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

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

I put my final two books on the spreadsheet. I don't know if they are of use in the mini. I'll have a look tomorrow morning.

"Also I survived traveling alone to a strange place. So that's cool." Lol, Mary.

Eldarwen wrote: "Finished #20.


Raven Cursed by Faith Hunter
Date Read: 1st August 2020
Rating: 4 stars

I always enjoy these books, and I need to get a move on wit..."

I love Jane. She can almost always be relied upon for a good story.

Tina wrote: "Keli wrote: "I finished my #23 only two more until I reach my goal. I have never met my goal doing this challenge... The latest book was The Calculating Stars an historical fiction science fiction ..."

I'm with you, it will be one I recommend now too. I look forward to the next books in the series.

I finished my #23 only two more until I reach my goal. I have never met my goal doing this challenge. Hitting the number set isn't necessarily my priority but i have never removed so many from my tbr. I'm usually a reading magpie, opting for something shiny and new. The latest book was The Calculating Stars an historical fiction science fiction novel. I really enjoyed it. I loved the reimagining of the US and the quite believable circumstances that led to an earlier space exploration but women astronauts in the early 60s.

Just volunteered for warships, suspense or paranormal.

I just volunteered to read for our team on the planning page. I can read whatever needs reading, though i do have a paranormal book lined up.

I don't know if we need it but I'm going to finish The Calculating Stars today, which has a science fiction MPG.

Melissa wrote: "I can take my hot six book off of the lemon lady and put in a different page count Book. Then maybe get another and see what we can do with it!?

The amount of auto correct I just had to do on that..."

🤣🤣🤣

Laurie B wrote: "Hi, team! Sorry I went AWOL. I'm glad I didn't commit to reading many books because I have not had time to read! And last week I was on vacation and forgot to mention it here. I hope to contribute ..."

Hope you had a nice hols. 😊

DQs Day Three - 18 Jun
"There came a day in laste summer..."
"Angrboda agreed." 62%

11. I love how the myths surrounding Loki are casually mixed into this book. I'm a fan of Norse mythology, though I don't know a ton about it. Do you know or enjoy Norse mythology? Do you like how the author is incorporating it into her book?

I'm like you. I like what i know of it, but that knowledge is limited. I bought a big book on Mythology, including Norse, but haven’t gotten passed Greek. I do like this book quite a bit so far, so i can only assume I'm enjoying her take on the myths.

12. "Was I wrong to not tell them the world may not accept the the way they are?"

This is Angrboda's question after not only Loki's other wife, but Loki himself, refers to their children as monsters. How would you answer her question? Was she right to try and protect and hide them from the Nine Worlds? Should she have gone about it in a different manner?

Oih, that is hard. They were quite little and their her kids, so i get her desire to protect them. But i think she should have pointed out how the Aesir are true monsters encased in pretty packages. That things are not always as they appear and for that reason they shouldn't care what others say based on their looks. But as every mother knows, it probably wouldn't have made a jot of difference.

13. What an ending to Part One! Did you see what was to come? Did you already know the myths before or were you completely surprised? If you already knew the myth, did you like the author's interpretation of events? Were you as angry at the world as I was reading all that happened to Angrboda and her children, cause I was ready to fight!

I so wanted her to be able to break free. Loki is truly something. He is so desperate, he sold out his family for his vainglorious pursuit of being amongst the revered. To be with Thor! I hate Thor in this.

14. It seems that Angrboda's dreams can now transport her into other's thoughts. Do you think this is a one-off event because of how much stress she was under? If not, how do you think she'll use this skill from now on?

No, it won't be the last time. It will have to come in handy again at some pivotal point.

15. So Angrboda has a new voice in her head. Who do you think the voice belongs to? Do you think it's connected to Angrboda's seeming inability to die? Do you think it's a friend or a foe?

Sadly, I've read further before I did these questuons.So i know who the voice is, and i was but also wasn't expecting that. I thought it was going to be more a Jane Yellowrock sort of two souls/spirits one body thing.

Yeah another one bites the dust. Read The Master and Margarita for TT. Really enjoyed it, though I wasn't quite sure what was happening half the time.

DQs Day 2 — "He stayed with her as the days ..." to "... given her daughter a new obsession" - 40%

6. After Angrboda performs seid for the first time again, she starts having dreams where she hears someone calling to and beckoning her. Angrboda doesn't believe it to be Odin at first, but her suspicion changes over time. Who do you think it could be?

It had to be Odin. It really couldn't be anyone else.

7. Skadi reappears in this section, having left her husband behind. Do you think he'll come back into the story later? Why do you think she chose a husband as recompense in the first place?

I think she wanted to become a god and marrying into the fold, of sorts, was good enough. I don't think she would've stayed with her husband no matter what cos i don't think she wants a husband. I do like to think that she accepted the husband because when they least expect it she'll avenge her dad.

8. Hel was born with "dead" legs (or dead flesh on fully functioning legs? I'm honestly a little confused by it) and when she over exerts herself she starts turning blue. Angrboda attributes this to when she tried to save her daughter — but I'm not so sure. Do you have any theories on what the cause could be? Is it as simple as Angrboda believes, or do you think it's something bigger to be revealed later on?

I'm with Angrboda on this. In a world where a man can change into a mare and give birth to an 8 legged horse, she totally got dead legs from her brief foray into the underworld. She needs to have a foot in it, quite literally, to rule it, which she does according to Norse Mythology.

