Stacey’s Comments (group member since Oct 26, 2014)

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

I only have about 40 pages left on my current book so I can start a new one tomorrow. I'm still finishing up SOS Bookshelf Bingo, so first up for me is
I did not plan as well for my audiobook -- still have a bout 5 hours left before finish that one.

I don't think I'll be doing the BOMs this month, I'll see what comes up in the next few. I'm going to try to do at least a couple of the Harry Potter and Kate Daniels buddy reads -- hopefully there isn't a hard time frame for those?

I usually have 3 books going at a time. One on audio for commuting time, one on kindle for easy carrying to/from work or just to have something with me if I find a few minutes and one at home that's usually some book that won't easily fit in my purse.

And I'd be up for a house BR -- just let me know when and what.

Now I'm off to google punting and see if we need to do that next year....

Megan wrote: "Evening guys! Hello again to Stacey! Nice to meet you all.

I'm also from the UK also an hour(ish) from London. I work in the computing sector. Normally I sneak in an audiobook while I'm at work bu..."

Hello Megan! Good Luck with all the last minute wedding stuff! We'll be here when you get back from the honeymoon. :)

Teddie wrote: "Sophie wrote: "Though with Sonia and Steven over there you'll have to keep an eye on whether they behave - has a tendency to degenerate into a lot of pictures of attractive men!"

That hasn't happe..."

Teddie, please come back and let us know when that starts! ;)

Hi everyone! Tower Teams was my gateway challenge a few years ago, so I'm always excited when it starts!

I'm in Raleigh, NC, and work as a PT in a Trauma Center, so I read strictly for fun and recovery time. I have a very spoiled Italian Mastiff, and he and I like to chill on the deck and read during the summer. I will read pretty much anything -- although I will admit that High Fantasy and I do not get along really well. :)

Harry Potter came out when I was just getting started in my working career and pretty fixated on PNR and romance, so I wasn't really aware of it until about the 3rd book and then when there started being big countdowns at Barnes and Noble on release day. I've read them all and am working on the series on audible (which is great!), but while I like them, I was never waiting in line at the store on release day.

Here's my shelf: hp-ttvi

My family and I are planning a big trip next spring to Normandy, Paris and London. I've been to London once, and can't wait to get back again. If you all have any recommendations for non-touristy spots to go -- please share!

Completion Post

by Sarah MacLean
Completed: 7/29/17
Pages: 367

And I guess that finishes me up for TTV. :( It's been fun!

Completion Post

by Sawyer Bennett
Completed: 7/26/17
Pages: 306

Should be able to get 1 more done before we are finished. :(

Completion Post

by Lara Adrian
Completed: 7/20/17
Pages: 356

by Alexandra Ivy
Completed: 7/20/17
Pages: 357

Completion Post

The Giver by Lois Lowry
Completed: 7/15/17
Pages: 204

Knowing the Score by Kat Latham
Completed: 7/15/17
Pages: 228

Completion Post

by J.D.Robb
Completed: 7/13/17
Pages: 402

Completion Post

by Sawyer Bennett
Completed: 7/10/17
Pages: 275

Shannon wrote: "

There is going to be several opportunities for extra points this month for Tower, as NBRC celebrates the release of



Grevious can get 30 points for someone as..."

Guess I better get reading the first two books....

Completion Post

by Ruth Ware
Completed: 7/8/17
Pages: 340
BOM discussion post

Discussion Questions - July 8
Chapter 29 - end

Here we go! We are off and running until the end of the novel.

31. Carrie and Lo seem to find some common ground, and Carrie leaves the Winnie the Pooh book for her. Do you have a comfort book like this? What books do you think of fondly from your childhood?
I don't really have one. I didn't really read the classics much when I was younger, so nothing I do remember will be familiar to anyone else.

32. Carrie spills all of the plot to Lo before switching identities. Did you suspect she was masquerading as Anne prior to the reveal? And do you think Richard killed Anne as part of his plan to be with Carrie or do you believe it was an accident?
I really didn't see the whole Anne connection at all. I figured she was attached to Richard somehow, but figured just a mistress that he had snuck on board, that he then decided was too much trouble. Oh, he absolutely killed Anne, there was no accident.

33. Lo has a close escape with Richard and barely makes it to the hotel. Would you have had the courage to try to make it across the verandas? In that situation would you have tried something else?
I think that was really her only shot. I kind of feel like she wasted a little too much time with changing clothes and lingering in the cabin and got herself in a jam.

