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

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

Vicky wrote: "Got the new page set up, and went ahead and added good ol' Danny as monster 101!"

Thanks Vicky !

Phew.. I finished .

This won a Pulitizer.. it went way over my head.. but it's done!

Hey team,

Devil's Snare has been defeated and that's our 100th monster gone.

I've spun another Bad Romance Monster Wheel - and got Danny Zuko from Grease.

Would one of you spreadsheet experts set up another page, sorry I have no idea how to do it and don't want to cause a meltdown in an attempt.

Happy monster slaying!

I'll be finishing all my books. 😁 Even the boring Peru one , sorry about that, but at least it gets that category done.

Eldarwen wrote: "For some reason, the fact that you copied your own links from the BOM thread to the team thread gave it bad links... No idea why.

But whatever. Grabbed the links from your summary post on the BOM ..."

Oh thanks! I'm not the most computer literate person, but give me an obscure book task to find and I'm your gal! 😁

I finished Starling House BOM and here are my links for answering the DQ's.

DAY 1 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DAY 2 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DAY 3 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DAY 4 https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DAY 5 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

LISA'S POSTS FOR BOOK TOKENS

DAY 1 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DAY 2 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DAY 3 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DAY 4 https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DAY 5 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

MelanieJoy
1421 books | 234 friends
see comment historyDQs Day 5
Chapters 27 - Epilogue

21. Wow what a ride! What were your initial thoughts and feelings after finishing the book?

It took a long twisty path to where it was going but by the end I actually liked it.

22. An integral part to the book is the way the story of Starling House is told through many different viewpoints, with truth and lies and rumors and heresay and opinions often woven together. Did you find that you learned more about Starling House through each story? Did this type of story building and layering work for you? Why or why not?
As someone said previously great ideas but the execution was a little lacking. Lack of communication between characters was an important part of the story coming together that can be a tad frustrating for the reader. There was some lovely lyrical writing in between all this and if the reader could stick with it, it actually all came together in the end for a satisfying conclusion.

23. In the ending battles, the MCs were fighting beasts of nightmares and of their own making, inside dreams. Do think it's hard for good dreams to win out against nightmares? Explain your thoughts.
It was an interesting theme/POV - it reminded me of that 90's movie with Robin Williams, "What Dreams May Come" - where his deceased wife is in Hell because of her own thoughts about her life and he has to rescue her. I think in the same way this book would make a good movie/series.

24. A major theme in the book is wants and needs, and how they seemingly twist into each other if you want hard enough. In this theme exploration, what was the message you got from the author, and did it resonate with you?

The brain is a powerful tool use it wisely.

25. Would you recommend this book? Explain.

Yes and No. It had some great ideas and writing but it was a bit slow and frustrating till three quarters of the way through. There are other books along the same theme that I would probably recommend before this one.

DQs Day 4: Chapters 20-26

16. I love Bev’s line ‘ How in hell is anybody supposed to help if you won’t ask?’ Are there any characters who don't need to hear this? Did it resonate with you?

Great question. This is one of those books if everyone was honest and forthcoming with information, the mystery would be solved. The end. But in saying that I'm quite enjoying the slow burning trickle of info that unwinds the tale.

17. Opal and Jasper finally reveal their secrets and talk. Were you surprised that they are both Graverly’s? How do you feel about the outcome regarding schools?

18. Elizabeth Baine seems to have an amazing connections and pull. Who do you think she works for? How do you think she figured out what the right leverage was?

Some uber secret evil organisation.. but I'm pretty sure she is going to get her comeuppance by the end. Bwahahahah..

19. So much happened in these chapters, yet I really don’t feel like I learned much. How do you feel about the pacing/storyline?

As I described slow trickle, but it works for me.

20. We learn that being a warden is a choice, although the house asks very vulnerable people. Do you think that the other wardens understood the price? How does Opal fit – she chose, but she isn’t a warden at this point.

It seems to be once you have the dreams it becomes a compulsion that the Wardens can't refuse. Maybe being vulnerable the House "chooses" them and lures them in. So Opal fits, maybe the House thinks she is Warden in waiting.

Bonus cat question: Which name do you prefer – Baast or Hellcat?

I like Hellcat.. it's cute and fits.

Andy wrote: "just got library notification that this is in for me
The Blues Brothers: An Epic Friendship, the Rise of Improv, and the Making of an American Film Classic by [author:Daniel de Vis..."

