Caine, Rachel; Ash and Quill (The Great Library #3) - Buddy Read; Start date July 16, 2017 **REVISIT STARTS JULY 11, 2018

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

iscussion Questions Day 5
Chapters 10-12

26. Morgan seems to be recovering well, but her power is now peppered with something dark. Do you think it will lessen, as she says it will, or do you think it will only get worse? Do you think those new, darker currents are what allow her to kill things with such ease now?
I think it will lessen over time provided she doesn't overuse herself again. Which of course will happen! :o

27. Do you think it was smart of Thomas and Wolfe to build a fully functioning press for Callum? What about the ray guns (for lack of a better term, haha) that Thomas has built? If they are captured and Callum gets his hands on them, that can't be anything but bad.
I guess you have to start making these things sometime and keep trying to get more people to see the possibilities. It is hard for the Archivist to stop them if lots of other people also know about a press

28. It turns out that Callum is planning to sell Jess' friends off to Red Ibrahaim and the Archivist. I thought he would be trying to get money out of them somehow, but I didn't think he would work with the Archivist. Were you surprised by Callum's plans for our group of rebels?
Not entirely surprised, but he is a bit of a ba%^&(d

29. Jess and Brendan switch places and, for better or worse, Jess lets his friends get captured. What do you think he's planning to do now that he is impersonating Brendan? Do you think it will work?
I guess he is trying to stay close to Morgan and also to work out what is actually going on. It will make for an interesting storyline in the next book

30. Well, we definitely ended on a cliffhanger! What do you think is in store for the next installment of The Great Library series? Do you think that our group will survive until the end?
I got really frustrated with Jess and the repetitiveness of this book so I'm hoping for a stronger book 4. If the whole group survives through to the end of book 5 I think it is a bit unrealistic. I can only assume Morgan, and probably Brendan, will end up in the ground before the end

[Amy]

Discussion Questions Day 5
Chapters 10-12

26. Morgan seems to be recovering well, but her power is now peppered with something dark. Do you think it will lessen, as she says it will, or do you think it will only get worse? Do you think those new, darker currents are what allow her to kill things with such ease now?
I think it will get worse for sure.

27. Do you think it was smart of Thomas and Wolfe to build a fully functioning press for Callum? What about the ray guns (for lack of a better term, haha) that Thomas has built? If they are captured and Callum gets his hands on them, that can't be anything but bad.
It's definitely dangerous that they built these things, especially the ray guy thing I feel like knowing Callum is not a trustworthy guy.

28. It turns out that Callum is planning to sell Jess' friends off to Red Ibrahaim and the Archivist. I thought he would be trying to get money out of them somehow, but I didn't think he would work with the Archivist. Were you surprised by Callum's plans for our group of rebels?
I never trusted him but was a little surprised by that. I was hoping to be surprised in another way that Callum would turn out to be a not-so-bad guy or something.

29. Jess and Brendan switch places and, for better or worse, Jess lets his friends get captured. What do you think he's planning to do now that he is impersonating Brendan? Do you think it will work?
He has to have more to the plan that we just don't know yet because I can't imagine he would let all that happen without planning how to keep everyone safe. I'm not sure what the plan is, though. They seem to get out of everything, so I think it will either work eventually or the author will surprise us in future installments and something won't actually work flawlessly for them.

30. Well, we definitely ended on a cliffhanger! What do you think is in store for the next installment of The Great Library series? Do you think that our group will survive until the end?
I think Morgan will find Eskander and do what she can inside the Iron Tower. I'm not sure what will happen with the rest of the gang, but I'll definitely be picking up the next book when it's out!

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

*********THIS BUDDY READ IS BEING REVISITED!***********

starts July 11, 2018

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

      ~ Buddy Style Reads ~
    Three Ways to Enjoy a Book!

At NRBC we use three styles of buddy reads. These will be indicated in the thread title as “Buddy Read”, “Relaxed Buddy Read” or “Informal Buddy Read”.

A “Buddy Read” has a discussion leader and a reading date is set to start the book. A reading schedule is posted prior to the start date and discussion questions are posted each day regarding that section of the book. More information about these types of reads is below. An example is here, showing a reading schedule here.

A “Relaxed Buddy Read” is similar to our usual “buddy reads” except there are less questions and break points. For example, a book may be split into three sections and those reading the book should pause at the end of the section to answer some discussion questions, make comments, or ask their own questions to other readers. An example is here.

