Kerri’s Comments (group member since Sep 29, 2015)

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

Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* wrote: "Kerri wrote: "My husband just let me know they were up! I'm looking forward to catching up with Eleven and the gang. Such a good show.
."

It is! Based on how much we enjoyed these four, this is de..."

That makes me even more excited to watch! I'm a lover of old horror films and I love a good, creepy piece of media.

Robin (Saturndoo) wrote: "Not sure what I will be reading next. I made my weekly trip to the library and got some books I'm anxious to start BUT I need to red the library books that I already have checked out. Does anyone have that probably? I really should be reading my own tbr instead of going to the library. But I just don't have that much self control."

I do the exact same thing, Robin 😂 I'll go back to return a book I finished and end up walking out with three or four more! One day I'll learn...

Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* wrote: "I just got back from grocery shopping and am now looking for relax mode. 3 days weekend for me. Son and I watched the first four episodes of Stranger Things today and it was great."

My husband just let me know they were up! I'm looking forward to catching up with Eleven and the gang. Such a good show.

Annalisa wrote: "I just finished the backroom BOM. I’ll get questions updated tomorrow. It was better than I expected. Which is a good thing for these books."

I just finished Wildfire and I have to agree. It was a lot better than I was anticipating. I had a great time reading it.

I'll get the spreadsheet updated in a moment! Preparing for another day out with the family. I also finished The A.B.C. Murders, so I'll have that updated, as well! I'm a few chapters away from finishing off The Atlas Six, so I should have that done by tonight :)

Hello, Jen and Celia! Welcome to Team Circe :)

Vicky wrote: "The real update of letters needed:

3x P (getting from the backroom BOM!)
2x R, T, N
1x I, E, O, C, L"

I'll be finishing up The A.B.C. Murders tonight or tomorrow which should definitely cover a few of the letters that haven't been finished up. I'll make sure to take note of character names as I go, but I know for a fact there's a Carmichael. I'll make sure to mark them in the sheet when I update it!

Hello, team! I've been busy this past week/weekend with my parents in town, but I'm plugging along with my reading. The Atlas Six gets better and better the deeper I get into it. I also finished Ghost Squad, but I was reading that pre-TT. Hope everyone is having a good week so far!

I might have to check out the Backroom BOM. I do have KU, after all, and I do love getting us more points, lol.

Vian wrote: "Kerri wrote: "How did you like The Final Revival of Opal & Nev? I've been curious about that one and don't know a ton of people who have read it."

I split time between reading the physical book an..."

Oh, that sounds like something I would love! I'm gonna have to check it out.

I adored Circe! It's what convinced me to give Song of Achilles a try and I loved that one, as well. Madeline Miller is swiftly becoming a go-to author.

Sorry I haven't been around much this weekend! I have family visiting and we have been busy enjoying the nice weather. I think we're probably gonna have a down day tomorrow and I'm hoping to catch up on a ton of reading. I did finish A Universe of Wishes but I unfortunately started that one before TT. Still, it was a great anthology!

I hope everyone had a great weekend :) @Vicky, I'm glad you were able to get back in! That really sucks!

Vian wrote: "This week ended up being a lot crazier than I thought it was going to be, but I finally finished my first book.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev fills the instrument on the cover p..."

How did you like The Final Revival of Opal & Nev? I've been curious about that one and don't know a ton of people who have read it.

Robin (Saturndoo) wrote: "SIGHS I just got home from picking up my oldest grandson(4 yo). He may have picked up a staph infection at school. DIL took him to ER and he has some type of skin infection but not sure exactly wha..."

I hope your grandson feels better soon!

DQ May 19- How Noriko Learned to Love - End of Book

Do not read these if you haven't finished the book. Contains spoilers.

13. In this chapter we get to know Saturo's Aunt Noriko better. What adjectives would you use to describe Noriko's personality? How did you feel about the way Noriko revealed Saturo's birth story? Were you surprised to learn he was adopted?

Noriko is very straight-forward, blunt, and awkward, especially when it comes to feelings. No shade there, I know her heart is in the right place! She probably thought laying all the facts out for Satoru when she took him in was the right thing to do, but she definitely could have handled that in a much more tactful way, heh. I was pretty surprised to learn that Satoru was adopted! The story about his life with his birth parents was just terrible.

