Amy’s Comments (group member since Nov 02, 2015)

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

I agree, Salt to the Sea was so good! I'm glad you liked The Bear and the Nightingale, Suzanne. I have that in my library pile to read soon!

Title: Girl Before a Mirror
Author: Liza Palmer
Pages: 358
Date finished:5/23/17
Rating: 3 stars
Review: This started off great, but I quickly got sick of the main character's "profound" revelations about herself and what she wanted. Other than those moments, the main character was likable and relatable for me. The other issue I had with it though was that I never really fell for the love interest.

Completion post:

Title:Wintersong
Author: S. Jae-Jones
Date finished: 5/18/17
Pages: 436
Rating: 1 star
Review: I was looking forward to this, but it just wasn't for me. The main character was overly melodramatic, and the other characters were annoying for a variety of reasons.

Yes, that's the first show I thought of when reading it! I only started watching Survivor last season. I wish I had started earlier since this season is all about "game changers" who have been on past seasons, and I only know a couple of them! What was the last season you watched?

Crista726 wrote: "Book:
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Pages : 462
Date : 5/15/17
Star: 4.5
My only complaint is it took me a long time to really care or like any of the ch..."

I was so surprised by how much I liked this series! I hope you enjoy the second one as well.

Completion Post:

Title: The Last One
Author: Alexandra Olivia
Date Finished: 5/16/17
Pages: 304
Rating: 4 stars
Review: I was really intrigued by this book from start to finish. I don't want to say too much because this is definitely a book where I was glad I didn't read any reviews or spoil anything for myself. All I will say is that if you're a fan of reality competition shows (especially survivalist ones), like I am, then I would highly recommend this!

Joanne - is from Canada wrote: "I put A Gentleman in Moscow on hold at the library and there are 4 copies with 8 people ahead of me, so I'm hopeful I'll get it soon. Mentioning it here because it seems posting in ..."

Best of luck to you!! :) I think I'm 18th in line for this book at my library with only a couple copies, so I'm not holding my breath but mentioning it just in case :P

Completion Post:

Title: Gem & Dixie
Author: Sara Zarr
Date Read: May 14, 2017
Pages: 288
Rating: 3 stars
Review: I really enjoyed the beginning of this book and thought throughout the whole thing that the author's writing style was just really easy and nice to read. I couldn't relate to the main character or her sister, but I still felt like I wanted to get to know them. A little over the halfway point though I started to lose interest, and it just turned out to be pretty boring after that.

Crista726 wrote: "Title: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Author: C.S. Lewis
Date Read: 5/9/17
Pages: 206
Rating: 5 Star
I loved this book and am looking forward to reading the wh..."

I'm glad you liked this!! It's been many years since I've read this series, so I would love to read it again now as an adult and have a whole new perspective.

Judith wrote: "Amy, the date read didn't save when you marked it read. Can y..."

Done! Did that fix it?

Oops, I forgot to mention that I participated in the BOM discussion for The Circle. Do I need to link to anything for it?

Completion Post
Title: The Circle
Author: Dave Eggers
Date Read: 5/8/17
Pages: 493
Rating/Review: I gave this 3 stars. From the description of this book, I really was hoping for an exciting, suspenseful novel. I was left feeling disappointed that there was only one semi-suspenseful scene. That being said, while there was a lot I didn't love about this novel, I did like that the ending fit with how the story progressed.

Side note: Has anyone seen this movie yet?

Discussion Questions - Set 5

1. So much to my dismay, Mae ended up returning to Francis. After having filmed her without permission previously and then posting to to the cloud, I would have thought she would be reluctant to do anything with him again. Do you think since she has gone transparent she is now less concerned that people may see her in sexual situations than she once was.
I lost most hope at this point that I would ever like Mae. I can understand when a woman goes back to a man that she was deeply in love with (even if he did something wrong), but I just can't understand going back to someone who you didn't even like in the first place. I think it really has to do with him giving her more attention than any other guy seems to do at The Circle. It doesn't seem like her camera is on that much around Francis, but I was just waiting for the moment one of her viewers would bring up her past video with him.

