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

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

Hey guys! Im struggling with The Shining. Its beautifully written. Super easy to read and underdtand but i feel like that may be part of the issue.

Everything i read from jacks POV is terrifying to me and i feel like im going insane. I dont even know if this makes sense and i understand that this is silly because its just a book.

Still going to try to finish it. But itll have to be at a little slower of a pace. Hopefully will be done it by Wednesday.

Im still reading “The Shining”. Im really really liking it but dont have much time to read this week. Hoping to have it finished by sunday tho! Fingers crosses!

Insiyah wrote: "@Trisha - for Diavola, the blurb has a character named Nicole. Is she relevant to the plot in any way? If so, we can use the book for an N.

@Shannon - Can you add a completion date to The Once and..."

Just did!

Finished the Once and Future Witches about two days ago and started reading the Shining.

Hi guys! Hoping to finish "The Once and Future Witches" tomorrow. Was hoping to get more of it read today, but I only have about 100 pages left.

Liking it so far, but a bit confused why the suffragists are being compared to witches and threatened to be burned at the stake. I suppose they're seen as evil as well, but seems a bit harsh lol

Went to the library yesterday and got some nice October reads. I got out The Once and Future Witches , Small Town, Big Magic , and Son of a Witch .

Gonna start with The Once and Future Witches since itll help with O's and it appears like we will need quite a few O's this round.

Do October BOM's count or only the second one? Gonna see if I can get it out of the library

Hi everyone! My name is Shannon! I recently graduated from college with a master's in Business Analytics so I am now on the job hunt! (Which the job market for seems to be quite dead rn).

My favorite books to read are historical fiction and mystery, but I am looking forward to getting some October reads in this month!

My shelf is Boring-Wheel

Shannon's DQ Participation:

Day 1: Link
Day 2: Link
Day 3: Link
Day 4: Link
Day 5: Link
Day 6: Link
Day 7: Link
Day 8: Link

Day 8 : Ch 59-End
36. What did you make of the ‘Rapunzel’ story that Livira wrote and about the messages she intends?

I thought this was more of a Grimm's Brothers story than the classic Rapunzel (even though i am aware that the Grimms is the original story). I thought that Livira's explanation of it made sense although it was incredibly pessimistic and sad. I felt awful when Evar found her.

37. The Skeer show up in a story early on (The Insectoid Who Came to Tea by Celcha Arthran), but become real here. What is your reaction to the Skeer (and how were they kept from people's knowledge)?

I am still very confused what a skeer is. I don't remember this being explained. I think it would've been wise to warn Livira not to open the door. It seemed like they were trying to frame her almost

38. Time works differently in the library. At one point Livira states that she hasn’t written the first page of her book yet, but she needs to in order to make this part make sense. What do you make of the ability to move through time, even as a ghost? How does this fit into your idea of things being fated versus based on consequences of choices?

This makes it seem like they are writing their own fate. It plays like the usual time travel sort of book. You have to trigger yourself in the future to do what you are doing or your reality will be different.

39. We learn about what happens with Malar, Livira and the assistants. How does this change your understanding of the story?

I always compared Malar to the soldier. I thought this made perfect sense especially since they act the exact same. I'm not sure about Livira though. In the beginning of the book, the assistant didn't seem to treat Evar with any sort of affection or maybe I'm just forgetting. Nonetheless, I think it would be a weird concept to have to raise the man that you love.

40. This is the first book in a series and it leaves off with 3 of the characters moving off together to fight and find. Does it still feel like a complete ending or a cliffhanger? Will you read the 2nd book?

I think it is a cliffhanger. Apparently Livira is still alive somewhere and I am excited to read the second one. I put a hold on it when I was only halfway done this book.
questions.

DQs Day 7

Chapters 50 - 58

31. Livira realises that the boy in the city that Evar and she visited was looking right at her. Arpix reminds her of the things she had told him, firstly, that Evar had said that the assistants could see ghosts as well, and secondly, about the two sets of children’s footprints that led from pools of assistant blood. By the end of this section, we have been given an explanation for all of this. What were your first thoughts when you read this bit and was it proved correct?

My first thoughts were very far off. It was that the children were Evar and Livira. It didn't make the slightest sense. But I think the explanation we were given makes great sense.

32. “The library is many things from many angles. Both blessing and curse. A razor blade given to a baby; a rope thrown to a drowning man.”
Do you think this statement of Yute’s makes sense? What came to your mind when you read this?

I think it makes sense. Knowledge can be extremely helpful in the sense of a rope thrown to a drowning man. But at the same time, it can hurt you if you don't want those answers, hence the razor blade and the baby.

