Emma (M)’s Comments (group member since Dec 02, 2014)

Emma (M)’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

Discussion Questions - Set 5

1. So much to my dismay, Mae ended up returning to Francis. After having filmed her without permission previously and then posting to to the cloud, I would have thought she would be reluctant to do anything with him again. Do you think since she has gone transparent she is now less concerned that people may see her in sexual situations than she once was.

2. Annie found out that the results of PastPerfect created difficulties in her life and that of her family. People are judging and reacting to her negatively based on the actions of her ancestors - something she had no control over. Do you think that people finding out every detail about the transgressions of your ancestors could be detrimental to your reputation?

3. I was so sad when Mercer decided to take his own life during Mae's pursuit of him from Circle HQ. What do you think was his motivation for doing so?

4. I really found the airing of the aquarium merger between the shark, octopus and seahorse perplexing, as there didn't seem to be any reason why this was done and for what purpose it was aired. It only appeared to be Stenton that expected to see what ended up happening, and the shark's actions seemed to come as a shock to Bailey. If Bailey wasn't thinking this would be the outcome, what did he think was important enough about placing a couple of different species into an aquarium, that it needed all three of the founders and millions of people to watch it? Aquariums with multiple animals living together are a dime a dozen after all and are not in themselves anything out of the ordinary. What do you think the purpose was in airing the event?

5. I quite liked the ending to The Circle as I think it was a realistic reaction that someone as brainwashed as Mae would have to Ty's revelations and request. What were your thoughts on the ending?

6. I really liked the premise of The Circle and I did like the gradual brainwashing of Mae to become the biggest proponent of what the organisation had to offer, however, I really wasn't a fan of the writing. I found the dialogue incredibly cheesy and I thought there were several plot points that seemed pointless. For instance, why bother with the scene where Francis filmed Mae and posted it to the cloud, when nothing ended up coming of it and it was never mentioned again? I thought that the book could have been a really good thriller but just didn't hit the mark with me and I ended up giving the book 2 stars. What was your rating and what did you like and dislike about the book?

1. Mae is now fully transparent. I found it hard to believe that anyone would care what one ordinary person was doing 24/7, even if she works at arguably the most important company in the world. What do you think is the appeal? Do you believe that full transparency would help bring an end to crime as we know it?

I can't imagine being interested 24/7, but I can imagine its just an extension of reality tv, like Big Brother but on a wider scale. I don't think it would bring an end to crime though, people are pretty inventive and criminals would find a way around it.

2. "THINK COMPLETION". "COMPLETE THE CIRCLE". "THE CIRCLE MUST BE WHOLE". All thoroughly creepy slogans, yet most everyone seems to be pushing for that goal. What do you think will happen when the circle is complete? With as pervasive as this company is, do you think it's too late to even try and stop that from happening?

I can't even imagine what it means. I think, whatever it is, they are keeping the knowledge of what it means away from everyone so that no one can stop them until it is too late.

3. Kalden calls Mae and sounds very concerned. He starts to warn her about Completion and telling her that it would be a very bad thing if it were to happen... and she hangs up on him. Do you think that Mae is fully within the Circle's grasp? Or do you think she hung up before the audio kicked back in and Kalden could be exposed, even if it was just his voice? Do you think he can convince her to help him?

She is totally within their grasp. It feels like she has been completely brainwashed. Given her past history of being caught, I think he will need to be a lot more open about his concerns and then convince her that his concerns are valid, before she would help him.

4. So not everyone is drinking the Kool-aid. Mae's parents and Mercer are both, in varying degrees, resisting having their whole lives wrapped in the Circle. Mercer has gone completely off grid. Do you think they'll be able to hold out against all this advancement? Or do you think, as Mae does, that they'll cave in eventually?

I think their would be pockets of resistance, especially with the older generation and those that are not worried about offending friends and going their own way. It is concerning how many people are 'drinking the Kool-aid' though.

5. In this section, they introduce the concept of YouthRank, a system to academically rank every student in America and, eventually, the world. Of course, this information would be available to anyone. It's touted as a way to get an idea about your child's chances at going to a good college and is even incorporated with TruYouth, the child tracking system developed by Francis. Do you think this would be a good idea or a bad idea?

A bad idea! What an enormous amount of pressure to put on kids, to have everyone be able to see and comment on their performance. To be ranked, it would be awful. I'm not so sure about the TruYouth though as I am sure there would be benefits of having kids being able to be tracked. I guess that would depends mostly on if the technology is only utilised when a child has gone missing or if it is used in a more controlling way.

6. Annie and Mae seem to be on equal footing, now, and Annie does not seem pleased. Do you think Mae's new position within the company will further affect their friendship? Mae says that they are peers now but Annie can't accept that. What do you think Mae is going to do to make Annie accept her?

