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

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

This is it!

... said no one ever!

One more and I am done.

Reserved

Oh Mods, could you be ever so kind and open Empire State Building, so I can sneak in before all the remaining fun team members rush in? They be cray cray! Thank you muchly! :P

This was so much fun! And what a wonderful team performance across these 8 weeks - thank you everyone for being so flexible with your reads. It was particularly fun finding books that fit all the various tasks! :)

If "puzzle s " (plural) is allowed, I will take the puzzle task.

Ashley, since we are closer to the end of the challenge, do you want us collectively focus on finishing any specific mini challenges over others, presuming they yield us more completion points?

It seems like Admin (in its current iteration) and Relax are closer being complete than Family and Garden. Or does it not matter? Just trying to see where we can grab some more points.

Cathy M. wrote: "I finished Sweep of the Heart - marked as read and on shelf. Can someone please update on SS for me?"

Updated! :)

Team Lost Overdue Bill
Discussion Questions - Day 3, Chapters 14-21

9) I'm enjoying the variety of people and creatures (for lack of a better word) in the story. Do you have a favorite? Is there one you'd dream up and like to see wandering the island?
The variety of people are definitely fun to read. While they all have their fun elements, I can't seem to look beyond Caz and Meep and how adorable (and resourceful) they are. I don't think if it had been just Keila's story, I would have been as invested. So, props to Caz and Meep for stealing the show for me.

10) If you could have a helper sentient plant, what type would you choose and why?
Spider Plant is infact a great choice, but the Pothos sitting right next to me would be very mad, if I don't take it name as my person sentient plant. :P

11) Do you think it is remotely realistic that Kiela can keep her activities secret? And with the trouble at the center of the empire, would any of those in power notice or care?
No, that was the part where I had to suspend my belief to go along with the book - but thankfully, Fenerer and Ivor came up and helped with the fact that not everyone on the island is oblivious about the activities Keila is up to. Also, I won't be surprised if there are others who have noticed but are keeping it quiet since the magic hasn't been harmful per say so far.

12) Radane, trouble for Kiela in more ways than one?
Finally, a villain. I was getting a bit of sugar rush with all the sweetness so far. I am a bit further along the book, so I know what Radane does - but, it was a good change of pace adding her in and creating some trouble.

13) Previous questions have touched on this but I'm thinking Kiela has avoided sharing what's happening with the revolution as a trauma response. If she doesn't talk about it than she can almost ignore it? It makes me wonder what happened to her parents. Like the library became her home/only place she felt safe after losing them and then it literally burned before her eyes. Anyone have thoughts about why she still isn't sharing to the point of literally running away?
I think her stealing the books from the library has a lot to do with her not speaking about the revolution and its aftereffects. With Radane on the island now, it threatens that so may be we will see a different side to Keila and hear the true story after all, but I think her parents death did impact her majorly, so to get that story, we might have to wait till she feel comfortable and safe enough to share that. Maybe with Larran eventually?

Team Lost Overdue Bill
Discussion Questions - Day 2, Chapters 8-13

6. There's more information released here about magic use and it's impact on the world. What do you think about this?
This is a fun version of the magic that we are exposed to so far - but I am sure there are a lot of dark implications to it and likely that is the reason why the empire removed from far off islands and probably also why there was a revolution. But, I doubt if any of that will be explained in this book (and while I would love this to be a standalone fantasy book), we will likely get a prequel book to explain some details. As of now, we are working off of a lot of assumptions and I guess for the sake of this story, I am fine with working off of those, purely because the magic, while structurally central to the story, isn't necessary running the story forward as we get to know the characters and their interpersonal relations.

7. Lucky that Kiela can exploit the absence of fruit to fill a niche shop, eh?! What do you think about her plan to make a living out of jam and secret magic?
Given her limited resources and the overall dearth of things on the island, this is quite a good plan. What I do like is that it is taking her out of her shell and making her interact with people, which she is realizing isn't quite a bad thing. So, she is growing as a person too. Plus, Keila seems like a nice person that she intends to help people with her magic, so overall her actions are not just beneficial for her, but will help the island hopefully come out of its rut as well.

