Lisa - (Aussie Girl)’s Comments (group member since Sep 26, 2012)

Lisa - (Aussie Girl)’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

Finished Fish and Chips. Please addread to spreadsheet. 5 August

I’ll be finished Fish and Chips later on today.

Hi team, finished the Highgate mystery today 4 August. Can someone mark it on the spreadsheet. I marked it as read on my shelf.

Fiji never disappoints.. having a great time. 🏖️

Yes, it was really good.

Andy wrote: "Lisa - (Aussie Girl) wrote: "Second that recommendation. And the two films from the books are worth a watch as well. Eric Bana is great as the MC ..."

good books, didn't realise there were films"

The Dry (2020) and Force of Nature (2024).

The Dry is fantastic, the second one good, but the second book isn't as strong either , just my opinion.

Hi team

I'll be heading off on my holiday early in the morning. I'll have a couple of books I'll be reading for the mini but will only have my phone with me. So I'll post here when I've finished so someone can kindly fill in the spreadsheet. TIA.

Eldarwen wrote: "Should we get this district again, I can warmly recommend Jane Harper's book, which are crime novels set in Australia and good reads. :-)"

Second that recommendation. And the two films from the books are worth a watch as well. Eric Bana is great as the MC.

Vicky wrote: "Galatea is gone! Enter an Ent...!


Also... I wanted to spin our least complete wheel, so I added a count column to the Monster List that will count how many times we've seen a monster, which let ..."

That's awesome Vicky!! I love it.

I didn't realise that we'd missed some monsters in the earlier ones. I'll be a pain, is there a way to work out which ones we've missed?

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "Lisa - (Aussie Girl) wrote: "Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "Fiji is lovely. Where abouts in Fiji are you going Lisa?"

Radisson Blu at Denarau. The last time I was in Fiji was in 1980, so I'm guessing it's chang..."

My DIL picked it, I'm just going with the flow. With 6 little ones aged between 10 and 2 I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun.

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "Fiji is lovely. Where abouts in Fiji are you going Lisa?"

Radisson Blu at Denarau. The last time I was in Fiji was in 1980, so I'm guessing it's changed a bit...

Welcome home Karen. Glad you had a great time. Although it's good to be home, there is always holiday hangover, LOL.

I'm heading off to Fiji next Friday. The weather is 22-29 C and sunny. Luckily the swimmers still fit!

Eldarwen wrote: "
Book of the Month - August


Starting on 2nd August, we have Funny Story by Emily Henry.


Discussion Thread for Funny Story


Starting on 16th ..."

I'd like to read this.. but not available at my library yet, unfortunately.

Eldarwen wrote: "Lisa - (Aussie Girl) wrote: "I'll be away on holidays from 2-12 August so won't be available to volunteer for the DQ's for the Emily Henry book."

Oh, not long now until you're off! :-)"

Yes, the suitcase is half packed! Going from winter to summer.. luckily the swimmers still fit!

Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele have been banished to The Red Room and defeated!

New Vegi Monster is Alicanto.

I'll be away on holidays from 2-12 August so won't be available to volunteer for the DQ's for the Emily Henry book.

Day 8 : Ch 59-End
36. What did you make of the ‘Rapunzel’ story that Livira wrote and about the messages she intends?

Honestly, I have no idea. If someone wants to explain to me, feel free, LOL.

37. The Skeer show up in a story early on (The Insectoid Who Came to Tea by Celcha Arthran), but become real here. What is your reaction to the Skeer (and how were they kept from people's knowledge)?

They are the common enemy that destroys everything. The only way the humans and Canith will bond will be fighting the common enemy maybe

38. Time works differently in the library. At one point Livira states that she hasn’t written the first page of her book yet, but she needs to in order to make this part make sense. What do you make of the ability to move through time, even as a ghost? How does this fit into your idea of things being fated versus based on consequences of choices?

Interesting question. How much is destiny and how much dumb luck. Guess we'll never know

39. We learn about what happens with Malar, Livira and the assistants. How does this change your understanding of the story?

I did actually like this ending but for a large part of this story I just wasn't getting it to be honest.

40. This is the first book in a series and it leaves off with 3 of the characters moving off together to fight and find. Does it still feel like a complete ending or a cliffhanger? Will you read the 2nd book?

I found this a most frustrating read. Will I read on.... only if and when book 2 becomes BOM!

Bonus: Anything else you feel is important to note? I felt like these chapters were so full that it was hard to only ask 5 questions.