9. There have been several mentions of a witch who birthed a race of wolves who chase the sun and moon so far in the story — and now Angrboda has given birth to a wolf. Do you think she is the Old one the stories reference? Or, if not, do you think we will meet that character later on?

At first i thought it might be her. But Loki is a shape changer, so it might just be down to him. But as she cannot remember who she was so long ago, there is every possibility that she is the mother of wolves. If it's not her i think we will definitely meet the real mother later on.

10. Angrboda decides not to tell Loki about his and his family's involvement in her vision of the beginning of the end. What do you think of her decision? Do you think she made the right choice in not telling him?

That is hard to say. Would Loki's nature cause him to seek world domination or to protect his children? I think it's the former, so I would totally get why she wouldn't say. I think I would feel I'd hasten the vision by telling him or make it worse. Though i would eventually tell the kids. They are quite young, but I'd hole up with them at a NEW cave or something and tell them when it couldn't be put off any longer.

DQs Day 1
Beginning to "... a promise she knew that she couldn't keep."

1.) What attracted you to this book? BOM points? That COVER? Because of the Norse Retelling angle to the story? Any expectations you'd like to share?

Initially it was the title, then I read it was a Norse retelling and I knew I'd read it eventually. TT just got me to read it sooner.

2.) What did you think of Angrboda's first meeting with Loki? I mean he brought her heart back in his knapsack basically because he was bored. But he was so charming, I'm not sure I'd care either. Though it didn't hurt I kept picturing him as Tom Hiddleston. LOL

I liked her description of Loki. I really don't like the Tom Hiddleston Loki. Ugh, that black hair on him is so 🤢. Now Hiddleston as the Night Manager is something I can get behind.😍😍😍 As for Loki bringing Angrboda her heart was weirdly sweet. I know he did it out of curiosity, but he didn’t ask anything for it. It was some good foreshadowing too. I just hope he doesn't break it.

3.) Thoughts on Skadi? Why do you think she helped Angrboda in the first place? And to such an extent? If Skadi was male, how different do you think that interaction would of been?

I thought Skadi was going to profess her love. Especially when Angrboda went to stay with her for winter. There's still time. I think it will happen.

4.) The quote from Skadi, "Time doesn't matter unless you are keeping track of it." Resonated with me. What do you think of this? Do you agree with the statement?

Sadly, time matters. One the one hand, I'd get fired and not be able to pay my bills if I didn’t pay attention. But i hate having to pay attention. So it matters but not in the way she is meaning. In the grand scheme of things she's sort if right. If you're just living life, having a grand old time, then yeah, who cares. But when you suddenly look in the mirror and realise that your face looks all 43 of those years, but you've not got much to show for it, then time (or what little is left) takes on a new meaning.

5.) Loki's reaction to the pregnancy was, let's go with interesting. What type of father are you expecting him to be? Do you think he will be a functioning part of the child's life?

He's going to be a terrible father. I imagine Angrboda will have to do everything herself. I think he'll be there as much as his nature and Odin allow. But she knew what she was getting into.🤨

I just finished Definitely Dead, which had someone using a sword, had a lion in it and author’s name has all the letters of HERA.

I finished Master and Margarita just in time. Hopefully i can get in The Witch's Heart before the 16th.

Hmmm, I loved Daisy Jones and the Six, so I wonder if I'll like Malibu Rising, as a few of you didn't like 6 but liked this.🤔

So do I not have to finish that shepherdess book?

Keely wrote: "Has anyone else read The Master and Margarita BOM? I'm not really enjoying it and if I wasn't reading it for the point, I think I would have given up. On the upside, I'm close to reac..."

I'm reading it too, but I'm quite enjoying it. I've just finished day 3 questions, and will now just plow on until i finish the book.
What do you not like about the book?

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?

For me the cock was not necessarily symbolic of Christianity or the devil vs god, rather I think it was the more harbinger of dawn. A generic idea that evil cannot flourish in the light of day. Clearly, even demons have to work within a set of rules. But I am not as naive to think that in a world dominated by the Russian Orthodox Church that there isn't an element of Christian relevance, I'm just not sure what Bulgakov is saying.

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

Dozens. Most of them are religious gobbledygook, which were actually tricky to dispense of because they were so entrenched. Holding your breath as you pass a cemetery and not spiltting a pole when walking with someone, were passed on to me by friends as a child. I must have continued to hold my breath until 12 or 13! I still knock wood though for warding off bad luck. Even though I know it won't make any difference, I just can't seem to let that one go.

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?

I think the parallels are in the individual given to experience something mystical or unexplainable, supernatural even, yet when viewed or heard by others is considered madness or fraud. I think writing about religion in such an aburdist, slightly mocking manner, superficially was "safe" to do under uber-atheist Stalin whilst truly attacking or commenting on class in a supposed classless society. He is pointing out the hypocrisy of social class under Stalinism. I can see why it is a classic. It's pretty ballsy. Sorry, I think that's a good parallel too. The religious leaders who put Ha-Notsri to death for fear that his unorthodox attitude could be a threat to their power and standing, is similar to the mid-level party members appearing to be good party members whilst secretly attempting to maintain what they have or better their circumstances covertly.

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?

No, flash mob experiences here. And i am so not musically inclined that even in primary school I was not encouraged to sing or even play the recorder along with eveyone else, but was given the triangle. 🤣


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? :)

Yes. If you get the chance read The Mulatta And Mister Fly by Miguel Ángel Asturias. That was quite possibly the craziest book I have ever read. It was surreal and had all kinds of Guatemalan references I didn't understand.

Day 1 DQs - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 2 DQs - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...