Suzanne’s Comments (group member since Aug 13, 2015)

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

Thanks for the heads up Rebecca. I'll get my last books in and see what I can help with. I'm busy for the next few hours, but then should have chunks of time here and there.

Yes you can certainly spell a dessert or drink with a long book if you so desire.

Good idea about the highlighting - that'll make it a lot easier to spot things!

I haven't been good about long books either. Oh well. We may be lacking drinks and desserts- but they can all drink coffee and tea :)

I added a couple books / meals to the spreadsheet but was too lazy to also add them here. I have two - possibly three - books I will finish before the month's deadline.

It has been a lot easier for me personally to add and create meals as I go.

I hope you are all having a good end of the month!

Wow where does time go!?

Completion Post
Book: The Night Shift by Alex Finlay

BOM Questions answered:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I need to determine SIO and Scavenger still

Suzanne's BOM Posts

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/...

Day 5: chapters 58 - end

16. We finally find Vince. Was this strand satisfactory to you? If not, why?

I really didn't see this happening. It totally made some of the character's actions fit together. But it also made me really sad because I wanted Vince to be vindicated.


17. The big reveal of the dastardly murderer and their motive! Did you enjoy the action packed conclusion? I kind of enjoyed it but I was so sad about Atticus. I kept waiting for them to revive him :( Steadman seemed quite unhinged.

18. The epilogue, one year later, shines some light on the fates of our characters. Did you like this way of wrapping up the story? I was glad to see what happened, especially with the twins. I really liked Keller's husband and his 100% support. I loved him all the way through and especially at the end.

DAY 4 Q QUESTIONS - CHAPTERS 43-57

13. This is my first read by author Alex Finlay and I'm enjoying the writing style and story a lot. Got me thinking is "Alex", a male or female writer? I guessed male and via the blurb this was correct. Does the writing style have a more masculine leaning or do you think it's genderless? I really enjoyed this and will for sure look for more by this author. I was wondering the same thing - I had originally thought male also, then the writing and all of the female main characters made me think female. Alex did a great job.

14. Clare pulls Chris up about a conflict of interest being on the defense team which really seems like a no brainer! Thinking back on what we know about their relationship do you think they will stay together or are they on a one way ticket to Splitsville? I think she's trying to change Chris to be more what she wants, and they are just too different. Although she doesn't seem like a horrible person.

15. Why do you think the author wrote Special Agent Keller as hugely pregnant with twins? Does it make a difference about how you view her as a character and her actions as a FBI agent? I'm not sure, but I liked that part of her life - a big part, but not the only part. And I REALLY like her character.

16. Big revelations by the end of this section.. Jesse is the secret child of Katie one of the victims of the first crime and Joe Arpeggio has covered up evidence. Do these startling facts bring you any closer to guessing Whodunnit? I did not see that coming at all, although I should have. (both the things .... I didn't expect either one). I've been sticking with my original guess.

DQs Day 3
Chapters 26 to 43

9.) Did Ella coming from that level of money surprise you? Does it change your opinion of her so far? I did like that she corrected Jesse about the fact that her mother is rich, not her. I was surprised about Ella's background, and I still wonder about the whole trust fund thing. I liked how Jessie interacted with Ella's mom.


10.) Some more 1999 flashbacks and Vince has popped into the story again. Anyone else remember Zima? Tried to make it seem classy to drink but some things are okay never coming back. Was Zima something y'all remember? Was there a drink you remember from your younger days that you thought was super klassy at the time but now makes you cringe? I do remember Zima being kind of a "light" drink but I don't really remember anything that used to be super popular then as far as drinks. Diet Coke is still going strong :)

11.) And the plot thickens with the reveals about Jesse both her arrest and the situation with Chad from her previous school. Thoughts on where that plot thread may lead? I did not guess it'd be that kind of trouble from Jesse's old school. I thought Chad seemed pretty believable when he explained what happened. But ???

