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

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

And the next thing has dropped! It's a bit of a dozy and it's a lot to unpack, but don't worry! Lexi, Sarah and I will help everyone get it figured out :)

DQs Day 2 - Baneful-"My Own Wee Thing”

6. Jane gives Rochester a black-coloured thumb-sized stone to keep with him as a protective talisman. Do you believe in talismans? Please tell us about an object that you keep with you as a talisman?
Hmm. I definitely think certain things can bring a sense of comfort, safety, or connectedness. There are certain pieces of jewelry I've worn, mainly a necklace from my grandparents, when I feel I need a bit of a boost. It reminds me that I have family who love and support me so even if X is a disaster, it'll be okay.

7. Between some of the chapters narrated from Jane’s point of view, we get chapters from Rochester’s point of view. What do you think of these “interludes”? Do they help or distract?
I enjoy the glimpses but I think I'm glad it's not an even POV split between the two MCs.

8. We are introduced to Dr. Poole. What did you think of this character particularly with regards to Jane meeting him in the poison garden? Were there any changes in your opinion after reading Agnes’ conversation with Jane about the late Mrs. Rochester?
I think he's up to no good and I think his name implies that. That conversation with Agnes just confirmed it.

9. We have been told several times about a curse on Thornfield. Then Jane follows Rochester to the graveyard where his family members are buried. At this point Jane says “This was a story of heartache. Everyone in Mr. Rochester’s family had died before their time, especially the females. Then his wife had done the same.” Do you think there is a connection between the curse and the early deaths?
I mean maybe? But that sort of thing wasn't uncommon in those times either. It could go either way. If the curse though is tied directly to Rochester's deceased wife, it can't all be connected. Right?

10. We have been given information about Jane and her origin? What do you think of this twist in the tale?
Wasn't surprised about her father and am wondering if that's one of the reasons he sent Jane there. For the mom, that just seems a bit strange and reminds me of Sookie Stackhouse and that's not meant in a good way as I found the fairy storyline in those books silly.

This does remind me though, if anyone thinks they may not finish a book on the mini before the June 15th deadline, please let us know and we can find a replacement.

Books not on the mini that aren't finished will simply be rolled over to Round 2.

Thank you and happy reading!

Krissy wrote: "I already finished a book that would fit that Heracles task if you guys want to update my book Best Beast."

Done! Thanks Krissy

I was going to look through books read but not on the mini this morning hoping to find one that fit and you beat me to it :)

DQs - Day 1 - Prologue-Blackthorn

1. A paranormal retelling?? of Jane Eyre - this prompts the question about the original or let's call it the "source for inspiration". What is your relationship to Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë? Have you read it? Loved/liked/disliked it?
I have always been a fan of Jane Eyre, one of my favorites from the classics. However I always thought she could do better than Rochester and felt he was a punk. Hence why I put him on the Bad Romance Wheel O'Monsters. I said what I said. :P

2. What about Retellings? Is it a genre you like/avoid?
I enjoy a good retelling, especially when it's not something that is often selected for a retelling. To be honest, author can relax a bit with the Beauty and Beast retellings.

3. Jane Aire as a witch in a school for orphan witches? How do you like the setting of this alternative Victorian world where magic is at least tolerated?
I think it's an interesting take and curious to see where it goes. But tolerance is not firm ground as the interaction with Agnes demonstrated.

4. What are your first impressions of Jane and Rochester?
He actually seems less of a dink than he comes across in the original. She seems to have a better sense of self than the original Jane as well or at least a fair bit of confidence in her skills.

5. What do you think about the occurrences in Thornfield? Are they really caused by supernatural elements or is it human action?
I'm not sure. Maybe a mix? I guess I still don't have a handle on how real the magic is in this world version. Though having an actual dryad seems to confirm it's all not woo-woo and magical beings are real.

It can get confusing and you weren’t the only one. It’s all been set to rights so no worries

I’ll let you and Sarah work that out.

I deleted it because it just had the word Idaho in the cell that had over written the formula. I thought it was a mistake, sorry!

There isn’t a need to enter things directly on the mini tab, you can enter everything on the Round 1 tab and it auto populates the mini tab with the formulas.

I would like to use an extra entry for this please!

District 8

It looks like a spot for “takes place in Idaho” opened up on the spreadsheet. So if anyone is looking for a book this week and has one that works there, it’s up for grabs

I love our team! I checked the tracking sheet and saw all the mini tasks are claimed.

Hats off to everyone for finding books to fit everything. And a special shout out to Krissy for finding 3 books taking place on Crete. That task is a struggle for most of the teams.

Happy reading everyone and go team 😄

I fixed it, somehow the formula got deleted on the mini tab.

