MelanieJoy’s Comments (group member since Apr 26, 2016)

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

I've only picked up a non-fiction book since my last few romance reads. I think I'll skip Pachinko and try to get into Spin the Dawn (I think I voted for that one too). I might be able to finish the non-fiction this week! We'll see!

Completions!


Author: Paige Tyler
Pages: 352
Date Read: 7/28

Works For:
P - Paige
D - Character Danica Becket
Secondary Characters Ivy and Landon could work for I & L?

Tasks (feal free to choose)
19 - animal word in title "wolf"
118 - multiple points of view (Danica and Claine)
137 - takes place in 2 places - Sacramento and DC



Author: Paige Tyler
Pages: 352
Date Read: 7/29

Fits:
I - Ivy
P - Author Paige
L - Landon
D - Declan

Tasks
185 - set in Central America (Costa Rica)
23 - mpg paranormal
92 - #3 in a series



Author: Paige Tyler
Pages: 352 (I'm not making these up!)
Date: 7/30

Fits:
I - Ivy
L - Landon
D - Donovan
P - Paige (Author)
A - Angelo

Tasks:
86 - #4 in a series
56 - MPG Romance
154 - set in Asia (Tajikistan)

So I am definitely in a reading slump and have no desire to pick up a book right now! I'm a little proud that I've mostly kept up with my 1 book a week quota.

Looks like you guys are reading some great books! Maybe the next BOMs will help spark my desire to read again.

Also, has anyone read ? I feel like someone on our team or another team read it so it might be a good one for me for the tasks of reading a recommended book but I don't know who did.

Have a lovely week everyone!

Completion Post


Date Read: 7/22/2020
Pages: 210

Fits:
E & R - Character -Emmanuel "Manny" Rivers
C - Character - Jared Christensen
S- Character Sarah Jane Friedman

Task: 62 - MPG Young Adult

Just finished today. Was a quick read.

I've had and on my tbr for a while! Might tackle one, we'll see how I feel.

I read this book: earlier this year and found it amazing! No ocean tag but there's a mermaid tag and I think several characters match letters we need. If you're into fantasy, try this one!

If you still need an x book I can do another X-ops romance book because they're quick reads for me.

DQ Day 1
Chapters 1 - 6


1. We meet Justyce when he's trying to do a good deed by helping is drunk ex-girlfriend. This scene sets quite the mood for the upcoming chapters and (I assume) the rest of the book. Do you like our main character so far? Do you like his inner monologue, portrayed in the letters to Martin?
I love our main character so far! Trying to be honorable and respectful and responsible, but a little confused. Not super hot-tempered. Love his inner monologue.

2. Let's talk about the girls - Melo and Sarah-Jane. The ex-girlfriend (sort of?) and the debate partner. Let's also factor in the other important female in Justyce's life, namely his mother. What do you make of each of them? And what to you make of their interactions with Justyce? And more importantly, what are we supposed to make of Justyce's interactions with them in light of his mother's statement not to bring a white girl home?

Ex-girlfriend - sounds like a self-absorbed teenager honestly. She was way too drunk to explain things to the officer and it sucks that she didn't have a chance later. SJ - strong opinions! Needs to realize that proving that she's right with the strong "don't mess with me" attitude doesn't invite people to have a real discussion about change, and doesn't help Jared see her side if she demeans him. Justyce's mom - love her. Reminds me of a friend of mine. Not sure what to make of all of their interactions with Justyce yet. Definitely think Melo is out for her own gain and I do not like her.

3. Jared is our token white boy who thinks all is right with the world when clearly it isn't. The equality discussion was interesting, I found, because Jared's logic is sound. And yet at the same time, it isn't at all. What example would you give Jared, where you speaking in SJ's stead, to show how wrong he is?
I think I'd bring up how the history of redlining and the history enough of the the culture being afraid of someone because of the color of their skin is enough to pass down some trepidation which spills into the leadership of certain organizations, communities, including the justice system and law enforcement. I'd probably try to explain how separate but equal is still a way some people try to act due to living in separate neighborhoods. But I'm honestly still educating myself on some of this stuff.

4. The Equality Brigade was quite the spectacle! Literally. Disguised as a klansman to portray equality. I can't help but wonder if Blake is an idiot of epic proportions or if there was a message he would have liked to show the world including his friends, especially considering the fact that the "costume" was the genuine thing. What did you think of this brain child of Jared's?
I think he tried - I admire him having a passion and a determination to try something. We all need more of that in this world! But I think he needed some extra wise counsel to help him understand a little bit more, it's not just equality in the mix, it's cultures and stereotypes and division. People will misconstrue and misperceive almost anything these days, even things with the best intentions! But yeah, I don't agree that it should have happened.

