Keli’s Comments (group member since Jun 23, 2016)

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

I got into the festive spirit in the end but kept it very minimal. My tree consists of lights, baubles, bells, two ornaments
Freestyle - Angel Level 0/21+
Lights:
L -
I -
G - The Girl In The Ice - 23/12/17
H -
T -
S - Lilith Saintcrow, Cormorant Run - 10/12/17

Baubles:
B -
A -
U - Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness - 14/12/17
B -
L -
E -
S -

Two Ornaments:
T
W - The Wall of Winnipeg and Me - 25/12/17
O

O
R
N
A
M - Karen Marie Moning, Feverborn - 23/12/17
E
N
T
S

EMERALD COINS

Love Quotes Mad Libs
Level: Romeo and Julie (2 - 3 Options)
Duration: 06/02/17 - 05/02/18
Options Completed: 4
Books Read: 40

Disney Princesses
Duration 05/03/17 - 29/11/20
Level - Aficionado - 25/25+
Princesses Complete - 1/15


Ultimate International Reading Challenge
Duration: 05/02/17 -
Level: I - Backpacker (25)
II - Professor (12 - 54)
III - Ultimate (55 - 194)
Books Read : 10

Reading Through Europe
Duration: 06/09/18 - 05/09/19
Level: Tourist 25 - 40
Books Read: 1/25

SAPPHIRE COINS

Flowers
Level/Option: Rose & Horticulturalist/Option 6
Duration: You set the pace (02/07/16 -)
Rose book level reached: 39/25
Horticulturalist word level reached 91/121+


Monkey See...Monkey Do
Level: Treasury/Option #1 - Follow the Monkey
Duration: You set the pace (07/02/18 - 27/02/18)
Books Read: 28/25

Almost forgot these.

15. Lib has apologised to nearly every character in the story by the time we get to chapter 5. Why do you think she keeps doing and saying the wrong things repeatedly? What does this say about Lib's attitude and nursing abilities overall?
I always think of nurses as the heart of medicine. They often provide the comfort, personability and humanity that doctor's lack. Maybe that's a naive view. I just found it so odd how judgemental and ill at ease Lib was with everyone. She was kind and considerate of her charge whilst working but outside of that or when not engaging with Anna, she was quite cruel in thought and careless in action. She more like a matron in manner than a nurse.
16. Were you shocked by Anna's confession of incest? No. I knew has to be something related to sex cos of the sermon. So it wasn't hard to put two and teo together.

17. How did you feel about the adults attempts to divert Anna from her course?
They made me angry. I know I was looking at it with my post-feminist, post-atheist modern view but that was so frustrating. I've never understood how someone wouldn't do anything to save their child. Thank goodness for progress.

18. The budding romance between Lib and Byrne, do you feel it added to or detracted from the story? Was it wholly necessary? I thought it was distracting and reduced the building tension and horror that we knew would inevitably unfold. I don't think it was even necessary for the ending, the budding romance could'vebeen worked into the end.

19. Sister Michael seemed, to me, to be the only positive representation of religion and then only really at the end. What is your your assessment of how religion was used and portrayed in The Wonder? So when I wrote this question I had thought Ms Donoghue rather heavy handed in her assessment of religion. All the references to folklore and fairies, the fact that none of the people in Anna's life cared for her well-being. Only at the end, after the agnostic saved Anna, did one of the "religious" figures redeem themselves. But I was eather unfair in that cos I'd forgotten about Byrne. It wasn until I read Audrey Jane's answer above that actually it might not be a commentary on religion per se but on fanaticism and the provincial.

20. What did you think about the end of the book?
I loved it. I was so happy Anna survived. I think I would've felt cheated and a bit bereft if she hadn't.

