Joanne’s Comments

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

Note: Joanne is not currently a member of this group.

Last book is done!

Complete


This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
Date: 07/26
Pages: 336
BOM:
Day 1: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 2: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 3: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 4: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I'll be finishing one more (the BOM) and then starting on next week.

Day 4 - Who Knows? - Aid Ambiguous

16. Throughout the book Penn has used fairy tales to explore the issues in their lives. Did you enjoy this approach?

Yes, it was a nice bonding experience for him and the children and I love that they kept it going for so many years.

17. All 4 boys admitted to telling Poppy's secret. Were you surprised by this? And how did you feel when it was later revealed how Poppy was outed?

I was surprised, but I especially understood why the twins told. While I understand the complexity of the situation, it was a bit unfair for them to have to keep the secret.

18. Up to this point I really enjoyed the scenes with Mr. Tongo. What did you think of his guidance to Penn and Rosie? Do you believe that by sheltering Poppy they hindered her development?

I love that his reactions are always completely different to how Rosie and Penn expect. He sees the world in such a different light the most people. It's refreshing to hear him "reframe the narrative".

19. On the one hand we have Penn enthusiastically researching vaginoplasty for Poppy's future, but on the other we have Rosie more along the lines of making decisions based on the present. Considering that Poppy is only 10 and taking into account the events leading up to this discussion, which side did you most agree with?

In the end I think Rosie is right, that it has to be Poppy/Claude who makes the decision, but I understand Penn's urge to find a solution and fix the problem for her. It would be so hard to watch your child struggle and not be able to make it better for them.

20. Unexpectedly Rosie decided to work at the clinic in Thailand and to take Claude/Poppy with her. Did you think this was the right thing to do for Claude/Poppy? For her family?

I think maybe it is. Rosie needed to do it for her job, and it got Poppy out of her regular environment to give her a chance to give things some time to sort themselves out.

DQs Day 3 - Everyone Who? - Hedge Enemies

11. The description of them unpacking - pictures on wall first - is so true to me: pictures on the wall, books on shelves and the rest can wait. Do you unpack like that? More widely, did you enjoy the information about the family settling into the new neighbourhood?

I think I was most excited to arrange my books into my own personal library the last time I moved. I was glad they got along so well with their neighbours and Poppy found a good friend right away.

12. Rosie is having difficulties settling into the new job, and the senior partner's slightly wonky (but oh-so-real) view about how flexible working actually functions. Do you enjoy that Frankel is bringing in adult life issues wider than just parenting a trans kid?

I do. I think this is an especially big problem in the US and I often wonder at how mothers there manage.

13. Roo.... poor Roo. What did you think about his video project when you first read about it? How did you feel by the end of the section? Any thoughts on how Roo's story will pan out?

He must be feeling so lost, having left his comfortable lifestyle right at the time kids turn into teens. Plus I get that he is angry that they had to move only to keep Poppy biological sex a secret anyway.

14. The last chapter has a discussion about gender pay equality, and Rosie realises that Poppy had no idea about this, and wonders if they have done her a disservice by sheltering her too much from equality issues. Do you agree? Do you think it's realistic that Poppy wouldn't know?

I guess. I mean she's only 9, her mother is a doctor, and the parents do not subscribe to traditional gender roles.

15. I find the narrator's voice slightly odd: it veers from a high-level view down into intimate POV, and chucks in a whole load of Ominous Warnings of Impending Doom. Are you enjoying the writing style?

I am, but I'm pretty much ignoring the warnings of impending doom since they are vague enough that I can't remember them by the time I read the next chapter.

DQs Day 2: Maybe to Rival Neighbor Princess

6.) The adults in this book have a wide range of reactions to Claude. You have the fun Mr. Tongo, the principle, Victoria Revels, Miss Appleton, the gun totting Nick, the horrible Cindy (who risks a kid's life like that!?!) and their reactions to Claude vary drastically. Thinking about these characters, I keep going back to the quote "At home Claude is loved no matter what. At school, sometimes it feels the opposite: you are not loved no matter what."
What do you think about this quote, is it true? What does the reactions of the older kids and adults versus the younger kids say about society?

I agree that you can't expect unconditional love and support at school. There are too many other people who don't necessarily have the room in their hearts to care about you. It would be nice if all kids had the kind of home life that Claude does. It's so telling that the kids Claude's age are accepting and the judgement comes from older kids and parents.

7.) In this section we learn where the title comes from. Do you agree with Penn's statement?

I love the sentiment that if you could have everything, of course you want things to be easy. But many things in life that are important and worth doing are also not easy.

8.) Claude chooses his new name, and as new names are wont to do, a new identity. Were you surprised at his choice? Do you think it was a good choice? Or a foreshadow of danger ahead?

I was surprised, and although the name seems to fit, I also feel like it could be a lot of pressure to live up to.

9.) Do you agree with Rosie's decision to move the family? Do you think problems will crop up with Roo in their new home with how attached he was to life in WI?

I can't blame her for wanting to get out of that environment, especially after what she saw in the emergency room.

