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

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

Oh, hey there!
I was just busy grooving to some uber cool R&B tunes - didn't realize we were ready to roll. ;=)

This team already has such a chill vibe - I am absolutely getting ready to enjoy the next 10 weeks! Welcome everyone and thank you for sharing soooooo many of your favorite songs and artists. Can't wait to check them all out.

I am Apoorv (he/him), and live in Boston, Massachusetts (USA) - although I am currently in India visiting family. This is my 7th Wheel-a-thon, so I am kind of the old horse in the barn. Haha! :=) I have played with some of you before on different teams and I remember having a lot of fun, so already know that this will be a cool and competitive three months! To all the new friends, so glad I could share this team with all of you! :)

Also, delighted to be part of the captains' group - Deanna and Teddie are awesome and will answer all your difficult questions, but feel free to send all the easy ones to me. We don't want to overwhelm them afterall. LOL! :P

I tend to read pretty much everything, genre no bar, and every single time I do one of these challenges I end up finding something new from all the reads the team does - so don't mind if I stalk some of your read shelves for inspiration! :=)

Okay, I need to go dance again - but welcome one and all, and let's get the party started! :D


Team Shelf: Challenge-NBRC-Wheels8

That rounds it out for me as well. What a phenomenal team I was lucky to be part of you - every one of you are rockstars and such fantastic team players. SO MANY BOOKS read - I am going to take time and go check out some of the ones that you folks have read because there is a gamut of genres and authors in there. Treasure trove indeed!

And all the acknowledgement to Suzanne, Lisa, and Shannon for being the guardian angels of this treasure.

This was nothing short of magnificence!
Thank you for letting me be a small part of this. :)

Team Ashara
Discussion Questions - Day 3 Chapters 14-20

10. So we are half way through the book. Thoughts and feelings? Loving it? Hating it? Ambivalent?
Intrigued, not floored. I appreciate the narrative flow and the general pace which the book is maintaining which is keeping me interested. There are a fair amount of loop holes and the dialogue is very basic at times - so, while it isn't bad per say, it certainly isn't a fantasy masterpiece so far.

11. Jeremiah gets killed pretty quickly as his signet shows. Do you agree that power can't be allowed?
That was interesting because of the power Jeremiah had. Although, I would like to think it has a tie-in at some other point later in the book, that justifies the reason for this death - or so I hope.

11. What's the deal with Andarna? Why do you think 2 dragons have bonded with Violet?
I know why since I read a bit further, but she is very cute (if dragons can be cute that is!).

12. If you coul choose a Signet what would it be? https://www.julesbuono.com/fourth-win...
I have always wanted a healing power - something that can soothe pains and make the wounds a little more bearable.

13. Were you surprised about Amber's betrayal? How about when Xanden completely believed Violet but Dain didn't?
Not surprised really, the way it happened was also fairly textbook. And there had to be a trigger that got Violet closer to Xander and what better than him saving her life! Dain is just stuck at this point and needs a bit more of a rational thinking.

Team Ashara
Discussion Questions - Day 2: Chap 7- 13

6. This section starts with two scenes with each of the male love/lust interests. The comparison of them continues very clearly. Do you like Xaden or Dain better or neither?
Honestly, neither - including Violet. In a exciting twist of things, I would love for Dain and Xander to get together, but that's not the point here. Haha! The love/lust/care is all seemingly very superficial at this point - it is a lot of telling and not showing, which gets repetitive after a while.

7. Violet uses alternative methods to survive the fighting challenges. Do you think that counts as cheating or using the resources available? Do you think she is aware that she only has this information because she comes from a privileged background and her sister count sneak in it? Do you think one of the professors should have noticed after 5 rounds?
I'd say its fair for her to use all possible avenues given that she seems aware that she is thoroughly out of her element here. I do not think she is entirely aware of her privileges with respect to the other contenders, she does seem to understand that her sister is a great source of information for her personally. And honestly, everyone should have caught on what was happening, big loop hole!

8. The obstacle course is straight out of American Ninja warrior (and other similar TV shows) including ending with the giant ramp. Did you enjoy this section and how Violet figured out working with her height limitations? Have they told us how tall she is? (Though in real life, the shortest person to make it up the wall has only been 5’1” – I just Googled it).
I don't think we know of her exact height, but we have been repeated told of that - so it is seared in memory! :P I did like that she managed to problem solve well to get to the bottom (or in this case, the top) of it.