I have a feeling that Annie may be having second thoughts about The Circle and its growing influence on the world. I think she may have found something out that has made her feel this way and so she is not liking how Mae is now such a mouthpiece for the company and also that Mae is encouraging the company to further increase its control and influence in the world.

Good luck with your interview! That's very exciting for you.

Talking To My Country
Read: 6 May
pages: 230
Rating: 3.5 stars

Ora wrote: "Emma wrote: "1. What are your thoughts about Mae, Francis and the video? Do you think The Circle will see the video? Is Mae through with Francis now that he has hit the strike two mark?

I think th..."

I think you are right, that deep down she probably knows she is wrong. Unfortunately, I haven't liked her character since the first chapter, so it probably colours my opinion of everything she says and does

Thanks Abbie, but its just a rental while we wait for our house to be built next year. We'll be there for about 1.5 years, so long enough that we will have to settle into it :)

ugh, packing up the house as we are moving this week. Can't wait for it all to be over so we can settle in to the new house.

1. What are your thoughts about Mae, Francis and the video? Do you think The Circle will see the video? Is Mae through with Francis now that he has hit the strike two mark?

I think the fact he filmed her without her consent is deplorable. Then to post it to the cloud is just awful. I am sure that someone will find it as it is obviously a plot point that will be further explored.

2. Congresswoman Santos goes transparent. Nothing is private or secret. every conversation, every meeting, every part of your day will be broadcast . What are your thoughts on our elected leaders going transparent. Yay or nay?

I can't imagine it working. its all well and good for the Congresswoman to go transparent, but how many of the people she consults with are wanting to do the same. I would imagine that she could not longer get things done because other people would not want to talk to her.

3. Mae and Mercer are involved in another arguement. There are always two sides to an arguement. Whose arguement bears more weight? Are you more partial to Mercer or Mae's side?

I think Mercer has every right to be pissed off at what Mae did. He has stated previously that he is uncomfortable with social media to the extent that Mae utilises it and she completely ignored his wishes. I also think Mae's vilifying him afterward was pretty nasty and it further increases my dislike for her character.

4. Anyone else find it extremely ironic that Mae gets caught stealing a kayak by one of Marion's cameras, which we find out is a SeeChange camera from Mae's workplace? As a result of Mae's actions she is reprimanded at work and forced to be transparent. What do you think about what just happened?

As much as I think her reprimand and subsequent manipulation to go transparent is ridiculous in light of her 'crime', I really don't like her character (I think she is selfish and quite nasty on occasions), so I really don't care what happens to her in relation to her workplace.

Tori wrote: "what's KA mean?

I am no where near finishing books but I have made a good don't in my two yesterday on a two hour car ride. We're camping at the moment. I love reading with a cup of tea and beaut..."

Oh a cup of tea with a good book in the mountains sounds wonderful! KA is author Kristen Ashley

Discussion Questions - 2nd Day

1. What are your first impressions of Gina? How do you feel about her session with Mae? This session really bothered me. I wasn't sure if they actually wanted Mae to work, or post on social media all day. "For a company that thrives on order and efficiency, the Circle also seems to endorse—require, even—loose and extravagant socializing. What do these two seemingly opposite values say about what working for them entails? How does Mae’s value set evolve to accommodate these expectations?" (http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guid...) Using Facebook at work was a fire-able offense at my job. But if social media is your job, I guess it would be a good thing to use it.

I can't see how the work and social media time required in her job is sustainable. It seems totally over the top and extravagant. But, I do think this book is completely over the top and a bit ridiculous and this is reflected in the opposing values they are espousing.

2. Mae gets pulled into Dan's office for failing to RSVP to Alister's event. What do you think about this conflict between Mae, Alistar and how Dan mediated? [The whole time I was reading this section I was thinking to myself "Are you kidding me? What a baby!"] Do you think The Circlers are forcing new employees to participate in events by singling them out when they don't attend?It's all about the control, I guess.

Once again this scene was so silly. I mean to have Alistair so offended he was weeping just seems completely over the top. I agree that I was thinking 'what a baby', he seriously needs an injection of self esteem. It also seems to be unsustainable that their staff need to work, post on social media, attend numerous social activities outside of work hours and be ultra sensitive to the other 10,000 employees self-esteem issues. Staff would be burnt out within a few weeks to months if this workplace existed in real life.

3. Mae and Mercer get into an argument regarding their communication. Mae cannot even sit and listen to what Mercer is saying because he "talks so slow". Mercer is frustrated with Mae because she gets all her information from social media instead of speaking directly to him. "Every time I see or hear from you, it's through this filter. You send me inks, you quote someone talking about me, you say you saw a picture of me on someone's wall...It's always a third-party assault. Even when I'm talking to you face to face you're telling me what some stranger thinks of me. It becomes like we're never along. Every time I see you, there's a hundred other people in the room. You're always looking at me through a hundred other people's eyes." How do you think social media has affected the way we communicate with others? How has technology changed our relationships (the quality of our relationships) with other human beings? My daughter and S-I-L are having this issue - he is unable to put his phone down, and she hates it. I think we should all put down the phones and talk to each other, at least every once in a while.

