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

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

Yee-haaw! Triwizard tasks are posted! Check it out! Is serious strategy in order here?

Catch of the Day
Kristan Higgins
Finished 7/28/18
Page count: 377
BR: Yes!
Comments: Msg: 68 / 70 / 78
4 stars! Laugh out loud funny!
Cast of characters: Maggie Beaumont, Malone, Skip, Christy, Will & Violet Jones, Fr. Tim O'Halloran, Mrs. Kandinsky, Octavio, Georgie Culpepper, Mrs. Plutarsky, Lena Beaumont, Emory, Jonah Beaumont, Paul Dewey, Chantal

I finished today! Thank you all for your kind words & funny thoughts! Reading is mostly such a solitary thing, GR & things like buddy reads help bring us all together & I believe we all feel a little less isolated. It makes it fun!!

I laughed, cried, shook my head and snorted aloud -- sometimes on the single page or chapter!

Poor Maggie! She got all of her exercise riding that bike of hers in inclement weather or jumping to conclusions! She got into trouble a lot like that...

I didn't really like Chantal too much & couldn't see why Maggie was her friend at all. I get that Maggie was a nice person, but still...

The Parentals: (view spoiler)[ I was pretty surprised when they announced their divorce! Nope. I sure didn't see it coming. I thought Daddy was just such a Mr. Milquetoast, he'd never stand up for himself, just keep on hiding out in the bomb shelter. Mom was so mean! I guess she was just bitter over the way her life turned out. But, hey, life is what you make of it. I was even more surprised about Christy's reaction to the separation! (hide spoiler)]

Malone: what is UP with this dude!? I picture the old taciturn salty dog staring out to sea... (view spoiler)[ His public image is so different to hot Malone in bed or sweet Malone that comforted Maggie after Colonel passed... Or the dude that took her to the Lumberjack Festival to cheer her up. And why wouldn't he tell her his first name? I get that he had a hard life, but sheesh! And it still seemed odd that Chantal would confide in him rather than Maggie, even if Jonah was the baby daddy. I'm glad it all worked out in the end & a puppy, too!! (hide spoiler)]

I am definitely going to look for more of Ms. Higgins' books when I want to laugh out loud.

I Hunt Killers
Barry Lyga
Finished 7/28/18
Page count: 359
July BOM
Participation in discussion: Msg. 150 / 188 / 207 & 258
Solid 4 star rating for creepiness!!
Cast of characters: Jasper Dent, Howie Gersten, Connie, G. William Tanner, Billy Dent, Melissa Hoover, Lana, Deputy Erickson, Helen Meyerson, Doug Weathers, Virginia Davis, Jeff Fulton a.k.a. The Impressionist, Deputy Hudson, Irene Heller

I'm trying to complete 2 BOM's plus 6 BR's. Today I finished one of each! I know others are hard at work, too. So hopefully we'll make a very good showing there...

I've just started reading this again. I've lost count of how many times I've read the whole series! The very first time I read them aloud to my son who is now 25! We saw all the movies & I still never miss a Harry Potter Weekend on TV!

For all of you who said that this is your least favorite book, who could not like a flying car? I don't care all that much for spiders either, but am much more frightened of Nagini and the basilisk!

The world building is, as always, extraordinary, and I think of Ms. Rowling with her baby in a carriage writing away in a cafe. Thankfully for us all she never gave up on her dream.

We meet Dobby for the first time & learn more about the Wizarding World. As strange as Dobby may seem, he turns out to be a steadfast friend...

Onward!

Aunt Dimity Takes a Holiday
Nancy Atherton
Finished 7/27/18
Series: Aunty Dimity #8
Page count: 199
BR/BOM: No
Cast of characters: Lori Shepherd, Dimity Westwood, Bill Ellis, Rob & Will Ellis, Nell Harris, Derek & Emma Harris, Earl Elstyn, Gina & Simon Elstyn, Oliver Elstyn, Claudia Landover, Peter Harris, Kit Smith

DQs 4: Chapter 28 - Epilogue

22. Jazz made a shocking decision to go visit Billy after no contact with him. He asks G William to help him get in quickly. Why do you think Jazz finally made the decision to visit Billy? Would you trust what Billy tells you?
I was totally surprised by Jazz's sudden decision to go visit Billy in prison! I thought he had severed all ties (pun fully intended!) and rightly so. I wouldn't trust Billy any further than I could throw him!

