Navi’s Comments (group member since Mar 05, 2018)

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

Here's a list of Space Opera books I've read and loved!

I second Jenn's recommendation - Hyperion is a great read!

My main focus will be reading the Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio during this challenge! The good thing is they are all space operas and long books but the bad thing is I won’t be able to read as many books because of the longer length…but a lot of points!!

The first two books are rereads for me but I read them last year so longer than the 6 month challenge file 😊

Hi everyone! I'm excited to start this challenge. I've been meaning to add some more Space Opera books to my TBR so this will be an extra motivation for me :)

-What is the favorite thing you remember about your hometown?
- being able to walk everywhere!

-What are your favorite two movies?
- Hereditary and What We Do in the Shadows

-What is your favorite reality show?
- Hmm I don't really watch reality TV but I used to be obsessed with the MTV Challenge

-Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?
- Dark!

-If you could read one book again for the first time, which one would it be?
- The Library of Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

-If you could have one magical or superhero power, what would it be?
- I would love the power of never having to sleep lol!

-Rollercoaster or quiet walk through the woods?
Both!

-And finally, list five (or more) books that we all need to add to our TBR lists.
- Mary by Nat Cassidy
- Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel
- Little Eve by Catriona Ward
- Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison
- Mother Thing by Ainslie Hogarth

Thank you Kat and Carrie for stepping in to take my place!!

Good luck Team Cassandra :)

Hi everyone! My life has been a crazy hectic recently so my reading has really taken a nose dive. I won't be able to commit to reading a certain number of books for the next weeks. I'm entering a busy season at work and don't see an end in sight :(. Are there any reserve players that can take my place? I don't mind staying on as a part of this team until a replacement is found. So sorry for the inconvenience!

Steven wrote: "Thanks for letting us know Navi. One of us will check that.

Did you link your comments for us to add to the spreadsheet? Can you do that for us please? That way we don’t have to go through multipl..."

Yes, I did! Yay for more points!

Hi Captains! I took a look at the final Cassandra SS and noticed that my BOM participation was not accounted for (The Travelling Cat Chronicles). I'm not sure if there is a BOM participation cap for each team but just wanted to let you all know :)

I have a bunch of books I started before June 1 that I need to finish before I can start helping with these tasks - sorry!

Megan L wrote: "Perfect Strangers by J.T. Geissinger 5 Stars!!!!

OMG!!! OMG!!! I don't give out 5 stars very often but this was hands down one of the best books I have read in awh..."

Thank you for the recommendation!!

DQ May 19- How Noriko Learned to Love - End of Book
Team Cassandra

13. In this chapter we get to know Saturo's Aunt Noriko better. What adjectives would you use to describe Noriko's personality? How did you feel about the way Noriko revealed Saturo's birth story? Were you surprised to learn he was adopted?


Noriko - caring, dutiful, protective and awkward with Saturo but means well. I thought she could have told Saturo the trust in a better way. I thought it was quite abrupt. She should have had a bit more empathy.

Yes, I was surprised!

14. Did you think Nana running off towards the end and living his former life as a stray was fitting for the story. Was it believable that he would come back and forth visiting Saturo in the hospital?


Yes, Nana was too independent to be anyone's pet. It seemed like the only reason he stayed with Saturo was because he saved his life.

I found that believable - it seems like Nana was also surprised by how much he ended up caring for Saturo towards the end.

15. Endings...they must be the second hardest thing to write for authors after beginnings. Did you like the ending? You may consider the Epilogue also when answering the question, if you like.


I wasn't the biggest fan of the epilogue as it felt a bit rushed but I liked the ending well enough.

16. The author, Hiro Arikawa, has written other books, with very different genre. She has written books about Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). (I have to admit I know nothing about that!).
Would you read another book written by her? And lastly, would you recommend this book to others? If so, would you only recommend it to people who you know are cat lovers or would you widely recommend it?


I would definitely check out her nonfiction books - I'm intrigued by those topics!

I would recommend this book but only for a certain type of reader. Personally, I find it a bit too saccharine and sentimental for my taste. I'd recommend to readers who have cats, enjoy the sparseness of Japanese literature and are looking for a short, quick book to read in one sitting.

