Cat’s Comments (group member since Jan 28, 2015)

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

actually, I might have a Korea / yellow text book to cover here & Turf when I'm done with Katabasis

Sophie wrote: "I liked it, but it got a bit more into his reaction to Terry's later years rather than a biography as such I think so felt more autobiographical. I didn't really get a sense of what Lyn and Rhianna..."

Yes - that's a great way of describing my issues with it. And very protective of Pratchett during his later years, understandable, but a definite shift from the earlier points

well, was technically only ever on load, so was always China....

I'm not going to get to a China anytime soon, so if you've got one, go for it :)

how did you like the Pratchett biog?
I liked it very much, but on reflection think it was probably completed too close to his death - I don't think Wilkins has fully got over everything, and the sections about the last years were a bit wonky. (too emotional? not enough facts, leading to missed opportunities? I'm not sure)

I'm liking it. closer to Babel in that it's strongly about academic endeavours, but still with the MC you want to shake for being a bit of a blind drip

so, I'm reading Katabasis, in which the MCs are grad students who can do magic. They don't describe themselves as sorcerors or anything apart from "people who can do magic"
Thoughts as to whether we can stuff it into the SORCEROR task?

It does works for "sacrifices something" - Alice sacrifices 30 yrs of her life in the hope of getting a recommendation, so I'm hoping for a twofer....

Got us a new one!

Ood
1 100 to 175
2 Title has a word with a double vowel (AA,EE,II,OO, or UU)
3 Sphere or circle on cover
4 Where a character is under the control of another
5 41 or 26 in page number

Any ideas for themes? Judith's always happy for some inspo

We do be awesome!

Hopefully there will be a new wheel along soon for some fresh monster tasks.

Day 5 - Chapters 31 - end

18. First off, what did you think of the reveal and resolution? Any thoughts on the late theme of "Kieran is less of a dick than he was back then", and it's impact on the crimes?

19. There's a lot of truth-telling in this section, from the copper, as well as Verity, Mia and others. What do you think about the view presented that keeping secrets is the cause of more pain later? (and that telling the truth can be near-instantly healing, as with Verity and Kieran)

20. The author made a comment "Places like this, they need to be tight-knits to work. Once the trust is broken, they're stuffed" Do you agree with this?

21. Linked to that question, the other books by Harper that I've read have been much more distinctly Australian in location, whereas this - to me - felt like it could be any coastal community. What did you think of the setting? If you haven't, will you read more of Harper's work? If this isn't your first - how did it compare?

Not scared me away, but I was playing catch-up with my reading....

DQ Day 2: Chapters 9 - 16


5. Does anyone else sense the irony in the fact that Liam is now being considered a murderer after he's been saying the same thing about Kieran for 12 years? Lyn, the waitress, certainly seems to have no qualms in saying so. Red herring or no? But more importantly: was he right? It is a bit of a difficult question, I know, but I keep wondering. Was Kieran at fault the day of the storm? Was it his fault Finn and Toby died? (And it isn't as though Liam is the only one to think that Kieran killed Finn. Brian seems to feel the exact same thing. So does Kieran himself even.)

They are certainly all quick to leap to conclusions! Though Sean's paranoid rallying of defences for Liam can't be helpful in dispelling doubts...
I don't think it's Keiran's fault, nor even Olivia's fault. Is there no official life boat / coast guard rescue in AUS / Tassie? 'cos that's who we'd call in the UK - semi-professional rescue workers with fit-for-purpose boats! Not sure what Finn and Toby were even thinking - a dive cat isn't the vessel you want for close shore work, surely?


6. Another mysterious death! What happened to Gabby that infamous day of the storm? Freak accident? Suicide? Elaborate and cruel way of disappearing to somewhere else? Murder? If the latter, who did it? The fact that Kieran's dad has been out and about both times screams red herring as well. Or do you think Brian had something to do with at least one of these deaths?

I don't think Brian had anything to do with it - he's remembering innocence, and I suspect that elaborate lies would be something that would vanish with dementia.
As for what happened to Gabby.... did she get caught out in the caves, get lost in the North Cave system, maybe?


7. In chapter 14, I was quite surprised to come across this piece of writing: "He knew it for the same reasons Mia did. Because that was life. Because whatever else might come the way of grown men, they didn't wind up strangled to death in the surf. Kieran had no problem walking around Evelyn Bay now for the same reason that he didn't think twice about taking short cuts through unlit parks, and felt no need to quicken his pace when he heard footsteps on the pavement behind him at night. .... from thirty years of lived experience he knew that whatever it was, it wasn't coming for him. Mia knew all this too."

Quite true, isn't it? Though are we certain that Kieran can really walk around as carefree as he thinks? What if it really was Liam after all and Bronte was a practice run? She didn't want to go out with him - according to Lyn the gossip - and he killed her because he was frustrated? What if he realised he enjoyed it and decides to kill Kieran in belated revenge for killing his father?! Though it seems just as far-fetched as one of the tourists to have suddenly made a reappearance just to kill Bronte (as Verity and Ash suggest), doesn't it?

It's not a returning tourist, though the author is a delightful suspect to have!


8. Chapter 16 ends with Kieran giving in and asking Liam what happened the night Bronte died. Liam obviously is irked by it, thinking he knew all Kieran wanted to do was ask. Had he not asked, Liam would've been pissed as well. Can't seem to win with this guy. So what do you think really happened?

I read on here! sorry! though I don't believe Liam's story - not least because if he was in the car (he wasn't) his story needs to explain why he was driving so fast (it doesn't, unless he was lying about the interaction with Bronte (I think he was, but not to the point of killing her!)

