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

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

Leslie Ann wrote: "I wanted to edit my form, but I can’t seem to. I would like if possible be on a team with Trinia,Suzanne, Alaina, Diane Firefly , Cathy M"

We'll try to at least have you all grouped together in some fashion but I'm not going to promise all 6 of you will end up on one team as we try to balance books per month and number of members per team.

We all whine from time to time, I was more explaining the lead time.

I was whining about stuff in our mod group earlier as Karen can attest too 🤪

The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang

A mother struggling to repress her violent past,
A son struggling to grasp his violent future,
A father blind to the danger that threatens them all.

When the winds of war reach their peninsula, will the Matsuda family have the strength to defend their empire? Or will they tear each other apart before the true enemies even reach their shores?

High on a mountainside at the edge of the Kaigenese Empire live the most powerful warriors in the world, superhumans capable of raising the sea and wielding blades of ice. For hundreds of years, the fighters of the Kusanagi Peninsula have held the Empire’s enemies at bay, earning their frozen spit of land the name ‘The Sword of Kaigen.’

Born into Kusanagi’s legendary Matsuda family, fourteen-year-old Mamoru has always known his purpose: to master his family’s fighting techniques and defend his homeland. But when an outsider arrives and pulls back the curtain on Kaigen’s alleged age of peace, Mamoru realizes that he might not have much time to become the fighter he was bred to be. Worse, the empire he was bred to defend may stand on a foundation of lies.

Misaki told herself that she left the passions of her youth behind when she married into the Matsuda house. Determined to be a good housewife and mother, she hid away her sword, along with everything from her days as a fighter in a faraway country. But with her growing son asking questions about the outside world, the threat of an impending invasion looming across the sea, and her frigid husband grating on her nerves, Misaki finds the fighter in her clawing its way back to the surface.

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.

Kelly (Maybedog) wrote: "Yeah but I looked at the info and it says it starts May 17.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/..."

That's because we have to sort probably 150 people into balanced teams, get everything set up, and give teams about a week or so for people to check in and ready to go.

All that takes time.

Suzanne wrote: "Would it be possible for me (or a Mod) to change my monthly books to 15? (I had put 10.) I just got my Hugo packet, and to be a responsible voter I need to step up my reading!

So sorry to cause m..."

Updated to 15 as requested

MN Lisa wrote: "Ummm. I don't remember if I signed up yet or not...Is there a place to check?"

No we don't have a live link to the sign-up sheet. But you are on there :)

I’m in for DQs (Team Belem)

Yay! My nomination won

I’m of course in for DQs

Oh thanks, I got distracted doing spreadsheet work for TT and forgot to spin for a new monster

A final call will be in the May newsletter. I’d say if you want to avoid the reserve list to sign up by like May 3

Robin (Saturndoo) wrote: "Judith wrote: "Yes, ask away"

Thanks Judith.

For those of us who do read over 60 BPM cap or it's highly likely that we will read over the 60 BPM cap--I'm not sure I'm quite understanding how tha..."

Correct, those books may not be used. But there is nothing saying which of 60 books read you'd have to use. And what I mean by that is the player wouldn't be obligated to use the first 60 books they read.

Maybe some books are longer than others or some work for a harder mini challenge task. There'd be flexibility to use the most advantageous books for the team until you had to lock in the books for the end of the month or end of mini challenge time period, etc.

And if you are getting close to your reading cap, whether it's the 60 or the limit set by your sign up, you can always try and target those larger books on your tbr list.

One of the reason for the caps, as mentioned in the sign up description, is to help with team balancing. And I mean the number of people on the team and not just the total sign up for books per month. For example, we try not to have one team with 4 people and another team with 9 people.

No matter how big or small of a reader you are players are supposed to check in at least once a week so the captains know you are still around and playing. Also we mods are known to throw mini challenges, etc at teams without notice so players should check in to be aware of new things going on, discuss good or bad books being read by team members etc.

Part of the point of challenges is to be interactive with other readers and share reading experiences. It's hard to do that if there's no interaction on the team thread.

Hope this helps!

Yes, ask away

Those do sound cute. Cameron is still into Paw Patrol and I happened to find a chocolate Chase and Marshall at Walgreens and they weren't all that big. So I got those instead of a chocolate bunny for his Easter basket.

And we had a fun egg hunt here at the house. Overall he had a good haul and we've had some chocolate negotiations.

Judith's BOM Tracking

Day 1: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 2: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 3: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 4: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 5: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

DQs Day 5

17. what did you think of the quest into Faerie?
I thought it was one of the more interesting parts of the book but Emily's attitude was still a bit annoying. One of the things I like about this series is the inclusion of common/lesser Fae as actual, important side characters instead of just focusing on the royal/high Fae. Honestly I find the common Fae a lot more interesting.

