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

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

DQ's- Day 2: Chapters 7 - 13

So far we have met a majority of the key players. With Salima requesting that Amina find her grand daughter Dunya because her dead son Asif used to work for her,


6. We are getting hints of a nefarious demise of Asif with the possibility that Amina was involved. Any guesses (If you don't know) of what may have happened. Did anyone else confuse Asif as being Morjana father?
I've read a little bit ahead but what I read I wouldn't seen coming, I really didn't know what could possibly occur. But I always forget that with religious settings with fantasy there's the chance of demonic involvement

7. So far it seems that instead of Amina being the great baddie that she once was, is really the one being taken advantage of. With Salima forcing her hand to find her grand-daughter. Do you think that even if found her grand daughter would go home willingly?
That remains to be seen, I think if Dunya is feeling like there's still more to explore or if she's committed to a certain quest, she won't go home right away.

8. Amina has gotten her old crew back together (Dalila, an expert poisoner; Tinbu, her first mate; and Majed, her navigator) Which reunion did you enjoy the most? They were all interesting in their own right but I love Majed's wife. So that reunion sticks out for me.

9. With magic playing afoot and Falco being able to do things unknown and Amina not being familiar do you think they eventually bring in or find someone to help them with that? I've read a little bit ahead so I'll stay quiet.

DQs Day 1
Beginning - Ch 6

1.) Do you have any expectations going in? Have you read The Daevabad Trilogy (starting with The City of Brass)?

I read City of Brass and loved it. Started Kingdom of Copper but couldn't wade through the abundance of characters and settings for anything to make sense so I stopped. So I was a little nervous that this story was going to be too complex. But so far it hasn't been.

2.) Right off the bat, the quote "that to be a woman is to have your story misremembered". What do you think about this statement?

I think there's some truth to it. Especially since women were largely uneducated and often were not taught to read and write, in earlier days they didn't really have a say in how their story was remembered. So unless the author was truly guided by a sense of truth and justice, to re-tell a story may have meant to make men sound better than they really acted in real life, etc. But I'll allow that that's speculation and hypothesis.

3.) Did complaining about the annoyances and expense of home maintenance make the legendary pirate seem more real and relatable even after fighting off a demon in the previous chapter?

Yes! I love what the others said here - it added context and realness, and you're seeing the actual age of someone and how it plays out in "retirement."

4.) There seems to be a fun bit of the mystical woven into this world. Do you think Marjana's father is human?

Based what was said, no, but I don't know what he is instead...

5.) Are you liking how the book is structured? Like we are sitting at Amina's feet while she tells her tale with some fun extra thrown in between chapters.

I'm really enjoying it. I start to forget that she's dictating this, so the asides are funny when they come in but they remind me that she's dictating. In the audiobook - that part gets muffled and there's a realistic effect to it.

PS- I think these are great questions to start this discussion!

Judith wrote: "I would say City of Brass is by far the weakest of the trilogy and the most YA leaning of the 3.

But those books are long so a meh of book one is a lot to overcome to continue"

When I read the City of Brass I thought it was incredible! But then I started kingdom of Copper and it just felt sluggish and way to complicated and I couldn't remember all the moving parts. so I didn't continue at the time. I actually go back and enjoy the full trilogy I would have to start over.

Angie ☯ wrote: "

The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak

From the bestselling author of Hidden Pictures comes a breathtaking..."

Angie this looks really good!

you guys this one looks SO GOOD!

A Girl Like Us

Succession meets Saltburn in a crackling locked-room thriller of inconceivable wealth, unchecked power, and the secrets poised to bring a powerful family down

It's 2004 and former reality TV star and party girl Maya Miller has just married the most eligible bachelor on the planet: Colin Sterling, of the globally famous Sterling family whose history of aristocratic titles and land holdings rival a British royal and whose media empire is comparable to the Murdochs. To some, Maya represents the American dream. To others, a gold digger. But when Colin's cousin Arianna, the heiress to the family's immense fortune, is found murdered, Maya is thrust into the spotlight: first as she is revealed to be the next heiress to the fortune, and then as the prime suspect.

Swiftly, the entire Sterling family goes into lockdown at Silver House, the family's ancestral estate in the English countryside. They're told it's for their own safety—but Maya becomes convinced that it's not to keep threats out, but to keep secrets in. Now, she has no choice but to find and expose the truth hidden within the Sterling family, and why Arianna, a girl she had never met, chose her to take her place. But Maya has secrets of her own. And she knows that in order to survive the Sterlings, she'll have to beat them at their own game.

I nominate

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez

Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that’s been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents—who frequently leave her behind.

When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and an ancient golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there’s more to her parent’s disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.

With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.

The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in this lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.

I'm really worried I won't make the 20 books total otherwise I would increase it. But I have a feeling I'll slow way down on my reading from my TBR. If I'm still this far ahead in the summer I'll increase.

Carmen wrote: "

This was my 'random shelf pick' in January. Of course i had to reread Gilded Wolves first, but now I've continued! Some weird inconsistencies, and odd se..."

Last year I counted all my series continuation as honorable mention, and TBH if I hadn't met my quota I would have counted them for real. So if you want to, go for it!

I read this book last year counting towards my TBR and I did NOT add the 3rd one on to my TBR, I'm just not interested in continuing. But that was my experience.

Read #6!


I'm considering changing my goal but this specific challenge has been really hard to for me to stick with in the past, so I'm wondering if I should keep it attainable. 20 is still a lot because I'm a mood reader and I only read like 18 off my TBR last year. Anyways, something to think about.