23. Why do you think Billy’s request to Jazz about moving the birdbath signified? Do you believe it was a signal? Or just another way to mess with Jazz's head?
I'm pretty literal. I would have believed that moving the birdbath made sense. It was just a thought to make Gramma happy. While Jazz was moving it, the thought occurred to me that there would be something gruesome buried under it... It must have been a signal for something.

24. The Impressionist tells Jasper that he was never supposed to talk to him or see him, which leads me to believe he was taking orders from someone. Do you think Billy was telling the truth about not having contact with him? Do you have any theories of who is pulling his strings?
No clue whatsoever! Makes me believe I'm a mentally healthy & well-adjusted person deep down inside.

25. The Impressionist has a pretty terrifying trophy in his finger belt! What do you think is the significance of the dual “L-O-V-E” and “F-E-A-R” tattoos?
My first thought was that he'd killed Billy and taken macabre trophies since ha was all about the trophies. But that can't have been the case since Billy is now at large & up to his old tricks again. Poor Melissa!

26. “Sure you are. You just ain’t killed no one yet.” Do you think Jazz killed his mother? Or is Billy messing with his head with the note?
I am SO hoping that Billy is just messing with Jazz. Maybe mom is still alive somewhere...

27. Final thoughts of the book and overall rating? Are you intrigued enough to continue on with the series?
I thought it was really well done. A bit gross at times, but I suppose a serial killer has to be. I gave it a solid 4 star rating. I could not second guess anything & the characters seemed very realistic to me. I cared about them. That's what you need in any story.

I just found this thread! I'm on chapter 15 right now. I'd forgotten how fast-paced this series is. Lots of action & the world building is continuing quite nicely. I sometimes find the jumps in the POV somewhat disconcerting & occasionally have to go back to see who is speaking/thinking.

Laia seems to be coming into her own more. Her strong personality & perseverance are becoming more evident with every passing day!

I was so surprised that the Commandant would (view spoiler)[try to kill her own child! What an unnatural mother! Then to intentionally poison him & let him die a lingering & painful death? (hide spoiler)]

This society seems to me to be a loose combination of Ancient Rome / Sparta & some middle eastern countries. They're ruthless!
Poor Helene! (view spoiler)[It's bad enough for her to have been tortured, but now she'll have to hunt down & kill her best friend...(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

Erin, I've got a bunch of Buddy reads to finish as well! I was thinking we'd have all of August to finish them! This July 31st is really a game changer. Now I need to settle down and focus! Yikes!

Ok! I jumped into the BR for Shakespeare's Landlord which I finished earlier this month. Please see msg. 20 & 21!
Still can't post a link.... 😊

Maggie:
(view spoiler)[Maggie is a great person, lovable, funny, warm, generous & compassionate. She describes herself as everyone's surrogate daughter. (hide spoiler)]

Fr. Tim:
(view spoiler)[He's the perfect man for Maggie -- except that he's the town Roman Catholic priest! (hide spoiler)] I also have a difficult time separating him from Fr. Tim in the Jan Karon novels!

Foreshadowing:
(view spoiler)[ I mentioned in my previous comment that I picked up the book because of the cute puppy on the cover. I'm getting the feeling that the cute puppy will be a replacement pet for poor old Colonel! (hide spoiler)] Tearing up already... *sniff*

I just happened upon this BR thread tonite! It seems like I am always a day late and a dollar short!
I am absolutely loving this book! I classify this sort of story as 'brain candy.' It is definitely chick-lit and fluffy, but it's like a vacation for your brain. I'm almost finished with it and it's made me laugh and snort out loud many times. I took it with me to a doctor's appointment today & I got lots of strange looks in the waiting room!
Call me shallow, but I first decided to read it because of the cute puppy on my copy's cover...

Lily Herself:
(view spoiler)[ I thought that Lily might have been a bit 'challenged' at first, what with her odd jobs and walks at night. Then I realized that she was deeply disturbed and didn't want her new little town finding out about her mysterious and troubling past. People just would not react well to it when they found out. She was smart to keep quiet about it. In a big city it probably wouldn't have been such a huge deal, but in Shakespeare they're quick to judge you... (hide spoiler)] She actually turned out to be one of my favorite heroines. Very smart & quick on the uptake!

Marshall:
(view spoiler)[ I had some reservations about Marshall. He was undoubtably attractive to Lily especially because he was her instructor & therefore in a dominant role. Also he's very physically fit! I was just a bit sad that he was a married man. No matter how bat shit crazy the Mrs. may be.... He did seem to be very caring towards Lily, though. (hide spoiler)]

The rest of the townfolk:
Once again Ms. Harris has created a Southern town filled with eccentric characters! Some are lovely, others not quite as likeable... there are lots of secrets around!

