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

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

DQs Day 3: Chap 20-29

10. Beth's house has seemed important from the beginning of the story and there have been a lot of descriptions of the "Frankenstein ugly" house. During one of Shea's interviews Beth told her to go upstairs and see her childhood bedroom and then she said, "Not all of the answers you want so desperately are going to come from me. Some of them are going to come from this house." What do you think Shea learned from the house when she perused Beth's room? For such a large home, the childhood bedroom seems small. Like it would have been built for a lady’s maid, not the child of the house.

11. We now have a better insight into the note that was left at the murder scene that said, in part, Am I bitter or am I sweet? In this section we got a lot of details about how this "bitter/sweet" was played out in the house with Mariana and the two girls. Lily also told Beth that everything was her fault and she could have stopped it. What do you think the note will reveal about the murderer and how do you think Beth could've stopped it or could she have? I think Beth’s guilt is the guilt of someone who didn’t act when they could have. They question every action and every conversation and ask the what if’s until they are blue in the face. A guilt by association deal. Lily plays on this. By continuing this narrative, Lily is able to keep Beth under her thumb and compliant. The more Beth questions herself, the more Lily can get away with. The note is less about the content than the hand that wrote it. Beth wasn’t convicted based on hand writing analysis, but the style had to be enough alike to question it. My handwriting is turning more and more into my mother’s everyday.

12. Julian's treatment of Lily is rather atrocious, especially considering how young she is when she first visits them. Why do you think he hates her so much and who do you suspect Lily's father is? (I have only read through chapter 29 for my questions, so I don't even know if that is revealed. Just curious what others are thinking about the situation.)
Because she has the possibility of tarnishing his good name. And he likely looks at it as being tricked by Mariana’s parents who sold him used goods. As far as Lily’s father, a part of me hopes it’s someone already mentioned or prevalent in the community. It would add further insult to Julian and make the story juicer.




13. Lily told Beth she wanted a lot of things, including the house. Beth told Lily she hated the house to which Lily said, "That's because you don't understand it...It's an abomination that shouldn't exist...It's exactly like me." What do you think she meant by this? It’s part of the house not fitting into a time frame or style. Wealthy people don’t do Frankenstein homes. They need things to fit into perfect examples in perfect boxes or they will not fit in. That the house is an oddity is further proof of Julien’s disinterest in anything there. He can lump it’s ugliness in with his liar wife and ruined family. Nothing represents that more than what he feels ruined it: Lily.

14. Lily appears to have more power in the relationship between her and Beth, but based on Beth's current day ability to manipulate others, do you think Lily really is the more powerful one in their relationship? Why or why not? As a kid, the older sibling is always the more powerful one. They learn things first, test things first, fail first. Somewhere along the way the younger one catches up. Beth catches up and surpasses her sister because of life experiences her sister wasn’t mentally capable of experiencing. Lily stopped maturing at an age earlier than Beth. Things like empathy come with experience.

DQs Day 2: Chap 12-19

5. Shea is trying to explain the taps being turned on and the cupboards being opened by themselves through telekinesis. If you had experienced what she did, do you think you would have tried to explain things logically or do you think you would have believed it was ghosts and left it at that? Logically. Temperature changes. Metal fatigue. Contaminated water. Electromagnetism.

6. After getting a cat, Shea calls on Michael to ask for advice on how to care for it, through the conversation she thinks about wanting to meet him. Do you think they will end up together or perhaps just remain as friends? Could Michael be interested as well? I think the relationship will progress, but I don’t think St James will turn it into a focal point. The story doesn’t need it, but it does need some comic relief/tension relief. I think the Shea and Beth quasi-friendship is far more intriguing and important in this case.

7. Mr. Greer’s former secretary tells Shea Mrs. Greer wasn’t competent and that she was "sent away somewhere when she was eighteen". Do you think she was crazy or do you have any other theories? Back then they sent girls away for anything. Maybe not quote into the 50s, but parents committed their kids for anything from smoking to running away to flirting at church. If she didn’t want to do her part for the family, a psychiatric hospital would be the place to let her stew.

8. While listening to the recording of Beth’s interview Shea hears a voice in the background whispering “I am still here” and poor Winston gets spooked. Did you find this scary? Do you think cats/animals have a feel for the supernatural? If it were you, would you come back to the house after hearing that? Generally human ears are capable of detecting certain frequencies, while dogs/cats/animals are capable of picking up sounds we don’t hear i.e. dog whistles. If there is an EVP there, the good Sir heard it. I would gladly go back. Maybe Beth is dead too. Too bad Bruce Willis is retiring.

9. Finally, in order to get in the mood for more scary stuff. Have you or someone you know have any scary/ghostly experiences you might like to share? Not that I know of. I’m a pretty staunch atheist and the afterlife and the various iterations all fall into the non-belief. I believe in the existence of the multiverse/parallel universes that come with an infinite universe. That they could be happening right beside us? No. The whole idea is fun though.

DQs Day 1: Chap 1-11
1. Have you read the The Sun Down Motel by this author? If so, does it change your expectation for this book? Either way, what are your expectations for this book? Yes, I have. And I hope it plays out like other Simone St. James books.

