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

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

Ok, sounds good. I could probably do it. But let's see what monster we get once I'm done with the Hobbit. We never know we might have one more easily defeated.

Sammy wrote: "I doubt we'll be able to complete the second bear, unless anyone is already working on a 500-650 page book and close to finishing.

so I vote we fill in what we can from the banked books, and don't..."

I am almost half-way through Daughter of the Moon Goddess, and my edition has 503 pages.
It reads relatively quickly. I could have it done by tonight, after I'm done with the Hobbit.

How long 'till the end of the mini again ??

Sammy wrote: "Claire wrote: "I know !
I could re-read
It has both mountains on the cover, and Bilbo plays riddles with Golum"

Perfect! I did that for our last Sphinx :D"

I'll start now :) Let's hope work stays as quite as it is now so I can finish soon !

I know !
I could re-read
It has both mountains on the cover, and Bilbo plays riddles with Golum

Sammy wrote: "Claire wrote: "I could quickly read

It has :
1) 217 pages
3) possibility of a riddle to be solved. TBC when I read it
5) a brown cover

Edit: yes for 3. I j..."

Alright, I'll leave it for another time then. Let me see if I can find something that covers other prompts

I could quickly read

It has :
1) 217 pages
3) possibility of a riddle to be solved. TBC when I read it
5) a brown cover

Edit: yes for 3. I just read the sysnopsis and it involves a cipher, meaning a riddle

Feel better soon, Laura !

Sonia wrote: "So, we have... around 9 hours or so to slay monsters, and then the next mini starts... NO REST FOR THE WICKED"

It's a slow day at work today (finally !), meaning I can actually read. So hopefully I can help a bit :)

Thank you for coordinating all that. It really helps make it clear what we need, and keep it fun !

Sammy wrote: "The starting date matters with Warships, but the other minis, as long as it was started during TT, it's good :)"

Right. With all these different rules for each part of the TowerTeams it can get a bit confusing at time... 😅

Sammy wrote: "As long as it was finished after, it works Claire :D"

Aaah, for some reason I thought it was the starting date that matters :p well, good news !

My The Gilded Cage has also a surprise twist when (view spoiler)[the princess turned on her family for a chance to be with her girlfriend (hide spoiler)] at the end. But we'd need to check the date when I started reading it, not sure if it was before of after the mini started.

Hey guys !!
Sorry I've been kinda absent for the last couple of weeks. Basically work was crazy. My unit was finishing up some projects, and on top of that I was asked to cover for a couple of colleagues. So topping my busy days with even more craziness, and being three people at the same time 😵‍💫😵‍💫
But the projects are now over, and with the holidays I expect it's going to calm down quite a bit. I'll finally be able to take a breath again, and enjoy some reading 😊

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "Woohoo - well done Lauri!

Claire - I can’t imagine it being an all time favourite book 😆 but I actually enjoyed the crazy ride. Hopefully you can get to the end 👍"

I'm definitely finishing it before the BOM reading deadline. I want those points !

Yes that guy is super sweet, but crazy. lol
He ranks all the books he reads. Do you know anyone who does that? Everytime he reads something he will try to place it in a spreadsheet that will go from favourite to least favourite. That's how he figured Master and Margarita is his alltime favourite. Nothing has topped it yet. And he has about 300 books on there.
I can't imagine doing that. I just read too many books. How would I know if a book I read now is better than that one I read 6 Years ago and I barely remember? lol

I'm half-way through The Master and Margarita and I didn't expect to struggle so much with it... And to say one of my colleagues has been pushing it to me quite a bit, saying it his alltime favourite book. I can't say I see why...

Day 3 - DQs

14. Saved by Cock-Crow -> 18. Unwelcome visitors

11)
“Since antiquity, the rooster has been, and still is, a sacred animal in some cultures and deeply embedded within various religious belief systems and religious worship….
In the sixth century, Pope Gregory declared the rooster the emblem of Christianity and in 9TH century the figure of the rooster was ordered to be placed on every church steeple. Also in Central European folk tales, the devil is believed to flee at the first crowing of a rooster.” (Source : Wikipedia)

Maybe it is just me, but I think there is something deeply symbolic about the fact that in the seemingly atheistic society a man is saved from black magic/the devil by a bird that is strongly connected to Christianity and is part of people’s inherent belief/superstitions. Do you think this was intentional on the author ‘s part and if so what possible message was he trying to pass on?

Interesting !
Probably, yes. This book obviously makes use of a lot of symbols and metaphores, and the author is quite clever with it. I just wish I could understand them all. I'm sure a lot of it goes right over my head.

12) Connected to the question above: were there any superstitions you were brought up with or were told about by your family/friends?

Many, but most of them we don't believe in: like walking underneath a ladder, opening an umbrella inside (my mom low-key believes in that one), black cats, the knocking on wood thing (something we actually do tbh), the horseshoe thing, mirrors crossing, Friday the 13th (actually depending on wehere you live, it can be a lucky day [france and parts of Belgium for instance] or a bad luck day. My mon believes in the latter) etc.