2. Annie found out that the results of PastPerfect created difficulties in her life and that of her family. People are judging and reacting to her negatively based on the actions of her ancestors - something she had no control over. Do you think that people finding out every detail about the transgressions of your ancestors could be detrimental to your reputation?
Unfortunately, I think people will judge others on just about anything. I personally can't understand judging someone on what their ancestors or parents did.

3. I was so sad when Mercer decided to take his own life during Mae's pursuit of him from Circle HQ. What do you think was his motivation for doing so?
I had a feeling that was going to happen once they started chasing him. I think his motivation came from a few things. I think he wanted to make a statement to Mae specifically and the other Circlers that what they are doing IS dangerous for those that don't want to participate. I think another part of his decision is that he knew this was going to be neverending. If it wasn't Mae chasing him, it would be someone else chasing him down to get him to sign up for The Circle.

4. I really found the airing of the aquarium merger between the shark, octopus and seahorse perplexing, as there didn't seem to be any reason why this was done and for what purpose it was aired. It only appeared to be Stenton that expected to see what ended up happening, and the shark's actions seemed to come as a shock to Bailey. If Bailey wasn't thinking this would be the outcome, what did he think was important enough about placing a couple of different species into an aquarium, that it needed all three of the founders and millions of people to watch it? Aquariums with multiple animals living together are a dime a dozen after all and are not in themselves anything out of the ordinary. What do you think the purpose was in airing the event?
I honestly got really bored/sick of it at this part of the book. I felt like it didn't add enough to the story other than her seeing Ty for the "first time" and by that point, I just wanted something more interesting to happen. This scene just made me uncomfortable. I'm still not sure why they aired it to the world, and it didn't seem to really be explained.

5. I quite liked the ending to The Circle as I think it was a realistic reaction that someone as brainwashed as Mae would have to Ty's revelations and request. What were your thoughts on the ending?
I completely agree. I first thought she was going to do exactly what Ty said and they'd live happily ever after, but I would have been so disappointed in that ending since that's definitely not who Mae is anymore.

6. I really liked the premise of The Circle and I did like the gradual brainwashing of Mae to become the biggest proponent of what the organisation had to offer, however, I really wasn't a fan of the writing. I found the dialogue incredibly cheesy and I thought there were several plot points that seemed pointless. For instance, why bother with the scene where Francis filmed Mae and posted it to the cloud, when nothing ended up coming of it and it was never mentioned again? I thought that the book could have been a really good thriller but just didn't hit the mark with me and I ended up giving the book 2 stars. What was your rating and what did you like and dislike about the book?
I was expecting so much from this book, and I think that was one reason I didn't love it. I thought there would be more "adventure" or something exciting going on behind-the-scenes of The Circle. I wanted way more Kalden time. I felt like there were a lot of things that were similar to what was already described before. All the times she checked her ranks, every time she did a survery, every time she went back to work at CE for a bit, and the weird "Mae" voice she heard millions of times all felt overused to me. The kayaking scenes also bugged me because I felt like they were over done, and a lot of the information she blabbed on about during her trips ended up being pretty useless to the story. The more I think about it, the more moments I find that I didn't enjoy, but overall, I gave it a generous 3. I did like that it ended realistically for Mae, and I did see a lot of similarities between what the Circlers are like compared to what a lot of younger adults/kids are like on social media now.

Discussion Questions for May 6
(Start - Book II; Ends - "when I got back tonight. We can try it.")

1. Mae is now fully transparent. I found it hard to believe that anyone would care what one ordinary person was doing 24/7, even if she works at arguably the most important company in the world. What do you think is the appeal? Do you believe that full transparency would help bring an end to crime as we know it?
I have to agree. I could understand why people would want to follow their political leaders in transparency, but I would personally not be paying that much attention to Mae. I think outsiders probably like getting a look into what The Circle is doing, but I also think people just have WAY too much time on their hands and do nothing but sit on their feeds all day. I do think full transparency all around would help stop crime, although people will always find a way to beat the system.