5. Justyce as well as his best friend Manny are black boys stuck in a rich white school. They each have their own issues to deal with in regards to this situation. Manny, the rich black guy, who is considered one of them, and Justyce, the poor black guy, who is more and more often questioning his place in this world, the place he is trying to carve for himself. Do you think Manny should have acted differently in the lounge scene when he was peer pressured into drinking to equality? Knowing full well what happened to his best friend not too long ago?
I've learned over the years that people are going to do what they're going to do depending on their values, Manny wanted approval of his friends so badly, it wasn't in his nature to oppose their ideas.

6. Short mention of Trey and his friends needs to be made. The Black Jihad gang, one of whose members shot Officer Castillo. Personally, I can't help but wonder if someone shot him to take revenge on the crap he's probably pulled for quite a while - Justyce certainly wasn't the only one - or if it was a shooting gone wrong. That thought aside, Trey makes Justyce (and maybe also Manny) feel like he's turning his back on his own people. Do you think he is right in telling Justyce this? Is Justyce right in questioning the things Trey tells him and wondering whether there may not be a grain of truth in it? Should Justyce have stayed at the party regardless or was it better to leave (with the others) when he did?
I think leaving was a good idea because the showdown HAD to be deescalated, but neither or staying nor going would have done any good for how Trey and Jared both see the race issue.

Completion Post


By Paige Tyler
Pages: 316
Date Read: 7/16/2020

Letters:
X - series title
I - Character Ivy

Tasks:
130 - Two people on the cover

Haha I see that now! That helps because my other I book has been really hard to get into...

Do you guys want an X book (I can do ) or an I book from me next? I can try to do both, especially if I start with the romance because I can finish those in a few hours.

Day 4: 64% - 82%

17. Some of the major and minor questions developed throughout the story have been answered in this section: why young, pretty Helen was meeting with average Robert (Helen and her husband had planned to blackmail Robert); the connection of the girls' murders and their murderer (Simon Hess targeted women who were lonely); and why the murders had stopped after Viv had vanished (Simon was stabbed by Viv so he couldn't hurt any more girls). Did you see any of this coming? What clues gave it away? Honestly I didn't see much of it coming, other than Simon Hess had something to do with the girls, so his disappearance made it so there were no others killed. I should have looked harder to see it, but I honestly thought Viv was going to be a victim or a runaway. Definitely made so much sense the way St. James wrote it, and I liked that the women in this story were not weaklings.

18. Both Viv in 1982 and Carly in 2017 mentioned that Tracey might have been alive had her parents kept her in the house. This echoes the warnings that Fell parents have been giving their daughters: don't go jogging or don't work nights. What do you think of such advice? What else could Tracey, her parents, and her school have done to keep her safe from a predator?
Not much that I can think of back in 1982; carry mace? Take self defense? We live in a world where things happen to the unsuspecting and those who seem vulnerable. "Don't go jogging" doesn't solve anything;; it makes you a slave to fear. Things like "defend yourself" will help to some extent.

19. "The Sun Down Motel" has been tagged by 336 users as "Horror." What has been the most horrific scene for you so far? Is it a supernatural one or one connected to the murders?
For the me the scariest to read was the first few sections mentioning the ghosts, with the amenities room, the smoking man, and the woman in the flower dress. I think it was Viv's encounters with them that scared me the most.

20. At the end of the last chapter set in 2017 in this section, Carly claims her aunt may have done something wrong (alluding to the stabbing of Simon). What do you think of Viv's actions? Do you think she was right or wrong, justified or unjustified in her actions?
I can see why she did it; I think the author did a good job of describing why the police wouldn't believe her, and it was harder in those days for women to speak up. I do agree that she wasn't going to get justice any other way, and I also believe she was in danger herself if she hadn't. Simon would have either started to watch her, or figure out it was her and try to dispose of her, so it seemed like it could be pre-mature self defense. Still, something in me says murder is wrong.

21. With only 18% of the book left to go, what do you think will happen? Do you have an idea of what happened to Viv after she stabbed Simon? Do you think Marnie and Alma know what truly happened to Viv? Do you think Carly will find out what happened to Viv?
I read to the end, so can't answer this question.

Completion Post


Author: Simone St James
Read: 7/15/2020
Pages: 327


Fits: S - author; C- character Cathy Caldwell

Task: 96 - MPG Horror

BOM! Discussion Posts linked below:

Comment 1
Comment 2
Comment 3

Day 3 - July 4- 42%-64%

13. Thoughts on Viv telling Mrs. White that her husband cheats on her. Do you think this is what gets her into trouble?
When I read that I thought out loud, "Interesting..." You can definitely see Viv's thirst for justice as she plunges into these unsolved murders, and I think this phone call is another example of her personality and her obsession with truth.

