Preeti’s Comments (group member since Sep 26, 2021)

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

Book - Day 5

Chapters 30 - 36

19. Although it seemed like all conflicts were resolved at the end of the last section, Radane’s (ex-)fiancé comes back and is looking for her. Were you surprised the story was taking another twist? What do you think about how all of that resolved?

Initially, I thought of this bit as the story being extended for no reason. But having thought about it I realised that this was a great way to show Kiela how accepting the people of the island were. She may not have become aware of it when she moved to the island as she was more preoccupied with trying to hide her books and the magic but this was a great way for her to be the spectator and be a witness to somebody else receiving the same kind of consideration.

20. Radane ends up returning Kiela’s parents’ cookbook to her and even fixed the torn out page. What would be in your parents’ cookbook?

My extended family is from all around the country and the world so it would definitely be an interesting mix of cultures. That said, we have never got around to building a cookbook, we have family members who are famous for specific recipes but I don’t think anybody in the family has ever thought of compiling them. I am seriously considering taking that on as my 2025 project.

21. On Sunday I was at my friends’ place and had some of her stepmother’s raspberry and elderflower jam, which was delicious. What’s your favorite type of jam?

I have to confess that I am a bigger fan of preserves than jam. That said, I would have to say all berry jams/preserves are my favourites. I particularly love when it is a blend of a fruit and a spice. Many years ago, there was a brand here in India that had a pineapple and green peppercorn jam, plum and star anise jam, apple cinnamon jam amongst others and they were superb. I loved and still love Bonne Maman’s entire range (This reminded me of my love for their jams and I ended up placing an order for a few different jams 😊). Oh, and how can I forget jackfruit jam…Heavenly!!!

22. The revolution was successful, Radane is free, Kiela gets to do her spells with the coven, the merhorses foaled, Kiela und Larran are getting married… everything is just peachy on Caltrey! How did you enjoy the book? What is your rating? Are you going to pick up more from Sarah Beth Durst?

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the book. I would love to read a sequel to see what happens to the characters, particularly Caz and Meep.
There are a few more of this author’s books that I do want to read at some time including Race the Sands and The Bone Maker.

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst - Day 4

Chapters 22 - 29

14. What were your thoughts when Kiela was teaching Eadie, Bryn, and Ulina how to make the pine cones? Particularly the way she tried to disguise that it's actually a spell?

I thought this was a very sweet part of the book. You could definitely make out that there was more being said than in words. I feel that everybody was absolutely aware that this was a spell but chose to pretend not to whether knowingly or not.

15. Well these chapters were a whirlwind. What were your thoughts throughout the twists and turns?

This was a definite attempt at providing closure to all the plotlines. This was the only thing that made me reduce a star in the rating. I think the pacing of the book was a bit all over the place.

16. I loved loved loved the scene where Caz and Meep were threatening Radane. It made me laugh so much that the spider plant was being so much more aggressive than the actual human. If you had been in that scene, would you be more like Kiela (the good cap) or Caz (the bad cop)?

I agree, this was so awesome and I loved Meep’s part in the story as well.
In my case, it all depends on the day. Most of the time I tend to be more like Caz, but I have days when I don’t have the energy or the inclination to do so.

17. Radane confisticated Kiela's family cookbook. What family heirloom do you value so much to keep protected?

In my case, it is a few books written by various members of my family. I think they show me how much knowledge and education has always been valued in my family and I am always very grateful that my love for learning was supported and encouraged.

18. What are your thoughts on the Cozy Mystery genre that this book is a part of? How often do you find yourself reaching for a cozy book?

I never used to read Cozy Mystery until a few years ago when I found myself needing lighter books and came across this genre. I have to say that I am still on the hunt for really good Cozy Mysteries as in many of the series that I have tried the characters have been so incredibly oblivious to everything around them that they ruined the reading experience. I have found a few that I genuinely liked and so carry on trying more books out in the hopes of finding more like them.
Now that there are more Cozy Fantasy books being written, I will definitely be searching for more of them. As for when I reach for them, it is mostly when I need a break from the heavier tomes, both literally and figuratively.

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst - Day 3

Chapters 14 - 21

9. I'm enjoying the variety of people and creatures (for lack of a better word) in the story. Do you have a favourite? Is there one you'd dream up and like to see wandering the island?