14. Did you think Nana running off towards the end and living his former life as a stray was fitting for the story. Was it believable that he would come back and forth visiting Saturo in the hospital?

I was a little upset with Nana because I knew his going back to being a stray would upset Satoru and Noriko. But, he's a cat, and, in his cat mind, it made perfect sense. I think the bond between them throughout the book made it believable in this particular story that he would live as a stray near the hospital so he could visit Satoru.

15. Endings...they must be the second hardest thing to write for authors after beginnings. Did you like the ending? You may consider the Epilogue also when answering the question, if you like.

The ending tore me up just as much as I thought it would. I loved it! And I love the notion that Nana sees Satoru in his dreams and that they'll be together once Nana has passed on. It was sad but so touching.

16. The author, Hiro Arikawa, has written other books, with very different genre. She has written books about Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). (I have to admit I know nothing about that!).
Would you read another book written by her? And lastly, would you recommend this book to others? If so, would you only recommend it to people who you know are cat lovers or would you widely recommend it?

I noticed that when I was on her Goodreads page! None of her other books pique my interest, but I would be interested in reading her future work if they are anything like this book. I would recommend this book to people. I think I would take into consideration more whether someone is okay with a quieter story than whether they were a cat lover. This story focuses on the characters, there's not much plot, but it's a beautifully told tale which I think a lot of people could appreciate.

Louise wrote: "Kerri wrote: "Louise wrote: "Kerri wrote: "I finished The Travelling Cat Chronicles and, yeah, it definitely had me tearing up at the end. Really enjoyed this one ❤

Edited to ask, ..."

Of course I’m looking at the wrong one 😂 Sorry about that!

Louise wrote: "Kerri wrote: "I finished The Travelling Cat Chronicles and, yeah, it definitely had me tearing up at the end. Really enjoyed this one ❤

Edited to ask, do I need to link my DQ answe..."

Ahh, okay! I wasn't sure if I was allowed to edit it as it's in view only mode for me. I'll ask for permission to edit.

I finished The Travelling Cat Chronicles and, yeah, it definitely had me tearing up at the end. Really enjoyed this one ❤

Edited to ask, do I need to link my DQ answers for this BOM in here to have it tracked on our spreadsheet? I've done all the DQs so far.

DQ: 18 May - Sugi and Chikako's Hotel for Pets & Between Friends


9) Considering Satoru seems to be quite perceptive overall, do you think he knew about Sugi’s less charitable feelings about him, both in the past and during this visit?

Oh, I definitely think Satoru knew or at least heavily suspected. He tried to be his friend as much as possible, still, because he's just a nice guy. And I suppose Sugi was never outright mean to him.

10) So far, the chapters have all been combining Satoru and Nana’s journey with Satoru’s past with several other people, as well as their backgrounds. How do you feel about this interlude (chapter 3.5) focused entirely on the man and his cat? What does it add to the story?

I think it further deepens the clear bond between Satoru and Nana. I loved the quiet scenes in the countryside and how the visited Satoru's parents' graves together. I thought this really made them into even more sympathetic characters. And I think it also served to drop some pretty heavy hints about why Satoru is trying to find a home for Nana.

11) For the first time, we got a hint of what’s going on with Satoru when the dog said “he smells like he isn’t going to make it” in chapter 3, and this came up again in chapter 3.5. So it sounds like Satoru is ill… was that your prediction for question 4?

It definitely was, though I hoped I was wrong. Especially after chapter 3.5, I know I'm gonna be gutted with this ending. I also find it interesting that Nana seems to know that Satoru is dying or at least seriously ill and he's making sure he stays with him until the end. He never reacts poorly when other animals bring it up (beyond Taro, but that was for show) and, if they can sense it, he would be able to sense it as well, but he never mentions it. He just wants to be there for Satoru.

12) Squabbles between cats and dogs were really present in these sections. So: Are you a cat person or a dog person or both (or neither)?

Both! We're currently a two cat, one dog household and I love all my furry friends equally!

