more of a mood reader than a planner. I'm trying to finish up a couple of books before we get started - can't wait!

I've been going through my read books to figure out what to recommend - do I go with new books that I really liked or old favorites? So hard to decide!

A newer read I really enjoyed:


An older favorite:


Love this author and it works for Z and L!

My shelf: wheel-v

Hi everyone. I'm Sandy and I feel like the odd woman out - I live in California in the US, so my time zone is pretty far away from all of yours. I live with my two Golden Retrievers and two cats. I'm working right now - I do taxes and our tax season in the US was extended from April until July 15th. After that I'm off for the rest of the year. I think this is my third Wheel - its a lot of fun! My preferred genre is romance, but since I do a lot of challenges I end up reading all different genres (especially for SRC.)

I've got some Mariana Zapata books on my TBR that I want to read that will also help for Z.