There is a such an interesting cast of characters in the book and I liked how, similar to the world-building, the author gave us enough material to imagine them but still have some space to personalise them.
My favourites were Caz, Meep and the Cloud Bears. If any, I would have loved to see more water-based people/creatures seeing as they are on an island.

10. If you could have a helper sentient plant, what type would you choose and why?

I would love to have a sentient tulsi or jasmine plant. I think both would have a lot of knowledge about the past and lots of interesting stories.

11. Do you think it is remotely realistic that Kiela can keep her activities secret? And with the trouble at the centre of the empire, would any of those in power notice or care?

Oh, absolutely not! I don’t think anybody on the island is stupid enough to not realise the truth. Maybe not in the beginning, but definitely eventually. My guess is that it is one of the ways the plot will move ahead, people will become aware of what is actually going on, Kiela will get into trouble and then we will get to know the true characters of the people around her according to how they treat her.

12. Radane, trouble for Kiela in more ways than one?

I have a feeling that she has been brought in to be an obstacle for Kiela on many fronts, on the personal side with her relationship with Larran, as well as to create problems in her magic world.

13. Previous questions have touched on this but I'm thinking Kiela has avoided sharing what's happening with the revolution as a trauma response. If she doesn't talk about it then she can almost ignore it? It makes me wonder what happened to her parents. Like the library became her home/only place she felt safe after losing them and then it literally burned before her eyes. Anyone have thoughts about why she still isn't sharing to the point of literally running away?

I definitely think it is a trauma response but I don’t think it is to do with how she lost her parents but more that she lost them at all. She seems to have become entirely dependent on the library to be her safe space after losing her parents and losing even this last sanctuary has been devastating for her. Talking about it would require her to deal with all of the horror and I think that she hasn’t yet developed the fortitude to do so.

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst - Day 2

Chapters 8 - 13

6. There's more information released here about magic use and it's impact on the world. What do you think about this?

This is the age-old story of power and who controls it. It is so obvious that the use of magic has been controlled and denied to the people who in truth most need it.

7. Lucky that Kiela can exploit the absence of fruit to fill a niche shop, eh?! What do you think about her plan to make a living out of jam and secret magic?

I thought this was one of the best plot devices that the author could use. It makes so much sense as people would be more likely to accept her when linked to something as wholesome and innocent as jam. It makes an excellent cover for the magic.

8. Kiela and Larran keep having meet cute moments. Do you like this romantic pairing?

I was so scared that this book was going to contain an insta-love plot line. I thought the whole relationship building was very well handled and it seems to me that the sweet moments between the two just added to the way it developed.

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst - Day 1

Chapters 1 - 7

1. The book opens with quite a tough scene: a Great Library is set on fire and Kiela has already packed crates of books to rescue. And she asks herself the question "if she were stranded on a desert island, which books would she most want to have with her?"
Now I'm putting you the same question limiting your possibilities to
- 1 complete works of an author
- 2 book series
- 3 standalone books from different genres, 1 must be non-fiction

1. The complete works of PG Wodehouse
2a. The Kate Shugak series by Dana Stabenow
2b. The Norton Anthology of World Literature
3a. Extraordinary Journeys - The Complete Adventure Collection by Jules Verne
3b. The Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Bhagavad Gita (For the purposes of this challenge, I am assuming there is an edition that contains all 3 ☺️😇)
3c. The SAS Survival Handbook

2. While it's only explained sketchily, a little politics, history (?) of the Empire is mentioned, alongside some curious species, flora & fauna (winged kitties, anyone?) What do you think of the world-building so far?

I thought the author did a good job of slowly introducing the world without resorting to info-dumping. Also, they left enough blank space for us to use our own imaginations and build worlds in our minds personal to us.

3. It's mentioned several times how Kiela keeps herself to herself in the Library (apart from Caz's company). Do you think such an almost complete isolation described here is possible even in such a vast Library?

As somebody who has spent large amounts of time trying to avoid people, I can say it is very possible. In fact, it is much easier to be isolated in a crowd where everybody is so busy with their own lives and their own goings-on.

4. I found it a bit disturbing that Kiela doesn't tell anyone on the island that she came away because a revolution has broken out in the capital (I understand her keeping silent about the books). It IS supposed to be a big deal after all and one would think they will learn about it eventually. A bit later some excuses are offered. Do you think they are sufficient or it's just a usual plot-driving tool?

