Nancy’s Comments (group member since Dec 31, 2012)

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

Yes, it was so much fun! It definitely got me reading more!

I finished Pretty Things and updated the sheet. Couldn’t link since I’m on my phone. When does the challenge end?

I finished three DQ's for Spin The Dawn (#61, 62, 103). I updated the spreadsheet, but I read the book for the previous round (4). Wanted to make sure we get the points though for this. And confirming three question sets is okay.

DQs Day 3 - Chapters 17-23

11. The second part of the book is set on a journey to obtain materials for the wedding dresses and is different from the first part, which was set in the palace. To me it seems that the author had to make both characters take this journey, so that she could make the romance between them work better.
Did you like the change of the setting? Or would you prefer if the plot had stayed in the palace and had more palace intrigues?

I liked the change in setting. In my opinion, the book got more interesting with them on their journey.

12. Honestly, I don't believe that Lady Sarnai would be able to request such dresses for her wedding - her father and Khanujin had negotiated this marriage to ensure peace, so they wouldn't give her the power to try and delay or even to cancel the wedding. Do you think she would be able to request the dresses? Or would her father or the emperor interfere?

I think this was a way for her to delay the wedding, but ultimately, I don't think it would be canceled. I felt like it was the emperor humoring her.

13. I was surprised to see Norbu again - I thought he had been executed. Do you think it was the last time we saw him? Or will he play a further role in the story?

I finished the book so won't respond.

14. I am not sure if I liked the chapters with Orksan and his people - Korin and Orksan immediately realising that Maia was a girl, everyone thinking Maia and Edan were a couple and demanding them to kiss, Vachir recognising Edan - it was all a bit too cliche. Did you like Orksan and Korin? Do you think it was the right choice to travel with them?

I think it was safer to travel with a group, but I didn't like them.

15. I am sure that Edan will be freed from the emperor somehow. How do you think it will happen? Will Lady Sarnai play some role in this?

Oh, I don't like how this played out.....

DQ 2

6. Well that is some strange competition. Do you find it reasonable or just silly?

I've been enjoying the competition. It's interesting to see what the tailors come up with.

7. Well Lady Sarnai is definitely an interesting character. One moment she is strong and resilient and just a victim of court schemes, the next she is quite the arrogant, cold-hearted spoiled brat. It is hard to get a read on her. Do you think she is just acting the part or is she really going to be the villain in this story?

I feel bad for the position that she is put in. But yes, she becomes the villain.


8. That was a lovely sabotage attempt. Kinda clumsy. Do you find it exaggerated? I mean, it is only clothing, it is possible to make a living even if they don't win, there will even be some fame for being one of the finalists. The victory is mostly just more fame and ego. Do you think it is worth the price? Injury or possible death for fame and status?

For Maia, it was always her dream to tailor clothes for the Emperor. For the others, it was more about fame and status. I think everyone has their reasons for choosing to do something.

9. Oh boy. The moment of choice. And I feel like she made the wrong one. I would say let the royals rot in their war and petty squabbles. It is better for self-preservation to stay away from them all. Let the evil man get the position and enjoy apprentice status while you are still young enough to fool them you are a boy.Duh, logical. Do you agree with her reasons for staying? Or do you also feel she has made the wrong choice in not leaving?

I think she wants to help her family with the money that she can make. They definitely need it.

10. Well... that went well. I am pretty sure I don't like any of them. The dungeon seems like a lovely place to be in. 40 seems an awful lot, but well... This book needed some blood to be even more mainstream YA Fantasy. Did you also have the "Ha, told ya it was a bad idea to stay" moment? One might assume the story would be over now, yet so many more pages left. Do you have any idea what else might possibly happen?

I've finished the book so I know what happens.

Day 1 DQs

1. In this world, women are not able to become tailors or inherit their father's business. It reminds me of the Victorian era in England (like Jane Austen times). Maia is a very talented tailor but cannot be that as a woman. Would you go to the lengths she did to hide her identity in order to fulfill her destiny? Can you think of any other women in history that had to do that?

This book has been referred to as Project Runway meets Mulan. I see why this reference was made. If I was as desperate as her family was I think I would hide my gender.

2. I felt so bad for Maia when someone ruined her shawl, but I loved that the magic scissors brought it back to life. Who do you think ruined her shawl? What else do you think those scissors can do? Did you anticipate that happening?

I already finished the book so I know. I think in general it's sad that someone was so threatened that they had to sabotage her, rather than have a real competition and potentially lose.

