Sana’s Comments (group member since Oct 27, 2017)

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

Post #66
Option #3
Level: Scrabble Bingo Master: 64+ books
Completed

Updated message #26
Level: Devil May Care - 20 or more
24/20 Read

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

New 2 U Author - 2022
Duration: 1 January, 2022 - 31 December, 2022


Completed

New 2 U Authors - 2022
Duration: 1 January, 2022 - 31 December, 2022
Level: Devil May Care = 20 or more!
Read 31
Completed

1. Lora Leigh - Loving Lies 12/1
2. Jenny Schwartz - Space Deputy 22/1
3. Kalayna Price[ - book:Grave Witch|7823038] 12/2
4. David Lewman - Before the Batman: An Original Movie Novel 22/2
5. Steffie Hall - Foul Play 22/2
6. Phillip W. Simpson - Minotaur 15/3
7. Patrick Süskind - Perfume: The Story of a Murderer 23/3
8. Pam Binder - Match Made in the Highlands 21/3
9. Muriel Spark - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie 22/3
10. Celeste Barclay - Their Highland Beginning 25/3
11. Dashiell Hammett - The Maltese Falcon 26/3
12. Peter Stenson - Fiend 2/4
13. Oscar Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray 20/4
14. Emily Henry - Beach Read 24/4
15. Simone St. James - The Book of Cold Cases 15/6
16. Colleen McCullough - The First Man in Rome 25/6
17. Tara Sivec - Seduction and Snacks 28/8
18. Terry Deary - The Barmy British Empire 8/9
19. Charlie Richards - A Nip of Good Cheer 16/9
20. Mary Ann Shaffer - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society 18/9
21. John Flanagan - The Ruins of Gorlan 20/9
22. Cynthia Eden - Bound by Blood 21/9
23. Audrey Niffenegger - The Time Traveler's Wife 28/9
24. Samantha Young - Smokeless Fire 19/10
25. Gayle Leeson - The Calamity Café 28/10
26. Everina Maxwell - Winter's Orbit 20/11
27. John Scalzi - The Collapsing Empire 21/11
28. K.L. Armstrong - Loki's Wolves 25/11
29. Anna Banks - Of Poseidon 28/11
30. Gena Showalter - Alice in Zombieland 14/12
31. Rebekah Weatherspoon - Xeni 22/12

Thank you everyone for making my first Wheel so enjoyable!
Best wishes and happy holidays to you all.

Finished the last book for this round.

I have one more In Death book.
And Immortal by J.R.Ward.

I have a couple of I's

I just started reading Under the Dome 1074 pages
And The Blood of Olympus mpg children 111,748 word count.

DQ4: Chapters Thirteen - Sixteen

14. Each of the chapters has been headed with a poem or snippet of a poem, in varying styles. Do you scour these for meaning, and if so, what meaning have you wrung from them? Do you like them - as poems or as elements of the book structure? And critically: who is going to take on the challenge of writing one for review of the book? (Jenny's position as NBRC poet laureate is under strong challenge after Kaley's backroom haiku)
No I didn't scour for meaning I'm trying to make sense of the plot and the haphazard scenes thrown in. The story feels disjointed.

15. Okay... theories on Reg Holly and what is up with him?!
He looks very suspicious. Either he's spying on them or trying to influence others.

16. The Fenris wolf and the well-spirit - what do you think of these additions to the Old World creatures we've met? Do you think Susan did the right thing by removing the sword?
I think Susan did the right thing by removing the sword. The wolf was gentle with her and also compelled by someone.


17. We have another gender-swap in pop culture, with the characters from The Professionals being switched to female from male. Together with the political figures that have been gender-switched, and a comment earlier about how Britain took early steps to achieve equality, this is clearly an important part of Nix's world. Does the subtly of this work for you? Is there a deeper point to it than simply wanting gender equality? Why hasn't he gender-swapped any authors?
I think it was done to draw the younger readers who are more gender fluid.

DQs - Day 3 - Chapter Nine - Twelve

10. We are about half way through the book now and I've been looking at the cover and trying to see how it fits with the story. The cover feels dark to me and so far I don't really feel that in the story. Do you feel like the cover fits the story?
I think the story does match the cover to some extent but the characters are too superficial and I'm loosing interest fast.

11. So the old fashioned booksellers in charge might feel the need to remove Susan if they find out her father is one of the Ancients. It seems like Merrihew and Thurston are not greatly respected in the Booksellers realm. How do you feel about them? Do you think they might be involved in what is happening to Susan?
I didn't like Merrihew or Thurston. They look incompetent to me.

12. We keep getting all these references to books, musical groups, and other pop culture from the 80's. Take for example this quote: "The ground floor facing the street was all floor-to-ceiling high windows, with a wonderful display of Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose complete with a cardboard castle to the left of the central revolving door, and a selection of new release thrillers an mysteries built up in a series of pyramids in the window to the right, including John Le Carre's The Little Drummer Girl, Jeffery Archer's First Among Equals, and Ken Follett's On Wings of Eagles." That sentence is long and the following one is not much shorter. How do you feel about all of these references?
I thought the references were a bit too much. We already know in what time period the book is set.

13. In the last section Vivian gives Susan a steel knife and salt and tells her how to bind something to herself. Do you think she will have to bind something? Any idea who or what she will bind?
Vivian gave the knife and salt to Susan so she can protect herself from the magical creatures or her own father.

