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

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

Tricia wrote: "How do I learn about the different team challenges? I did Tower Teams this year for the first time and really enjoyed it, but I see people talking about Uno, Monster Wheel, and other team challenge..."

This challenge (Marauding Monsters, which was spun off of a Tower Team 9 mini challenge) is a self directed challenge you can either do as an individual or with a self-made group of any size. You just start a new thread, make a copy of the spreadsheet for your monster fighting and spin some wheels. Liz up in message 64 was looking to join if you all want to start a group.

For the larger team challenges in NBRC like Tower Teams, Wheel-a-thon, and others those are announced in the newsletter and we often put up teasers here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/.... So if you follow that thread you'll get notifications.

If you are a member of NBRC and don't have broadcast messages blocked as a setting, you should get the monthly newsletter which goes out on the 1st of the month, give or take a day.

There a lot of individual challenges we have, please poke around the NBRC group site and see if something strikes your fancy.

UNO is actually a challenge that happens in The Perks of Being a Book Addict, often referred to as simply 'Perks'. link to group: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

There is a lot of overlapped membership between Perks and NBRC and two lovely ladies are mods in both groups.

Hope that helps some and please ask if you have additional questions

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
Ch 32 - 38
20. In this section, Ursa relates what happened to her and her mother, but does it in a way that still works with her alien construct. Were there any aspects of the story that surprised you? Were you still hoping the alien part of the story was real? What was your take on Ursa’s origin story?
I was sort of relieved the alien part wasn't real as the rest of the story/characters didn't seem to fall into the magical realism category. It all sort of made sense so her backstory worked for me.

21. Part of Ursa’s healing involves integrating her little girl and alien parts. Jo suggested that the alien could be the soul of Ursa. What is your take on Ursa’s assertion that “It’s more like the other way around: Ursa is the soul of me, the one who came from the stars.” How do you think this idea plays into the title of the book?
I guess that her soul is the pure, safe part of herself that she protected from the ugliness of what happened to her? and maybe the darkness of her past (forest) meets with the hope for a better future (stars?). I don't know, I'm not always the best at articulating themes sometimes.

22. One of my favorite aspects of the book was the idea of Ursa the alien giving off quarks that touch people’s lives - how all of us affect and are related to each other from a scientific standpoint., even if we can’t predict what the outcome will be. What are your thoughts around the quark idea? Just positive thinking?
I think it's true to a certain extent. We impact each other and are impacted by other people everyday. Sometimes even without out saying a word to each other. Quarks are just an explanation of that to some extent.

23. A primary theme of the book is around the power of love - familial love, love of nature, chosen families - building nests with others to live. What did you think of how all the different families came together? And what about Lacey’s transformation from harridan to helpful - believable or just hopeful?
Truth and honesty can make huge differences in relationships. Even if you don't realize there is a secret, the poison is still there destroying things from the inside. It was a little neat and tidy but wasn't worth dragging out the story to have it not mend that quickly. There was enough sadness in the story I'm not going to be butthurt about a cotton candy HEA for the characters.

24. One part of the book that really resonated with me was Jo’s decision to “enter the darkness” with her dying mother, to be there fully with no regrets. That is the kind of emotional bravery I aspire to - shedding the self-protective shell to embrace a fuller loved and loving life. What aspects of the book struck a note for you? Do you believe that sometimes bad things happen to make way for better things next?
Yes, I have personally had to deal with some very painful things and dwelt in mental darkness before. If some of those things hadn't happened I wouldn't have the life and family I have now. To go back and erase those experiences, I have no idea where I'd be right now but I'm fairly sure my son wouldn't exist. Which I just can't even imagine him never becoming.

25. What are your final thoughts on the book? Favorite moments or themes? Who else wants to adopt Ursa?
I nominated as a random selection from my TBR that I don't even remember adding because it was on KU and seemed to fit the BOM theme for August. And I'm glad I did and that it won. It was a lovely read and I think a good one to read as part of a BOM discussion. I'd love to adopt her :)

Thank you!

I’m on the way to send the day with my in-laws so no spreadsheet access.

But I finished Boldly Go which should finish off a monster and I’ve started Quicksilver which has a raven on the cover for the black bird task.

DQs Day 4 ~ Ch 23 to 31

15. George encounters Gabe and Jo by accident at the campus. What did you think about Jo’s attempt to make Gabe talk to George? Even more curious, what did you think of Gabe’s reaction to the talk he had with George?
I don't think it was planned or even something she thought would happen, but when the opportunity presented itself I think she knew it was just something that needed to happen. Probably something that should of happened years ago. Considering everything, Gabe handled about as well as anyone could of in his situation.

16. Jo did a great job of keeping her cool and coming up with a plan to get Ursa and her out of the cabin when the men showed up. Did you see this coming? Or were you expecting a different outcome than men sneaking in guns blazing?
When the car ended up following them home I figured some sort of altercation was going to happen that was going to bring everything crashing down.

