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

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

I saw this on an audible sale today that works for takes place on a ship & rope on cover.

I won't be able to start it until I finish Beneath the Scarlet Sky which is a longish audio. Thought I'd share though in case it appealed to someone. No idea if it's any good

Judith's BOM Tracking

Day 1: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 2: wrote questions (I hate answering my own questions)
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 ~ VIII: Our Infinite Days - X: Freights and Grooves

21.) Do you think that Sadie’s attitude toward Sam is realistic? How has it changed over time and especially after the loss of Marx?
I think it's unfair and a cop out to blame everything on him. There were enough mistakes between the two of them to go around. Grief does strange things to people, which likely plays a part in some of her reactions. But still. And I find it so sad Sam has never met Naomi, what a missed opportunity.

22.) What do you think of the game Pioneers? What do you think were Sam’s reasons for creating it? Do you think that Sadie really was unaware of the similarities of her and Sam’s life to what was portrayed in Friendship? Even in Emily’s Will she admits that the game helped her (“When I came here I was as drained of hearts as I have ever been, and the tedium of Friendship and the kindness of its non-strangers gave me life.”)
It was interesting as a concept. I could actually see something like that being really popular. I think she was just in denial and she used it to be righteously butthurt about things.

23.) And, Dov is back!! Dov calls Sadie on her relationship with Sam. He tells her “Here is a think to admit to yourself, if you’re able: that there will never be a person who can mean as much to her as Sam.” He adds that she needs to let go of the garbage (which he changes to “your perfectly legitimate grievances”) and get back to the business of making and playing games together. Finally as he is leaving, he says, “To build a world for someone seems a romantic thing from where I stand.” Amidst all the banter he admits that he is an awful person. What did you think of all these revelations? Do you agree with him? Does it change your opinion of him or redeem him at all?
I do agree with him and he's probably the only person that could get away with saying all of that to Sadie's face. I'm not sure even Marx could said that to her. It made me realize he's more self aware than I first thought. But he's a horrid person and isn't redeemed but mainly because I don't think he wants to be redeemed.

24.) How was the end of the story? Did it end how you think is should have? What are your thoughts on Sam and Sadie now that you have seen their lives play out?
I think the ending was appropriate for the characters. Overall, I don't like Sadie all that much she's not a very nice person. And has zero concept of forgiveness which for me makes it hard to forgive her. Sam I think ended up in a good place and there's enough to give me hope their lives will continue to get better.

Kate wrote: "Heading out to a girl's weekend so I will get some reading done but no internet access. Hoping to have all three done by Sunday! If someone has something for the book I have in the Asia Minor slot ..."

I swapped out your Asia Minor task because the book I found for War also takes place in Italy. It's also a long one though so feel free to swap it back.

DQs Day 4
(VI: Marriages - VII: The NPC, p. 249-304)

16. The "Marriages" section opens with a description of Sam's avatar, Mayor Mazer, and its popularity/mass appeal. We've seen many moments of characters compared to video game characters (Sam compared, perhaps erroneously, to Ichigo) or crafting their own avatars (Marx creating his avatar for the D&D-like game he plays in the hotel in Tokyo). What do you think the author is asking us to consider when drawing these connections? Is Mayor Mazer simply another one of Sam's "masks," as Sadie describes them, or is there something deeper being explored here?
I think online or virtual situations can be freeing and allow people to explore certain aspects of themselves and not hide as much in order to fit in. There is the dark side to this too, like people who troll on the internet.
I do agree with others that the lack of discussion of Sadie's avatars is interesting.

17. Should Sadie and Marx have told Sam when they started seeing each other? How did you feel about Sam's reaction?
Yes, if you have nothing to be ashamed of, why are you hiding? And from a professional perspective is does create a serious power imbalance that hiding the relationship for so long just made worse. Sam's reaction was a bit extra but he was lied to by the 2 people he should be able to count on for the truth. I don't buy into Same really wanting a romantical relationship with Sadie. He reads more as ace than anything.

18. What did you think about the stylistic change to 2nd person POV when Marx falls into the coma? What did this shift do for you as a reader, and what did it illuminate about Marx's character?
I thought it was very effective.

19. I was initially suspicious of Marx, but he's become my favorite character besides Sadie... It's been a while since a book made me cry, but I sobbed at the end of this section. Are you as wrecked as I am?
Yes, he was one of the few characters I actually like in this book.

