Lauri’s Comments (group member since Jan 23, 2016)

Lauri’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

Discussion Questions - Day 3, pgs 152-226

13. So Jack is Hook's step brother. Were you expecting that? Guess it makes sense as to why he knows all about the palace etc How do you think he ended up with the lost boys? How much of his story do you think Pete knows?
I was so shocked to find that out! I think that Jack was probably trying to escape Hook & the Marauders & stumbled across the Lost Boys. I don't think Pete knows about it at all really.

14. When Hook picks up Gwen's dad's dog tags and reads the name, do you think he has made the connection between Gwen and the Professor ( assuming our guess that the professor is Gwen's mother is correct) ?
I don't know if Hook has made a connection between the professor and Gwen yet!

15. It's sounds like Jack is like a male version of Cinderella and perhaps the true ruler of Germany. Did you expect him to betray the lost boys. Why do you think he wants to go back to Germany with Hook?
I don't think I buy the Cinderella bit. Jack and Hook both had an unfortunate childhood. I really didn't think he'd betray the Lost Boys! And so spectacularly, too. I assume he wants to return to Germany because he thinks Pete will kill him...

16.The Horologia virus was sent to England from Germany. When Queen Bloodred chose to bomb the weapons factory. Do you think she did it on purpose in order to release the virus or was she trying to stop England finding a cure?
Probably a little of both. She is completely ruthless.

17. We now know for certain that the professor IS Gwen's mother. Given Jack's apparent betrayal and the fact that Gwen is the immune, do you think Pete will believe Gwen didn't know all along? Do you think Hook might try to convince Pete she did in order to get him to had her over?
Yes to both questions!

18. How do you think this is going to end? Do you think Pete can save the lost boys? What do you think will happen to Hook? Given this is book 1 of a series, do you think this will end with a cliff hanger?
A) I have absolutely no idea how it will end. I think a cliffhanger is definitely in order!

Discussion Questions - PART TWO - Day 3 & 4

1.Mark found the bracelet that Nel was wearing in Helen’s desk. Did Helen have something to do with Nel’s death or at least knows what happened?
Can't quite figure it out yet. I'm thinking that Patrick may have had something to do with it...

2. Lena is angry that the officers are not asking the correct questions. Why isn’t she willing to tell them what they need to know? Why does Lena refuse to betray Katie? What are Josh and Lena hiding?
Maybe that Katie was pregnant by Mark? Maybe that Lena had had sex with Mark, too? Maybe that Lena & Katie were lesbian lovers? These are all wild speculations, of course. But still.

3. I am curious about Patrick. It seems there’s more to him than just an old man with lapses of memory. He tells Helen that he never moved because he has work to do. What work does is that?
Crazy sauce, totally. Was his wife a witch, perchance? Does he need to eradicate witches or other strong females? Maybe he needs to keep everyone from finding out the truth to save his wife's memory & reputation...

4. So, we find out that Patrick’s wife was Nickie’s sister. I am curious of the secrets that she knows, especially since it seems like she does have a real gift with ghosts. It seems no one takes her seriously. Will the officers listen/believe her?
It doesn't look as though they will unless she can seem more lucid or give them concrete evidence.

5. Jules is dealing with issues of her past now that she is home. Is that skewing her views when she saw Robbie at Nel’s funeral? Also, with finding the letter LS on the mirror, do you think it is a ghost or Lena messing with Jules?
I like the ghost idea best, although it is probably Lena.

Just finished my last 2 TWT tasks! Still working on 2 BOMs & wanna finish a couple more long ones.... Good luck everybody!

Every Which Way But Dead
Kim Harrison
Finished 8/28/18
Page count: 501
TWT: Order of the Phoenix-Task 1-Clean Up Headquarters
RAB with pixies or fairies
How it fits: MC Rachel has a pixie sidekick named Jenks

Song of the Nile
Stephanie Dray
Finished 8/28/18
Page count: 398
TWT: Sorcerer's Stone - Task 2- Get Past Fluffy
Task: RAB with song in the title
How it fits: Song in title!

