Shannon’s Comments (group member since May 21, 2018)

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

Yes thats what i meant. Thank you

@Keli don't forget to shelf the book "Under Locke" so we can count it

DQ Day 1
Chapters 1 - 6


1. We meet Justyce when he's trying to do a good deed by helping is drunk ex-girlfriend. This scene sets quite the mood for the upcoming chapters and (I assume) the rest of the book. Do you like our main character so far? Do you like his inner monologue, portrayed in the letters to Martin?

I do really like Justyce. He seems to me like a genuine character. I do not however like that he keeps going back to his ex. That part of him throws me off. But in a scary situation, like being arrested he was respectful and calm about it which I think can sometimes be undervalued by people today.

2. Let's talk about the girls - Melo and Sarah-Jane. The ex-girlfriend (sort of?) and the debate partner. Let's also factor in the other important female in Justyce's life, namely his mother. What do you make of each of them? And what to you make of their interactions with Justyce? And more importantly, what are we supposed to make of Justyce's interactions with them in light of his mother's statement not to bring a white girl home?

Melo: I hate her. She disgusts me. She comes off to me as only wanting Justyce when he's taken.
SJ: I really like SJ. She seems to want what is best for Justyce despite being on the shyer side.
Justyce's mom: I like his mom and how she is always there to listen. While she did make a good point that he can't run away, I would've liked if she gave him better advice or something.

I fully support his mom saying not to bring Melo home but stereotyping white females as "white" doesnt sit the best with me. Sure some "white" girls just want to sleep around but there are very nice "white" girls as well. Im definitely noticing racism on both sides; not just whites being against blacks, but also blacks being against whites

3. Jared is our token white boy who thinks all is right with the world when clearly it isn't. The equality discussion was interesting, I found, because Jared's logic is sound. And yet at the same time, it isn't at all. What example would you give Jared, where you speaking in SJ's stead, to show how wrong he is?

I probably would've went the same route that SJ did and mentioned that black people get arrested and sent to jail for a LONG time just for possession of marajauna (which is now legal anyways) and white people just get fined most of the time. Or I could use current events to back up that there is still inequality.

4. The Equality Brigade was quite the spectacle! Literally. Disguised as a klansman to portray equality. I can't help but wonder if Blake is an idiot of epic proportions or if there was a message he would have liked to show the world including his friends, especially considering the fact that the "costume" was the genuine thing. What did you think of this brain child of Jared's?

I could see (but only if I'm trying super hard) that Blake was being genuine. Maybe he was trying to show that klansmen could coexist with black people peacefully. But that would prove that Blake is naive and pretty dumb to say the least considering klansmen's history with black people. I 100% didn't agree with the costume choices and rolled my eyes when I read the part about The Equality Brigade.

5. Justyce as well as his best friend Manny are black boys stuck in a rich white school. They each have their own issues to deal with in regards to this situation. Manny, the rich black guy, who is considered one of them, and Justyce, the poor black guy, who is more and more often questioning his place in this world, the place he is trying to carve for himself. Do you think Manny should have acted differently in the lounge scene when he was peer pressured into drinking to equality? Knowing full well what happened to his best friend not too long ago?

I think that Manny should've called his friends out "for not seeing color." Like obviously they can notice that he's black. Ignoring the fact that he's black and treating him as an equal is different than not seeing color. I also think that Manny's friends were beyond wrong for bringing up the time that Jared wore blackface at a play because Manny wasn't feeling well. I think Manny should've spoke up and called them out, but I do also understand peer pressure. Sometimes it is hard to have a different opinion than everyone else in a group.

6. Short mention of Trey and his friends needs to be made. The Black Jihad gang, one of whose members shot Officer Castillo. Personally, I can't help but wonder if someone shot him to take revenge on the crap he's probably pulled for quite a while - Justyce certainly wasn't the only one - or if it was a shooting gone wrong. That thought aside, Trey makes Justyce (and maybe also Manny) feel like he's turning his back on his own people. Do you think he is right in telling Justyce this? Is Justyce right in questioning the things Trey tells him and wondering whether there may not be a grain of truth in it? Should Justyce have stayed at the party regardless or was it better to leave (with the others) when he did?

