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

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

That's got to be one of the fanciest lamingtons I've ever seen!

Sarah wrote: "@ Emma - I also thought Zephyr might have some suppressed homosexual desires and the whole incident kind of freaked him out."

I am interested to see how this plays out. I'm sure that incident was setting the scene for something later.

That's great news!

1. Any thoughts on the quotes at the beginning of the novel? Do you have a favorite one? Do any maybe relate to any things in the first chapter that may be viewed as a theme in this novel?

"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." - Rumi

"I believe in nothing but the holiness of the heart's affection and the truth of the imagination." John Keats

"Where there is great love, there is always miracles." - Willa Cather

"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." - E. E. Cummings

I really like "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." I think it is saying that there is a neutral place to meet with someone that doesn't involve accusations of who is right or wrong.


2. Any thoughts on Noah's "arousal" while he was being wrestled by Zephyr and Fry? Why do you think Zephyr hasn't told anyone about it...not yet anyway?
I think Zephyr might be attracted to men but doesn't want to admit it. Because of this I think it might have freaked him out a bit and I think that is why he hasn't said anything to anyone about it.

3. What do you think of the writing style?
It really bothered me to start with - talking in metaphors was really confusing. I am starting to get used to it now.

4. Any thoughts on the family dynamics? We have twins, a mom and dad, and a deceased grandmother. Noah believes his dad favors his sister and his mother favors him. Noah seems to favor his mom.

I think that the artistic mum relates to her artistic son and the sport loving dad relates better to his surfer daughter. The family dynamics seem overly skewed this way to the point of the favourtism being quite overt.

Scavenger Hunt


Items Collected
= tree (on cover) - 23/1/15
Delicate Freakn' Flower = Naomi (character name) - 24/1/15
Defying Pack Law = Green (occurs in story - chp 6 - 'His green eyes twinkled at her. ') - 25/1/15

Items in Progress

I'll Give You the Sun = Sun

Well I am readiing I'll Give You the Sun for the book of the month :) so that covers the word 'Sun'

As an Aussie I support this Scavenger Hunt ;)

Long weekend here I come!!!

Thanks Tea!!! :)

* Items Collected *


1 Minor Healing potion (+5 XP) used 8/3/15
1 Minor Healing potion (+5 XP)

1 Heal Potion (+10 XP)

1 Major Heal Potion (+15 XP)

1 Bat Wing
1 Bat Wing
1 Bat Wing
1 Bat Wing - 12/3/15 - 4 Batwings used for quest Robing Robin Hood
1 Bat Wing

1 Goblin Bone
1 Goblin Bone
1 Goblin Bone - 15/3/15 - 3 Goblin Bones used for quest Gather More Bones

Gold - 20

* Monsters Killed *


Sewer Rat:
Reward: 1 Exp
Sewer Rat: Killed: 02/01/2015, Available Next: 09/01/2015
________________________________

Sewer Rat
Reward: 1 Exp
Sewer Rat: Killed: 17/01/2015, Available Next: 24/01/2015
________________________________

Sewer Rat
Reward: 1 Exp
Sewer Rat: Killed: 24/01/2015, Available Next: 31/01/2015
________________________________

Brown Bat:
Reward: 1 Exp & 1 Bat Wing
Brown Bat: Killed: 24/01/2015, Available Next: 31/01/2015
________________________________

Sewer Rat
Reward: 1 Exp
Sewer Rat: Killed: 31/01/2015, Available Next: 07/02/2015
________________________________

Goblin
Reward: 1 Exp, 1 Goblin Bone
Goblin Killed: 01/02/2015, Available Next: 08/02/2015
________________________________

Brown Bat:
Reward: 1 Exp, 1 Bat Wing
Brown Bat: Killed: 01/02/2015, Available Next: 08/02/2015
________________________________

Sewer Rat
Reward: 1 Exp
Sewer Rat: Killed: 07/02/2015, Available Next: 14/02/2015
________________________________

Sewer Rat
Reward: 1 Exp
Sewer Rat: Killed: 04/02/2015, Available Next: 21/02/2015
________________________________

Sewer Rat
Reward: 1 Exp
Sewer Rat: Killed: 22/02/2015, Available Next: 01/03/2015
________________________________

Brown Bat
Reward: 1 Exp & 1 Bat Wing
Brown Bat: Killed: 22/02/2015, Available Next: 01/03/2015
________________________________

Goblin
Reward: 1 Exp, 1 Goblin Bone
Goblin Killed: 22/02/2015, Available Next: 1/03/2015
________________________________

Brown Bat
Reward: 1 Exp & 1 Bat Wing
Brown Bat: Killed: 8/3/2015, Available Next: 15/03/2015
________________________________

Sewer Rat
Reward: 1 Exp
Sewer Rat: Killed: 15/3/2015, Available Next: 22/03/2015
________________________________

