Mirliz’s
Comments
(group member since Dec 05, 2013)
Mirliz’s
comments
from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.
Showing 141-160 of 373
Jan 17, 2016 01:13AM
Questions for Chapters 17 - 2019. Were you surprised to find out that Isabelle's dad was working for the resistance?
I was! I have a lot more respect for him now.
20. It would be so hard to live at a time like this. I would hope that I would have had the courage to help others. Do you think you would have helped, even if it meant risk to your family? Do you have a family story from this time period?
I'm a bit ashamed to admit I don't know if I would have helped or not, or how much. I guess it depends on the specific circumstances.
21. Thinking back to the comparison about love and war at the beginning of the book; the father says, "We are all fragile Isabelle. It's the thing we learn in war." Is this something we learn in love as well? Why or why not?
Maybe so.
23. The yellow stars have arrived. I was touched that Sophie offered to wear one. I was also pleased with the way that Isabelle has grown and become a stronger character while helping the pilots. She seems more confident and mature now. Has there been character growth or change that you have noticed or enjoyed?
I like Isabelle's character change. I have also noticed a little change in Vianne, she still thinks only of her daughter but it feels as if she has more opposed feelings towards the Germans than before even though she doesn't show it (yet?).
- Jan 16 - 378 pages in 2016Current Total: 90,953
Jan 15, 2016 06:46AM
Comments & QuestionsJanuary 14, 2016
Chapters 12 – 16
Q13. Vianne helped make the list of teachers which took Rachel and other Jewish teachers. She went to Captain Beck about the list, which she thought the names were meant to be “clerical in nature”. She also saw all the food and items the Nazi’s had. What are your thoughts about this scene? Was she naïve? Do you think she is starting to understand there severity of the situation? Is she seeing more of what Isabelle is talking about?
I believe she is starting to realize how bad the situation really is, but I don't think she is very naive - it's more like she's in denial. I also believe she starts to understand Isabelle, if only just a little bit, but she's not the kind of person to do what Isabelle does. She's also responsible for her daughter, and wants to stay safe and keep the house for when her husband comes home.
Q14. Isabelle has been distributing tracts for months and she stole the bicycle. Is her behavior being more reckless? Do you think she will be caught for these kinds of behavior? Will she be caught with this new mission in Paris delivering secret messages for the Free French?
Yes, she's reckless and she needs to be more careful about what she does to not get caught. The stakes are higher now than before, and if she wants to really make a difference she needs to learn how to use her head.
Q15. Do you like the timeline changes (In France, then in Oregon)?
I kind of like it actually. I'm used to even more timeline changes and POV changes, so I don't mind it.
Q16. Now with Isabelle in Paris, Captain Beck is alone with Vianne and Sophie. What do you think will happen with Vianne and Sophie?
I think the situation will become even more serious and difficult for them. Vianne will have to be careful around Captain Beck.
Q17. Should Isabelle reopen the bookshop?
Why not? She needs to do something and she needs something to cover her secret activities in Paris. I think it's a good idea.
Q18. Which character do you like more, Isabelle or Vianne? Which of the two sisters do you feel the saddest for?
I like them both, and feel sad for both in different ways.
- Jan 14 - 303 pagesCurrent Total: 76,933
Jan 14, 2016 01:25PM
Comments and Questions, January 13, Chapters 8-118. Have you read much about the occupation of France? Has any of the historical information (such as German officers billeting in houses) surprised you?
I have read about World War II, but not so much about the situation in France during that time, maybe one or two books. The information hasn't surprised me though, I knew already things like that happened.
9.I was so annoyed with Isabelle in this section for being so naive and immature that I almost stopped reading the book. As a parent, I became so angry on Vianne's behalf about Isabelle continually putting Sophie at risk. What are your thoughts on Isabelle? Is her hurt and resentment towards Vianne justified? Is she doing the right thing helping the resistance?
