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

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

Judith wrote: " I wouldn't mind Grandpa Mick setting up 529 college funds for his grandkids...."

haha
I feel like he is so self centred he wouldn't even consider it.
But that is an interesting thing to think about... Maybe he will try harder if he has grandkids

Sarah wrote: "I'd have thrown him right off the cliff...."

LOL
now that would have made an interesting ending ;)

Colleen wrote: "Day 5
20 Jul 2:00 AM - 7:00 AM

17. I love how the author describes how the party goes feral starting with that awful Vaughn Donovan. Have you ever been to a party where things spiralled out of con..."

@Colleen

19. yes he certainly owes them! I wonder if he would even think about that and how he could support them financially to help them even if they aren't "talking"

21. me too ;)

Tammie wrote: "Day 5
20 Jul 2:00 AM - 7:00 AM

17. I love how the author describes how the party goes feral starting with that awful Vaughn Donovan. Have you ever been to a party where things spiralled out of con..."

@Tammie

17. haha I agree. The cops were pretty late!

21. Well seeing Carrie Soto is her next book, maybe Brandon will be the next one!? I also wouldn't mind a book from Mick's POV for those missing years too....

Lisa - (Aussie Girl) wrote: "Day 5
20 Jul 2:00 AM - 7:00 AM

17. I love how the author describes how the party goes feral starting with that awful Vaughn Donovan. Have you ever been to a party where things spiralled out of con..."

@Lisa

17. yes it did have that crazy hollywood vibe!

18. I guess it is hard for her to do a complete 180. It was within her character, and they would have never told her to stay

21. The re-read for me was really interesting with people referring to the drama and DOOL. On reflection, I think the reason I didn't feel that is because at it's core I found this a book about families and perhaps there was more here for me to relate to than I initially realised :o

Vicky wrote: "Day 5
20 Jul 2:00 AM - 7:00 AM

17. I love how the author describes how the party goes feral starting with that awful Vaughn Donovan. Have you ever been to a party where things spiralled out of con..."

@Vicky

18 - oh yeah, that was horrible. It was SO great to see her finally look after herself

19 - Yes, there is so much here.! I agree that he doesn't deserve their forgiveness. Let's face it, apart from Nina in the early years, he really didn't have a part in any of their lives and is really just genetic material rather than a father

20 - I agree. So nice that the fire/party seems to have put them all onto their own paths rather than being a "Riva kid".

21 - You should definitely go to Daisy Jones next :D

I finished the BOM, Malibu Rising. Details on the s/sheet along with links for the DQ writing and responding.
:)

Day 5
20 Jul 2:00 AM - 7:00 AM

17. I love how the author describes how the party goes feral starting with that awful Vaughn Donovan. Have you ever been to a party where things spiralled out of control?

18. I fist pumped the air when Nina tells herself to stop being a doormat and goes to find her dad (or as she says, her "f&*(ing nothing"!!). That whole scene where she confronts him felt so cathartic. I loved the line "It would not be her that bent and broke anymore." How did you find it?

19. There are always many sides to a story. Why do you think Mick came to the party? If he was your dad, would you have forgiven him? Would you have wanted to see him again after the party?

20. The party changed the siblings in lots of different ways. How do you think their lives will be different now?

21. Final thoughts on the book? Would you read more by the author?

Day 4

59% 11:00 PM
80% 01:00 AM

13. From the four siblings, I was surprised to find out that Kit had been sending the party invitations to his father for the last few years. I would have expected it from Nina and Hud first. Was it a surprise for you too? What do you think the future relationship (if any) will look like between Mick and his children? I feel he is quite an unredeemable character so it could go towards many different directions.

Yes, I was surpised, but then as the youngest she would have different memories and not be as hurt as some others like Nina.
When I first read this I assumed they would reconcile on some level - especially as Judith said, he has always needed someone and is now looking for 'family' again.

14. Now that we know the story between Brandon and Nina and her reaction to his mistress' appearance, I can finally see the fire awakening in Nina. She has a chance to not commit the same mistakes as her mom. Do you think that she will finally stand up to herself and what she wants or will she fall into old habits? We haven't seen the last from Brandon, what do you think he will do to try to get Nina back?
This is a re-read so I can't answer, but this story line was interesting to me as it is Nina repeating her mum's pattern in many ways.

15. Nina has taken very well the situation with Casey. How do you think the others will react to the news?
Perhaps she always assumed this would happen on some level? Hud is an example of just one, but given the time period where contraception wasn't always freely available it is probably there are a few out there!!

16. I am worried about the fate of some characters. Now that we are getting closer to the end, do you think everyone will have a HEA or the story is leading toward some heartbreak and bittersweet ending?
One of the things I like about the author is the realism to the characters actions and so I didn't expect a HEA per se, but some kind of resolution / way forward.


============
BOM DQ Links
Day 1 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 2 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Sammy wrote: "The discussion thread for the BOM of is open for DQ volunteers.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/......"

I’d give it a go, but it isn’t available at my libraries and it’s not my genre to justify me buying it 😬

DAY 2 - 1959 "It was last December 1959"
41% 1981 "...in her arms, on her back."

5. 1959 - "It was last December, 1959" -
It sounds like a Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons song...Wow! What an explosive chapter. Your reaction? Mick was characterised as a sleezy womaniser, it was always going to happen or I didn't see that coming! And June's reaction? Sensitive woman with a huge heart or a doormat for putting up with what she suspected?