I think it is partly a plot device and partly Kiela avoiding thinking about it as a way to shield herself from the fear and hurt. She seems to be so very scared of everything to do with the revolution that she is choosing to suppress her thoughts on the matter.

5. I really liked the idea of Kiela & Caz sectioning the garden and naming them after book genres. Which genres would you name parts of your real or hypothetical garden? :)

With my absolutely black thumb and my ability to manage to kill even artificial plants, I would probably have to call the sections Horror, Science Fiction and definitely Fantasy as I am always dreaming of owning a lovely little balcony garden but have no desire to put even plants through that kind of torture.

November



Book: Pokhran - A Novel by Uday Singh - Nov 1
No. Of Pages: 157

Book: The Sweet Shop of Second Chances (Holly Berry Sweet Shop #1) by Hannah M. Lynn - Nov 2
No. Of Pages: 317

Book: Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang - Nov 3
No. Of Pages: 336

Book: Witch Slap (The Hollowbeck Paranormal Cozy Mysteries #1) by Amelia Ash & Kim M. Watt - Nov 4
No. Of Pages: 290

Book: One Smart Witch (The Hollowbeck Paranormal Cozy Mysteries #2) by Amelia Ash & Kim M. Watt - Nov 4
No. Of Pages: 276

Book: Life's a Witch (The Hollowbeck Paranormal Cozy Mysteries #3) by Amelia Ash & Kim M. Watt - Nov 5
No. Of Pages: 299

Book: On a Pale Horse (Incarnations of Immortality #1) by Piers Anthony - Nov 7
No. Of Pages: 325

Book: Ulysses by James Joyce - Nov 9
No. Of Pages: 1010

Book: Rivers of London (Rivers of London #1) by Ben Aaronovitch - Nov 11
No. Of Pages: 392

Book: The Colour of Magic (Discworld #1) by Terry Pratchett - Nov 12
No. Of Pages: 287



Book: The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston - Nov 13
No. Of Pages: 336

Book: The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary - Nov 15
No. Of Pages: 468

Book: Death of a Busybody (Chief Inspector Littlejohn #3) by George Bellairs - Nov 17
No. Of Pages: 206

Book: Dog Tags (Andy Carpenter #8) by David Rosenfelt - Nov 17
No. Of Pages: 368

Book: System Collapse (The Murderbot Diaries #7) by Martha Wells - Nov 19
No. Of Pages: 256

Book: The Sanatorium (Detective Elin Warner #1) by Sarah Pearse - Nov 20
No. Of Pages: 391

Book: The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst - Nov 22
No. Of Pages: 384

Book: The Christmas Carrolls (The Christmas Carrolls, #1) by Mel Taylor-Bessent (41704 words - 4H37min) - Nov 24
No. Of Pages: 245

Book: The Christmas Competition (The Christmas Carrolls, #2) by Mel Taylor-Bessent (5H21min) - Nov 24
No. Of Pages: 287

Book: The Christmas Club (The Christmas Carrolls, #3) by Mel Taylor-Bessent (4H57min) - Nov 24
No. Of Pages: 242



Book: The Railway Children by E. Nesbit (59218 words) - Nov 25
No. Of Pages: 290

Book: The Institution (Connie Woolwine #2) by Helen Fields - Nov 26
No. Of Pages: 422

Book: The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot #1) by Agatha Christie - Nov 27
No. Of Pages: 174

Book: The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd - Nov 29
No. Of Pages: 343

Book: Lies and Weddings (Cities) by Kevin Kwan - Nov 30
No. Of Pages: 437

My Nov Total: 8538

Running Total: 1,824,176

New Group Total: = 1,832,714

Volunteering for DQs!

I have added a book with a title starting with "I" and it also works for the "sky on the cover" task of the mini challenge (It has pants in the text... never have I been so happy to see that word 😆)

By the way, do we need more I's or X's?

I have posted the DQs for Day 2 of The Secret History.

DQs Day 2 - Chapters 3 & 4 (pages 104 to 172)

6. What do you think of Julian’s unique position as a wealthy outsider and its influence on his interactions with both the college and the group?

7. The narrator and the group are greatly fascinated by the classics, in particular Greek tragedy. Do you think this influences their perception of the world and their relationships within the group and with other characters?