Kelsi wrote: "Jenn wrote: "I’m reading the BOM right now. I’m like 20% in and I’m finding it boring."

I'm actually really enjoying it! I love the cats personality and enjoy the backstories. It's definitely not ..."

I agree! I'm loving getting Nana's POV. It makes me think of my cats and what they might be thinking in similar situations. I can guarantee they would be just as snarky 😂 It's definitely a quiet story and I feel like the end is going to hurt...

I went into this knowing I'm a slower reader, but I'm still super impressed by y'all! I'm making good progress on The Atlas Six, though, and I'm really enjoying the current BOM. I feel like it's definitely gonna make me cry.

DQ: 17 May - The Unsentimental Farmer


5) I really like reading the cat's thoughts. It can be quite funny. Do you think these are convincing cat thoughts?

As a lifelong cat owner, most definitely, haha. I think that's why I love Nana's POV so much. Reading it makes me think of cats I've loved in the past and my current kitties. They would 100% have snarky thoughts about what us strange humans are up to.

6) In this chapter we are introduced to Yoshimine, another potential owner for our cat. What do you think of him and his backstory?

I really enjoyed getting to know Yoshimine. Wasn't a fan of how he yanked Nana out of his basket, but I warmed up to him. He's a straightforward kind of guy who know what he likes and doesn't like. I think he was a good friend to Satoru, as well. And I loved that he was so passionate about the school greenhouse and farming and how much he loved his grandma.

7) Do you think Yoshimine would have been a good owner for Nana?

I don't think he would have loved Nana the way Satoru does, but I think he would have made a good owner. He would have let Nana hunt to his heart's content and he would have made sure he was well and healthy. I don't think he would care too much if Nana was happy or even really recognize the signs if he wasn't, but I think that's just the type of guy Yoshimine is when it comes to animals. They are there to serve a purpose and he won't let them suffer, but he's not overly concerned about how happy they are.

8) Yoshimine has already a kitten called Chatran, and Satoru makes fun of him for naming his cat with such a cliché name. What is for you the most cliché cat name(s)? In french it is quite common to call a cat Chaussette (meaning sock), Mistigri or Felix (actually a cat food brand).

I have an orange cat named Marmalade, so there's one cliché name for ya, haha. I think the most common ones in the States are probably things like Socks and Fluffy.

DQs 16 May: Prologue - The Husband Without a Wife

1. How are you liking the way the story is written with its alternating POVs ? Is there a POV you prefer ?

I'm kind of liking the alternating POVs, though I much prefer the cat's POV to the humans, haha. I just love how snarky Nana is and his views on humans as a whole. Satoru is certainly an interesting character, too.

2. Through the flashbacks we get to know Satoru's personality a bit more. What do you make of him so far ? What did you think about his way of helping his friend Kosuke?

I like Satoru! He seems like the whimsical, spontaneous type, at least when he was younger. That entire story of how they "ran away" had me laughing! It wasn't the best of ideas, but kids can be like that. Fixate on something they saw or read and think it will work out just the same if they try it. Also, anyone who would help an injured stray is super okay in my book.

3. Talking about Kosuke, what's up with his parents ? It seemed to me that Kosuke was genuinely convinced that his father would agree to keep the cat (Hachi). What did you think about his backstory?

Kosuke's dad SUUUUUCKS. He's overbearing and cruel and treats his son like garbage. I felt bad for Kosuke's mom and him both. At least she tried to stand up to him sometimes. I was completely done with his father after what he said to his wife when she suffered a miscarriage. Just the worst. I can see why his wife left to stay with her parents since Kosuke can't seem to ever stand up for himself and, by extension, her. I hope Kosuke breaks out from under his dad's thumb and learns to stand up to him.

4. Why do you think Satoru can't take care of Nana anymore?

This is probably super morbid, but I think Satoru might be dying. He just doesn't seem like the type that would give up Nana for anything less than him being physically unable to care for him anymore. I mean, he moved to an entirely new apartment just so he could keep Nana! He's basically interviewing potential adoptees! He's clearly taking Nana's care very seriously, so I think something fairly serious is causing him to have to make this choice.