Trey telling Justyce he's turning his back on his own people, to me, feels wrong. There's no reason why a boy can't be friends with white and black people. This is another example of the racism in this book being two sided. While I acknowledge that Trey and his friends might not like the white people because they are treated unfairly and have more money than them, not all white people are like that. I think Justyce was right for telling his "friends" and Manny that they should just leave. If a cop showed up and Trey flashed his gun and threatened the cop, chaos would've broken out and the boys might've gotten hurt. Better to be safe than to be sorry.

Yayy!! :)

Im in and volunteer for DQ for team Wizard of Oz (use me as a backup if someone else from Oz volunteers please)

Im in and volunteer for DQ For Team Wizard of Oz (use me as a backup if someone else from Oz volunteers)

Tammie wrote: "I'm working ahead on checking books...realize I may not have given you time to dbl check...but here are a few needs for updates/correction to SS

@Donna...Carrie...shelve for WV
@Shannon...check pa..."

Fixed my mistakes... sorry about that.

- 212 pages
- 277 pages

Current Total: 828,098

I would like to join a team :)

Just finished reading my 2nd book, “The Tattooist of Auschwitz.” I personally loved it. 100% would recommend if you haven’t read it yet

- 248 pages

Current Total: 814,569

Lauren wrote: "Shannon wrote: "@Lauren please make sure you add "Nottingham: The True Story of Robyn Hood" to your wheel 5 shelf so we can add it to the list."

I don't know why that's always the thing I forget t..."

No worries! Just a reminder :)

279 pages
288 pages
440 pages

Current Total: 813,754

@Lauren please make sure you add "Nottingham: The True Story of Robyn Hood" to your wheel 5 shelf so we can add it to the list.

I finally cried myself through Five Feet Apart. The last 100 or so pages were a bit of a struggle lol

Day 3 Questions
chapters 10 - 15

10) I can't imagine the stress of trying to balance the knowledge of a fairly terminal prognosis with trying to be hopeful to live. I mean, we all know our days are numbered, but when you have an idea of what the number might be, you can either try to suck the marrow out of every day or curl up and try not to care enough to let anything hurt you more. Who do you think will have a bigger effect on the other, Will or Stella, and what do you hope will be the outcome, from a personal growth aspect?

I think being reckless has the bigger effect on the person who does everything exactly as told. Learning to live a little can be scary at first, but its definitely worth it in the end. I hope Stella will live a little bit more at least (but safely of course) and Will will continue caring about his treatments and trying to get better.

11) Maybe I'm too cynical, but I kept feeling like Abby was used as the personification of the idea that "See, you never know how long you have to live, so..." and not flawed enough to be a real person. Did anyone else feel that way or am I being a meanie?

I think we weren't given enough background on Abby to make that decision. She is only a supporting character who we know cared about her sister and liked to take risks. I do however think that her death might be stopping Stella from taking any risks because she doesnt want to (not to be cynical) die like her sister did (by taking risks)

12) I loved Barb's parental takedown. Do you think the shift in Stella's parents will last?

I really enjoyed Barb telling Stella's parents to grow up. I think it was about time someone did. I think that they will try to and I HOPE that it will last, but in all honesty some habits are hard to break and I think in the end they will go back to how they were

13) Reflecting on Barb's story of Amy and Trevor: would you choose a much shorter but immediately fuller life, or a longer lifespan though it may be less vibrant?

I would choose a shorter life. I would so much rather live my life to the fullest and not live as long than do nothing with my life, go nowhere, experience basically nothing, etc.

14) Poe says "It's my sickness...it's my problem." While it's admirable to strive for self-sufficiency, a main message of the book seems to be about how it's imperative to open up and do the work to nurture healthy, supportive relationships. What is your take on this? When in crisis, do you distance yourself or reach out?

Ive noticed throughout my years I am definitely someone to distance myself. I think this came from me doing gymnastics because I was taught to "suck it up and walk it off." I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes I do struggle to talk about what I'm going through

Hi guys! Sorry I haven't been on recently. Ive been on vacation. We're leaving this Saturday so next week will be back to normal :)

Day 2 Questions

6 . 'I wonder how many strings she had to pull and how much money she had to throw away to get me into this trial'
This quote caught my attention because in the UK we don't have to pay for treatment, even in a clinical trial in the UK. Did it catch anyone else's notice?

I thought the quote was sad, but here in the U.S. you do have to pay for treatments which sucks even for a much less expensive issue than CF.