I had soooo much fun with this challenge! I don't know what I'm going to do with myself next month...
We were under a hurricane/tropical storm warming this weekend, but it didn't materialize. Thank goodness! The islands of Hawaii & Maui caught the worst of it -- flooding and even a huge brushfire, but Oahu is just fine. The worrying & watching the news sure cut into my quality reading time! I'll finish up my last 2 books for TWT and the 2 BOMs & maybe I can squeeze out an epic or two 🤓

A Dose of Murder
Lori Avocato
Series: Pauline Sokol#1
Finished 8/26/18
Page count: 305
TWT: Order of the Phoenix Task #3-Get a New Professor
RAB with a predominately pink cover
How it fits: Very pink!

I have
which could fit the dinner/feast category....

I will finish my other books up this weekend. Almost done with A Dose of Murder (pink cover), Song of the Nile (Song in title), Every Which Way But Dead (pixies in book).

Also trying to do the 2 BOMs. Pretty quick reads...

GO team Hermione!

Discussion Questions--Day 2 (pg. 77-151, audio pts. 3 & 4)

7. The novel is told from two POVs, Gwen's and Hooks. Should Pete's POV have been included? Why or why not?
I don't know, really. He seemed a little scattered. Maybe he had too much on his mind or ADD. I'm not sure that would have been a good thing.

8. In many ways, both Hook and Smeeth are "lost boys" as well. What are your thoughts about how you become a Pete, Hook, or Smeeth because of, in spite of, your life's experiences?
It's all nature vs. nurture really. Hook could've turned out to be a completely different person if his mother wasn't such a total bitch. I'm sure everyone knows full siblings who are totally different even though they had the same upbringing! And then there are the sociopaths. You just never can tell!

9. Almost all of the Lost Boys have given up their birth names and taken on nicknames. Is there a significance to this?
Yup! Put the past behind you and reinvent yourself!

10. When Justice is made the temporary leader, Pete says to him, "Try to go with your gut, kid. Not by the rules." Where is the balance between following the rules and going with your gut?
I'm a big rule person, but then rules are made to be broken, right? You need to find a happy medium or else there'll be total anarchy.

11. Who is your favorite character and why?
I really do like Gwen.

12. What moment in the book, so far, has made you decide you like or dislike it?
When we see how deeply Pete cares for Bella. And yes, I am liking it!

Discussion Questions - PART ONE - Day 1 & 2

1. Assuming most of you read The Girl on the Train or at least heard about it, what did you expect going into Into The Water? Have your expectations been met so far?
I still haven't read it. It's on my TBR though :)

2. When Jules was first told about Nel, she was relieved for a moment, because it was no one she 'cared about'. Then she was angry. What to you think happened between the sisters that drove them apart so badly that Jules doesn't even properly know her niece? How has this introduction formed your first opinion of Jules?
So far I'm thinking Nel was a selfish bitch who didn't care about her sister or much of anything really.

3. Katie's sudden death understandably was very hard on her family. Her mum took pills upon pills to numb the pain, but "after a while she came to grasp that the horror of rediscovering her daughter's absence, over and over again, was not worth the hours of oblivion." What are your thoughts on this quote? And where do you think Louise vanishes to in the middle of the night?
I'm not really sure where she goes! She doesn't seem much like the type to have an affair or anything...

4. Into The Water is told from quite a lot of different perspectives. Do you think this adds to the story, or does it make things more complicated? Does it affect your reading flow?
I'm a bit confused and disconcerted at times

5. Nickie Sage claims to be a psychic and sees or at least feels things that others don't. Why do you think has the author, Paula Hawkins, included this character? Do you think she actually is important to the story, or could it be told without Nickie? Do you personally believe in the occult like tarot readings and seances?
I'm wondering now if Nickie is really legit. I don't necessarily believe in the occult -- but yet I don't dismiss it either!

6. Nel was working on a book on the Drowning Pool before she passed away. Do you get her obsession with the river, and is this the only reason so many people from Beckford seem to have disliked her? Would you personally choose to read a book like hers?
I've always been fascinated by witches and their persecution, so I would definitely read her book. I think that people have always been mistrustful of those they think of as witches and were quick to point fingers. I don't think the town appreciates Nel's project because they don't want negative attention

7. Finally, it's time for theories. It seems to be very likely that Katie's and Nel's deaths are connected in one way or another. What do you think happened, who are your prime suspects?
We definitely need to take a hard look at Robbie Cannon. At the very least, he's a rapist!

