Judith’s Comments (group member since Apr 15, 2015)

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

Whelp, able to do a bit of book tetris and the X is now covered :)

I would do Czech over X, we aren’t that close on finishing Mexico

AZTEC in title or letter X?

Or one of your level 2 books, we can always swap it with my Iran, I seem to be running a bit slower with my physical book reads (and that is one)

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal who, with the help of her jinn bodyguard, hunts and sells illegal magic. When she saves the life of a cowardly prince, she draws the attention of his powerful father, the sultan, who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp that has the power to revive the barren land—at the cost of sacrificing all jinn.

With no choice but to obey or be executed, Loulie journeys with the sultan’s oldest son to find the artifact. Aided by her bodyguard, who has secrets of his own, they must survive ghoul attacks, outwit a vengeful jinn queen, and confront a malicious killer from Loulie’s past. And, in a world where story is reality and illusion is truth, Loulie will discover that everything—her enemy, her magic, even her own past—is not what it seems, and she must decide who she will become in this new reality.

Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, The Stardust Thief weaves the gripping tale of a legendary smuggler, a cowardly prince, and a dangerous quest across the desert to find a legendary, magical lamp.

My new nominate until I read it anyway or it wins :P



The Best Way to Bury Your Husband by Alexia Casale

A dark comedy about four women coming together to heal the damage their husbands have done––and hide their bodies once they’ve killed them

When Sally kills her husband with a cast-iron skillet, she’s more fearful of losing her kids than of disposing of a fresh corpse. That just wouldn’t be fair—not after twenty years of marriage to a truly terrible man. But Sally isn’t the only woman in town reaching the brink. Soon, Sally finds herself leading an extremely unusual self-help group, and among them there are four bodies to hide. Can they all figure out the perfect way to bury their husbands . . . and get away with it?

First to join is former nurse, Ruth, who met her husband as a single mom. Now her son is grown and her husband’s violence builds by the day until an attack on the stairs leads to a fatal accident—for him. A few doors down, Samira’s last straw comes when she discovers her husband is planning a campaign of violence against her eldest daughter, who has just come out. Janey, Sally’s best friend, has just had her first child at forty-two. Sleep-deprived Janey needs a hero to slay the monster in the fairy tales she whispers to her daughter each night . . . and as her husband’s violence escalates, it might just be her.

Together, fueled by righteous anger but tempered by a moral core, the four women must help each other work out a plan to get rid of their husbands for good. Along the way, Sally, Ruth, Samira and Janey rediscover old joys and embark on new passions in work, education, and life. Friendship and laughter really are the best medicine—and so is getting away with murder.

We appreciate your sacrifice Melanie

Also, if someone has a Mexican author book they are reading/want to read. Mine also works for X as I listened to the audio and one of the narrators was Xe Sands

Lexi wrote: "I found a book that works for X and Day of the Dead. If someone has one that works for either of those, I’ll add it to the other task."

Oooh, nice find!

Did some minor shuffling on Sweden and finished that country off and we are heading to Mexico!

Author born in Mexico
Red, White and Green on cover
character eats mexican food
character visits a (coral) reef
letters AZTEC in title (any order)
"Day of the Dead" mentioned or celebrated
M
E
X
I
C
O

Steven,

When you get a chance can you add Hollow to your team shelf?

Thanks!

Susan,

when you get a chance can you add Firefly Summer to your team shelf?

Thanks!

This makes me want to fling a new cheese. hehe

:)

And yay my nomination won

Beth wrote: "I'm in for reading this one. I really enjoyed Harper's Aaron Falk series. I can do DQs but am happy to let others take that turn if needed for challenges."

This will be just after/as Tower Teams ends so no team points for this one. Back to normal :)

Volunteering as backup for Lexi, Belem Tower

Especially for a task like that!!

I agree with Erin, nice find Steven!

DQs Day 2
Chap 5 to 7

6. What do you think about the hierarchy of the villages and the Matsudos and Yukinos being the "rulers" of the mountain?
Rulers tend to be the most powerful so it makes sense that someone who can kill you with an ice spear stronger than metal would be a ruling family. It's a familiar set up in non-democratic societies. And if we were truly honest in most democratic ones too.

7. We get to know the history of the relationship between the Matsudos and the Kotetsus. Do you think this relationship / the Kotetsu family will play an important role later on in the story? If so, how?
I think so, Mamoru made need somewhere same to run to if he ends up having a dramatic falling out with his father. Which is certainly possible at this point. It also gives him perspectives into other ways to live other than how his family functions.

8. In chapter 6, we find out that Misaki was a real badass in her past. Was there anything that stuck out to you when getting to know her backstory? Something interesting, shocking, odd?
It really makes me wonder how she ended up married to Tekure and why he agreed to marry her having lived off island. Seems like an odd pairing. I'm wondering where her family is and if they are even still alive. Also, if they were traditional enough for the arranged marriage to the ruling family, blah blah, why send her off island for training at all? Clearly there is more to this story.

9. The conversation between Misaki and Mamoru was heartwarming. Do you think we will see both of them side by side as warriors by the end of the book?
I hope so. At the very least I hope Mamoru learns who is mother truly is and not just who Tekure and her FIL allowed her to become in that household.

We've finished Brazil and have hopped back to Africa for a tour of Nigeria

Author born in Nigeria
Green and White on cover
diverse cast of characters
character is a sculptor
letters BRONZE in title (any order)
river on cover
N
I
G
E
R
I
A