9. Finally, we meet the dragons. Was it all you were hoping for? Did anyone guess the black one when it was first introduced in this section? (Also, I am not taking the fall seriously at the end of my section since we still have 2/3 of the book to go).
The dragons are indeed the highlight so far. Fantasy books/series are obsessed with dragons so to see them created well isn't a lot surprising at this point, but here they were introduced well. I can envision a great cinematic scene if this turns into a TV show.

Bonus: If you could have a dragon from any book or movie, which one would you want?
I can't recall one at all - need to mull this over, I guess. Great question!

Team Ashara
Discussion Questions - Day 1, Chapters 1 - 6

1. As someone who grew up with the Pern books, I love diving back into a world with dragons and dragon riders. And this one has extra bonus Gryphons, apparently!
Do you have any first impressions of the main characters (Violet, Dain, Rhiannon, Xader) and the world building? Do you want to know more?
I certainly want to know more. I do not have a lot of working knowledge of dragons and dragon riders, but who doesn't love the sight of those massive creatures?! I am intrigued, I can't lie. The main characters are caricatures and sound more young adulty than what their age wants us to believe, but the narrative flow and the world building is extremely enticing so I am certainly noticing the character flaws a lot less.

2. What do you think of Violet’s mother and sister? Any idea about why her mother chose to order her to the Rider Quadrant instead of the Scribe Quadrant?
I think she is one of those parents whose goal is to make their children as similar to them as possible. She cares about achievements than understanding the child and being a rider has more societal appeal than being a scribe. Hopefully there is some positive motive that is disclosed in the later chapters.

3. The brutality of the selection process and the casual acceptance of murder is something else. What do you think the purpose of it is? (If there is one beyond societal norms.)
Would you have given your boot to a stranger?
I would like to think I would have been the helpful one but given that brutal situation who knows - its easy to say sitting comfortably here. Haha! But, I only think the whole scene was a little too "let's shock the readers" type and the death seemed well written, but not too meaningful in the grand scheme of things.

4. So this is a world at war, but at the battle briefings at least, they don’t seem to know why the outer provinces are currently attacking the borders. Any ideas about why this is happening?
No real guesses - but in a world where dragons rule, I won't be surprised if there is war knocking around every so often.

5. Do you think that Violet will survive and get chosen by a dragon? If so, any predictions on what kind?
I mean she has to, right? She is the lead! I doubt this book is going to be us reading her repeating her year in search of a dragon. Haha! And as all "underdog" stories go, she would likely be chosen by the coolest or strongest or unexpected kind of dragon.

Just checking - it seems we still have one book claimed but to be read for the "Mods Tower" - do we need a backup for that?

Stationery is anything that used for writing - so pen, paper, pencil, envelope, sticky notes should all work, IMO!

Team Ashara
Discussion Questions - Day 3 - 17 June - Chapters 7 - 8, 26%

10) We find out more about Frank Dunning. He is portrayed as a smooth talker and good looking. Do you find this stereotypical of someone who will go on to murder most of his family? It always seems to be someone no one suspects. Jake's opinion of him obviously isn't very good. Do you think Jake would feel differently if he didn't know what Frank was going to do?
It is always the seemingly innocuous ones, isn't it? I doubt if Jake would have suspected him, given that there was nothing glaringly obviously about Frank - but then as it always happens, the smooth talkers are the ones that no one bats an eye for. Looks and charm can be great tools to fool someone.

11) Jake plans how he is going to stop Frank. Would your thought process have been the same as Jake's? How would you plan to change the event?
Jake, while it seems to have a level head for the most part, doesn't always think it all through or leaves things to hope that they fall in place. While it certainly isn't a cakewalk trying to do things back in the past that you know will have a butterfly effect over the future, without actually knowing the actual repercussions, so maybe he did the best he could with the limited tools and the risk involved. While I would think I would have sketched out a plan thinking of every single outcome and possibility and while murder may not have been my modus operandi, who knows how things would have changed had I be in Jake's shoes.

12) There is something off about Derry. The place itself feels weird and the people act strange. Would you stay somewhere where you don't feel welcome? Would you investigate more into what was going on?
Oh, I've been wanting to investigate Derry every since Pennywise made his appearance. Actually I want to investigate all of King's towns. But the more practical me would have stayed miles away from there - can't complain that a place impacted me adversely knowing it is bad, if I do not take necessary steps to walk away from it.