2. "THINK COMPLETION". "COMPLETE THE CIRCLE". "THE CIRCLE MUST BE WHOLE". All thoroughly creepy slogans, yet most everyone seems to be pushing for that goal. What do you think will happen when the circle is complete? With as pervasive as this company is, do you think it's too late to even try and stop that from happening?
I think completing The Circle would make it almost impossible for people to have any privacy at all and to let everyone have information about everyone else (and everything else). I hope it's not too late to stop it.

3. Kalden calls Mae and sounds very concerned. He starts to warn her about Completion and telling her that it would be a very bad thing if it were to happen... and she hangs up on him. Do you think that Mae is fully within the Circle's grasp? Or do you think she hung up before the audio kicked back in and Kalden could be exposed, even if it was just his voice? Do you think he can convince her to help him?
I won't say much on this one as I've finished the book.

4. So not everyone is drinking the Kool-aid. Mae's parents and Mercer are both, in varying degrees, resisting having their whole lives wrapped in the Circle. Mercer has gone completely off grid. Do you think they'll be able to hold out against all this advancement? Or do you think, as Mae does, that they'll cave in eventually?
Again, I don't want to say too much since I know the ending, but I really can't get over how rude Mae is to her family and Mercer. She is so wrapped up in her own life and The Circle that she can't see what's happening right in front of her. I was happy that Mercer was helping her parents at least because I wouldn't want any of them to be brainwashed.

5. In this section, they introduce the concept of YouthRank, a system to academically rank every student in America and, eventually, the world. Of course, this information would be available to anyone. It's touted as a way to get an idea about your child's chances at going to a good college and is even incorporated with TruYouth, the child tracking system developed by Francis. Do you think this would be a good idea or a bad idea?
I think YouthRank could be good and bad. I feel like for some kids and some parents, their whole world would rely on the ranking they (or their kids) have compared to others. It's how I feel about the Circlers themselves, especially Mae. They're always checking their ranks and trying to be better than others and basically wasting their lives doing so while they could be doing something actually productive.

6. Annie and Mae seem to be on equal footing, now, and Annie does not seem pleased. Do you think Mae's new position within the company will further affect their friendship? Mae says that they are peers now but Annie can't accept that. What do you think Mae is going to do to make Annie accept her?
Yes, Annie definitely seemed like the jealous friend but my first thought was that there was much more going on behind the scenes with Annie that didn't have to do with Mae at all.

I'm halfway through The Circle, and that comment made me laugh, Suzanne!! Definitely something I could see Dan or one of the others say but in a much more condescending way, like Mollie said :P

Discussion Questions ( Set 3) for May 5~ ~Laura

1. What are your thoughts about Mae, Francis and the video? Do you think The Circle will see the video? Is Mae through with Francis now that he has hit the strike two mark?
Ugh, that was really disgusting to me. Every time Mae has been around Francis, she seems to make comments about how awkward he is, and his comments make me so uncomfortable for her. I really wish Mae would get a backbone and not give him the time of day. It seems like the only reason she still talks to him is because he's giving her attention and she feels bad for him. I feel like she gives him too much leeway with his sad history when that shouldn't make what he did okay.

2. Congresswoman Santos goes transparent. Nothing is private or secret. every conversation, every meeting, every part of your day will be broadcast . What are your thoughts on our elected leaders going transparent. Yay or nay?
I think it's a little much for absolutely everything to be transparent, but I get why some people would want that for their political leaders. I just have a feeling it would backfire.

3. Mae and Mercer are involved in another arguement. There are always two sides to an arguement. Whose arguement bears more weight? Are you more partial to Mercer or Mae's side?
I'm more partial to Mercer's side for sure because Mae is a snotty brat when she talks to him or about him. All he wants is a normal life that isn't broadcast to the whole world, and Mae doesn't respect his wishes one bit. I think he made a lot of good points about her being boring now, and she's too obsessed with the Circle's way of thinking that she won't take that into consideration about herself.