10.) What are your thoughts are keeping Claude/Poppy's gender secret in their new home? How do you think the truth will come out? When it does, what do you think will happen to Poppy?

I think it's great that keeping it a secret has given Poppy several years to come into her own identity and gain confidence, but unfortunately now when it comes out, it will probably be a huge deal and her closest friends especially may feel betrayed by the secret. I'm guessing things will come out during these gym showers, or as all the other girls develop physically and Poppy doesn't. Keeping things to themselves unfortunately only works until puberty.

SandyL wrote: "We don't know what they might be. Another team re-spun today and got Quassia and Zombies. :-)"

eeyikes. Maybe not a re-spin then.

I'm almost tempted to say we should re-spin, just because the short words are hard to fit books into, but I am nervous abous the possibility of an X word.

Day 1: Start - Halloween

1. Did you have any preconcieved ideas about this book before you started, what where they?

Nope. I added it awhile back but had to re-read the synopsis to even remember what it was about.

2. Rosie shares with us the continued pursuit of having a daughter and possibly having a version of her little sister Poppy in that daughter, what was your reaction to that?

I completely get why she would want a daughter, especially after having 4 boys.

3. What do you think of Rosie and Penn's parenting style so far?

I think they are great parents. They have their kids best interests at heart and there is a lot of love in the house.

4. I'm loving grandma, she doesn't even blink twice when Claude wants a bikini; what do you think would help Claude most, letting him wear bikini and dress in public or restricting him to only wear those at home?

I love her as well. I agree that allowing it at home but making it seem like it's not ok to dress like a girl in public sends the wrong message to Claude. He's may internalise feelings of shame.

5. It breaks my heart when Penn shows Rosie the drawings Claude has made of the family, where he is getting smaller with every drawing. What should they do?

The parents are not equipped to know how best to act and support Claude so I think everyone would benefit from professional help.

Finished


Five Ways to Fall by K.A. Tucker
Date: 07/23
Pages: 319
Genre: no

Finished


Family Roundabout by Richmal Crompton
Date: 07/22
Pages: 384
Genre: no

Finished


Dry by Neal Shusterman
Date: 07/20
Pages: 401
Genre: no
BOM discussion: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

DQs - Part Four

17. Henry’s character has turned out to be a bit of a conundrum to me. What do you think has contributed to him using and manipulating people the way he does? Were you surprised at the end of the book when he was being praised as a hero? Do you think Kelton and Alyssa should have spoke up about his dishonesty?

People like Henry always find ways to work the system and having him out of their lives is the best outcome for them. Eventually his lies and manipulation may catch up to him.

18. Alyssa finds out that Kelton spied on her back in 8th grade and in this section, she slaps him on the face hard. Did you think her behavior was appropriate given the amount of time that passed? Would you have handled it differently?

It's good that she makes it clear that although she may move past it and forgive him, his actions were completely unacceptably wrong.

19. Hell and High Water—In this part our band of survivors experience all kinds of ‘hell’. Henry leaves his friends ‘high and dry’…betraying them…getting them almost killed...again. Kelton shoots the two brothers who were attempting to rape Alyssa and manhandle Jacqui and Garret. Alyssa displays her worst self with the mother of the two men, leaving her to perish in the fire and Alyssa almost ‘mercy’ kills her brother. What were your thoughts about any/all of these circumstances? Were the situations realistic? What do you think they could have done differently?

Everyone did what they had to do to try to survive.

20. A New Normal—When a person goes through something ‘traumatic’ you are bound to be affected in some way…this chapter gives us a glimpse of how the characters have been impacted/changed. What character’s change had the biggest impact on you? Have you ever experienced an event that changed how you see or do things? Do you think it takes something dramatic to get people to ‘wake up’ and make necessary changes?

I really liked the comments about the different types of people in Costco after the event. I think all the characters (except Henry) learned a lot about themselves and human nature from what happened. I was very surprised that everyone's parents survived.

21. Do you think anyone is to blame for the way this disaster unraveled? Could it have been diverted?

I'm sure they could have given more warning so people could stock up, and relief aid could have been faster and more efficient.

22. Will this story impact how you use water? If so why, and what will you plan to do differently?

I'm not sure. I do have the urge to stock more water and other critical supplies in my basement in case of disaster.

Day 3 DQs

11. With the introduction of Henry we see a similar situation as the McCracken's, with Henry holding a stockpile of water and his neighbors in desperate need. Why do you think Henry's neighbors didn't attack or steal what they needed from him? He was only a teenager after all and he was alone.

They were not desperate at first because of the 2nd water tank, then by the time they realized they needed his water, they were too sick. Also he was willing to sell it, so even if the price seemed high, when it comes to life and death people felt they had the choice to give up any possessions to get water, so they could take the civilized route and not descend into chaos.

12. What did you make of Henry? Would you have allowed him to join your group? Do you think they would have made it as far as they have without him?

He seems like he's a real schemer. I don't like him, and he seems to be trying to turn them against each other to take over himself.