3. There was a hawk that was following the carriage when Maia is taken to the palace, and that same hawk shows up outside Maia's window later on. Who do you think the hawk is? Is it the Lord Enchanter?

I know....won't give any spoilers.

4. Do you think the Lord Enchanter suspects that Maia is a girl and not a boy? I wonder because of his comment about her feet being so small and dainty.

Yes, because of that comment. But I also think that as an enchanter his powers may help know.

5. I love the world building that has gone on so far. It feels like a real place to me. What is your favorite aspect of the book so far?

I enjoy the palace descriptions, imagining the luxurious materials and the competition. As I read, I looked forward to seeing what the tasks were.

I finished Pachinko and answered three sets of discussion questions (which I wrote the #'s down on the sheet). Please let me know if I need to answer more. I won't have a chance until tomorrow night. I will also start answering Spin the Dawn questions tomorrow. I believe the first were posted today.

Day 3 DQs

11. In the beginning of this section, we find out that Noa not only looks like a middle class Japanese boy, he also wants to be one. What are you opinions on this and why do you think he wants this? What do you think would happen if he shared this with his parents?

I can understand this since being in Japan is what he mostly knows. He's been picked on but is smart. That will hopefully help him get a better life since he sees his family struggle.

12. Isak is back from jail finally after two years. I found this to be a bit of a surprise because I was expecting him to die in jail. I wasn't expecting him to be let out. What were your thoughts on him being let out of jail to die in his home. He was obviously let out to die at home, but did you find this mercy surprising? Did you expect this?

I was hoping he would get better and they'd be happily reunited. I was happy he was allowed back and his family could at least say goodbye to him.

13. A run in with Hansu. I thought it was super creepy that Hansu has been keeping tabs on Sunja (even though one of the kids is his). What are your opinions on this? And then he drops the whole "we're about to get bombed" curveball. Do you like him more because he warned Sunja or do you still think he's being selfish and trying to keep his only son alive?

I do think he's looking out for the interest of his son. But I think he really cares for Sunja as well as seen in his future actions (bringing her mom to be with her).

14. Wow. Hansu lying to Yoseb about his parents being dead. That is beyond harsh. Why do you think Hansu did this? He obviously wants his child, Noa, but do you think he is also planning on getting Sunja back?

I do think he's planning on getting Sunja back. However, I believe he was probably right that Yoseb's parents were likely dead and Sunja would follow them to go look for them. While I think it was wrong to tell the lie, I understand the reasoning.

15. Hansu later tells Kim that Yoseb is dying and to scoop up Kyunghee before she gets old. Talk about a jerk. What do you think of Hansu after this? What about Kim? Do you think Kim will eventually try?

Hansu is a jerk, looking out only for himself, but he is aware of this. Kim really loves Kyunghee. I do hope he tries. I haven't been a fan of Yoseb.

DQ - Day 2

6. I might be too judgmental, but her pining for Hansu is constantly making me frown. She promised to care for and honor her husband, never to betray him. Yet she keeps marveling about her lost "love", how she misses him, how she wants to see him, how she has already been in the city with him in her mind, etc. Are such thought not a kind of betrayal? She is so rational and reasonable about what happened and knows full well how he lured her in and used her, but cannot stop the pining and reminiscing about it. Why do you think she can't let it go and focus on her future?

I think that she was truly in love with Hansu. I don't think anyone ever forgets their first love or the first person they slept with. Plus, it all happened pretty quickly - from her discovering he was married and finding out she was pregnant, to getting married.


7. After all Isak said about his successful brother and all his dreams about the better life in the city, he arrived to some harsh revelations. I am starting to think they might have been better staying on the island. Isak's brother's revelations about his house, his neighbors, the judgement in the city, the discrimination at work and spying everywhere are very disappointing and brutal. Do you think it a natural disillusion of impossible dreams? Or Yoseb's hope that it might be better for his brother here, where he can watch over him?

I think Yoseb wanted his brother near him. But I agree, life seemed much better for them back in Korea.


8. That scene in the church with the brother and sister. The pastor discussing what it actually means when a wealthy man wants to be a young girl's "friend". The duplicity of the pastor - being nice and not judgmental to the siblings, yet judging them harshly when they have left was not surprising but annoying still. The sweet talk to their face, but harsh berating behind their back would have been exactly what happened to Sunja and her family. Do you think this scene was included to reveal to Isak more truths about his wife's condition and impossible choices to help him understand her?

