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

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

Ideally I'd like one person to join our captaining team to replace Insiyah who unfortunately has real life stuff happening so isn't finishing the challenge with us.

It would involve a mix of checking books on the spreadsheet (are they on the reader's shelf, right edition, allowed by nbrc challenge rules etc), posting occasional updates like mine above (to make up for me being flaky, sorry everyone!) and generally cheerleading! If you haven't been involved in captaining before this could be a gentle introduction, or if you have but wanted an easier challenge and feel you can help that would be awesome.

If someone is keen, I can add you to the captain's group and give you editing access to the official spreadsheet as well.

Hooked seems like it'll work in the story. Don't worry about searching through.

Devann wrote: "could we use and as a pair because they both have red covers with white text?"

Personally I don't think these covers are similar enough, but if you read them both and other people think it works I am happy to be overruled.

Place holder so it is easy to see!

Our captain team is struggling! If any of you lovely people would like to step up and help out, please let me know.

Mini priorities:

Polyhymnia - squares - 2 left, think these might be tricky.

Erato - Loving all the suggestions so far.

Urania - Series sequence - 11, 13, 14, 15 to go

Calliope - team member reads - 2 read or claimed.

Clio - 3 claimed with a couple more queries on the SS

Euterpe - concert - 3 more instruments and 4 more lyrics

Thalia and Melpomene - Stories from titles - bottom of my list, we can sort something with anything that is left over.

Amanda wrote: "I’d like to sign up for the medium level if that’s still possible, please! :)"

Hi Amanda, I've sent you a friend request so that I can send you on your login details.

I'm off out for a haircut now, but when I get back there will be much spreadsheet updating and then an update for you all.

Sorry everyone, the last little while has been a bit crazy here.

The chemo my father-in-law has been having hasn't worked at all and he is currently in hospital with no idea when he might get discharged. My grandmother was admitted 2 weeks ago after a fall and it turns out that her breast cancer has spread and she's got a few weeks left to live.

In happy news we had my daughter's Christening at the weekend. Was lovely to see everyone who could make it and we got to play in my dad's swimming pool because the weather was gorgeous. Sometimes it is worth having an outdoor pool in the UK!

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?

Wow that spiralled out of control fast! I have never been to a party that went that crazy - but then I've never been to a party where drugs were freely available and being handed round on trays.

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?

Oh excellent from Nina. She finally found her spine.

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?

As ?Cat said, he feels like he is becoming irrelevant and can see that his kids very much aren't so wants in on their shine again. I don't think I would have forgiven him, but I might have started to form a new relationship again.

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

Nina has found her independence and a new way to use the strength she's always had. Jay will struggle I think, but will come to terms with life. Hud seems to have it figured out for now. Kit has made the most profound discovery and hopefully will be happier in her own skin.

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

I'd just sat down with my laptop to give you all a proper update on the mini and how it's going. My son decied that was the time to start vomiting so instead you get this unhelpful message from my phone. Sorry everyone!

Amy, that's right, the 2nd August BOM won't count for points, but the more people involved with the discussion, the better.

Looks like our series chain will be all 16 in one list. We've got 14 and 15 left blank at the moment and I think I can fill them both if no one else wants to.

Amanda wrote: "Hello all! I believe I just got added to this team. If anyone could let me know what's needed currently I'd appreciate it!!

Also am I allowed to put up any of my past books, or is it from now forw..."

Anything that isn't on the Gods SS can be used here.

Amanda wrote: "Hello all! I believe I just got added to this team. If anyone could let me know what's needed currently I'd appreciate it!!

Also am I allowed to put up any of my past books, or is it from now forw..."

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/... is our tracking spreadsheet which has most of the info on there. If you use the minicodes in the right column that would be fab!

For the squares we're basing them round T titles to make life easy so if you have any of those, I'd love to hear about them.

Generally we haven’t got very far with it yet, so anything you read will fit somewhere. I'll try to do a proper update tomorrow.

Amanda is coming to join us from team Gods as we've got a few team members for whom real life has had a large impact on their reading levels/the rigors of battling monsters and involvement in warships have caused reading injuries.


Welcome Amanda! I'm very happy to have you here.

Devann wrote: "can we choose whether to use the word count or the audio length to verify the length for middle grade books? because i could just continue with animorphs for the series chain thing except the next ..."

For middle grade books we need to use arbookfind if the books are on there. Very frustrating if the audio is long enough though.

I'll often avoid popular books when they first come out because I'm rarely convinced that they are worth the hype. Plus I'm largely a mood reader and often struggle when they come up as a BOM because it just doesn't fit what I want to read.

Carrie wrote: "Denise wrote: "Carrie wrote: "Sophie wrote: "Carrie wrote: "Sorry I haven't been very active lately. My dad has been in the ICU for the past week due to a by-pass failure, blood loss and a blood cl..."

Carrie, that sounds ideal! Best place for him to be.

"• Amanda
" please can you make your way to Team Cassandra. The monsters and warships have caused damage and they need your help!

(On my phone so coming from my account rather than the mod one)

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?

I wasn't particularly surprised. I'm amazed that June let him back especially given how Hud was left with her. I'm waiting for the parallel issue with Brandon and Nina.

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.

Neither of them seem like they will win parent of the year.

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?

It gives the change in fortunes of the place as well as the family. To me it gives a sense of the rich at play as well.

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?

I raced through it so it grabbed my attention, but not a piece of classic literature.

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?

I've read both of them, but I don't think either of them as BOM. I expect something dramatic, over the top, but fun to read.

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?

So many characters! So many time periods and motivations. I want to know more about Kit - she seems the biggest mystery at the moment.

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 helps to draw the parallels between the 2 but as others have said, the sense of time isn't fantastic in the setitng.

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?

It's good that each child has their own view on it as happens in real life - would be dull if they all had the same view.