33. We have been given a whole of information in this section that casts all the previous sections in a new light. Have you changed any of your opinions from earlier in the book? What do think is going to happen next?

I'm a little confused as to what part you're referring to, but I started off not enjoying the book. Around page 80 that changed and I have become more and more engrossed in it.

34. ”It’s always the books you don’t have that call to you, you know that. Not the ones already on your shelf. They can wait.”
As somebody who has an incredibly large ever-growing TBR list, I find this statement applies to me perfectly. What do you think about it?

I agree. When I am reading, my mind sometimes wanders to the next book I want to get out of the library. For example with this book, I'm not even finished reading it yet and I am already searching the library to see whether the second book is available at my library.

35. (view spoiler) Why is nobody willing to believe it and what do think you think he meant by that last bit?

I think they're unwilling to believe this because they've been told for generations that it was the other race that killed them. So the sabbers are blaming the humans and the humans are blaming the sabbers. The last part is a little confusing to me. Maybe he is referrign to the escapes? Or a whole different species?

Bonus: My mind kept going back to books like Fahrenheit 451 and The Book Thief while reading this book with the discussions about the control of information. Did you find yourself also being reminded of any other books / movies etc? What were they and what was it that brought them to mind?

I thought of the maze runner originally. I thought the library to be a maze in a sense with different sections opening or not opening at times. There were also the escapes that could be seen as the monsters. Also, I drew connections with Beauty and the Beast purely for the library lol

Day 6 Chapters 42 - 49

25. Lavira gets tired of searching for the Exchange and books that aren't in the library and realizes they must be held by the head librarian. She breaks in and steals a book, The Forest Between, and in the process she meets the 5th helper, Volente, a large dog. Were you surprised that the dog let her take the book?

I was surprised especially after so many of the others did not appreciate it. Especially the raven. Maybe this is because dogs are naturally friendlier to humans? Volente did growl, but that was about it.

26. Arpix is an ally to Lavira in her search for the Raven and the Exchange. He also helps her open the book. Out of all the companions from the initial table who would you have expected to be her confidant and companion?

Honestly I thought it was going to be Arpix. He was the wisest and just seemed like an older brother type figure. If it wasn't Arpix, maybe Carlotte because she was so friendly.

27. Lavira learns that opening a portal is done with the White's blood in a circle. This matches with what Evar read and tried to do for years with his blood. Volente helps Arpix and Lavira find the Raven and the Raven's name so that they can get back into the chamber that is closed to them and access the fallen Assistants blood to open a portal. It feels like the Library is helping Lavira. Do you have a theory for why that is?

I feel like the library wants peace finally. It seems like the library has been burned down numerous times in the past from wars between the sabbers and humans. Maybe it wants this to end.

28. Lavira and Evar meet again. Again Evar doesn't recognize her as for him only a few days have passed but years have passed for her. They go into a portal and focus on it being a time of peace. When they arrive there are hundreds of Assistance and they are walking away from two portals. Leaving the portals are two small sets of footprints. Who do you think they belong to?

I was thinking it was the two of them, but that wouldn't make much sense...

29. Question contains spoilers: (view spoiler)

I 100% did not expect this. And it made sense when Livira came out questioning whether Arpix was as well. That must've been shocking for her. The book literally just became a Romeo and Juliet and I'm all for it. I am also surprised by how quickly she pieced it all together because my brain wasn't working that fast. It was definitely confused when Clovis was described as hairy though.

30. Lavira returns to her world and Arpix has spent his time in the Exchange asking and collecting the books that they have been unable to find in the Library. Lavira is wounded and devastated. Do you think her opinion on the library and history will have her reconsider Yute's offer to try and stop the war now?

I think so. I think she is in love with Evar and despite her initial attempts to ignore, she will find a way to gain peace with the sabbers.

Day 5 ~ Chapters 35 - 41

20. “Everything we see is seen through the lens of our expectations. Our prejudice provides a broad brush, imagination sprinkles detail, some of which may actually be there.” - Illusion by Copper Davidfield
This epigraph at the start of one of the chapters, stopped me for two reasons. One was due to whom it was credited. What do you make of this work/person? Did you have any thoughts or “lightbulbs” when reading this epigraph? How do you think it relates to the story or does it?

I didn't notice this when reading, but wouldn't it be David Copperfield???? This throws me off a little. I think this would relate to the story regarding the sabbers. Livira hates the sabbers, but Yute seems to think they're simply misunderstood. I think this could be true and I think Livira came to that realization as well, when the sabber was killed in front of her.

21. Livira finds a way to get through the portals again and she and Evar have a bit more time together. This time they explore some of the pools/portals and are have different reactions to where they go. Did this give you any more ideas on what the portals are for or why the two of them can use them at times?

