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

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

I’ll be finishing my last book for this round this morning, in about 3 hours… if I don’t get any annoying real life distractions. 🤣

Sure Lexi, if you can happy for you to grab something. I won’t be picking the book up from the library till Monday and I still have the BOM to get through before I start. Go for it.

DQs Day 4 37% to 49%

16. Gaspar looks through his Mom's music collection in the beginning of this section. I've never read a book where the characters say "I don't like music that much." Just like Gaspar, I wondered "Is that weird?"
Do you find it strange when people do not care for music? Do you find you lean towards books/ movies or music more?

I am one of those people who much prefer books to music, LOL. But I definitely like it and go to concerts now and then, ( I just went to Oasis which was absolutely awesome!!) but not like other members of my family that have music on all the time. I don't think it's weird for people not to love music though, it's a personal choice and everybody has that thing they love.

17. Entering the order is becoming more and more disturbing. What questions does this part of the novel raise about personal agency in the face of supernatural or systematic power?

These people are evil - but I think that's the point of the novel. Whether it be supernatural or political power over others equally disturbing.

18. What do you think about Gaspar and Juan's relationship at this point in the book? What part of their relationship stems from the conflict with the Order and what part seems more of a father / son relationship?

It's very sad that their whole relationship is tainted by the Order. I guess parents often say when they discipline their children it's for "their own good" but the things Juan is doing is causing so much psychological harm to his son. At what point (age wise) is he better to be honest with his son about his behaviour and why he is doing it? It's actually hard to read.

19. I am loving all of the sensory details in this book. Do you find that these details move the plot along? Or add to the tension at all?

To be honest I am struggling with this book quite a lot. It seems to be taking ages to get to the showdown with the big evil and it's hard to read what Juan has to do to protect his son. So those sensory details make it uncomfortable reading for me.

20. What do you think will be a resolution between the medical, spiritual and supernatural world in this book? Have you read any other books by South American authors that also wrestle with these seemingly different worlds?

I'm hoping that Gaspar will be "saved" and free to make his own choices by book's end. No I haven't read many South American authors, some Mexican like Silvia Moreno-Garcia who also has supernatural themes in her work, which I do enjoy.

Vicky wrote: "Lisa, where are you on The Amalfi Curse? I just finished a book that definitely works for the witch tag and we could knock out another monster!"

Sure, finish off that monster!

I've moved mine to another spot.

New monster is up.

Madagascar Tree. (Vege monster)

Wow, this is a challenging round. 2 u's, an X and musical items.

I'm sure we are up to Challenge, mighty Garden team!!

Cool. I’m so looking forward to reading this.. but sad that the ride with Gabe and Co will be over.

( Please Jay K .. don’t kill off our hero ! 🤞)

DQs Day 3: to 37%
start: start of Part II
end: "...while she died there in the mud."

11. Part II opens with a really grim sonnet, though very apposite when considering the content with hindsight. Did you have any thoughts on the sonnet epigram? Do you / are you now interrogating the epigrams at the start of the parts for clues?

Uh Oh.. the sonnet does not auger well for Gasper. I hope it's not a warning of things to come. I always find epigrams problematic, trying to decipher WTH the author is alluding to. I'm not good with subtlety! ( The worse ones are JK Rowling/Robert Galbraith in the Strike novels. They do my head in. ) These ones are just creepy and evil.

12. Part II - the history of Juan through the eyes of Dr Bradford was a different sort of horror, with the visceral descriptions of the surgeries. Why do you feel that Enriquez included this section in the book?

I was wondering whether Juan's heart problems were the downside of his magical gifts but it seems it was a genetic malformation. We don't know much about his family.. was magic done to him in utero or is it just bad luck? May be this is why it was included for the reader to ponder this. Or maybe to show his wife's family are all just evil creeps.

13. We meet Gaspar as an older child. Did you like the start of Part III, with what seemed like a normal childhood? What seeds of doubt did you pick up about his life (I'm thinking of up to about 30% in - before the dog Diana goes missing)

Juan is trying to give him a normal kid's life I guess. I'm finding it a bit tedious TBH.

14. After Diana goes missing things get a bit weirder! How do you feel about Gaspar and Juan's relationship now?

Even though Juan is trying and has the best intentions I guess his physical health and abilities meant he's on a mission to Doomsvile. Gaspar seems like a pretty good kid and has made some solid besties so it's not all bad... for now.

15. Omaira, in the Columbian disaster. It's a small story, but I wonder why Enriquez decided to include it. Any thoughts on how it links to wider themes and ideas in the book?

