Apoorv ’s Comments (group member since Mar 26, 2014)

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

You guys are genuinely awesome to actually be able to narrow it down to 10 books you'd recommend! Wow! :D

Thank you everybody who posting their favorite shelves, now let me ask you to do something even more crazier. Haha. :P

List out the Top 10 books you have ever read you would like to recommend.

I will collate the information up top and we can share it with the other teams.

I'll start,

Pachinko | Min Jin Lee
This Is How It Always Is | Laurie Frankel
When All Is Said | Anne Griffin
Dear Edward | Ann Napolitano
Full Disclosure | Camryn Garrett
The Night Diary | Veera Hiranandani
Miracle Creek | Angie Kim
My Dark Vanessa | Kate Elizabeth Russell
Interior Chinatown | Charles Yu
The Black Flamingo | Dean Atta

Hey! Hey! Hey!
I'm Apoorv, (supposedly) your co-captain. :P
I have been playing Tower Teams for a wee bit now and clearly love this challenge. It also doesn't help that I am wildly addicted to GoodReads and am just here wandering through the groups in search of group challenges. LOL!

Just like Annalisa, I'm also captaining a group in UNO, so will be focused a bit there till it ends at the end of this month, but will totally be around here.

I live in Boston, Massachusetts, USA and read almost everything that I can get my hands on (except maybe religious fiction). And Tower Teams has historically definitely helped me venture more into a variety of genres and authors.

Tower Teams Shelf: Challenge-NBRC-TT8

Since it is the Awards season for the movies, I am thoroughly engrossed in watching all the nominated movies across the globe, so I am a happy camper these days. The last one I watched was Minari (Dir. Lee Isaac Chung) which is a beautiful story of a South Korean family trying to find their footing in America. Highly recommend it!

Cannot wait to get the ball rolling on this one. We have a fun challenge in front of us! :D

In the interim feel free to ask any questions you have. I promise I will answer all the easy ones and let Nikk and Annalisa tackle the not so easy ones! :P

Okay, stop already. :P

TEAMMATE Tower Teams Shelves

• Annalisa - Tower 2021
• Apoorv - Challenge-NBRC-TT8
• Becky - Tower Challenge
• Diana - TT 2021
• Dorota - TT_2021
• Ekaterina - Challenge-TT8
• Erin - Tower Teams 8
• Jade - Tower Teams 21
• Laila Jane - TowerTeams8
• Lauri - NBRC TT 2021
• M - Tower 8
• Nikk - TTVIII2021

Team Angua von Uberwald
RECOMMENDATIONS

Pachinko | Min Jin Lee
This Is How It Always Is | Laurie Frankel
When All Is Said | Anne Griffin
Dear Edward | Ann Napolitano
Full Disclosure | Camryn Garrett
The Night Diary | Veera Hiranandani
Miracle Creek | Angie Kim
My Dark Vanessa | Kate Elizabeth Russell
Interior Chinatown | Charles Yu
The Black Flamingo | Dean Atta



Getting Rid of Bradley | Jennifer Crusie
The Blue Castle | L.M. Montgomery
Earth Fathers Are Weird | Lyn Gala
Discount Armageddon | Seanan McGuire
Widdershins | Jordan L. Hawk
Carry the Ocean | Heidi Cullinan
The Warrior's Apprentice | Lois McMaster Bujold
The Curse of Chalion | Lois McMaster Bujold
The 5th Gender | G.L. Carriger
Tikka Chance on Me | Suleikha Snyder



Think of England | K.J. Charles
Pansies | Alexis Hall
The Two Gentlemen of Altona | Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock
Fingersmith | Sarah Waters
The Fire's Stone | Tanya Huff
Know Not Why | Hannah Johnson
The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks | Josh Lanyon
That Alien Feeling | Alessandra Hazard
Night Drop | Marshall Thornton
The Only Gold | Tamara Allen



Emigrantes | José Maria Ferreira de Castro (English version available, even though not listed on GR)
Die tote Stadt | Wolfgang and Heike Hohlbein (no English version available but still needs to make it to my list!)
The Stone Raft | José Saramago
The Deep End of the Ocean | Jacquelyn Mitchard
Wuthering Heights | Emily Brönte
The Secret Keeper | Kate Morton
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas | John Boyne
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane | Kate DiCamillo
One Child | Torey Hayden
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine | Gail Honeyman