13. In times of crisis people will do just about anything out of desperation, which we see with Hali in the Target parking lot. How do you think you would handle something like this?

This is difficult to contemplate but the kind of thing that happens in a crisis. There are always people willing to take advantage if they have what others need, just like Henry did earlier.

14. I was shocked to learn that Jacqui had left a bottle of the antibiotics for Herb and Daphne. Did this change your opinion of her?

It made her seem more compassionate.

15. We meet Water Angel's group, who are civilized and working together to survive. Henry compares it to communism and doesn't think it will last. Do you agree that it's only a short-term solution and that they will eventually turn on each other?

If they stay small, they can possibly wait out the crisis, assuming help will come, but eventually there's always someone who doesn't want what's best for the group and will try to take for themselves.

16. Trust is a big issue that comes up again and again. Do you think Jacqui and Henry have proven themselves to be trustworthy? What about Alyssa and Kelton (despite the past drone incident)?

I'm not sure anyone can be completely trustworthy when it comes to fighting for survival. If the water situation gets bad enough people will always look out for themselves first.

Devann wrote: "anyone planning on doing the floor is lava challenge after this is over? i asked a question in the question thread so i'm waiting to hear the answer before i commit lol. it helps that they lowered ..."

I pretty much always sign up for team challenges in this group but I'm considering whether or not to give this one a pass. The tasks look super specific. I was actually thinking of cutting back on my reading after this challenge to catch up on Netflix shows so I'm not sure this would work for me. Also the concept of having to come up with our own teams is stressing me out.

Day 2 Questions

6. The power plant vignettes at the beginning of part two are intriguing. We have the activist assuming the water is destined for the wealthy, the water guy just trying to do his job, and the plant manager trying to keep the power on and take care of his workers. With which side did you sympathize?

I sympathise with all of them. The whole situation is so horrible.

7. Why do think the author has both of Alyssa and Garrett's parents go to the water desalination center at the beach? Do you think the events on the beach are realistic or over the top?

I'm sure they felt there was safety in numbers, and that they could get more water with two of them versus one. They never thought the danger would be so great as to (probably) lose their lives. Once things are clear that there wasn't going to be enough for everyone, the reactions are realistic. Why would desperate people wait their turn when their turn will never come? They know their lives are at stake.

8. Kelton states, "Things are gonna fall apart pretty quickly now... Critical services shutting down, unreliable communication--any minute now it'll all give way to urban Darwinism." Do you think the view is too pessimistic, too optimistic, or on track? Why?

Looks like this is already starting. Not everyone will survive, only the toughest and luckiest.

9. Jacqui comes into the story in this section as a new main character. What do you think of the addition of her character? Have you changed your opinion of either Alyssa or Kelton now that we have reached the halfway point?

I don't feel that any of the characters are that interesting. The actions to me seem a bit dumb, especially where Alyssa is concerned. I would be more interested to get the viewpoints of adults.

10. I have a few problems with the mob scene and the events as they play out at Kelton's house at the end of the section. Did the sequence of events seems reasonable to you? Why or why not?

I can see this happening. The brother chose a very poor time to come home, especially trying to enter without identifying himself.

I'm done for the week.

Day One: Part One

1. Living in southwest United States, I'm very familiar with droughts and water rights, so this hits close to home! Do you enjoy dystopia novels that have an element of truth to them or do you prefer pure fiction? Why or why not?

I love when books make me consider real life circumstances, but the realism in this one is terrifying. The fact that places are already running out of water and more will run out in the next decade is scary.

2. Kelton discusses three types of people, sheep, wolves, and herders; do you believe humans truly fall into these roles during challenging times?

Yes. If you look at how people react in a crisis, you'll see that the majority of people (sheep) just want someone to take charge and fix the problem/tell them what to do (herders). Some will always take advantage of any breakdown in society to take power/steal/harm others because they can get away with it. I know myself well enough to know I am a sheep and I always tell my husband, if there is a zombie apocalypse, just take me out. I don't want to live that kind of stressful life.

3. What do you think of Kelton and Alyssa as the MCs of this story so far?

They're fine, I guess. I don't have any real sense of Alyssa as a character yet, and I'm more interested in the prepper side of Kelton than his personality.

4. Near the end of this section, Kelton's dad tells a neighbor, "as if your lack of foresight is my fault", how do you feel about this, do you agree?

Honestly, he's right. This crisis did not come out of the blue and people should have been looking at ways to prepare for a water shortage. The "sheep" comment comes to mind: there were already water restrictions, yet the majority of people took absolutely no precautions and figured the government would take care of the problem. Kelton's dad did offer to teach that neighbour some water tricks, but if he gives away what he has, he may not have enough for the family.

5. I'm enjoying how the vignettes add a little something different to the story, the reporter and the family at the airport offer a different lense about the events, what are your thoughts?

I love them and find them maybe more interesting than the main story. Love to get other perspectives, especially adult ones.

Finished


World Without End by Ken Follett
Date: 07/18
Pages: 1,014
Genre: no

If there's a chance our respin will have an X, I would vote for not respinning. I won't have any books that work for X