20. (totally optional!) After finishing "The NPC" section, I returned to the opening paragraph. What do we think of this strange and otherworldly vignette (p. 283), and how does it compare to the section's poetic ending? Is the woman on the bike Zoe, and the horse being tamed Sadie? How did you interpret these images?
It was weird and I read this section late when I was pretty tired. It was a bit strange and might make more sense to me if I ever reread the book down the road.

DQs Day 3: Unfair Games / Both Sides / Pivot

11. Dov the D-bag is gone! But with one final spanner in the works that gumms up Sam & Sadie's relationship. What do you think about the different conflicts and how they are resolved? (thinking of the choice to go with Opus, and the design and creative compromises that leads to; the revelation that Sadie has about Sam's manipulation of her relationship with Dov to get his engine; the creative process around the development of Both Sides)
I agree with what someone else said, that their professional conflicts get dealt with fairly efficiently but their personal conflicts are a hot mess. And self created through being weird about communicating and being truthful with one another. Sam had no idea the situation was that bad with Dov, how could he? And she chose not to be truthful about was emotionally it was a bad idea for her to ever talk to Dov again.

12. The section "Both Sides" has a different chapter structure. Did you notice the change before reading any of the chapters or not? How did when you notice it affect your reading and understanding of Sadie & Sam's relationship? Did you think it was better than the way the rest of the book has been presenting the different views?
I saw it in the Chapters but I didn't notice it much when I was reading aside from it didn't seem to flow as well as some of the other sections.

13. We end this section with Sam and Sadie still far from understanding each other, and a new emotional link being forged between Sadie Marx, with Sam (who I was reading as ace-spectrum) seeming to want a physical relationship with Sadie. Do these changing relationships ring true for you?
I'm with Cat on this all the way. I never wanted anything romantical between Sam and Sadie, why do authors almost already try to make that a thing? Sometimes platonic love/friendship can be stronger than the romance and I'm not sure why authors always seem to go there with the romance. The Marx/Sadie smashing I saw coming from when they first met. I'm almost more surprised it took that long to happen.

14. There is a lot in this section about Sam trying to come to terms with his amputation. Did the inclusion of some of the graphic pain and issues he was going through work for you? Do you understand Sam better?
I did and I thought it was interesting to include. It's a situation that doesn't come up much in stories like this and goes towards Sam's self-isolation a bit. I wish he'd be more open about it with his friends. But I'm wondering if part of it is cultural or him not wanting special treatment or to be a burden to anyone.

Jenny wrote: "How much of "takes place on a ship" do we need, do you all think? I just finished a book that takes place partly (maybe a quarter of the story) on a ship."

at least 50%, same for the locations, cover color, etc

The Chiffon Trenches

During André Leon Talley's first magazine job, alongside Andy Warhol at Interview, a fateful meeting with Karl Lagerfeld began a decades-long friendship with the enigmatic, often caustic designer. Propelled into the upper echelons by his knowledge and adoration of fashion, André moved to Paris as bureau chief of John Fairchild's Women's Wear Daily, befriending fashion's most important designers (Halston, Yves Saint Laurent, Oscar de la Renta). But as André made friends, he also made enemies. A racially tinged encounter with a member of the house of Yves Saint Laurent sent him back to New York and into the offices of Vogue under Grace Mirabella.

There, he eventually became creative director, developing an unlikely but intimate friendship with Anna Wintour. As she rose to the top of Vogue's masthead, André also ascended, and soon became the most influential man in fashion.

The Chiffon Trenches offers a candid look at the who's who of the last fifty years of fashion. At once ruthless and empathetic, this engaging memoir tells with raw honesty the story of how André not only survived the brutal style landscape but thrived--despite racism, illicit rumors, and all the other challenges of this notoriously cutthroat industry--to become one of the most renowned voices and faces in fashion.

Woven throughout the book are also André's own personal struggles that have impacted him over the decades, along with intimate stories of those he has turned to for inspiration (Diana Vreeland, Diane von Férstenberg, Lee Radziwill, to name a few), and of course his Southern roots and ongoing faith, which have guided him since childhood.

In Five Years

Where do you see yourself in five years?

When Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Kohan is asked this question at the most important interview of her career, she has a meticulously crafted answer at the ready. Later, after nailing her interview and accepting her boyfriend's marriage proposal, Dannie goes to sleep knowing she is right on track to achieve her five-year plan.

But when she wakes up, she’s suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and beside a very different man. The television news is on in the background, and she can just make out the scrolling date. It’s the same night—December 15—but 2025, five years in the future.

After a very intense, shocking hour, Dannie wakes again, at the brink of midnight, back in 2020. She can’t shake what has happened. It certainly felt much more than merely a dream, but she isn’t the kind of person who believes in visions. That nonsense is only charming coming from free-spirited types, like her lifelong best friend, Bella. Determined to ignore the odd experience, she files it away in the back of her mind.