8. Kiela and Larran keep having meet cute moments. Do you like this romantic pairing?
I love it when there is no insta-love and this slow burn between Keila and Larran is right up my alley. I feel like I am on that exploration journey with them and their actions make more sense when it is not randomly instantaneous. Plus, they both seem sweet enough, so I feel like wanting to root for them - so overall I am pretty on-board this Keilarran train! :)

Team Lost Overdue Bill
Discussion Questions - Day 1, Chapters 1-7

1. The book opens with quite a tough scene: a Great Library is set on fire and Kiela has already packed crates of books to rescue. And she asks herself the question "if she were stranded on a desert island, which books would she most want to have with her?"
Now I'm putting you the same question limiting your possibilities to
- 1 complete works of an author
- 2 book series
- 3 standalone books from different genres, 1 must be non-fiction
Excellent question this! I will take these with me (for now, ask me later and things might have changed :P)
- 1 complete works of an author: Stephen King and/or T.J. Klune
- 2 book series: Stephanie Plum (Janet Evanovich) , because it is a ridiculously funny cozy mystery and Shades of Magic (V.E. Schwab) for some excellent fantasy world building.
- 3 standalone books from different genres, 1 must be non-fiction: Pachinko (Min Jin Lee) - historical fiction, A Man Called Ove (Frederik Bachman) - literary fiction, and Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom) - non-fiction

2. While it's only explained sketchily, a little politics, history (?) of the Empire is mentioned, alongside some curious species, flora & fauna (winged kitties, anyone?) What do you think of the world-building so far?
It certainly is exciting, but so far it has made much of an impact on the story per say (except for there being a talking plant and a centaur running a shop) - I would definitely be hoping for a lot more of how that politics of Alyssium play a role into Keila's story and possibly get a little more of her background from when she was on the island.

3. It's mentioned several times how Kiela keeps herself to herself in the Library (apart from Caz's company). Do you think such an almost complete isolation described here is possible even in such a vast Library?
I am to understand that this is an absolute giant of a library and if so, then I won't be surprised if one just completely gets lost in the depths of it. Even in cities in the real world (which are not college towns with kids studying all over) libraries are not necessarily the most crowded of places and most certainly not the most chattiest of areas - so if some finds a nook and gets lost there, I won't be terribly surprised.

4. I found it a bit disturbing that Kiela doesn't tell anyone on the island that she came away because a revolution has broken out in the capital (I understand her keeping silent about the books). It IS supposed to be a big deal after all and one would think they will learn about it eventually. A bit later some excuses are offered. Do you think they are sufficient or it's just a usual plot-driving tool?
It is a plot-driving tool so far. Rather, I was mildly surprised that the news of an uprising in the city that big didn't travel to the island already - but I am sure it will come back into the storyfold once Keila is settled on the island and thinks her life is all set and she got away with the magical books.

5. I really liked the idea of Kiela & Caz sectioning the garden and naming them after book genres. Which genres would you name parts of your real or hypothetical garden? :)
I don't have a garden and not likely envision owning a giant house which will host a garden - but it could be a terrace garden, so I would generally be sure what is growing where since most of it would be potted plants. Traditions flowers like Jasmine, Roses, Periwinkles etc. will be "Historical Fiction", seasonings/spices like chillies, coriander, curry leaves, mustard, garlic etc. will be "Harlequin Romance or Erotica" for the sizzle they will add, vegetables like tomato, spinach, peppers etc. will be "Literary Fiction" for their continual quality.

Cathy M. wrote: "Hey Ashley, can you please correct the formula to count the columns for the letters correctly? Doesn't seem to be doing that right - I do tend to look at them to see what letters we might need for ..."

Should be corrected now. Drop in a word if something still seems amiss.

Team Lost Overdue Bill
Discussion Questions - Day 3
(Then - Then 58%
first line "Marcus changes completely..."
last line "...serious chat about your future")

11. "The sound of teeth against a spoon when someone's eating soup, insects that scuttle, people who don't listen, RATS, and when uncle Terry says 'WOMEN!'" - what a random list of pet peeves (Are they even pet peeves? Rats?? And uncle Terry 'all on his own'???),,, What are some of yours?
People who don't exhibit a sense of public awareness by being loud, those who talk with the phone on loudspeaker, or who listen to music/play video games without a headphone - basically any shared space where you are not being considerate of the other people who share said space rankles me often.