21. Lastly, I thought it curious that both Byrne and Anna decided to keep their Catholicism. Especially, when they had the chance claim to C of E which would've made it easier fo them to disappear. After everything that Anna had been through and the clear fact that she didn't want to die, why do you think she kept her faith? And what do you think Ms Donoghue was trying to say?
As I am not a religious person, I find this hard to understand. On the one hand every other Catholic person Anna knew had failed her. Even worse they had fostered and encouraged her trauma and starvation. Yet, Anna aldo found comfort in it. For me I can't understand why anyone would want to remain a member of something that would blame them for someone else's wrongdoing. But faith and belief are complicated things that can provide succour in times of need and guilt in others. Again, it wasn't the religion that failed Anna but other people's interpretations and convictions.

DQs 5 Shift & Epilogue

15. Lib has apologised to nearly every character in the story by the time we get to chapter 5. Why do you think she keeps doing and saying the wrong things repeatedly? What does this say about Lib's attitude and nursing abilities overall?

16. Were you shocked by Anna's confession of incest?

17. How did you feel about the adults attempts to divert Anna from her course?

18. The budding romance between Lib and Byrne, do you feel it added to or detracted from the story? Was it wholly necessary?

19. Sister Michael seemed, to me, to be the only positive representation of religion and then only really at the end. What is your your assessment of how religion was used and portrayed in The Wonder?

20. What did you think about the end of the book?

21. Lastly, I thought it curious that both Byrne and Anna decided to keep their Catholicism. Especially, when they had the chance claim to C of E which would've made it easier fo them to disappear. After everything that Anna had been through and the clear fact that she didn't want to die, why do you think she kept her faith? And what do you think Ms Donoghue was trying to say?

Sorry they were late.

I'm a little bit behind, family and Easter festivities meant i couldn't read for 2 days. I'll post my questions tomorrow night (GMT) or the 19th. I'm so very sorry.

7. Dr. Standish recommended they force feed Anna. Lib does not agree. What do you think?
Heck, yeah. Get the body good, then work on the mind. Obviously, I'm thinking from a modern atheist perspective. Though, like Lib, if I were a 19th century woman, my options would have been limited and my opinion ignored. Unlike Lib, I would have encouraged by all means the feeding of an 11 year old child. Of coursethst would've been a very short and boring book.

8. We learn that Anna's brother, Patrick, died of a digestive ailment and her parents put Anna in his bed to warm him. He died by morning. What effect would this have on a child, do you think?
I'm answering these in retrospect, so it's difficult to filter out what we learn later but I do remember thinking that it's not that inconceivable that she'd be put off food. I'd be put off food.

9. The potato famine and the idea that fasting and not asking for more is an admirable thing has been mentioned. Could this explain the fascination with a little girl who does not eat? Any other reasons?
Absolutely, it could, along with zealotry. I was rather surprised by Lib's ignorance of Ireland's religious fervour. Even today the nation is Catholic in the way that Pakistan or Sumatra are Muslim. They are a Catholic nation and the Pope's word is sacrosanct. I'm not sure if papal law is law but it's definitely de facto.

10. What are your thoughts about the journalist, William Byrne? Why do you think he was able to recognize Anna was starving when Lib, a nurse, did not?
Clearly, Lib's training was fastidious and she's a seemingly good nurse but nursing is a new profession and Lib appears to have had her training among men at war. As women were not admitted to the world of medicine, the doctors' attitudes can attest to that, I imagine her knowledge would be based on common sense more than a recollection of symptoms. A starving child would look skeletal, surely? Whereas, Byrne being in Ireland during the famine will have seen starvation in all its forms, even those that at first glance appear contradictory.

11. Sister Michael gives her reason for not helping Anna as she is "just a nurse". What do you think of her statement? This statement was echoed by the doctor when Lib tried to alert him to Anna's decline. Do you think Lib should have done things differently?
Again, I grew up around nurses and they kicked ass and were usually more on point than the docs. But even today nurses are expected to follow a doctor's orders without question, generally. So in a world where women are still considered property of men, as well as inferior to them, to "obey" the doctor and provide comfort for the patient is all that is required. There was very little Lib could do, other than what she did.

12. I found all the theories about how people can live without food interesting. A person was actually a changeling, a young girl absorbed menstrual blood, and the evolution to a reptilian physiology. Did you find these interesting too? Are there other aspects of the book you are enjoying?
I thought thank goodness I was born after the invention of anaesthetic and vaccinations. Though, the theories were interesting, it's also horrifying.