Yes, I think it did. Unfortunately, a lot of people are judgmental and behave like that.


9. The pastor's reason for hiring Isak was revealed as well - to get money from his family and avoid paying him wages - and I must admit it didn't endear the pastor to me at all. And the pawnbroker and his greed, the loan sharks and their scare tactics. We get introduced to many characters that are not really likable and portray humanity at its worst. Do you think it is a decision by the author to reveal the true nature of people in all kinds of positions in general or is it included to especially note how people get in times of oppression and hard times? I am starting to think Isak coming to Japan was a huge mistake with every little revelation. Do you think it will work out? Or do you agree it was a mistake?

I think people's bad behavior comes out in stressful situations. It seems like everyone is trying to survive. But I was turned off by the pastor and the pawnbroker. I do feel like Isak coming to Japan was a mistake. As I mentioned in a previous response, things were much better for them in Korea.

10. The debacle with the watch was very educational. We get to see a merchant's attitude towards women, husband's attitude towards a wife in stark contrast to how men are treated. Yoseb is enraged with his wife and sister-in-law, he can't forgive them or appreciate the help, yet he can forgive and accept when his brother asks him to. Do you think he would have gotten over it in time if his brother hadn't asked him? Or would he be always resentful towards women? The whole "head of the house" part further gets the point home that women will always be under the command of a man, even in regards to baby names. The prison scene also drives home how women are still supposed to be home and stay away from men's troubles, too weak to do something about it. And women who work are still frowned upon, even in their own family. Do you think it will change further in the story? Will oppression and war open their minds towards changing a woman's role in the family and world?

I was so annoyed with Yoseb's reaction to the women visiting the pawnbroker. He's only worried about how he will look to others, yet Sunja just got him out of his debt. Plus, he hid the amount of money that he spent to get them to Japan and I think it was okay of Sunja and Isak to help pay their way.

Day 1 DQs

1. This novel starts with the sentence: "History has failed us, but no matter." Did you like this opening line? What do you think it means, and why do you think the author chose it?

I wasn't really impacted by the opening line. I do believe we are constantly learning from history, fails and all.

2. I am half-Korean, and my mom has shared a lot of the history of her own family and how it's interwoven with Korean history in general. What, if anything, did you know of the Japanese colonization of Korea -- or the history of Korea, Japan, and China in the 20th scentury in general -- before beginning to read this book?

I didn't know much about it and am learning a lot, which is one of the reasons why I enjoy historical fiction.

3. Hansu seems like a complicated character. What were your thoughts on him? Did you hate him?

I didn't hate him until I learned he was married. I thought he was going to marry Sunja and they'd live happily ever after.

4. What did you think of Sunja's decision to not accept being Hansu's mistress? Why do you think she chose to reject him? Do you think she made the right decision?

It was a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. It wouldn't be good for her if she was single mom with a baby out of wedlock. However, I understand her not wanting to be a mistress. If she had known he was married, she wouldn't have gotten involved with him in the first place.

5. In this first section of the novel, we see two couples wed -- Hoonie and Yangjin, and then Isak and Sunja. What were some of the similarities between these marriages, and what were the differences?

They both got married out of necessity - just different reasons why. And both didn't really know each other before getting married.

I finished The Young Elites and updated the sheet.

I am done reading books for Round 4.

I read Spin the Dawn this round but questions have not been posted yet. Will I (we) still get the credit once the questions are posted and I answered them starting August 16th, even though I've read and gotten credit for the book earlier?

My internet has gone out during Hurricane Isaiah. I’be been reading a ton with nothing else to do! Will try to update the sheet.

Finished The Summer Cottage and am working on Good Girls Lie.

Finished .

I finished and updated the spreadsheet.

There is no page number for a kindle book. Is there a way to get this number?

And a question - for the tag road trip - is it okay if it's a bus road trip? The mother/daughter are doing an organized East Coast college tour with a company along the East Coast?

I'm going to move my current read to the next round planning sheet since I'm not going to be able to finish it before the deadline.

I finished and updated the sheet.

I finished A Court of Thorns and Roses and am updating the sheet.

♞ Pat wrote: "TEAM - I am not doing well. I think I've hit overwhelm and I'm just NOT keeping up.

I'm struggling to get a book read. My supervisor at work got promoted, and I've been holding down the library f..."

As others have said Pat, don't stress about this! This is just for fun. I hope things calm down for you.