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

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

Sabotage: Max1E
bid: $1111
Team : Longclaw

Sabotage: Max1E
bid: $1001
Team : Longclaw

Sabotage: 3Safe
Bid: $1121
Team: Longclaw

Me too! me too! :P

Sabotage: 3Safe
Bid: $1111
Team: Longclaw

Sabotage: 3Safe
Bid: $666
Team: Longclaw

Sabotage: 3Safe
Bid: $99
Team: Longclaw

Sabotage: PagesLess80
Bid: $101
Team : Longclaw

Sabotage: Follow2
Bid: $75
Team : Longclaw

Sabotage: Follow
Bid: $75
Team : Longclaw

Sabotage: NoETitle
Bid: $1301
Team: Longclaw

Sabotage: NoETitle
Bid: $801
Team: Longclaw

Moderators of NBRC wrote: "Please welcome your new team members:

Wendy
Carrie"

Yaaay! Welcome Wendy and Carrie!
Do drop in a post and check-in, so that we can get you added to our secret group and rolling into the fun challenge! :)

Yo peeps,

As we are getting reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally close to the challenge start time, we all need to do one very important thing!

Please read below, the message posted by Kelly, our mod, produced verbatim and SIGN UP! :D

Kelly's original post here!

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Everyone, it's time to join the companion website!

https://cutthroatbookclub.azurewebsit...

Click the login in the upper right corner. Make an account.

Once you have an account you can click the 3 dots button in the upper left corner and click profile. Add your goodreads ID and name.

Once you do that the mods can assign you to your team.

This website is where books get logged, where you can see sabotages (and bid if your authorized), you can also view all the other teams. (Wooden Sword is the mod test team, don't worry about that one.)

There are still some new things getting added so don't be surprised if things show up. Please let us know if you have technical issues and we'll get them worked out. We believe login isn't working correctly from iPads right now so if you're having trouble try a computer.
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Also, first order of business!

Please create a separate challenge shelf in your respective profiles, and do check into the secret group that our wonderful captain SandyL has created, as soon as she sends across the access link to the same in the next few days.

Let's get all the required information in, so that we are ready the moment the light turns green on the challenge.

Hey! How is everyone doing?!
I am Apoorv, and I currently live in Greater Boston Area in Massachusetts. I am on vacation in India as I type this, but I do hope to be back with my routine in MA sometime around mid-January. In the meantime, I should still be around, albeit sporadically, so I apologize in advance, if I am day or two behind.

But, either way, I am so excited about a new NBRC challenge! NBRC always has some of the most exciting team challenges, and I have had some of my best fun here, meeting amazing people and playing the most competitive challenges around, with loads of fun! (Did I say I have had fun before? :P)

I have shared challenges previously with Amanda A, Kim, Anita, and I have seen Mandiann, maria helena in other teams in similar challenges. So, I know some of you through my GoodReads travels, and I am excited to get acquanited to SandyL, Raynbow, Cassandra, Alison, Jamie, and Brandy as well.

GoodReads is all heart! I love this place so much, that I spend time on here even at work (shhhh! don't tell anyone! :P)

I hope to have loads of fun with this challenge, which really is very exciting and new, from all the other challenges I've been part of, over the years. So, I am all busy shining and sharpening my knives and scythes :P

So, WELCOME EVERYONE AND IT'S TIME TO HAVE FUN! :D
Yaaaaaay!

Challenge Shelf: Challenge-NBRC-CBC-Longclaw

SandyL wrote: "Thanks - you can close now until Apoorv can get a chance to reserve a few spots"

Howdy hoo, mods!
Can I have the Longclaw group open for a few minutes as well, pretty please? :)

Discussion Questions - I
Day 1 Questions, Chapters 1-4

1. Starr is considering whether to admit she was at the scene or not, due to fear of her own safety. What do you think you would do in that situation.
I completely understand Starr's mental dichotomy. You are battling grief, shock, righteousness all the same time, and it never is easy to choose the best option in that moment. I would like to think I would do the right thing and speak up (and I do hope Starr does so too), but I would also want to analyze what happened and not be instinctive in what I say, because what I will say will make a lot of difference.

