Vicki’s Comments (group member since May 01, 2018)

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

Day 2 DQs

6. I might be too judgmental, but her pining for Hansu is constantly making me frown. She promised to care for and honor her husband, never to betray him. Yet she keeps marveling about her lost "love", how she misses him, how she wants to see him, how she has already been in the city with him in her mind, etc. Are such thought not a kind of betrayal? She is so rational and reasonable about what happened and knows full well how he lured her in and used her, but cannot stop the pining and reminiscing about it. Why do you think she can't let it go and focus on her future?

I think your first love is one you never forget and I don't think she pined over him too much. I think whatever one needs in order to protect themselves and their feelings is okay. I might not agree that I would need the same amount of time, but we are all different.

7. After all Isak said about his successful brother and all his dreams about the better life in the city, he arrived to some harsh revelations. I am starting to think they might have been better staying on the island. Isak's brother's revelations about his house, his neighbors, the judgement in the city, the discrimination at work and spying everywhere are very disappointing and brutal. Do you think it a natural disillusion of impossible dreams? Or Yoseb's hope that it might be better for his brother here, where he can watch over him?

I tend to think both of them were a bit naive, but I think that's to be expected considering their circumstances in life. I think it's probably natural to think a person/brother might be better where you can watch over him because we like to think we have some control if someone is near us or that we can at least influence them.

8. That scene in the church with the brother and sister. The pastor discussing what it actually means when a wealthy man wants to be a young girl's "friend". The duplicity of the pastor - being nice and not judgmental to the siblings, yet judging them harshly when they have left was not surprising but annoying still. The sweet talk to their face, but harsh berating behind their back would have been exactly what happened to Sunja and her family. Do you think this scene was included to reveal to Isak more truths about his wife's condition and impossible choices to help him understand her?

I think that makes sense and is definitely a good possibility. I can't stand it when a person is hypocritical, especially someone in such an important position and who others look up to in their own faith. Sadly, we still find this all too often in churches and elsewhere to this day.

9. The pastor's reason for hiring Isak was revealed as well - to get money from his family and avoid paying him wages - and I must admit it didn't endear the pastor to me at all. And the pawnbroker and his greed, the loan sharks and their scare tactics. We get introduced to many characters that are not really likable and portray humanity at its worst. Do you think it is a decision by the author to reveal the true nature of people in all kinds of positions in general or is it included to especially note how people get in times of oppression and hard times? I am starting to think Isak coming to Japan was a huge mistake with every little revelation. Do you think it will work out? Or do you agree it was a mistake?

I think that they probably made the best choice they could based on what they knew and believed, but I do think it will turn out to be a huge mistake.

10. The debacle with the watch was very educational. We get to see a merchant's attitude towards women, husband's attitude towards a wife in stark contrast to how men are treated. Yoseb is enraged with his wife and sister-in-law, he can't forgive them or appreciate the help, yet he can forgive and accept when his brother asks him to. Do you think he would have gotten over it in time if his brother hadn't asked him? Or would he be always resentful towards women? The whole "head of the house" part further gets the point home that women will always be under the command of a man, even in regards to baby names. The prison scene also drives home how women are still supposed to be home and stay away from men's troubles, too weak to do something about it. And women who work are still frowned upon, even in their own family. Do you think it will change further in the story? Will oppression and war open their minds towards changing a woman's role in the family and world?

I think that men were especially prideful and women working was like an insult to the man's ability to care for and provide for their family. Oppression and war might make it totally necessary for some women's roles to change, but I don't think the men's minds will truly change to the depth of what they believe regarding their roles and women's.

Day 1 DQs

1. This novel starts with the sentence: "History has failed us, but no matter." Did you like this opening line? What do you think it means, and why do you think the author chose it?

Honestly, it didn't really affect me in any way, so I can't say that I really liked it as an opening line. Maybe after finishing the book I'll feel differently. I think it refers to how history repeats itself and that we should learn from it; however, humans are stubborn and too often don't learn from our past.

2. I am half-Korean, and my mom has shared a lot of the history of her own family and how it's interwoven with Korean history in general. What, if anything, did you know of the Japanese colonization of Korea -- or the history of Korea, Japan, and China in the 20th scentury in general -- before beginning to read this book?

I'm sure I learned something in my past, but I can't say I knew anything because if you asked me one question about it, I couldn't have answered it.

3. Hansu seems like a complicated character. What were your thoughts on him? Did you hate him?

No, hate is a strong emotion and to me a waste of one's energy. I can't say that I liked him though. I thought he was deceitful and manipulative, and I also thought he was predatory.

4. What did you think of Sunja's decision to not accept being Hansu's mistress? Why do you think she chose to reject him? Do you think she made the right decision?