Two for one, Andy, well done! Hope you enjoy the book.

Chava, that's great, although they do seem some very serious reading. You may need some light relief after and as I know how much you love space smut may I suggest something with a horned alien.. ( Just kidding, LOL)

Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* (friend)
11238 books | 3618 friends
see comment historyDQs 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?

I guess the relationship between Arthur and Opal could be described as Beauty and the Beast.. although isn't she described as not very attractive either? I would describe it more as enemies to lovers or I imagine that is what is going to happen by the end.

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 think my opinion of the House has changed from the beginning, it is not evil but actually a gatehouse to stop the evil. Even the Beasts may be controlled by something else. I guess it makes perfect sense that Opal and Jasper are Gravellys. Thus their connection with the House.

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?

Jasper is certainly more mature and switched on to what is going on than his sister gives him credit for. Being the carer is kind of like her security blanket, everyone needs to be needed.

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

Yeah, they're going to end up together.

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?

There is more to them than first meets the eye.

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 actually hadn't noticed that. So it must be working! I guess the story really is Opals, and we are getting Arthur's POV as regards Opal, so maybe that's the reason.

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?

That's the obvious answer so maybe it's a red herring.

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?

Is it the entrance to Hell? Or the entrance to the "underworld" of the fairy tale. Is the Starling House some kind of gatehouse and the Starlings are the Guardians and Protectors? We shall see as the story unfolds.

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?

See the above answer. I don't think the House is evil, it's a barrier against evil.

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 his 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?

It can be tedious, although in this story if everyone communicated there wouldn't be a story! It's like everyone is keeping secrets with the best intentions. Although you'd think that Opal would keep Jasper in the loop as it's his life he should have a say in 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?

No, it's all new to me. But quite like the genre so all good.

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

I've been wondering about the footnotes. I think they serve the purpose about bringing doubt about the narrator's perspective of the events. These are the truth of the matter.

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?

It's all age appropriate. I don't think its good to scare a five year old, but a teenager/young adult is certainly different.

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'm finding it a bit perplexing as I didn't even read the blurb before starting. Trying to put it all together, generally enjoying it so far. I'm sure the tale that has been mentioned written by an occupant of the house is going to come into play somehow.

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

Definitely the house itself. It's creepy, and I am enjoying the writing overall.

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Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "I am here 👋 just a busy weekend with bday stuff.

I have tried to update the surname to Abé but I’m not sure GR will get the difference and display it - but as her name is spelt that way on the cov..."

Thanks Karen.

Hope you're having a great time for your birthday holiday. 😊

I just noticed my finished book which I used for the initals SA also has a diacritic over the e of Abe. So Captains feel free to move it over to there if you think it fits better.

Ashley wrote: "@Lisa

Deal with the Devil on the Tracking Sheet is linked to a different book! Can you fix that when you get a moment!"

Oops, should be fixed now.

Oh and a big shout out for those illustrations. What an added bonus.

Finished!! Definitely a five star read for me. And now the wait begins for book 3.. sigh!

Last part spoilers.. (view spoiler)[ Oh my poor Gabe.. it's an epic story and world building but my romance reader heart just broke when Phoebe's husband turned up.. then died. Now I'm wondering whether that's it for Gabe and Phoebe or they'll find their way back to each other by the end. I'm hoping.. the latter. ( That's if Gabe doesn't get himself killed by being the hero and saving the day.. nooooo. )

I really loved the explanation of how vampires came to be.. the dreaded curse. But one thing I'm a bit confused about.. this happened generations ago, it didn't cause Daysdeath? That's a separate thing of unknown origin (at the moment) but somehow the Grail will end it?? Does that mean the end for the Vampires as well? And if so, why would Celene and her cult be trying to find the Grail? Is it a religious thing, they want to undo the curse so they are 'saved' by the Redeemer again?

And that brings me to the passage about the futility of religion. That was pretty hard core, I'm wondering if that's the author's personal opinion peaking through?

So that leaves us with..

1. Gabriel broken and separated from his group.
2. Dior dead/not dead
3. Aaron and Baptiste together but having to get over all the stuff that has happened.
4. And we don't know how Celine and Gabriel became captured by the Chastains.

Bring on Book 3 (hide spoiler)]

Whoah .. Book 4, Chapter 14 -

(view spoiler)[ I think I need a big drink of water after this one.. it's 🔥. (hide spoiler)]