2. Do you think Uncle Carlos is right when he says that the police officer may have felt threatened because he knew Khalil was a drug dealer?
The officer 'might' have felt threatened. But, then he also shot Khalil 3 times, in the back... that does not show that it was for his own safety. He was biased in his approach from the get go, and a slight trigger from Khalil made him act on that.

3. Starr is reluctant to trust the police with her statement, and I think I would feel the same in her situation. Do you think that Starr should trust the police?
Oh completely! She is not at all wrong in thinking that the police will save one of their own. Plus, the whole conversation that happened between the officers and her when she went in to give her statement, was clearly directed towards implicating Khalil and find a way to save the officer. As of now, I don't see a reason as to why she should trust the police.

4. What are your thoughts on Mav's insistence on staying in the neighbourhood despite the fact that Starr has lost two friends in her short life to both a gang shooting and a police shooting? Do you think that life would be safer for Starr if she moved away?
Maverick comes from a very strange and impounding past. He has fought his way out of it, but it still has a lingering impact on him. It somewhere somehow has made him timider (probably rightfully so, given what he must have seen or faced in the prison), so he seems skeptical of moving out and starting life afresh. But then, he probably should think about the future of his kids. He has two sons, who could easily get trapped in the gangbanging as they grow up (Seven is already there), and any of them could be the next Khalil. And Starr? She has seen way too much to think straight in that neighbourhood. She has to live this dual life to fit in and she shouldn't have to.

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Discussion Questions - II
Day 2 Questions, Chapters 5-8

5. Starr returns to school for the first time since the shooting. We get to see the other side of her personality, the one she puts on for her prep school friends. How does the situation we are in impact the way we relate to others? Do people have several personas or are we for the most part our true selves in whatever circumstance?
That is a very good question. As much as we try, I do think we have many faces or facades that we don with respect to the situation, in order to fit in and be a part or simply be able to either relate to others or be able to relate to them. But, we need to have some place or person, where we don't have to hide what we are, be free with our existence and be true to ourselves and others. We owe that to ourselves!

6. We are introduced to Starr's prep school friends. Hailey makes a comment related to "fried chicken" and Starr gets offended. Do you think Hailey meant the remark in an offensive way, was it intentional or not? Was Starr being hyper-sensitive? How do you think this will affect the relationship between the two girls in the rest of the book?
Starr is on edge, and rightfully so. She has to put on a face for her prep school friends and it can be hard to maintain that given the circumstances. In this particular situation, I don't think Hailey meant it as a racist potshot. But, I also am not very sure if this friendship is really strong enough. It is mutually inclusive, but it doesn't seem tight enough to stand the test of time.

7. Throughout this section you feel the underlying guilt Starr is experiencing regarding the relationship between her and Khalil, or lack thereof. Do you think this was a conscious decision on her part, because she wanted to distance herself from life in Garden Heights or was it inevitable, a natural progression as they got older?
I don't think it was conscious, but definitely sub-consciously happened when she moved out of Garden Heights for school and started spending her time with people other than her community. It opened a bigger, wider world for her and probably that took her away from friendships she made when she was a child. Khalil's instance just brings back all that she could have been involved in and how she moved away from it.

8. Starr is asked to recount the events of that fateful night to the detectives. How do you think she handled interacting with the police officers? What does this say about her character?
I definitely felt proud of her in that instance. She stood her ground, analyzed her words, and did not let the officers play her into their game. She was emotionally devastated while recounting that night, but she still had her head firmly on her shoulders.