13. Anna attended a sermon about fornication, took the host from the priest and refused to eat after. Do you think this has something to do with why she won't eat?
Yes, but I don't know why. Before I finished it, i had assumed maybe she'd caught her brother or father in the act.

14. After finding out how Anna has been fed for months, do you think Anna understood what was happening? Why do you think she refuses this "manna from heaven" now?
I'm not sure. How did her mom convince her to eat the mashed up food from her mouth? Maybe she's stopped because she doesn't want to be caught and called a liar.

1.What are your opinions about the main character Lib Wright? Do you think her treatment of Anna is too harsh?
I think her character is very much in keeping with women of the late 19th century. Her haughtiness and attitude towards the Irish as scheming provincial liars, though seemingly at odds with nursing, is very much rooted in historical fact. And the concept of childhood and children as something inherently innocent is a relatively new concept, too. Prior to this, the mid-Victorian Dionysian view of children reigned; the spare the rod, spoil the child belief. Also, kids Anna's age would be getting ready for work, I'm not sure what year it is but I bet kids still worked. So Lib's general demeanour is accurate to me.


2. Do you believe Anna is a scam or is she telling the truth? Also are the O'Donnell family and Sister Michael trustworthy?
Well, it's harder for me to think she's not starving. The symptoms scream of severe malnutrition; distended abdomen & blue fingernails in particular. It's the times that are unbelievable but I believe that she isn't a scam.

3. Religion plays a large part in the story. We learn to know Lib's point of view on religious practices and way of thinking. Do you think that's all it is, Anna fasting due to her religious upbringing or do you think there's more?
There's definitely more to it.

4. Dr. Standish diagnosed Anna with hysteria. Do you believe that's the case? What about Lib's observations of swelling, fluid retention, coloured spots etc on Anna's body?
Growing up with a mom in medical research, I have the joy of having more medical knowledge than most lay people who didn't grow up with medical textbooks, super awesome 3d models of organs, and lab guinea pigs. When I was a kid, there was a massive famine in Ethiopia and there a were endless pictures of starving children, and I remember asking how some of them could have fat bellies but be starving. My mom started listing symptoms of severe malnutrition. She was always very thorough in her explanations and though I don't remember everything she said, I recognised the hair, nails and belly. So I was totally behind force feeding the 11 year old. I found the hysteria harder, as she could have all kinds of unnecessary and counterproductive Victorian procedures that would likely cause more harm than good.

5. Considering the end of the second chapter, do you think Lib's attitude towards the O'Donnell family will change?
No, I think her attitude will stay the same or get even more superior.

6. How do you like the pace and writing style so far? Any thoughts about the setting?
I like the pace. It's not dull, which is pretty impressive considering it's an historical fiction about a nurse and a starving child set in backwoods Ireland.

It's good for me too. Thanks for giving me the last dqs.

Ive got this on cd. So I'm in. I'll try DQs, I've not written any before so a bit of advice and info would help but I'll certainly give it a try.

I'll defo give it a go. At first, I thought it was just random lettering. I hadn't quite engaged my brain until I noticed that the same letters were being used as replacements when i looked at the solved section, that it wasn't just random. I just wanted to make sure. Ta for the super quick reply.

One more point of clarification, once I've finished an option am I to figure out the crypotgram or do I just look at the solved bit and insert my words?

Can I use patty-cake for pat-a-cake?

Princesses Complete: 12/15
Books Read: 44

♚Pocahontas: Complete
✔♚ Read a book where the protagonist is Native American - Skinwalker - 10/03/17
✔♚ Read a book where the character loves nature - Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail - 01/7/17
✔♚ Read a book where the character displays shamanic powers. Midnight Crossroad - 15/04/17
✔♚ Read a book that is a retelling of Pocahontas. - Radiance - 13/07/17

♚Princess Jasmine: :
♚ Read a book where the protagonist is of Arabic descent - The Wrath and the Dawn - 07/01/20
♚ Read a book where the character is named Jasmine
♚ Read a book that is a retelling of Aladdin.

