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

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

I will volunteer for DQs for White Rabbit. I'm not sure how long this read will go, but if chosen, the first 5 days are the ones I could do - I'll be on airplanes after that - so it's just harder :)

Completion Post
The Bad Seed
Date Read: 10/25
Pages: 226

Letters:
B - title
L - Leroy (character)
O - Octavia (character)
D - Daigel (character)

Bonus: YES -- tagged Horror 620 times

Completion Post
The Last Guest by Tess Little
Date: 10/24/21
Rating: 3.5 stars
Pages: 336

Letters: L (title)
B: Bell (character last name)

Have a great remainder of the weekend!

You didn't miss anything - it was just a tentative book and I hadn't read it (or even started it! So now I can relax! Thanks Stacie!

And thanks Aiswrya for the quick response!

Wow great job team!

Completion Post
Book: 1414°
Date Read: 10/21/21
Letters:
O (title)
E (Character Elmsley)

I have another book I'll finish today or possibly tomorrow, and then I'll likely have time for one more short one before the deadline. It looks to me like we have the bonus covered? But if not, let me know and I'll read one of those. Otherwise I have a book I need to review that I'll choose. :)

Completion Post

Read: 10/21
Pages: 403
Letters:
D- Author last name Douglas
O - Narrator (I listened to the audio book) Katie O'Flynn
Bonus - YES - Ferris wheel on cover

It's not my favorite genre either. But non-fiction would probably be tough since characters can't be used.

I downloaded audio books Odd Thomas, and The Bad Seed - we'll see how those go.

Completion Post - Baby Powder
Title: City of Songs by Anthony Ryan
Pages: 160
Letters
A - Anthony (author)
R - Ryan (author)
O - Orsena (major character)

We have til Saturday the 23rd at 9 London time - is that correct?

I'm partly done with 3 that I'll have finished for sure. One of them has a Ferris Wheel for the bonus. I could possibly fit in another bonus book (I found a couple short ones) if we end up needing one - I'll see once I'm done with these 3.

Completion Post

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
Date Read: 10/19
Rating: 3 stars
Pages: 352 (Official count for Group Read)
Letters:
Y- Tyler Yang
A - Agnes

This was a group read and I wrote questions for day 5. The links are in the spreadsheet.

Day 5 - 20 to End

17. This last part had some big reveals. Did you predict the identity of the Horned Man? What about the Hollow Sisters and how they came to be? Share your thoughts.
Both of these surprised me, especially the identity of the Horned Man. My theory had been that it was the person who abducted the girls when they were children. As for the girls, I kind of suspected they were changelings/dopplegangers. But I didn't suspect that Grey was the instigator.

18. What do you think about how Iris' relationships with her mother and with Grey ended up?
I really liked Iris' character in breaking ties with Grey, even though at some level she still loved her sister. I LOVED how the relationship with the mom turned out - how they were honest with each other. And the line about "I've been your mother for ten years - of course I'm your mother."

19. Do you think Iris and Vivi will find any trace of Tyler? What did you think of that way to end the story? I'm not sure what to think, which is why I asked this. I guess it's cool ending on a mystery, but I felt like Tyler was gone and was fine with that, so.... I just don't know! But ew - I'd never voluntarily go back to a place where my toenails fell off.

20. What did you rate the book and why? What was your very favorite thing about it, and what is the thing you disliked the most? I'd rate the first 5-6 chapters and the last 2-3 chapters 4 stars, and the rest 3 stars. There was too much explanation for me in the middle and I just wanted to get to the end. My favorite thing was probably how the relationship with the mom turned out - although I didn't like how overprotective it was throughout the book. My least favorite part was reading about the smells and I just felt like it had too much exposition.

Day 5 - 20 to End

17. This last part had some big reveals. Did you predict the identity of the Horned Man? What about the Hollow Sisters and how they came to be? Share your thoughts.

18. What do you think about how Iris' relationships with her mother and with Grey ended up?

19. Do you think Iris and Vivi will find any trace of Tyler? What did you think of that way to end the story?

20. What did you rate the book and why? What was your very favorite thing about it, and what is the thing you disliked the most?

