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

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

I've made it to about the halfway point of the book. I'm remembering that even on my first read through by this point I was not a Gale fan. He really is a bit of a self-centered douche. I'm glad Katniss had Finnick there for support because Gale really wasn't all that interested in what type of support she actually needed.

Katniss is not winning any people-ing awards either but I don't think she's supposed to. She's like 16 with grown people purposefully messing with her mind and manipulating her. It's a bit amazing she can even function at all.

Honestly I love the random tidbits of story with Buttercup, it's actually a nice foil to what's going on with Katniss.

DQs Day 2 Chapter 9-13

6. In this section, we learn that the countdown at the start of every chapter is for the Read-a-thon, a reading event Daphne is planning at the library. Did you try to figure out what it was about? What did you think? Or were you just along for the ride, waiting to find to, like I was?
I figured we'd find out and that it was a way to force some action in the story by placing a deadline to something happening between the MCs . . . or not happening as the case may be.

7. Speaking of the Read-a-thon, have you heard of or participated in (or even organized!) something like it? Would you like to?
Not a Read-a-thon like that where it all happens in one go. It sounds fun though, I'd do it.

8. “[Sadie] and Cooper were our best friends” Daphne is not only going through the end of her romantic relationship, but also seems to have lost her best friend. What’s your take on that? Have you ever been on either side of this situation? (No need to answer/go into detail of course!)
Yes, sort of. I'm passed the age of our friends getting married and having kids, and are starting to enter the divorce phase for those who aren't going to go the distance. But it's not to the degree that Daphne is facing since Sadie was her bff. Usually in a divorce or a similar type of split, friends end up picking a side even if it's not intentional. It just happens.

9. “I think the beard is sheer chaos, but not inherently bad. It’s your face, Miles. All that matters is how you feel about it.” I think Daphne makes a great point here and think we should all remember that a bit more before we judge people’s looks. Were there any quotes that really stood out to you?
I thought Daphne's thoughts not definitely not taking Peter back were good, I'm hoping she sticks to that because I have a feeling his stupid face will be back.
I really liked this conversation too and wish more people thought they way Daphne does.

10. What do you think is up with Miles’s family so he doesn’t have a relationship with his parents? How do you feel about Daphne neither probing nor really wondering about it?
Daphne is excellent at minding her own business and not pressuring to talk about deeply personal things before a person is ready. I mean, how long and well do they really know each other at this point. I didn't think anything about her not poking her nose into what could be deeply private business, like what if his parents were abusive? Do I think that, no not really. I'm guessing it's more along the lines of they wanted Miles to be a doctor or lawyer or whatever and aren't impressed with his life choices so wrote him off.

Yes, we can bank books for the spell outs as well.

I will say though if we are close to finishing a spell out I will likely swap out books with read ones so we can get a new spelling. But if I won't do that until I can complete the spelling.

It might happen that we spin for a new word and I fill it will banked books and we immediately spin for another new word. Or repeat the spelling if we so choose.

DQs Day 1 Chapter 1-8

1. Is this your first Emily Henry book or have you read others by her? If not your first, what has been your favorite book of hers, so far? If your first, has she been on your radar before or is this a BOM/Games thing you're reading for?
I've read Book Lovers for a previous BOM and enjoyed it. Some of her others are on my tbr but I'm never in a hurry to read her books. Not because she's not a good author but it's just I tend to want to read something else more.

2. What do you think so far of the story and the writing?
Light and breezy and so far setting up nicely. About what I was expecting.

3. What would you do if you found yourself in the same shoes as Miles and Daphne and were invited to an ex's wedding?!?
Hmm, I'd be tempted to RSVP, especially when intoxicated. But not sure I'd actually show.

4. I love Emily Henry's characters. I always find myself laughing throughout her books. Are you enjoying the characters so far in this one? Anyone in particular an early favorite?
I am actually. Nothing particularly earth shattering but then that's not the type of books Henry writes. Honestly so far Ashleigh is my favorite.

5. Any early predictions for how this will turn out? Do you think Peter's call to Daphne is an indication of jealousy? Do you agree with Ashleigh when she said "If Peter was going to break your heart now, he wouldn't done it eventually." and "He's a lunch swapper, and whether it was the rusty metal Batman lunch box or a Cars 2 zip-up one that's filled with mold, at some point, he was going to trade in the sake lunch." (I love that metaphor!!)
Oh for sure. The fact Daphne packed her stuff and left without a bunch of dramatics probably bummed him out. I completely agree with Ashleigh's statement. As the saying goes, when people SHOW you who they are, believe them.

Cordelia wrote: "Work got unexpectedly canceled today so I got a bonus free day. I finished Funny Story. Now to decide which of my too many current reads to continue or whether to start yet another book.... I feel ..."

book added :)

Finally getting around to this re-read.