34. When the hotel manager calls Richard, Lo runs for it. Barefoot and terrified, she comes across a police officer. When he reaches for his glove box, she runs again. Do you think she was justified in running, or do you think this was a result of her paranoia? Would you have taken your chances and gone with him?
I think after what happened at the hotel, it was a good decision to run. It may not have been necessary, but I probably wouldn't have taken the chance either.

35. Lo finally finds shelter and drops in exhaustion. When Konrad discovers her and she gets to his phone, she calls Judah, not her parents or the authorities. Did you find this surprising? Who would you call in that situation.
This actually made sense to me. I think he's kind of her rock, and she knew that he would make sure that someone followed up and found her. I'd probably call my parents -- but I don't have a Judah. :)

36. The action really gets going in the remainder of the book after some really slow pacing up until now. Did the slow pacing and details add to the suspense for you? And did you feel the switch in pacing worked for the novel?
I'm in the minority in that I never really felt a lot of suspense or tension. I think I was too distracted by what a mess the MC was and never really felt like she was in danger -- until the running through the countryside part at the end.

37. There were a couple of surprises at the very end. Were you surprised at which boat companions reached out and left her messages? And were you surprised by the reveal of the bank deposit and Richard's death?
I guess Carrie did really have a plan! I can't say I was surprised that she killed Richard -- he seemed to need a good killing. I was a little surprised by the money and was trying to figure out if I missed the significance of the amount?

38. Overall thoughts of the book? Will you read more by this author?
I think I've read too many unreliable, slightly crazy MC thrillers lately to really appreciate this one. I didn't like Lo, and I felt like the author used her previous psychological history in a little bit of a dismissive way which I didn't appreciate. I think I would have enjoyed this book more if Lo had been a little less helpless and a little more sober and able to make rational and coherent decisions. I felt like she was just flailing about a little too much. I might think about another book by this author, but only with a much different plot.

Completion Post

by J.K. Rowling
Completed: 7/6/17
Pages: 435

by Vivian Arend
Completed: 7/6/17
Pages: 229

Daily Questions - Day 3
Chapters 13-17

15. Do you think the head of security has something to do with the missing mascara? If not, do you have any gut feelings about who may have?
For some reason, I really don't. He seems to me to just be doing the best he can to follow up on her concerns while at the same time truly not feeling like there is actually a victim here.

16. Given what he told Nilsson about Lo's past I'm surprised that she has once again confided in Ben, this time about what she think she saw from the balcony of cabin 10. I don't trust him at this stage, do you think Ben is trustworthy?
I don't get a "bad guy" vibe from him, but I do think he's a little slimy and probably not the kind of person she would want to trust in any other situation. Given where she is and her need to have someone to trust now though, he seems as good as anyone.

17. Flash forwards of news reports have confirmed that Lo definitely goes missing from the cruise ship. Have you found knowing this has increased or lessened the tension of the current storyline?
I'm not really getting that much tension either way. I think I'm so distracted by the oddness of the MC and her viewpoint, that I'm not really worried about her getting hurt. I guess I don't actually believe anything happened either!

18. When Lo found that writing on the shower it confirmed that something has definitely happened to the girl in cabin 10. It seems like a scary situation for her to be in, especially not knowing who to trust. What do you think you would do if you were in Lo's position?
To be honest, I would lock myself in my room until we hit the next port.

19. Future newspaper reports indicate a body has been found and it seems pretty obvious to me that it would be that of the girl. Do you think the author is trying to suggest to the reader that it is Lo? If so do you think she has succeeded in sowing enough of a seed to get the reader to consider it might be her?
I don't believe for a minute its Lo. Now it does make me agree that maybe someone did actually go overboard, so that makes that part of the story more believable, but I'm sure Lo makes it through the book.

Day 2 DQ's

July 3 Discussion questions & comments
Chapters 7-12

8. Lo wonders about Rowan's experience of going to luxury places to report about them. She wonders "How can she stand it, these regular glimpses into a life no regular person would ever be able to afford?". Do you agree with this? Would you like to travel to luxury places for your work?
I've had a few experiences that were beyond my means, and it was lovely, but I had trouble enjoying it because I knew I didn't really belong there. It's a different way of life that i just wasn't comfortable in, so I think that would make it easier to move back and forth.

9. Tina is looking at Lo in a speculatively way, while they are waiting before they can go to the dinner room. Why do you think she looks at Lo that way? Did she overhear Lo talking about her?
I imagine she did--she was pretty close behind. Not sure if it will be important or not.