Yes, she is immature and naive, but she has been formed by things that happened in her childhood and she never had anyone to rely on when she grew up. She was also very hurt as a child, and that tends to leave deep scars that might never heal completely. Still, she puts everyone at risk while behaving selfishly, and I don't think she's the right person to help the resistance, even though she desperately wants to fight in every way she can.
10. Captain Beck has, so far, tried to be very accommodating and polite. Was he just trying to win their trust to be able to use Vianne? Or is he just a decent man dragged into a war with no choices?
I think it's a little bit of both. He has to follow orders to keep his family safe, which means he might have to do things he doesn't want to do. But if there wasn't a war, I believe he would be a very nice and polite man.
11. Captain Beck does some research and says the men have been captured and are "not coming home". Do you believe him?
Let's say that I believe that he believes they are not coming home. As for what I think, I always say "hope never dies" - there's still a chance they might come home in the end.
12. Some of the women started to turn on Vianne, insinuating that she may be 'in bed' with the Germans. Do you think this was fair?
It's not fair, but people aren't fair, especially when they are scared and would do anything to keep themselves and their families safe. It's so easy to turn on an easy target, like a person they have earlier disliked.
Jan 13, 2016 02:53AM
12 Jan 2016 Chapters 1 - 7 Questions1.Do you like the book so far? Why did you decide to read this book? Have you read any other books by this author?
I haven't read anything by her yet. I planned to read this one last year but that didn't happen, so when it was picked as BOM I decided to join and read it. The beginning has left me wanting to read more, so that's a good thing. I won't decide if I like it or not just yet.
2.The Nightingale opens with the following statement: “If I have learned anything in this long life of mine, it is this: In love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are.” What do you think the narrator means by this? Is love the ideal and war the reality?
I think it means that when you are in love you want to become the best version of yourself and be that person together with the one you love. But during war people end up in terrible and dangerous situations, sometimes having to make terrible choices, and that's when you see what people truly are (helpful, selfish, brave, foolish, cowardly, weak, strong...) and what they would do to survive.
2.Who do you think is the elderly lady at the beginning? What is the reason for your choice?
I'm not sure yet. Maybe Isabelle, since she says she always wanted to be loved and admired?
3.The narrator says that: “He [her son] loves a version of me that is incomplete. I always thought it was what I wanted: to be loved and admired. Now I think perhaps I'd like to be known.” what have you always wanted? Has it changed and why or why not?
I have always wanted to be surrounded by a loving family, and that hasn't changed - that's also what I've always had.
4.War changes people. “The father who went off to war was not the one who came home.” How did war affect Vianne and Isabelle's family? Do you think that Antoine will be changed like Vianne's father? How about the soldiers that Isabelle comes across? Should she be so angry with them? Would you?
Vianne and Isabelle ended up having no real father after the war, because he didn't want to care for them anymore. If Antoine makes it home I don't think he will change in the same way, but he will have changed. I don't think Isabelle should be so angry with the soldiers she met because who knows what they have experienced or what they think and feel about being soldiers. They are the ones that people count on to protect the country, but they have been forced to do it and soldiers are just humans. But I can't say how I would have reacted if I was the one who met them going the wrong way - I might have been angry too.
5.Why do you think Vianne is in absolute denial about the war? How would you react if it was you? Do you think your choice is a product of 50/50 because we can look back on that period and know what happened?
Because she's afraid she will lose everything she loves in her life - home, friends, family. She's afraid that her husband will return as a changed man - or not return at all. I can't say how I would react in the same situation. But war never feels real until it's all around you so it's so easy to deny that reality when the war is still far away.
6.Isabelle says that "Magic, to be its best, must be unexpected." Do you agree? Why or why not? Do you think she is warning her sister here?
Yes, I guess I agree. I don't see this as a warning though. But I think Isabelle will leave without telling anyone.
7.What do you think of the characters so far? Are they believable? Do you have a favorite? Dislike any?
I like the characters, because they all feel believable. I sort of dislike the father, but at the same time I feel sorry for him, that he changed so much in the war. My favorite character is probably Isabelle, because I like that sort of fighter character who wants to make a difference.
