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 volunteer for Team Ajax.

And can I use my BOM points for an extra entry, please.

DQs Day 2
7. The Haunted Flat -> 13. Enter the Hero

6.) Berlioz kept having things disappear from his apartment. What would you of thought if stuff was randomly disappearing from your home? Blame it on the kids? Partner? Ghost? Thief? Do you think it's supposed to represent Stalin's infamous purges where people simply disappear?

I'd probably think I was losing it, LOL. Actually it's no joke as I'm getting older, I lose and find things all the time, put them away for safe keeping then forget where I put them. No ghosts, just me. Great thought about Stalin's purges, yes I think that's exactly the author's point.

7.) What do you think of Woland's posse of 3? Would you want to be a part of that group? Of the 3, do you have a favorite character?

They're horrible exactly what I imagine fiends from Hell would be like. No favourite, the cat really creeps me out!

8.) Thoughts on Stavinsky? Would you want him treating a family member? Considering this is the 1930's and it's a mental asylum, was it what you'd expect? Or more modern?
He's exactly what I would imagine Doctors in Asylums of this time would be like. Not much real treatment, pretty horrible time for mentally ill people.

9.) This section made me think about the housing/apartment situation in Stalin's Soviet Union. Maybe because I recently moved house, it made me grateful for the choices I have available about my living situation. Did this resonate at all with you? How so?

Can't really relate to this, only empathize for the terrible position these people are in.

10.) I still have like no idea what's going on really. I feel like I'm just going to keep reading and hope it either starts making sense or the book ends. How are you enjoying the book so far?

Yep, with you on this one. I find I spend a lot of the book trying to understand the parallels to the Soviet Union. And I've actually been thinking also about the Russia of today. Very scary parallels also. I can't say I'm enjoying it although I can acknowledge it's place in history.

Great going team.

I've found myself being sucked into the Maze as well. So I've read over my quota but it seems that's a good thing at the moment. Once the Mini starts I'll probably re-focus on that.

Book 1- Chapters 1 (Never talk to strangers) - 6 (Schizophrenia)

1) Poetry and literature. Religion. Philosophy. Deep topics, deftly handled by a mad, funny writer. What do you think so far? Are you fans of Homeless (Ivan) and Belioz and their pretentious academic discussions? Are you intrigued? Confused?

Total disclosure... I googled this book before we started including discussion notes so I'd have an idea what is going on! Not something I'd pick up usually but so far the absurdity is kind of making it interesting. And thanks for the input about Kant, Jenny. Adds to the understanding of what is going on.

2) So, you meet a stranger that that knows your name, and says that he just had breakfast with Immanuel Kant (who died over100 years ago), and was there to see Jesus, then tells you how you are going to die.
Did you know who the Professor (W, foreigner, stranger, consultant, etc.) is from the synopsis, or when did you start to realize who this character really is?

Yep, I've cheated (see above ) so knew who he was.

3) We move to Judea, in the story that the Professor is telling. Pilate and Yeshua discuss why he has been imprisoned. What did you think of their talk? Did the characters of Jesus and Pilate differ from how you imagined them? What do you think of the different philosophies of authority vs the kingdom of truth and justice, in the book or in life?
What do you think of Yeshua’s belief that all men are good?
(I Personally loved the comment of Yeshua that his disciple keeps recording his words wrong. Teehee)
Being a fly on the wall with the actual happenings is the best part of the book so far. And given who Yeshua is of course he's going to say all men are good.

4) Well, Ivan’s life just took a turn. A dead friend, levitating men, a giant cat, a dip in a river resulting in missing clothing. Ever had a day like this? Do you think you would have given chase?
Some crazy days but nothing like this thankfully. Is Ivan under some compulsion to chase after the NotHot Prof, he's probably been affected by some woo woo Devily powers?

5) I love the psychiatric hospital scene. It is so absurd. “Let him use the phone.” Teehee. I mean, poor Ivan. Do you think he will be there a while, or convince the doctor to let him go?

I think Ivan's probably there for the duration of the book. He may be the voice of actual reason that no one will believe.

Bonus question) Anyone familiar with Stalin’s Russia? How does what you know relate to the book so far? Does the fact that this book was written during Stalin’s Russia make a difference to how you are understanding the book?

