Angela’s Comments (group member since Mar 20, 2023)

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

I can also volunteer for One by One Ruth Ware if needed.

I also agree with working with the Capitol. I too want to participate in this round but will be away for most of the day so will check back in tomorrow afternoon to see where we are with the rounds.

Unfortunately neither of the BOM are appealing to me as a non fantasy reader and the backroom book is second in series and I have not read the first, which also does not appeal to me.
I did read Wishing Game, which (unpopular opinion) I did not enjoy. I will be continuing with the Hunger Games Series.
I will be reading August BOM The MIdnight Feast if it is during the challenge. I already read Funny Story by Emily Henry in April.

I will be finishing Magnolia Parks (3rd in series) for the mini hopefully by tomorrow.

I have books that I plan to put into the MPG section, just have not had a lot of time to plan right now and I typically have 10 books planned at a time. Too much unexpected things coming up this past month that is taking time from planning and reading.
I will try to spend some time later looking at the shelter books for the door part of the mini later today.

Not at all Karolyn. I wasn't sure when I would be able to actually get to my laptop to put the date, so it was actually helpful.

@Dale-My links to my books appear to be fine when I checked this morning, so looks like nothing got messed up.

Thanks (Karolyn I assume) for putting the date finished for my book for the battle in today. I finally have access to the spreadsheet so I was able to add some categories to it as well.
I am planning to read some series as well this month. I have a #14, two #2's, a #3. I can easily add more if needed.
I will probably not be too much help on the non-fiction nature, but I can recommend Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail or even Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century.
Other than the nature category, it seems like we have a pretty big mix of readers so should be fine to fill all the MPG's easily.
It has also been awhile since Ivelisse has been in the chat apart from the initial introduction. Is she still playing in book games? I was only curious because she is a 30 book a month reader for us and her profile is now private for me.

Part 3- The Enemy
This is always my least favorite part of the books because I am not a heavy action reader. I enjoyed this less then the first one because of the heavy influence the Gamemakers had in the arena with the force field, monkeys, fog and so on. I do enjoy seeing the dynamics between the players in the arena, especially as they relate to Peeta and Katniss. I was also wondering how much they could trust the alliance they had built with the other victors and when they should break it up and go their separate ways.
I have read a lot of people in this discussion did not particularly like Mockingjay, so I am really curious to continue on to see how I feel about it.
I am so very happy taking part in Book Games has finally "forced" me to start this series because I am really enjoying it quite a bit.

Part 2 The Quell
I enjoyed the scene with the Peacekeepers when Katniss goes home after jumping the fence. The back and forth with her and Prim about the goat and the shock that the Peacekeepers seem to have that she got around them putting electricity back on the fence.
You also get a feel for the tension within the districts and the start of an uprising. The scene with Katniss discovering the mayor's stream and seeing District 8 in chaos.
The heartbreak and shock Katniss feels once she realizes she has to go back into the arena due to her being the only female victor in her District. Seeing her go through all the motions and then later not being able to say goodbye to her loved ones.
A lot of this felt the same to the first book, as far as them preparing to go back into the arena. I liked we got a bit of background on Haymitch's game as well as some backstory there. Really looking forward to that books release! Also love what both Peeta and Katniss did when they went before the Gamemakers privately.

DQs Day 5 — ch 24-end

18. Jack and Lucy have an emotional discussion about dreams — and how giving up on dreams can be a relief as it’s one less thing to worry about. Do you think there’s any truth in this? Can giving up on a dream ever bring relief?
This conversation impacted me greatly as there have been a few dreams I have been "hanging on to" that I know realistically are not going to happen, so giving up would provide relief and I can focus on more realistic goals.

19. We finally got to meet Angie and learn her side of the story! Were you surprised by what she had to say? If you were Lucy, do you think you would be able to forgive her after hearing her side?

I can understand as a child Lucy having these type of feelings toward her sister and what her sister said. Now that she is an adult, her feelings feel misplaced and I personally think that anger she be directed to her parents. This particular story line felt rushed and having her sister now dying of cancer (too little too late/ life is short) was a choice by the author.

20. Lucy mentions that she and Jack are planning to start a nonprofit to send books to foster children, but just as she’s about to say the prospective name, she gets cut off. Why do you think the author chose to leave that out? What name do you think the author had in mind, if any?
I really did not give it much thought as I was reading the 3 months later as I truly wanted to be finished with this book.

