Rebecca ’s Comments (group member since Sep 03, 2016)

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

Stacey wrote: "Day 2 Questions

6 . 'I wonder how many strings she had to pull and how much money she had to throw away to get me into this trial'
This quote caught my attention because in the UK we don't have to..."

Thanks for being a healthcare hero!

Suzanne wrote: "Day 2 Questions

6 . 'I wonder how many strings she had to pull and how much money she had to throw away to get me into this trial'
This quote caught my attention because in the UK we don't have to..."

I agree so many contradictions you just don't know what to believe minute to minute. One minute it's wipe everything down when you get home from the store, the next minute it's it can't live on surfaces, then it's it can live on surfaces for x amount of time. You just don't know what to believe.

Day 2 Questions

6 . 'I wonder how many strings she had to pull and how much money she had to throw away to get me into this trial'
This quote caught my attention because in the UK we don't have to pay for treatment, even in a clinical trial in the UK. Did it catch anyone else's notice?
I noticed it and I also wondered if the topic of buying a transplanted organ might come up especially since Will can't be on the transplant list right now.

7. Are you surprised at how quickly Stella has become attached to Will? I wasn't expecting this strength of reaction to him not taking his treatment seriously. Did you think it was in character?
No not surprised at all. It's YA and this genre tends to move quickly and be all in. I did because she seems to be very serious about her own treatment.

8. Wow Will's mum is controlling. I'm not surprised he's ended up rebelling from taking his treatments. Do you think you'd react like Stella (perfectionist, controlling about treatment and planning for the future) or Will (fed up, rebellious and living for the moment) to being in this type of situation?
I'd have to say I'd probably be a combination of the two. I'd like to think that I'd be the ideal patient but I also know I have my limits when it comes to being sick. I want to go out and live not be stuck in a hospital spinning my wheels.

9. Masks, lots of hand washing, staying 6 feet (or roughly 2m) apart, limited places you can go… The recent pandemic is giving me more insight into some of what this must be like than I'd had before. How are you coping with the changes?
I'm a GP trainee so have been at work throughout with a massive shift to remote consultations. That bit is easier compared to entertaining a 2 year old without any of the friends/family/groups as distractions!
I'm doing great! I'm loving this not because I want a pandemic to be going on but because I like being home. I like not having to go anywhere. I spend so much of my life out and about between work, errands and life that it's been nice to be able to stay home.

That has to be really different for you. I would think that remote consultations could be difficult between technical issues and being able to be in the same room with a patient to diagnose their needs. Thanks for being a healthcare hero!

Faith wrote: "Tammie wrote: "Faith wrote: "I finished Year One this morning so I've added it to the round 2 spreadsheet. I haven't put my next books on because I have a few things on the go and a..."

We all need one of those every once in awhile! Mindless tv...Hallmark starts Christmas in July on Monday. I for one cannot wait! I love all the cheesy hokey movies. Happy endings for everyone :)

Bernadette wrote: "I was able to get a copy of The Sun Down Motel from the Library 📚 today. It will nice to read a real book 📖 again. I’ve been reading ebooks for the last few months. Oh...and I got t..."

I know what you mean about holding an actual book. It’s a nice change.
Glad you were able to get your nails done. I’m going to get my hair “did” tomorrow. I seriously cannot wait!

Discussion Questions - Day 1

1) From what I know, this book is the novelization of the movie. While this doesn’t happen too often, I’ve read a couple books before that were only written after a movie/series (e.g. The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet). Have you ever read a book like this? What did you think? Was it successful? Did this experience influence your expectations of this book?
I can't remember if I ever have. If I have it must not have been a very memorable story.


2) Stella and Will, wearing face masks & using copious amounts of hand sanitizer before it was cool. All jokes aside, this is an oddly timely reminder that face masks do make a difference to prevent the spreading of diseases. I knew next to nothing about CF before starting this book and I’ve seen very mixed reactions to the representation of CF so I was wondering… do you have any experience with CF and therefore expectations? (If you don’t feel comfortable answering, feel free to just skip this question!)
I grew up with a girl who had CF unfortunately she passed away while we were in high school. I don't remember much about her disease but I do remember she couldn't participate in a lot of things. She was also in the hospital often. Stacey was such a life of the party person. Everyone wanted to be her friend. I wasn't close to her but I remember her being very happy.
Every year the town would have a bike-a-thon to raise money for CF every year. It was a big thing, you would get sponsors for donations for every lap you rode. My friends and I would always ride together until about halfway through when someone would either fall behind or drop out from being tired. There were snacks and drinks and it was like a big party. Everything is a big party when you're 8 years old!

3) "If I’m going to die, I’d like to actually live first.“ This quote from Will’s POV reminded me of the countless bucket list stories and made me wonder whether this will go in that direction. Yet while Will takes more of a Devil-May-care attitude, Stella is very cautious to follow the rules. Do you think Will’s attitude is going to influence Stella as they got closer (literally?!). Will she also take more (dangerous) risks?
If this book goes the way most YA books of this nature go then yes they'll both take on a little of the characteristics of each other.