The Clan of the Cave Bear | Jean M. Auel
Memoirs of a Geisha | Arthur Golden
Outlander | Diana Gabaldon
Gone with the Wind | Margaret Mitchell
The Red Tent | Anita Diamant
In the Shadow of the Banyan | Vaddey Ratner
Honolulu | Alan Brennert
Spring Moon: A Novel of China | Bette Bao Lord
The Hummingbird's Daughter | Luis Alberto Urrea
Lonesome Dove | Larry McMurtry



The Viscount Who Loved Me | Julia Quinn
Beach Read | Emily Henry
The Poppy War | RF Kuang
A Natural History of Dragons | Marie Brennan
The Magicians' Guild | Trudi Canavan
The Space Between Worlds | Micaiah Johnson
The Host | Stephenie Meyer
The Widows of Malabar Hill | Sujata Massey
The Alice Network | Kate Quinn
Beartown | Fredrick Backman



Mist Over Pendle | Robert Neill
The Secret Garden | Frances Hodgson Burnett
Memoirs of a Geisha | Arthur Golden
It | Stephen King
The Lord of the Rings: The Trilogy | J.R.R. Tolkien
Dark Witch | Nora Roberts
The Magicians' Guild | Trudi Canavan
Pride and Prejudice | Jane Austen
Pachinko | Min Jin Lee
The Witching Hour | Anne Rice



The Bronze Horseman | Paullina Simons
Illuminae | Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society | Mary Ann Shaffer
The Deal | Elle Kennedy
Beartown | Fredrik Backman
Devil in Winter | Lisa Kleypas
It Ends with Us | Colleen Hoover
A Discovery of Witches | Deborah Harkness
Small Great Things | Jodi Picoult
Addicted to You | Krista & Becca Ritchie



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OTHER Team Recommendations

Team Moist von Lipwig

Team Rob Anybody

Team Nanny Ogg

Team Librarian

Team Cherry Littlebottom

Team Archancellor Ridcully

Team Tiffany Aching

Team Lord Vetinari

Team Lady Sybil

Team The Luggage

Team Carrot Ironfoundersson

YOU GUYS ARE F'KING AWESOME!
This was such a joyous ride and all of you are just simply marvelous. Thank you for making me a part of the team and making these past weeks memorable. Cappies, you rock!

I'm sure I'll be bumping into all of you across GoodReads.
You might just have to tap me to get my attention because chances are I'm going to be busy drooling over some other hotties. :P

... and Sammy, O Sammy!!

Sammy wrote: "If you have time we could probably use a spare O, just in case :)"

I'm almost done with Lean Mean Thirteen which has an O, so we will have a backup, if needed.

Alison (Lady Coffin) wrote: "I will at least do Cut & Run, then we will see what is needed."

YAAAAAAASSSSSS!!! :D
*happy dance*

Cappies, links to my discussion questions for the BOM, The Sun Down Motel. Will add others, if required, in a wee bit.
DQs - Day 1
DQs - Day 2

Discussion Questions - Day 2
21% to 42%

6.) This section opens with some spooky stuff going on. If you saw literal ghosts in the creepy place you worked, would you split right away? Would you of left with sketchy-past Nick? Would you go back to work or think the overnight creep factor was making you see things that weren't really there?
Having worked the exact same job as both Viv and Carly, I totally expected to see ghosts during the night, more so because I don't really believe in them and wanted my thoughts challenged. So, honestly, if it happens I would love to be around than run away because I have so many questions. But, I understand why Carly decided to split with Nick at that time - when you experience something so out of the blue and there is someone who is there with you, you definitely would want to verify if the experiences match, or was it just your imagination.

7.) Viv listens to guests' phone conversations. There is the saying 'people who eavesdrop are seldom happy with what they hear'. Or something close to that anyway. Do you think she may over hear something that results in her disappearance? Would you listen in if you were Viv?
I wouldn't listen if I were Viv, because I think that saying has some meat to it. And while the phone conversations may not be a direct reason for Viv's disappearance, I definitely think that she will chance upon something really interesting which she finds important, which can set into motion a lot of things.

