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

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

Cathy M. wrote: "Is anyone participating in the upcoming BOMs? They are:


- starts today. I got picked to write DQ's yay :D

- starts tomorrow in Back-Roo..."

I'm definitely participating in the Backroom BOM. I'm not sure for Dry, yet.

Sonia wrote: "✿ Claire ✿ ~ Foxgard wrote: "Sonia wrote: "Good morning team!!!!

So, I seem to have found my reading time again... Still busy as hell, but will manage to sneak a few reading times here and then.

..."

That's even worse! For that one page !

I'm all in for a change in point system. Maybe for the next group challenge. :)

Sonia wrote: "Good morning team!!!!

So, I seem to have found my reading time again... Still busy as hell, but will manage to sneak a few reading times here and then.

Anyway... I was checking KU for some Ella F..."

Good morning Sonia!
Have fun with your little series :)
The page count has been kicking me in the *ss since the beginning of the challege. How many books with 290-ish pages have I read now for this challenge! *deep sigh*

Cathy M. wrote: "✿ Claire ✿ ~ Foxgard wrote: "I had a good reading day today. I managed to finish both my "Marie Antoinnette" and my "White Woman" book. Hooray. And they weren't too bad. I enjoyed them. I was start..."

I know, right? This is hilarious !!! XD

I had a good reading day today. I managed to finish both my "Marie Antoinnette" and my "White Woman" book. Hooray. And they weren't too bad. I enjoyed them. I was starting to despair. My last reads had been so Meh.

I also decided to win us some bonus points by reading the Backroom BOM of june, while I was still able to. Oh my gosh, why do I inflict this on myself?! This book was baaaaaaaad. BUT, I had a good laugh answering those questions. really, my eyes were tearing up because I was laughing so hard!

edit:
evidence of my participation Here

I found "white woman" in Day Shift. How perfect is that?
I'll make both this book and Enchantée my priority. I'll try to at least finish one of those today.

Day 4

1. This section begins at the start of the Aurora World Tour. We have the blue bus (Billy) and the white bus (Daisy). Which bus would you choose to ride on, and why?

I'd go in the blue bus. As much as I like Daisy on paper, I don't think I would like her irl. I can't see myself looking at a young woman drugging herself constantly and say nothing about it.

2. The book had four strongly described females: Daisy, Camilla, Karen, and Simone. Which were you the most drawn to?

I'd say Camilla. She's so strong and understanding. I don't think I would be able to stay so strong in her situation

3. What did you think when you found out the name of the author? Do you think that given who the author is, maybe some of the answers in the previous sections of the book were changed or incomplete?

I was really surprised. It must be hard for her to hear all this about her father.
Because of the format, I already had the fact that the different protagonists might not share everything or change some things in mind. The fact that Billy's daughter is compiling the book doesn't change that. But it reinforced somewhat.

4. In the Epilogue, we learn what happened to each of the band members. Did any of these "endings" surprise you, or did they each turn out as you expected?

I was surprised by Karen's ending. The others, not so much.

5. I thought the "One Last Thing" at the end (the email from Camilla) was brilliant. What do you think happened with that?

Billy and Daisy now have to write a song together again. There's no way that they don't


6. What did you rate the book and why?

I rated it 4.5/5 stars. It was a really great book. I'm glad NBRC made me read it.

I found a book with Marie Antoinette in it!
It's Enchantée by Gita Trelease. And it works for letter A :)

I did it guys! I finished Spinning Silver!
It was not my favourite. I had a really hard time getting into it. But I'm glad I'm done with it.

Rebecca wrote: "Question about the mini challenge - is it 1 word per book? Or can you find more than 1 word in a book?"

One word per book.

I made progress in Spinning Silver. I'm not loving it as much as I had hoped. I'm kinda disappointed...
I had to take a break from it and finished Daisy Jones & The Six. Here it's the reverse. I enjoyed it so much more than I expected. It's not my usual genre and the hype was such it scared me. But I'm glad it was chosen as BOM, otherwise my copy would have stayed unread on my shelves for years. I'm probably going to read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo soon.

