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

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

@Cris - Your pups are so cute! Poodles are such intelligent dogs, I love em. Our pup his a mutt through and through, haha, but he's a sweet boy. He's part lab, part cattle hound, part coonhound... and a couple others, I think.

Sooooo... the book I just finished is 99 Percent Mine and the MC has a chronic illness. Is it too much of a stretch to put the book in the Lupin shelf since Remus has lycanthropy which could be considered a fantasy chronic illness?? I feel like it's a stretch but I wanted to check with the group, haha.

Elinor wrote: "My partner and I are very luck, we have two dogs - we love them to bits. They’re small and very lively (perhaps not quite as much as a Jack Russell mind).

@Cris, have lots of fun!l with your pupp..."

Elinor, I gave Evelyn Hugo 5 stars. I absolutely adored it! I thought the characters really shined in the novel and that's something I need to truly love a story. I hope you liked it! As for where it might fit on the towers, I think it would definitely work for Lust, as well. It seems like a lot of people lusted after Evelyn, after all.

Just got home from work and I finished a book while there (thank the universe for audiobooks). Kind of hated it, but at least it's another book off my TBR 😅 I'm gonna stick it on the spreadsheet and see where it'll work.

DQ Day 5
Chapters 31-37

22. The band choose to land to search for Matrick and eventually find Matrick, Larkspur and a Witch Doctor. Did this surprise you?

The troll witch doctor certainly surprised me! Also made me think of Warcraft, haha. I’m glad they were able to find Matrick, though, and that the troll turned out to be friendly.

23. Larkspur in her fall has lost her memory and now goes by the name Sabitha. After her drug induced sleep she recounts her dreams to Clay of snippets from her past. Does this put her actions in a different light? When she recovers her memory do you think she will revert back to her how she was before the fall?

I think learning any character’s backstory will make you view them in a different light. I definitely felt bad for what she had to endure as a child and more than a little terrified of her after she described what she did to those other kids 😳 I think, if they continue treating her well and she regains her memory, she might be convinced to leave them alone. Gabe seems determined not to trust her and that might end badly. Or they’re gonna kiss.

24. We meet Gregory and Dane during our visit to the Cannibals. What are your thoughts on how Gregory describes events to Dane?

Gregory is such a sweet brother, omg 😭 I love his and Dane’s dynamic and I’m so happy the band decided to bring them along.

25. I’m loving the magic bag in this section. What meal would you have it magically produce?

Probably some kind of Asian dish cause I love Asian food. Perhaps a tonkatsu ramen. I bet that would hit the spot in that dreary forest.

26. It seems there is a cure for Rot. How do you think this will affect Moog in the long term?

I wonder if he’ll try to set up a trade to get his hands on the mudweed. That seems like something he would do. I hope he doesn’t have long term side effects from the drug.

DQ Day 4
Chapters 22-30

16. The Maxithon, now that was an adventure. Was this what you were expecting was going to happen? What did you make of the fight?

I loved that fight! It was pretty much what I was expecting, though I thought they might try something underhanded like sending more than one thing out there to murder Saga. It was like watching an action scene in a movie!

17. We meet yet another one of the old bands - what did you make of Vanguard? They seem a little friendlier at least than Raff's band. Did you expect them to say no? Or would you have thought they'd team up with Saga?

I liked Vanguard a lot. You could tell that they're pretty much a family after touring together for so long. I wasn't surprised they said no to going with Saga to Castia. They are basically close to retirement and they don't have a personal investment in trying to free the city. They're just looking out for their own and I can't fault them for it.

18. Saga seems to have had a rather large amount of unfortunate bards. I can't help but wonder what they're going to lead Kit into, or do you think that maybe Kit will truly be the first ever bard of the band who will actually survive the adventure? Kit is supposedly unkillable after all, so maybe they're going to be lucky? What are your predictions on Kit's life expectancy as bard of Saga?

Well, Kit is already, technically, dead so I think he'll be fine 😂 They should have found an undead bard ages ago! Also, I'm surprised people kept wanting to be their bard after so many of them died...

19. Are you enjoying the writing style of the book? What about the story in general?

I'm loving the writing style. I like the wit and humor of it and I think the author does a great job of describing the action. I'm having a great time with this book so far.

20. The Heartwyld beckons! We are going to get a closer glimpse at this mysterious forest. What are your expectations?

That it's going to be a dark and awful place, haha. I'm sure it's gotten more dangerous in the past years with bands fighting in arenas instead of touring the Wylds.

21. Oh my word, someone went overboard! Over the forest! With the daeva no less. Makes me wonder if the band will be intact for much longer. Or could the daeva potentially not have killed Matrick, or intend to take him back to Lilith so she can kill her beloved husband herself? There was this one moment where it looked as though the daeva may let them be, seeing that they're on their way to rescue someone's daughter, so a noble feat in a world that seems to have kicked Larkspur all her life. Maybe? Yes? No? Am I alone in thinking something like this?

