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

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

Emily wrote: "s this date correct? June?."

LOL! Why, isn't it June that's currently running? :P
Naah, that was me having a Monday moment. Updated it to July.

July
Completion Post

Book Read: Beneath the Sugar Sky | Seanan McGuire
Date Completed: 30-Jul-2018
Pages: 174
Buddy Read: Discussion Post (Initial)
Points: 20+30 = 50
Challenge Shelf updated

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Characters:

A: Angela
C: Christopher
E: Eleanor West
K: Kade
N: Nadya
P: Ponder
R: Rini
S: Sumi
W: West, Eleanor

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Team Gilderoy Lockhart
Part I

I am so pleased we are back to the school and its surroundings. I absolutely loved the set-up for Book 1 and the moors in Book 2 just didn't catch my fancy as much. So definitely a star for the setting.

Plus, I love Christopher and Kade. I am so glad to see them come back and play a role in the proceedings. Nadya and Cora are also interesting, and while it seems like it is (view spoiler)[Rini's story (hide spoiler)], I would love Cora's mermaid tale and her world.

(view spoiler)[The way Rini appeared was indeed funny. Although, she is slightly grating on my nerves with her over-the-top behaviour. And what's with the selfishness? I understand you are disappearing and it sure is scary, but she has absolutely no care in the world for Sumi, and that is sad. (hide spoiler)]

I see the Triwizard Tasks up on the spreadsheet, are we good to start working on them, caps?

July
Completion Post

Book Read: Nightmares and Dreamscapes | Stephen King
Date Completed: 29-Jul-2018
Pages: 897
Points: 100
Challenge Shelf updated

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Classes
Arithmacy - 800-900 pages - 897 pages

Melissa wrote: "New Stuff from the Mods! Spell it Out with Character Names.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/..."

Is this for every book finished now onwards, or do we go back and include the books not included in spells or classes?

Heads up - The last book for the classes, that I am reading currently, will be finished before the end of the month, so we should be fine there.

I hate that the BRs will be over. Ugh!

July
Completion Post

Book Read: When Dimple Met Rishi | Sandhya Menon
Date Completed: 24-Jul-2018
Pages: 380
Points: 40
Challenge Shelf updated

July
Completion Post

Book Read: One of Us Is Lying | Karen M. McManus
Date Completed: 23-Jul-2018
Pages: 359
Buddy Read: Discussion Post (Initial)
Points: 40+30 = 70
Challenge Shelf updated

Joanne wrote: "I think the description said if you read carefully you might be able to figure out who did it. But I haven’t come across any clues yet. Excited to get more into it tomorrow."

I have been trying really hard to analyze who did it. And I am so ashamed of myself for not having a clue (I normally do fairly well in this regard), but I am also pretty excited to see what happens next.

I can see why that would happen, Devann, especially if the continuation of the previous scene happens from a different perspective, which is more common with Nate and Bronwyn's stories. And that back-to-back narration between those two has happened a few times in the book now.

Team Gilderoy Lockhart

I had started reading the first couple of chapters 20 days ago, only to realize that the start date was wrong. So, I was holding onto dear life for the calendar to flick to the 22nd, so I can devour this book because I was certainly hooked with the premise of the story.

So, I restarted this today and for now, all I want to say is I am on page 178 and I can't for the life of me figure out who has done it. The book has its issues, but I like that Karen McManus is aware of them, and works through them; all while slowly peeling off the layers of the mystery.

I am normally not the biggest fan of multiple narratives, because they can very easily go astray; but here we have them tightly weaved around each-other to keep the drama flowing.

Alright, not sure if I made any sense there but I am going back to reading this, I need to solve this mystery today.

July
Completion Post

Book Read: I Hunt Killers | Barry Lyga
Date Completed: 19-Jul-2018
Pages: 359
BOM: Discussion Post (Initial)
Points: 40+20 = 60
Challenge Shelf updated

July
Completion Post

Book Read: Leah on the Offbeat | Becky Albertalli
Date Completed: 17-Jul-2018
Pages: 368
Points: 40
Challenge Shelf updated

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Classes
Charms - Summoning Charm - Girl with glasses on, on the cover
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Team Gilderoy Lockhart
DQ set 2: Chapters 9-17

8. "If I catch killers, then maybe that means I'm not a killer," says Jazz. Howie then goes on to give a great reason why Jazz isn't a killer (love Howie)...are you seeing killer tendencies in Jazz?
Love Howie indeed! He is just the perfect friend anyone could have, and most certainly Jazz could. Killer Tendencies? Maybe not! But I do certainly see glimpses of what could be in that brain of his, but the best and more sane part is that he is aware of them and averse to them; and that gives me some relief.

9. Jazz has another interaction with Jeff Fulton, do you think that Jazz should share information about Billy Dent's victims with their families? If so, how would that impact his mental health?
I don't think he should. Purely because he will be re-living them in a more palpable sense, and that can be far more devastating for his sanity than having them linger around in his head, where he can contain them.

