megan’s Comments (group member since Jun 26, 2015)

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

Fifty shades could be what they wore. Or any other color book.

I’ll be reading The Murder at the Vicarage for another challenge. I didn’t plan on using it for ours, but it’s might work great in a story.

I added a couple books I read this week that weren’t for the challenge. I typed to hyperlink them in the Google Sheets App but that was disastrous.
Where’s Cecily at this week?

Lust strategy?
For the first half of the Lust mini challenge, lets just throw in some books we'd be willing to read that would meet criteria. Then, the story with the most book suggestions can be the one we go with?
This is just suggested books we can read, not flat out claimed. So we can list more books than we will actually be reading, just spread them out throughout the storylines.
Does that work?

DQs Day Three: Hetty - 13

11. After all the tension in the beginning between Hetty and Reese, and now that they only have each other without Byatt as the middleman, they admit their true feelings toward one another. I felt like we didn't get much of a buildup to it so did you feel the chemistry between them? Did you think this turn in their relationship was believable? Forced? Necessary, or something to give the reader hope?
No vibes at all. It’s believable, but only because they are saying it is. These are two characters who keep everything inside until it boils over. Burying current feelings would be the same as hiding everything else inside. If anything, I would have guessed it would be Byatt with Reese before Hetty. Even from her POV she’s kind of all over the place with emotions. Especially when so much of her energy is focused on Byatt all the time.

12. I didn't stop to consider how everyone's symptoms were so varied until Byatt started listing them for Teddy. Why do you think it reacted so differently with everyone it infected?
Maybe they are all being attacked by difference strains developed through the different flora and fauna of the island. Flora and Fauna transformers.

13. We learned a lot more about Byatt which made me rethink the previous interactions she had with her friends. Did Hetty and Reese really know the real Byatt? And is Byatt reliable as a narrator knowing that she's a compulsive liar?
No, her friends only know this Raxter persona Byatt has developed for her life at school. I’ve never trusted her as a character. She’s come off as so different from Hetty and Reese that I’ve been asking myself why she was friends with these two to begin with. Did they supply something that she needed mentally? Is it because they are so different from the girl it seems Byatt would be at home? I have so many more questions

14. Byatt manipulated poor Teddy into removing his mask and kissing him. Why do you think she did this? To infect him, just because she could, or because she really believed it only affected girls (though come on, Mr. Harker!)?
Part needing basic human interaction and part knowing she can. The she can still manipulate people, maybe men specifically, into doing what she wants. She wanted to know she still has power, even with the Tox deformation. She works people and she’s still got it.

15. When Mona told Byatt that "They'll ruin it," who do you think she was referring to and what do you think she meant by it? Mona then asks if Byatt would keep the disfigurements caused by the Tox even if there was a cure. What did you make of this? Why do you think they would want to keep them?
Maybe some of the girls have disfigurements that are actually helpful. Like sharp talons that can be used in defense. Or a deformity that gives them double jointed limbs or better vision. Maybe Mona likes and uses hers. Teaching your body to work differently because of a new growth or missing sense take time and effort. If that limb or vision or sense of taste comes back it’s a whole new kind of horror to deal with. They’ve grieved for these physical losses. Being mentally strong to suddenly erase them might be too much.

DQs Day Two: Chapters 4-8

5. The Boat Shift segment was intense! The description of the changes to the island were very evocative (and reminiscent of Annihilation, as Frankie mentioned). Are you going to be able to walk in the woods the same again? How effective are you finding the fungal horrors?
No way. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near any woods or any fungal horrors. Burn it all down. Melt it with acid

6. Welch. First, during the Boat Shift segment; Did you believe/agree with Welch at the first reading? And by the end of this section, looking back, do you still agree? Would you have done what Hetty did, and complied with the rule of silence? Then we discover Welch is communicating with someone (with a familiar voice....) about receipt, replacement and returns. By the end of this section we can guess at "receipt", but who / what is being returned?? Were you surprised by the reveal of Welch being in on "it"?
Not surprised there are much deeper things going on. Welch would be my choice to orchestrate any hidden activities. She’s young, seems relatively healthy, and still has that role of authority figure. We know there has to be something deeper going on by how vague the description of what and why this Tox thing is. Was it an experiment gone wrong? Was there some leak at the naval facility housing contagion samples? I think the military/Navy is ultimately behind this – with Welch as their plant.

7. Hetty has a big revelation about Reese "I've spent my every day since I met her telling myself the wrong thing. Telling myself over and over that she was cold, when maybe she was burning the whole time" I actually judged Hetty a lot at this point, for being so blinkered and oblivious, but I did like the adjustment she made during the conversation. How do you feel about Hetty, Reese and Byatt? Are they becoming more credible characters yet?
Byatt is not a credible character. She’ still too all over the place. Hetty is by far the most reliable. We’ve been in her head a lot. I’m still on the fence about Reese. She is emotionally invested deeper than the other girls and emotions can cause you to make stupid decision.