Goblin
Reward: 1 Exp, 1 Goblin Bone
Goblin Killed: 15/03/2015, Available Next: 22/03/2015
________________________________

Brown Bat
(view spoiler)[Brown Bat: 3 Attack, 15 HP, Reward: 1 Experience; 1 x Bat Wing
vs
Level 5 Mod Hero - Level 4 Staff (6 Attack) Level 5 Sword (7 Attack) 12 HP

Hero attacks Brown Bat with Level 5 Sword (7 attack):
Brown Bat: 15 HP - 7 attack = 8 HP remaining
Brown Bat attacks Hero (3 attack):
Hero: 12 HP - 3 attack = 9 HP remaining
Hero attacks Brown Bat with Level 5 Sword (7 attack):
Brown Bat: 8 HP - 7 attack = 1 HP
Brown Bat attacks Hero (3 attack):
Hero: 9 HP - 3 attack = 6 HP remaining
Hero attacks Brown Bat with Level 4 Staff (6 attack):
Brown Bat: 1 HP - 6 attack = Death (hide spoiler)]

Reward: 1 Exp & 1 Bat Wing
Brown Bat: Killed: 15/3/2015, Available Next: 22/03/2015
________________________________


Sewer Rat
(view spoiler)[Sewer Rat: 3 Attack, 5 HP, Reward: 1 Experience
vs
Level 5 Mod Hero - Level 4 Staff (6 Attack) Level 5 Sword (7 Attack) 6 HP

Hero attacks Sewer Rat with Level 4 Staff (6 attack):
Sewer Rat: 5 HP - 6 attack = Death (hide spoiler)]

Reward: 1 Exp
Sewer Rat: Killed: 22/3/2015, Available Next: 29/03/2015
________________________________

Sewer Rat
(view spoiler)[Sewer Rat: 3 Attack, 5 HP, Reward: 1 Experience
vs
Level 5 Mod Hero - Level 5 Staff (7 Attack) Level 5 Sword (7 Attack) 6 HP

Hero attacks Sewer Rat with Level 5 Staff (7 attack):
Sewer Rat: 5 HP - 7 attack = Death (hide spoiler)]

Reward: 1 Exp
Sewer Rat: Killed: 29/3/2015, Available Next: 05/04/2015
________________________________

Sewer Rat
(view spoiler)[Sewer Rat: 3 Attack, 5 HP, Reward: 1 Experience
vs
Level 5 Mod Hero - Level 5 Staff (7 Attack) Level 5 Sword (7 Attack) 6 HP

Hero attacks Sewer Rat with Level 5 Staff (7 attack):
Sewer Rat: 5 HP - 7 attack = Death (hide spoiler)]

Reward: 1 Exp
Sewer Rat: Killed: 5/4/2015, Available Next: 12/04/2015
________________________________

Sewer Rat
(view spoiler)[Sewer Rat: 3 Attack, 5 HP, Reward: 1 Experience
vs
Level 5 Mod Hero - Level 5 Staff (7 Attack) Level 5 Sword (7 Attack) 6 HP

Hero attacks Sewer Rat with Level 5 Staff (7 attack):
Sewer Rat: 5 HP - 7 attack = Death (hide spoiler)]

Reward: 1 Exp
Sewer Rat: Killed: 12/4/2015, Available Next: 19/04/2015
________________________________

Sewer Rat
(view spoiler)[Sewer Rat: 3 Attack, 5 HP, Reward: 1 Experience
vs
Level 5 Mod Hero - Level 5 Staff (7 Attack) Level 5 Sword (7 Attack) 6 HP

Hero attacks Sewer Rat with Level 5 Staff (7 attack):
Sewer Rat: 5 HP - 7 attack = Death (hide spoiler)]

Reward: 1 Exp
Sewer Rat: Killed: 16/4/2015, Available Next: 3/05/2015
________________________________

*Expired Quests - Not Completed*

Gather Bones (2/5) books with bone in the title or on the cover or a paranormal/horror genre
Bone - 27/1/15 - +1 XP
City of Bones - 7/2/15 - +1 XP
Flesh & Bone - 14/2/15 - +1 XP

Rare Gems (3/5 XP)
Greater Rare Story - Genetic Jihad (0 Ratings) - 3/1/15 - 2 XP
Rare Story - Lovers and Beloveds (199 ratings) - 4/1/15 - 1 XP
Rare Story -
Rare Story -

Healing (1/3) Titles containing healing words (heal, cure, rest, blood)
Reward per book = 1 minor healing potion
Angels' Blood

Date Night
Find up to 5 of the following words in books (one word per book) for 1 experience each. +1 XP extra if one book is a romance.