Thanks for catching that!

FYI - Vikki, Lexi is reading Starling House and it doesn’t have a spot on the mini right now. If you are pinched for time we can just swap you two, no worries

In order to earn the extra points, you’d need to have it read and 3 sets of DQs answered by July 16th.

If you have it down for a mini task and you don’t think you’ll finish by June 15, just remove the mini task code so people know the spot is available.

Stacie wrote: "I'll be on vacation from Sunday to Thursday with just my phone so maybe not a lot of updating between now and then."

Enjoy your trip!

Krissy wrote: "Judith wrote: "Krissy, when you get a chance can you add The Forgotten Dead to your game shelf?
Thank you!"

Done 👍 Sorry for missing it!"

No worries, it happens to all of us! Thanks you :)

Krissy, when you get a chance can you add The Forgotten Dead to your game shelf?

Thank you!

Cordelia wrote: "Life's been busy the past few days and I haven't done as much reading but I did finish a book yesterday! And I'm making some slow but steady progress with some other reads.

Trying hard to read bot..."

Sounds good! I hope things calm down for you :)

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
Chapters 27 - Epilogue

21. Wow what a ride! What were your initial thoughts and feelings after finishing the book?
I feel like this book was full of interesting ideas and takes on familiar themes but fell short in execution.

22. An integral part to the book is the way the story of Starling House is told through many different viewpoints, with truth and lies and rumors and heresay and opinions often woven together. Did you find that you learned more about Starling House through each story? Did this type of story building and layering work for you? Why or why not?
I like how the different stories were spread out and covered a wide range of perspectives. It made the story and myth about the house all that more interesting.

23. In the ending battles, the MCs were fighting beasts of nightmares and of their own making, inside dreams. Do think it's hard for good dreams to win out against nightmares? Explain your thoughts.
I think it depends on the person and their internal strength and hope. Nightmares can be easier to believe though. So I'll stick with my favorite answer to give in all things, it depends.

24. A major theme in the book is wants and needs, and how they seemingly twist into each other if you want hard enough. In this theme exploration, what was the message you got from the author, and did it resonate with you?
I the message from this author is to freaking communicate with your loved ones, even when it's hard. And do you best to ask for help when you need it.

25. Would you recommend this book? Explain.
No, this author is really inconsistent with me. Her ideas are always great but the execution is hit and miss. She missed with this one for me and for The Ten Thousand Doors of January but I liked her The Once and Future Witches.

DQs Day 4: Chapters 20-26

16. I love Bev’s line ‘ How in hell is anybody supposed to help if you won’t ask?’ Are there any characters who don't need to hear this? Did it resonate with you?
OMG, all of them did for sure. I think asking for help is something a lot of people struggle with. You don't want to be a burden, you want to know you can handle things on your own, etc. But good lord these children (I don't care if Opal is 26, she acts like a child) needed to ask for help.

17. Opal and Jasper finally reveal their secrets and talk. Were you surprised that they are both Graverly’s? How do you feel about the outcome regarding schools?
I wasn't surprised really. Umm, I wasn't surprised about Jasper's reaction about the private school and had to laugh at his comment "wow you found somewhere even whiter than Eden". What the school had on the website was messed up and made me wonder where they got that picture of Jasper.
Him going to college though, doesn't seem that easy. And he's a minor with Opal as his guardian. How did he fill all that out without her signing a single piece of paper? I think the author skipped over some important realities to drop that into the story.

18. Elizabeth Baine seems to have an amazing connections and pull. Who do you think she works for? How do you think she figured out what the right leverage was?
The Illuminati? Just kidding. I think she does work for the Graverly's but I think there is some other, unnamed group she's working for. She's just very observant and I wonder if she realized Arthur was trying to protect Opal and/or paid for Jasper's tuition. On that note, I hope he and Opal get their money back if Jasper goes to college early.

19. So much happened in these chapters, yet I really don’t feel like I learned much. How do you feel about the pacing/storyline?
It's not the best. I liked some of the slow reveal of the puzzle pieces about the house and Underland. But all the random drama around town is a bit much sometimes.

20. We learn that being a warden is a choice, although the house asks very vulnerable people. Do you think that the other wardens understood the price? How does Opal fit – she chose, but she isn’t a warden at this point.
Maybe? But if something is haunting your dreams, I can see it becoming a calling. I'm wondering if Starling House just felt like home to them, so they fought for it. To a certain extent I think the same can be said of Opal. I think it was interesting that Jasper pretty much said he was having similar dreams.

Bonus cat question: Which name do you prefer – Baast or Hellcat?
Baast, mainly because it lends some deserved regal-ness to the cat. But I think I'd put Baast Hellcat on her vet paperwork.