I have not yet figured out why they only can use them at certain times, but I have a feeling that Evar is "trapped" there to allow Livira to catch up to his age. I think Evar is waiting for Livira without realizing it.

22. Yute took Meelan and Livira before the king, all along to appoint Livira as junior librarian. (She had the complete wrong idea until he made the announcement to the king!) This was met with complete disapproval by the king and others. Yute was able to persuade the king to accept the appointment with prejudice. What do you think Yute’s ultimate goal is by this action or by his recruitment of Livira, even?

He said he wanted to get Livira accepted as a "dust rat" librarian to prove that not all dust rats are stupid or animalish. Then, he planned to do the same with the sabbers.


23. This section is full of time jumps. That twice we are told that 3 years have passed in Livira’s world and we know that she is “striding toward her twentieth year”. Then boom she is a fully fledged Librarian, when it seems just a few chapters earlier that the king and his followers were going to try to remove her as junior librarian. What are your thoughts on Livira now that she has aged and is developing her opinion of her world?

I like her to be honest. She now knows what is appropriate to say and when and I definitely appreciate that. She also has stayed loyal to her friends. She is knowledgeable and still is persistent in her quest to figure things out.

24. Since we are a little over half way through the book now, has your opinion of the story changed? Are you liking it more or less than you were before? Any predictions on what will happen in the story?

At first (first 80 pages), I wasn't a fan of the book, but now that there's more going on, I am in love with this book. I struggle to put it down and even when I do I find myself picking it back up almost immediately. I predict that Livira and Evar are going to end up together and something is going to happen with the sabbers. There's no way around that. They're already breaking into the kingdom. Maybe they will light the library on fire and the one book won't burn.

Day 4 - Chapters 26 - 34

15. We get to see what happened to Clovis before she went into the Mechanism. We already had a pretty good sense of what happened. Why do you think the author included this scene?

I think the author included this to give Evar knowledge of what happened. Evar is described as being the most understanding of the siblings and the glue. Everything before this scene was heresay, but now that he has seen the sabbers killing Clovis' family, he can relate "first-hand." I also have a feeling they're going to have to fight the sabbers in the future and this was foreshadowing.

16. Speaking of authors, did you notice the quote at the start of Chapter 28 is from one of Lawrence's books? He chose it just as Livira tells Arpix that Yute suggested they read and write fiction. Arpix is shocked and wonders what would be the point. What do you think society would be like without any creative writing?

I didn't notice that reference, but I would certainly not enjoy a world with no creative writing.

17. What did you make of how the Assistant and Soldier appeared in Clovis' past? They know about the lost children in the Mechanism and can see Evar. Are they controlling this world? And are they friends or foe?

I'm not sure what to make of this. I feel like they may be keeping them trapped in the library or are set up by the king so they are controlling what can be seen or something. In this case they would be foe. But at the same time, that one assistant helped Livira and he seemed like a friend.

18. Livira once again jumps in to save lives without hesitating. And Malar thinks this is Algar's second attempt to kill Livira. Do you think she is really being targeted? Why is she so dangerous to the status quo?

I think there has been too many coincidences. I think she is being targeted and the king doesn't want a "dust rat" to be successfyl because then the other "dust rats" could also be successful in the city.

19. Why do you think Evar and Livira have such different experiences of the Exchange and even within the portals?

I think it may be because of their perspective. Maybe their mind is telling them different things so they are imagining different things.

Day 3 - Chapters 17-25

11. We learn a lot more about the library in this section, for example that new head librarians create new systems to secure their power and make themselves indispensable. I know we have a few librarians in this group… how do you feel about that? 😅 If you’re not a librarian –what would you do if the library you use just changed systems whenever it felt like it?

It makes the librarians seem like dictators in a way. I'm not a fan of this as librarians tend to be the nicest people. If the library systems changed whenever they felt, I feel like lowkey this wouldn't bug me. I mean sometimes I do want a specific book, but I also like just browsing and feel like I would still be able to find a book I would enjoy.

12. We also finally had our stories converging, albeit briefly. Livira and Evar were exploring new places in consecutive chapters, both of them marking their origin/path (Livira with books, Evar with a knife) and then their journeys culminate in them meeting in what Livira identifies as an “in-between place”. Were you expecting them to meet so soon? What was your impression of their brief time together – and why did the meeting end so abruptly?

I definitely was not expecting them to meet to soon. I was quite confused by this and am excited to see how the story continues with this plot line. I think the meeting ended so abruptly because they weren't supposed to meet. But knowing Livira, she's definitely going to find a way back to help him find his girlfriend although it also seems like the woman could be his mom maybe.