Thanks everyone for playing and being excellent teamies!

I think we knocked this one out of the park! We finished Minis 2 and 3, read over 100 books for Mini 1, including for over 80 different countries (we actually read for the most different countries of all the teams!) and 8 countries that no one else read for (double our nearest challengers!)

Added to that, really strong BOM contribution and general fun throughout!

Hopefully I'll see you in future challenges :)

so, I did a thing....

bumped Mel (Amberwell) out of Oct publish, to finish a set. spun us:

Zheng Yi Sao (China)
1 350 to 450
2 Takes place in China
3 Female MC in typically male occupation (your interpretation)
4 "24" in page number
5 Cover is 50% of more of one of the following: red, black, blue, white, yellow, or purple.


Unclaimed tasks for others are:
MC owns a dog
communism important to plot
character works in construction or related job (carpentry, metal works etc)
Season in the title (as in Autumn / Fall / Spring etc)

Day 1: Prologue - 8 20%

1. The prologue implied a women survived but perhaps would actually turn into a victim if the person watching her was gonna do it, right now. Did this prologue intrigue you and make you want to get right into the book. Or does it bother you, as it seems like the ending wasn't real?

I'm not sure if this is a now moment or a then moment or a future one. But intriguing!

2. Liam blames Kieran for killing his dad even though Sean is still his friend. Do you think Liam is misguided or the friends hid something from everyone else?

I think Liam hasn't been able to work through things, possibly because Sean and Kieran remained friends throughout, so he's hanging onto 7-year old angry thinking, with no logic or calm

3. Bronte was scared she heard something/someone on the beach and then is found on the beach dead. She is in her work uniform, do you think she was murdered on her way home or on her way to work?

During the night, before she went to bed.

4. It's to early for guessing, but do you like to try and figure out the killer/ ending? Or do you prefer to avoid looking into clues to much and just go with the flow?

I broadly go with the flow. I'm very sure Liam wasn't involved, though I suspect more shade will be cast on him before it all becomes clear....

Update!

The clock has finished on this challenge :(

Shout if you finished any books before the clock ran out and we'll add them - we usually get a day to finish up.

But, we have finished all the World Wheels in Mini 3 - excellent reading and task hunting everyone!

And we also got through nearly 10 itineraries of medium and hard countries, visiting 83 different countries - Amazing!

Hopefully you all enjoyed it - any favourite minis or anything you could do without in the future? or any suggestions of something we could have done but didn't?

Tati wrote: "hey, everyone!

so, I went over my cap, and I have one extra book. Both books are in my shelf, and I'll post them below, so you can choose which one is a better fit:

[book:Between Two Kingdoms: A ..."

Grabbed Friend Zone :)

Just finished the BOM. Will hopefully get at least one more to reach my cap, and possibly another to replace my shortie

DQ 3: Part III Chapters 13-20

9. We're on the move now and hearing more of the environment. Are you able to imagine the world and How do you feel about the mix of genres - fantasy, sci-fi, mystery?

I enjoy a genre mash-up - just read a horromance which was unexpectedly fun, given the premise of one of the lovers wanting to demonstrate her feelings by laying eggs in her true love for the babies to eat their way out of them...
I'm envisaging seedy Victorian London (with added wall, fungus and monsters, of course!)

10. We're seeing Ana showcasing her skills and abilities more and seeing Ana and Din interact even more. Have your thoughts changed about them and what secrets do you think Ana and Din is hiding from one another if any?

I enjoy them a lot. I'm sure they are hiding secrets (well, Ana from Din, though some of those aren't secrets as she no doubts expects him to have worked stuff out himself!), but I'm not spending much energy on trying to figure out what

11. Knowing this is book one and we probably wont get much how are you imagining the Leviathans so far? What is your closest comparison to what they may be/look like?

I'm thinking a horrific water version of the Dune sand worms...

amazing, thanks Yasmine :)

Day 2: Ch 6-12

5. In this world, many choose enhancements that facilitate their selected jobs - and it seems like most have some sort of Monkey’s Paw negative effect as well. On one hand, an enhancement like Din’s enables his perfect memory, so he never forgets anything. On the other hand, he CAN never forget anything, even if he wants to.
If you were to be augmented with a skill/ability, what would it be and why? Alternatively, what, for you, would be the worst or most dreaded skill/ability you could get?

eh. I'd rather not, especially in the context of this world - WAY too many downsides!

6. I thought it interesting that the leviathians are getting bigger every year, and that most of the special grafts and suffusions are from collected titian bits and bones. Do you have any theories about how this will come into play going forward?

Hmmmm... no, hadn't thought about that. is that part of why the leviathans are attacking - they want their bits back (and, more fundementally, to be left alone!)

7. “...I no longer formed normal memories. For a memory is just a sketch a mind makes of one’s experiences, imperfect and interpretive; yet what my mind made, from that moment on, was perfect, absolute, and endless.” Do you think this robs Din of the ability to be fully human, from the standpoint that one’s subjective take on the world around her/him is what makes a person "human"?

I think that the fact of having detailed memories doesn't impact on the humanity of a person. I'd judge more on their ability to reflect and grow and respond as being important

8. I’m enjoying the evolving relationship between Ana and Din, especially Ana’s humor. Despite Ana joking that Din had “lost his sense of humor in some tragic accident,” what is your take on the twosome? Do you think Din cheated somehow to pass his tests? Or do you think it's something else?

I like the relationship, and that Ana does respect him. I suspect that the test for this role was more likely to be verbal, so his dyslexia (I assume) wasn't a factor