13) Well, stoppping Frank didn't go to plan but he did get stopped. What do you think the cosequences of changing the event will be in the present, if any? Do you think he will go back and try again? If so, what do you think he will do differently?
He wouldn't know the changes to the future till he comes back into the future. And I am pretty sure he is going to take a second pass at it - people were still killed and that isn't what he wanted.

Team Ashara
Discussion Questions: Day 2 DQs - Chapter 4 - 6 or 18%

#5. How did you feel when you read Harry Dunning's essay? What would you have done if you had the power to enact change in the past?
It was painful to read and feel like someone had to go through such a traumatic experience that practically shaped their entire future. Had I had the power that Jake has been given, I probably would have exercised it in a similar way (maybe with less violence), but certainly hopefully towards a better future for Harry than what it turned out to be.

#6. Money is a big deal in any timeline. Would you be able to acclimate to the past in terms of financial transactions as well as Jake? Do you think Jake acclimated TOO quickly?
It would have taken a little bit, but I would have been fine. I live across two countries currently and the monetary values and transactional modes are different in both and I juggle them just fine, so across timelines should not be too much of a shock. And I do think Jake got acclimatized to the whole concept a little too quickly, but I guess Mr. King has bigger fish to fry, which are long winded, so maybe this was intentional.

#7. Fashion is also an issue in the past. Do you think Jake is having an easier time of it because he is a man? What would be the most challenging fashion change for you to get used to? Is there something you would love to be able to wear?
Absolutely it was easy for Jake because he was a man. Men's fashion for the general populace for the most part has not gone through a major upheaval as women's fashion has. It is only in the last 4-5 years that men's fashion has become a little more androgynous (which is fantastic because now there are more options if one wishes to explore). Since there haven't been major changes to men's fashion, nothing particularly stands out as challenging to wear. I would love to try those floral bell-bottom trends that ran in the 70s-80s - they look pretty neat.

#8. There are a lot of interesting nods to older Advertising terms and slogans that King uses to help the reader recognize the timeline change of the past. Which one stood out to you the most and why?
I am not very privy to the older advertisements sadly, but I commend Mr. King for creating that era so vividly. I do feel transported. But if anything sort of stood out was the incessant smoking everywhere. Not the biggest fan of the act, so it just stuck to me how questionable the general lifestyle was in those days with respect to public health.

#9. If you have read any past King novels, some of these chapters have a lot of connections to early books about Derry, Maine, and surrounding locations. Did you find any Easter eggs from previous stories? If you haven't read earlier King novels, what about Derry seemed to stand out as unique to you?
I loved how Mr. King connected the story of Pennywise with this book. He does that very frequently and it makes for a wonderful read because you are subconsciously thrown in the Kingverse without it being made as a in-your-face reference.

Suzanne wrote: "Lisa is correct that we can use the full titles. Apoorv I read it the same way, but someone asked the mods in the officer and they said that we could use as much as the full title and as few as 3 l..."

Sweet! I am glad someone found the tiny loophole and decided to explore it. Good for us. Haha!

Very nifty task indeed.

MN Lisa wrote: "Janeylou wrote: "Suzanne wrote: "So one example is:
1. I Love My Car
2. Carrie Soto is Back
3. Carrie Soto is Back
4. Ackward Relationships

You can match anything from 3 letters to the full titles..."

Not to reinvent the wheel (pun not intended :P), but isn't it the "last letters" of the previous title to connect to the next one?

Looking at the example in the Wheel's sheet,
Red Queen -> Queen of Babble -> Bleak House -> Use of Weapons

In our case, by that logic, only the last book fits.
Thunder Moon -> Thunder Moon -> Thunder Moon -> Moon Dance

Maybe I am missing something, but just want to make sure no one reads a book we cannot use.

Team Ashara
Discussion Questions: Day 1 DQs: ch1- 3

1) I have only read a few of Stephen King's books. Is this your first book by the author or are you quite familiar with his storytelling?
This is my 20th Stephen King book and its fair to say, I am a fan! He is unwieldy at times with his descriptions, but I have had some of the best times with his works and the worlds he builds. Unquestionably, one of the finest authors of this generations, certainly the best in the horror genre. This is a change in pace from his usual fare, so I am certainly interested.

2) What do you think about the character Jake so far? Would you have gone along with what Al wanted and took the initial step back into the past, or would you have not humoured him and tried to get him help?
He reads like a very typical King lead - regular joe who find himself in a situation very out of the ordinary. It certainly is a tricky prospect with what Al was offering, It did seem interesting that Jake would take a plunge without really having the closest of relation with Al - but if I were him and I saw Al's avatar change so drastically within 24 hours, I would certainly be curious and concerned.

