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

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

hurrah! we are getting well through those battle books, with 6 of them finished already!

mine wasn't too bad, either, which is always a win when picking to meet a challenge. hope everyone else has had equally good luck :)

should I be ready to spin spin spin?!

Fer-yew!

Richard please!

ETA: and Sammy: if it's close can you give the Hot Prof team a poke for sponsor point shenanigans later :)

works for me!

doesn't The Book.... have MPG Time Travel?

Day 3 DQ's Chapter 24 - 33

9. We keep hearing how people smell. Luzia of orange blossoms, Perez of plums and amber. Why do you think the author keeps mentioning this? Do the smells mean more than just an odor?

Possibly indicative of people with actual magic? The magical wafting of Luzia's scent into other people's love live/dreams at the end of ch 33 hints at something substantive there.

10. We are over halfway through the book. What has been your favorite part/scene/person/line so far?

I think the image of Luzia's first miracle in the torneo was impressive - a constellation of glass.

11. Valentina and Marius seem to be rekindling their marriage, finding love where there wasn't before. Why do you think the author is adding that part of the story when she could have left it out?

Not really sure about this. maybe that love sometimes needs other needs to be satisfied before it can bloom?

12. Now we are over halfway and know more of Luzia, the competition and this world. Why do you think the publisher and possibly the author chose this cover over any other possibilities? If you could remake the cover, what would you want it to look like?

It's pretty good - atmospheric of the time and plot - playing with danger

Done!

got
Griffin
1 300 to 349
2 set in United States
3 red cover
4 "brave" or "courageous" in text
5 cross on cover

probably Domi's HP can fit into brave / courageous?

One Night in Georgia
another one down, and one to recommend too

I finished a book that works for the page count for Triffid's, which would complete that set at the price of bumping Domi's Harry Potter. Thoughts?

DQs Day 2 Chapter 13 - 23

5. Luzia’s refranes combine elements from diverse cultural traditions, creating a powerful form of magic tied to her Jewish heritage. Does the portrayal of Luzia’s magic suggest that blending different cultural traditions enhances personal power and resistance, or does it emphasize the delicate balance and possible loss of identity in such a blend?

I hadn't got the feeling that her magic was from diverse traditions, but that non-dominant traditions still held magic, in a way that the imposed Catholic plus Castillian didn't allow room for. I took it as a comment on the power of diversity over a monolith for wonder and interest.

6. Characters like Valentina and Hualit demonstrate varying levels of ambition and moral compromise on their paths to security and success. Is pursuit of personal safety and financial security a justifiable reason for ethical compromises, or should ambition be tempered with moral integrity?

I think that it's understandable that both women have found their own line, which isn't necessarily tied to the Church's view of morality

7. Have you done other reading set in late-16th-century Spain? If not, are you having any problems following the political intrigues and social mores? What’s your favorite time period to read for historical fiction?

Bits and pieces. And Bardugo is upping the politics at an acceptable level to not chuck is completely in the deep end.

8. What do you make of Santángel? At one point we get the line, “And Santángel would be free.” Free from what, do you think?

His immortality seems to come with a slavery clause, that he's tied to Victor's family, and he's keen to be free of that.

Desert Creatures gives the best ending?

don't think I didn't notice!

if you're not careful I'll have to set up the next Hot Prof as a backroom BOM once Book Games is over!

nary a sign of magic blanket of under age sex offering either!

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: The Untold Story of a Lost World
another one down! and good reading too :)

Which would you prefer, Sandy? (Murder probably the least preferred ending)

Richard Richard Richard!

Sammy wrote: "Cat wrote: "I'm reading The Rise and Fall of Dinosaurs - ecological theme there, of evolution into niches etc"

Are there any Hot Professors in it? 😆"

Not nitwit ones, no!

I'm reading The Rise and Fall of Dinosaurs - ecological theme there, of evolution into niches etc