Bobbi ’s Comments (group member since Mar 10, 2016)

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

Suzanne wrote: "@Bobbi - can you put Archangel's Kiss on your shelf? Although...given my fuzzy brain, I may have just missed it! So...I stopped for now - although I did move over to the main spreadsheet first.

Lo..."

Done. 😊

Safe travels, Nanci. Enjoy the baby cuddles.

Nanci wrote: "Bobbi,
Could you please add "The Dragon Factory" to your shelf?
Thanks!"

Sorry about that! It's shelved correctly now.

Hey all! I just wanted to check and see how everything is going. I check this thread daily, but don't always have a lot to say. I'm still tossing books onto the SS, of course! We've been kicking some booty and it's been a lot of fun! I couldn't have asked for a better team 💗

Task Tracking

Day 1 -- Questions written
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5

Final Day DQs:

17. Charlie definitely came a long way towards leaning into the supervillain vibe before it was cruelly snatched away again. How about you? How would you decorate your supervillain lair?
Picture Dr. Evil's lait, ill tempered sea bass and all, done in reds and silver.

18. How did you feel about the ending? Right? Too convoluted? Predictable? Needs more cowbell?
First off, there's never enough cowbell. I like the ending. Charlie may have been used as a pawn by his uncle, but he got the things he wanted from the beginning.

19. If this was your first Scalzi, will you go back for more? If not your first, where would you rank this one compared to others you read?
Oh boy. I'd say this top 5 for me. I liked this one more than The Kaiju Preservation Society.

20. And finally... Cats. Do you have any? Are you under the delusion you own them, rather than the other way around? If you don't have cats, is that because you're wise to the fact they they are indeed evil supervillains intent on taking over the world, or some more mundane reason?
I have three cats. I did not train them, they trained me. Cats certainly would try to take over the world!

DQs Day 4: Ch 18 to 23

13) Well we now know what happens to Jacobs. No shark death for him! Were you surprised about how all that went down? Do you think all of those men (Dobrev, etc) are dead?
I was surprised that Jacobs seemed to be working with Tobias until the double cross. I think some of them may be dead, but I have my doubts about Dobrev.

14) "Humans do a good job of making outcasts." Do you agree with this statement?
I absolutely agree. As a species, we're very Us vs. Them.

15) Was everyone else as entertained as I was by the first Zoom call? There are times I'd love to do stuff like that at work.
I would love to do that. Williams was right that it was a total power move!

16) What did you think of Charlie's response to the attach on Jenny's Bay? Settling in to his super villain role?
I think it was smart. It was a show of power with a nice warning.

DQs: Day 3 ~ Chapters 12 – 17

9. It seems like the whole book is a test of Charlie’s character. Hera’s conversation with Charlie is one example. Charlie suddenly asks if Hera and Persephone like him. She says they were sent to watch him, but they like him because Charlie chose to take them in and treated them well. Do you think the book is portraying a series of tests from his uncle? What do you think it means?
I do think so. I think his uncle was probably a decent guy deep down, minus the obvious villainy, and he wants to find a successor a la Willy Wonka. He's faked his death once so there's nothing stopping him from doing it a second time.

10. “Business is business. It’s different from respect and friendship.” What did you think of this statement? Do you agree with it or do you think these things can’t be separated?
To me, it means you need to leave emotion out of business decisions, no matter who the other party is. I do agree because even if you despise someone, a business deal may come along that is advantageous to you both an you could miss out if you will only do business with people you like.

11. Charlie was quick to pick up clues on the Lombardy Convocation members. What did you think of his assessment? Did it change your opinion of him?
His assessment was pretty spot on. I've liked Charlie throughout the book, but it's nice to see he isn't as clueless as he may appear.

12. There has been a lot of great banter in the book so far. I have to say I think both parts with the dolphins were my favorites. What has been your favorite line/quote, or your favorite part of the book so far?
Besides the dolphins, my favorite part so far was Charlie finding out that part of the services his new venture offers is faking deaths for people. It's oddly altruistic in a way.

DQs: Day 2, Chap 7 - 11


5. We learn Hera and Persephone are both sentient cats. My cats love lying next to me and staring at my computer screen (when they’re not stomping all over my keyboard), so I can picture a cat using a computer vividly. What mischief would your pets come up with if they were sentient? Even if you don’t have pets, what mayhem do you think could happen?
I would fear for the world if my dog, Loki, or my cat, Chyna, could communicate. The snarky looks they give alone is something to behold. I often say that the only thing that stands between those two and world domination are thumbs.

