Laura’s Comments (group member since Nov 04, 2015)

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

Questions that have been asked:

Q: The rules say we "need at least 8 series book in order" to create each wall.
Does that mean we can make walls that include 10? 12? Is there a limit?
A: Answer pending

Q: In a similar vein or at least with the same section. If we are starting a series at #1, can we use a #.5 as a window or does it have to be a #1.5 at a minimum?
A: it's a window, not a skylight, so needs to be within your range, so can only be a #0.5 window if you have a #0 book (i.e. a book in a series so marked, NOT a standalone book). So yes, in generally, it's going to be a #1.5 at least

Q: For something like Magic Claims. It is Wilmington Series #2 and Kate Daniels 10.6
1 - is 10.6 ok vs the .5 requirement for a window?
2 - if a book is part of several series, does it matter which series it’s used for?
A: 1. Yes, any decimal variation will be acceptable for the window
2. Our norm is to use the information in greyscale to guide what series number / title applies. So for Magic Claims, that's the #2 of Kate Daniels: The Wilmington Years.


Resources: - May not be MPG, so check before reading
Nature - this will probably end up being non-fiction. Where the Crawdads Sing is tagged Nature hundreds of times, but it doesn't make it MPG.
Crime
Literary Fiction

Build Your Shelter Mini Challenge

Learn how to make the best shelter
Read books with the following MPG to create your shelter. Your team can read each genre a maximum of 3 times:

Non Fiction
-Specifically focused on survival in extreme conditions, wilderness survival, or emotional and psychological resilience.

Romance
- Use the bed sheets for a tent!

Science Fiction
- To gather some advanced materials for your shelter.

Historical Fiction
- So you can lay the foundations and learn from the past.

Mystery
- Enhancing your problem solving skills.

Thriller
- Create a camouflage and protect against the unknown.

Fantasy
- Enables you to use magical elements to strengthen your shelter.

Nature
- Use the natural elements to survive in your shelter.

Contemporary
- These will give you new ideas for patterns and methods for creating your shelter.

Young Adult
- No shelter is awkward, and therefore complete, without a love triangle.

Literary Fiction
- You may need to take your time making a shelter, so this genre will help build your patience.

Crime
- They are out to kill you. Use this genre to build a shelter that is protective.

Horror
- Will help you be on alert and create natural alarm systems for your shelter.

Paranormal
- So you can communicate with with spirits and other entities to maintain peace in the shelter.


Create the walls
Create a series ladder for the walls by reading books in a series. You need at least 8 series book in order (not the same series) to create each wall. Each series book must be a whole number for the wall.
You are creating up to 3 walls.

You can add in one .5 book (that meet the usual challenge requirements in terms of page count) per wall for windows. The window has to be in the run of the series numbers (you couldn't have 3.5 window in a wall made up of series #5 - #13). Windows have to be within the range of your wall, so if your wall is #2-9 then the window can't be either #1.5 or #9.5.

Example:
Wall 1:
A Court of Thorns and Roses book 1
All the Broken Places book 2
Mockingjay book 3
Tyrant's Throne book 4
High Five book 5
The Hanging Tree book 6
Last Scene Alive book 7
Rattle His Bones book 8
wall is complete
We decide to also add in A Court of Frost and Starlight (book 3.5) as a window.

Now for the door
Steal shelter books from other teams to make your door.
(This means reading a book another team has already read for their 'shelter' category.)
Get creative about how their book would be a door.
Is it a brown cover and therefore you are using it for your wooden door?
Does it have a door on the cover? That's obvious and not so creative, but, hey it works.
Does it have a character who is a builder? Great - get them to build your door!
You will need 4 books to complete your door.

◈ Every book read, i.e. every task completed, is worth 5 points. Each book can be used for one task only.
◈ Books for tasks can be finished in any order. No need to complete each part in order to get the points.

Preeti wrote: "Book: Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries #5) by Martha Wells
Date Read: Jun 27
Page Count: 350


Weapon:
Pg. 13: …this was the compartment with the control s..."

Murderbot is my favorite! When ever I do something while driving that makes my kids nervous I just say, "Wonky risk assessment module."

Keely wrote: "I had a bit of a rough night last night which has left me tired and not really able to focus. I got a little bit more of Ender's Game done but I'm not really taking it in. I'll try and read a bit m..."

My library has the audio available, so just speak up if you need assistance.

@Patti - just checking on your Battle book. And your emotional state! I think you have the heaviest topic of all books from us or District 2.

MelanieJoy wrote: "I cant secure either one in time, I’m like farther than 50Th on hold at my library…"

Same for all of the digital/audio copies at my library. But I'm first in line on both of them for the physical copies!

Sana wrote: "Laura wrote: "Sana wrote: "Finished my battle book."

Only 1 star? I'm sorry! I think that was one of my suggestions. Based solely off of the title, since I haven't read it."

It looked good, Laura..."

That wasn't one of my favorite Bridgertons.

DQs Day 3
Chapters 14-19

11. Starling House reminded me up to a point with some vibes of Beauty and the Beast, although lesser now as the story progresses. Is the book reminding you of any other stories you have read before?

Wuthering Heights. But the author was a little heavy handed with leading us to this comparison. The house reminds me a tiny bit of the House of Wind in A Court of Silver Flames.

12. Ch 14-19 have answered a lot of questions about Opal, the house, Arthur, the history of the place and what's going on. Has anything revealed in this section been surprising to you? Does the explanation so far of everything that has happened ring true?

I've finished the book, so I'm not sure which of the revelations happened during these chapters. I'm at the end, and I still feel like we weren't told everything we needed to know.