14. We have another encounter with the angry man ( this makes at least 3) Who is he? Why is he important to the story?
Honestly I'm not sure at this point. I think he's a ghost because someone who came to visit said there was no one at the front desk right after he was seen, so I definitely think he's a ghost. But I 'm not sure what he has to do with the murders or where he fits yet.

15. Which story line (Carly or Viv's ) are you enjoying more? Why?
So I think I like Viv more and I like reading about the action she's taking, but her storyline is scarier than Carly's, and I like that Carly has more teammates.

16. The ending of this section just raises more questions for me. If Viv buys a knife, didn't she get a chance to use it?
Where is the knife? Was it mentioned in the police reports? What do you think?
That is definitely a new element. I don't remember in the first chapter her saying anything about a knife, but she was scared. So I wonder if she had already used it. Also, I don't trust the police reports and news articles, because they seem to fabricate details and leave things out, so she could have used it but it wasn't mentioned.

Day DQs - 21%-42%

6.) This section opens with some spooky stuff going on. If you saw literal ghosts in the creepy place you worked, would you split right away? Would you of left with sketchy-past Nick? Would you go back to work or think the overnight creep factor was making you see things that weren't really there?
I might have left with Nick because I'm a little too trusting, but maybe I would have argued with him more before going. I definitely would have tried to tell myself I was seeing things that weren't really there. But if another person saw it too then... I would try to explain it away? I would try to talk to Chris again or someone to figure out if they think it's safe there and if I didn't feel safe I probably wouldn't go back.

7.) Viv listens to guests' phone conversations. There is the saying 'people who eavesdrop are seldom happy with what they hear'. Or something close to that anyway. Do you think she may over hear something that results in her disappearance? Would you listen in if you were Viv?
I definitely would listen too, haha! There's a chance she'd get busted doing this, but whether or not it relates to her disappearance, I don't know.

8.) There really have been several deaths of young women in Fell, especially factoring in the size of the town. Do you think they are all connected? Connected to Viv's disappearance? Do you buy into the police stance of no connection between any of them?
I think there is at least some connection (if there wasn't why do they keep coming up in the story). And I feel like there is something spooking the cops into getting so defensive about the lack of connection. The salesman is definitely creeping me out, and it feels like he's connected to the murders.

9.) What do you think of the complete laxness of management and staff at The Sun Down Motel? Anyone else wonder how the heck that place is still open? And more importantly, why?
How is it worth it to keep a place open if it's not really gaining money? Most businesses that don't make money go under. I think there's some beneficiary keeping it afloat that wants it there and is paying expenses or taxes or something. That person also has a connection to the stories that have happened there; that's my guess.

10.) Any thoughts on the candy machine? It keeps popping up in both timelines. Maybe nothing, but in this type of story, who knows.
Definitely adds to the creepy factor of the motel for me. Every time Viv heads to get a candy bar I'm like don't do it!!!

11.) Marnie and Callum are interesting additions to the character line-up, thoughts? Did you think it was strange that Marnie won't talk with Carly? Callum local nice boy-helper dude or creeper?
I definitely thought it was interesting that Marnie refused to talk about Viv. It makes me wonder why she's not seeking justice; is there something too scary that's a barrier?? Callum isn't piquing my interest like Nick yet. Seems harmless so far but I could be wrong.

I will back up joy for team Pants

I'm in and volunteering for DQs! (Team Pants)

I probably won't sign up for Pachinko DQs but I think I'm willing to read it. The other looks definitely interesting!

Melissa wrote: "I'm off to read
Just look at all those umbrellas! :) Rainy here, so I figure it's a good one to get started on."

Melissa I LOVED that book! It was so fun to read!!!

I consider Turkey Middle East or Asia.

Hi Melissa! Glad to have you on board! Side note - that's my mom's name!

I'm also working on and . With the other book I finished earlier, that will probably be it for me for round 2. I'll post completions later this week.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Hey Friends, Sorry I've been MIA! And Mary, that's so scary! Hope you and the family stay safe!

I'm also a multiple books at a time person, but that usually turns into a competition for which one is the most entertaining and I finish that one first. I just started The Sun Down Motel yesterday and it looks super intriguing and creepy! I've read The Broken Girls by her and I loved it.

Also, I'm probably one of the few that did not jump on the tiger king train. After hearing everyone sort of describe it as a trainwreck, I'm steering clear, haha.

Hope everyone has a fun weekend planned!