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Discussion Questions - III
Day 3 Questions, Chapters 9-11

9. As Starr and her family huddle around the TV after hearing gun shots the night of Khalil's funeral, they watch news. The news anchor speaks of "multiple reports that a gun was found in the car" and the fact that "there was also suspicion that the victim was a drug dealer as well as a gang member". This comes after the police chief gave a statement stating that they saw no reason to arrest the officer who shot Khalil.
What do you think they are trying to do with that information? Do you think it's valid? What about the protesters? Do they have right to be upset about the situation? Does their means of protest get their point across?
The whole point of a murder (accidental or intentional) going unnoticed baffles me. Someone got killed. Period. Talk about that first, them come up with reasons as to who was guilty and all. The news information, as it always is, is meant to create sensation. Rile people up without giving them all the information. Two things should happen, the police should start looking at from the point of view that a person was killed, and the news reporters should rather provide the information as it is and not help stoke a fire.

10. Starr has been giving her boyfriend Chris the silent treatment for a while now and when he confronts her about it, she tells him that he wouldn't understand. Her rationale for that is because he's white. What was your reaction to that statement? Do you agree or disagree with that? Can Chris understand where Starr is coming from?
I don't agree with Starr's assessment of Chris's abilities based on his race. I understand that he is not her shoes, or rather never will, so maybe he would not get the intensity of the whole thing. But assuming that he wouldn't even understand or empathize is just wrong.

11. The protest at Starr's school "For Khalil" really upset Starr. She mentioned that her "Williamson rules go out the door and the Starr from Garden Heights shows up". Do you think we are going to start seeing more of "Starr from Garden Heights" while she's at school? Do you think the two personas were necessary?
The two personas are not necessary, but I do see the reason behind why they exist for Starr. She has to try to fit in and it is something we all do in different situations. But, this facade is definitely going to blur for Starr soon. She has too much going on, and keeping up the charade might just be the last thing she would want to do.

12. At the end of chapter 11, Maverick, Starr's father, tells Starr, "if you're ready to talk baby, talk. I got your back." Do you think that Starr is going to talk? Do you think that she should talk? What do you think you would do in that situation?
Starr has had time to process everything. She is seeing what the situation has become. She also has the support of her father. I think she should talk now. Easy to say typing on a computer, but I would given I have the same information, time to process, and family support that she has currently.

Amanda wrote: "Completion

The Gunslinger
'The Gunslinger' by Stephen King"

Amanda, The Gunslinger is one of the BOMs for June, and answering the Discussion Questions, can fetch 20 additional points.

In case you want to check that out, the link is here.

Yaaaay! Welcome Melindam (that is a very new name for me! :)) and Katrina. So good to make new friends! :D

Waiting to hear from Katrina, so that we can welcome her and have her books logged in as well.

Vicky, I would be able to spend some time tomorrow morning as well, incase you need some help. But, I know working with spreadsheets makes you a happy camper! :P

Discussion Questions #1
Chapters 1 - 9, Pages 1 - 70

1. What do you think about the POV? Does it draw you in or push you away? It's not quite in 2nd person, but it's much more direct than most 1st persons, even ones that break the reader wall. Do you feel Joe is talking to Beck, to you the reader, or both -- are you supposed to identify as Beck?
The PoV definitely drew me in. I enjoyed the directness of Joe's narrative and his exposition about what he feels about Beck, gained more traction because of the way the words were penned. Even though everything that Joe is saying is directed towards Beck, I don't think he is talking to her. It is sort of an aloof, cold perspective that he has towards everything, that honestly aggravates me, but I believe that is part of the reason Joe is Joe. I am even willing to believe, that Joe is just rambling and not really speaking to anyone in particular.

2. Many times books are set in first person to make it easier to emphasize with the narrator. Do you have sympathy for him? Do you feel you understand why he feels the way he does? Would it be easier or harder if you saw him from outside?
I honestly dont feel sympathy towards Joe, or any characters for that matter. While, there are bits and pieces sprinkled through the narrative that give us a brief idea of where he is coming from, in terms of his family background that probably shaped his way of thinking. But, the way he justifies everything to himself and makes himself feel okay about his deeds, is getting too tiring too soon. I am getting agitated with how makes himself feel good for anything that he does that probably is morally ambiguous, and I dont believe that I can attune to that.

