Lauri’s
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(group member since Jan 23, 2016)
Lauri’s
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from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.
Showing 381-400 of 1,723
Completion Post!The Lost Vintage
Ann Mah
Finished 7/31/22
Page count: 374
** Let me know if we still need the other stuff, otherwise I won’t bother adding it in **
Completion Post!The City of Tears
Kate Mosse
Finished 7/31/22
Page count: 560
#2 in The Burning Chambers series
Added to my TBR 1/18/21
Food: “… they became accustomed to eating pancakes and perch and soused herring…” Pg. 268
Completion Post!The Cat Who Lived High
Lilian Jackson Braun
Finished 7/29/22
Page count: 239
#11 in the Cat Who series
Added to my TBR 5/21/17
Food stuff: Pg. 57 - “As Qwilleran knifed his medium-priced Vitelli ala piccata, sautéed with lemon and capers…”
So, I was off all this week because my face & eye swelled up (hideously) after my procedure last week. After my left eye opened to an almost normal size, I was reading like a maniac! Please feel free to use books wherever they fit best.I’m going to try my best to finish another couple (or four) more door stoppers & July BOMs.
Completion Post!People We Meet on Vacation
Emily Henry
Finished 7/23/22
Page count: 364
Added to my TBR 2/28/21
Food stuff: Pg. 347 “…a myriad of tiny gourmet pizzas all decked out in goat cheese & arugula, summer squash & balsamic drizzle…
Completion Post!The Sound and the Furry
Spencer Quinn
Finished 7/22/22
Page count: 320
#6 in the Chet & Bernie series
Added to my TBR 9/29/19
Food stuff: pg. 130 - “Fleurette came out with a huge tray of fried shrimp.”
Completion Post!When the Bough Breaks
Jonathan Kellerman
Finished 7/21/22
Page count: 432
#1 in the Alex Delaware series
Added to my TBR on 2/9/20
Food stuff: pg. 239 “There are 2 giant porterhouses in the refrigerator & a Caesar salad & burgundy & sourdough…”
Completion post!The Left-Handed Booksellers of London
Garth Nix
Finished 7/20/22
Page count: 416
Foods: “They had finished with the potato & leek soup, and we’re working on well-grilled lamb chops with mashed potato & peas…” on page 306
Zoë wrote: "Lauri wrote: "Completion post!Bunny
Mona Awad
Finished 7/18/22
Page count: 307
"Omg I read this earlier in the challenge and it was….di..."
I did like it, although it was a bit *cough* horrific - - especially because I actually know/knew girls like the bunnies! Eeekkk!
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid - July 2022 Themed BOM - THE SEA (starts 16 July 2022)
(275 new)
Jul 20, 2022 10:16PM
DQs Day 1: Prologue - 11:00AM1. Both Daisy Jones & The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo have been BOMs in this group before. Have you read these books (or others) by Taylor Jenkins Reid too or is Malibu Rising your first book by the author? What are your expectations going in?
I resisted both Daisy & 7 Husbands for as long as I could hold out. Then I succumbed and read them both! They were both excellent! You kind of expect a bit of an exposé or tell-all sensationalist book. But they both read true, matter-of-factly and were really well done. I dove into this one (pun intended) as soon as I could get my hands on it from my library!
2. We have been introduced to quite a lot of MCs and their different POVs in the first 20% of the book. Do you prefer one character/POV over the others or is it still too early to tell?
I’m kind of liking Hud & Kit best thus far. And, of course, June in the flashbacks…
3. The writing has quite a contemporary feel to it, especially the 1983 timeline, which makes it easy to forget the book is actually set in the past. What's your opinion on the writing and the back and forth between the two timelines so far, and how does it compare to other TJR books you've read (if any)?
This one resonates with me because I graduated high school & hung out at the beach in the 80s & my husband has always surfed.
4. "The story of June and Mick Riva seemed like a tragedy to their oldest child, Nina. It felt like a comedy of errors to their first son, Jay. It was an origin story for their second son, Hud. And a mystery to the baby of the family, Kit. To Mick himself it was just a chapter of his memoir."
We don't really know how June and Mick's marriage post kids 1 + 2 went (and ended) yet, but from what we've learned about each of the siblings and their (love) lives so far, how do you think their parents' story has affected them after reading the quote above?
Too early to tell yet. I’m already wondering how Kit came to be. Everybody has a different take on their parents, even siblings. It’s only as an adult that children can see their parents objectively.
--- Also, for everyone who has read Evelyn Hugo, can we please talk about the (brief) mention of Celia St. James AND THE FACT THAT (view spoiler).
And while we're at it, Mick also had a cameo in Daisy Jones & the Six!
I caught that, but wasn’t sure exactly where the references were from!
Completion post!Obsidian
Jennifer L. Armentrout
Finished: 7/11/22
Page count: 335
Forgot to post this one!
Completion post!(FINALLY)
The Witch's Heart
Genevieve Gornichec
Finished 7/15/22
Page count: 359
BOM for June
DQ answers can be found in msgs. #244, 287, 293, 294 & 301
(Sorry, still can’t do a link!)
The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec - June 2022 Theme BOM - Mythology (starts 16 June 2022)
(305 new)
Jul 16, 2022 05:11PM
DQs Day 5"With Skadi gone, ..."