DQ's - Day 2 - CHAPTER 5 to CHAPTER 8

6. Merlin and Susan get pulled into the May Fair. "The happiness is unsettling, all the smiling and laughing". Was there a part of the fair that stuck out to you? And would YOU have noticed the colorless rose?
I probably wouldn't have noticed the rose because there was a lot going on.

7. Susan seems to have some sort of powers of command, which we see with the wolf at the end of the fair, and hear more about at the end of Chapter 8. What are your guesses about her heritage? Do you have any new guesses about her father?
Don't enough to make a guess.

8. My favorite part of these chapters was reading about the New Bookstore and its contents. If you could spend time in there, what would you want to check out?
I loved the New Bookstore. I would like to check on some very old books on mythologies and origins of fairy tales.

9. The grandmothers were interesting. Any thoughts about them? If I were one of the grandmothers, I'd totally be hanging out with my mastiff. What would you have keeping you company?
The grandmothers were interesting but a bit creepy too and the idea of keeping their dogs with them was cool.

DQ'S DAY 1 - PROLOGUE - CHAPTER 4

1. I nominated this book because titles with libraries or books naturally draw me in and I've wanted to read a Garth Nix book for ages. What are your reasons for reading.. long term Garth Nix affectionado or "It's only about the points, baby"?
It was already in my tbr. I liked the title. And it's my first Garth Nix book.

2. Wikipedia (The Oracle of quick searches about whatever and sometimes actually factual) defines a prologue as "Opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one and other miscellaneous information." What have you learnt in this particular prologue that seems important to the story moving forward?
Susan might think she is normal but she isn't. Also the way her mom is, like her mind is tempered with magically.

3. Chapter 1 introduces us to our main protagonists in a scene filled with murder, fashion descriptions and a giant louse! First impressions of Merlin and Susan and any sign if they will be friends or enemies or maybe even frenemies ?
I liked Merlin. He's interesting but Susan's passive nature is really annoying me.

4. Right handed and left handed booksellers policing multi layered worlds and realities. Set in 1983 London but the language and environment heavily leans on the Victorian Age. Are you comfortable with the preliminary world building, do you find it interesting and unique or same old same old in the YA fantasy genre?
The setting and world building is okay. I think the right handed and left handed thing is just to make it feel unique.

5. It seems someone is after Susan, probably because of her mysterious missing father. Who do you think he is and what maybe is his significance in this alternate world and to the plot in general?
He's probably a powerful magical being.

Sophie wrote: "I've ditched The Only Good Indians. Haven’t wanted to read all day because I can't face its darkness. Feels v out of character given my normal enthusiasm for any book that gets extr..."

I enjoyed the horror elements of the book. The author's writing style is very particular and it didn't work for me. Also the story started from the middle made it more confusing.
I read The Whisper Man right after this and it was more darker and captivating.

DQs Day 3: Sweat Lodge Massacre - Shirts and Skins (61%)

9. What do you think about what happened to Lewis and people’s reaction to the news?
After what happened to Ricky I was expecting something like that. It was so sad and I felt he didn't deserve such harshness.

10. The section title is “Sweat Lodge Massacre.” Do you think the two other guys (Gabe and Cass) will live through this section? Do you think other bystanders or even Gabe’s daughter will be killed?
After Ricky and Lewis I think everyone knows how it's gonna end for Cass and Gabe. I didn't like what happened to the side characters.

11. What do you think of this section so far as compared to the first one?
I've lost all interest. I just don't like the way it's written.

12. Where do you think the dogs went at the end of this section? Do you think there is a relation do between the elk woman and dogs or just used for the imagery?
I think the Elk woman felt threatened by the dogs so she killed them.

DQs Day 2: Friday - Still Tuesday 68 - 129 (42%)

5. Wow. I was not expecting this section to end that way, did you? I really thought Lewis was going to be our main protagonist for the rest of the story. Were you surprised like me or were you able to predict the bloody ending?
I wasn't surprised because of what happened with Ricky.

6. Lewis was often wondering why the “elk woman” was terrorizing him and his friends in this order. What do you think? Any predictions on which friend we’ll follow next?
Already read the book so no comments.

7. Do you think the elk woman is real or just in the minds of our protagonists? If she is real: any ideas of who she might be?
At first I thought it was Lewis guilt that was manifesting itself .......

8. At one point Lewis thinks that Shaney can’t be all bad because she doesn’t fold down the pages on books. What are your feelings on dog-earing books? How do you like to keep your place when you read?
Dog earing is so wrong!

Discussion questions day 1

1. Just here for the points, or was this one on your radar already? Is horror a genre you usually read, or is this an opportunity for you to go outside your comfort zone?
I enjoy horror and I picked this because it was written by an indigenous author.

2. This book starts as I suspect it means to continue: Bleak, dark and with a hefty dollop of misery. Do you like it when a book starts in the middle of the action, or do you prefer a happy slice of life first before everything goes awry?
Well it depends on the book.

3. The elk. Were you intrigued about this straight away? Did you instinctively see this as a psychological or supernatural issue?
The story starts strong and it feels like it's going to have supernatural elements.

4. What do you think so far? Anything standing out that you really like or don’t like?
I am liking the story but the writing style is very particular and I can't seem to get in to it.

Bonus for audio book listeners: Do you find the narrator as boring as I do? Lol.

How about these two for white covers

I hope it gets better soon Sophie.

Added another short one to the SS.

So happy we got a fun genre and not animal, spiritual or food.