8. What do you think of the relationship between Richard and the other members of the group? Do you think it has evolved over these chapters? What, if any, are the elements most likely to strengthen or disrupt this bond?

9. How does the isolated setting of Hampden College contribute to the atmosphere and the characters' actions?

10. Did your thoughts about Henry’s relationship with Bunny change over the course of these chapters?

11. What do the Bacchic rituals symbolize to the group? Are they seeking a transcendent experience, or are they simply indulging in hedonistic pleasures? How do these rituals contribute to the group's downfall?

Bonus: I have always been fascinated by the various secret societies one reads about. If given a chance, would you want to be a member, and if so, which one would you want to belong to? (The secret society does not have to belong to a college/university, it can be one not linked to an educational institution.)

Cat wrote: "@Preeti, hopefully you have a set of DQs ready to be posted. Day 1 has been delayed, but we should get some shortly after round 3 ends. You can post yours immediately after, or by this time tomorrow."

Sorry, I saw the notice about the Day 1 DQs but not your message. Yes, I have my DQs ready. I am waiting for the Day 1 DQs for two reasons, first, to know what numbers to use, and second, to ensure there is no repeat of questions.
It is quarter past 1 in the morning here in India so I am going to bed. I will check in the morning if the DQs have been posted. According to the moderators' post, I have to add my DQs either after those of Day 1 have been posted or within 24 hours from the time of the post. Either way, I will add my DQs by tomorrow afternoon my time.

Cat wrote: "We've also got our Round 4 word....

brace yourself, it's all about Is!

FIXING APPLIANCE


I can tell you that my eye is twitching with the pain!

Planning sheet will be up shortly"

🤣
Nice one, Cat!
Luckily for me, I need a lot of I's and N's for the current AMMP Spellout. This will be the perfect time to try and cover a few of them.

Kelly (Maybedog) wrote: "Can anyone recommend a simple audiobook player where you can change the speed without changing the pitch? I usually just use the library app (Libby) or the Audible app and they work great. But I ha..."

I have been using Audipo. It lets me change the speed up very easily. I also like that I can quickly add bookmarks if there are bits I want to remember for later, like character names or similar specific things that I need for challenges.

I agree. Yay for extra points. I was hoping we would get at least one of the DQ slots.

That works for me, thanks!

I forgot to say, I completed the #3 & #8 and will be done with the #7 by tomorrow.

Preeti’s BOM Participation Post: The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary

Day 1: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 2: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 3: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary - Day 3

Chapters Then - Then 58%

11. "The sound of teeth against a spoon when someone's eating soup, insects that scuttle, people who don't listen, RATS, and when uncle Terry says 'WOMEN!'" - what a random list of pet peeves (Are they even pet peeves? Rats?? And uncle Terry 'all on his own'???),,, What are some of yours?

I have way too many pet peeves to list here! And I agree, why are they being called peeves? These seem to be phobias and hatreds.

12. Dylan's (and Marcus') trip through Europe has become much more than just that, ending up in Asia, trying to figure out what to do with his life when he's already been handed it all on a silver platter. His dad is a douche and clearly wants to dictate Dylan's life while Dylan just keeps running away from his problems. Lucky he has all this money (his dad's I would assume) to just throw away. Can you relate to him in any way? Do you feel bad for him?

I can understand somebody trying to figure out how to deal with controlling people in their lives and finding ways to assert their independence but here we never get to see enough of the relationship beyond a few cliched interactions.

13. Nowadays we date, we shop around. If we really like someone we spend more time with them. Then we move in with them a few years down the line. Then, maybe, if we've lost the will to live or whatever it is that compells people to settle down we marry them. We don't rearrange our lives because of a good shag."

"Addie, she's not right for you (...) Stop that! Don't you see what you're doing? You're turning her into something she's not. You don't understand her. She's not your beautiful muse, Dylan. She's messy and dark. And raw. She's a disaster waiting to happen. She's got power. And she doesn't even know it yet you know. She's like,,, she's untapped. (...) She's not right for you. Okay?”

Did Marcus already know something we didn't at this point? Did something happen between Marcus and Addie back in France? And then the way Marcus took care of Dylan after getting too high, in the bathroom.... Do you think he (not so?) secretly has feelings for Dylan? Or is he just jealous?

I have no clue… By this time, I was even more confused. I had to go back and reread some bits because I was convinced that I had missed something but I still don’t know what happened.