4. Anyone else find it extremely ironic that Mae gets caught stealing a kayak by one of Marion's cameras, which we find out is a SeeChange camera from Mae's workplace? As a result of Mae's actions she is reprimanded at work and forced to be transparent. What do you think about what just happened?
I think it's really silly of her not to realize there could be cameras out there. I like that she doesn't document every time she goes kayaking, but it's like when someone addresses her about it she immediately goes into "I was so stupid" mode instead of defending herself. I'm hoping she wakes up later on in the story and turns a corner. She is conforming so much to the Circle, but I feel like there's the "rebel" side in her still. I don't feel bad for her at all that they're making her be transparent. I'm hoping this makes her realize that her life isn't her own anymore with the Circle controlling everything..

Discussion Questions for 5.03.17
Start -"Hi. I'm Gina. Dan said..." 97-195
Ends-.."The line of it, how it bends in like some kind of bow"

1. What are your first impressions of Gina? How do you feel about her session with Mae? This session really bothered me. I wasn't sure if they actually wanted Mae to work, or post on social media all day. "For a company that thrives on order and efficiency, the Circle also seems to endorse—require, even—loose and extravagant socializing. What do these two seemingly opposite values say about what working for them entails? How does Mae’s value set evolve to accommodate these expectations?" (http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guid...)
I thought this was really odd. I could tell that some of her coworkers seemed a little obsessed with getting responses and the best score possible (which isn't a bad thing when it's your job), but it was so weird how much they pushed that her actual job was only slight more important than keeping up with her social feeds. To me, a job there would mean you're working even when you're off work, and that seems to be exactly what Mae did.

2. Mae gets pulled into Dan's office for failing to RSVP to Alister's event. What do you think about this conflict between Mae, Alistar and how Dan mediated? [The whole time I was reading this section I was thinking to myself "Are you kidding me? What a baby!"] Do you think The Circlers are forcing new employees to participate in events by singling them out when they don't attend?
That made me want to laugh!! I thought the same things about Alistair. I really was disappointed in how Mae just wanted to say the right thing instead of explaining why their expectations were ridiculous, especially for a newbie.

3. Mae and Mercer get into an argument regarding their communication. Mae cannot even sit and listen to what Mercer is saying because he "talks so slow". Mercer is frustrated with Mae because she gets all her information from social media instead of speaking directly to him. "Every time I see or hear from you, it's through this filter. You send me inks, you quote someone talking about me, you say you saw a picture of me on someone's wall...It's always a third-party assault. Even when I'm talking to you face to face you're telling me what some stranger thinks of me. It becomes like we're never along. Every time I see you, there's a hundred other people in the room. You're always looking at me through a hundred other people's eyes." How do you think social media has affected the way we communicate with others? How has technology changed our relationships (the quality of our relationships) with other human beings?
This is sadly too true for a lot of people who are obsessed with their social media presence versus their real life relationships. People now rely on "likes" and comments to feel good about themselves.

4. Mae enjoys kayaking and stops at Marion's kayak rental business on her way home from her parents. She seems very at peace when she's paddling in the bay. When and where do you find solitude? What types of technology are you comfortable invading that space? Josiah and Denise find out May kayaks but doesn't document anything and are appalled. They are even further disgusted when they find out Mae uses a paper pamphlet. They even go as far as questioning her self-esteem. [I found it ironic that they questioned her self-esteem and in turn she felt even worse about herself. "Goddamnit, Mae, give a shit! Be a person of some value to the world."]Are we now expected to document everything we do instead of being in the moment? Is our self worth now dependent on what we "share" with the rest of the world?
This bothered me! My solitude is definitely in reading, but it's not something I would ever "share" every day on social media so others can know I read and benefit from it somehow. It's sad because I just heard someone the other day complain about not having their phone on them because "if you don't get a picture of it, you were never there" and they truly believed that.

5. How do you feel about the medical bracelet the circlers are required to wear? "To Heal We Must Know. To Know We Must Share" is posted in the clinic, do you agree with this motto? Would you wear one of those monitoring bracelets? (I feel like it's a double edge sword.) How much privacy would you be willing to give up for those amazing health care benefits?
This was another moment I was disappointed with Mae. She just swallowed something with no notice, and all she can is admire the cool bracelet? I honestly think it's a pretty cool technology and would probably wear it (if I knew there were no side effects) because I've never really minded if a doctor knows absolutely everything about my health. The only thing I would worry about if I were Mae is if this is accessible to the whole world like everything else seems to be.