13. In her time in the library, Livira acquired a companion in the raven: is he an ally or guide? Or something sinister? Do you think it’s actually “just” a (magical) animal or maybe even a character we know already?

I like the raven. I think of it as an ally, but an extremely stubborn ally. I think it might be Mayland.

14. I can’t help but constantly think of the Book of the Ancestor as I’m reading this – the young girl protagonist who’s an outsider, the school setting, navigating friendships and political machinations while also learning about whatever type of magic there is… Have you read anything else by Mark Lawrence?

I have not read anything else by Mark Lawrence but I would be interested to based on this book so far.

DQs Day 2 Chapters 8 - 16

6. How are you enjoying the book so far? How's the pacing for you?

This book started off a bit slow for me, but around page 80, I started to become really interested in it. I am now really enjoying it!

7. What are your favorite characters, situations, quotes so far?

I like Livira a lot so far. She was initially annoying to me, but she is growing on me. She hasn't given up yet, which I think is a desirable trait. I also like Carlotte because she seems genuine and Arpix. Arpix just seems wise and like an older brother sort of figure to Livira.

8. What are your fondest memories of a library?

My favorite memories at a library are being a young kid and just searching for books. I wanted to read every book, but obviously that was never a possibility.

9. Library as prison... does that ring true for you?

Initially no, but maybe if I really think hard. In a way knowledge from books are endless and books in general, there's far too many to read them all. I guess that if you combine all the knowledge of books, you could in a way make a little prison... i'm not too sure. But in my head it makes a bit of sense.

10. If you could have one natural ability relating to books (view spoiler), what would it be?

I really like Evar's ability (although I didn't pick up that was his ability until now :0). I've always enjoyed learning languages growing up.

If I couldn't pick the same ability as Evar, I guess my ability would be to understand animals. I wish they could talk and a book that could allow me to understand exactly what they were thinking would be amazing.

DAY 1 CHAPTERS 1-7

1. Ahhh.. The Library! ..My happy place. And what a beautifully intriguing cover! How often do you visit your local library and have you visited any famous libraries around the world. Do share!

I have never visited a famous library, but I desperately want to! I always imagine going to libraries with the ladders and endless rows of books. I visit my library quite frequently when I'm at home, but over this past summer I've been in Pittsburgh with not a lot of time to go to the library :(

2. The first chapters describe a barren wasteland with an equally hopeless type of existence for Livira and her people. But straight away we establish that there is something special about Livira as she rises above her surroundings and the life she seems destined for. But circumstances change... your first impressions of Livira and how she influences her new destiny.

Initially, I liked her persistence, but it eventually got a little bit too much for me. She started coming off as an immature child that doesn't know when to stop talking, but at the same time, she is a child. I think Livira is a quick thinker and won't go down without a fight, which ultimately led to her future.

3. The chapter headings.. how do they fit into the tale? Do you find them interesting as a guide or somewhat cryptic at this stage of the story?

I thought of them as moreso cryptic. While I'm sure there is a correlation between them and the chapter, I forgot about them by the end of the chapter, so I'm not sure whether they related

4. Enter Evar in Chapter 4 and the scene changes from the barren Dust to the mysterious and atmospheric library and its Mechanism. A lot of information to absorb about how it all works and the role of Evar and his "family". Does the author do a good job in getting across what the library is and does? Is it good, evil or omnipotent?

I think of the library as omnipotent. It is necessarily evil, there are evil things that lurk in the library, but there is also an unlimited amount of knowledge in the library. And knowledge is power.

5. "Evar, don't turn the page. I'm in The Exchange. Find me at the Bottom" .
Who wrote this sentence and what is its purpose at this point in the novel? What impact do you think it will have in the story moving forward?

Originally, I thought it was Livira, but we just found out she can't write so I guess that theory is gone. I'm not sure who it is that wrote that, maybe a 6th sibling? Or the person he left behind or lost? I'm not sure about the impact on the story, but I have a feeling he is going to go looking for whoever wrote it.

CHAIN POSTED
1. All Eyes on Me - D13
2. The N. M. E. - D3
3. NME: From The Bender Squad to The Gremlins; Inside Newcastle's Football Hooligan Firm - D13
4. The N. M. E. - D3
5. Enmeshed Within - D13
6. The Hint of Light - D3
7. The Light Through the Leaves - D13
8. Vessel: A Memoir - D3
9. The Selection - D13
10. I Only Killed Him Once - D3
11. Once We Were Home - D13

Ok Ill go let D3 know we chose Once We Were Home and update the planning spreadsheet

Bernadette wrote: "Shannon wrote: "Hey guys! Hoping to get some more reading done this week to catch up as I am down the shore"

Fun! Which one?"

Ocean City, NJ