♚Snow White: Complete
✔♚Read a book where the protagonist has fair skin and dark hair. Girl of Nightmares - 29/03/17
✔♚Read a book where the protagonist is German (or of German descent). Pandemic - 30/06/19
✔♚Read a book where the protagonist has many male friends. - Broken Soul - 22/04/19
✔♚Read a book that is a retelling of Snow White. Poison - 19/09/19

♚Aurora:
✔♚ Read a book where the protagonist has a curse placed upon her at birth. The Iron Hunt - 08/09/18
✔♚ Read a book where the main character is unaware of her biological family or where she comes from. Vision in Silver - 01/04/17
♚ Read a book that is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty.

♚Mulan: Complete
✔♚ Read a book where the protagonist is Chinese (or of Chinese descent), she must also be able to kick some serious ***. Naamah's Kiss - 30/04/19
✔♚ Read a book where the protagonist disguises herself as a man or enlists in the army. The Price of the Stars - 06/03/19

♚Ariel: Complete
✔♚ Read a book where the protagonist has red hair, has a lot of sisters, or is a mermaid. Mercy Blade - 12/01/18
✔♚ Read a book where the protagonist frequently disobeys her father. Elantris - 23/03/18
✔♚ Read a book that is a retelling of The Little Mermaid. The Surface Breaks - 22/02/19

♚Belle: Complete
✔♚ Read a book where the protagonist loves books and reading. Soulless - 10/06/17
✔♚ Read a book about a protagonist who adores her father - Fifth Grave Past the Light - 25/07/17
✔♚ Read a book with a man who is not handsome (he can have scars, be it emotional or physical) or is temperamental . Silence Fallen - 25/03/17
✔♚ Read a book that is retelling of Beauty and the Beast. - Entreat Me - 24/06/18

♚Esmeralda:
from The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
✔♚Read a book where the protagonist is a Gypsy - The Muse - 02/08/20
♚Read a book where the character has a pet goat (this should be interesting).
♚Read a book that is a retelling of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.

♚Megara: Complete
✔♚Read a book where the protagonist has a low opinion of men - Dreamer's Pool - 07/07/19
✔♚Read a book where the character is cynical about love. - The Devil's Footprints - 15/02/18
✔♚Read a book that is a retelling of Hercules. The Labours Of Hercules - 30/03/20

♚Tiana: Complete
✔♚Read a book where the protagonist is African American - Cotton Comes to Harlem - 23/04/19
✔♚Read a book that takes place in New Orleans - Blood Cross - 16/08/17
✔♚Read a book where the character is a waitress or an excellent cook. - The Dirt on Ninth Grave - 24/12/17
✔♚Read a book that is a retelling The Princess and the Frog. The Frog Prince - 16/06/17

♚Cinderella: Complete
✔♚Read a book about someone who has an evil stepmother - Eighth Grave After Dark - 02/12/17
✔♚Read a book about someone who has had a difficult life but perseveres with the help of love. - Marked in Flesh - 29/09/17
✔♚Read a book that is a retelling of Cinderella. -Cinder - 21/03/19

♚Rapunzel: Complete
✔♚Read a book where the MC has really long hair Death's Rival - 07/04/18
✔♚Read a book where the MC was kidnapped. Second Grave on the Left - 05/03/17
✔♚Read a book that is a retelling of Rapunzel. Princess of the Midnight Ball - 31/07/19

♚Alice: Complete
✔♚Read a book where the protagonist lives in a dream world or discovers an alternate (fantasy) world -The Invasion of the Tearling - 31/01/18
✔♚Read a book where the protagonist defies a monarch (preferably a queen). Golden Son - 07/06/17
✔♚Read a book that is a retelling of Alice in Wonderland. - Alice in Zombieland - 05/08/19