12. Dylan's (and Marcus') trip through Europe has become much more than just that, ending up in Asia, trying to figure out what to do with his life when he's already been handed it all on a silver platter. His dad is a douche and clearly wants to dictate Dylan's life while Dylan just keeps running away from his problems. Lucky he has all this money (his dad's I would assume) to just throw away. Can you relate to him in any way? Do you feel bad for him?
No and No. I understand not knowing what to do with your life or being scared of taking the big decisions, but inactivity and cribbing about things not happening to you irrespective of that inactivity does not generate any sympathy from me. Dylan is a prime example of it. Make up your mind, if you can't do that, get up and start doing something.

13. "Nowadays we date, we shop around. If we really like someone we spend more time with them. Then we move in with them a few years down the line. Then, maybe, if we've lost the will to live or whatever it is that compells people to settle down we marry them. We don't rearrange our lives because of a good shag."

"Addie, she's not right for you (...) Stop that! Don't you see what you're doing? You're turning her into something she's not. You don't understand her. She's not your beautiful muse, Dylan. She's messy and dark. And raw. She's a disaster waiting to happen. She's got power. And she doesn't even know it yet you know. She's like,,, she's untapped. (...) She's not right for you. Okay?"

Did Marcus already know something we didn't at this point? Did something happen between Marcus and Addie back in France? And then the way Marcus took care of Dylan after getting too high, in the bathroom.... Do you think he (not so?) secretely has feelings for Dylan? Or is he just jealous?
Marcus having feelings for Dylan is the obvious next step here - but I would hate for the author to use this trope and make it sound like closeted gay people are out to take your straight boyfriends. It certainly would be interesting to see how the author gets out of this one and explains Marcus' intentions without making them stereotypical.

14. Rodney thinking Deb has drowned in the river and actually LOOKING FOR A BODY IN THE WATER!!! had me laugh out loud to be honest, but only because of how frickin ridiculous this book is. Definitely expected something more cutesie and wholesome for some reason. Being almost two thirds into the book now, how do you feel about it so far? Is it meeting your expectations?
I went into it with low expectations - what did surprise me was how even those ended up being too high for this book. Literally read this for the points, but what a headache of a book.

Team Lost Overdue Bill
Discussion Questions - Day 2
Then - Now 38%
(first line "Can't the girl find..."
last line "shitshow of a strategy")

6. The author goes for the switching POVs and timelines method. How do you like these in general? And do you think it is a good fit for this book?
Generally, I love books when they go back and forth across characters and timelines, if done well. Because, that is infact a specific skill that an author must learn. Here it seems like a decent tool given that the story actually does take place across two timelines, but the writing here is so basic, that the structure is hardly the issue.

7. We get to meet some more characters along the way in the "THEN" section: Dylan's uncle Terry, his brother, the mysterious Grace and other friends whose dynamics to Dylan and Marcus should shed some more light on their characters and motivation. But do they? Do you feel like you are getting to know them better? Or understand them? (Or care?)
Don't add anything. Don't make it fun. Don't excite me. Don't care.

8. What do you think about Dylan's and Addie's past relationship in France? Do you like it/find it convincing? What about their sudden meeting in the present and the insta-lust after all the emotional baggage they seem to be dragging with them?
If I have one pet peeve about books, it is instalove/instalust. I absolutely dislike it when the author just pitches two people in front of each other, and bam! they are deeply in love now. That, for me, is a lazy form of writing and it really doesn't create any about of attraction or empathy towards the characters or their stories. The way the story is written stands on all those lazy tropes and muddles along to a potential tepid and obvious conclusion.

9. I'm not really sure I'd call this book a "romance" though it certainly offers the trope of second-chance. Do you have any favourite romantic trope(s) or one that you especially dislike?
As I mentioned early, insta-love does not work for me. In contrast, a slow burn where you can feel the characters actually fall in love as you go works wonders. That can also branch out to an enemies-to-lovers angle or a friends-to-lovers angle, which if one well, can be wonderful.

10. Any guesses what part Rodney may play in the plot or do you think he's just some kind of "filler" character?
I would like for Rodney to have some arc, because he is actually the one character that is fun to read. But, as is the case with the comedic sidekick, he might just be there to ease the tension in the car with the history that the other four share with each other.