8.) There really have been several deaths of young women in Fell, especially factoring in the size of the town. Do you think they are all connected? Connected to Viv's disappearance? Do you buy into the police stance of no connection between any of them?
I do not buy into what the police are saying about these murders. I suspect that there is more that either they don't know or don't want to divulge. And there is definitely a chance that all these murders have a connection.

9.) What do you think of the complete laxness of management and staff at The Sun Down Motel? Anyone else wonder how the heck that place is still open? And more importantly, why?
I have actually seen a lot of run down motels across different cities, that just are there occupying spaces that could be used for better things. But, I guess it comes down to the owners not wanting to sell their land, and not having enough money in renovating whatever they have because they don't have enough guests - which is because the place looks creepy - so its sort of a weird business cycle that eats itself. As for the Sun Down Motel, the owner himself doesn't want it, but as he said, no one wants to buy it - so its going on!

10.) Any thoughts on the candy machine? It keeps popping up in both timelines. Maybe nothing, but in this type of story, who knows.
Oo, creepy candy machine! Honestly, I am guessing that is where one of the murders happened, or something related to a murder happened, and thus its life-like responses - but then again, it might be nothing and just a fiction of imagination or coincidence.

11.) Marnie and Callum are interesting additions to the character line-up, thoughts? Did you think it was strange that Marnie won't talk with Carly? Callum local nice boy-helper dude or creeper?
There is a lot that Marnie knows but isn't quite telling Carly, for some genuine reason as well I suppose. And Callum comes across as someone who is very nosy and invested in Carly's story - there is something more to him.

Discussion Questions - Day 1:
0-21% (ends "he opened the door.")

1. The Sundown Motel...what a perfect name for a motel! Have you ever stayed at a motel before...something like the Sundown? What was the name of the motel...Any interesting experiences come of that?
I have actually worked the exact same job that Viv and Carly have worked - the graveyard shift at a motel. So, this is very close to home and I am absolutely thrilled about it. Especially the details that Simone St. James details about how the night is the eeriest at 3am, or how the time just before dawn is very different than the entire night, is something I have been talking about to people I know for years now. I loved my experience and I didn't really have any such "interesting" motel-related experiences, but you sure meet a lot of colorful folks at that time of the day.

2. Viv is young and working alone. I don't think I would tolerate my daughter doing anything of the sort. What were you thinking from the 1st few pages? Viv comments..."Being with people was easy, but being alone was hard. Especially along in the dark. The person who could be truly alone, in the company of no one but oneself and one's own thought--that person was stronger than anyone else. More ready. More prepared."
I couldn't agree more. Having the ability to be absolutely content with your own company is by far the best feeling. You're never bored, you're never in need of someone to keep your spirits up, and you are always prepared for situations that can be alienating (point in case, CoViD-19).

3. What do you think the significance of the door to number 103 banging open/shut is?
My guess is that is the room where something really bad happened in the past, which is the root of all the paranormal manifestation that is happening around.

4. So far Carly's mom's reaction to seeing the newspaper clipping..."Vivian is dead" has really bothered me. What's your take? Have you already solved the case? Is Vivian dead?
I haven't quite solved the case yet, but I have a glint that she probably isn't dead or there is a whole another story towards her disappearance than death and I am ecstatic to see how that unfolds.

5. What did you think about the dual timeline between Viv and Carly? In what ways are Viv and Carly very similar? How are they different?
I love books with dual timelines and how they come together later at a point. If done well, it really shows the adeptness of the author and their command over their craft. As for Viv and Carly, I think Viv is more resourceful and Carly is more daring, but both are extremely keen.

I am just thirsty after this. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Cap Cap Cappies, just wanted to let you know that I have added, Dear Martin for an E on a new spellout #8.

If we move
Sonia's Ignite from I (Spellout #5) to U (Spellout #7), and
Sonia's A Deeper Blue from E (Spellout #6) to I (Spellout #5),
we can squeeze in "Dear Martin" in the vacant E (Spellout #6), thus completing out seventh spellout.