12.) Well, we've reached the middle of the book. Liking it so far? Predictions on the killer? If Vince will pop back up and give Chris a hug? Will Ella reconnect with her first love that was in the pictures being used as a bookmark? I am liking the book a lot so far. I've guessed a lot of people as the killer so far :) My biggest guess thus far is the principal. I do hope Vince returns and that he and Chris have a happy ending.

Day 2 Chapters 13-25

5. Keller runs into a house under siege to protect the son of a person of interest. What do you think of her rise to badass agent? Will this interfere with her ability to do her job? I liked Keller's courage in doing that - and it makes sense it'd go viral. It'e be very scary to go into such a tense situation - dangerous!

6. I am really enjoying the Nirvana Travel Vlog. I think the author does a pretty good job of using script formation to explain the action in these scenes. What do you think? Is the mysterious vlogger Vince? Do you have a favorite vlog you follow?I don't follow vlogs, but I do like this one. I am almost positive it is Vince.

7. The Secret Service having knowledge of Chris and Vince's father because of cigarette smuggling was unexpected. While I am familiar with some of the history of the Secret Service and their anti-counterfeit start, I did not think they would be involved in such matters. Do you like it when authors introduce these tidbits into their narratives?I had no idea about cigarette smuggling, but it makes sense! I do love learning trivia from books!

8. The author has used the phrase "tap eyes" a couple of times so far. I think it means a quick glimpse at the other person, not that they are high fiving with their eyeballs or tapping their own eyeballs with their fingers in unison. I find this term odd. Have you seen it in other books or heard it somewhere else? Is this a new phrase for you as well? It's a totally new phrase for me!

Good point :) I want to make meal names and descriptions sometime too because that took a lot of time when we were trying to do it all at once. We know a lot more this month though!

Thanks! I can fill in some missing spots too I think - I don't have anything else finished yet, but probably tomorrow and Thursday I'll have a couple.

DQs Day 1 - Prologue - chapter 12:

1. How are you liking it so far ? The chapters are quite short and written from multiple pov's. Is that something you usually enjoy ? It depends on the book if I enjoy the short/multi pov chapters, but it's certainly working for me in this one!

2. The prologue was full of nostalgia. Unfortunately we don't get to revist the 90s since that first chapter. Was New Year's Eve 1999 something special for you ? Did you celebrate the new millennium in a more 'significant' way ? I just remember the worry about the Y2K bug. For me the prologue brought back so many memories of Blockbuster! Wow things have changed.

3. What do you make of Jesse and her online background research on Ella ? The research made me think that Jesse is quite smart. And I liked that she investigated Ella because Ella is in a position of trust and Jesse is being less naïve and not just jumping into trusting her.

4. 'Goodnight pretty girl'. Do you think that the Blockbuster case and the Ice cream shop incident are related ? Do you think Chris' brother, Vince, might be involved somehow ? I think for sure they are related, and I don't think Vince is involved. But my detective brain is working hard and thinking it has to be someone associated with the school because of the knife in the locker. Or possibly the dad because he is awful.

Completion Post
The Vampire's Priceless Treasure
Read 10/15

Spell it Out
Not used Yet:
(title and author)
T
V
K
Characters
G - Grason Garrett
D - Dupree (lucien and Kora)
H - Hattie
C - Catalina
E Elenora
V - Vittoria
R - Ricci
I - Imari, Ivan

Completion Post
The Extinction Trials
Read 10/15

Not used yet:
T - The title
A - Author first name
R - author last name
Characters:
O - Owen
M - Maya
Y - Young
C - Cara
B - Blair
A - Alistair
P - Parrish
W - will

Completion Post
Braking Day
Read 10/15

Need to use for Spellout - used for Meal 30 - most of the letters in Abalone (missing N and E)

Characters haven't used yet
R Ravi
M MacLeod
B Boz
V Vladimir
S Sophie
I Ibori

Well really , the coffee is worth a lot of points too, so that works great! Plus face painting - you are finding so many bonus points.

I've been able to open some books on Google books and search inside for food - but some aren't available or food is hard to find. There's lots of good spellout letters with that one too.

It's a tougher challenge than many because it's not just tracking books! But we are doing great.