10. We see vulnerability in Jazz through the dreams he is having of cutting flesh, that he believes is his mom...and thinking that he killed her. Do you think these are really flashbacks? If so, why?
I don't think these are flashbacks, purely because he would have seen more, given how much he has gone through. Also, at this stage after being an unfortunate witness to all those murders, his mind must have turned into mush, mixing things, and instances, won't it?

11. Enter Office Erikson once again, he comes from the town that one of the ladies was killed lived in, and we saw his behavior when he picked up Jazz from the high school. Why do you think G Williams isn't doing anything about this abnormal behavior and potential connections to the victim?
Just as Jazz, I am somewhere beginning to suspect G. Williams himself. The way he is passively active about the whole thing, plus how he conveniently overlooks Officer Erikson's presence, is just suspicious. Hopefully, I am wrong, but there is some catch to this whole situation.

12. EDIT: Question removed

13. I've read this series and love it, it was actually one of my first book about serial killers (was scared to read them before). Are there other series that you recommend in this genre?
The one that I can immediately think off was Mary Higgins Clark's Loves Music, Loves to Dance

Team Gilderoy lockhart
DQ set 1: Chapters 1 - 8

1. What are your first impressions of Jazz? What is his motivation for spying on the crime scene and requesting to help investigate?
I absolutely liked whatever little we know of Jazz so far. I like the fact that he is smart enough to understand where he comes from and is willingly trying to stay away from getting carried away. He knows how to differentiate between the good and the bad, and he is eager to stay on the right side of things; which given his age and circumstances is commendable. Of course, given his first hand experience with being with his father on all his escapades (which is just absolutely horrific for a small boy), I am not surprised that he thinks he knows the psyche of a serial killer, which he thinks is amiss for the cops, and thus he wants to help out by being two steps ahead in the investigation,

2. "Ever since arresting Dear Old Dad four years ago, G. William had kept in touch with Jazz...". How would you characterize the relationship between Jazz and G. William? Why is the sheriff so adamant about one body not meaning a serial killer? Is he trying to protect Jazz, himself, or both?
It is very nice to see that Jazz has someone like G. William in his life, after having a rotten father. G. William is certainly a mentorlike figure for him, and I do think that somewhere he feels guilty for not having caught Billy earlier or having let Jazz get dragged into the shit that Billy created for him.

3. Howie has been the only friend who stayed with Jaspar after his father's exposure. Jaspar claims that he needs Howie to keep him "close to the line of safety and legality". Do you think Howie realizes what Jazz needs from him? Why doesn't he get angry when Jazz gets him into trouble?
Howie and Jasper's relationship is by far the best thing of the book so far for me. It makes so pleasantly happy that Jazz has Howie with him through all the madness that he has faced. I am pretty sure Howie is aware of his importance in Jazz's life and vice-a-versa. Therefore, there is a great amount of underlying understanding between the two, where they know each other inside out.

4. Deputy Erikson has caught Jazz's attention twice now with his behavior at the crime scene and his unexplained appearance at the morgue. Do you agree with Jazz's assessment of the deputy, or do you think there is a reasonable explanation for his actions?
I am going to have to lean towards trusting Jazz in his inclinations about Deputy Erikson.

5. The Impressionist states he "had been given a rule" not to interact with or harm Jaspar. Who do you think might have given him that rule and why?
Oooo, this is very interesting. I am inclined to think that this is Billy Dent, Jasper's dad. Seems the most obvious choice, but who knows! (Weird weird thought, could it be G. William?)

6. Jazz has the mantra, "People matter. People are real.", as a screensaver and pictures of all his father's victims in his room? Do you think this actually helps or hurts him? Is Connie right about letting go of the past?
While, in a broader perspective, I can see how this may hurt him because he is constantly stuck in the world his dad created, and I do agree to what Connie is trying to tell him. But, somewhere I also think, that this acts like a great leveler for him. and keeps his grounded, sane and aware of how bad it gets if he ever strays that way.

7. "His upbringing... told him that women were simultaneously special and useless." How do the three women in his life (Connie, Melissa, and Gramma) match with what he has been taught? Do they reinforce or challenge the idea? What kind of influence are they on Jazz?
They certainly reinforce the idea. Connie is the calmer, he keeps things afloat; Melissa is the fall-back when things get crazy, and Gramma is the constant and the link between the past and the present, which keeps him aware. He needs them all, and they are all special to him, in their own way.

I am doing both. As a matter of fact, I just finished the eyeglasses book, I just haven't got around to updating the read books folder.

Will do it later tonight or tomorrow.

Although, if anyone has bigger books, go for it, that's just more points!

July
Completion Post

Book Read: Dragon Teeth | Michael Crichton
Date Completed: 16-Jul-2018
Pages: 387
Buddy Read: Discussion Post (Initial)
Points: 40+30 = 70
Challenge Shelf updated

July
Completion Post

Book Read: Not That I Could Tell | Jessica Strawser
Date Completed: 11-Jul-2018
Pages: 320
Buddy Read: Discussion Post (Initial)
Points: 20+30 = 50
Challenge Shelf updated

I finished one of the two remaining books for classes, and am working on the last one. Will update all my finished books in a little while.