Cappies, links to my discussion questions for the BOM, Dear Martin. Will add others, if required, in a wee bit.
DQs - Day 1
DQs - Day 2

Discussion Questions - Day 2
Chapters 7 - 14

7. Let's start with Sarah-Jane. Justyce and her definitely had feelings for each other, and they didnt shy away from closeness until Jus was about to kiss her after the debate (lbr which was bad timing). Why did SJ suddenly give Justyce the cold shoulder, what are your thoughts? What's going through her head?
I think she was just taken aback at the moment. She clearly has feelings for Justyce, but the actual manifestation of them might have thrown her off. I am going to guess that it would just be a timely thing and they will get back together, as friends if not anything else.

8. It sucks that it took being drunk for Justyce to call out Manny but it's finally done! "They're my friends" was the dumbest excuse ever, but at least Manny finally woke up shortly after Blake's party and the fight Justyce and the guys had.
It's hard sometimes to stand up for what's right. It might not be safe, depending on where you are or who you're surrounded by. Do you judge Manny for not being able to stand up for himself and everybody else his 'friends' made fun of sooner? Was there ever anything you needed to work on first in order to be able to stand up for it?
I actually do not blame Manny. His inactivity does not stem from a lack of awareness, but from having to choose between two things that individually hold importance for him. But, I am glad that he decided to look beyond himself and his preferences to look at things from a big-picture perspective and see how toxic that "friend circle" was. I have a lot of inner dialogue when I find myself in situations like this because I tend to lean towards what is comfortable for others even at the expense of my discomfort, and with age, I am beginning to learn how to work with that.

9. It seems like Manny didn't only call Dr. Dray to check on Justyce after the fight, but also his mama and Mela. It confused me a little since he doesn't like Mel and how she treats Jus. And it hasn't even been mentioned again (so far). What did you make of this? Do you think Mela will end up playing a big part in the rest of the book? And did you ever have a teacher who was as involved in his students lives as Doc is?
I love Dr. Dray. He is a teacher that very earnestly provides a platform for dialogue for everyone, and that is extremely important. He doesn't treat his students as kids, but as people with voices and opinions and I respect that in a person. I haven't had teachers who were so deeply involved in their students' life, but I have been extremely fortunate to have had some of the best teachers in my life, who have definitely helped me shape my personality.

10. Manny's dad tried to keep all signs of racism and how he could be mistreated from him for as long as he could whereas Justyce's mama has prepared him ever since he was little. They also grew up in two completely different neighbourhoods and surroundings. What are your thoughts on the parents' different ways of bringing up their sons? Do you think there's a right way to go about this?
There isn't a rulebook for parenting, and honestly parenting is an on-the-job learning process. No one quite knows how to be a parent beforehand. So, while one method may seem more right in a certain situation, there can't be any generalization.

11. 😳 that's one way to end today's chapters! My heart is still racing. What do you think happened, who got shot? And be honest, did you keep reading or take a peek just to find out what happened? (I'll be honest I did take a quick peek :x)
Oh, I kept reading alright! :P I needed to know, because by golly, that was something.

Discussion Questions - Day 1
Chapters 1 - 6

1. We meet Justyce when he's trying to do a good deed by helping is drunk ex-girlfriend. This scene sets quite the mood for the upcoming chapters and (I assume) the rest of the book. Do you like our main character so far? Do you like his inner monologue, portrayed in the letters to Martin?
So far, definitely rings positives bells for me. Justyce seems like someone who has a head on their shoulders and importantly, knows how to use it. The letters to Martin is a stroke of genius, IMO. Its very well written and beautifully expositioned which gives us a wonderful way to dig deep into what really is going through Justyce's mind.

2. Let's talk about the girls - Melo and Sarah-Jane. The ex-girlfriend (sort of?) and the debate partner. Let's also factor in the other important female in Justyce's life, namely his mother. What do you make of each of them? And what to you make of their interactions with Justyce? And more importantly, what are we supposed to make of Justyce's interactions with them in light of his mother's statement not to bring a white girl home?
Melo, so far, seems anything but mellow - and I am not sure I appreciate people with a certain attitude about themselves. But, I hope we get to see a bit more of her story and her reasons for reacting the way she does. Sarah-Jane seems like a badass and I'm down with that. I would definitely want to see more tactile warmth from Justyce's mother because clearly Justyce needs it, but she seems like a worldly lady who says more than show. The mother's dictum is honestly a very common situation in house of people of color, so I absolutely wasn't surprised with that rule.