13. Jasper and Opal are clearly close, although he is sometimes moody and surly. He seems resentful at times of Opal going out so far on a limb to take care of him and get him out of Eden. What do you think of the character now that he has more fleshed-out scenes and more has been revealed about him and their relationship?

I think this is pretty typical of a situation were she is is sister but is acting as a parent. Resentments build. And that's why these two really need to have a conversation!

14. Arthur and Opal have heated a few things up. Do you think they fit each other well with these developments?

At first I thought he was too old for her, but some comments throughout the book have established him as younger than I at first thought. I don't know if a relationship between them can last, or if this is just them each turning to the only person available.

15. There is humor in the book that is overshadowed by genuinely creepy horror like tales, What do you think about Underland "beasts" revealed so far?

A few comments have led me to believe that the story about them isn't completely correctly understood, even by Arthur.

Sammy wrote: "One thing I was wondering about... If opal is 26 and almost the age her mother was when she died ("almost" making me think 27-28), and Opal's mother died 11 years previously when Opal was 15, that ..."

I would be willing to push that age to 30, rather than 27-28. I've heard people say 'almost' in situations that far apart. So that would make her 15 at Opal's birth. Still heartbreaking, but possibly a boyfriend. And bad parenting!

DQs Day 2 - Chapters 8 - 13

6) The narration is using dual POVs: 1st person for Opal, 3rd person for Arthur. Does it work for you? Do you think this suits the story?

I know this narration switching irritates a lot of people, but I've never really been bothered by it. I think it works for this story.

7) Opal goes to the Library to find out more about Starling House and finds her mother's phone number among the Gravely family's documents. What implications can it have? Do you think it could be a hint about Opal's parentage?

I was assuming it was from a bar meet-up. But I have read further now, so I'll say no more.

8) After Bev's story about the relationship between Eleanor Starling and the Gravely brothers, we get a totally different perspective from what Nathaniel Boone went through. What do you think about the Gravely family and their "hold" over the town of Eden? What do you think Nathaniel may have discovered in the dark?

I don't much like the Gravelys, that's for sure. I keep wondering if Erin Brockovich is going to show up! Since we keep hearing about "Underland", I have no idea what odd otherworldly things he might have seen.

9) Finally we learn some more about about Arthur's role (warden) and his connection to the House. What do you think about their "relationship"? What is your opinion about Starling House as a sentient being? Could it be good or evil?

They almost seem to be bickering siblings! And I love it. I think it's good.

10) On "characters not communicating"
In Chapter 12 we find out that Opal has not told Jasper about the fact that she arranged for him to go to a different school and she actually managed to put together the fee for the 1st year already. Opal doesn't tell her brother about her working in Starling House and she doesn't tell Arthur about her spying on the House for Elizabeth Baine and getting more and more demands.
What do you think of all this?

Opal needs to open her mouth and start talking to everybody. At least to the good people. Arthur, Jasper, and the librarian.

I understand not telling Jasper about the school when she didn't think she could afford it, but she should have told him as she started being able to pay for it.

DQs Day 1
Ch 1 to 7

1.) Have you read other books by Alix E Harrow? Was this on your tbr list before it was a BOM selection? Any expectations going in?

Nothing. Not on my TBR. Never heard of the book or the author, so zero expectations.

2.) Did you read the footnotes as you went along? Find them helpful? Annoying?

I'm listening, so the footnotes are just presented as part of the audio. It reminds me just a little bit of the Emily Wilde books where she adds footnotes to her journal. I don't find it annoying, maybe because that is what I'm drawing from. It's extra information that the person compiling the account thinks we should have.

3.) The discussion of E.Starling's book being too scary for children reminded me of some interviews with M.Sendalk when the Where the Wild Things movie came out several years ago about books, etc that scare children (when children are the target audience). His response was basically children should be scared sometimes and there's nothing wrong with that. And has further said, it's better to have a book full of fears than one pretending there's nothing to be afraid of. What are your thoughts on this topic?

I guess I never really thought about it before. But kids love to jump out and shout Boo, so they obviously love a good scare.

4.) What are your thoughts so far on Eden and Starling House? Has the author done a good job so far of creating an atmosphere and setting for a good gothic story?

I think so. I would not want to live in Eden, but I might want to at least visit Starling House.

5.) Any favorites so far in our motley cast of characters? Opal, Arthur, Jasper, Bev, and Starling House

I like the House!

Nominations for July Back Room BOM are open

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

MelanieJoy wrote: "I’m already 24% done"

You've totally got this!

MelanieJoy wrote: "My book is soooo long but at least I’m sort of into it…"

That's good! Sort of. :)

It's on KU, so let us know by about Thursday if you think you might not finish. I'm sure someone can grab it and read it if needed.

Sana wrote: "Finished my battle book."

Only 1 star? I'm sorry! I think that was one of my suggestions. Based solely off of the title, since I haven't read it.

Thanks!

Preeti wrote: "Food:
Pg. 4: One of her more recent initiatives—only in the last few days, as a matter of fact—had been to start offering cupcakes—gorgeous, fluffy, decadent cakes the size of your fist, loaded up with icing and decorated to perfection, a step up from the scones and sponge cake she usually offered, and when placed in the shop’s front bow window in a tantalising display, hopefully enough to entice a passer-by into the shop—and to make a purchase or two."

No need to go through the effort of finding/typing that quote when there are cupcakes on the cover in the store window! And in the title!

@Lexie - can you please put Annihilation on your Book Games shelf? Thanks!

Claire wrote: "I've finished my battle book 😊, thanks to some insomnia last night 😅"

I managed to finish mine, too. I wish I had started this series from the beginning, but I plan to now.

One week. So Saturday morning, at whatever time it started for you today. That’s 5:00 a.m. for me, so really Friday night.