Sophie’s Comments (group member since Apr 28, 2013)

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

Yes for street.

I've got an ice hockey book so that will cover cold. Xavier Neal on KU is a useful author for spell outs

For book depository tasks, you get a free choice of book that goes the direction you want to go.

I will try to find time to go through the task lists and take out the impossible ones, but it is not high priority round real life.

Quicksilver is great but certainly not a quick easy read for points.

Winning the Cowboy Billionaire fits the quick easy read for points brief better.

Zombie book is finally done. Not too heavy on the horror so it was ok.


The One-Armed Man (The Fugitive)
1 350 to 450
2 Contains a chase scene
3 Black and white on cover
4 MPG Suspense or Thriller
5 At least one arm on cover

There's nothing I can see that would need a word count for wheels.

Sammy wrote: "Where was that one before we read Starter Villain?"

Bad timing! We were all too efficient with it.

What letters would you like a focus on for the next day Sammy?

I've found Quicksilver for Baroque and Winning the Cowboy Billionaire for Bluegrass.

I think Salsa, folk, polka, grunge and spiritual will probably be easiest to find as they can be used as words separate to the genres.

I'm impressed you've found Sufi Jhmingos!

I've just shuffled stuff as I have finished something that covers 3 of the Sasquatch tasks.

Looks like we could do with at least 4 more instruments but the cover colour is ok. Sammy/Snezana correct me if I'm wrong.

How could that man make a telephone book sound good?

Excellent song choice! That's cheered me up this evening. Loving the voice.

I've got a brown covered zombie book up v soon.

Sonia wrote: "I'm back from my work trip to Amsterdam. It was so much fun. But all my muscles are currently sore. The hotel room was quite good - It was one of the Hamptons by Hilton, so it was nice. Got lot of ..."

Oh waffles for breakfast is a lovely treat and glad most of the rest of Amsterdam was great.

Urgh for lost equipment. Yay for IT people having spares and the bribeable employees on the other team.

Worst thing like that which has happened to me was leaving my kindle on the bed in a hostel in Vancouver. I realised when I was on the ferry to Vancouver Island where I was going to be staying for the next month. Was travelling on my own for the first time and nearly lost it! Luckily I managed to get a message to the hostel who kept it behind reception and my parents collected it when they came out to visit me 3 weeks in.

Sammy wrote: "It really should! Sophie, can you make that happen please?😂"

You want more complications in a challenge? You know we can always make that happen for rounds that come up next.

Keep an eye out for vuvuzela, ukulele, syntheziers etc

Sammy wrote: "Had a great time, brief as it was.

do have my eye on a house up there. Only 15k out of my budget 😂
It's also a grade A listed building, which comes with a heap of problems in terms of decorating a..."

Why are all the best places 1. out of budget and 2. more complicated to maintain! The budget side of it might be negotiable though...

For the last of something - I have just finished Starter Villian. I'd say Charlie is the last of his mother's family or that Dobrev is the last supervillian.

Also parts of it take place by lake Como (or Garda - my memory is terrible) so could also cover that task.

DQs Day 5 chapters 32 - end

19. I was excited that Louise and Mark were going to contact Aunt Gail. I liked meeting Barb. I was surprised that they could not really help, and suddenly, we were back where we started, in the creepy house with the puppets. Why do you think Barb and Aunt Gail were in the story?

To give some hope earlier on and to give a possible solution. Shame it didn’t work out.


20. I found the horror of Poppy’s plight with Pupkin to be the most concerning. Did you find the horror in this book effective? Which parts creeped you out the most?

Urgh that puppet! He freaked me out and I think the part where he reappeared with Poppy was the worst.


21. Gary Hendrix is also known for his humor. I laughed out loud when the puppets got together to form a golem. What parts (if any) did you find humorous?

Horror is not my cup of tea so I missed the humour in this.


22. I was shaking my head when Louise gave her daughter her stuffed animals. I would want no part of that house to be a part of my daughter’s life! How did you feel about that part?

They rescued her in the end and might be more normal now pupkin is gone.


23. How do you feel about the ending?

Freddie finding peace and not trying to repeat old cycles from life again is definitely a good development.

DQs Set 2: Chapters 8 - 15

6. Were you expecting those wills? Why do you think both parents were so unfair on the kids?

Ooof that’s a kicker from the wills. I don’t know whether they wanted to force the kids to work together and get through some of their many many issues.

7. Yikes! killer stuffed squirrels! The first violent haunting here, was it effective?

OMG! What! Not a fan of the killer taxidermy. Taxidermy is freaky enough without this twist.

8. Despite the various creepy things that Louise has experienced, she's refusing to let her aunt exorcise the house. Would you still be hanging onto rational reasons over accepting family help?

At this point, I’d take any help I could get!

9. We've had more insight into the childhood of Mark and Louise. Does this change your opinion of either of them?

Louise is v black and white and not very tolerant from this.

DQs Day 1
Ch 1 to Ch 7

1.) What are your first impressions of the family and of Louise and Mark? How pivotal do you think their relationship (or lack thereof) will play in the story.
Aside: I plan to steal and use the phrase "Terminal Assholism" in future. Thank you Hendrix!

The family seems highly dysfunctional - they definitely aren’t close siblings and Louise is very black and white in how she is thinking about things.

2.) The book is organized into sections following the 5 stages of grief. Does this impact your expectations of the book at all?

Given that we know that their parents have died, it doesn’t hugely change my thinking.

3.) Okay. Life size dolls named after her children. Weird, creepy? Would you be excited to have them as part of your inheritance?

Urgh, supercreepy. I would not be excited about it at all.

4.) Have you ever experienced a family post-death squabble/fight like the one Louise and Mark had in front of the junk clean out guys?

Bereavements in mine and my husband’s family have been amicable so far so luckily haven’t had to deal with this so far. It’s such a raw time even when things go smoothly, so can understand how it might happen.

5.) Did anyone else google Fellowship of Christian Puppeteers? If so, were you surprised to find they were a real organization? Has anyone interacted with them before or a similar organization for other religious beliefs? [note: please keep responses respectful to people's beliefs, this is a safe space]

I didn’t, haven’t interacted with them. I have seen videos of lego figures/playmobil being used to tell bible stories.