BOM participation ✔️
- DAY 1
- DAY 2
- DAY 3

Elena wrote: "Claire, I remember Spinning Silver starting kinda slowly for me too, but I really liked it in the end (though not as much as Uprooted :)) Hope it picks up for you!"

It started to pick up where I left it yesterday, but I was too tired to continue. Finger crossed I can finish it today.

DAY 3 QUESTIONS - AURORA

9. History is full of rock and roll bands with creative differences and disagreements between big personalities. This story is presented with interchanging POV's to highlight and give insight into this. What do you think of the opinions of each of the band mates and do you have any sympathy or empathy for any band mate in particular? Do you think that any of the animosity or disgruntled feelings are justified?

I feel for Graham the most. He obviously love Karen and lot and she's just not ready to commit. poor guy.
I understand most of them. It must not be easy to be part of a band when you have these two talents not only outshine everyone else, but treating everyone like they're expendable. Or using them to get to someone, like Daisy did. It's not cool.
However, I can't stand Eddie. I get where he's coming from, but the jealousy is just too much.

10. The premise of the story is revealing the reasons that Daisy Jones and the Six imploded. At this stage of the novel what do you think happened? Disagreements over creative differences or some spectacular tragedy?

I think it's a mix of differences in creativity, emotional and relational issues within the band, and a lack of inclusiveness with the other members of the band.

11. Juxtaposed between the complicated relationships between Billy, Camila and Daisy, Graham and Karen seemingly are flying under the radar. Opinions on this and where do you think it is heading? Who do you think holds the power in this relationship and is it heading towards a Happily Ever After or acrimonious break up?

I hope they get together. Graham is so deeply in love, and I'm sure Karen is too. She just doesn't want to admit it. Keren definitely holds the power in the relationship. She just needs to realise that what they have could be a great thing. But I'm scared she won't see it in time.

12. Married man, troubled single girl, intense emotional connection between work colleagues = big trouble!! Discuss.

I already said what I think of it in the first question.

13. As I get further into the book I find the rapid fire conversation and the intense interactions draw me deeper into the characters and the story compelling me to keep reading on. Are you enjoying the book in the same way? Do you find the story original or feel that you have read or seen it all before.

I feel the same. At first I was afraid I wouldn't enjoy it because of the format, but now I think it's brilliant.
I would not say the story is original. It sounds like a blend of real life band drama. But it is very well executed.

14. Mod Karen has revealed that the rights to this book have been optioned by Reese Witherspoon to make into a TV drama series. I think it's going to make great television. Who do you see in the starring roles? Established actors or is a star waiting to be born!

I'm really bad at casting, but let me try. I'd say Bradley Cooper would be a great Billy, but he already played a similar role in A Star is Born, so it'd have to be someone else.
Hmmm... No that's all I got at this point. I'm so bad at casting.

Day Two: First -The Numbers Tour

5. During the making of Daisy’s first album, I appreciated her quote, “Being given things versus earning them. I was so used to being given things I didn’t know how important it is for your soul to earn them”. Do you think that Daisy will continue to think this way and work hard for the music she wants considering her increased drug use and drinking?

I think the drug issue will impede her in some way. When you're high all the time I can't see anyone living to that kind of principle.

6. During the studio session for Honeycomb, Karen sums it up best as indicating that Billy wrote it as a song of security, and Daisy changed it to a song of insecurity. What do you think of the continuing duality between Billy and Daisy? Will it be good or bad for them moving forward?

I think it will eventually cause the ultimate separation of the band. That kind of tension is not healthy in such a group. Or it will turn into lust and the ensuing drama will cause the band to end

7. Daisy is changing the dynamic of The Six when she joins the band and states, "You’re only in charge of me as much as I’m in charge of you." Do you think this equality approach is going to work?