10. Jo is panicked and is thinking of Judah, then she says “I imagined burying my face in Judah’s shoulder and for a second I nearly burst into tears, but I clenched my teeth and swallowed them back down. Judah was not the answer to all". Why do you think she says this? Does she really have second thought about breaking up with Judah?
I think the whole Judah break up was a result of stress and sleep deprivation, so I think she's probably regretting that some. I also think a first thought in a stressful situation is how nice it would be to have a loved one around to lean on.

11. When Ben and Lo are alone, she tells him all about the burglary. Why do you think she can tell Ben and not Judha all details and how it made her feel? What does this say about Lo's feelings towards Ben and Judah?
I think she was pretty drunk at that point which always makes inappropriate sharing easier. I didn't read too much more into it than that, I guess.

12. Why do you think Judah is so worried about Jo? He asks all her friends if they heard from her. Do you think he is overreacting?
He's probably used to her being more consistently in touch. I think he might be overreacting -- wifi at sea is a bit spotty after all-- but since the purpose of those is to make US more anxious, it works.

13. Lo hears a scream and thinks she sees a woman in the sea. Do you think she imagined it? After all, she is a bit drunk and is possibly suffering from anxiety and PTSD. How do you think the staff handles the situation? Should they have done anything else?
I haven't figured that all out yet. She did see a woman there, who is clearly not still on the boat so she didn't imagine that part. It's hard to tell at this point if she dreamed or actually heard the woman screaming --after all she woke up once earlier in the book screaming and thinking it was someone else.

14. I think it is strange the schedule of the order of the ports is changed. Do you believe the reason they give to Lo?
It seems reasonable, but it probably hides some sinister issue since this is a thriller. :)

Shannon wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Cathy M. wrote: "Stacey wrote: " Completion Post

by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
Completed: 6/29/17
Pages: 156"

Hi Stacey, can you please c..."

It's showing up on my Read list as July 29. Not sure how to fix that?

July 2 Discussion questions & comments
Chapters 1 -6

1. Have you read anything by Ruth Ware before? Why did you decide to join this read?
This is my first book by this author. I have seen it for the last few months, and thought about requesting it from the library a few times, but the BOM gave me the push to finally read it.

2. I have the impression that Lo suffered panic attacks and slight claustrophobia even before the break-in. Do you think there's much more to her past than we've been told so far?
I think there's a story there. I'm not sure how much of it we will get to see, it may just remain this nebulous past issue.

3. Theories on the break-in? Does a burglar wear latex gloves and lock the occupant of the house in their bedroom while ransacking the place? How would he know she didn't have a phone in her room? Seems there's more going on here than a simple burglary
I can't decide if the burglary is a real thing that's just a set up to make her an unreliable witness or if it actually has something to do with what is about to go down. I'm leaning more towards the first, but who knows.

4. I can't quite imagine the boat. She said it isn't much bigger than a yacht and yet the descriptions make it sound quite large. Your thoughts?
Since I don't have much experience with large yachts, I have trouble imagining how they fit anything inside those things. I'm picturing a slightly smaller cruise ship, whether that is accurate or not.

5. Ok stupid question, but would you borrow mascara from someone?! (What a way to get an eye infection!) And also on this very expensive ship full of rich people the lady gives her Maybelline mascara which is a realtively cheap brand. A clue she doesn't belong there perhaps?
I MIGHT borrow some mascara from someone I knew, but I'm certainly not going to walk next door to someone I've never met and ask them to borrow theirs. Ew. This seems like just a way to set up the fact that she has met the person that disappears.

6. Have you ever been so overly tired but not able to sleep? Do you think Lo is paranoid due to her lack of sleep and anxiety or is there someone watching her?
I have thankfully never had trouble falling asleep--trouble sleeping middle of the night yes, but not falling asleep. I think its just being used as a way to set up the rest of the story.

7. Do you like the writing style? Is it an effective way to build suspense by using the emails to give us a glimpse in the future before going back to present day?
I like the email, texting to preview the future. I am a little over the "unreliable narrarator" trope that's been so popular lately, but maybe this one will surprise me.

Cathy M. wrote: "Stacey wrote: " Completion Post

by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
Completed: 6/29/17
Pages: 156"

Hi Stacey, can you please check the end date or your shelf ..."

Shelf issue. Sorry! I was a little overwhelmed with the last leg of Amazing Race, so I'll be better from now on. :)