6. Charlie seems to be surprisingly chill about going along with everything happening, from sentient animals to attempts on his life to being whisked away to the Caribbean. Does that make sense to you, with how his life was before the book started? How would you react if you found out your uncle was a supervillain?
It makes sense in a way. What has he got to lose? His house is gone, he doesn't particularly get along with his siblings, and he doesn't like his job. It's really hard to imagine any of my uncles as a super villain, but I imagine it would cause a pretty big existential crisis. I definitely wouldn't be as calm as Charlie!

7. Although travelling there was a bit of a hassle, St. Genevieve sounds like a pretty sweet place to be. Where would your ideal villain (sorry, process disruptor) lair be set?
As cool as a volcano would be, I picture myself as an old castle type of villain. Heavily fortified, of course, but high tech and updated on the inside (indoor plumbing please!) with a beautiful view.

8. We got a list of more or less exciting options including sharks, so: what is Charlie going to decide? How is Jacobs going to “die”? Or might his death end up being a real one after all?
I think Charlie will pick whatever he thinks is safest for Jacobs to fake, but probably not the barrel since they've talked about how often they use that one.

Bonus question: The (soon to be striking) dolphins have, uhm, quite the vocabulary. Any favorite insults? Do you want to give coming up with some creative insults a shot yourself?
I love it. I think scr*temonkey was my personal favorite. I often make up insults for my brother.

DQs: Day 1, Chap 1 - 6

1. I'm so excited to be reading another John Scalzi book with you all. He has quickly become one of my "always read" authors. Is this your first Scalzi book? What are your expectations?
I was really looking forward to his particular brand of snappy humor I've come to love and it's definitely there.

2. What are your first impressions of Charlie? Do you think he is using his sad life events as an excuse to coast through life easier as his siblings and attorney seem to imply? Do you relate to him so far?
I think Charlie is doing his best. We all grieve at different paces, no matter what sort of loss (his father's death or his divorce). I relate to that feeling of being stuck in neutral for a bit after something life changing and clawing your way out.

3. “When people name cats, they usually do it in one of three categories: food, physical characteristics or mythology,” Morrison explained. What do you think Mathilda imagines Charlie's choice of "the goddess route" says about him? What sort of name would you choose and what do you think that could tell someone about you?
I tend to think she understands how central Hera, and now Persephone, is to Charlie's well-being. Of my pets (dogs included!), I have three gods, one named after a physical characteristic, and two with human names. I've also used literary names in the past, which Morrison lumped in with god names, so I guess I tend to go the god route. I'm not really sure what it tells people about me.

4. What would your reaction be if a rich, but estranged family member left you a huge inheritance?
I have trust issues. I would be looking for the hidden strings immediately.

Kari wrote: "For the BOM questions, we only need to answer 3 days right? I think I read this but now I'm not sure"

Yeah, it's 3 days to count for the challenge

So question: I'm reading Velorio by Xavier Navarro Aquino for an X. Should I hold off and use it for a V or A?

Also, just FYI, my DQs are up.

DQs: Day 1, Chap 1 - 6

1. I'm so excited to be reading another John Scalzi book with you all. He has quickly become one of my "always read" authors. Is this your first Scalzi book? What are your expectations?

2. What are your first impressions of Charlie? Do you think he is using his sad life events as an excuse to coast through life easier as his siblings and attorney seem to imply? Do you relate to him so far?

3. “When people name cats, they usually do it in one of three categories: food, physical characteristics or mythology,” Morrison explained. What do you think Mathilda imagines Charlie's choice of "the goddess route" says about him? What sort of name would you choose and what do you think that could tell someone about you?

4. What would your reaction be if a rich, but estranged family member left you a huge inheritance?

Sorry, the end of my month got crazy. My questions are ready. :)

Suzanne wrote: " book of the month starts this Thursday. I'm going to hold off finishing it until next week, in hopes that it has a letter that will fit our upcoming spellout (w..."


Certainly will!

Yay! I'm so glad my book won! My team (Rap) seems pretty excited as well.

If possible, could I do Day One DQs?

Yay! I'm really looking forward to that one. Now to come up with questions lol

I'm going to *try* for an X or Y every couple of books or so. My first intentional book is X by Davey Davis. So many of my spell out challenges are going to be made easier by this round!

I found this. May be helpful! Books that start with X (multiple lists)

I know it was a BOM a few months ago, but if anyone didn't read Fourth Wing, the main male character's name starts with X.

Oof, finding X makes me cry