13) While the plot mainly concentrates on the weird happenings in “modern” Moscow and only few chapters are devoted to Jerusalem, do you think any parallels can be drawn between the two cities or their people?
Could be yes, but I have to be honest here, I'm really bored by the chapters on Jerusalem so I cannot be bothered to try and figure it out. Sorry not sorry.

14) One of the many memorable scenes was when people broke out in a “song and dance flashmob” despite their not wanting to (the evil workings of Korovyev, the “ex-choirmaster”, translator ad assistant of Woland). Have you ever participated in a flashmob or saw one performed in person? If not: have you ever been involved in a school play/choir/etc?
I saw a flashmob in the metro once, but never participated in one.
There was one in Antwerp that was quite fun and the video went viral in my country. I hope sharing the link works, if not just look for the keyword on youtube: Sound of Music | Central Station Antwerp (Belgium)

EDIT: well GR would not allow me to share the link. But here, remove the spaces and paste it in your search bar: https:// www. youtube.com/ watch?v= 7EYAUazLI9k

15) We already agreed that it is quite difficult to make sense of this book. Have you ever read a book that had similar effect on you? (fascination/bewilderment/what-am-I-just-reading? :)
I think so, but right now I could not tell you which one. But when I happen on such a book I have to be honest, half of the time I dnf...

DQs Day 2
7. The Haunted Flat -> 13. Enter the Hero

6.) Berlioz kept having things disappear from his apartment. What would you have thought if stuff was randomly disappearing from your home? Blame it on the kids? Partner? Ghost? Thief? Do you think it's supposed to represent Stalin's infamous purges where people simply disappear?
I'm quite the scatterbrained sometimes. I'd first assume I misplaced the things first. But after a couple of things, I'd get seriously nervous about it. I live alone, so I cannot blame it on partner or kids. I'd think of thieves, or maybe neighbors.

7.) What do you think of Woland's posse of 3? Would you want to be a part of that group? Of the 3, do you have a favorite character?
Same as Keely above. Some chapters are confusing to me...

8.) Thoughts on Stavinsky? Would you want him treating a family member? Considering this is the 1930's and it's a mental asylum, was it what you'd expect? Or more modern?
Considering how medicine went in that period, certainly not. It's not as harsh an environment as I would expect from such a mental facility, but I guess the other shoe can drop at any time. At the same time, knowing Bugakov was a doctor, maybe he will not be too hard on Stavinsky. We'll see.

9.) This section made me think about the housing/apartment situation in Stalin's Soviet Union. Maybe because I recently moved house, it made me grateful for the choices I have available about my living situation. Did this resonate at all with you? How so?
It just makes me grateful for the way I live, and the appartment I live it.

10.) I still have like no idea what's going on really. I feel like I'm just going to keep reading and hope it either starts making sense or the book ends. How are you enjoying the book so far?
Same here. I like some of the chapter, and I find some parts very funny. But others are just utter confusion for me.

I've just finished a book that fits both
T103 Read a book where the MC is forced to make a hard choice (your interpretation).
T105 Read a book where the characters take a boat trip (of any type).

In , Jamie and Andrew have to make a few tough decisions to survive this post-apocalyptic world. And at the end of the book they go on a boat.

Day 1 DQs
Book 1- Chapters 1 (Never talk to strangers) - 6 (Schizophrenia)

1) Poetry and literature. Religion. Philosophy. Deep topics, deftly handled by a mad, funny writer. What do you think so far? Are you fans of Homeless (Ivan) and Berlioz and their pretentious academic discussions? Are you intrigued? Confused?

I'm both intrigued and confused. Some parts of it are really fascinating to me, but others just go over my head.

2) So, you meet a stranger that that knows your name, and says that he just had breakfast with Immanuel Kant (who died over100 years ago), and was there to see Jesus, then tells you how you are going to die.
Did you know who the Professor (W, foreigner, stranger, consultant, etc.) is from the synopsis, or when did you start to realize who this character really is?

I guessed who he was from the beginning because of the synopsis, and from what I've been told about this book.

3) We move to Judea, in the story that the Professor is telling. Pilate and Yeshua discuss why he has been imprisoned. What did you think of their talk? Did the characters of Jesus and Pilate differ from how you imagined them? What do you think of the different philosophies of authority vs the kingdom of truth and justice, in the book or in life?
What do you think of Yeshua’s belief that all men are good?
(I Personally loved the comment of Yeshua that his disciple keeps recording his words wrong. Teehee)

I liked that part as well, because it conveyw the message really well that sometimes things are subjected to interpretation, and we should be weary of some 2nd sources discourse. We shouldn't take everything as gospel, ironically.

4) Well, Ivan’s life just took a turn. A dead friend, levitating men, a giant cat, a dip in a river resulting in missing clothing. Ever had a day like this? Do you think you would have given chase?

Can't say I ever had a day like that, no... haha. Out of curiosity I would have a bit, but the craziness of it all would have driven me away at some point.

5) I love the psychiatric hospital scene. It is so absurd. “Let him use the phone.” Teehee. I mean, poor Ivan. Do you think he will be there a while, or convince the doctor to let him go?

I think it'll be very hard for him to convince the doctor that he isn't mad...

I wasn't able to finish The Spider yesterday afterall, but I will today for sure. I'm only 1 hour away in my audiobook.