No. The band was forced to change their name to Daisy Jones and the Six, which makes Daisy Jones the most important element of the band. That voids any equality.

8. I'm a complete sucker for stories that have lyrics in them, are you enjoying the lyrics in this story? Do you have any favorites so far?

I actually hate books with song lyrics. They pull me out of the stories. I hate that. Plus it's often too cheesy for me to handle.

I powered through The Last of August and I'll now concentrate on Spinning Silver. I'll really try my best to finish it in time. So far it's been hard to get into it. Naomi Novik's writing is quite slow...

Cathy M. wrote: "✿ Claire ✿ ~ Foxgard wrote: "I just finished my X book. I'll try and read another one before the end of the challenge.

Horror... Not exactly my cup of tea. Luckily it seems to be a popular genre ..."

That's what I thought. Too bad!

Cathy M. wrote: "So far we have 6 completed for Retellings with 3 more listed on the Planning sheet:

Claire - Spinning Silver
Claire - The Last of August
Melissa - Indexing

I'll nix the 2nd Dreg City book to read..."

I'm actually not sure if I'll be able to finish both retellings in time. I will definitely try, but we never know. It wouldn't hurt to have an extra retelling just in case.

I just finished my X book. I'll try and read another one before the end of the challenge.

Horror... Not exactly my cup of tea. Luckily it seems to be a popular genre in the team :) I'm glad. And as Sonia said, sometimes books are put under Horror very easily. I have a few on that list you send, Sonia. Maybe I'll read something from that.

Or I can also continue reading the Newsflesh series by Mira Grant, aka Seanan Mcguire.
Question, I see Seanan McGuire is not listed as the author's name for Deadline, as she published it under her other penname. But everyone knows it's her. And it's written on Mira Grant's author page very clearly. Can we use 'Seanan McGuire' for S? (It's kind of a moot question as the main character is Shaun Mason, but I just want to know in case I ever end up with a similar case).

DQ Day 1

1. This is a different type of book than I usually read. The interview formatting is interesting. What do you think of the formatting so far? Is anyone having trouble following it? I am reading it, but it reads like a podcast transcript to me so far.

Same for me. It's very different from what usually read. This format is a bit hard for me to read. Luckily I have the audiobook to help me get through it. It's making it much easier.

2. A main focus of the book seems to be the agency of the women in the music business. The two quotes that stuck out to me were “ I am not a muse. I am the somebody,” and “men often think they deserve a sticker for treating women like people.” What are your thoughts on this theme and quotes?

I like these quotes a lot too. It show how independent Daisy Jones is, or more like, it shows her stong desire for indepence.

3. Daisy’s parents are absent and extremely unobservant. She is very young when introduced to drugs, alcohol, and sex. The interview style presents what is really horrific in Daisy’s description of parental neglect, drug use at a very young age and statutory rape, as far as I can tell, in a fairly detached fashion. Anyone else react this way to this section?

It shows that on the music scene, things that should not be tolerated are accepted as something normal. Drugs and alcohol are normal. The fact that musicians take advantage of impressionable young girls happens all the time. And what gets me really concerned, that even the girls who go with it come to consider it the norm.

4. The end of this section focuses on Billy and Camila. What do you think of their relationship and the choices that Camila makes? Do you think Billy will stay sober?

I hope for them that he'll sober up. But that won't be an easy journey, that's for sure. I feel bad for Camilla. Their relationship evolved too fast for Billy. With his daddy problems, his carreer as a musician taking off, he didn't have enough time to really cope with the idea of marriage and kids. He was not ready. And Camilla pays the price for that.

Cathy M. wrote: "Ok wow, TWIX/Retellings. Let me see what I have.

Was a little worried about the X's but we already have a ton of them planned so great finds everyone! I do know Xe Sands is a narrator for some of ..."

That's a good option, too !
I'll have to see if I can find a book I like narrated by her.



I'm in a weird reading mood today. I keep jumping from one book to the other. I hate it!