I think it's an example of a" car crash event". Even though it's horrific people are drawn to it for some reason and can't look away. It's like if it's happening to them, it's not happening to me. Which I guess is a theme when evil regimes take over, and that old adage -: "Evil happens when good men do nothing." Apathy and fear stop populations reacting and authoritarian regimes get a hold.

No worries.. I'm a bit behind too so won't be starting till sometime in the middle of the week.

The BOM is a bit more complex and not a fast read.

6. Enriquez has sharpened the reality of Juan’s life into a blade that just keeps nicking the reader on every page. This book transgresses mere horror and pulls the reader into an almost constant state of discomfort. The language she uses to convey the unending pain of Juan’s migraines, his ruthless use of others, and the flashes of violence and anger that seem to spark from Juan - it’s all adding up to more than a horror book for me. What do you think - unique or like other horror you've read? What other books have hit you in a similar/comparable way?

I'm glad in this section we are actually getting to the horror story. I've read a lot of paranormal/horror over the years and this one is pretty much par for the course. It can be read literally as a horror story or a metaphor for the real evil in our world which is the evil humans do to each other.

7. I respect Gaspar’s attempt to change his son’s fate, trying to protect him from serving as the Order’s next medium. Do you think Tali will be able to keep the block on Gaspar, hiding his medium gifts from Mercedes, Florence, and Anna? How successful do you think Juan will be at giving his son a “normal” childhood?

This will be the storyline moving forward - I'm guessing it will a struggle with a lot of death and destruction along the way and Juan will probably perish in the attempt but save his son.

8. I found it notable that the estate in the jungle was founded by a non-native family, wealthy colonizer, member of the Order. Then the author juxtaposes Gaspar’s trip to the zoo with Juan’s finding the stolen children suffering in the tunnel (man, that was a hard section to read.) What do you think this says about the comparison of the dark power the estate generates powered by the hideous capture and suffering of indigenous children, vs other countries unduly influencing native people based on wealth and perceived privilege?

Great question.. and a lot of really good meaningful previous answers. I'm going to go with Ashleys, pretty much my thoughts also.

9. Juan's gifts as a medium encompass more than seeing and speaking to the dead. In the scene with Mercedes in the tunnel, he can lock doors, and after eating Mercedes' lips and taking her teeth, says he now has what he needs to reach her. Wondering what your take is on this - is he more like an acolyte to the god Darkness, and can channel its power? Also, what are your thoughts about the “Other Place, a zone of the Darkness that the Order didn’t know about”?

Pretty standard theme - doing really bad things to get prestige and power from a supernatural entity which feeds on their evil deeds. I am intrigued about the other zone and guess it will be key to saving Gaspar from the Darkness and releasing Rosario. A lot of the ritual eg eating her lips, slashing with claws is symbolic of obtaining power over others in the real human world I'm thinking.

10. Maybe the pacing was a little slow at the beginning, but the book is starting to get under my skin, laying its burrowing eggs that – erm. As you get to the end of part one, what do you appreciate about the writing? How are you finding the pacing? The tone? What aspects of the book are working or not working for you so far?

Definitely slow to start but once the evil action has started I'm enjoying it more bwahahahaha. Even knowing the serious intent about the themes part of me just wants to read it as a horror story. There is so much bad stuff going on in our present world I think I'm a bit saturated about thinking about it all and want to escape into a horror story!

Extra - interesting thought about the different covers to different markets. It seems the English version show the visceral horror theme while the non English are more arty and cerebral. Mmmm... might be a not so subtle comment about what marketers think sells in different cultures.

I'm in for DQ's. Team Garden

Ashley wrote: "DQs Day 1 : Beginning of book - 12% ("... the seal of the summons, the permission, the welcome.")

1. This book opens with a father and son in what seems like a mysterious and dangerous situation, ..."

Ashley, I think it mentions in a paragraph towards the end of the section that the Order doesn't have restrictions on which gender they sleep with and Juan needs sexual energy to power whatever magic he is going to do. Thus the interaction with the random male stranger.

Alysa (friend)
5580 books | 97 friends
see comment historyDQs Day 1 : Beginning of book - 12% ("... the seal of the summons, the permission, the welcome.")

1. This book opens with a father and son in what seems like a mysterious and dangerous situation, and there is a startling mix of normalcy, grief, and dread all juxtaposed with one another as we slowly learn more details. How did it make you feel? Do you think this was a good start?