I'm thinking Larkspur is dead set on bring Matrick in, though I think she's okay with letting the others go after discovering what they're up to (and having them wipe the floor with her minions, haha). Now that they've both fallen into the Heartwyld, though? I think she'll be looking out for herself first and foremost.

Janeylou wrote: "Well im not going on holiday anywhere this year 😞, but love hearing about all yours 😄"

I'm right there with ya, Janeylou 😅 But I'm loving hearing about all the vacations! I shall have to live vicariously through y'all for this summer, haha.

@Cris - Congrats on your new puppy! What kind of dog did you get?

Vi wrote: "I've started for another challenge. Which colour can I put it in? I can't seem to pin one colour for it."

Oh, that's a tough one... maybe pink? Pink and yellow pop out to me.

@Suzanne - I hope you have a lot of fun at Moab! I've never been, but it's definitely on the bucket list.

@Tone - Edinburgh is high on my bucket list, as well. I hope you have a great time on your trip!

@Vi - Glad your first round went okay. Hopefully the rest of your exams go well, too!

So, I started Kings of the Wyld thinking I would just try to get the first two days of DQs answered and now I've abandoned all my other reads because I just want to read this book 😂 I probably would have read a lot further last night if I wasn't reading an e-book. I can only do those for so long before my eyes start to go weird.

DQ Day 3
Chapters 16-21


11. The fight with Raff's old band (who looked like clowns) that ended with snakes is one of the first times we see the almost full band working together. What did you think of this scene? Did you like the action or was it confusing?

I liked the action in that sequence! Actually, I'm a fan of all the action sequences so far. I think they flow well and aren't too confusing. It was interesting to see them engage in a fight for the first time together and watch them working the kinks out in real time. Hopefully that will help with their upcoming arena fight 👀

12. So the hoarder kobolds - I thought they were great! And the bird-like creatures pulling the carriage. Do you have a favorite creature you've seen so far, or one you'd like to see? Tell why.

I love all these references to fantasy creatures with which I'm both familiar and unfamiliar. I suppose my favorite that we've seen, so far, is the wyvern. I have a soft spot for flying reptiles, what can I say? One I'd like to see is the elusive owlbear that is casually mentioned at one point, haha.

13. I think in the last half of this section we really start understanding what a big deal the Kings of Wyld really were. And we get to compare them to the Screaming Eagles. What do you think about the ethics and popularity of the new bands that kill captive monsters in arenas?

I think the ethics are terrible. It sounds like the quality of life for the "monsters" bred for the arena is probably terrible and they only thing they have to look forward to is a grisly death for the entertainment of humans. It makes me wonder if the bands of the old days like Saga were killing creatures that were actively causing trouble or killing people or if they just killed anything they deemed a monster. I'm hoping it's the former because the ethics of the latter are pretty terrible, as well.

14. Lastleaf gave his (and the hordes') motivations for conquest. Do you think his reasons were valid, or is he just evil? Do you feel at all sorry for the monsters?

Not gonna lie, I was a little bit on Lastleaf's side after his tirade. What the people of Castia did to the inhabitants of the land that they deemed other was pretty awful. I feel sorry for the monsters and Lastleaf... to an extent. I mean, he is still planning to murder every man, woman, and child that is under siege so he's kind of lost the moral high ground.

15. We all picked our favorite character in day 1 questions. Has yours changed since then?

It's still Clay, but Moog is a close second!

Amanda wrote: "Okay I know this is a color, but what color do we think it is lol

"

TinEye is saying it's 80% blue, if that helps. That's a tough one to call to my eye.

DQ Day 2
Chapters 9 - 15

6. We meet the 3rd member of the band, the wizard Moog. What are your impressions of the wizard? Were you as surprised as Clay that he agreed to go right away?

I love Moog, haha. He is slowly becoming my favorite. He seems to wear his heart on his sleeve and was genuinely happy to see his friends again. I wasn't that surprised that he instantly agreed to go along because it didn't seem like he had much to keep him in town. Even less now that he bombed Kal with his Viagra smoke 😅

7. That was some entrance to the palace, don't you think? What were your first impressions of Matrick? Were you surprised by the turn of events in chapter 11? Excited or worried when Moog announces that he had a plan?

I get the feeling one should always be worried when Moog has a plan, lol. But I was shocked that Matrick was apparently stuck in a loveless marriage where none of his kids are actually his. I'm a little suspicious about who the father of the eldest is... what with his red hair and the durin's red hair... I wouldn't put it past Lilith.

8. After several descriptions sprinkled throughout the story thus far, we finally meet a druin. What do you think his plan is? Why does he really want the Council to stand down?

I think this is a revenge plot. He was the son that should have inherited Gabe's magic sword and he clearly thinks that durins should still be in charge. Perhaps he's trying to bring about the resurgence of the Dominion? Or he just wants to cause the humans pain after what they did to his people.

9. Were you surprised at how Lillian arranged the funeral? What did you think of Clay's contribution? How successful would you rate Moog's plan?