7. Are you surprised at how quickly Stella has become attached to Will? I wasn't expecting this strength of reaction to him not taking his treatment seriously. Did you think it was in character?

I think she thinks of him as a project. If she can help him she will feel better about herself and be happier. She spends almost all her time cooped up in her room/hospital and that must get lonely. Maybe she was also just looking for a friend or something more

8. Wow Will's mum is controlling. I'm not surprised he's ended up rebelling from taking his treatments. Do you think you'd react like Stella (perfectionist, controlling about treatment and planning for the future) or Will (fed up, rebellious and living for the moment) to being in this type of situation?

Based on the current world now, I would be more like Will. While I respect the rules in place with masks and social distancing obviously I find myself time to time again very fed up with the situation and just wanting to sleep my entire way through it (im also assuming im not alone lol)
9. Masks, lots of hand washing, staying 6 feet (or roughly 2m) apart, limited places you can go… The recent pandemic is giving me more insight into some of what this must be like than I'd had before. How are you coping with the changes?
I'm a GP trainee so have been at work throughout with a massive shift to remote consultations. That bit is easier compared to entertaining a 2 year old without any of the friends/family/groups as distractions!

Im struggling a bit with the pandemic. Im in college and my classes are almost fully online (something I struggle with because of chronic migraines). My parents still want me to go back to school in the fall, but no one is sure there WILL be school in the fall

Discussion Questions - Day 1

1) From what I know, this book is the novelization of the movie. While this doesn’t happen too often, I’ve read a couple books before that were only written after a movie/series (e.g. The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet). Have you ever read a book like this? What did you think? Was it successful? Did this experience influence your expectations of this book?

I didn't actually know that this book was a novelization of the movie. I guess I just assumed it was the other way around. I just finished a book, "Neverwhere," that my teacher (I read it for a class) told us it was written based off a tv series. I really liked that book. As of right now I am also liking "Five Feet Apart." I had no clue what to expect going into this book. I semi thought it was just be a romance, but I'm finding myself slightly relating to the characters, despite me not having any life threatening conditions.


2) Stella and Will, wearing face masks & using copious amounts of hand sanitizer before it was cool. All jokes aside, this is an oddly timely reminder that face masks do make a difference to prevent the spreading of diseases. I knew next to nothing about CF before starting this book and I’ve seen very mixed reactions to the representation of CF so I was wondering… do you have any experience with CF and therefore expectations? (If you don’t feel comfortable answering, feel free to just skip this question!)

I didn't have any knowledge of CF despite that my school back in the day did a fundraiser towards it once for people needing help with funding in hospitals.


3) "If I’m going to die, I’d like to actually live first.“ This quote from Will’s POV reminded me of the countless bucket list stories and made me wonder whether this will go in that direction. Yet while Will takes more of a Devil-May-care attitude, Stella is very cautious to follow the rules. Do you think Will’s attitude is going to influence Stella as they got closer (literally?!). Will she also take more (dangerous) risks?

I hope she lives a little bit more, but is still being safe. Life is very hard when you put such strict rules on yourself and while I respect her for following them, sometimes you just need to do something out of the ordinary and exciting.

4) Stella is a "tech nerd", even programming her own app. Most MCs in YA books have artsy, "girly" hobbies (sorry for using that terrible gendered stereotype), if they have any prominent hobbies at all. Books about artsy people are among my favorites and I’m always on the hunt for more. While I like traditional hobbies, some of my favorite books (e.g. With the Fire on High) have non-mainstream hobbies and I am actually quite excited to learn more about this aspect of Stella’s story. Have you read any other books where the main character had a prominent hobby that wasn’t drawing/painting/writing/theater/an instrument?

Now that you say this, I'm 100% drawing a blank on any book that I've read. I know that I have read books based back before "civilization" as we know it existed. In those books the characters hunted a lot I guess.


5) Stella’s parents are recently divorced, in what she calls the “most ridiculous divorce of all time”, and she worries a lot about them. It both breaks my heart and confuses me slightly why it is so far being kept from us what happened - we only know that Stella believes both parents are unhappy after the separation. So… what do you think happened?

I think they might've just gotten into an argument time and time again and she doesnt agree with their decision to separate. She is about 16-17 so I would assume it wasn't anything that bad or she wouldn't be calling it the "most ridiculous divorce of all time."

Well ill be on the road for the next 16 or so hours. Planning on listening to audiobooks throughout the drive :)