Death Without Company
Craig Johnson
Finished 8/23/18
Page count: 271
Series: Walt Longmire #2
Triwizard: Chamber of Secrets #4- Attend a Ghost Party
Task: RAB with death in the title
How it fits: duh! Death in title

A Bone to Pick
Charlaine Harris
Finished 8/22/18
Page count: 168
Series: Aurora Teagarden #
BR/BOM: No

Cast of characters: Aurora Teagarden, Bubba Sewell, Aida & John Queensland, Aubrey Scott, Amina Day, Arthur & Lynn Smith, Parnell & Leah Engle, Macon Turner, Torrance & Marcia Rideout, Lillian Schmidt, Carey & Linda Osland, Jack Burns, Sally Allison, Sam Clerrick, Joe Nell Day, Patty Cloud, Eileen Norris.

Day 1 DQs
Parts 1&2

1. I love the overall premise of this book. Steampunk version of WWII where one of the bombs dropped in Europe exploded in one of Europe’s biological labs and releasing a virus that kills everyone, but one child carries immunity - Gwen.. What do you all think?
I am definitely loving this version of Peter Pan's dark side. What a re-imagining!

2. Gwen meets Pete and Bella in her hideout. Pete decides to take Gwen and Michael with him and Bella to help them find Joanna. What do you think this says about Pete’s character?
He is a caring individual -- deep down inside. He is also most likely intrigued by finding a healthy female...

3. Pete thinks Gwen could save Bella and the other kids who live in the Lost City underground. He wants to take her to Doc. Would you go willingly with Peter?
Even though it's hard to trust others at this point, but really what is the alternative? I would so go...

4. The overall atmosphere of this story is rather darker that other re-tellings. I find it very exciting. Do you like this re-telling, and if so/not, why?
I'm enjoying it immensely! It's exciting, terrifying and very, very dark. Have I mentioned the darkness yet?

5. Early on in this story, we hear that Hook's mother actually put her own son's eye out. Why do you think she did this? What impact did this have on his overall character?
What evil! What an unnatural mother! I wouldn't be surprised to find out later that Hook is not her biological son, but rather a cuckoo's child she was forced to raise.... How could he not be affected by such harsh treatment? At this point, I think it's every man for himself. There's no pleasing Mummy anyway!

6. In this version, how do you think Pete took command of the Lost Children?
I think he just has a reassuring, take-charge manner. What child wouldn't respond to that? All children want order and routine deep inside & respond accordingly.

The Ice Queen
Alice Hoffman
Finished 8/19/18
Page count: 211
BR/ BOM: no
Cast of characters: Ned, Nina, Jack Lyons, Seth/Lazarus Jones, Iris, Peggy Travis, Frances York, Dr. Wyman, Marina, Mariposa

The Glass Forest
Cynthia Swanson
Finished 8/17/18
Page count: 352
Triwizard: Deathly Hallows Task 3 - Shell Cottage
RAB with a funeral
How it fits: Funeral is for MC Ruby's father, Henry Glass

Along Came a Spider
James Patterson
Finished 8/16/18
Page count: 435
Triwizard: Goblet of Fire Task 5 - The Maze - RAB with spider in the title

Lauri here for team Hermione! Just started this morning and it sucked me right in!

Rachel wrote: "If someone has a book with woods on the cover that they could read quickly, please feel free to kick off my claim of The Passage. i will not be offended LOL. It's a long book so I've been prioritiz..."

I was trying to read it too, but not for a task! Those epics are sure time consuming! It's interesting, I swear that book could be used as a doorstop - - or a weapon!

Aloha! I'm still going crazy here.... 🤓 I've been staying up waaayyy past my bedtime to read, getting up at 5:30 during the week to read before work & foregoing TV most nights. Too much fun!! I'm off on Thursday & Friday & plan to binge read some more!

I made my weekly pilgrimage to the library tonight and I found these books that I'd like to claim for Triwizard:

Order of the Phoenix Task 1 - Clean Up Headquarters
RAB with Pixies or Fairies
Every Which Way But Dead
Rachel has a pixie sidekick named Jenks!

Order of the Phoenix Task 3 - Get a New Professor
RAB with a predominately PINK cover
A Dose of Murder

Elen wrote: "Lauri wrote: "Hello everyone! Hope you all are enjoying your weekend!

I just finished a book & found it has opal in the text! I would like to claim that for Triwizard, please! It's Half Blood Pri..."

Thanks Elen! I went back and checked my last 8 books & you were right! I did forget to add Homeplace to my TT shelf! I fixed it now. Good catch!