Wendy wrote: "#4

This title sat on my TBR shelf for a couple of years and although I I liked it enough to finish, I don’t think it lived up to the hype. I ..."

This whole discussion is making me think I should take it off my TBR and be done with it lol... I've been hesitant since I watched Adeline or whatever the movie was called.

MelanieJoy's Reading Tracker

1: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
2: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
3: DQs: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
4: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Day 4 DQs - Chapter 29 to Epilogue

13. What did you think of the mysterious "conflict"? Slightly anticlimactic, like why did you not communicate after a pregnancy scare and just one kiss? Like why was that a big deal? For two years? I'm just confused why she couldn't reach back out to him or why she was waiting for him.

14. Chapter 35 - "you asked me what I’d be willing to give up for you, and now I know the answer is: everything." Thoughts on this? And on the whole confession/climax in general? I think this to the end was really good and it played out really well. It's like Poppy finally faced all of hers fears and insecurities about who she was and all of her choices and who she was going to be from now on.

15. Overall, how was your experience of reading this book? Would you re-read it again? Pick up other books by the same author? Funny enough, the first day I finished this book I was like WOW 5 stars! And now that I'm like a week and a half removed, I'm like I know I loved this book but the parts I'm remembering are like meh, that was okay. But I remember feeling the intensity of the feeling while I read it. (Oh I'm pregnant so that's where some of the feelings probably came in - hormones)/ Long story ending, I would not read this again but I plan to pick up more books by this author; I'd only read one in the past.

16. Putting yourself in Poppy's place (since the book is from her POV), would you make the same decisions she did? Would you have confessed to Alex that you've begun to fall for him? When would you have done so? Honestly I find it really hard to put myself in Poppy's shoes. Growing up and in college and a little after, I had a close guy friend, I immediately told them how I felt. I was really intense for most guys. I don't think I could go on platonic vacations with guys if there was always a 5% chance of a relationship.

Charlie wrote: "Finished #6, The Tattooist of Auschwitz

I've had it on hold at my library for months, totally worth it.

I was so excited, I had dele..."

This has been on my TBR for a while too!!

Discussion Questions - Section 3 - Ch 18 - 28

9. Do you like any of Poppy's boyfriends? How would you describe the difference in affection Poppy feels for Alex vs how she feels for Guillermo or Trey (spelling may be off, I listened to the audiobook)?

10. Out of the vacation places Poppy and Alex have traveled to, which one has stuck out to you and why?

11. What about this book are you liking so far? Is there anything you dislike? (Characters, dialogue, pacing, timeline style, settings, etc) If so, explain.

12. At what point in reading the book did you begin to suspect either Alex or Poppy had true feelings for each other? What was your response when Poppy described the 5% "what if" occasionally becoming 2% or 15%?

DQ - Section 2 - Ch 10 - 17

5. Julia Whelan is one of my favorite narrators and so I chose to purchase the Audio & Kindle to join this challenge. How are you reading the book? Also How long did it take you to realize the timeline jumped around and how do you like it?
I also got the audiobook version, that was all my library had, but I love Julia Whelan and knew she would do a good job. I really enjoyed it - I've actually finished it and thought it was amazing all the way through - It did not take me long to finish.

6. What are your impressions of Alex?
Emily Henry does a great job of describing him. Consistent. considerate, things are black and white, not the most outgoing but still polite. Some of those characteristics are a lot like my husband. Alex is very endearing to me.

7. What are your impressions of Poppy?
My first impression of her in the prologue was that I thought she was selfless in how she was showing love to Alex in trying to help him date and how she cared for him and how she enjoyed their friendship. But then I read more about her and kind of saw things differently. I am inspired by how she chased her dreams and they came true.

8. If you have not read ahead and do not know. What do you think happened in Croatia that had Alex and Poppy not speaking for two years? I read ahead so I can't answer, but I didn't have a good idea of what happened until it was very subtly alluded to later on in the book.

DQ Section 1 (Ch 1-9)

1. If you could go back in time, would you drop out of college if it meant getting your dream job?
My idea of a "dream job" kept changing. I'm using my degree for the job I have now and I know I'm right where I'm supposed to be.

2. Have you ever felt unhappy with your life even though you feel like you shouldn’t?
Not that cut and dry, no. I think I've felt like there are things I need to change to have more fulfillment or to be more inline with who I believe I am.

3. Would you go on vacation with an old friend that you haven’t spoken to in two years?
It depends on the friend. I had a transient upbringing so I've lost touch with a lot of friends and it would feel awkward starting up conversations with some. But some of my best friends if we've lost touch, maybe.

4. Where was the last place you went on vacation?
Hawaii last year with my husband and 10 mo old son :D

I can take one of the final sections if needed. Sorry for the late volunteer, I wasn’t sure I was gonna get this from the library.

#3

5 Stars. I loved this book. Her pacing was incredible. I didn't like the characters until I did. Such a fun book and I'm so glad I read it. I loved the authors other book and this one didn't disappoint either, she's now basically a must-read author for me.

Judith wrote: "

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

Amina al-Sirafi should be content. After a storie..."

this looks REALLY good.

You guys

I finally read Kingdom of Ash !!!
I feel like this is a goal in and of itself. It's been on my TBR since BEFORE it came out and I waited THIS LONG.

It was really good. But SJM sucks me in and I am always entranced by her story telling.