Vicki’s
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(group member since May 01, 2018)
Vicki’s
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from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.
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Can we read new books that aren’t on the lists provided?
Dec 20, 2019 01:05AM
Day 3: The Locked Door - The Ivory Door1) When Havemeyer goes to see January at the asylum, he tells them he is her uncle. Why do you think he says that? Do you there there is any truth to it? Why or why not?
2) Havemeyer asks January how she got out of her room and she said, "Maybe I cast a magic spell...Maybe I'm a ghost...I'm mad now, didn't you hear?" Why do you think she chooses these words to say to him? What is the significance of her response to him?
3) Yule promised Ade that he'd love her and their daughter so much that he'd never leave them. Yet, he has done just that. Whey do you think he wasn't able to keep his word?
4) Once January finds out who her parents are, she changes in significant ways. What changes have you noticed take place in her?
5) Before Havemeyer dies, he tells January, "They'll never stop looking for you, girl." Who is "they" he refers to and why do you think they are after her? What could she possibly have that "they" want?
Dec 18, 2019 07:00PM
DQ's Day 2 A Door to Anywhere - Much on Doors...*Note: Jammin Jenny has asked me to sub for her as she is ill.
1) One person that January seems to really need in her life is Jane. When January is concerned that Jane will leave and tells her "Now that -- now that Father is dead" Jane will leave, Jane corrects her and says, "Missing." When Jane says this, it gives the reader the first real indication that her father might not really be dead. What do you think has happened to her father, and if he is not dead why do you think Mr. Locke told January emphatically that he is?
2) Yule earned proficiency in three languages by time he was nine. By eleven his mother knew he would be a scholar. When he goes to the university he was "near-genius, which provoked both frustration and admiration from his instructors" because he wasn't mastering any languages. Yule was broached and told to pick a path/discipline or move on. Yule saw this as a way to stifle his dreaming, and it was disconcerting to him. So he ends up at one point leaving and he comes to an area where he sees an arch and he finds it nearly impossible to look at anything else. As he walks towards the arch he is inundated with hope, but when he pulls back the curtain he sees only "knotted grass and stone beyond it." What do you think the attraction or lure was to the arch? Why did he not turn back at that point but instead continued toward it?
3) At this point in the book "change" has become a major theme. Yule was "a somewhat different Yule from the one who had found [the arch] three days previously." He goes back to the university and he takes his exams right away and surprises even the master scholar with how he has changed. What do you think initiated such a profound change in him?
4) The last chapter for these questions end with Adelaide Lee Larson and Yule Ian Scholar finding each other and and the narration says that "they were never willingly parted again." What do you think, if anything, this foreshadows? And do you think that somehow the universe/world will change because they're together? If so, what type of changes do you think might occur?
I will post my questions for my section tomorrow morning since I wasn't counting on doing these questions until this afternoon and I wasn't home. I'll do them as early as I can.
Dec 17, 2019 03:32PM
DQs Day 1 — Beginning thru An Introduction to Miss Adelaide...1) The beginning of this book explicitly evokes other magical doors in the reader's imagination, presuming a strong familiarity with the concept. Are you a fan of stories about magical doors? Why? Is that what drew you to this book?
Oh. My. God. Absolutely not! I didn't even honestly consider that there are books specifically written about magical doors. I wasn't drawn into this book for that reason since I didn't know what it was about to begin with. LOL In fact, growing up I didn't read fantasy so I have a more difficult time with books like this because they are more abstract.
2) Young January seems to exist as a kind of curio for Mr. Locke, who collects "exotic" things. Do you think this bears out in how he treats her and her father? Do you think the relationship between ward and guardian seems realistic, given the time and place?
I do think that their relationship is different that that of her being just a curio for Mr. Locke. In that day and time, things were more strict, of course, and with his simply being her charge due to an absentee father, I consider it a little unusual that he is as kind and considerate to her as he is. He seems to be the one person in her life that she can really consider "father" or a father-figure, especially since her dad is likely to be dead.
3) The next sections interrupt January's story, to tell a story within a story. First we get a section of "scholarly" text, and then the story of another girl, Adelaide, from a somewhat earlier time than January. What did you think of these sections? Do you predict any connection between these characters, beyond just one reading the other’s story?
The scholarly section didn't seem familiar to me at all. I found it to be somewhat stimulating and got me to thinking about doors and the mythology of it all. I think these two characters will make a connection later in the story. For me, the placement of the scholarly text where it was is too significant to let it end there, so I do think it's significant and not just like a stream of conscious or random thoughts.
4) What do you think of the structure and writing style (or perhaps styles!) of this book so far, more generally? Do any “author tricks” stand out to you, good or bad?
