ClaireB’s Comments (group member since Jul 06, 2014)

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

I love Anita Blake :) It really is my guilty pleasure read. The next book I need to read in the series is Hit List, number 20. And that's saying something. I can't believe I got so far into it. I'm usually not that great with series with more than 4 books.

I prefer to read physical books too. But I use my e-reader for books I can't get from my local bookstore. I'm not a fan of ordering physical books through amazon. (Of course there are a few exceptions.) But for instance, for some reason they don't have that many urban fantasy titles. Maybe it's because we depend more on the UK when it comes to importing books and that's not such a popular genre there??? I might be wrong. (Let's not talk about MM romance, I've never seen one in paper format, lol). And of course for self-published books, it's a lot cheaper to get them on e-book.

Mary, Mary, Just a bit contrary wrote: "Isn't there another book think like that? Where you can put a tracking number on a book and then see where it ends up?"

Yes, I believe it's called bookcrossing, or something like that.

Never found any book in Brussels, from neither the bookfairy, nor bookcrossing or any other initiative like that... Sad...


As for free libraries, there aren't so many of them. There was one at my university, but people use it more like a place to dump old books secondhand bookshops don't want to buy. It's mostly crap, really.

I finished my last book for the challenge. :) I had a great time with this challenge!

I'm also trying to squeeze in an Anita Blake books. You made me want to read some :)

It was a fantastic Wheel-a-thon. I had a great time. And I'm so glad I managed to read a bit of everything, checking a few titles off my TBR list in passing :)

I finally got aroung to read What Remains.
Here's proof of my participation to the BOM discussion:

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5

Sonia wrote: "So I read Guilty Pleasures, jumped into The Laughing Corpse and I'm about to start Circus of the Damned.

Obsessed much? Moi? How dare you!!!!"

Haha, I'm so glad you're enjoying the series! Have fun !

I've finished reading Dry. Here's proof of my participation to the BOM discussions:

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4

DQs - Part Four

17. Henry’s character has turned out to be a bit of a conundrum to me. What do you think has contributed to him using and manipulating people the way he does? Were you surprised at the end of the book when he was being praised as a hero? Do you think Kelton and Alyssa should have spoke up about his dishonesty?

I hate that kid. I was surprised by him posing as a hero, but I shouldn't. I hate him even more now. I think Alyssa and Kelton should have spoken up. definitely.

18. Alyssa finds out that Kelton spied on her back in 8th grade and in this section, she slaps him on the face hard. Did you think her behavior was appropriate given the amount of time that passed? Would you have handled it differently?

Yes, it was slighly exagerated. Kelton was just a kid back then and he himself felt bad after doing it. We all do stupid shit when we are kids.

19. Hell and High Water—In this part our band of survivors experience all kinds of ‘hell’. Henry leaves his friends ‘high and dry’…betraying them…getting them almost killed...again. Kelton shoots the two brothers who were attempting to rape Alyssa and manhandle Jacqui and Garret. Alyssa displays her worst self with the mother of the two men, leaving her to perish in the fire and Alyssa almost ‘mercy’ kills her brother. What were your thoughts about any/all of these circumstances? Were the situations realistic? What do you think they could have done differently?

It sure was a rollercoaster! And god, I thought they would really commit suicide for a second. It was devastating to read. And worst part is, I believe it was realistic.

20. A New Normal—When a person goes through something ‘traumatic’ you are bound to be affected in some way…this chapter gives us a glimpse of how the characters have been impacted/changed. What character’s change had the biggest impact on you? Have you ever experienced an event that changed how you see or do things? Do you think it takes something dramatic to get people to ‘wake up’ and make necessary changes?

I can't say I've lived anything tramatic like that, no. I realise I'm very lucky to be able to say that.

21. Do you think anyone is to blame for the way this disaster unraveled? Could it have been diverted?

With better management, maybe it could have been diverted. But I don't know enough about US politics to be able to pinpoint exactly where in the political body lies the fault.

22. Will this story impact how you use water? If so why, and what will you plan to do differently?

I think so, yes. I'm already pretty conscious of my use of water, but I'll probably be even more conscious of that in the coming days. And I'll probably stock on waterbottles. lol

Sonia wrote: "Oh I know

I got an arc of serpentine when it came out and read it - I know, out of order, the blasphemy - and I kinda liked it.

Sure, seeing how pure UF it was at the beginning, I understand why..."

As long as you know 😉
Like I said I don't mind the change so much. It's become very trashy but I still devour them. Although, I have to say I was a bit disappointed in the last couple I read. I'm on book 18 and I feel like Anita is just stagnating. The author really needs to move on from some of the issues. It's getting a bit old. fingers crossed the next one will be better.

Day 3 DQs


11. With the introduction of Henry we see a similar situation as the McCracken's, with Henry holding a stockpile of water and his neighbors in desperate need. Why do you think Henry's neighbors didn't attack or steal what they needed from him? He was only a teenager after all and he was alone.

I think it's because he was willing to trade. He didn't outright deny them the water. Plus, I think people were weakened by sickness.


12. What did you make of Henry? Would you have allowed him to join your group? Do you think they would have made it as far as they have without him?

He's a shithead. I really dislike him. But sometimes a shithead like that is necessary to survive as they make the less moral decision needed for survival. The only thing is that you never know when he'll turn against the group. Like he did in that last chapter. I hated that!


13. In times of crisis people will do just about anything out of desperation, which we see with Hali in the Target parking lot. How do you think you would handle something like this?