“The ending doesn’t matter. What matters is how we get there. To face what’s ahead with as much dignity as we can muster and make the most of the time we have left.”
21. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. It had a very hopeful feel to it, even though almost everyone ended up dying. Also I was so happy Boda and Skadi finally got together even if only for a little while. What did you think of the last parts of the book?
I was quite surprised by the ending! It does have a hopeful feel to it overall. I was expecting gloom & doom & a lot more gore. I was glad all Angrboda’s children didn’t detest her after all…
22. I mostly enjoyed the book overall, although it wasn’t quite what I expected. I have now moved Norse Mythology to the top of my TBR because this book made me realize how little I know on the subject and how much I want to learn. What did you think of the book? Glad you read it? Or just happy to get the points and move on?
I admit I struggled with this book. It didn’t keep with what I’d learned about Norse mythology. I love all mythology categorically. I think by having Angrboda not recall much of her past, it gave her the opportunity to not take responsibility for her past actions. We saw her in a more pitiful light. I’d never heard of it before and actually just read it for the BOM points!
23. So many interesting themes in this book. As a new mom, I was most drawn to the theme of mother’s love, but there were so many others: fate vs. free will, forgiveness, death/rebirth, friendship, sacrifice, etc etc. Did any of the themes resonate with you?
Naturally the mother love resonated most with me. I would do anything for my own son.
24. I really enjoyed reading about Boda’s children and their relationships with each other and their parents, for better or worse. Which character or relationship did you enjoy reading about the most?
I enjoyed the sibling relationship most, I think. Being an only child, I never had that. Even though the children were of different species, they still loved each other.
25. My very favorite part of the whole book was when Boda was finally reunited with her sons and got to say goodbye to them. Did you have a favorite quote or scene?
I did like that part, although they had to die violently. I think I loved the part where Skadi got to ‘share Angrboda’s bed truly.’ Take love wherever you may find it!
Wow, you guys! I hibernate for just a little while and come back to 237 unread messages!RL is a total bitch right now, but I am still reading. We had a funeral for a young cousin & yesterday I had a minor surgery for skin cancer - - in my hairline! I look and feel like total crap. I’ll finish The Witch's Heart up today. I’m working on both July BOMs & a bunch of others. Sorry to be so lame.
The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec - June 2022 Theme BOM - Mythology (starts 16 June 2022)
(305 new)
Jul 14, 2022 04:04PM
DQs Day 4 - 19th June"Angrboda was redjusting her pack basket..."
"Angrboda couldn't argue with that." 81%
16. So in addition to her past life as Gullveig, Angrboda is also the Old One, Mother Witch, the wise old woman in the woods and a healer. I can understand wanting to forget about her time as Gullveig but why do you think she can't remember anything from the time before? Do you think she'll recover these memories at some point? She's recovered her power, with a little help from Freyja but still seems to be holding back. How powerful do you think she really is? Do you think she'll go all in and if so what do you think will happen?
Madness lies that way - - if she remembered everything she’d be a mad old with living in a cave all alone. Maybe she is all-powerful? Could she be the one to bring down the gods? They are rather full of themselves…
17. "There's no power in the cosmos that can escape what's coming". Angrboda, Odin, Skadi and a few others now know about Ragnorok and, with Loki killing Odin's son, his punishment and the start of the long winter it seems to be the beginning of the end. Do you think it's better to know what's coming like Angrboda and Odin or would you prefer, like Loki, not to know? Do you think knowing or not knowing will make any difference to what happens? Do you think there's anything Angrboda can do to change the outcome?
After the way they’ve acted, why would she want to change the outcome at all? I would much prefer to go out in a blaze of glory to an ignominious death in battle or by long lingering illness/death.
18. "I'm the one who's done the most evil among the Aesir, and if nothing else, at least they'll remember my name. That's more than one can say for you." We know a lot more about Loki now, what do you think of him as a character? Why do you think he acts the way he does? Angrboda thinks Loki may have killed Baldur for his daughter's sake. Do you believe he genuinely cares about Hel? What about Angrboda and his sons, do you think he loves them or are they a means to an end? Will Angrboda forgive him despite all he's done?
Loki is only for Loki. He may have a fleeting attraction to Angrboda (he is lusty, after all) and an affection for hel, but I don’t think he gives a rat’s ass for the boys. Any good Angrboda May sense in him is still purely self-serving. She’s better not forgive him!
19. It seems like Skadi and Angrboda are on the brink of becoming more than friends when Skadi announces that she's joining the giants in the fight against the gods. She wants to go down fighting for her people and to avenge her father. Were you surprised she wants to go out fighting rather than staying with Angrboda? Has this changed your mind about why Skadi accepted marriage in recompense for her father's death?
Nope. Skadi is butch. She’s the Huntress. Anything for revenge, mayhem & the sport of it all. I think she accepted marriage for status, honor price & the possibility of children.
20. We're moving on to the final section now. What do you think Angrboda will do now that she's alone again? Do you think she'll be reunited with her family? Loki? Any predictions for how it will all end?
I think Hel and Angrboda will be reunited, however briefly. Loki will go off on more exploits. Angrboda will probably have a new reincarnation of some sort.