21. In the end, even though the contest ended unlike how any of them predicted, everyone still got their wish. Since this book is all about wishing — is there anything you wish was different about the way the book ended, or are you happy with how it all wrapped up?
I figured it would be nicely wrapped up since this is definitely a feel good story. There were parts of this book that I did enjoy, but the characters were exhausting and I did not like many of the relationships as they were portrayed. I felt like I was reading a middle grade/ya novel and I did not think that would be the vibe.

DQs Day 3:

10. We read something that moves us, touches us, speaks to us and it... it changes us?"
Do you agree with that quote? Are there any books that changed you personally?
I have many quotes and books that impacted me on some level. It's why I love reading so much because words are so powerful.

11. We finally get the first riddle. Did you guess it before Lucy did?
Almost. Think I got it at the same time as her.

12. What did you think of The City of Secondhand and of Markham showing up like that? Is he just a sleezy lawyer, or is there something more sinister going on?
I did not think much of him showing up and given I have finished the book, it ended up being a non factor to the overall story. I wish this book had more to do with the magical setting on Clock Island. Seeing City of Secondhand briefly had me curious of other parts of the island.

13. do you have to keep reminding yourself that the "contestants" are adults, not children?
Yes because the way the author writes them is not flattering and they quite frankly act like children.

Discussion Questions : Day 1 (Prologue - Chapter 5)

1. We have been introduced to a few important characters - Lucy, Christopher, and Hugo. Plus the off-page persona of Jack. What do you think of the characters so far?
I dislike Lucy with passion. She is very childish and I find the way she relates to Christopher to be extremely uncomfortable and inappropriate, especially in a school setting. When she meet with the social worker, she seemed like a petulant child not getting her way. I liked Hugo and was hopeful that I would continue to like him as the book progressed.

2. We get a riddle right away in the Prologue:

"Two men on an island and both blame the water
for the loss of a wife and the death of a daughter
but neither ever married, and neither's a father.
What is the secret of the girls and the water?"

Then Hugo thinks to himself that "Five years ago, it [the ocean] had brought low the small, strange kingdom of Clock Island." Do you think the riddle is related to what happened five years ago? Any speculations on what it all means, assuming you haven't read ahead? I have finished the book at this point, but at the time I did not know or really speculate what it could mean. I did feel like it had to be related to why Hugo was still taking care of Jack all these years later.

3. At the beginning of Chapter Two, Hugo says that he used to dream about living in Greenwich Village, but now that he can actually afford it, it doesn't hold the same appeal. He basically says that success kills motivation. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
I am sure a lot of people go through a similar thing were once they can actually afford something or to be able to do something, it no longer holds the same appeal.

4. What do you think of the wishing game Lucy plays with Christopher? Do you think this game and mindset are healthy? Do you agree with Lucy that it gives them hope, or do you agree with the social worker that it just gets their hopes up?
I agree with the social worker that it just gets their hopes up and since it seems like both Christopher and Lucy are really fragile people the disappoint of not getting their wish may impact them greatly for different reasons.

5. Why do you think Jack finally started writing again? And what might be his motive in holding a contest for the only copy of the new book?
Since I have finished the book, I already know why he started to write again, so I won't give it away.

Just finished Part 1 and am excited to continue reading. Since this is my first time reading it, I will have to go back and read this thread once I have finished the book in order to avoid spoilers.
The book begins with Katniss meeting with President Snow about her making a fool of the Capitol and how there is a potential for an uprising. Peeta and Katniss with be forced to continue this ruse for the rest of their lives in order to protect their loved ones from punishment or death. I wish we would not have yadda yadded all of the Victory Tours that part felt rushed to me as we only really spent time in District 11. I enjoy learning about the different Districts. I know that love triangles are not usually a popular trope, but I am enjoying it in this book. Of course all of the devastation discussed in the book at the hands of the Capitol is so disheartening to read.

I can read The Manor House by Gilly Macmillan Not sure if USE are easy letters.

Welcome back Tara! Sounds like you had a great time and need a vacation from your vacation :)

I looked for something as well for MAS and was not able to find anything I could get from my library. I considered looking into Massacre but too dark isn't my favorite.
I am willing to read one more book for this battle as long as I can get a copy from my library or on Libby/Hoopla.

I think being friendly is also the way to go.
Just requested a copy of the Higgins book from my library, so I should get it by the 22nd.

If they choose Ice Me Out, I can read Out of the Clear Blue Sky by Kristan Higgins.

I actually already read all the ones I listed. Just wanted to throw them out there in case someone else might be looking for options.

I did not find any on my tbr but I did come across some I already read. An American Marriage
American Wife
American Dirt
The American Roommate Experiment