I forgot about how insidious and creepy Snow is even at this point in the trilogy. That white rose on the dresser. Heebie jeebies

I will say that all of the early chapters with descriptions of District 13 made it a little hard to believe the Capitol didn't know they were there and left them be. I have a hard time believing they were able to source all of the necessary raw ingredients to make all the clothes, food, technology, etc.

But I guess if they weren't able to do those things it would of been a really short book 3.

FYI - the bright green highlight on the tracking sheet are for read books we are holding for future district wheel tasks.

the tag is more for me so I don't accidently log them on the main sheet and/or lose track of them.

just sharing so y'all aren't wondering what it means :)

No, normally characters are allowed but for this mini they aren't :(

We'll likely get it on a mini eventually since we can bank books for future district wheel spins.

The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary

Addie and her sister are about to embark on an epic road trip to a friend's wedding in the north of Scotland. The playlist is all planned and the snacks are packed.

But, not long after setting off, a car slams into the back of theirs. The driver is none other than Addie's ex, Dylan, who she's avoided since their traumatic break-up two years earlier.

Dylan and his best mate are heading to the wedding too, and they've totalled their car, so Addie has no choice but to offer them a ride. The car is soon jam-packed full of luggage and secrets, and with three hundred miles ahead of them, Dylan and Addie can't avoid confronting the very messy history of their relationship...

Will they make it to the wedding on time? And, more importantly... is this really the end of the road for Addie and Dylan?

Reason: car on cover/road trip

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



Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes

Who hasn't wondered for a split second what the world would be like the object of your affliction ceased to exist? But then you've probably never heard of The McMasters Conservatory, dedicated to the consummate execution of the homicidal arts. To gain admission, a student must have an ethical reason for erasing someone who deeply deserves a fate no worse (nor better) than death.

The campus of this "Poison Ivy League" college-its location unknown to even those who study there-is where you might find yourself the practice target of a classmate...and where one's mandatory graduation thesis is getting away with the perfect murder of someone whose death will make the world a much better place to live.

Prepare for an education you'll never forget. A delightful mix of witty wordplay, breathtaking twists and genuine intrigue, Murder Your Employer will gain you admission into a wholly original world, cocooned within the most entertaining book about well-intentioned would-be murderers you'll ever read.

I also second those mentioned above. I'm currently relistening to The Saint of Steel series by Kingfisher since a new one recently came out.

Enjoying them just as much the second time around.

First one is Paladin’s Grace

Lexi wrote: "I thought Pachinko took place in Korea under the rule of the Japanese empire but I haven’t read it so I may be wrong."

the MC is Korean but ends up in Japan. It takes place in both countries but more in Japan than Korea.

It is during the occupation of Korea though so it can be confusing.

Stacie wrote: "I just want to say this challenge has been a lot of fun as has this team."

Oh yay! This makes me happy to hear

Congratulations Team!

We won the Battle for Round 3. Like the Battle for Round 2, we tied for letters overlapping but this go round we won the coin toss for the tie breaker. So woo-hoo for the 5 extra points :)

Thank you for keeping the selections fun and helping find books that sent decent letters to D1 for their next selection. Not all teams did that and there were certainly some struggles in other battles.

Tricia wrote: "A Magical Girl Retires is set in South Korea and is really interesting (and short). I read it in May unfortunately but thought someone else might want to use it for the mini.

Als..."

Yes, thank you!

If anyone finishes a book that works for a harder task in a district we haven't spun for yet, mark it on the spreadsheet and we'll save it.

I'm thinking mainly for the country setting and higher numbers in series. Though banking for other tasks is great too, having books ready to drop in just means we can get a new spin faster.

Unfortunately no.

I expect to be spinning the district wheel more than the arena wheel since most of the spellings are long

For the task connecting the plot to what the district is known for.

District 3 is general electronics. So some connection to general electronics/technology.

Maybe a character works in IT, they communicate constantly via text, character is always wearing headphones. Maybe the MC is a detective and used computers to find an important clue.

Note: these are just some general ideas and please be as creative as you'd like as long as the connection still makes sense.

Hello!!

I'll get your shelf added to the top post, thank you for that :)

And yes, you can start adding any books you've finished since July 15th. You can go ahead and add them to the tracking sheet here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

You don't need to worry about mini challenge tasks for anything you've already read. The details of that were just released this morning and it doesn't actually start until Aug 1st.

As for sorting into the resource piles, it's really just a way we are sorting points (that sometimes get raided a bit at the end of the round). So don't over think the sorting.

I'll leave it at that to not bombard you with things. But please post any questions you have here and we'll do out best to help :)

Cordelia wrote: "I've finished Mockingjay and Something Wilder! Thanks :)"

Added :)

Aug 1st (so Thursday)

You can start them whenever though