DQs 16 May: Prologue - DQ: 17 May - The Unsentimental Farmer
Team Cassandra

5) I really like reading the cat's thoughts. It can be quite funny. Do you think these are convincing cat thoughts?

Yes, definitely! This is exactly how I imagine a cat would think. All of the snark and sass lol!

6) In this chapter we are introduced to Yoshimine, another potential owner for our cat. What do you think of him and his backstory?

I liked Yoshimine. At first, I thought he was pretty detached from his farm animals. He was all business which I guess you kind of have to be as a farmer. As an animal lover, I found that a bit hard to read.

That being as said, I found that he was putting up a bit of a front. He really seemed to love his kitten.

7) Do you think Yoshimine would have been a good owner for Nana ?


Yes, I think he would have a great owner!

8) Yoshimine has already a kitten called Chatran, and Satoru makes fun of him for naming his cat with such a cliché name. What is for you the most cliché cat name(s)? In french it is quite common to call a cat Chaussette (meaning sock), Mistigri or Felix (actually a cat food brand).

Leo, Oliver and Luna

Finally finished my long biography (Queen Mary if anyone is interested). I loved it and highly recommend if you enjoy learning about Royal figures! 😊

I'll definitely be finishing Queen Mary, Sundial and The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science before the end of the month!

DQs 16 May: Prologue - The Husband Without a Wife
Team Cassandra

1. How are you liking the way the story is written with its alternating POVs ? Is there a POV you prefer ?

Really enjoying it so far. I love multiple POVs in stories, especially non-human perspectives!

The cat’s POV is hands down my favourite. He’s so sassy! That’s exactly how I imagine cats think.

2. Through the flashbacks we get to know Satoru's personality a bit more. What do you make of him so far ? What did you think about his way of helping his friend Kosuke?

Satori seems like a great friend. The only thing I found strange was when he told Kosuke to pretend to commit suicide so his parents would let him keep the cat. He seems a bit impulsive/emotional. I’d be interested to see whether this comes up again later in the book.

3. Talking about Kosuke, what's up with his parents ? It seemed to me that Kosuke was genuinely convinced that his father would agree to keep the cat (Hachi). What did you think about his backstory ?

Kosuke’s Dad is strict but I did find it realistic that his parents didn’t let him keep Hachi (especially considering Kosuke has allergies!)

It is crazy how much of a hold Kosuke’s Dad has on him as an adult. He followed in his dad’s footsteps joining his company but still receives no respect. I hated how his Dad spoke to Kosuke’s wife - I really don’t blame her for wanting a break from Kosuke.

4. Why do you think Satoru can't take care of Nana anymore ?

Going solely by the book title, I think Satori wants to travel and won’t be able to take Nana with him

Mia wrote: "So i have a question that's kinda unrelated to the challenge.

Is all the "english" audiobook services like audible? Where you pay a monthly subscription and have to buy books as well?
Because my..."

Mia - you should take a look at Scribd! You pay a set monthly price and you can listen to multiple audiobooks. The company states that it's unlimited but I think that's a bit misleading. If you listen to a lot of popular releases, you'll be cut off until the next month. You should take advantage of a free trial month.

https://www.scribd.com/

I’ll be able to finish all of the tasks I’ve claimed on the SS. I also have a book with an instrument on the cover that I can squeeze in if it’s not claimed by next week

@Sophie - I noticed you put The Grace of Kings on the SS! I’d love to know your thoughts when you get around to it. It’s on my TBR but I need to finish a few series before starting another hehe! 😅

Insiyah wrote: "

Navi - please recheck the edition and page count for The Queen of the Night - they don't seem to match on the SS.

Megan - Please add Things We Never Got Over, Broken Hill High and Until Mayhem t..."

Done - sorry about that, Insiyah!

Yay! I’m currently working on finishing up three books. The biography I’m reading is close to 800 pages so that may end up taking me right until the end of the month. If I finish these early, I’ll claim more tasks. I’ve been reading some fantastic books!

I hope everyone else is enjoying their books as well☺️