I don't feel qualified to really address with any true insight to an author's faults stylistically. But I have found the writing to be very well-done and it's very lyrical. The scholarly section, however, was more academic which made total sense. But it almost seemed out of place at that point. I literally said to myself, "What? Wait! What's this about?" And I started the section over. I was doing dishes and listening to the audio, so I had to go get my book and read and focus on that section. I think it's very telling though, especially the juxtaposition of it to the previous chapters and the next part of the book. It works as a great metaphor because it mentions how doors are hard to find but open up to new universes (new worlds, ideas, etc.), so they create change, and when shut they can't be reopened. I felt like this was introducing change in the story perhaps and definitely making the reader ready for change in multiple ways for things to happen in the story, characters, and perhaps even for ourselves to consider change in our lives.
I have been wanting to read this for a long time, so I am in!
Plethora and Trinia, thank you for co-captaining for us! Thanks for keeping me on the straight and narrow, or at least trying. LOL I appreciate all that you two did to help me personally.And to all my teammates, thanks for all your involvement! It was a TOWER full of fun! (God, am I good or what? LOL) JK
☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎ wrote: "Vicki is been fun being in not only this team group with you but also in PtP. I'm sure we'll see each other around :-)"I'm sure we will and I certainly hope we will. I'll try harder not to get confused! LOL
Thanks for all your hard work!!
Thank you teammates for a fun and helpful group! I enjoyed being on Team Jealousy!Thank you to those who were captain & co-captain for keeping up with all of us! It’s a lot to do and I appreciate it!
Plethora, I didn’t realize I can’t read plays. How do you keep track of all the do and don’t reads for so many challenges?
Book: Eyes Turned Skyward
Pages: 342
Read: 12/12
Sin: Vanity
Criteria: Tagged Contemporary
Book: The Secret Hour
Pages: 297
Read: 12/13
Sin: Pride
Criteria: Cover purple 60.4% per TinEye
Book: Antony and Cleopatra
Pages: 336
Read: 12/14
Sin: Lust
Criteria: Red Cover 82% per TinEye
Book: Mockingjay
Pages: 390
Read: 12/15
Sin: Sloth
Criteria: Blue Cover - 75.3% per TinEye
Book: The September Sisters
Author: Jillian Cantor
Read: 12/12/19
Pages: 361
Sin: Sloth
Criteria: Blue Cover (88% per TinEye)
Plethora, whoa! That’s incredibly impressive! I hope those aren’t year round hours! Thanks everyone for the congratulations! It’ll be my first time doing DQ’s so I’m rather nervous! Now I need to get the book! 😂
Mary, stay STRONG! Who cares if someone wants you so badly that they sent you a personal invite! Lol
I’m not burned out! But I am super busy, even more so than usual this time of year! So my reading this last round was fewer books than previously but I think I’ll be able to go out with a bang. With my daughter having a sprained sacroiliac and on a leave of absence at the hospital because her job requires 12 hour shifts and walking all over the hospital, I’m not watching my granddaughter unless my daughter is going to a doctor appointment for her pregnancy or something like that. So no guarantees LOL but I anticipate reading my full number of books this week.I’ve THOROUGHLY ENJOYED playing this one with all of you! I hope to be in other challenges with you guys! Everyone has been pleasant and helpful.
Carmen, THANK YOU so much for all your hard work and hours put in to Captain this team! You’re the bomb!! Sorry for any headaches I was responsible for!! :)
Carmen, how many books did we end up with?
Hey everyone! My 2 year old was really good the entire time! ACTIVE & investigative but thankfully no screaming or crying at all!!! Thank you all! Where do we stand with book numbers? I am finishing up a book and I could fit in one more if we need it, otherwise I’ll save it for the next round.
Hey team, I just finished
which is 1276 pages, but I can only put it down for Criteria 600+ pages so I'm bummed. Unless I am overlooking something. I haven't checked the books that are on the recommended list yet, but I will try to do that in a little bit.MY LIFE IS INSANE RIGHT NOW! Sorry if my postings are sporadic right now. Would you believe on top of my grandchildren I babysit that I had an ex-student reach out to me yesterday and she needed a trustworthy person to watch her 2 year old from 11-7. UGH! So tomorrow I'll be watching a terrible twos child. Please cross your fingers, pray, send positive vibes, whatever you do, do it! LOL Hopefully she'll be an angel all day!
Trinia wrote: "Not sure if anyone is interested in the next BOM - The Ten Thousand Doors of January ... it’s on sale today on Amazon $2.99. Reading starts 12/16https://www.amazon.com/Ten-Thousand-D...-..."
Thanks, Trinia, I am definitely interested and going to get it now!