That is, until four-and-a-half years later, when by chance Dannie meets the very same man from her long-ago vision.

Brimming with joy and heartbreak, In Five Years is an unforgettable love story that reminds us of the power of loyalty, friendship, and the unpredictable nature of destiny.

I would say go for it, it’s one of the only chances you’ll get to use them for challenges

DQs Day 2

6.) The section opens with a failed attempt to see The Glass Flowers. Had you heard of these before? Do you want to go see them now? What did you think of Sadie's story and of Sam wanting to publicize a different narrative?

7.) "There is a time for any fledgling artist where one's taste exceeds one's abilities. The only way to get through it is to make things any way." Do you agree with this quote? Do you think it applies outside of the art/design world?

8.) I thought the appropriation discussion was interesting. What did you think about what was said in the interview and accusations about the game appropriating Japanese culture?

9.) Dov, thoughts about this guy? How long do you think he'll stick around in the story? FYI in my head he's Dov the Douche.

10.) How do you like the structure of the story with random jumping through time and interviews mixed in? Is it effective?

Works for me!

Open ended, I’ll occasionally be adding new themed wheels and monsters to existing wheels.

But you can go after monsters for as long as you’d like. And come and go as life allows

DQs Day 1

1.) I love stereograms!!! Not a question, just saying. Are any of you gamers? How did you start?
Not really a gamer. Though I did play Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2 on the PC. But they were my brother's that I borrowed and played when he was done when I was in college.

And most of the games now seem to be first person POV which I can't play for long, I they give me headaches. And I'm sure you find this shocking, but like Cat, I'd generally rather be reading.

2.) What are your first impressions of Sam and Sadie? Do you think Sadie should have told Sam about the community service? Have you ever fallen out with a friend for something that should have been said?
I do, but I get why she didn't. A secret like that is harder to explain the longer it's kept. And if she'd told him early on he likely would of shut down.
I had a person in our close friend group get really mad at me and hold a grudge for something silly that happened when we were all drunk. I didn't even do anything, but she picked me to be mad at. I decided I didn't need that level of drama in my life and just ignored her for like 5 years until we started seeing each other at weddings and such.
But the Sam/Sadie situation is a bit different.

3.) Have any of you had a job or career or area of study where the male to female ratio is skewed towards one or the other? How was it working in that situation?
Oh my yes. My field is economics and while I work with a generally high percentage of women (and even women in upper management is fairly high), in school especially this was not the case. Nor was it when I was in consulting versus public service.
You just have to know your stuff and figure out how to professionally stand up for yourself. But it's not always easy and it can be exhausting.

4.) What do you think of Solution as a concept? If you were to design a game for Dov’s class, what do you think it would be?
I found it really interesting but a depressing game to play and not the escapism most I think look for in games. I'm not sure. probably some sort of puzzle solving game.

5.) Who wishes their college roommates were like Marx?
We don’t know Sadie very well yet, but do you think it was Dov leaving that sent her into a depression?
Marx definitely getting all the gold stars, hopefully it stays that way! Everyone needs a Marx looking out for them.
I'm assuming it was related to that and what she was giving up to be with him in a very not-in-her-favor power skewed relationship. When she wasn't feeling well in CA, I was afraid she was going to be preggers but it doesn't look like that was the case thank goodness.

Roger - president of NBR United - wrote: "Is there a minimum page limit for non page count task and can I use electronic boxsets to meet page counts as I have 4 of 5 book in either Very Hard or Are you Alive?"

No page minimum. This is for pure fun and we aren't creating a ranking/score board. So I decided to let people use whatever they'd like even if we don't typically allow them in our challenges.

And box sets are fine too!

Sammy wrote: "
Never seen Doctor Who!?! Judith!"

Funny aside here, several UNOs ago I was on the Doctor Who UNO team. Literally no one on the team had seen a single episode of Doctor Who.

I think poor Karen had to have a lie in to recover from the shock. LOL

And look, Sirens! A monster Lexi and I never managed to get during TT.

Too bad I already read True Biz

I love this, you all are so my people

Oh, I see where the confusion is coming from. The first task is the hit points/ page range even though it’s labeled as page range, not task.

Also, only one of the books read for the monster needs to be in the page range, the others can be any length you’d like.

Hmm, human monsters is interesting never thought about going that route.

Also, I have never seen an episode of Doctor Who so I don't know anything about those monsters unless they popped up in other things (books, movies, whatever)