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

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

I can probably finish 1 more book for this round. I can read the Nashville book for fewer pages if we need the city, or I have a green cover with more pages. Which would be more help?

I can read this one for Nashville.
And I have a couple for Austin if I have time next week.

Hello Audrey Jane and Robin! Welcome. :)

Sorry! Done.

I don't think I'm going to get One Dark Window finished for this week. It's reading more slowly than I was anticipating, and since we need Os next round, I'm not going to push to get it finished by tomorrow. I'll take it off the SS as soon as I get home from work.

DQs Day 3; Chapters 16-22

10. Pupkin is,,, alive??? Okay, no big surprise there to be honest, but we did finally get some interesting background info from Louise and Mark's childhood, even if that's not how Louise remembers it. Do you think she really doesn't remember, has simply forgotten, due to trauma or it just having happened way too long ago, or does she remember but chooses not to acknoledge it? Or maybe Mark misremembers himself and it didn't even happen (that way at least)? They were both still very young after all, Mark especially. Is it possible to remember something that happened when you were only two years old?I think she had convinced herself that she hadn't had anything to do with it and just blocked everything else out. I don't think detailed memories would exist for 2 year olds, but I remember flashes of things that happened at that age, so a picture of her walking away would be something that might make an impression.

11. The second perspective adds a new layer, however it only got added halfway through the book. Were you surprised we got Mark's POV at all, and would you have preferred for it to be there from the beginning of the book? Also, has this last section changed your opinion on him in any way? He did save Louise from Pupkin after all.... So I was spoiled a little bit because there were 2 readers listed on my audiobook....but I am surprised that it took this long to get to him. It made a little more sense why he is the way he is, but it was such a crazy story....

12. To me, the last chapter feels a bit like a fever dream, definitely like they were on drugs. I personally don't remember which MPGs the book has and don't want to check in case of 'spoilers' now, but do you think there's a possibility the house, our main characters, the puppets, the dolls, Pupkin, everything- isn't actually haunted and none of it is actually happening?? What if it's just a dream (which would be the worst ending ngl), mental problems like Louise wants to believe, or mold in the house that's effecting them like this plus possible drug use from Mark when he was away? It does all seem a little like a dream state. I have no idea how this is going to end really. It's all so bizarre.

13. I can't help but wonder how the book is gonna end... If Pupkin is indeed an evil puppet come to life I only see one way it can be destroyed - fire. Do you think they'll end up burning down the entire house (although Hill House (in the show at least) wouldn't let itself be burned down either, so who knows if that would work), or will the dolls and puppets take over? What do you predict will happen in the rest of the book? I feel like Pupkin is going to get to Poppy somehow. And I think they are going to just have to burn the whole thing down -- all of the puppets need to go!

DQs Set 2: Chapters 8 - 15

6. Were you expecting those wills? Why do you think both parents were so unfair on the kids? My guess is that they both did what they thought was best by leaving everything to the child that most thought like them? But really, neither of those wills made sense.

7. Yikes! killer stuffed squirrels! The first violent haunting here, was it effective? I thought it was pretty silly, really. The dolls are much creepier.

8. Despite the various creepy things that Louise has experienced, she's refusing to let her aunt exorcise the house. Would you still be hanging onto rational reasons over accepting family help? I didn't understand her thinking on that. I mean its not really going to hurt anything, why not just let it happen.

9. We've had more insight into the childhood of Mark and Louise. Does this change your opinion of either of them? I still don't really like either of them, and I'm pretty sure that Louise is making herself more of a victim than she was. And both parents sound a little off their rockers. I also feel like there's something more to their father's family being unwilling to have anything to do with them.

DQs Day 1
Ch 1 to Ch 7

1.) What are your first impressions of the family and of Louise and Mark? How pivotal do you think their relationship (or lack thereof) will play in the story.
Aside: I plan to steal and use the phrase "Terminal Assholism" in future. Thank you Hendrix!
The parents seemed relatively normal when visiting in San Fran and Mark seemed initially like the average second kid that never grew up -- but I feel like there is more to both of these quick impressions. I think that Louise has definitely isolated herself from all of them and that is going to make for a very confusing reentry to their life in SC.

2.) The book is organized into sections following the 5 stages of grief. Does this impact your expectations of the book at all? I'm listening to it on audio so didn't notice this until its mentioned here. I'll have to keep an eye on how or if that plays with what happens.

3.) Okay. Life size dolls named after her children. Weird, creepy? Would you be excited to have them as part of your inheritance? Weird, but not creepy until put on a set of a horror novel. I wouldn't be interested in keeping them, but if I had grown up with them and knew they meant something to my mother, I might?

4.) Have you ever experienced a family post-death squabble/fight like the one Louise and Mark had in front of the junk clean out guys? No. My experience is usually irrational laughing and giggling instead of fighting. I was okay with the fighting -- but the spitting was a little much.

5.) Did anyone else google Fellowship of Christian Puppeteers? If so, were you surprised to find they were a real organization? Has anyone interacted with them before or a similar organization for other religious beliefs? [note: please keep responses respectful to people's beliefs, this is a safe space]
No, but interesting. If done with the right motivation, I imagine it would be a great learning tool for anyone.

Question about the White covers: In the past in this group we have gone by consensus of team/captains rather than tineye. Is this still accurate? Because all of these look white to me, but tineye is saying grey.

Captains/Co-Captains -- would you like our books in link form on the SS? Or is just typed in okay?

Also, is this white enough?

Karolyn wrote: "Heather wrote: "Has anyone got any ideas for books that would work for X? I think I am going to look through my bookshelves tonight. Maybe find a character called Xander if I am lucky."

Here are a..."

I have read Fouth Wing, totally enjoyed it and would be up for a re-read, but its too soon. :(

Sophie wrote: "Laura wrote: "So, we're actually looking for Xylophone in text?

If you have a Kindle (not an app on another device, or a Kindle tablet, but just a Kindle), you can search all of your Kindle books ..."

I didn't mean to sound ungrateful for having a brand new team with my comment on the xylophone. Just personally, X, Y especially and sometimes O tend to be the letters I struggle with most often to find titles/authors for in spell outs.

If anyone hasn't read Fourth Wing yet -- you could knock out an X or a Y. But I think it was BOM during TT, right?

Hi everyone! I'm here -- I'm not always late for things. :)

I live in North Carolina in the States and will read about anything for a challenge except Cozy Mysteries. I'm going to a few book signings this year, so trying to mostly work through books for those, but can fit those around whatever needs reading. I have done multiple Wheels and Tower Teams since I started doing challenges a few years ago. And I am a relatively new convert to Country music.

Is our first word really xylophone??? Oy. I'll go start looking for Xs, Os and Ys.

Thanks everyone for a great round!

I will have my last book done by this evening. I was hoping to fit one more short one in, but it's just not gonna happen.

Laura wrote: "Tammie wrote: "I'm loving and this isn't my favorite of genres either. I think it's just the right time for me...love when good triumphs over evil and all that :) I..."

I loved it as well. I'm excited to see where it goes, and happy that they next book is coming out so quickly!

I finished my alien book, so that wheel is done. Starting my square book at lunch.

Got it!

I can do Something So Right for the bottom, but I have to finish my alien book first so may be a little longer than we want to wait.