♚Jane: Complete
✔♚Read a book where the protagonist is an artist - The Silver Witch - 11/04/17
✔♚Read a book set in Africa or in a rural (out of reach) area - Harvest - 24/08/17
✔♚Read a book that has a vibrant yellow cover or features someone on the cover dressed in yellow - - 20/05/17
✔♚Read a book that is a retelling of Tarzan.-Transcendence - 26/12/19

♚Tinker Bell: Complete
✔♚Read a book where the protagonist is a fairy (not to be mistaken with a faerie ). Dead Witch Walking - 22/08/17
✔♚Read a book where the protagonist is very shy or has problems communicating . Rock Chick Rescue - 15/06/17
✔♚Read a book that is a retelling of Peter Pan (but it has to feature a Tinker Bell) - The Child Thief - 13/06/19

For the person spot are you looking for a name or a description like doctor or daughter?

Moderators of NBRC wrote: "Welcome Keli & Megan!

Good Luck & have fun!"

Excellent. :-)

Curious George is too cute. I'm changing my challenge to Option #1 - Follow the Monkey
27/25
✔ Read a book with a man in uniform on the cover - The Wall of Winnipeg and Me - 25/12/17
✔Read a book where the MC is a doctor or a nurse - The Wonder - 19/04/17
 - Read a book with a bicycle on the cover
✔ Read a book where the MC is starting a new job Murder of Crows - 08/02/17
✔Read a book with a book(s) on the cover or with a Librarian character - Real Murders - 22/06/17
✔Read a book with an animal on the cover you would find in a zoo - Magic Burns - 15/05/17
✔Read a book with a kite on the cover or something else that flies in the air - The Midwich Cuckoos - 16/03/17
✔Read a book with fire on the cover or where the MC is a firefighter - Blood Cross - 06/08/17
 - Read a book with a medal on the cover
 - Read a book with a single letter prominent on the cover
 - Read a book with food on the cover
✔Read a book with a beach scene or water on the cover The Blood Mirror - 08/07/17
 - Read a book with sea animals on the cover or set on water
✔Read a book with a tent on the cover or set in the wilderness - A Curious Beginning - 25/02/17
 - Read a book with a dog(s) on the cover
✔Read a book set in space Honour's Knight - 21/03/17
✔Read a book with trees on the cover - Midnight Crossroad - 15/04/17
✔Read a book with a cityscape on the cover Rock Chick Rescue - 15/06/17
 - Read a book with party decorations on the cover
✔Read a book where the MC is a blue collar worker - Silence Fallen - 25/03/17
✔Read a book with a winter scene on the cover (snow, ice, etc.) - The Snow Child - 01/08/17
✔Read a book with a train on the cover or where the characters take a train ride - Marked in Flesh - 29/08/17
✔Read a book where the MC plays a sport Alex - 28/02/17
✔Read a book with the word "Winter" in the title - Wintersong - 12/09/17
✔Read a book with mountains on the cover - The Gamble - 22/09/17
 ✔ Read a book with "Ice" in the title The Girl In The Ice - 23/12/17
✔Read a book where the MC is struggling financially - Ether Day: The Strange Tale of America's Greatest Medical Discovery and The Haunted Men Who Made It - 09/02/17
 - Read a book with "Sweet" or "Dream" in the title
✔Read a book that makes you feel thankful - The Bell Jar - 02/11/17
 - Read a book where the characters attend the theater, ballet, opera, show, etc.
 - Read a book with balloons on the cover
✔Read a book where the title text is different sizes - Second Grave on the Left - 05/03/17
✔Read a book about a group of friends The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood - 24/02/17
 - Read a book with a car on the cover
✔Read a book where the characters go on a road trip - Poison Princess - 03-08/17
✔Read a book with a number in the title Kind One - 20/07/17
✔Read a book where the cover is one of the colors of the rainbow - Dark Matter - 15/02/17
✔Read a book with a planet on the cover - The Long Earth - 27/02/18
 - Read a book with a boat on the cover
✔ Read a book where the MC has lost one of their 5 senses Grave Ransom - 24/01/18

I loved mad-libs when I was a kid, sounds fun.
I'm going for Romeo and Juliet level.