3. Is Joe an unreliable narrator? He's clearly delusional in some ways; how deep do you think that goes? Do you trust him that he's really doing everything he reports?
Joe definitely is delusional. And I am beginning to believe that he isnt necessarily reliable either. Purely because, as I mentioned previously, he finds a way to make himself feel better in any and every situation. So, it is just hard to take what he says at face value, because it may be a concocted story that he is telling himself to feel better about himself and the situation he is in.

4. What do you expect from this book? What made you decide to read it? Do you expect it to have the beats of a thriller, or does the adventurous point of view change your expectations?
I love psychological thrillers. I love unreliable narrators. I love messed up characters. This book has all that, doesn't it? It has started off very well, but as is the case with psychological thrillers, the crisper the narrative, the richer its taste. I dont mind it getting creepy, but if the narrative starts dulling, it may mar my expectations very fast.

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Discussion Questions #2
Chapters 10 - 14, Pages 71 - 143

5. What do you think are Joe's intentions with Benji? Is there any way you can see this ending well for Benji?
I definitely do not see it ending well for Benji, but I dont think Joe want that to happen. Or atleast that is not what he intends to do when he took him captive. Joe's way of thinking, from what I have gathered so far, is go for what you want, if you dont get it the way you want it, then start removing any obstacles that you face, first kindly, then mercilessly, if need be.

6. Joe asks Benji to write down his 5 favourite books, if you had to write a list of your five favourite books, what would they be?
This is an ever-changing list, but there are certain books that have just stayed with me.
- Romance: The Bridges of Madison County & The Fault in Our Stars
- LGBT: Bear, Otter, and the Kid & Violence Begets...
- Mystery/Horror: And Then There Were None & The Shining
- Contemporary: The Art of Racing in the Rain & A Man Called Ove
- Historical Fiction: Burial Rites & Moloka'i
- Realistic Fiction: A Thousand Splendid Suns & The Help
- Non-Fiction: Tuesdays with Morrie

I know I went past 5, but I had to name them, because I have learned something from literally each of these books.

7. What is your impression of Beck through Joe's eyes? Do you sympathize with her situation with Benji? Can you see why Joe is so enthralled with her?
Beck's impression of Joe is very warped. He literally is thinking of her as he wants her to be. Beck is very different in reality, than what Joe makes her out to be, and that makes him all the more delusional. He is living out off of a fantasy picture of hers, and he twists and turns everything she does into making himself believe that she is doing keeping him in mind. It almost infuriating at times because nothing about it is healthy and honest. He seems sexually frustrated and the constant repetitions of how he lusts after her are cringeworthy at times.

I absolutely dislike Beck. I have not found one redeeming quality about her, thus far. I definitely do not sympathize with her and I am almost becomes disconnected and disconcerted with her. I do not see why Joe is so overtly attracted towards her. Honestly, I might always side with Benji because he is the saner of the lot, or atleast seems so.

8. How do you think Beck feels about Joe? Do you think she genuinely likes him and it's only her feelings for Benji that are getting in the way of her progressing a relationship with him?
I donot think Beck and Joe's relationship is at all healthy or honest. She may like Joe, but it can really be just a rebound. Plus, Joe is so incessant, that she might have just given in.

9. I am finding Beck's friendships with Lynne, Chana and Peach to be lacking any real warmth and often interactions amongst the girls seem a bit strained. What are your thoughts on Beck's friends, do you think they are genuine friends who only want the best for her?
Another bunch that I dont like (this is becoming a theme with the book for me). I do like Hannah, because she probably is the only one that might say it as it is, but they really dont seem to care about each other all that much. They may want the best for her, but I dont think any of them would mourn more than a few hours if the other dies.