• LOVE
• HEART
• DINNER
• CHOCOLATE
• ROMANCE
• ROSE - Princess of the Midnight Ball - chapter 'Princess' - 'Rose bit her lip as she stood before her father.' - +1 XP
• VALENTINE
• DATE - Kisscut - Chp 1 - 'That your date?' - +1 XP
• MARRIAGE
• HAPPY

*Completed Quests*

Hello, my name is +3 XP
Message 427

Gather Berries 1 XP per letter, 2 XP for whole word
(view spoiler)[B: Blindsighted - 18/1/15 - +1 XP
L: Love Letters to the Dead - +1 XP
U: Undeniable - 13/2/15 - +1 XP
E: Endless Knight - 8/2/15 +1 XP
Completed word - +2 XP (hide spoiler)]
+6 XP gained in total

Robbing Robin Hood +5 XP
(view spoiler)[Provide 4 bat wings for leather and read a book with 6 or less characters in the title to provide a thin string of thread for sewing them all together. Receive 5 experience for re-hooding Mr. Robin.
4 x Bat Wings (see message 9) + Covet - 12/3/15 (hide spoiler)]

Gift of Love +5 XP
(view spoiler)[To give the man options read 3 award winning books from GoodReads Choice Awards (winners or nominees for any year). +5 Experience for providing all 3 books
1. The Martian - 2/1/15 - winner 2014
2. Mr. Mercedes - 6/2/15 - winner 2014
3. Hollow World - 4/4/15 - nominee 2014 (hide spoiler)]

Boast the Most Rat Kills: 10/10 Book: Kyrathaba Rising - 11/4/15 +2 XP
(view spoiler)[Count back through your adventures. 10 sewer rat deaths (since the start) will put this man in his place. You also need to commemorate this most prestigious occasion. Reading 1 book with the letters R, A, T in the title will get you your trophy and earn you an extra +2 boasting experience. (Example: Orphan Train train has t, r, a). (hide spoiler)]

The Kindness of Strangers - Completed for 1 XP and a minor heal potion
(view spoiler)[Rolled 4
You need to read a book that has one of the below items on the cover, as part of the title or is mentioned in the book (provide page number and sentence the word is used in). For helping Cruamros you receive +1 exp and a minor poison potion.
1. A mushroom
2. A flower
3. A stone (hide spoiler)]

* Current Quests *

Valentines Day Feast
Read a book with a prime number of pages.
(Example: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 251 pages)
+2 Experience for each Prime Cut of Meat. (Max 3 Cuts of Meat
1. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail - 397 pages = +2 XP
2.
3.


Alchemy
Read 3 books with "lead" (grey/silver) colored covers. Then transmute the lead to gold and read one book with a golden cover. For learning your life lesson earn 5 Experience.

Grey/Silver: - 15/3/15 - 24/3/15 - 29/3/15
Gold:


A Toy for Hadley
Read a book with a shape word in the title (star, circle, square, cross, triangle, heart, etc). Then use spell-it-out rules to spell the shape you found to create the toy. (+2 Exp for finding the shape, +1 Exp per letter spelling it, +2 Exp for completing the toy.)


Gather More Bones
Provide at least 3 goblin bones to the necromancer. +5 experience for the first 3 goblin bones. Turn in up to 3 more for an additional +1 experience each
**3 x Goblin bones to the necromancer: 15/3/15 - see message 9

The Queens New Clothing
Read 3 or 5 books from 2015 or with clothing on the cover. (Earn 3 experience for 3 books or 6 experience for 5 books)
1. The Girl on the Train (published January 2015) - 11/2/15
2. The Replacement Wife (dress on cover) - 7/3/15
3. Where All Light Tends to Go ( published March 2015) - 27/3/15
4.
5.

Rescue Kitty
Form a ladder by overlapping the end of one book with the beginning of the next book. At least 3 letters must overlap or your ladder will be too weak to rescue Kitty. Use 3-5 books to complete your ladder. (Earn 3 exp for a 3 book ladder, 5 exp for a 4 book ladder and 8 exp for a 5 book ladder.)
Example: Maybe SomedayDay of the PredatorTorn Away Maybe Someday of the Predatorn Away

Time for the Dead
Read 12 books, each one initially published in a different month. (Example: January: Uninvited published Jan 2014). +1 Exp for each book read. +1 Damage Potion for completing the clock (Bonus +2 Exp if all the books are from the same year).
January: Ancillary Justice - 7/2/15 - +1 XP
February: The Deadliest Game - 6/4/15 +1 XP
March:
April:
May: - The Darkest Night - 8/2/15 - +1 XP
June:
July:
August:
September: - Fangirl - 20/3/15 - +1 XP
October: - You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself - 9/3/15 - +1 XP
November:
December:

A Fairy Odd Path
Read 3 books that are in-between series numbers. i.e. #6.5 or #2.1 in a series. May be part of a collection of stories but the whole collection must be over the 100 page minimum. 1 Heal Potion and +2 experience.