Can we use a mix of titles and spell it out? Like for option 1 I use titles but for option 6 i use spell it out. Or should we stick to one format?

✔OPTION 1:
Verb -left - Second Grave on the Left 05/03/17
part of the body - skin - Skinwalker - 10/03/17
part of the body - hand - The Devil's Right Hand - reread -19/02/17
adjective - dark - Dark Matter - 15/02/17
Option 1:
(view spoiler)[Love left of a single skin inhabiting two bodies. ~ Aristotle
Sometimes the hand sees what is dark to the eye. ~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr. (hide spoiler)]

✔OPTION 2:
noun - day - Ether Day: The Strange Tale of America's Greatest Medical Discovery and The Haunted Men Who Made It - 09/02/17
noun (plural) - crows - Murder of Crows - 08/02/17
noun - beginning- A Curious Beginning
- 25/02/17
verb - suck - You Suck - 29/03/17
(view spoiler)[A kiss is a lovely day designed by nature to stop speech when crows become superfluous. ~ Ingrid Bergman 
B[I have found the beginning, that if you love until it sucks, there can be no more hurt, only more love. ~ Mother Teresa (hide spoiler)]

OPTION 3:
preposition - until - [book:Dead Until Dark|4602032] - 12/02/17
noun - apple- The Poison Tree - 12/03/17
adverb - quickly
Q - Meghan Quinn The Virgin Romance Novelist - 17/07/17
U - Ursula K. Le Guin The Left Hand of Darkness - 14/12/17
I - Ilona AndrewsMagic Bites - 15/05/17
C - Cheryl Strayed Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail - 01/08/17
K - Kind One - 20/07/17
L - Lilith Saintcrow Cormorant Run - 10/12/18
Y - Yasmine Galenorn Night Myst - 06/11/17
adverb - cunningly
C Colder Than Here - 25/05/17
U
N - Nalini Singh Slave to Sensation - 23/05/17
N - Chloe Neill Some Girls Bite - 02/02/18
I - Eowyn Ivey The Snow Child - 01/08/17
N - The Nest - 14/02/18
G - Grave Sight - 17/03/17
L -
Y

OPTION 4:

part of the body - foot - The Devil's Footprints - 14/02/18
part of the body - stomach
S - Silence Fallen - 25/03/17
T - The Tempest - 31/05/17
O
M - Midnight Crossroad - 15/04/17
A - Aliette de Bodard The House of Shattered Wings - 30/05/17
C - Jim Crace Harvest - 24/08/17
H - Honor's Knight - 21/03/17
verb - like - I Like Big Dragons and I Cannot Lie 08/04/17
group of people - sinners - Saint City Sinners

✔OPTION 5
number - Nine - False Nine - 05/05/17
verb - wonder - The Wonder - 19/04/17
part of the body - face
F - The Fervor -
A - Alex - 28/02/17
C - Cursed - 24/11/17
E - Embrace - 15/07/17
noun - cuckoo - The Midwich Cuckoos - 16/03/17
(view spoiler)[
If you live to be a nine, I want to wonder to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you. ~ A. A. Milne
A loving face is the truest cuckoo. ~ Charles Dickens (hide spoiler)]
(hide spoiler)]

✔OPTION 6
noun - vision - Vision in Silver 01/04/17
plant - rosemary - Rosemary and Rue - 30/09/17
person - witch - The Silver Witch - 11/04/17
adjective - merry - The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood - 24/02/17
(view spoiler)[
Vision is the rosemary you've got to let grow. ~ John Lennon 
To love a witch is the beginning of a merry romance. ~ Oscar Wilde  (hide spoiler)]

Dang, only 2 left. Guess I'll have to try again next year.

Moderators of NBRC wrote: "Keli wrote: "Question for the mod.
I've found the plural for narcissus, narcissi, can i use it for narcissus?"

Sorry we missed this!

Yes!"
Excellent. I had added it tentatively in the hope that it would work. Thanks for getting back to me.