Given the time, I don't like June had much of a choice but to put up with it. For her to go home with three kids to her parents... she would have been hugely judged (1959 it would have been her fault) and she may not be able to provide for her kids. I think she also does love Mick and hopes he will change

6. "He gave no thought to the idea that he might break his children like someone had broken him". "You're drunk and you're killing yourself with this stuff." Discuss Mick and June's parenting styles and how they have affected the siblings as children and adults.

This is a theme of the book I love. There is so much that shapes us as children into the adults, and parents, we become. My parents were married in 1970 as 20 year olds, which was quite normal back then, but it means in my (now middle-aged adult brain) they were just children themselves trying to bring us up. I wonder how the choices me and my husband make will impact on our kids in 40 years :o haha

7. The title of the book is Malibu Rising and the author gives the reader a sense of the beach culture both in the past and the present time lines. What does it bring to the story and would it be as effective in another setting?

I love the setting. It goes to my childhood when we would go to beach towns that are now major tourist resorts. It brings a nostalgia and a sense of 'where does it end' to how we have changed natural landscapes and small towns

8. Already with the first set of questions there are varying opinions by the group about both Taylor Jenkins Reid as an author and how it compares to her other work. I loved Daisy Jones and the Six but I am finding this one as bit like Days of our Lives... but the author is skillful enough to make it into a page turner. Where do you sit, engaging tale well written or too much drama and as we are half way through do you see this ending in triumph or tragedy for the Riva siblings?

Well, I absolutely loved it first time around and I am again! I don't see it as overly soap-opera, because this is actually what families are like. Once you start digging everyone has some crazy philandering parents/grandparent/uncle, brothers with sisters girlfriends, crazy divorces.... don't they? Or is it just my family? LOL

Welcome, Dominique!

Sammy wrote: "I suspect we'll get some lovely suits and dresses on the covers of the romance readers' books, and I'm loving some of the pairing suggestions.

with "books that have been read by another team membe..."

Thanks for clarifying - I completely didn’t pick that up in the rules that they needed to be books that were read before the mini started. That does make it trickier

Cool! 🙌

I’ve also started
which is huge (for me) at 800+ pages and 27 hours of audio so will take me over a week. But putting it out there for any other UF/Fantasy readers in the team that may have something to match. There’s wings, snake, tattoos, lighting on cover plus the title that could potentially help with pairings

Eldarwen wrote: "I have an idea for another pairing if someone wants to or is reading a book with water on the cover.

I could go for with lots of fire on the cover. (Phoenix horses, I..."

I’m reading the BOM which is water on cover … but if someone else also reads it we could use it for reading a book another team or read during the challenge?

I finished two while on holidays. Both easy reads, and really enjoyable. Mr Wickham especially if you are an Austen fan.

review
review

I finished
which has been on my tbr since 2015 and which may work for a nice title (there is some alcohol in the book which I have listed on the s/sheet). Unfortunately the kindle version has gone all corrupted on me - it was a netgalley book - so I can't grab the loc details.
Both are now on spreadsheet

I finished 2 more so I'm now at 43%... getting closer to back on track!
which I should have read in 2014! and which was not my cup of tea but I finished it to vanquish a TT monster :o

DQs Day 1: Prologue - 11:00AM

1. Both Daisy Jones & The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo have been BOMs in this group before. Have you read these books (or others) by Taylor Jenkins Reid too or is Malibu Rising your first book by the author? What are your expectations going in?
Yes, I've read both of them (and also this book!) and loved them. I picked this up last December and I am re-reading for TT points, but I loved it the first time around and I am finding this time I can really get into the story and writing style more because I am not thinking that 'mystery' element of how everything may fit together

2. We have been introduced to quite a lot of MCs and their different POVs in the first 20% of the book. Do you prefer one character/POV over the others or is it still too early to tell?
When I first read this I absolutely loved Mick and June's story. Although I still do, I'm actually finding Hud's potentially more compelling

3. The writing has quite a contemporary feel to it, especially the 1983 timeline, which makes it easy to forget the book is actually set in the past. What's your opinion on the writing and the back and forth between the two timelines so far, and how does it compare to other TJR books you've read (if any)?
It does, but I also wondered if that is because this was the time I grew up in so it feels so familiar.
Daisy Jones is still my favourite but this one was only a small whisker away from being on par. I think with Daisy Jones it was the audiobook that completely nailed it for me. This one is also great on audio (except I never really liked how she did Kit's voice).

4. "The story of June and Mick Riva seemed like a tragedy to their oldest child, Nina. It felt like a comedy of errors to their first son, Jay. It was an origin story for their second son, Hud. And a mystery to the baby of the family, Kit. To Mick himself it was just a chapter of his memoir."
We don't really know how June and Mick's marriage post kids 1 + 2 went (and ended) yet, but from what we've learned about each of the siblings and their (love) lives so far, how do you think their parents' story has affected them after reading the quote above?
What a fantastic quote, I re-read that twice this time around, so very cool you also picked up on it.
I won't comment for fear of spoilers


--- Also, for everyone who has read Evelyn Hugo, can we please talk about the (brief) mention of Celia St. James AND THE FACT THAT (view spoiler).
And while we're at it, Mick also had a cameo in Daisy Jones & the Six!

AHHHHH. I totally did not pick that up. Nice one!! *mind blown*
Maybe I need to go and re-read them too. haha
It was actually while reading this I realised her book being released next month is about Carrie Soto from Malibu Rising. I have been waiting for it to be released and didn't even connect that it is about Carrie Soto from this book!!! *face palm*