17. Gabe and Jo could be in trouble with the police, but it seems for child endangerment instead of killing two people/intruders. Gabe is trying to be the sensible one by telling Jo to contact a lawyer. What will happen? Do you think Jo and Gabe will be charged with a crime and if so, what?
Well, they were clearly intruders who were there with the intent to harm as the only thing they tried to do was shoot Ursa and Jo. Self-defense seems an easy sell there to the prosecutors (with the bonus of being true). As for the child endangerment? That may depend on the truth of Ursa's disappearance and if she wakes up to tell her story.

18. Whew, there was a lot going on in this section. When they returned to Effingham and stopped for dinner, I was pretty sure that we were going to encounter trouble! Ursa….She is obviously in the middle of something big and bad. After learning that Ursa is under police guard (or protection, maybe?), what do you think is the real story? (Or do you agree with Tabby’s thought that the government knows there is an alien in Ursa’s body?!)
I'm guessing Ursa was assaulted, strangled and left in the woods for dead. I'm not sure if the attempted murder was to hide the assault or if she was targeted because she knows/saw something she wasn't supposed to see. And the whole alien story was her way of coping with all that trauma by making herself be a something new inhabiting her old body.

19. Gabe seems to have lost his reluctance to be out in the world. Were you surprised by this? What do you think brought about the change?
Maybe he feels more capable successfully defending Jo and Ursa? The desire to be with them/near them is stronger than the need to keep hiding? The truth about his parentage being more out in the open makes it seem less daunting? Likely some combination there of.

Day 3- Chapters 15 - 22

11. We get an actual romance - you happy with this rather than friendship?
Like Angie, I would be fine with either. But I think these two could both benefit from some romance and it doesn't seem forced so I'm fine with how it's progressing.

12. First kiss energy... Is this a thing?! I mean, GREAT kiss energy I get, but I've had some bad first kisses!
I guess it is now? LOL

13. So, George the bug man, quiet unshowy intelligence or Arthur the Renaissance man, had to have the limelight.... Which attitude do you prefer?
unshowy intelligence hands down. the other . . . people just come off eventually as pompous windbags. it gets old fast.

14. Ewww! Hope Lovett haunting Gabe's mother and lover?!! Did you find any romance in the unveiling of this secret relationship? Do you buy Jo's view that as a poet, Katherine might have found a metaphor to support this trysting location?
Romance in it? Not really. But it certainly explains A LOT about Gabe's home life situation.
As for the location, it sounds like a great way to get bug bites on your butt. Or other places where it would also be very uncomfortable. Leave the dead alone to mind their afterlife business. Go bang in the barn like normal people out in the country.

Why fix what’s clearly not broken!! 😂

Cat wrote: "Sammy wrote: "Hahahaha!! We'll need a dino team image 😂"

why do I do these things? Apparently the author's plumbed the depths (shallows?) of Dino Island and has moved on to a new series...

[bookc..."

I have so many questions. Why is the girl dressed like this in a classroom?

And is that a dinosaur hand in the bottom corner? did the Dino Island dinosaurs escape like in Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World?

WHAT!?!?!

Lexi wrote: "It is a bird but is it black, learning towards brown even though it is a vulture - middle bottom
"

The stylized coloration of the bird on the cover doesn't look black on my screen.

The title (you can include subtitles as well as long as they show up in the GoodReads title) needs to include all of the letters but they can be in any order.

Here's an example of the title with a subtitle included on GoodReads:

The Sloth Lemur's Song: Madagascar from the Deep Past to the Uncertain Present

DQs Day 2
Ch 8-14

6. Have you ever eaten a meal that you provided all of the ingredients for (not by shopping for them?)
Basically, have you ever lived on a farm or ranch or foraged for a meal in the wilderness? (Dinner at Gabe’s house made me hungry.)
No, can't say that I have. Even when camping, at least part of what we ate was purchased at a store.

7. What do you think of Jo and Gabe not being able to just turn Ursa in to child protective services? Do neither of them just want to be the bad guy? Is it at all realistic or a good idea that they are basically raising this child?
I can see how it happened but I think they could get into trouble, though I don't think they will for some reason. I think they don't want her to end up in a worse situation than what they assume she's already in.

8. In a world where half of the population is in therapy of some kind and the other half is on some kind of mood altering drugs, how is it that mental illness is still so stigmatized? What do you think of Gabe’s back story? (I am going to start using the word “kaplooey” in random sentences now.)
Because to allow people to have the grace to be different takes effort and people have to make unselfish choices about how they interact with others. And they simply can't be bothered. Those differences aren't obvious most of the time. Also, because it is an aliment happening within your own mind, why can't you just will yourself better? Which is dumb, but a lot of people don't understand it.
But I do see how my son's peers treat him (he's autistic) and the compassion and forgiveness they show him and I have hope this is finally changing for the better.