3. Jared is our token white boy who thinks all is right with the world when clearly it isn't. The equality discussion was interesting, I found, because Jared's logic is sound. And yet at the same time, it isn't at all. What example would you give Jared, where you speaking in SJ's stead, to show how wrong he is?
Jared, while being a very obvious stereotype, has some salvaging qualities. He clearly lives in his privileged bubble, but he does raise interesting points in that debate. So, I do have hopes for him to actually think when shown. I would love to discuss contemporary situations which in his daily life are absolute non-issues but can be a major point of contention in the life of a PoC. Things that seem obvious to a white, privileged, cis-male - but which are a mountain to climb to anyone who doesn't tick those boxes off.

4. The Equality Brigade was quite the spectacle! Literally. Disguised as a klansman to portray equality. I can't help but wonder if Blake is an idiot of epic proportions or if there was a message he would have liked to show the world including his friends, especially considering the fact that the "costume" was the genuine thing. What did you think of this brain child of Jared's?
Oh boy! It was a disaster in the making from the get-go! What a hare-brained idea! No wonder it stems from the brain of someone who lives with rose-tinted glasses on. It was insensitive, insipid, and idiotic.

5. Justyce as well as his best friend Manny are black boys stuck in a rich white school. They each have their own issues to deal with in regards to this situation. Manny, the rich black guy, who is considered one of them, and Justyce, the poor black guy, who is more and more often questioning his place in this world, the place he is trying to carve for himself. Do you think Manny should have acted differently in the lounge scene when he was peer pressured into drinking to equality? Knowing full well what happened to his best friend not too long ago?
This is a tough situation to be in. We all strain to find a group or people where we can just let go and not care about anything. I think Manny feels that way with these white folks, irrespective of how insensitive the whole group can be when viewed from outside, So, I can probably understand Manny's myopia since he is looking inside-out, but one needs to stand for things outside oneself as well. Things that matter for the greater good.

6. Short mention of Trey and his friends needs to be made. The Black Jihad gang, one of whose members shot Officer Castillo. Personally, I can't help but wonder if someone shot him to take revenge on the crap he's probably pulled for quite a while - Justyce certainly wasn't the only one - or if it was a shooting gone wrong. That thought aside, Trey makes Justyce (and maybe also Manny) feel like he's turning his back on his own people. Do you think he is right in telling Justyce this? Is Justyce right in questioning the things Trey tells him and wondering whether there may not be a grain of truth in it? Should Justyce have stayed at the party regardless or was it better to leave (with the others) when he did?
I understand where Trey is coming from, especially after seeing that bunch and their costumes. Things that are so on-the-nose tend to err to the side of insensitivity in most situations, and when someone who is similar to you in terms of background, culture etc. tends to be okay (or atleast not actively oppose) with the on-goings, one can feel that they are complicit or worse, involved. So, it was a situation where there were many rights amongst the many wrongs.

Question:
Does any of the already read/intended books for this round have a spare U?

The reason I ask is I intend to read the BOTM Dear Martin and can fit that in this round, but AFAIK it doesn't have an U.

So, if we can swap any of those spare U books with this, we can complete the last spell-out on the spreadsheet.

"Dear Martin" works for E, G, T, N, C, R, and S from what I see prima facie.

Cappies, links to my discussion questions for the BOM, Five Feet Apart. Will add others, if required, in a wee bit.
DQs - Day 1
DQs - Day 2

Discussion Questions
Day 2

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?
It didn't, probably because I have heard of money being spent on medical treatments/trials before. But given how much Will has traveled around the globe to try out different treatments, it sure seems like a major hole in his mother's pockets.

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?
Eh! I absolutely am not a fan of insta-love, but I guess I'm giving this a pass this time, given the circumstances and the time span that the characters have.

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?
I am similar to Stella in my approach about anything, especially if the situation is this grave. I wouldn't be happy to have the doctor say that I don't do my part. Honestly, its only fair for me to expect them to do their job, if I follow through on my end.

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 was on a vacation visiting family before all hell broke loose, so I have just been on an extended vacation now. I have been able to explore and learn a lot of new things, and so far it has been fairly great given the circumstances.