14. Rodney thinking Deb has drowned in the river and actually LOOKING FOR A BODY IN THE WATER!!! had me laugh out loud to be honest, but only because of how frickin’ ridiculous this book is. Definitely expected something more cutesie and wholesome for some reason. Being almost two thirds into the book now, how do you feel about it so far? Is it meeting your expectations?

I can’t remember which movie or TV show it was that I saw this in but there was a character called Honey and she said and did the craziest things and I remember the other female characters exclaiming “Oh, Honey!?!?!” as a reply every time. I kept thinking “Oh, Rodney!” every time he said anything.
As for the book, my mission at this point was only to complete it. The thoughts that stayed in my mind throughout was “Just a few more pages left!” and “At least it covers the O in Wheels and the Spellouts!”

The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary - Day 2

Chapters Then - Now 38%

6. The author goes for the switching POVs and timelines method. How do you like these in general? And do you think it is a good fit for this book?

While both these methods of storytelling can greatly add to a storyline, I don’t think it was well-handled in this case. The storytelling was much too choppy and I never got enough time to figure out who these people were.

7. We get to meet some more characters along the way in the "THEN" section: Dylan's uncle Terry, his brother, the mysterious Grace and other friends whose dynamics to Dylan and Marcus should shed some more light on their characters and motivation. But do they? Do you feel like you are getting to know them better? Or understand them? (Or care?)

I hated some of the characters like Terry. His was such a cliched personality and I didn’t feel he added anything to the story. As for the other characters, I don’t think we got to know any of them enough to see what importance if any they had in the plot.

8. What do you think about Dylan's and Addie's past relationship in France? Do you like it/find it convincing? What about their sudden meeting in the present and the insta-lust after all the emotional baggage they seem to be dragging with them?

It was much too insta-lovey for my liking. As for the present time scenes, I spent the whole time mentally berating every single character.

9. I'm not really sure I'd call this book a "romance" though it certainly offers the trope of second-chance. Do you have any favourite romantic trope(s) or one that you especially dislike?

I am not a big fan of romance novels generally, but I do enjoy reading second-chance romances, if well-done. I also find that I prefer the MCs to be a bit older and hopefully wiser.

10. Any guesses what part Rodney may play in the plot or do you think he's just some kind of "filler" character?

He is either going to turn out to be something important like Deb’s one-night stand which brought about the baby but he is so incredibly forgettable that she did precisely that…forget him. Or he will be a good old-fashioned serial killer and will kill everybody…

The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary - Day 1

Chapters Now - Now 19%

1. Is this your first book by O'Leary? Only reading for points and that lovely 'O' letter for Wheel-a-thon or was it already on your tbr list?

This is my second book by this author. I seem to have liked that one enough that I gave it quite a decent rating but I cannot remember the book at all. I have to confess, this was a reading pick mainly for the points and needing the alphabets for a few challenges.

2. Road trips. Love them, hate them? If you've gone on a road trip before what are some must have for the journey?

I adore road trips! I was introduced to the idea when I was 5 years old and my parents and I drove from Iraq to London and back over 40 days. We stayed in all kinds of accommodation during the trip including campsites, pensions, B&Bs. One amazing night when the campsite we were supposed to stay in being completely full, we ended up sleeping in the car outside the gates.

3. Deb's comment about never having a baby obviously proved untrue. Do we think the baby daddy is going to make an appearance in the story? Or do you think it's a no name person who isn't relevant to the book?

I don’t know… Either the baby is just to show how much she has changed and the father is not relevant to the story… Or it will turn out to be somebody like Marcus who is the dad… Either way, sadly, I just don’t care to know.

4. The flagrant unconcern about money by half the characters is a bit gross. Do you think that's at the root of Dylan and Addie's split? Or do you think it's the mysterious Grace? Marcus especially seems to not know the whole breakup story. Any guesses to why Dylan didn't seem to tell him the truth?

I think all these things have just been added to the story to make us believe it is one of them that caused the rift and that we are meant to be shocked and stunned by what it eventually turns out to be.

5. Initial impressions of the cast of characters?

I won’t say that I don’t like the characters, I don’t think I was given a clear picture of who each of them was for it to make any impression on me. Every time I thought the characters started getting fleshed out, there was a change of POV or timeframe and that destroyed the flow.