18. Orga seems like a fun addition to the characters, but do you have a favourite of the various Fae we've met?
I liked Snowbell and thought it was great when they reappeared in the Fae realm and helped Emily reach the palace.

19. Did you enjoy the ending? And the book generally? Any thoughts on character development during this book?
The ending was fine. The book was overall a bit meh, mainly due to how repetitive it seemed to book 1 (maybe it would of be less annoying if I hadn't read the books only a couple months apart) and the complete lack of character growth for Emily.

20. There's a book 3! Will you be reading about their retaking of Wendell's kingdom?
I will be reading it at some point. After reading and liking book 1, I bought books 2 & 3 at the same time. So I already own book 3 and may as well read it. I'm hoping for the best since the plot should be different from the first 2 books.

Yes, I think that’s fine

DQs Day 4

13.) Well, they found de Gray and the answer to the weird damage to the front door of their cottage. And she's now anticlimactically out of Faerie and time. Did that meeting go as you expected at the outset of the book?
I was expecting this to be, I don't know more. Or harder. Not take like a page. I thought they'd have to venture into Faerie to find her. Though after pulling out Einhorne in a similar fashion I wasn't completely surprised. But this was a bit of a miss for me in terms of expectations.

14.) She said yes! Surprised? Do you think it'll be that simple to be engaged and marry a prince of the Fae? Or become queen of a Realm?
Not surprised at all that the answer was yes. I'm guessing most of these questions will actually be answered in the 3rd book as I don't think there is enough left of book 2 to deal with them. But I don't think it will be all that easy for Emily and Wendell to achieve.

15.) It is just me or has Emily learned next to nothing? Why does she still seem to always think doing it her way and alone is best? *bangs forehead on book*
I'm disappointed in her overall lack of character growth from book 1 and this book is feeling repetitive. I'm not sure why half this book is even necessary to move the story forward.

16.) Do you think Emily's trip into Faerie will be successful in retrieving the cat? Will we finally meet the stepmother? And do you think she and her niece will make it out of the Realm in one piece?
I'm assuming they will get the cat and save Wendell because, well there's a book 3 and he's in it. Not sure what the price Emily and Ariande will pay though, I'm assuming there will be one.

DQs Day 4

13.) Well, they found de Gray and the answer to the weird damage to the front door of their cottage. And she's now anticlimactically out of Faerie and time. Did that meeting go as you expected at the outset of the book?

14.) She said yes! Surprised? Do you think it'll be that simple to be engaged and marry a prince of the Fae? Or become queen of a Realm?

15.) It is just me or has Emily learned next to nothing? Why does she still seem to always think doing it her way and alone is best? *bangs forehead on book*

16.) Do you think Emily's trip into Faerie will be successful in retrieving the cat? Will we finally meet the stepmother? And do you think she and her niece will make it out of the Realm in one piece?

DQ's Day 3
2nd October- 6th October - late 63%

9. Shadow (a grimm) is getting older it seems and although he has been back in fairy for brief moments. Do you think if he goes back to Wendell's fairy that he will regain his vitality?
I'm assuming it's from his time in the mortal realm. Even the collar seems to improve his vitality. So I guess going back to a fae realm will improve his health considerably.

10. There seems to be so many fairy doors here and different folk in this area of the continent that it seems weird there has not been more research in this area. Do you think it's because of the missing scholars (DeGray and Icorn)? What did you think about when Wendell moved them through the landscape several times running from the huntsman?
I'm guessing it's because scholars didn't know to look? I feel like Emily has pieced together a lot of knowledge that isn't as well known and seems to have a knack for finding what she's looking for, like there's a drop or two of fae blood in her. And fae magic and especially Wendell's skills seem fluid and vague to me. I certainly don't have a good handle on the parameters of his abilities.

11. What did you think about when Wendell moved them through the landscape several times running from the huntsman? And creating a castle?
The landscape jumping came as a surprise since he doesn't seem to be able to get to his own lands? That seems strange. Though maybe the issue is finding a backdoor/sneaking into his home realm, opposed to the front door which would alert his stepmother to his arrival? Creating the castle wasn't a surprise, it was very Minecraft of him (sorry my kid is 7 and we just saw the movie a couple days ago). LOL

12. Emily seems to be leading the pact with Wendell sick and Rose seeming to cautious. Do you think Emily will find the correct Fairie or end up finding a land they have never studied?
I think she'll find his door and hopefully settle the situation with Wendell's stepmother. Or at least I hope that doesn't drag through book 3 as well.

Also, Emily needs to pull her head out of her butt before she ends up in a similar situation to what happened with the winter king in book 1.