DAY 4 - CHAPTERS 15-19

13. Getting closer to the end now where all will be revealed. Does the character of Agnes Young and hearing the story of Tyler's near drowning shed any more light on the sister's story? I think it at least made sense why Tyler could cross with Iris. I felt bad for Agnes.

14. I enjoyed reading the research Iris did into the masked man. Who do you think he is and what is his agenda regarding the three sisters? I liked the research too. It made me want to see if the picture she talked about with the guy eating an infant really exists. I finished the book this morning, so I know about the horned guy - but I was incorrect in my ideas at this stage.

15. "Outside Edinburgh was steeped in predawn darkness. We headed toward Saint Giles' Cathedral...We walked, shivering through the Old Town's warren of narrow lanes.." It made a lot more sense in an old city with old doors and lots of history, than in a newer or more urban place. I liked this question because it was something I hadn't thought about.


16. Finally Iris and Tyler make a break through entering the strange place through the doorway.I was kind of wanting to just get to the end at this point (which is a common feeling for me in horror books. I did think the descriptions of the place beyond the door were pretty gruesome. I didn't like the rot or the smells, which I guess was the point!

Day 3: Chapters 11-15

9.Let’s talk about Cate. What could Grey have possibly said to her to make a mother hate her child? (If she is her child.) What do you think of Cate and Iris’ relationship?
I've been wondering the same thing. My current guess (because it's the only thing I can think of that would be awful enough) is something along the lines of "I killed your daughters"

10. What do you think causes the sisters to have the power of suggestion, or the power of the kiss, or whatever you call it? It must be something that they brought back with them. But other than that - I don't know!

11. How do you feel about Grey's actions in the hospital and during the escape? I kept going back and forth between thinking she's evil and thinking she knows things nobody else knows. Killing the policeman seemed bad, unless he really wasn't what he seemed as she claimed. And she DID tell the doctor to run.

12. The girl says “It is in me…In her…In you.” What is in them? And, may I say, yuck. This story seems very myth-laden. Has anyone recognized the myth yet, or do you think this is an original one? Are you enjoying the story so far? (Is anyone else having a flashback to the creepy video in season one of True Detective, or is it just me?) I don't recognize the myth, but I'm feeling ready for some answers - it's time. And I agree - yuck. The ants were so very freaky to me.

No google search for me :)

Day 2: Chapters 6-10

5. Grey leaves her sisters a note that reveals the creepy guy is really a very bad person...that she's in peril. She provides a key and sends them to a super creepy apartment...'The missing sister, the dead body, the burned apartment, the gunshot wound, the armful of stolen artifacts. Even harder: the man in the skull, the flowers growing rampant in all the soft parts of a corpse.' What is your conclusion so far?
Well I definitely feel like the horror portion has ramped up. I shudder at the vivid descriptions of the smells. And I'm not sure what is going on yet, but I feel like there must be a door/portal to another world, and bad things are coming through!!

6. Vivi and Iris find a diary from their father...his notes supporting the Vogue article with all kinds of rumors about the girls. What do you think about their father? Was he crazy? Are his girls dead? I don't think he was crazy - but maybe kind of driven crazy a bit? I would like to think the girls were "just" changed - but how can a parent comprehend those things. Plus everyone just told him he was crazy and to feel lucky when he KNEW something was wrong. Poor man.

7. What is with the flowers and vegetation found in the girls and around the girls? This organic, smelly stuff keeps showing up? What do you think is behind it? I don't know what's behind it, but it is creepy. I especially shudder at the flowers growing out of corpses - yikes! and yes smells - they are also ew.

8. Tyler shows up at the end of this section of our reading. There's an article referenced with mention of a disappearance. Someone else came back. What do you think is next? What will Tyler's role be...hero, bad guy, or is his appearance a cameo/distraction I don't really like him, but we haven't seen much of him so far. I think he may be a helper, but I doubt he'll be a hero - he doesn't seem the type.

Captains - what do you need for me to report for the group read points? (I don't see a spot in the spreadsheet). When I complete it, do you want me to link the daily questions I answered and wrote in this thread? Just let me know what works easiest for you :)