Chapters 50 - 58

31. Livira realises that the boy in the city that Evar and she visited was looking right at her. Arpix reminds her of the things she had told him, firstly, that Evar had said that the assistants could see ghosts as well, and secondly, about the two sets of children’s footprints that led from pools of assistant blood. By the end of this section, we have been given an explanation for all of this. What were your first thoughts when you read this bit and was it proved correct?

I'm pretty neutral about it really. For me, the storyline is too convoluted although I guess it made sense when what Yute and his wife really were was revealed. Does it make a difference to the overall plot? Not really, only to show the history and moving between times, yeah just way too cryptic and tangled.

32. “The library is many things from many angles. Both blessing and curse. A razor blade given to a baby; a rope thrown to a drowning man.”
Do you think this statement of Yute’s makes sense? What came to your mind when you read this?

Knowledge is power but also how it is used matters!

33. We have been given a whole of information in this section that casts all the previous sections in a new light. Have you changed any of your opinions from earlier in the book? What do think is going to happen next?

Mmmm.. as I seem to keep saying there is a good book in here somewhere, I get what the author is trying to say.. I think.. but gee it's a journey getting there!

34. ”It’s always the books you don’t have that call to you, you know that. Not the ones already on your shelf. They can wait.”
As somebody who has an incredibly large ever-growing TBR list, I find this statement applies to me perfectly. What do you think about it?

Says every reader on Goodreads.. lol. Book envy is a real thing. The saddest thing is there is no way to read every book you want to before falling off the perch!

35. (view spoiler) Why is nobody willing to believe it and what do think you think he meant by that last bit?

Is it that humans don't want to face their own mortality? All a bit too deep and meaningful really.

Bonus: My mind kept going back to books like Fahrenheit 451 and The Book Thief while reading this book with the discussions about the control of information. Did you find yourself also being reminded of any other books / movies etc? What were they and what was it that brought them to mind?

LISA'S POSTS FOR BOM TOKENS.

DAY 1 - DQ'S - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DAY 2 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DAY3 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DAY 4 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DAY 5 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DAY 6 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DAY 7 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DAY 8 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Day 6 Chapters 42 - 49

25. Lavira gets tired of searching for the Exchange and books that aren't in the library and realizes they must be held by the head librarian. She breaks in and steals a book, The Forest Between, and in the process she meets the 5th helper, Volente, a large dog. Were you surprised that the dog let her take the book?

Nothing surprises me in this book.. I'm continually trying to work it all out ..

26. Arpix is an ally to Lavira in her search for the Raven and the Exchange. He also helps her open the book. Out of all the companions from the initial table who would you have expected to be her confidant and companion?

Good question.. Don't really have an opinion, I knew she wouldn't be friends, with the pretty, high class girl though. I suppose when a group has grown up together there has to be some kind of relationships between them, some closer than others. Arpix seemed quick witted so that's probably why they were drawn to each other

27. Lavira learns that opening a portal is done with the White's blood in a circle. This matches with what Evar read and tried to do for years with his blood. Volente helps Arpix and Lavira find the Raven and the Raven's name so that they can get back into the chamber that is closed to them and access the fallen Assistants blood to open a portal. It feels like the Library is helping Lavira. Do you have a theory for why that is?

I has it's own agenda and Livira is part of that somehow.

28. Lavira and Evar meet again. Again Evar doesn't recognize her as for him only a few days have passed but years have passed for her. They go into a portal and focus on it being a time of peace. When they arrive there are hundreds of Assistance and they are walking away from two portals. Leaving the portals are two small sets of footprints. Who do you think they belong to?

Lavira and Evar in another time maybe.. or their children possibly

29. Question contains spoilers: (view spoiler)

30. Lavira returns to her world and Arpix has spent his time in the Exchange asking and collecting the books that they have been unable to find in the Library. Lavira is wounded and devastated. Do you think her opinion on the library and history will have her reconsider Yute's offer to try and stop the war now?

We already have worked out that Lavira is an intelligent, empathic person. After she gets over the initial shock of finding out the truth about Evar and the library, I'm thinking she will understand where Yute is coming from. Whether Sabber or Human war is bad for everyone and all endeavours should go towards understanding and peace for all.

Voodoo... In a WWII historical fiction, that's a first.

I'm still slogging my way through the BOM , The Book That Wouldn’t Burn. I should finish it today or tomorrow. I'm sure there's a compelling book in there somewhere, but a page turner it ain't! And I nominated it, so I'll console myself with the points, LOL.