Karen ⊰✿’s Comments (group member since Sep 23, 2012)

Karen ⊰✿’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

1. This was my pick because it had such an interesting premise. Does your given name affect the path of your life? Do people make assumptions about you, your personality even your ethnicity/cultural background because of your name. What do you think?

I saw a review in the paper when it was published and thought it sounded interesting and it was also chosen for one of my RL Bookclubs this month. I’m surprised we don’t have more participants as it seems to be very popular! Or may that is just in Aus? Good publicist here? Anyhow..
I think names can have an impact especially non traditional names like Bear.
Since “Karen” became a meme I have to say that is irritating (due to the sexist nature of it) but also people now often ask me how I feel about it. At the end of the day I’ve had the name for almost 50 years so I can’t do much about it or care about the latest meme / Gen Z slang! But it is also used by some to silence me (and other women) from having an alternative opinion to them or speaking out and that’s not cool

2. Now that I have started (now finished) the book it actually is more a book about sliding doors. Three different names, three different pathways. Bear, Julian, Gordon - what do you think will happen to these three boys?
I’ve been surprised and fascinated to see how this, so far, seems to be more about how the name impacted Cora.
Yes, Bear/Julian/Gordon, Mia and others were also impacted but the main catalyst seemed to be how Cora felt about the name. Bear gave her courage. Julian optimism and Gordon depression and begrudging acceptance.

3. What are the initial similarities/differences between the three stories? Were you shocked that all of the three stories involve murder and abuse no matter what the boy's name is?
omg the DV has been so hard to read. So amazing that the writer has been able to write three stories like this and I can only hope it gives someone impacted by DV some insight and hope: but oh boy.
Like you’d think the Bear storyline is the “good” one but then it resulted in an innocent bystanders death.
Or Julian may have a chance but then she is killed while the kids silently witness.
Or Gordon who is turning out as a brute and she has been subjected to more and more control…. Thank goodness for that vet (so far).

4. Do you think the sibling relationship between Maia and Bear/Jordan/Gordan play out differently in the three stories? Is it the name of the brother or other factors that cause any differences between them?
so differently! And I think that is again down to Cora’s influence and what happens to the family based on the name choice. I have to say I was so disappointed in the kids in the Gordon storyline that they knew about the ongoing abuse and - even as adults - ignored it.

5. Handing down family names is very common in many cultures. "Maybe consenting to live in the shadow of his father and his father's father is only perpetuating the likeness...Perhaps calling their child something different would be a liberation" Agree/disagree with this statement.
depending on the family it could bring expectations or could also just be a sign of respect. In this case the grandfather is a right bastard so you can see where the quote comes from given the father also!!
Whereas I’ve given my kids family names (as middle names) as a sign of respect and explained to them why they have those names

Sorry, I just started.
My book before I accidently bought the audible dramatised version and I couldn't follow it and finished having no idea what had happened. So I returned it and bought the regular version :o Meant it took me 3 weeks to read that book. lol

Anyway, I was not expecting the DV. Maybe I don't read synopsises very well! I was getting quite uncomfortable with reading it, but then we just moved forward 7 years so I am hopeful.....
So far I do really like the idea of the 3 names and how they actually make Cora a completely different person whereas I was move expecting the book to focus on him and his life and how it changed. Quite fascinating.
Anyway, I'll come back once I am further to read your DQs and respond

Finished


Love this writer and I really should have picked up this book 3 seven years ago! I had to use the robot to give me an update of the series so far and then I bought the dramatised audible version by accident. I couldn't follow it and got to the end and had no idea what had happened. So I returned it and started again on the regular version! Really enjoyed it and now have promised myself to get to book 4 really quickly :o

Melindam wrote: "#43

2,5-3 stars

This has been the weakest book of the series for me after book 1. After the epicness of Magic Breaks, it was trying way too hard..."

They are great books, but not on audio. Definitely a series that’s better to read the old fashioned way

Melindam wrote: "#41

the firs KD book I'm giving the full 5 stars since book 3 and the push I needed to pick up the next book pretty soon and not wait for years in-between.

Also..."


Woohoo

Oh my book club chose this last night as our next book!
I need to finish my current one first though.

🤭

And Keely, technically I think it was 66.67% as the cut off but I round it down
lol

Sammy wrote: "Honestly Karen, it's like you're looking for things that I've recently concentrated on and gotten most out of the way for already this summer 😆

Here was me being so pleased at finishing 10 series ..."

haha oops

I have so many :o

Start of Month
Total audiobooks to read:
Audiobooks in monthly category to read:

Books in category:


FINISHED


End of Month
Total audiobooks read this year:
Audiobooks in monthly category read:

MY MONTHLY RECOMMENDATION (and why):

Great job everyone. There were a lot of tasks and moving parts and you all did so well!!

I finished

Which took me a bit to get in to as it has been 11 years since I read book 1 😬 but I had ChatGPT give me an overview of book 1 as a refresher which really helped. Then I was really able to get taken away by the story - it is very fast paced and a good v evil storyline.
Apparently book 3 should be released this year. Hopefully!

Moderators of NBRC wrote: "Having enjoyed the delicious range of cheese from around the world, we can only finish by offering this modern marvel (hopefully it didn't cause too much splatter on landing!) ...

Velveeta

Velvee..."


oh my!

Oh I love that show too!

I finished

Which took me a bit to get in to as it has been 11 years since I read book 1 😬 but I had ChatGPT give me an overview of book 1 as a refresher which really helped. Then I was really able to get taken away by the story - it is very fast paced and a good v evil storyline.
Apparently book 3 should be released this year. Hopefully!

Lisa - (Aussie Girl) wrote: "Elisabeth wrote: "I was thinking 7pm Sunday."

Yes, I was thinking along the same lines.

We've all done a great job but also sad when another team challenge ends."

yes 7pm Sunday in Sydney. Here is the countdown link
https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown...


and to calculate your timezone:
https://www.timeanddate.com/worldcloc...

Thanks Richard and well done!! 🎉

Lisa - (Aussie Girl) wrote: "About the cap, if other team members are under theirs because of real life stuff can other team members make up the numbers? Or is that too complicated to work out for the Captains? Just wondering ..."

Unfortunately, no. It is an individual cap

But Chava hasn't responded to us since she had her allergic reaction (we really hope she is ok!!) so the mods gave us an extra 4 books which we added to Richard's cap :)

Another interesting cheese! I’d love to try it along side mozzarella and see the difference!

I’m ok, thanks Elisabeth. Just navigating personal and business challenges which has me working 50 hours per week plus all the home stuff. I’m tired but otherwise ok.

I did do some updating of the spreadsheet before the weekend but I think a lot of books were added as read since ;) I can see Tina is in there now checking and sorting

https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown...

Until the end of Tower Teams

17 August 2025, 9am UTC

Elisabeth wrote: "We stayed in Bomerano on the cliffs above Amalfi once ( hair raising bus ride down to Amalfi). There was a grocery shop which sold the best ricotta I’ve ever had. It didn’t come in supermarket tubs..."

That is somewhere I’d like to go someday. Once I get motivated to do a flight longer than 9 hours again lol

Tina ❣ wrote: "The wagassi sounds so interesting. I'm heading to Europe (Italy and Greece) at the end of the month for a few weeks so when I find the cheese places in Italy, I'm going to suss out the cheeses from..."

Nice!