It's an intriguing start. I didn't know much about this book when it was picked for a BOM - I'm guessing it is as much a social commentary as a ghost story, and the opening chapters have validated this thought. It's still in the set up, I hope it moves the story along a little, I'm not fond of 500+ page books that take a long while to get where they're going!

2. We learn through Juan's perspective that young Gaspar has inherited the ability to see ghosts. The first sighting occurs in a hotel, which would inevitably remind many readers of The Shining, even though the context is different (apart from them both taking place in late 1970s/early 1980s)! Do you think the author did that on purpose? And did you find the ghost super creepy, or were you totally unfazed?

Again, interesting/intriguing but not so creepy. It felt very much how I would expect a cultural story of this location to go.

3. There is a rather abrupt POV switch from Juan to Tali. Why do you think the author chose not to tell the story only from Juan's POV? Did you appreciate the switch? Why or why not?

Definitely enjoy the dual or more POV's. It usually gives a lot more depth and understanding for the reader to unpick situations in a book.

4. We learn about a secret Order of which Juan and Tali are both members. Rosario -- Gaspar's late mother and Tali's half-sister -- was a member too. Juan is trying to keep Gaspar away from the Order. From what has been revealed or hinted so far, do you have any predictions as to what the Order is all about? Do you think Juan is doing the right thing in keeping Gaspar away? Do you think Juan is a good father, overall?

It seems to be a religious /death worshiping cult.. but is it a metaphor/parallel for the political situation? Or is the author juxta positioning the two to compare and contrast their similarities and differences to get her point across? Too early to tell yet? Is he a good father - it seems yes. Again maybe too early to tell.

5. Juan and Gaspar encounter many kind and generous strangers. Juan is paranoid but also good at reading people (not sure if that's part of his "powers" or simply part of his personality), and doesn't seem to have any problem using them for his own ends. Do you have any thoughts on these interactions so far? And for those readers who are more familiar with Argentina: do you think the author is using Juan's interactions to attempt some social commentary on the Argentina of 40+ years ago, vis-à-vis the police, sexuality, etc.? Or could this book be taking place anytime, without much difference? (I realize that Argentine history may not be worth discussing until we've read more of the book, but I think it's an important enough topic that we can keep coming back to it again and again as the story unfolds!)

I think I'm on the same wavelength as you. See my previous answer. One thing about humans, evil is evil and part of the human condition, unfortunately. Those who don't study history are destined to repeat it, is one of my favourite sayings.

The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth Brown

***SPARKLY magic stuff on cover ****

The world of unknowable objects - magical items that most people have no idea possess powers - has been quiet for decades . . .

But three current members of a secret society have remained watchful, meeting every six months in the basement of a bookshop in London. They are pledged to protect their archive of magical items hidden away, safe from the outside world - and keep the world safe from them. But when Frank Simpson, the longest-standing member of the Society of Unknowable Objects, hears of a new artefact coming to light in Hong Kong, he sends the Society's newest member, author Magda Sparks, to investigate.

Within hours of arriving in Hong Kong, Magda is facing death and danger, confronted by a professional killer who seems to know all about unknowable objects, specifically one that was stolen from him a decade before. Magda is forced to flee, using an artefact that not even the rest of the Society knows about.

Returning to London, Magda learns hers is not the only secret being kept from the other two members. And that the most pernicious secret is about the nature of the Society’s mission. Her discoveries will lead her on a perilous journey, across the Atlantic to the deep south of the United States - not in pursuit of an unknowable object, but an unknowable person: the killer she first faced in Hong Kong. In doing so, Magda begins to understand that there are even more in the world who are chasing these magical items, and that her own family’s legacy is tied up in keeping all these secrets under wraps.

Magic has always been too powerful to reveal to the world. But Magda will learn there might be something even more powerful: the truth.

I'm not going to Nominate for January BOM - I like the look of your book Judith so I'm going to vote for it, you've had it nominated for quite a few months, LOL.

I'll have the black writing on the cover finished today..

Oh, ok, I’ll delete it then. It does have illustrations and I have no idea if it would meet the word count.

Steven wrote: "

I have this book on my kindle and it has this cover edition. It looks to me like those those diamond shapes are road warning signs?

I’ve been meaning to read Jane Har..."

I can definitely advise that they are indeed Aussie Road Signs.

That's a great book Steven, the landscape becomes one of the characters and it gives a great insight into Aussie small towns of a certain age. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Yay, I got a set of DQ's for the next BOM.

It's a long one and my set is towards the end, so I think I'll be finishing it in Round 4. Fingers crossed the letters match!

All good for me.