Very badly?! I don't know. It's difficult to say when you've never been in that kind of situation before.


14. I was shocked to learn that Jacqui had left a bottle of the antibiotics for Herb and Daphne. Did this change your opinion of her?

I wasn't chocked at all. I could feel she would do that. I knew she would turn around at some point.


15. We meet Water Angel's group, who are civilized and working together to survive. Henry compares it to communism and doesn't think it will last. Do you agree that it's only a short-term solution and that they will eventually turn on each other?

I don't know. Why wouldn't it last? It all depends if the leader is strong enought to dissipate discension. And let's say I don't trust Henry's judgement at this point.


16. Trust is a big issue that comes up again and again. Do you think Jacqui and Henry have proven themselves to be trustworthy? What about Alyssa and Kelton (despite the past drone incident)?

Jacqui, yes. Even though she needs to learn to trust other people and stop acting up like she does.
Henry definitely not.
Alyssa can be trusted but she's sometimes to soft. Which in itself is something I like about her. And Kelton can definitely be trusted. He's helped so much alread. That thing with the drone might not be the best thing he did, but he was yound and stupid.

Sonia wrote: "Anita Blake. Is not a discovery, I had it on my tbr for ages, I believe maybe before joining goodreads, but I finally took the time to read it."

Oh yes, I love this series. But I need to warn you that the beginning of the series is very different from the rest of it. At some point it just takes a turn. And a lot of people don't think it's for the best. I'm kind of in the middle where I still enjoy it, but I prefer how it was before.

yes! please share Sonia? What series did you just discover?

Day 2 Questions

6. The power plant vignettes at the beginning of part two are intriguing. We have the activist assuming the water is destined for the wealthy, the water guy just trying to do his job, and the plant manager trying to keep the power on and take care of his workers. With which side did you sympathize?

Ehm, all of them. There's no wrong, no right in this situation. Everyone's deperate.

7. Why do think the author has both of Alyssa and Garrett's parents go to the water desalination center at the beach? Do you think the events on the beach are realistic or over the top?

As sad as it is to say, I think it's realistic. And it's scary how quickly people turn to violence in desperate situations.

8. Kelton states, "Things are gonna fall apart pretty quickly now... Critical services shutting down, unreliable communication--any minute now it'll all give way to urban Darwinism." Do you think the view is too pessimistic, too optimistic, or on track? Why?

I think it's a view he inherited from his father. And its a possibility, unfortunately. If nobody is going to lead to have a better way of dealing with the situation, this is exactly what is going to happen I think.

9. Jacqui comes into the story in this section as a new main character. What do you think of the addition of her character? Have you changed your opinion of either Alyssa or Kelton now that we have reached the halfway point?

I haven't changed my opinion of Alyssa or Kelton. I'm not liking Jacqui so much right now, but I'm sure she'll come around later.

10. I have a few problems with the mob scene and the events as they play out at Kelton's house at the end of the section. Did the sequence of events seems reasonable to you? Why or why not?

I didn't like that scene either. It is however what I expected to happen after Alyssa brought them the water. I'm just sad Kelton's brother had to die because of this. Now I expect Kelton to be angry at Alyssa and I'm not looking forward to this.

Day One: Part One

1. Living in southwest United States, I'm very familiar with droughts and water rights, so this hits close to home! Do you enjoy dystopia novels that have an element of truth to them or do you prefer pure fiction? Why or why not?

I usually like to read that kind of dystopia. Because it give you things to think about and teaches you the possible consequences of some actions or ways of thinking.

2. Kelton discusses three types of people, sheep, wolves, and herders; do you believe humans truly fall into these roles during challenging times?

I would not say they are categories. I see it more as a spectrum. Here we have two extremes, wolf and sheep, and I'd put herders in the middle.

3. What do you think of Kelton and Alyssa as the MCs of this story so far?

I think they are fitting main characters for that kind of YA novel. I like them so far.

4. Near the end of this section, Kelton's dad tells a neighbor, "as if your lack of foresight is my fault", how do you feel about this, do you agree?

I think it is unfair. Not everybody is prepaired to envision the worst all the time. But at the same time, I kinda get where he's coming from. Not that I agree or anything.

5. I'm enjoying how the vignettes add a little something different to the story, the reporter and the family at the airport offer a different lense about the events, what are your thoughts?

I think it's a smart way to show what is happening outside of Alyssa and Kenton's town.

Steven wrote: "Melissa wrote: "Steven wrote: "Melissa wrote: "Shifters are like werewolves and stuff right? So Dead Until Dark will count since Sam is a werewolf?"

I believe he's just a shapeshifter, and not a w..."

I second that. I loved the first books of the series. The later books... not so much. But I believe the series is still worth a shot. I hope you"ll like them !

Shifters? That's the genre for me! I'm glad we finish on that one :)

Sonia wrote: "Sooooo... I just hid in the bathroom to finish a book. Which was good, because the end of Alex Craft #5 broke my heart and I ended up crying a lot.

A LOT!!!!!!

*mutters about authors that make u..."

Oh no! I haven't read it yet. I really need to get to it. But I don't want anything to happen to my precious characters :(

Space Opera is cool :) It changes my reading plan entirely, though. Haha
I'm not sure yet what I'm going to read. Maybe Aurora Rising, or Amie Kaufman's other space opera series. I have a few others on my shelves, but they are all so long... Oh well.

Sonia wrote: "She's going to do a spin-off with Jack and Jocker.

Next one will be Jack and Laz's hairdresser friend..."

Great! I'm sure it'll be a fun read :)