Not at all. Lilith seems like the type that would be thorough when getting rid of an unwanted husband. Clay was fantastic, as always. He makes me laugh so much, haha. I also love how he called out Lilith's lover/bodyguard. Like, yes please, put him in his place! Moog's plan, in the end, worked so a 9/10 from me!

10. Gabriel borrows Moog's crystal ball to check on his daughter. Were you surprised at what he saw? What did you think of the band's reaction?

I wasn't surprised at all. They already knew the city was under siege. I suppose seeing the sheer numbers of the Horde was shocking, but not unexpected. I probably would have had the exact same reaction as Gabe. I'm sure he feels so helpless right now and he's trying to work out that feeling of fear and frustration. I feel so bad for him... But they've already done so much so I'm not surprised they're gonna forge ahead.

Well, my library hold for Kings of the Wyld came in (even though it said I was 5th in line or something like that), so I'm jumping into the BOM discussion! So far, I'm really liking the book.

@Nanci - Happy belated birthday! It sounds like it was a wonderful day.

@Leslie - Happy early birthday! I hope you have an incredible one, as well.

@Suzanne - That is one of my favorite things about these challenges. I'm loving getting to know you all and our team dynamic 😊

DQs Day 1
Ch 1 to CH 8

1.) What do you think of the premise of the book, like an aging rock band getting back together to go on tour but an adventuring band instead? Is the author pulling it off so far?

I'm loving the parallels to an older band that broke up and is not staging a comeback. Every time one of them mentions a group of adventurers going on "tour", I giggle a little bit 😂 I think the author is doing a good job of blending the fantasy and the cheekiness of it all.

2.) The rocks, may of hit me a bit in the feels. Did it affect your opinion of Gabe at all?

Gabe seems so lost, I feel so bad for him... I'll admit I teared up way before the rocks appeared and he explained why he was carrying them. When Tally was talking to Clay about what he would do if she was trapped somewhere and needed rescuing? Yeah, waterworks.

3.) How do you like the world building, is it being done effectively for you without major info dumping? Is it helping to set the stage for the story?

I can already tell that this is going to be a story where I'm far more interested in the characters than the world. That being said, I think the author is doing a fair job of introducing us to this world and its history.

4.) What did you think about the parade? Did anyone else enjoy Clay's reaction to the ladies being whistled at and be disappointed when the lady blew a kiss back instead of skewering the guy (like Clay expected to happen)?

I was so ready to see some dude get stomped by a woman in armor, I'm not gonna lie 😂 I loved Clay's reaction to it all and it further cemented that they have been out of the game for a looong time.

5.) Do you have a favorite character so far?

100% Clay. I love how stoic he is on the outside but while being a huge softie on the inside. I also enjoyed when he punched Kal in his stupid, greedy face.


Bonus: Taking a poll for a very important question. On the Tassel Farm: Centaur or Moose?

My brain says 'moose' but my heart says 'centaur'. Gonna go with my heart on this one!

@Cris - Thank you! And congrats on your new home, as well! Our deck is on the list, too, but will probably have to be after the fence. The list truly never ends 😂

Keli wrote: "Congratulations, Shannon! That's brilliant. You should revel in your accomplishment and defo party as long as you can.

Kerri, it's scary spending large sums of money, but houses will do that to yo..."

Definitely agree that the benefits outweigh the stress! It's nice to finally own after years of renting, that's for sure. And I feel a sense of accomplishment whenever we tick a project off our loooong list, haha.

Apoorv wrote: "Question:
Do you folks think this shade of violet is the closest to the Rainbow tag RT20/38/56? We don't really have a "violet" prompt in the main 18-book tower. So was curious if this fits anywhe..."

I'll third that agreement! I think that would work.

@Suzanne - Thanks, it was! Stressful because we had a meeting with roofers to fix up our roof. It's our first big project as homeowners and that just makes me anxious, haha. I'm looking forward to it being done.

@Shannon - Congratulations on your graduation!

I've finished my first read for TTX 🥳 Popped it onto the spreadsheet and, wow, we have so many books planned (and read!) already! You all are freakin' awesome.

Keli wrote: "Finished my first TTX read! Pine was a pretty decent gothic thriller. A solid 3.5, but not sure if I'm going to round up or down. I liked it but i don't think it merits the more tha..."

I've not consciously done this but, now that you mention it, that seems like a brilliant system! I don't know if I have a standard for middle of the road, but I can definitely find some for the 1-2 stars and the 5 stars, haha.

@Suzanne - I dole out 4s a lot, too. I like think it's because I'm good at picking books I know I'll enjoy, but it's more than likely because I'm a pretty generous rater, haha.

Working on my first few books for TTX! I'm reading a couple of graphic novels for a book tour I'm participating in tomorrow and then I'm gonna dive into The Ivory Key.

@Keli - I’m so sorry to hear about the recent losses you’ve experienced. That’s a lot in the last two years! I’m glad your desire to read is making a comeback and hopefully this will be a lot of fun to help maintain it! I can be a wee bit competitive (Monopoly is banned in our family for reasons) but I always try to approach TT as a fun time with other bookish people.