4) Stella is a "tech nerd", even programming her own app. Most MCs in YA books have artsy, "girly" hobbies (sorry for using that terrible gendered stereotype), if they have any prominent hobbies at all. Books about artsy people are among my favorites and I’m always on the hunt for more. While I like traditional hobbies, some of my favorite books (e.g. With the Fire on High) have non-mainstream hobbies and I am actually quite excited to learn more about this aspect of Stella’s story. Have you read any other books where the main character had a prominent hobby that wasn’t drawing/painting/writing/theater/an instrument?
This is terrible but I can't think of anything off the top of my head. I'm sure I probably have it's just not coming to me.


5) Stella’s parents are recently divorced, in what she calls the “most ridiculous divorce of all time”, and she worries a lot about them. It both breaks my heart and confuses me slightly why it is so far being kept from us what happened - we only know that Stella believes both parents are unhappy after the separation. So… what do you think happened?
I have no idea what happened so I'll take a guess. Maybe fighting over Stella's treatment or growing apart or maybe just lack of communication. It's really hard to say at this point.

Tammie wrote: "@Rebecca--Re Broken Harbor. I changed the version to reflect the task of 'geological feature' of book. That version is 533 pages. Large print pg version I don't believe is allowed...will have this ..."

Sounds good! Thanks Tammie!

Hello everyone,

I think I have all my books listed and shelved correctly for the check-in today. Please let me know if I need to change anything. I don't think I'm going to get another book in like I planned. I unfortunately have too much going on in my brain right now to concentrate to read. Sorry!

Thank you captains for all your hard work!

I put in a request for page numbers to the librarians group yesterday for Love by Roddy Doyle. Today I bumped the request and still no answer. I’m getting nervous the page numbers won’t be there in time for this round. I’m going to keep stalking it and if I have to I’ll make another new request. Sorry...

Suzanne wrote: "Discussion Questions - Day 1


1) This is not a book I would’ve picked up on my own, and from the beginning I felt very strongly that I’m not the target (age) group, so I’m extra curious how I’m go..."

I have people I only call and people I only text. I'm not a huge texter I would rather say it and be done and I would also like an answer right then. I don't like the waiting around for someone to text back or not knowing if they received the text. I'm usually a pretty patient person and I would have to say that most people I text with are very good about answering in a reasonable amount of time. My question though is what is a reasonable amount of time?

Cat wrote: "oh! also - I wondered why Winston chose Lee's bathroom. Seems very strange - like a punishment for her?"

I wondered that too! I also wondered if maybe there was something about Lee that was different from the other two kids. I don't want to say anything else here to spoil it for anyone though.

Cat wrote: "We none of us like Matt! Is he too much a villain though? Is it better that he's clearly a wrong 'un or do you prefer more complicated characters?"

Matt is just creepy. You know from the get go that there has to be something going on. His part/description is pretty minor though so I wouldn't say he's a major villain. I think if we saw him more that he could potentially be a bigger villain. This is a family drama book there has to be a villain!

Just finished Day 3 questions. I put the link in column Z because I didn’t want to modify the ss and end up messing it up. I hope I didn’t create a bundle of work for anyone

Discussion Questions - Day 3 - Parts 5 & 6

9. Structure: "The Jetsetters" is divided into nine parts with an average of five different chapters (other than Part 1, which had nine chapters) in each part. Each chapter has, as yet, indicated a point of view change. What do you think the different parts are designating, if anything? How is it affecting your reading of the book, if at all?
Maybe the flow of the story. They are really designating anything for me other than unfolding the story of each character bit by bit. I like it. It doesn't bother me at all. I think because they have secrets it's good to see how they are working these secrets out in their minds.

10. Setting: So far, the Perkins have visited, in some capacity, Athens, Rhodes, and, most recently, Malta. How has the Mediterranean setting impacted both the story and the characters, if at all? And how do you think the story and characters would have been affected if the cruise was traveling through a different setting (say the Perkins boarded an Alaskan cruise line), if there would be any?
I don't think the setting has impacted anything. They could be anywhere in the world on vacation and still be harboring the secrets they each have.

11. Minor Character (Paros): As a follow up to question eight (since I am biasedly refusing to discuss Matt at any great length if I can help it), Paros has positively influenced both Charlotte (in feeling seen and admired) and Lee (in reconnecting with her family after coming to some big personal realizations). Why do you think Paros (and not Charlotte's recently deceased friend Minnie or Lee's one-time therapist) has been able to make these positive influences? Do you think this will continue and Paros will positively influence Regan and Cord in some way? If so, how?
Paros is a complete stranger that someone she feels she'll never see again. Sometimes it is easier to come clean to a stranger. I think he will influence the others in time which also help his relationship with Charlotte.

