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

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

Andrea wrote: "Sophie wrote: "

And I’m back on it now! If you have something that works please say.

Charybdis F
1. 800+ pages - claimed not read Sophie

Minotaur R
1.) Read a book 800 pages or longer.
3.) Read ..."

Wonderful, thanks

Steven wrote: "Yeah but this one was BIIIIIIIIIG! Lol"

I've (predictably) managed to get behind with it again, so will work my way back to current to see what disaster hits poor Toby now. The stuff with Simon felt big enough.

Steven wrote: "It’s one of my favorite series. And this definitely shook the foundations of the world. And the novella at the end was good too."

It gets rocked frequently enough up to this point!

My 880+ also contains hardheadedness so will probably move that to the Minotaur. Annoyingly no map hat I have spotted yet.

And I’m back on it now! If you have something that works please say.

Charybdis F
1. 800+ pages - claimed not read Sophie

Minotaur R
1.) Read a book 800 pages or longer.
3.) Read a book with a map in it.
4.) character described as "bull-headed" or "hard-headed".

Cerberus N
1. 500-650 pages. Claimed Sophie


Nemean Lion (O)
Set in Africa


Cyclops (U)
1,2,4 claimed not read Audrey
5.) Read a book whose MC is a farmer.




Thank you to everyone who is taking part in Warships as well. The Trojan group have come together wonderfully on it with a plan.

Steven wrote: "Finished my Toby book. I’ll enter it on the spreadsheet and mark what monsters it works for in a bit :)

It was devastating. Yeesh. I need the next one now and it’s a year away :("

Don't tell me that! Makes me both want to get it now, and to put it off so I can read a couple in a go. Ended up reading about 6 in quick succession last year.

Really sorry for the delay everyone waiting for mazes - real life has been a bit mad, but I think I've got everything organised now.

Tricia - try Karina Halle A Nordic King would definitely fit.

Sorry I’ve been so absent this week. Am back from holiday now, and that should mean I'm around daily at least!


When in doubt I resort to google for definitions to help me decide. A plain is a large flat area, normally treeless, so I'd say that book works for it.


I'm currently half way through both my chunksters, so hopefully will finish one in the next few days and we'll get new monsters with shorter page counts needed.

I think this is what hasn't been claimed. We've got 2 500-650 and 2 800+ currently which i think are in progress, but more on the go wouldn’t hurt.

Minotaur R
1.) Read a book 800 pages or longer.
3.) Read a book with a map in it.
4.) character described as "bull-headed" or "hard-headed".


Nemean Lion (O)
Set in Africa
Open plains on cover


Cyclops (U)
2.) Read a book that takes place on an island.
5.) Read a book whose MC is a farmer.

Audrey Jane wrote: "Sophie wrote: "Polyphemus (Cyclops)

Polyphemus has been seen on your lands, searching for a new optometrist. Maybe he can be pacified with a good recommendation for an in-network doctor. Very hard..."

Excellent news! I wasn't looking forward to hunting a sheep and person down

Alison wrote: "Managed to finish Rock Redemption this morning so hopefully that covers off the music MPG, instrument on cover and #3 in series tasks for Cerberus.

I also finally marked [book:Razo..."

V odd, thanks for putting them back in. I'll keep trying to find time for the wolf's hour to complete the other 2. Reading time is at a premium this week.

Denise wrote: "Just finished 15th Affair and Cackle and added them to the spreadsheet. Not a lot of help with the Cyclops, I'm afraid. Cackle involved some trickery, but I think th..."

They will probably turn out to be useful somewhere else in time, or just for the pages.

Amy the book-bat wrote: "just came in from mowing (yuck!) and have dinner on the stove (just ramen noodles, so it won't take too long) then after dinner, a well-earned shower and reading [book:Camp Murderface #2: Doom in t..."

Males and machetes... they always seem fascinated with them even if it is for a job they'd normally avoid.

I keep wondering about planting a wisteria - you are making me rethink.

Missy wrote: "I am about to start darkdawn by Jay kristoff that is 512"

Wonderful, that page count will definitely be useful.

The only one of those we've got is 3.

All the monsters we have need either 500-650 or 800+ pages

Polyphemus (Cyclops)



Polyphemus has been seen on your lands, searching for a new optometrist. Maybe he can be pacified with a good recommendation for an in-network doctor. Very hard to kill but can be distracted with sheep. He loves his sheep. Also, might distract him by discussing what a complete dink Ulysses really is despite his fame.

To vanquish this monster you must:
1.) Read a book between 500 and 650 pages (inclusive).
2.) Read a book that takes place on an island.
3.) Read a book where a character engages in some sort of trickery (your interpretation).
4.) Read a book with sheep AND people on the cover.
5.) Read a book whose MC is a farmer.

Keri wrote: "Hi everyone—sorry I’ve been quiet lately. Real life has been burying me. Work has been killing is all with mandatory overtime which has been exhausting. I also was in a full weekend pool tournament..."

Mandatory overtime sounds horrible, really hope that stops soon for you. Fingers crossed you've recovered enough for more to not make you sick again.

V exciting about the pool tournament. Sounds like you did amazingly.

Book Of Cold Cases

Have you read the The Sun Down Motel by this author? If so, does it change your expectation for this book? Either way, what are your expectations for this book?
I read when SDM when we did it as a prev bom. Expecting this to be a sad baseline story with flashbacks (or 2 timelines) with a supernatural twist.


