Hollie’s Comments (group member since Dec 17, 2018)

Hollie’s comments from the Safety in numbers, never go into a book alone. #Group Reads group.

Ok I am sure you will easily catch up Dana, where are you on holiday anywhere nice? X

Today is the day we set off for our biggest adventure yet of making our way through the Harry Potter series! I read books 1-5 a few years ago but have not read the ones after that. If there is anyone here who is new to Harry Potter and the wizardry world and would like to join in with this group read, I think that all us Harry Potter fans would strongly advise you to be prepared for a rollercoaster of many emotions such as laughter, crying, excitement, love, wonder, loss and so much more. Let’s go! X

It's so interesting how all of us who have read this book have found it very confusing. To be honest I don't really know the stages a book has to go through to be published. Does it not have to be liked by someone such as an editor in order to be published and get onto the shelves of book shops and libraries? My reason for asking this is, surely someone must have understood this ending and even liked it for it to have got this far no?

Hello everybody! This group read has been requested by Dana and the adventure will set off on 1st November!

NOVEMBER: (HISTORICAL FICTION)

Of course Dana, I shall create a discussion thread for that book right now, as always please feel free to invite anyone into the group who you think may enjoy it. If anyone else has a book that they would like to read as a group rather than on their own please let me know and I will add it to the book schedule and create a discussion thread for it. There is no limit to the amount of books per month.

I will say this book did have me very spooked at times!! X

Please let us know what you think Shawnda, any luck you will understand it and be able to explain it to me and Kendra! No pressure Lol x

Just finished...and I now see exactly what you mean Kendra, what on earth was this ending about?? I feel this book had so much potential because I have to say 90% of it I really enjoyed and it had me guessing what was going to happen next on many occasions, and although I can't stand it when a book is too predictable and I enjoy guessing when reading a book, I do feel the need to know if my guesses were correct eventually. But that didn't happen here! I would love to have a conversation with F.R Tallis and have this ending explained to me! So frustrating. I think for a twist to have any impact of course it needs to be understood, and I just don't get this one, if anything I suppose it could pass as some sort of cliff hanger. One thing I can stay about this book is that it definitely got me thinking for a while after I finished the book, which I suppose all authors try to achieve this and don't want their book to not have any impact at all. But all the thinking I did I still could not work this ending out so rather than this staying in my head in a good way. It has just left a big confused blur. Unfortunately I don't feel like I can answer and of the questions in your previous post Kendra, as I am equally baffled! Overall good book in my opinion but massively let down by the complete mess of an ending, it seems to me like the author attempted a similar twist to the brilliant "Shutter Island" by Dennis Lehane. I can safely say that from where I am sitting, this was NOT achieved here.

NOVEMBER: (FANTASY)

That would be great if Dr Richardson had a good look round Maitland's office, I would have by now! Lol, I am so ready for some answers to all these mysteries! Up to page 245, (view spoiler)[ Osbourne has just dropped into conversation that a secret love affair has been known to take place between Jane and Maitland! REEEAALLLYYY???????? To be honest I don't know who is more shocked about this, me or Dr Richardson! Lol (hide spoiler)]

Hi everyone, just a quick question: Do we have any Harry Potter fans here? I’m really hoping so because last week I was lucky enough to visit “The Making Of Harry Potter Warner Brothers Studio” in London and ever since then I have wanted to re-experience the magic of the book series which I read years ago. This will obviously be spread over quite a few months here at “Safety in numbers” So I just would like to hear your thoughts on the idea of plunging into a saga together rather than just a book. Also if any of you know of any younger readers who would like to get involved in this specific adventure as we share our thoughts and feelings along the way. Please feel free. Or maybe you know of someone who has not yet discovered the Magic of reading and you can transform them into bookworms! I have heard about so many non-readers have grown to love reading and it all started with this series!

Have just reached page: 231 (view spoiler)[ I just CAN NOT believe Dr Richardson is still in the building of Wyldehope after what he has just been through! Doors frantically opening and closing by themselves! Creepy Victorian Christmas Tree decorations jingling on their own accord! Not to mention the power cut of which he is sure is related to the paranormal activity that has been going on! You would not have seen me for dust! I would say that Mary had the right idea by making a very fast exit if she hadn’t tragically lost her way and ended up floating amongst the reeds in the marshes. The part of the book I have just read has reminded me how true it is that a book can be far more scarier than a film if you let yourself get really into it. (hide spoiler)]

I have just had to force myself to put this book down for a minute to write this post because I just HAVE to talk about it with someone! I am now at page 154 (view spoiler)[ So! Dr Palmer has left the pub, mysterious wedding ring in hand, after meeting with Dr Richardson, and on the way back to Wyldehope Dr Richardson has just had the oddest dream where Dr Palmer’s late wife is distraught about the fact that Dr Richardson gave the ring to Dr Palmer. In this dream the book also says that the wife was also wearing a “gauzy nightdress”. I am still very unsure about where this story might be going but at this moment in time, for some reason the nightdress has planted the suspicion in my head that she could have once been a patient at Wyldehope. 💭 Then again I could be completely over thinking the nightdress and she could have been wearing it because she was very ill with Leukaemia when she died. (hide spoiler)] hmmm. Thoughts on this subject anyone? I am Really enjoying this book so far, and the whole spooky vibe of it. Is Dr Richardson being haunted from beyond the grave by spirits frantically trying to get a message to him? Or is poor Dr Richardson going slightly mad? To be honest, with it being the month of Halloween I hope it’s the first option lol.

I’m so pleased this is your cup of tea Shawnda! And as I said in my previous post, I am so pleased to have company on this particular adventure! Lol x

That one looks sooo good Dana, please let us know what it’s like and if it lives up to Kate Morton’s usual outstanding standards! X

Well here we are in the month of Halloween! So can anyone guess what the genre might be for this month?? Yes that's right, Horror of course! This spooky adventure is definitely one I would rather not go alone on, so if anyone would like to join in with this one, lets grab our books and torches, pull the duvets over our heads, and listen out for those bumps in the night. Spooooky!!!!! Here we go!!

Yes you used your spoiler tags perfectly Clarice! There is a thread in the discussion list on how to use them if you need reminding in the future. Those are two very good points you stated in your last post. But.... (view spoiler)[ was it not BECAUSE of Diribani's gift that the older brother would have been jealous of the prince and want her for himself, now that she is just a normal girl again maybe the nasty older brother would no longer be interested in her? Thoughts on this point anyone? (hide spoiler)]

Finally finished!!! Hmmm, I hate to say that out of all the characters in this book, the only ones I managed to slightly connect with were Tana and Diribani. Maybe it’s because of the many unusual names in this book made it hard for me to remember who is who, and the roles each character played. This can obviously make a plot really hard to follow. (view spoiler)[ I thought the fairytale “happily ever after” ending was nice, how the baddy falls to his death, and the two girls obviously get reunited with the two Prince Charmings of the story. I suppose I appreciated this because in my experience a lot of adult books don’t have happy endings. “The distant hours” for example that we read last month, was an amazing book, but did not have what I would call a happy ending. (hide spoiler)]Would I recommend “Toads and Diamonds” to a bookish friend? Probably not, unless they were especially interested in learning about culture.

OCTOBER: (HORROR)