An “Informal Buddy Read” doesn’t have a discussion leader and participants are asked to consider some generic questions when making comments about the book. An example is here.

A “Read and Watch Buddy Read” may be set up as any of the above, but we will also watch the movie or T.V. series - or even go to a play! - and make comparisons, discussing what has been left out or changed as well as the actors and actresses. There is a long debate of what one should do first: read the books or watch the movie? We usually read first, but it isn’t essential. Also, if you would like to join in, but don’t want to watch the movie, show, or play, but only read the books, that is fine, too. An example is here.


MORE UNDER SPOILER
(view spoiler)[

“Buddy Reads” (“BRs”) include:

• A reading schedule which can range from 50, 75, to 100 or so pages a day.

• Discussion questions posted daily by moderators and occasionally group members
   who help one of us out. If you want to be a Discussion Leader, let us know.

• If the book is really long, we'll plan a break day.

• Members do NOT have to answer every question, they are meant to stimulate
   conversations about the books AND allow us to glance back upon them when the
   sequels come out. This helps us to remember what exactly happened in the previous
   book.

• We find the buddy style of reading to be more fun than just posting one or two
   sentences about a book. We feel this is what distinguishes us as being a ‘book club’
   rather than just another GoodReads ‘group.’

• If you can NOT start the book on time, feel free to join in at a later date. They are
   set up to make it easy to do so.

• Moderators are people too, so occasionally we get sick, have to work late at our real
   jobs, or have something that keeps us from writing the questions. Please forgive us;
   we're only human and we don't get any compensation for what we do--not even
   free books!

• Discussions and questions are set up to make you think, analyze, and see things you,
   or even we, may have missed. Feel free to add your own thoughts at any time, if you
   think we've missed something.

• If you've read the book, feel free to let us know what you thought about the book.
   You can do so at the end of the buddy read, or, if you can't wait, add spoiler tags
   before you comment like:

   **************BEWARE! SPOILER FOR THE END OF THE BOOK**************

   Or insert a (view spoiler)[spoiler (hide spoiler)]. If you do NOT know how to do so, just check out our
   GoodReads 101 explanation on how to Insert a Spoiler.

• If you are looking for a reading buddy, post an inquiry in our Buddy read requests thread. Use that thread, if you want to have a repeat read of a BOM
    or buddy read, too.

• Have fun! We always do when more than one person joins in. And we look less silly
   if someone else discusses a book with us. (hide spoiler)]

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

RES

[Deanna]

Checking in and ready to start on Wednesday.

[[deleted user]]

Checking in for Team Tonks.

[Ora]

(view spoiler)[The Library reminds me of the Catholic Church at its height of power along with some aspects of the Inquisition with how they handle people with “dangerous” ideas. I believe that most of librarians really believe in the idea of the Library and the ones in charge are corrupting it to the point it will collapse. With the Archivist losing control, it’s scary what he will do to get control/power back.

It breaks my heart the Morgan is pushing herself so hard. Regardless of where she goes, someone will always want to use her. I am glad she helped Santi with healing. I guess it shouldn’t be surprising that Beck would want to eliminate Santi and Wolfe.

The printing press isn’t a new idea, however every person who comes up with that idea thinks it’s a new concept because it’s considered a dangerous idea and buried it. Even though I really don’t like Beck, I did love how reverently he held the paper from the press.
Thomas made Beck think he is half crazy, even though I don’t think it’s an act with how he reacted at he end of the book trying to save his friends.

I really hate Jess’s father!!!!! I hope karma bites him hard!! I hope Brendan is able to pull off fooling his father. I hope the strategy that has been played will work out in the end. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book. (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

Quick comment after reading the beginning Ephemera: (view spoiler)[Sounds like Eskander is Wolfe’s father! Will be interesting to see how he comes into the story which I’m assuming he will. (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

Finished chapters 1-3.

Morgan - (view spoiler)[I hate that her using her abilities hurts her as well and might possibly make her go mad. I’m glad we got that explanation in the Ephemera about why they started keeping Obscurists locked in the Iron Tower. Since the next book is called Smoke and Iron I’m wondering if iron’s ability to mute Obscurist power will come into play later. (hide spoiler)]

[Deanna]

Chapters 1 - 3

Philadelphia - (view spoiler)[It's hard to imagine a city surviving a siege that long even with smuggling tunnels. I feel sorry for those caught in the battle just because it happens to be their home. (hide spoiler)]

Thomas and Jess - (view spoiler)[That was some great teamwork convincing Beck to keep them alive. I worry that their mirror project may be a bit risky, but they do need some kind of a weapon to survive. (hide spoiler)]

Dario - (view spoiler)[I was surprised at how quickly he made friends and came up with info to help Jess. While I dislike a plan being created that might be kept from the others, I think his reasoning of the three most likely to come up with a way to surprise the Archivist is sound. (hide spoiler)]

Santi - (view spoiler)[On one hand, I am glad his injury means he won't be available to talk to Indira. On the other, I hope he survives with his arm intact. (hide spoiler)]

[Deanna]

Talia wrote: "Finished chapters 1-3.