I worry for my son that his ability to communicate, empathise and understand others will be affected substantially by the reliance on social media to communicate with each other. However, I do realise that my parents and their parents before all had some issue or issues they thought would be detrimental to their kids, and everything is still chugging along, just fine so this will probably be the case with these concerns.

4. Mae enjoys kayaking and stops at Marion's kayak rental business on her way home from her parents. She seems very at peace when she's paddling in the bay. When and where do you find solitude? What types of technology are you comfortable invading that space? Josiah and Denise find out May kayaks but doesn't document anything and are appalled. They are even further disgusted when they find out Mae uses a paper pamphlet. They even go as far as questioning her self-esteem. [I found it ironic that they questioned her self-esteem and in turn she felt even worse about herself. "Goddamnit, Mae, give a shit! Be a person of some value to the world."]Are we now expected to document everything we do instead of being in the moment? Is our self worth now dependent on what we "share" with the rest of the world? We all have "that friend" that has to let us know what she's doing every moment of every day via Facebook. I still think it's about control.

I think this is a horrendous invasion of someone's privacy, to demand that they post where they are and what they are doing at all times, just in case someone might be interested in joining in or commenting on it. Human beings need serenity and alone time to recharge and in this work environment I would imagine it would be absolutely necessary to spend some time by yourself doing something you love.

5. How do you feel about the medical bracelet the circlers are required to wear? "To Heal We Must Know. To Know We Must Share" is posted in the clinic, do you agree with this motto? Would you wear one of those monitoring bracelets? (I feel like it's a double edge sword.) How much privacy would you be willing to give up for those amazing health care benefits? My libertarian would come out.

I think it would be an interesting experiment, to see how much illness could be avoided if we could read the signs early. I don't think this would bother me too much, unless the results were made public or showing signs of illness early led to losing your job.

6. Mae spots Kalden at the circus event. What do you think of their relationship? I find it odd that Mae cannot find any information on Kalden, given all the resources she has access to. Why do you think Mae is not more zealous on her pursuit of Kalden? Kalden seems to be very secretive. He avoids personal questions, Mae cannot get in touch with him, what do you think he is hiding? not sure what Kalden's hiding, but pretty sure it is something bad.

Yeah, this seems very dodgy to me. In the environment Mae is working in it would be virtually impossible for another employee to not leave some sort of imprint. He obviously doesn't work there at all or is gaming the system somehow. However, I think Mae is a bit weird when it comes to the men. She seems to fall hard very quickly with very little interaction. I feel like I'm reading a badly written YA novel featuring Insta-love.

I'm really struggling with this book. I'm finding the dialogue cringe-worthy and over-the-top, the plot ridiculous and Mae, really annoying. I think the premise is really interesting, but I personally feel it has been badly executed and I am having difficulty taking it seriously. This has the potential to be a really good thriller so I am hoping that it improves substantially over the next few day's reading.

K~Terror wrote: "I wasn't sure about The Circle but it's starting off interestingly enough."

I've got to admit that I'm finding the dialogue really cheesy and a bit over the top at times. I don't think I'm going to be a fan of his writing style tbh. It's good to get to read the book before I see the movie though.

Tori wrote: "first book is gonna be Anansi Boys. i've got both kindles fully charged. kindle app is downloaded and i've got a shelf full of paperbacks!"

Sooo... you're ready to start this challenge then? :)

Do we have a spreadsheet yet, or am I just blind?

If anyone is planning on reading The Circle, then that can be started now :)

The Gunslinger

A #1 national bestseller, The Gunslinger introduces readers to one of Stephen King’s most powerful creations, Roland of Gilead: The Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting figure, a loner on a spellbinding journey into good and evil. In his desolate world, which mirrors our own in frightening ways, Roland tracks The Man in Black, encounters an enticing woman named Alice, and begins a friendship with the boy from New York named Jake.

You

When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card.

There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she’ll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight—the perfect place for a “chance” meeting.

As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck’s life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck’s perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way—even if it means murder.

The Hate U Give

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

Good for me too :)

Lauren wrote: "Yay! Well done. I'm really looking forward to getting started, I'm madly trying to finish my current reads so that on the 4th I can pick up and start a new book right away for TT!"

I know right, I have a huge tbr for TT that I can't wait to get stuck into.

Good news, I got a spot for DQs in the randomiser for The Circle BOM this coming week (helps that there were only a few nominees). Crossing my fingers for Karen's nomination to pick up a spot for A Gentleman in Moscow.