9. Tabby is pretty cool, yes? The trip to Urbana gave us a clue to where Ursa came from, but then it was dropped from the story. Do you think that Jo just didn’t notice, or is the author just playing with us?
We all need a friend like Tabby in our lives. I think she noticed but there wasn't much to do about it? Or she chalked it up to just doing into a city versus being in the country?

10. So, family dynamics are fun, aren’t they? What are your impressions of Gabe’s sister and mom, and how they interact? How about the newly minted “family” of Gabe, Jo and Ursa?
I think to a certain extent they are completely taking advantage of Gabe's situation. His sister certainly doesn't want to take care of the farm and likely her mom day to day. So how nice it is that Gabe has issues, he can do all of it. His sister might be willing to take their mother in, but likely not on the farm. I'm guessing mom doesn't want to leave her home. I think both of them are hindering Gabe's path to wellness.

DQs Day 1
Ch 1 to 7

1.) What did you think of Jo's first encounter with Ursa? What do you think you would of done in that situation?
Hats off to Jo for keeping it together during the "I'm an alien" conversation. Though Ursa looking about 9 certainly made that easier to deal with than if it had been an adult. I probably would of reacted in a similar fashion until I could call the police. I would of been worried about adults hiding in the woods to jump me and would of assumed she was bait for a robbery.

2.) I like how Jo still thinks of Gabriel as Egg Man even after she knows his actual name. It reminds me of nicknames we'd give to crushes of people in my group of friends. Anyway, What are your thoughts about him, any guesses on what his deal might be?
I thinking maybe he had to leave a PhD program or other education type situation to care for his mother? Something like that since we know he's a caregiver. His interesting though and I'm certainly curious about him. Ursa clearly trusts him so hopefully he's a good egg (har-har).

3.) Jo, unsurprisingly called the police. Did deputy dog's (I don't remember his name) response come as a surprise? Do you think his assessment was wrong?
The deputy seemed highly unconcerned about the child's welfare. I know the setting is country but nowhere is THAT country. That being said, he's commentary is unfortunately more on the nose than anyone is likely comfortable acknowledging. But still. I think it was partly written that way because any sensible person would call the po-po, but if the police took Ursa away there'd be no story.

4.) Does Ursa inhabiting a dead girl's body creep you out a bit? Do you think that may cause issues in future?
Oddly, it struck me as sensible from the alien's POV but it got a bit creepy when Ursa talked about using the dead girl's brain to read and comprehend things. I'm hoping there are no run ins with the dead girl's family or friends. That just seems cruel.

5.) The pop in of colleagues was interesting and allowed for some backstory of Jo's to be worked into the story. Do you think Tanner will pop back in at some point? What did you think of their conversation and Jo's inner thoughts on how men react to her once they 'know' her 'situation'?
Tanner seems like an epic man-dumb tool and Jo is better off but as a person, it would still sting. He didn't even go visit her or talk to her during cancer treatment? And has an interest in whether or not she's going to get new boobs? How is that his business? I'm annoyed on behalf of women everywhere. Though that was probably part of the point of their discussion and Jo's inner dialog after. I believe every word of her inner dialog, men are so dumb sometimes. Not all individual man-persons, there are always some gems to be found, but as a whole so dumb. I hope during field work Tanner gets bitten by something venomous.

DQs Day 1
Ch 1 to 7

1.) What did you think of Jo's first encounter with Ursa? What do you think you would of done in that situation?

2.) I like how Jo still thinks of Gabriel as Egg Man even after she knows his actual name. It reminds me of nicknames we'd give to crushes of people in my group of friends. Anyway, What are your thoughts about him, any guesses on what his deal might be?

3.) Jo, unsurprisingly called the police. Did deputy dog's (I don't remember his name) response come as a surprise? Do you think his assessment was wrong?

4.) Does Ursa inhabiting a dead girl's body creep you out a bit? Do you think that may cause issues in future?

5.) The pop in of colleagues was interesting and allowed for some backstory of Jo's to be worked into the story. Do you think Tanner will pop back in at some point? What did you think of their conversation and Jo's inner thoughts on how men react to her once they 'know' her 'situation'?

Cat wrote: "Ursa is a better name than Earpood for sure!"

Well, that really is a low bar . . .LOL

5 total of any combination you like.

All Greek, all Asian, 2 urban myth and 3 human, one of each. Whatever strikes your fancy or mood!

😟

I was figuring the answer would be no :)

Jenny wrote: "What do you mean solve a riddle? Which riddle?"

Oh, sorry. I put the book down for the journey task for Sphinx. and was sort asking a hopeful question about if they solve a riddle, since that's the hardest task from that particular set.

Yeah, I was leaning more towards hills but figured one of you might talk me into them being mountains.

they don't happen to solve a riddle, do they?

It's such a lovely little series