3) I am not sure how I would feel if I just stepped back into the past the way Jake and Al have, but I am really curious about how the time travelling works in this story. It seemed that Jake was somewhat calm about it. How do you think you would feel if it was you?
Jake was very calm about it and seemed to take everything in his stride. A great quality to have I believe but also didn't quite give me the shock to the system that I was expecting when something like this happens. If it were me, I would like to believe I would stay true to my nature and be just as impassive as Jake instead of freaking out. I would be far more curious to figure out the surroundings and the reason behind how this works.

4) I think it is clear that Jake is going to pick up Al's mission to try and stop the JFK assassination. Would you choose to continue Al's mission? Also how much do you know of the history surrounding this event?
I am aware of the history and the magnitude of this event. Not being an American or not having any personal affiliations to the events or the persona of JFK, does make it a little less impactful of a situation (plus generally, I am not particularly moved by politicians, or haven't so far). Or maybe today's world that I grew up in and the regular violence and vitriol that I am used to seeing has made me desensitized. But, I can understand for someone who grew up in the America of the 60s and especially witnessing something so shocking that one would take the plunge and try and stop it if one could.

MN Lisa wrote: "Suzanne wrote: "We have lots of possibilities for finishing princess and rogue now ...

Apoorv's book MIGHT even work for that, depending on the secondary characters. Its got a princess already."

Yup! I believe that should work. If the rogue characters don't have to have any direct romantic/platonic relations to the princess (which I believe is what the captains' group concluded) then we can use it for that.

To that point though, do the rogue type characters have to be a different gender than the princess or can there be a female conniving roguish person - because Kaikeyi has that.

Elinor wrote: "@Suzanne, would love your thoughts on In the lives of puppets. Thinking about getting it as have enjoyed TJ Klune books so far but never 100% for some reason!."

Speaking of TJ, would definitely recommend his very first series much before he got famous, called Bear, Otter, and the Kid.

It is a vey beautifully raw, emotionally rich TJ writing a phenomenal family story with some very deliciously written characters.

Unless we have a clown book around, any one of the 11/22/63 books that we read should work for the Pennywise task - same author connection.

City of Brass actually should work for the arch-nemesis chipmunk prompt - the Shafits and Daevas, the Nahids and Daevas, Dara and the al Qahtanis - there are multiple such factions.

Team Ashara
Discussion Questions: Day 3 - Chapters 10-14

9. As he walks through the Daeva Quarters, Ali is shot by a toy arrow, let loose by one of the children playing about. Rashid suggests to Ali that he should punish the boy by taking him to be raised in the Citadel, which Ali refuses. What do you think this says about Ali, and about others in the city’s upper echelon?
Ali came across as someone who has their head screwed it correctly in that moment. The fact that something so innocuous is looked at with such extreme repercussion is telling of how the "upper echelon" thinks. It also is the perfect recipe for creating angry, abusive, hurt men of children.

10. Nahri and Dara have a moment, but are interrupted. Do you like this partnership, romantically or otherwise? Is it doomed, or meant to be?
It is a good relation - but one that somehow lends into a lot of underlying hurt. While I would love to see that flourish, it is fairly evident that the world they are entering into they are going to have a very tough time keeping this relation alive. Also, Nahri does act a little childish at times, so I would be hardly surprised to see her act like an adamant child at times.

11. We learn about the terrible conditions in the shafit orphanage and the difficult lives all the shafit are forced into. Even though he immediately refuses to help, how do you think this will influence him in the future?
It will certainly have some role to play in the familial politics. Ali does come across as someone who isn't swayed by the riches of his world and would be someone who would consider the plight of someone else - but he is fighting against a lethal kingdom headed by his father, so it would be an uphill battle either way.

12. As Dara and Nahri cross the last illusion shielding Daevabad, Nahri has an odd reaction and ends up flat on her back on the deck of the ferry, with Dara rudely refusing anyone’s assistance. Do you think this was caused by something related to what Nahri is, or something else?
That was a bit surprising for me when it happened. But the various tribes and their interconnection is extremely interesting to explore. I am sure there is a lot that we still don't know and a lot that we may not even at the end of the book - but I am certainly intrigued.