2. The MC writes about cold cases and is in her late 20s and divorced. I have read quite a few horror/thriller/mystery books recently where the MC is a recently divorced, usually a bit older, woman. Have you experienced this as well? Why do you think authors might make this choice? Why do you think the choice was made for this book?

Makes a change from the middle aged, divorced and alcoholic/heavy smoking man… suspect the divorce is to add some character interest and the female is to acknowledge that a lot of women read and have jobs and lives!

3. This section includes the start of the interview. Did it go the way you expected? Any one comment really stick out to you?

Nothing stuck hugely from this.

4. What do you think about the ghostly occurrences in this section? How do they add to the story (or maybe detract)?

I was a bit meh about them honestly. Not sure what if anything they add to the plot.

5. Shea is trying to explain the taps being turned on and the cupboards being opened by themselves through telekinesis. If you had experienced what she did, do you think you would have tried to explain things logically or do you think you would have believed it was ghosts and left it at that?

I'd have thought Beth had rigged something up.

6. After getting a cat, Shea calls on Michael to ask for advice on how to care for it, through the conversation she thinks about wanting to meet him. Do you think they will end up together or perhaps just remain as friends? Could Michael be interested as well?

They'll meet by the end of the book. I'll be disappointed if they end up as more than friends as that would require lightning fast and unrealistic character development.

7. Mr. Greer’s former secretary tells Shea Mrs. Greer wasn’t competent and that she was "sent away somewhere when she was eighteen". Do you think she was crazy or do you have any other theories?

I wondered if this had anything to do with alcohol and drug use. Or being a 'difficult' teenager.

8. While listening to the recording of Beth’s interview Shea hears a voice in the background whispering “I am still here” and poor Winston gets spooked. Did you find this scary? Do you think cats/animals have a feel for the supernatural? If it were you, would you come back to the house after hearing that?

I wouldn't want to come back. Would be v freaked out by that and especially it vanishing afterwards.

9. Finally, in order to get in the mood for more scary stuff. Have you or someone you know have any scary/ghostly experiences you might like to share?

None.

10. Beth's house has seemed important from the beginning of the story and there have been a lot of descriptions of the "Frankenstein ugly" house. During one of Shea's interviews Beth told her to go upstairs and see her childhood bedroom and then she said, "Not all of the answers you want so desperately are going to come from me. Some of them are going to come from this house." What do you think Shea learned from the house when she perused Beth's room?

I think she learnt a bit more about they timewarp the whole house seems to be in.

11. We now have a better insight into the note that was left at the murder scene that said, in part, Am I bitter or am I sweet? In this section we got a lot of details about how this "bitter/sweet" was played out in the house with Mariana and the two girls. Lily also told Beth that everything was her fault and she could have stopped it. What do you think the note will reveal about the murderer and how do you think Beth could've stopped it or could she have?

I don't think Beth stood a chance of stopping the murderer without being killed herself.

12. Julian's treatment of Lily is rather atrocious, especially considering how young she is when she first visits them. Why do you think he hates her so much and who do you suspect Lily's father is? (I have only read through chapter 29 for my questions, so I don't even know if that is revealed. Just curious what others are thinking about the situation.)
I think Julian felt betrayed by Mariana and her family and didn't know how to deal with it. I suspect he didn't like the favouritism shown to Lily over Beth.

13. Lily told Beth she wanted a lot of things, including the house. Beth told Lily she hated the house to which Lily said, "That's because you don't understand it...It's an abomination that shouldn't exist...It's exactly like me." What do you think she meant by this?

If you've continually been given the message that you aren't wanted, that's going to do a lot of damage to you.

14. Lily appears to have more power in the relationship between her and Beth, but based on Beth's current day ability to manipulate others, do you think Lily really is the more powerful one in their relationship? Why or why not?

I think she probably was at that point.

15. In this section, we see Beth really open up in the interview and describe two different Christmas flashbacks. The first, when Beth was 14, Lily was bruised and had been clearly abused by her foster family. We also (at least according to Beth) see the beginnings of Lily as a serial killer. Do you feel any sympathy for Lily? Do you agree with Beth that Beth could have stopped her?

Lily was already killing and the only way Beth could have even tried to stop her would have been going to the police or the mental hospital. I don't think either would actually have made a difference though and might have ended up with Beth dead.


16. What did you think of the interview with the lawyer Ransom Wells? Why do you think he and Beth never told the police about Lily, even after the murders?

I suspect they were worried that it would still look like Beth did it and even that Lily had some evidence to implicate Beth.

17. Beth gets a wonderful shopping trip with her mom that immediately gets ruined when they return home and Lily is there. Lily is clearly the favorite. Why do you think that is?

Absence and guilt would be my guess.

18. Can Shea trust Michael? He seems almost too good to be true.

Sometimes too good to be true is what you need.

I need to double check but I think we've got everything for Lamia.

Lamia



The Lamia has been spotted on your lands and the disappearances of children are on the rise. Requires some planning and moderate effort to defeat, look to the stars for the answers and to the shadows for the monster.


To vanquish this monster you must:
1.) Read a book between 200 and 299 pages (inclusive).
2.) Read a book with the night sky on the cover.
3.) Read a book where someone is kidnapped.
4.) Read a book that features a prophecy.
5.) Read a book where a child (under age 18) is an important part of the plot.




Minotaur R
1.) Read a book 800 pages or longer.
3.) Read a book with a map in it.
4.) character described as "bull-headed" or "hard-headed".


Nemean Lion (O)
Set in Africa
Open plains on cover