Morgan - [spoilers removed]"

I agree, but I wonder (view spoiler)[if they bother to tell the obscurists the danger. Does Morgan know the risks of what she is doing? I'm not sure. Although given the rest of the problems of the tower, I think I'd prefer freedom with the risk of madness as well. (hide spoiler)]

[Deanna]

Finished chapters 4 - 6

Morgan - (view spoiler)[She is burning herself out. I think she's going to need a doctor who specializes in obscurists soon. (hide spoiler)]

Wolfe - (view spoiler)[I'm wondering what he has up his sleeve, but also I wonder if they would have more success if everyone wasn't keeping secrets. (hide spoiler)]

Dario's idea - (view spoiler)[I can follow his logic, but I wonder how much it will end up costing them. (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

Read through chapter 8. (view spoiler)[I can’t believe they destroyed Philadelphia! Wow, the Archivist Magister is totally out of control. I am so glad that there are countries that are seeing the corruption now and are refusing to help with these vendettas. And I love that Thomas has programmed a pack of lions to protect the group. I was hoping that would happen! (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

Deanna wrote: "Finished chapters 4 - 6

Morgan - [spoilers removed]

Wolfe - [spoilers removed]

Dario's idea - [spoilers removed]"

I’m totally worried about Morgan.

[Deanna]

Chapters 7 - 9

Beck - (view spoiler)[I know he's a burner, but to look at that press and want to print the slogan to stuff in the mouths of garda... he missed the entire point and saw only a way to increase his power. (hide spoiler)]

Philadelphia - (view spoiler)[That kind of butchery was inexcusable. I'm glad the soldiers present are starting to question orders and that several countries are beginning to withdraw from the library. Cheers to garda commander with enough sense to refuse orders for the safety of his men when asked the impossible. (hide spoiler)]

Brendan - (view spoiler)[I'm still trying to figure out his angle. He's not really on his da's side or entirely on Jess's side. It will be interesting to see where he comes down in the end. (hide spoiler)]

Jess - (view spoiler)[I'm a little worried about what crazy plan he is concocting. I wonder how much being the villain will cost him in the end. (hide spoiler)]

[Deanna]

Talia wrote: "Read through chapter 8. [spoilers removed]"

I agree (view spoiler)[I was so happy to see them get more lions on their side. I was disappointed that the first one was only around for a couple of chapters. (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

Deanna wrote: "Chapters 7 - 9

Beck - [spoilers removed]

Philadelphia - [spoilers removed]

Brendan - [spoilers removed]

Jess - [spoilers removed]"


Yes, my thoughts exactly regarding Philadelphia!

[[deleted user]]

I finished the book and gave it 4 stars. This was a very action-packed entry. My only complaint is that there are two more books left in the series! Why is this going to go on for so long? I wish book 4 was the last one because this seems to be dragging on forever. I just want to know how the bad guy is defeated in the end!

[Deanna]

Talia wrote: "I finished the book and gave it 4 stars. This was a very action-packed entry. My only complaint is that there are two more books left in the series! Why is this going to go on for so long? I wish b..."

Finished! I agree. It seems to me it could be finished in one more book.

Wolfe - (view spoiler)[I'm hoping Wolfe will be put with Khalila's family, and they can all be rescued together. (hide spoiler)]

Morgan - (view spoiler)[She's got so much nerve. I'm most confident about her being able to pull off her part of the scheme. (hide spoiler)]

Jess - (view spoiler)[If this doesn't work, it will destroy Jess' character. (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

I'm going to start on Smoke and Iron tonight and see if anyone is still reading it in the buddy read thread.

[Deanna]

Talia wrote: "I'm going to start on Smoke and Iron tonight and see if anyone is still reading it in the buddy read thread."

Sadly my library doesn't have the next book yet, so I'll have to stop here for awhile. Enjoy!