12. Minor Character (Kiko): Kiko's character has been used to further characterize the children indirectly: signifying Regan's meticulous mind (a mind that is plotting a murder, ha!), Lee's reformed ways rejecting the advances of men, and Cord's attraction towards men. Is Charlotte's character also indirectly characterized via Kiko? If so, how? (Also, I was so dismayed because Cord was my favorite character and his engagement to Giovonni was so cute and yet many of you predicted that Cord would be outted by being caught in a compromising situation by his family! gasp! So I ask you...) Was Cord's flirting with Kiko harmless, or was it a foreshadowing of a similar situation to come later in the novel?
Maybe in that she doesn't really know them anymore. I thought it was unusual that they all decided to go to a stranger's house. I was expecting something major to happen while they were there. Cord needs to get his act together before he blows what he says is the best thing that ever happened to him.

Ok thanks I’ll make sure I do 3. I didn’t want us to lose out on these easy points. I’m almost done with the book. It’s actually better than I thought it might be

I just did the questions for the first two days of the BOM for The Jetsetters and linked my comments on the spreadsheets. Do we need to do any more than the two days? I'll be honest I really don't enjoy answering discussion questions it's just not my thing but in the interest of extra points I am more than willing to do them. Also, in past Wheel-a-thons we had to reply to a couple of people. Do we need to do that as well?

Discussion Questions Day 2: Parts 2 - 4

5. We get more flashbacks to Charlotte's early life in Paris, and start to get an understanding of why her family isn't close or communicative - she herself was brought up to repress feelings. Will her current crush on Paros blossom into a full relationship? How will her fascination with Paros help or hinder her main aim of this holiday - to reconnect her children?
I think she will have a relationship with Paros, it almost seems inevitable, it's a little too convenient almost. I think will both help and hinder. The relationship will make her happier and therefore able to be more understanding of her children's problems.

6. Cord: he jettisons a year and a half of sobriety very easily, though I did enjoy how the author then used his drunken ramble through the ship to show off some of the glorious absurdities of massive cruise ships. Will Cord be able to pull himself together over the cruise or is he going to self-sabotage any happiness he might have had? Do you think Charlotte would react badly to his coming out of the closet? Any guesses on how he gets outed?
I think Cord will finally come to terms with his demons, with his past and present and all the unhappiness he has. He doesn't realize or come to terms with that for as happy as he thinks he is he is actually just as massively unhappy. I think Charlotte would be surprised but I think she would be understanding just from the description of her wanting to put him to bed the one night. I think he'll drunkenly blurt it out.

7. Lee: We get confirmation that Winston did commit suicide, and chose to do it in her bathroom (what a $*!@$!). Why would Charlotte make her lie to her siblings about how he died? And why does no one call her out about her lies about her career?
Charlotte wanted to hide it from them. Suicide is not an easy thing to understand when you're a child. It's not easy to come to terms with as an adult either. She was also probably embarrassed. No one really knows what is going on with Lee right now. They are also all so wrapped up in themselves that they just don't care about calling her out on it.

8. Regan: plotting murder! The plot thickens! What do you think the private detective has turned up? I assume it must be worse that infidelity, because you don't hire a PI unless you suspect infidelity, right? ('cos of course we have all thought about having our partners trailed rather than just, y'know, communicating with them!) Do you find the flashbacks to Matt rescuing Regan from the artist teacher (shades of Charlotte again!) make him more likeable?
I have no idea. Embezzlement, an affair, abuse, who knows? It makes him likeable for that time period not necessarily in the present.

Discussion Questions - Day 1


1) This is not a book I would’ve picked up on my own, and from the beginning I felt very strongly that I’m not the target (age) group, so I’m extra curious how I’m going to feel about this. Had you heard about this book before it was chosen as BOM? What were your expectations going in?
No, I had never heard of the book or the author before it was picked for BOM. My expectations from the description were gave me the feeling that it might be along the lines of an Elin Hilderbrand book.


2) I was surprised to see that the POVs rotates. Somehow the blurb made me think the whole book would be from Charlotte’s POV. Whose POV are you enjoying the most so far? Who is your favorite character?
I don't have a favorite yet it's too early in the book and the characters aren't well developed yet. If I had to pick one I would have to say Charlotte.

3) While Charlotte is supposedly the closest to Regan out of all her kids, their POVs show that they actually resent each other the most out of any of our four main characters. I can understand where Regan’s coming from, but Charlotte’s dislike of Regan so far is quite a mystery to me. What do you think is at the core here?
All I can think of is that she was the last one at home after Winston passed and she has a love/hate relationship with the fact that she wasn't able to provide the life for Regan that the other two kids had.

4) What do you think will happen on the trip? Will they even do the whole thing? Who will be the first to pack their bags and run back home? Which secrets will come out first?
I think that secrets will come out and feelings will be hurt. I don't think any of them will leave and come all the way home. I think Regan will be annoyed by her husband and want him to go home. My guess is that Lee will spill the beans first but it's hard to say.

Just finished Broken Harbor, started The Jetsetters and will be doing the first set of questions shortly and also reading Love by Roddy Doyle but not sure where that will end up on the spreadsheet. I should be able to read it quite quickly because it's basically a conversation. Still trying to land a copy of Five Feet Apart.

Amber wrote: "They posted the words for round 2. Our next word is Sea Kayaking."

A lot of the same letters as this round so if someone isn’t able to finish a book it should be easy to move it to the next round