- Jan 12 - 448 pagesCurrent Total: 66,104
- Jan 6 - 352 pagesCurrent Total: 60,682
Duration: 1.1.2016 - no limitLevel: Deputy Managing Editor (100-109 books) | Progress: 21/101
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✓ "He came to..." The Road; by Cormac McCarthy [9.12.2021] ♥♥♥♥
✓ "How is it possible that I've never heard of..." The Path of Daggers (Wheel of Time #8); by Robert Jordan [7.17.2019] ♥♥♥
❑ "I can't believe it was..." The Polar Express; by Chris Van Allsburg
"I can't wait until..."
"I confess, I..."
"I feel better after drinking..."
"I hate it when certain people..."
"I have a horrible..."
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"I like my men..."
✓ "I love taking 'selfies' with..." My Best Friend's Girl; by Dorothy Koomson [10.4.2017] ♥♥♥♥
"I love to dance and sing with..."
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"I want to eat my lunch with..."
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"I wonder why..."
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"I'd tell you with my dying breath that..."
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✓ "If only I had..." The Lost Symbol (Robert Langdon #3); by Dan Brown [4.7.2020] ♥♥♥♥
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✓ "If you can't beat them, ..." Eat, Pray, Love; by Elizabeth Gilbert [1.21.2017] ♥♥♥
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✓ "Last night I was walking in the park and saw..." The Historian; by Elizabeth Kostova [2.10.2016] ♥♥
"Look out behind you, it's a..."
"My father always said, ..."
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❑ "My personal motto is..." All's Well That Ends Well; by William Shakespeare
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❑ "Run, if you see..." The Gathering Storm (Wheel of Time #12); by Robert Jordan
"She had a heart like..."
"Sometimes I have to..."
"That is a match made in..."
"That reminds me; I need to..."
✓ "That was definitely NOT your average..." Fangirl; by Rainbow Rowell [9.7.2016] ♥♥♥
"The best dream I ever had was about..."
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"The night is still young and..."
"The shocking truth is..."
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✓ "Then I met..." The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas; by John Boyne [7.26.2019] ♥♥♥
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✓ "Tomorrow, let's go to..." The Little Shop of Happy Ever After (Scottish Bookshop #1); by Jenny Colgan [07.28.2022] ♥♥♥♥
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"What do you mean she said..."
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"When the weather is hot I like to..."
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Level 1 of the Serious Readers Challenge for 2016Progress: 50/100
January
1. Across the Wall (Abhorsen #3.5); by Garth Nix [1/6] ♥♥♥
2. Extras (Uglies #4); by Scott Westerfeld [1/12] ♥♥♥
3. Beastly; by Alex Flinn [1/14] ♥♥♥♥
4. Memoirs of a Geisha; by Arthur Golden [1/16] ♥♥♥
5. Clariel (Abhorsen #4); by Garth Nix [1/18] ♥♥♥
6. The Nightingale; by Kristin Hannah [1/19] ♥♥♥♥
7. The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike #1); by Robert Galbraith [1/21] ♥♥♥
8. Un Lun Dun; by China Miéville [1/22] ♥♥
9. The Perks of Being a Wallflower; by Stephen Chbosky [1/24] ♥♥♥♥
10. En tillfällig lösning; by Denise Rudberg & Hugo Rehnberg [1/25] ♥♥♥♥
11. Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4); by Richelle Mead [1/27] ♥♥♥♥
12. Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5); by Richelle Mead [1/28] ♥♥♥♥
13. Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy #6); by Richelle Mead [1/29] ♥♥♥♥
14. The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time #1); by Robert Jordan [1/31] ♥♥♥♥
February
15. Anna and the French Kiss; by Stephanie Perkins [2/7] ♥♥♥♥
16. The Historian; by Elizabeth Kostova [2/10] ♥♥
17. The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #3); by Rick Riordan [2/11] ♥♥♥
18. Death Note #4; by Tsugumi Ohba [2/12] ♥♥♥♥
19. All the Bright Places; by Jennifer Niven [2/19] ♥♥♥
20. Lost in a Good Book (Thursday Next #2); by Jasper Fforde [2/23] ♥♥♥
21. Birthright; by Nora Roberts [2/26] ♥♥♥♥
22. The Snow Child; by Eowyn Ivey [2/28] ♥♥♥
March
23. The Great Hunt (Wheel of Time #2); by Robert Jordan [3/3] ♥♥♥♥
24. Life of Pi; by Yann Martel [3/13] ♥♥♥
25. Hausfrau; by Jill Alexander Essbaum [3/17] ♥♥♥♥
26. The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #4); by Rick Riordan [3/18] ♥♥♥♥
27. The Brightest Star in the Sky; by Marian Keyes [3/23] ♥♥♥
28. A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire #4); George R.R. Martin [3/29] ♥♥♥
April
29. The Dragon Reborn (Wheel of Time #3); by Robert Jordan [4/3] ♥♥♥♥
30. A Farewell to Arms; by Ernest Hemingway [4/12] ♥♥
31. Flawless (Pretty Little Liars #2); by Sara Shepard [4/24] ♥♥♥
May
32. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes #3); by Conan Arthur Doyle [5/8] ♥♥♥
33. Inkheart (Inkworld #1); by Cornelia Funke [5/22] ♥♥♥♥
34. The Shadow Rising (Wheel of Time #4); by Robert Jordan [5/31] ♥♥♥♥
June
35. Quentins; by Maeve Binchy [6/1] ♥♥♥
36. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear; by Elizabeth Gilbert [6/2] ♥♥
37. Lady Chatterley's Lover; by D.H. Lawrence [6/19] ♥♥
July
38. Inkspell (Inkworld #2); by Cornelia Funke [7/1] ♥♥♥
39. Inkdeath (Inkworld #3); by Cornelia Funke [7/7] ♥♥♥
40. Jacaranda Vines; by Tamara McKinley [7/15] ♥♥♥♥
41. Matilda's Last Waltz; by Tamara McKinley [7/27] ♥♥♥
August
September
42. Fangirl; by Rainbow Rowell [9/7] ♥♥♥
43. Stora boken om vikingarnas gudar och myter; by Lars Magnar Enoksen [9/11] ♥♥♥♥
44. The Fires of Heaven (Wheel of Time #5); by Robert Jordan [9/25] ♥♥♥♥
October
45. The Fault in Our Stars; by John Green [10/4] ♥♥♥♥♥
46. The Kite Runner; by Khaled Hosseini [10/25] ♥♥
November
47. The Secret Garden; by Frances Hodgson Burnett [11/16] ♥♥♥
December
48. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter #5); by J.K. Rowling [12/24] ♥♥♥♥♥
49. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (Harry Potter #6); by J.K. Rowling [12/28] ♥♥♥♥♥
50. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter #7); by J.K. Rowling [12/31] ♥♥♥♥♥
12.29.2015 || 371 pagesCurrent Total: 2,347,521
Dec 22, 2015 11:27PM
I'd like to join the reading. I meant to read this book months ago but it didn't happen.
12.14.2015 || 335 pagesCurrent Total: 2,280,109
Finish That Sentence
Duration: 1.1.2016 - no limit
Level: Deputy Managing Editor (100-109 books) | Progress: 8/101
"A woman's place is..."
"Can you look me straight in the eye and tell me that..."
"Did you ever..."
"Did you know that..."
"Does this dress make me look..."
"Don't drink the water here, it's filled with..."
✓ "Every day we attack them with..." The Fires of Heaven (Wheel of Time #5); by Robert Jordan [9.25.2016] ♥♥♥♥
❑ "Everyone loves a..." Bodyguard; by Robert Tine
"Everything is..."
"For breakfast I had..."
"Happiness is..."
"He came to..."