13. Muntadhir takes Ali to a secret room filled with dead Nahids. Do you think this room will be a turning point for Ali? Do you think Dara will discover this and his relic, and what do you think will follow if he does?
It may or may not sway his decision making, but Ali will certainly somewhere down the line be impacted by this secret that was dumped on him. And the crypt will play some role in Dara's future. Dara remains a beautiful mystery!

Team Ashara
Discussion Questions - Day 2 : Chapters 5-9

5. So many groups! We had a couple of chapters in this part that described some of the tribes in Daevabad and elsewhere - the Daeva/Djinn, Ifrit, Simurgh, Zahhak and I'm sure I haven't listed them all. Where on the confusion scale are you - with 1 being totally confused and 10 being "I've got this". And are you ok with your level at this point in the book?
I am rather fairly comfortable with them all. They are laid out fairly neatly in the narrative plus there is an entire Fandom page on the internet and S.A. Chakraborty's webpage also has breakdown of the characters and the various tribes - so all of that certainly has helped keeping things in order. So, I'd say I am at a solid 8 or a 9.

6. Somewhat related to this - we learn that Suleiman curbed magical abilities because the daeva harmed humanity. I learned (thanks Google) that in the non-book world Suleiman the Magnificent was the longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1520 to 1566 - he ruled over at least 25 million people. Did you know anything about Suleiman and what do you think of his inclusion in the book?
My Google search before and during the book yielded exactly the same result - and it wasn't something I was aware of before I read through that. The Ottoman Empire, especially during the time period Suleiman ruled in was at its absolute peak in terms of land conquered, so sadly I am not surprised that there must a lot of good and even bit more of the bad that must have transpired throughout the expanse of the kingdom.

7. We now know Dara was a slave for many years and was forced to do some things that haunt him. How does this make you feel about his character?
Dara seemed like a very likeable character from the get go. He was the most mysterious, so there was a certain level of ambiguity towards his actions - but knowing of the demons in his past, it certainly makes me think of the things that he must have endured that he don't even know off after being alive for centuries as a slave. We obviously don't have the story from his perspective, so it will always be second-hand information, so maybe we never quite know the true extent of his history (atleast not in this book!).

8. Ali's father was portrayed as brutal when we first met him at the execution, and then later he seemed like a pretty good ruler as he listened to and judged people's problems. What do you think - good king or bad king?
So far I would like to think that he is a fairly just king. As a king, I presume there are times when you have to take the unpleasant decision that does not reflect well on you - but Ghassan seems like someone who has so far managed to keep the goodness/fairness alive in him and not let power complete take over.

If we are still pending the "bling" task, I can read this, if the jewelry here is blingy enough.

Team Ashara
Discussion Questions - Day 1, Ch 1-5

1. This book begins in 18th century Cairo, with France and Turkey fighting over Egypt. I have never encountered this conflict in fiction before. Have you? Were you familiar with it before you started reading?
I had a working knowledge of the conflict, plus I read the Wikipedia article on it before starting the book just to get myself in the know-how of the time period. It certainly isn't something that is taught or spoken about more often in countries outside of these places (Although, I hope this history is spoken about in those countries as well) - so it is unsurprising that not a lot of fiction books have tackled this era from this part of the world. Glad that S.A. Chakraborty touched on it a little bit in a fantasy book nevertheless.

2. Nahri has several mysterious powers, including healing, the ability to sense illness in others, and the ability to understand and speak every language she hears. Which of her powers would you like for yourself?
Oh I would love them all - but as someone who is fascinated by languages and dialects, I would be delighted to have that ability to speak every language one hears. I am teaching myself Japanese currently, and it is a pleasure to find the beauty spots in a new language - imagine that with ALL the languages! Uff!

3. What do you think of the world building so far? Do you find it confusing, or do you feel like you’re along for the ride?
I love it! A lot of the words and concepts are similar to Hindu mythology in India (which is where I am from), so they haven't confused me as such. I note down all the names and locations for each book I read anyway, so it definitely is helping keep a tab on the proceedings. Plus the book has a wonderful map, so geographically it makes sense as well as I move through the book.

4. So far we’ve met 3 significant players in this book: Nahri, Ali, and Dara. Do you have a favorite character so far, or one who intrigues you the most?
Nahri certainly has intrigued me because we are essentially figuring out the world alongside her, so she is certainly more relatable. Ali just seems like a naïve sweetheart and I love that, Dara is mysterious and I would love to understand more about him.