8. We have a switch in POV to Byatt. What do you think of this choice by the author? I expected it to happen, however I thought it would be with more frequency. I did like it switching to Byatt’s POV. We get to find out what happened to her after the Boat Shift girls take her to the infirmary. I am not sure if the doctors are trying to get her better or just take samples of her blood to see how the Tox is affecting her.
I don’t like first person POV to begin with. When it jumps between characters, if they are too similar I will get them mixed up. With Byatt, even her POV is untrustworthy.

9. The Byatt segment shows medical stuff happening. What do you make of that? Are they curing or creating?
Byatt seems to be getting better, but if they are pumping her full of some special juice, why aren’t they doing that for the rest of the girls? Maybe testing treatments, which is difficult when every girl has such unique Tox problems. The way the staff communicates with her is super sketchy.

10. "Just before a flare-up, there's a moment. Hard to describe, hard to pin down, but for me it almost makes it worth it. The pain and the loss, all of it a fair price for this. This strength, this power, this eagerness to bare my teeth" What do you think this quote means? Does it hint at reasons for the Tox? At future developments in the story line?
She describes this sort of high like she’s experienced the rush of a chemical high before. I think it hints more at Byatt’s past than a reason for Tox’s existence.

DQs Day One: Chapters 1-3

1. It’s interesting to see the dynamic between the main girls (Hetty, Byatt, Reese). They can fist fight over food one minute, but still be best friends the next. Reminds me of my sister & I. LOL. Have you ever had this kind of relationship with someone?
Yes, a sibling. Pretty standard. And always a sibling close in age.

2. Byatt sneaks out of the room when she thinks Hetty is sleeping, then crawls up in Reese’s bunk when she returns. Where do you think she snuck off to? & what did she mean when she said to Reese, ”If you know something...”? Reese shuts down & kicks her out of her bunk. Wonder what their secret is?
Maybe she just went to explore - To see how far she could go without getting caught by someone on guard. Might be a thrill for her. She might also be spying. She seems uneasy. Asking Reese if she knew anything might have been about what was making her uneasy.

3. Hetty says, “And I’ve wanted boys, and I’ve wanted girls, but I’ve never wanted anyone enough to miss them, enough to pluck them from the slideshow of my old life and bring them here.”
People have different ways of handling emotional stuff like this. Some people (like Hetty) believe thinking or talking about your loved ones or past life would only make the situation harder to deal with emotionally. Put yourself in this situation. How do you think you’d cope with missing your old life/family? Would you be like Hetty & shut down emotionally to prevent more pain? Or would you be like the other girls, laughing & sharing stories of your old life?
I would have to share the memories. Everyone would get sick of the same old stories, but they would be what kept me sane. Especially after you’ve come to accept your present situation and what your future looks like.

4. Personally, I’m really enjoying the book already! I love the writing style, the world building, & the characters. I know we’re only a few chapters in, but how are you liking it so far? What aspect of the book do you like best at this point (writing, world building, characters, etc.)?
The world building. I can see this school on this island with a dock far off in the distance. A fence that’s been reinforced haphazardly. A building like the Adams Family house, dark and starting to decay. And land off in the distance that’s so close, yet so far away.

Yes they do. Cutthroat changed us all.

Ambi wrote: "Ooo Megan how do you like Cuckoo’s Calling?"

Haven't started yet. I''m going to finish up my other two books before I tackle Cuckoo. Haven't read a big book in a while.

Maybe try for longer books to begin with? If we want points, I think the easiest solution for everyone (who wants to) is to find longer books but still get those color covers.

I’ll be sure to double check everything.

Annie wrote: "Quick question: would this book work better for a green or yellow cover? I had originally thought green but now I'm not sure.
"

TinyEye says it's 51% green. It's YA for sure. I hope someone has read it!

“Monkey” and “Howler Monkey” are both options. Howler Monkey is on the Tricky list.

I added The Life of Pi as a suggestion for several of the Tricky words, if anyone is still looking for an animal book:
Cassowary
Gibbon
Macaque
Mandrill
Spider Monkey
Tapir

I have Creativity Inc to finish for the week. My other book is Wilder Girls but I can put that on hold for a couple weeks before I finish it.

Probably shouldn’t take it to the captains group. They want us to start making our own group decisions on color. And will be penalizing groups who continue to bring color questions to the table.
I always go with TinyEye.
Unless it has a color in the color name, but doesn’t say that color in parenthesis. Ex: “63% Berry Blue (Violet)” then there is a good argument that blue can trump the violet. This can happen with reds and pinks and purples.
A Raspberry Razzmatazz or similar name for purple/pink from Cutthroat Book Club gave me nightmares.

https://labs.tineye.com/color/

Not adding books I own physical copies of to my GR TBR list is biting me in that a$$. I used to add them, but then I got a place with a second bedroom to hoard books in, and stopped. Same with Kindle Unlimited books. I just add them to an Amazon list.

(as green/envy as I could find while still announcing the beginning of the challenge)