❑ "How is it possible that I've never heard of..." The Path of Daggers (Wheel of Time #8); by Robert Jordan
❑ "I can't believe it was..." The Polar Express; by Chris Van Allsburg
"I can't wait until..."
"I confess, I..."
"I feel better after drinking..."
"I hate it when certain people..."
"I have a horrible..."
"I learned the hard way that..."
✓ "I left him/her..." Lost in a Good Book (Thursday Next #2); by Jasper Fforde [2.23.2016] ♥♥♥
"I like my men..."
"I love taking 'selfies' with..."
"I love to dance and sing with..."
"I often wonder why I bother to..."
❑ "I used the money for..." A Crown of Swords (Wheel of Time #7); by Robert Jordan
"I want to eat my lunch with..."
"I went to my prom with..."
"I wonder why..."
"I would do anything for you, except..."
"I wouldn't be caught dead..."
"I wrestled a..."
"I'd like to teach the world to sing, but..."
"I'd like to travel to..."
❑ "I'd rather be..." Lord of Chaos (Wheel of Time #6); by Robert Jordan
"I'd tell you with my dying breath that..."
"I'm in love with my..."
"I'm really looking forward to..."
"I'm training to be a..."
"If I could live anywhere, it would be..."
"If I had one superpower that would be..."
"If I'd known you were coming, I'd have..."
"If only I had a dollar for every time I thought of..."
"If only I had..."
"If you are ever chased by zombies, try..."
"If you can't beat them, ..."
"If you had written a book, you would call it..."
"In a land far, far way..."
✓ "In the garden I found..." The Dragon Reborn (Wheel of Time #3); by Robert Jordan [4.3.2016] ♥♥♥♥
"Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it's..."
"It's time for..."
"It took..."
"It was a dark and stormy night, just perfect for..."
"It's rabbit season! It's Duck season! No, it's..."
"Last night I dreamed I was..."
✓ "Last night I dreamt of..." The Shadow Rising (Wheel of Time #4); by Robert Jordan [5.31.2016] ♥♥♥♥
✓ "Last night I was walking in the park and saw..." The Historian; by Elizabeth Kostova [2.10.2016] ♥♥
"Look out behind you, it's a..."
"My father always said, ..."
"My favorite time of the year is..."
"My most embarrassing moment was when..."
"My mother always told me to..."
"My neighbor wants me to help her..."
❑ "My personal motto is..." All's Well That Ends Well; by William Shakespeare
"My prom night was..."
"My secret talent is..."
"Once upon a time there was a..."
"Our paths will cross again when..."
"People always tell me..."
"People call me the..."
"Poor vampire, he's..."
"Right now is the perfect time to..."
❑ "Run, if you see..." The Gathering Storm (Wheel of Time #12); by Robert Jordan
"She had a heart like..."
"Sometimes I have to..."
"That is a match made in..."
"That reminds me; I need to..."
✓ "That was definitely NOT your average..." Fangirl; by Rainbow Rowell [9.7.2016] ♥♥♥
"The best dream I ever had was about..."
"The best things in life are..."
"The night is still young and..."
"The shocking truth is..."
"The specialty of the day is..."
"The world needs more..."
✓ "The worst nightmare I ever had was about..." The Great Hunt (Wheel of Time #2); by Robert Jordan [3.3.2016] ♥♥♥♥
"Then I met..."
"Today's special is..."
"Tomorrow, let's go to..."
✓ "Welcome to..." The Secret Garden; by Frances Hodgson Burnett [11.16.2016] ♥♥♥
"What do you mean she said..."
"When I was little I wanted to be..."
"When I woke up this morning, I thought..."
"When I'm alone, I like to..."
"When no one's looking I like to..."
"When the weather is cold I like to..."
"When the weather is hot I like to..."
"Whenever I think of that time of year, I think of..."
"Will you stay and be my..."
"Will you stay..."
"Wouldn't it be nice if..."
"You couldn't pay me to..."
Relay Race Reading Challenge - Our FIRST Million Pages for 2016
Duration: 1.1.2016 - 12.31.2016 | Completed: May 18
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