Team Lost Overdue Bill
Discussion Questions - Day 1
Now - Now last line "...reach out and touch her."

1. Is this your first book by O'Leary? Only reading for points and that lovely 'O' letter for Wheel-a-thon or was it already on your tbr list?
This is my first book by the author and really I hadn't even heard of her before this - so excited to start something new, but to be honest, the primary intension was the bonus points. :)

2. Road trips. Love them, hate them? If you've gone on a road trip before what are some must have for the journey?
Do love road trips (obviously the company makes a massive amount of difference), but generally, they are pretty fun. For me, the must haves are really the people in the road trip should have the same intent towards that trip. If one person is doing it for relaxation and the other for exploration, it does not work as well. Also, you need to be a little spontaneous on a road trip - off-roading is often times the most fun part of a road trip.

3. Deb's comment about never having a baby obviously proved untrue. Do we think the baby daddy is going to make an appearance in the story? Or do you think it's a no name person who isn't relevant to the book?
I don't think so - I mean, it really won't matter even if we add one more character who is a cardboard cutout. Deb story works fine on her own, and it might just be better to keep it as such, instead of muddling the waters more.

4. The flagrant unconcern about money by half the characters is a bit gross. Do you think that's at the root of Dylan and Addie's split? Or do you think it's the mysterious Grace? Marcus especially seems to not know the whole breakup story. Any guesses to why Dylan didn't seem to tell him the truth?
Honestly, the flagrant unconcern about money is the least of my worries about these characters. But yeah, what do you expect from rich kids who live in a bubble and think their hardships are unsurmountable! The obvious guess at the reason of Dylan and Addie's split seems to be Marcus (albeit unknowingly) and how toxic their equations with each other are.

5. Initial impressions of the cast of characters?
A bunch of brats! Really don't care about anyone. They are all written in such caricatures, that it is unintentionally funny. They all seem spoilt, who can't get their shit together and are stuck acting like teenagers. The central romance also is so run of the mill, that I am unfortunately unimpacted by their breakup or their (from what it obviously seems) patch-up.

Now that we have everyone checked in (thank you, you awesome folks!) and we still have TWO (!!) days to go till we can start (time to get all your "exciting" dusting, cleaning, vacuuming done - I know, breathtaking stuff!) - let's talk about some awesome books you might have read in the first 9 months of this year.

Which have been the top 3 (or 5, or 10) books you have read in 2024? (because our TBRs are so barebones right now, duh! :P)

Volunteering for DQs for Team Lost Overdue Bill. :)

Righty-o! Is it weird that I was actually paying a bill (thankfully, not long overdue!), while looking at a Bougainville, dreaming of a summer in Brazil, as I got slotted in this team? Do the Mods know something we don't? :O

So, I'm Apoorv (he/him), currently living in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, and I am beyond thrilled to do another round of Wheels. This will be my 8th Wheel-a-thon (missed the 6th edition, ugh! - probably was paying another of these bills during that sign up, bah!).

And what a team we have this time around! I have in fact been on Teams with a fair few of you, so it makes it more fun to be amongst friends. And I get to make new friends as well. Best part of these challenges. :)

And and we have got a kickass captain this time around in Ashley (which is great, because then I can just sit and look pretty! :P) - but seriously, look at the gorgeous spreadsheet she has created. I bet the challenge will go swimmingly when tracking is made so smooth. But, of course, if you have any questions at all at any time during the challenge, please don't hesitate to ask them (simple ones to me, difficult ones to Ashley - please and thank you :P)

I am chuffed to be here and excited to know about all of you and have lots of fun for the next 3 months.
YAAY! :D



Challenge Shelf: Challenge-NBRC-Wheels 9

🌟 Icebreaker Question: 🌟
If you could magically eliminate one boring chore from your life forever, which one would it be and why? 🧹✨
Honestly, none! I love doing chores! :=| (said no one ever!)
It probably would be deep cleaning appliances. Because, that seems to be the one thing that I keep putting off more than the other tasks.

One more? Eh, sure!
You never know, these scary Mods be throwing random challenges at us for (their) fun!