Another Aussie here so as far away from Stalin's Russia as you can get for sure. So my only knowledge is from school many eons ago. Looking forward to getting the take of anyone here who has more experience in this whether by living in the area or has studied it more closely.

Great discussion ladies, taking a big breath and ready to start the questions. And my first LOL of the day and it's only 5.30 am here, "Not Hot Prof", only in this Group could you be reading Dino Island one month and The Master and Margarita in another, literally from the sublime to the ridiculous. 🤣🤣🤣 Or actually from the ridiculous to the sublime.

Jenny wrote: "I am loving this so far. I am trying to come up with day 1 questions, and so far I have narrowed it down to about thirty two.
I want to ask about everything!!!!!!

I will restrain myself, and hopef..."

Good one Jenny. I'm going to be relying on you to explain it to me..

I've got a feeling this is going to come under the heading of... great literary fiction apparently but WTF does it mean! Maybe that should be a Goodreads bookshelf, LOL.

I've started reading and boy am I going to need those questions to make sense of this, LOL.

DQ DAY 5 (Chapter Thirty-Nine - Forty-Eight)
19. Beth's relationship with Lily is extremely important to the story, obviously but Shea also has an older sister? What do you think the point of having both main characters have sisters? Do you think it's a purposeful connection the author made?

You know, till this question I hadn't even thought about that point. But it is a valid one, the difference between Shea's strong connection with Esther even though at times they are apart physically and mentally in comparison to the totally dysfunctional and toxic one between Beth and Lilly. Insightful question.

20. Why do you think Lily always kept the house the way it was decades ago? Was it just a way to torment her sister or do you think there's something more to it then that?

Just Lily's way of keeping control over Beth even beyond the grave.

21. Shea was almost murdered by Lily because she went to Beth's mansion while she was away. Do you think Beth knew her sister would try and kill Shea?

That's entirely possible, Beth is a strange woman it seems the response to what has happened to her throughout the years.

22. How did you like the ending? Did any of the reveals surprise you? Did the conclusion for the characters feel satisfying to you?

To be honest this is my least favourite of the Justine St James books I've read. Where was the twist? And all of sudden the mention of the evil sister half way through that no one not even the police can trace or have any idea of? It didn't work for me. And even Shea. There was the hint of more in her past that she wasn't revealing and that plot line just didn't eventuate. I'll be interested to see what everyone else thinks but it was an average read for me. 3 stars.

Captains, This was used in the maze this evening (6 June Aussie time) - Sleeping Murder

LISA'S LINKS FOR BOOK CREDITS.

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/...

Suzanne (friend)
5304 books | 425 friends
see comment historyDQs Day 4 - Chapters 30-38

15. In this section, we see Beth really open up in the interview and describe two different Christmas flashbacks. The first, when Beth was 14, Lily was bruised and had been clearly abused by her foster family. We also (at least according to Beth) see the beginnings of Lily as a serial killer. Do you feel any sympathy for Lily? Do you agree with Beth that Beth could have stopped her?

Okay, it seems I was a little off with the multiple personalities theme. But it's laying it on a bit thick with Lilly as the misunderstood and unwanted sibling. Hope there's a twist coming, it all seems pretty standard. And no I don't think Beth could have stopped her. She was a kid it wasn't her job.


16. What did you think of the interview with the lawyer Ransom Wells? Why do you think he and Beth never told the police about Lily, even after the murders?

No idea.. that's a bit of a plot hole for me and why I went with the multiple personalities theory. Why isn't anyone else in law enforcement finding out about Lily. It's the 1970's not the Dark Ages!

17. Beth gets a wonderful shopping trip with her mom that immediately gets ruined when they return home and Lily is there. Lily is clearly the favorite. Why do you think that is?

Mother guilt.

18. Can Shea trust Michael? He seems almost too good to be true.

You know the old adage.. If something's too good to be true, it probably is! Looking like Michael is fitting into this category.

DQs Day 2: Chap 20-29 - I think this is Day 3...

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?

The way it is written it is like the house is frozen in time so it takes on its own character. It is reflecting the mental health problems that Beth has been carrying from her childhood.

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?

Another little girl.. what. I'm not keen on this plot development. Is Lily real or has Beth developed another persona. Not sure about this yet.