Sarah wrote: "Hi all,

Sorry I've been MIA for the last several days. I had a wake and funeral to go to. Because of the wake and funeral I also had to postpone my IV treatment and due to that, I'm rather fatigue..."

Hope you're feeling better soon, Sarah!

I'm in to the end, too -- in case I didn't say it clearly earlier! I am totally loving this challenge! My quest to finish a book a day isn't quite working out, but I should start finishing vast quantities all at once soon. :)

DQ 3: Chapters 18 - 28

14. After sharing his theory and brainstorming, Jazz totally manipulated Connie and Howie to get them to go with him to look for evidence instead of calling the Sheriff. (And we've seen him manipulate a lot of people, especially women, before.) What do you think about this behavior?
I just think he's a teenager! He's cute and charismatic. It's an impulse and a tribute to instant gratification to use any means possible to get what you want.

15. Jazz spends a lot of time taking care of his Grandmother, and she is awfully toxic. Why do you think he is so determined to stay with her instead of going to a foster home? Is Melissa right to decide to move him out?
He wants to control as much of his life as humanly possible. He knows it's not a good environment, but he knows what to expect there. Much more preferable than the unknown. Melissa should have moved him when he was younger. Now that it's just months to his 18th birthday, I really don't see the point to it,

16. Wow the scene with Ginny was very intense. What did it make you think of with regards to Jazz - his feelings of pleasure conflicting with trying to help? Do you like him any less or more?
I still like him the same. Very much so. It's not his fault. He was conditioned to think like that from a very young age. He was basically brainwashed into learned behaviors.

17. Erickson keeps showing up and being pretty abusive? Is he a red herring or something more? (Ha I guess don't answer this if you have read this book before - unless you remember what you thought at the time.)
I'm thinking red herring for sure. But I just love to hate him!

18. How did the Impressionist know about Jazz's room (or did he?)? Do you think he is going to interact even more with Jazz now, even though it is against orders?
I think the Impressionist just came upon Jazz's creepy room by accident when he got into the house. He probably won't be able to keep himself away from Jazz anymore.

19. The scene with the dog and learning not to cry was really horrific. I think that interposed with the scene where he cries when talking to Connie are important. Any thoughts?
How could anyone, much less a parent do that and make a child watch? Horrible. Poor Rusty! I think Jazz really had to break down mental barriers in order for him to cry at all, much less in front of Connie.

20. Speaking of Connie, what do you think about what she said to Jazz in Chapter 28?
I had never even thought about Jazz picking Connie not only for her beauty or total awesomeness, but also because she was black and defied 'type.' Interesting...
I was so shocked when she called him on his pity party & challenged him to just kill her! What a badass! I was also very surprised when she just drove off... Girl power!

21. Is it right for the Sheriff to have Jazz help in the investigation?
Absolutely not! He's still a minor & should be somewhere far away in intensive therapy!

Hi everyone! Checking in from Team Hermoine Granger....
I finished Shakespeare's Landlord earlier this month & am about to read Shakespeare's Champion, #2 in the series. Let me start by saying that I am a huge Charlaine Harris fan!! I love Sookie Stackhouse. I was so sorry when the series ended. I intentionally did not watch TrueBlood until I had finished all the books. I'm only on season 4 now, and while I enjoy the show, it's totally different from the book.

That being said, I didn't know that there was a TV show involving Midnight Texas! I enjoyed it as well as the books, but we all know that the book is always better!!

Don't laugh, but I put off reading Shakespeare because I thought it would literally be about William Shakespeare! More of a period mystery. Was I ever surprised! Ms. Harris is the master of odd heroines, and Lily Bard does not disappoint.

I loved that Lily was a karate practioner and that she took her training so seriously. You get that she has a dark secret right away, but really have no clue as to what it may be...

Hi dear Captains! I have yet another question... Is it possible to join a BR for a book that I finished earlier this month?

How to Pack: Travel Smart for Any Trip
Author: Hitha Palepu
Finished 7/20/18
Page count: 128
Non fiction... So no characters
Very interesting book. I'm actually going to try some of her principles as I am a chronic overpacker!

Steven wrote: "It will probably end mid-August. Sónia and the mods were working hard to get triwizard posted ASAP, hopefully this weekend I believe"

Cool! Thanks, Steven! I will get to finish my epic. It is interesting, but I'm finding the war parts a bit tedious. It doesn't help that it's written in tiny print! I'm giving my self assignments of at least 25 pages a day. 🤓