2. The MC writes about cold cases and is in her late 20s and divorced. I have read quite a few horror/thriller/mystery books recently where the MC is a recently divorced, usually a bit older, woman. Have you experienced this as well? Why do you think authors might make this choice? Why do you think the choice was made for this book? Being able to write from the point of view of a character that is starting over and free from familial obligations, makes it easier for the character to move freely. There’s no husband and kids holding her back, especially when writing about a character in a historical fiction. Freedoms single women have today were likely tied to a husband in the past. As a divorcee, those freedoms would still be intact. It also allows for new romances in the plot.

3. This section includes the start of the interview. Did it go the way you expected? Any one comment really stick out to you? I expected mystery but not anger. Forlorn mystery maybe what I expected of the character. No quote sticks out, but I went into it knowing Beth was innocent, and we wouldn’t get much. I was surprised that the paranormal element wasn’t slid into easier. Maybe more hesitation on the side of the haunter. I wanted to know more, but there’s too much book left.

4. What do you think about the ghostly occurrences in this section? How do they add to the story (or maybe detract)? I knew there would be paranormal occurrences, so I was expecting it. It’s always odd to me how authors tie the fantasy part of a story into the probable parts. So much of this story seems to based on the paranormal, that it might be hard to convince characters that will eventually need to know. There has to be resistance or the author is taking it too easy

Hi everyone! I'm back from my involvement in the Special Olympics USA games in Florida. My cousin Mark golfs for gold/silver today.
The heat might have gotten to me a bit, but I didn't forget about TT. I finally got all three BOMs in my Libby app. I'll begin them, but hold off on finishing until after the mini-challenge has been issued (I think we can use BOM books for those tasks?)

I will be at Walt Disney World for the Special Olympics national competition from the 2nd thru 9th. Getting my reading for the group/month in won’t be a problem, but I won’t be able to jump in and read super fast until I get home.

I can cover #7 Humor. I have Chris Farley book. It's on the Google Sheet.

That the Cincinnati Reds are having such a crap year means I get more reading done.

Cris (The Biblio Blonde) wrote: "And right on cue... :)

Hi everyone, I'm Cris!! I live in Iowa (Midwestern US). I've been married for 25 years (yikes, I'm old!), have a son just finishing up his first year of college, and a very ..."

I got started in geneology when I was in middle school, for a 4-H project. I did it for a few years before Ancestry and other family tree websites really took off. My mom's parents were immigrants, so it's been the most difficult to get concrete evidence. Maybe if I spoke German.

I'm megan. I live in Indianapolis, IN (US) with a chicken nugget shaped pit bull and a geriatric cat. During the day I am an engineer in the aviation industry. I work mostly with commercial jet engines, like those used on passenger jet airliners flown by Emirates, Air France, Delta, etc.
I think this is my fourth TT challenge. I'm not a picky reader. I tend to gravitate toward mysteries/thrillers and non-fiction. I'm a fan of classics as well, but usually can't read them fast enough for a reading challenge. I'll gladly hunt and read for the difficult tasks.

Suzanne wrote: "Ushashi wrote: " A note about the BOMs

The first BOM for the challenge is The Travelling Cat Chronicles, starting 16th May. If it looks interesting to you, do think of giving it a ..."

Such a great book. I read it for Wheel 5 because that's the team I was on. Have a map of Japan ready.

WOBBLE!

Is there a reason we didn't get any tricky letter points?

The Intuitionist
Colson Whitehead
255 pages
18 Dec

F - Fulton, James
R - Raymond Coombs
O - Orville Lever
B - Ben Urich
C - author first name
T - title
L - Lila Mae Watson
W - author last name
I - title
P - Pompey

Life After Life
Kate Atkinson
512 pages
16 Dec

O - Oliphant, Derek
S - Sylvie Todd
T - Todd, Sylvie
L - title
E - Edward Todd
H - Hugh Todd
I - Isobel Todd
P - Pamela Todd

I'll have time to read another book before the end of the round, but it will put me over the quantity I committed to. Are we being penalized for over reading?

Eldarwen wrote: "megan wrote: "The Ruby Brooch
Katherine Lowry Logan
388 pages
7 Dec"

Can you add this to your WAT shelf, please?
Thanks!"

That is very odd. The box is ticked in the app, but not the website. I guess it should be expected of the GR app. It's on the shelf now.

The Ruby Brooch
Katherine Lowry Logan
388 pages
7 Dec

F - Frances Barrett
R - title
B - Barrett, Sarah
S - Sarah Barrett
C - Cullen Montgomery
T - title
L - author sirname
E - Elizabeth Barrett
W - William Montgomery
H - Henry Peters
P - Peters, Henry

The Gilded Wolves
Roshani Chokshi
416 pages
12 Dec

Tagged *green* 7 times

R - author first name
B - Boguska, Zofia
S - Séverin Montagnet-Alarie
C - author sirname
T - Tristan Maréchal
L - Laila
E - Enrique Mercado - Lopez
H - Hypnos Leclair
Z - Zofia Boguska

Stacey wrote: "Completion Post

Book: The Wall of Winnipeg and Me
Completed: 12/7/21
Pages: 537
Bonus: Tagged Giant x 1
Letters:
C: character Diana Casillas
T: Title
W: Title
Z: Author Mariana Za..."

I read this one a few years ago. I remember it not falling into the typical lame dialogue and writing style as a lot of romances.

The Last Graduate
Naomi Novik
400 pages
8 Dec


72% green cover

R - Rasmussen, Chloe
O - Orion Lake
S - series (The Scholomance)
C- Chloe Rasmussen
T - Tebow, Magnus
L - Lake, Orion
E - El Higgins
H - Higgins, El
I - Ibrahim Haddad