ChrisP’s Comments (group member since May 19, 2025)

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

I pay a small annual fee to give me access to all the libraries in Indiana. With Overdrive it pays for itself quickly

If your wondering about Lost Stars nominee for book of the month. I've read dozens of Star Wars books and this is by far the best one I have ever read. It crosses genres to a point where it could be considered a space opera. I have already this book and won't be voting for it:)

Do I need to add what I read to the spreadsheet or does the captain do it?

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 think she believed that as long as everyone is open and honest that everything would be okay.

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?

Yes it unfortunately would briefly. I would need to be confident in myself and telling people f*off would make me realize it doesn't matter what other people think. Stick and Stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me. That is getting lost in today's environment.

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 wasn't sad that he did it. He was proving a point to the world that watching that it wasn't going to tell him how to live. It was a sacrifice.

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?

Stenton is crazy and wants the strong to devour the week. I'm sure the author had an underlying point but at the end of the day Stenton wanted the world to see because he enjoyed and thought others would too.

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?

It least it stayed to true to itself by not having Mae not learn from her mistakes in a few pages. I thought Mae was in an insane asylum throughout the book.

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 don't throw one stars around lightly but this earned it. It would have got a two stars if Kalden would have thrown Mae in the shark tank at the end of the book:)

Completion Post

The Circle* by Dave Eggers
Finished 5.9.17
HBK 492 pages

Discussion Questions Link
MAY 2ND DQ

Let me know if you want me to connect all the DQ's to the post.

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?

No. The crime would adjust to the new structure. With every new advancement a criminal will find away around it. That can be said about any hurdle we have. There is no limit to the human mind at conquering a problem.

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?

As soon as the circle is completed it will break. People will break under the pressure and it will be to late before it happens.

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?

Not really Mae is on an island that she made before she joined the circle. She will crash and it will be spectacular:)

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?

They will not cave in. Mae is living in a world where The Circle views are the right ones and everyone else is wrong. The more she thinks the Circle is wrong the more she will dig into fighting for it.

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?

It would be awful. Everyone is different and learns differently at different points. This system could stifle a genius because they rank well.

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?

There friendship doesn't have a chance to survive unde r the conditions or the constant camera. Mae will seem to win people over because she is the "popular one" It will end horrible for Mae and Annie will have the last laugh.

Does anyone enjoy a book differently if they have enjoyed some spirits or have had a good meal. Or dislike a book based on if they are feeling depressed, tired or agitated. Thinking out loud:)

Ang Figgy-Pudding wrote: "I really liked Gone Girl but GotT was just meh. I really disliked the MC and I thought maybe I just don't like books where the MCs are troubled but I really employed the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo..."

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was a cold blooded survivor. I loved her character. She never apologized for what needed to be done.

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?

The Circle seeing the video is inevitable. Francis will get another chance, she is unable to deal with her emotions. The first sign of conflict she gets angry and runs.

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?

Yay. It lease for meetings and lunches. There on things that people do that no one shout see:)

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 know Mercer is right but I dislike him so much it is hard to root for him.

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?

Mae is nuts. I'm still waiting for this to me an illusion of Mae's.

It's hard to answer discussion questions about a book I don't want to finish:)

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 think Mae would rather have a few good friends than hundreds of social friends. I think she likes to think and ponder what is bothering her instead of seeking other opinions and approval.

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?

Yes, they want and have an unhealthy need to be liked by everyone. I was amused by Alister's sensitivity, why should he care that some person he doesn't even know might not like him. Today's modern problems:)

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?

Things are becoming faster and faster and faster. We have become a society where we expect instant gratification. Things are becoming much more impersonal when behind a screen. The two different mind sets aren't compatible. You can't have one person moving 100 miles per hour and another person going 30 miles per hour.

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?

Yes:)

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?

Can we say HIPPA violation:) Somethings should be personal and never shared. It is good to have a few skeletons in your closet.

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 think he is a spy trying to take down the circle. Or...he is a figment of her imagination trying to ground her to the hyper world that it is okay not to know who someone is. I halve wonder if she is inside a mental ward. Things are to out of place. She runs into a few characters trying to slow her down. Mercer, the strangers she met kayaking and Kalden.

Ora wrote: "Alison wrote: "Don't know if it's just me but for some reason when I'm on the app mark a book as finished it's not recording a read date automatically anymore. I keep having to go back and add one...."

I have noticed when I finish a book on Amazon it automatically updates that I had read it on Goodreads. I don't like that. It pulls the wrong edition many times and I have to go back through and fix it.

I did my first set of questions on the Circle. After I have finished the book and did all the questions do I need to provide links to my answers?

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 kept on thinking about Google and Facebook. I never thought about Apple. As we as a society becomes more interconnected and depends more and more on the internet and computers as apart of life, I think it is only a hop skip and a jump to picturing 'big brother" watching us.

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?

At first I thought it was a friend helping another friend out in a time of need. By page 96 it feels more like a "single white female" type of friendship. If you never heard that phrase before (comes from a movie) it means a friendship that based on obsession with the other friend. When one friend does everything they can do to make the other person like them and if it isn't reciprocated it turns violent.

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?

Absolutely Not! To be trendy and different and it comes off as annoying.

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?

Yes, I do think it will involve in some way. Annie is going to hate it and will make Frank "disappear" if needed and will be used to advance the plot.

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?

She will realize the privacy door swings both ways and get scared and she may try to help the opposing side in order to get away.

6. DOES THIS BOOK REMIND YOU OF ANY OTHERS YOU HAVE READ OR ARE YOU FINDING THE STORY FRESH AND ORIGINAL?

I can't remember the name of the movie but it was about a tech company hired him away from his friends basement in order to get to his software. The company destroyed his friends lives and found out that his girlfriend was working for the company. Same privacy and company controlling your life. Also, very similar for a modern day 1984.

I am about 50 pages through The Circle I am still waiting for the hook all though there is some creepy foreshadowing.

I have the first few pages turned. I will be leaving for a short vacation
I don't know how much I will have read

♦Ashley♦ wrote: "Is anyone here reading The Circle? Any plans to see the movie when it comes out?

https://youtu.be/2C9tKfl8t0Y"

I will start it after tomorrow. I should have Dresden finished tonight. I got lucky I was able to find a physical copy to check out. I had to go outside and down the street to the library would is this world coming to:)

Michelle wrote: "Finishing up my last loose end book today so I can start nice and fresh for this challenge tomorrow. I've been listening to the 7th Dresden Files book Dead Beat and always feel a little sad when I ..."

I have almost completed Fool Moon the 2nd book of the series. If feels for very similar to Kim Harrison Rachel Morgan series. I'm not saying I had a book crush on Rachel but I had a crush on Rachel:)

Did I miss a link? From TT4 I remember a google doc spreadsheet we all shared. Do you know if we are going to have that again?

On a side note I am getting around to starting Fool Moon the 2nd book of the Dresden files. Should be the final book before it begins:)