A Tavern Delicacy Fresh Rat Kills: 4/4 Book with herb: The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
Kill 4 sewer rats, these rats must be fresh kills to not poison the tavern patrons with spoiled meat. Read 1 book from the list of banned books for burning. Read 1 book with a seasoning or herb in the title. Completing the delicacy will net you 6 experience.

* Healing for HP *

Spell-it-out (Cure, Heal, Bandaid, Tonic) 1 x HP per letter

* Weapons Level Up *

Magic Staff - Lvl 3 (5 attack)


#1 Series book: The Colour of Magic (Discworld #1) - 3/1/15

Obtained level 1

#1 Series book: A Modern Witch - (A Modern Witch #1) - 9/1/15
#2 Series book: Days of Blood & Starlight - (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #2) - 10/1/15

Obtained level 2

#1 Series book: Pleasure Unbound (Demonica #1) - 19/1/15
#2 Series book: Unbeautifully - (Undeniable #2) - 15/2/15
#3 Series book: Already Freakn' Mated - (Freakn' Shifters #3) - 31/1/15

Obtained level 3

#1 Series book: Lick - (Stage Dive # 1) - 21/2/15
#2 Series book: Play - (Stage Dive #2) - 5/3/15
#3 Series book: Unattainable - (Undeniable # 3) - 17/2/15
#4 Series book: Seduce the Darkness - (Alien Huntress #4) - 22/2/15

Obtained level 4

#1 Series book: Cut & Run - (Cut & Run #1) - 3/5/15
#2 Series book: Rock Chick Rescue - (Rock Chick #2) - 9/3/15
#3 Series book: Dead of Winter - (The Arcana Chronicles #3) - 18/2/15
#4 Series book: Rock Chick Renegade - (Rock Chick #4) - 16/3/15
#5 Series book: Rock Chick Revenge - (Rock Chick #5) - 22/3/15

Obtained level 5

#1 Series book: Anew - (Archers of Avalon #1) - 28/3/15
#2 Series book: Sticks & Stones - (Cut & Run #2) 7/4/15
#3 Series book: Lead - (Stage Dive #3) - 1/41/15
#4 Series book: Rock Chick Redemption - (Rock Chick #4) - 14/3/15
#5 Series book:
#6 Series book:

Obtained level

#1 Series book:
#2 Series book:
#3 Series book:
#4 Series book:
#5 Series book:
#6 Series book:
#7 Series book:

Obtained level

#1 Series book:
#2 Series book:
#3 Series book:
#4 Series book:
#5 Series book:
#6 Series book:
#7 Series book:
#8 Series book:

Obtained level

Sword - Lvl 5 (7 attack)

100+ pg book: Happily Never After - 106 Pages - 5/1/15

Obtained level 1

100+ pg book: Animal Farm - 128 pages - 11/1/15
200+ pg book: Yes Please - 288 pages - 17/1/15

Obtained level 2

100+ pg book: Dark Craving - 105 pages - 22/1/15
200+ pg book: Delicate Freakn' Flower - 255 pages - 24/1/15
300+ pg book: Winterkill - 352 pages - 23/1/15

Obtained level 3

100+ pg book: Defying Pack Law - 151 pages - 25/1/15
200+ pg book: Jealous And Freakn' - 231 pages - 26/1/15
300+pg book: I'll Give You the Sun - 371 pages - 26/1/15
400+pg book: Dracula - 488 pages - 10/1/15

Obtained level 4

100+ pg book: Never Never - 140 pages - 29/1/15
200+ pg book: I Was Here - 288 pages - 31/1/15
300+ pg book: Poison Princess - 369 pages - 5/2/15
400+ pg book: Rock Chick - 412 pages - 27/2/15
500+ pg book: Divergent - 501 pages - 26/1/15

Obtained level 5

Battle is only enhanced with beer!!! A couple of beers and I get my rage on! Bezerker style :)

*Hero's Book Backpack*


- 11/1/15 - 11/4/15 - 23/4/15 - 26/4/15 - 27/4/15 - 1/5/14

* Hero's Stats *



Hero: Level 5 | Health: 6 HP | Sword: Level 5 (7 attack) | Staff: Level 5 (7 attack) | XP: 74

Hero last levelled on 15/3/15

Total experience needed.
Level 1 - 0 - 10 HP
Level 2 - 5 - 12 HP
Level 3 - 15 - 14 HP
Level 4 - 30 - 16 HP
Level 5 - 45 - 18 HP
Level 6 - 90 - 20 HP
Level 7 - 135 - 22 HP
Level 8 - 225 - 24 HP
Level 9 - 360 - 26 HP
Level 10 - 585 - 28 HP
Level 11 - 945 - 30 HP

Hi everyone! This is such a good idea.

I think I have time for a beer before my next battle!

Great idea, thanks Mods!