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.)

Who knows.. I wonder who the actual father is will become an important plot point.

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?
The house is mirroring all the strange things that is going on. There are a lot of plot points thrown out there at the moment which I hope are resolved satisfactorily by the conclusion.

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?

I'm still not sure that Lily is an actual person but maybe one of Beth's personas. Why has nobody especially the police even mentioned Lily throughout the investigation. It's not making all that much sense to me at this point. I'll read on hoping all will be revealed.

Haha Daniel, the only thing more scary than a midnight moo from a cow is when they are protecting their calves. Then they turn into she-devils. My husband was once chased up a tree and stuck for half an hour by a cantankerous Mama cow... with horns.

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?.

I think most of us would try and reason a logical explanation. But it seems pretty spooky in this case.

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?

On first thoughts it seems that Michael will be the love interest. But, it did cross my mind like Christina mentioned that there might be a twist and Michael is actually a bad guy wanting to do Shea harm for some reason, maybe linked to her past...

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?

It's either mental illness or she had psychic abilities which are manifesting now from beyond the the grave... ooohhhh.

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?

Yep, animals are more sensitive and have more acute hearing, definitely super spooky. I'd be out of there.

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?

The only ghostly experience I've had (other than ghost tours, LOL) was a few weeks after my Mother died. I was half awake and thought I felt her next to my bed stroking my hair. It wasn't creepy or scary sort of comforting. It only happened once, was it an expression of grief or her saying goodbye.. I'll never know but I like to think it was the latter.

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?

I've read quite a few of this author and enjoyed them. I was actually thinking much along the same lines as the question when I started, how much is atmosphere and supposition of ghostly events and how much is real. It's going to be interesting to read along and find out.
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?

Probably because a divorced woman especially if it was a difficult divorce emotionally brings a lot more character baggage to the story.
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 think having Beth's POV and how scared she is directly contrasts to how other people perceive her. Her interview with Shea will get to the truth of her character and what happened.
4. What do you think about the ghostly occurrences in this section? How do they add to the story (or maybe detract)?

Mmmm, having read quite a few of this author this is her usual style. I really enjoy her atmospheric writing and how the spooky house seems to become a living breathing entity. But usually by the end all the parts combine and it's not what you think. It will be interesting to find out if this is what happens in this story.

I ordered it from the library, so can volunteer for DQ's.

Team Ajax

All good, Karolyn.

I had a look for the first task but couldn't find one. But I'll keep checking back with each task. Just to clarify, once the mini challenge starts you can't use the same book for the Maze and the Mini?

Karolyn, the same thing has happened in our family. Two and half years, nothing. Then husband got it and inadvertently gave it to our oldest grandson when they went to the footy... and he spread it among his family. But neither I or our youngest son got it and it's been over 14 days now. Luckily all fully vaccinated so mild symptoms. Hope you and yours are okay as well.

And we're going great team. Woo Hoo. Happy reading.

I nominated this in the main BOM but probably fits better here, if it'sokay.

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn

The New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code returns with an unforgettable World War II tale of a quiet bookworm who becomes history's deadliest female sniper. Based on a true story.

In 1937 in the snowbound city of Kiev (now known as Kyiv), wry and bookish history student Mila Pavlichenko organizes her life around her library job and her young son--but Hitler's invasion of Ukraine and Russia sends her on a different path. Given a rifle and sent to join the fight, Mila must forge herself from studious girl to deadly sniper--a lethal hunter of Nazis known as Lady Death. When news of her three hundredth kill makes her a national heroine, Mila finds herself torn from the bloody battlefields of the eastern front and sent to America on a goodwill tour.

Still reeling from war wounds and devastated by loss, Mila finds herself isolated and lonely in the glittering world of Washington, DC--until an unexpected friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and an even more unexpected connection with a silent fellow sniper offer the possibility of happiness. But when an old enemy from Mila's past joins forces with a deadly new foe lurking in the shadows, Lady Death finds herself battling her own demons and enemy bullets in the deadliest duel of her life.

Based on a true story, The Diamond Eye is a haunting novel of heroism born of desperation, of a mother who became a soldier, of a woman who found her place in the world and changed the course of history forever. (less)