I liked her decision not to be his mistress. I think sometimes we have to make hard choices, but all our choices come with consequences whether good or bad. For Sunja, I think she preserved her self-respect and it showed her to be a woman of strength and character.

5. In this first section of the novel, we see two couples wed -- Hoonie and Yangjin, and then Isak and Sunja. What were some of the similarities between these marriages, and what were the differences?

I felt that Hoonie's and Isak were men who worked to take care of their women and families, to provide and protect them. They both had some type of health issues. Yangjin and Sunja were women of their time, so they were blessed to have gotten married and had men who were by most people's standards good to them.

Will one of the captains please check my book Wicked Game now. It says it's not marked on my shelf as read, but I checked it and it is. Maybe I added it later? I can't recall but it should be marked.

Silje, I finally got my book . Is it too late to get points for BOM if I do that one this week?

Silje wrote: "Yes, unfinished books from round 4 can be moved to round 5=)"

Thanks, Silje :)

Silje wrote: "Vicki wrote: "Silje wrote: "Check out our team spreadsheet, we have gotten our final word and tags!"

I'm a little confused. We have words where the books are not finished or marked as such. So don..."
Oh my gosh, I see now. I'm so sorry. And I also feel really bad that I screwed up the X letter by not having enough pages. Ugh...I won't make that mistake again!

So any books that we had on Tab 4 I assume we can go ahead and add to tab 5 now? But we can't finish any of those until after the countdown clock ends, is that right?

Thanks for being so patient with me, Silje. :)

Silje wrote: "Check out our team spreadsheet, we have gotten our final word and tags!"

I'm a little confused. We have words where the books are not finished or marked as such. So don't we get to move them around so we can hopefully complete full words or am I mistaken how it works?

Silje wrote: "Speaking of, VIcki, can you check if the double incident has happened to Timeless too, I couldn't find it on your shelf=)"

Yes, it sure did along with 2 other books...grrr I fixed it. :)

Silje wrote: "No, sadly, all books finished in round 3 are locked because of the read date.

We move some books from one word to another quite often, depending on who finishes their books first, but I change th..."

It was too short anyway, but thanks.

Silje wrote: "Vicki, can you add "A Quilt to Die For" to your shelf?=)"

I did this awhile back and forgot to post it. For some reason it had 2 books listed and one had the shelf on it, the other didn't. I always end up with books saying I've read them twice when I haven't most of the time. I don't know how that happens. Also, it'll show read or currently reading when I haven't done either. It's annoying!

I'm curious if the round 3 books that didn't complete words can be moved to round 4 or do we just lose those books? I don't know if you captains are moving any around or if I should continue to add all the letters each book can fit because I'm not sure if any are being moved or not.

Do you think this book would work for the task of deck chair? I would use it, a rocking chair works. lol

Also, the countdown clock shows we have 27 days until the end of round 4, but is that right?

Woo hoo! So we’re now good to read for round four?!

Ashleigh wrote: "Vicki, could you add Rebel to your shelf please?"

yep

I am reading two books right now that I can either finish for the current round (3) or I can finish them when round 4 has begun. Any preference? My books are: The House in the Cerulean Sea and My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton. We definitely won't be able to spell out that last SEA KAYAKING word, so I could save Cerulean Sea for round 4. Let me know.

Also, is there an error on Round 4 or is it meant to be spelled that way? It's HIGHWAY SIXTXY ONE. Do you think that's really intentional?

Ashleigh wrote: "That book has MPG Holiday so it's okay to use for task 30 :)"

Okay, thanks, I didn't see MPG Holiday on my computer...weird.

I am adding a book to the SS but for the task I have to ask a question: if there are no MPG tags at all, may I use the blurb on the page to show it's about a holiday, task 30? If not, I guess I can use circles if i can get approval! lol

I thought I'd already used 179 but I hadn't so, I changed the circles task to that one. I left the font in orange. I also finished up Insatiable.

Ashleigh wrote: "Vicki, your book Accidentally Ever After is down on the ss for circles on cover. I don't think the book will work for that task as I'm assuming the circles need to be distinct circle shapes and the..."

I'm trying to figure something else out. I think circular shapes are clear on it. But okay.

Silje, I need to look for a task that might fit, but I'm not too terribly hopeful. lol

What about Accidentally Ever After with the circles task? Is that being disallowed?

Silje wrote: "Vicki wrote: "Round 3 ends on the 24th, right? I'm reading My Dear Hamilton rather slowly due to other challenges (thanks Olympics) lol so I want to make sure I finish it on time. It has SO many ch..."

Thanks, again! lol Another question: for task 118, told in multiple points of view, does it work for 2 POV's or does it need to be 3 or more?