6. Mae spots Kalden at the circus event. What do you think of their relationship? I find it odd that Mae cannot find any information on Kalden, given all the resources she has access to. Why do you think Mae is not more zealous on her pursuit of Kalden? Kalden seems to be very secretive. He avoids personal questions, Mae cannot get in touch with him, what do you think he is hiding?
I like the mystery behind him and hope he brings something interesting to the book eventually. I think she's too busy honestly to look harder. I think he is somehow against what the Circle is doing? I'm interested to learn more.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS SET 1

1. ALTHOUGH THIS BOOK WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN OCTOBER 2013 I WAS AMAZED WITH THE OPENING PAGES DESCRIBING THE CIRCLE'S CAMPUS IN LIGHT OF NEWS REPORTS THIS WEEK OF THE OPENING OF APPLE'S AMAZING NEW HEADQUARTERS! WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS IN REGARDS TO THIS BOOK AND HOW MUCH OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE REAL LIFE TECH WORLD DO YOU THINK WILL INFLUENCE THE PLOT LINE OF THE STORY?
I haven't looked up the news articles about Apple's new headquarters yet, but now I'm curious! The description of the campus definitely reminded me of what I think a lot of the big name tech brands may look like. I think it seems so far like it will be similar to our tech today but more advanced - maybe a look at how we could be functioning in the future if we aren't careful.

2. INITIAL IMPRESSIONS OF THE MAJOR CHARACTERS MAE AND ANNIE? DO YOU GET THE FEELING THAT THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS NOT AN EQUITABLE ONE AND HOW DO YOU THINK IT MAY CHANGE AS THE STORY PROGRESSES?
I haven't gotten a good read on Mae yet. I think I like her but just need to learn more and see how she develops. I loved Annie's personality off the bat, but I'm really curious as to how she is so high up in the company already and what role she'll end up playing. I do think their relationship will change, but I don't know yet if Annie will become closer to her and tell her secrets or the opposite.

3. DO YOU LIKE THE CONTINUING FORMAT OF THE NOVEL AND THE LACK OF DEFINED CHAPTERS? WHY TO YOU THINK DAVE EGGERS HAS WRITTEN THE BOOK THIS WAY?
I don't mind it at all. It sounds like more of an annoyance with the ebook version, but I haven't had any problems planning out when I can take a break since I can look ahead easily for the next break. I'm not sure why he wrote it this way, but as long as it's coming from only one perspective, I like it!

4. MAE AND FRANK? WHAT DO YOU THINK FRANK'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE STORY LINE WILL BE? DO YOU SEE ANY RELATIONSHIP EVOLVING BETWEEN THEM?
I don't see it becoming romantic, but I do see him being a good sidekick or something!

5. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR AND IF SOMETHING IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE IT PROBABLY IS ARE TWO SAYINGS THAT IMMEDIATELY SPRING TO MIND WHEN READING THIS BOOK. AT THIS EARLY STAGE WHERE ARE YOU IMAGINING THE STORY IS HEADING?
I agree with others that I think it will definitely have to do with privacy issues over the world. Ugh, I really hated when he talked about setting up the cameras at his Mom's and no one batted an eye. That seems to be taking it way too far, so I'm thinking that will be an issue later on.

6. DOES THIS BOOK REMIND YOU OF ANY OTHERS YOU HAVE READ OR ARE YOU FINDING THE STORY FRESH AND ORIGINAL?
I can't pinpoint an exact story similar, but I feel like this has been on my mind before. I think I'll find this more original once it picks up maybe.

I just got The Circle from my library today! I'm looking forward to starting it and discussing. For those who are reading it now, how do you like it?

Title: Gilded Cage
Author: Vic James
Date read: 5/5/2017
Pages: 368
Rating: 3 Stars
Review: What I liked about this book was that it kept my attention because I wanted to know what was going to happen next at all times. What I didn't like were the main characters. I didn't find them that likable, and the one character I really was intrigued by (Silyen) wasn't in the book enough for me. It did leave me wanting to know more, though, so that was a major plus!