Hailee's Buddy Read Tracker

[Zaara]

Just a quick upda to say i am reading Wonderwall and am ten chapters in and sorry 4 the tardy response. Mum's being admitted today and I canr even tell you when Ill be able to log in and xhat about the book bcuz we dont exactly know whats wrong yet. She was getting better and suddenly everything went downhill
I'll reply all messages later and Im sorry I scrooed up our buddy read. I will try to come here soon.

[Hailee]

Ooh no Zaara I'm so sorry to hear that. I'll be keeping everything crossed that she makes a speedy recovery.

Don't worry about the buddy read at all. Its not an important priority in comparison, just focus on looking after yourself and your mum.

I'll be thinking of you and I'm here if you need someone to vent to xx

[Hailee]

Hi Zaara,

I thought it might be better to put my comments for Wonderscape here instead. I can keep them all together here and they won't get lost if someone else wants to use the thread before you have time to look at messages.

Not much to say so far since I'm only 5 chapters in. Just having felt like reading much in the past week.

(view spoiler)[It definitely giving me strong Jumanji feels, especially the rebooted versions (don't know if you've watched those?)

Those mimics give me a bad feeling. that sideways look Newton gave his first officer just confirmed it for me. Also Newton seemed to think there was something unusual about the way they entered the game so that's something to think about. (hide spoiler)]

[Zaara]

Sorry, once again, for the late updates.

WONDERSCAPE LOG


Ch 1 (actually Line 1) whenever I think of garden gnomes I always picture Big Ears from those old Noddy books…I only ever read a couple but the illustrations were always supercute.
End of Ch 2: (view spoiler)[ I love how kids are so quick to accept new and random things and all round general weirdness. We shouldn’t never lose that, I don’t think. Also WHO is writing these scrolls?
DIRT is obviously game money, I’m more interested in the WOnderSkills…do you think we will get levelling up and collecting weapons etc shenanigans. Also I like that it’s a little pup familiar/companion, its more usually cats. Here's a West Highland terrier to keep you company since your abominable BR partner went awol...



I’m listening to Coraline and keep wishing there were a dog in it, altho a dog would be absolutely WRONG in that book. (hide spoiler)]

Ch 5 and 6: (view spoiler)[ Newton on a ship in the twenty fifth century is just WRONG. Also, how is nobody freaking out more about this? How is HE not freaking out…oh I suppose he’s had time to acclimatize and get used to the bots and prolly would be fascinated by them…
His labelling system :) for the Wardrobes tho... hehe (hide spoiler)]

CH 7: I like that the Wondernews dissemination channels are different in each realm. I had a bit of a chuckle thinking how pigeons were once used to send share prices across the Atlantic (do you know that’s how Reuters got started…the news agency used to use pigeons), then there was ticker tape…

Ch 8: I wonder if we will get to meet these three founders…huh, this Valeria dame seem pretty egotistical...Hay....

[Zaara]

Ch 10: (view spoiler)[ Ouch imagine being stuck with a *cringe* team name like that when you just turned 13… ok you reckon Arthur reads older than his age, he is so cautious and skeptical. At that age (and esp if I’d just been pulled out of a car wreck, I’d believe anything an adult told me. Also, I’d never heard of Tomoe Gozen, I didn’t even know there were female samurai…what a badass! But then I know very little about ancient Japan apart from couple books about Murasaki (NB - not Murakami, never yet gotten on to that hype train but someday may check out what the craze is all about). (hide spoiler)]

Ch 11: (view spoiler)[ I dunno it seems a bit improbable that the “Guardians” of the realm aren’t freaking out a bit more either, I’d be annoyed if I were Newton or this Tomoe babe and I had to basically be a sideshow attraction, wtf. Mebbe someone will realise the Wonderscape is basically EVIL like Jumanji?

I like this quote: “Trying to sort all the clues together felt like doing another build a labyrinth puzzle, only without all the pieces.” Huh, seems like a metaphor for life, basically!!!
I dunno, I;m not yet feeling any real sense of urgency or danger yet, what about you??? Despite all this about being turned into goop.

CLOUD IS A BOT PUPPY …I love this!!!

End of Chapter 11, this is a weird book for a kiddy book since some parts strangely poke you to be philosophical or mebbe I’m just being a Karen who just couldn’t accept the ride and empty my brain. What did you think of the ending of this chapter? What I mean to ask is, how likely does this seem to you? That humanity can colonise GALAXIES outside the Milky Way when we couldn’t even figure what’s at t0he bottom of the Mariana Trench or how to distribute income equally between all slices of society or even to stop killing each other long enough…end genocide, for example. It’s something that obviously doesn’t make sense. Yet…we do it…how far have we really progressed? I am so cynical right now. And that is not what a middlegrade is supposed to do…. :P
(hide spoiler)]

Ch 12/13: (view spoiler)[ So the “heroes” are bots too? And they’re pissed off? I expected it. But why the Edf are they doing nothing? This again seems improbable to me…if these “downloaded” borg brains are some of the smartest, most rebellious, most creative, most outside the box ppl in human history, why tamely accept, why have they done nothing to bring down this puny, greedy corporation for FOUR HUNDRED YEARS or how many iterations of the game has it been? I don’t think the personal threat is enough, they’ll should’ve found some cunning ways…
Valeria seems unhinged… I kinda picture her as a mashup of Rita Skeeter (glitterY spectacles)/Umbridge (fake cutesyness)/but more looking and talking like the Fairy Godmother from the Shrek movies…
(hide spoiler)]

[Zaara]

Ch 14 - 17:

(view spoiler)[ Ok the book was getting predictable for a bit and I was kinda also getting strong Harry Potter book 1 vibes (in an antithesis way, in that I never expected some of the ways in which HP would play out the first time I read those books but WOnderscape seems a bit repetitive and moving in a straight line: solve a realm, get a key, one of them gets a skill etc, and keep repeating the threat of doom etc) + no levelling up or evolving except for the passive skill attainment + was feeling that the realms themselves were a bit disjoint like ugly postcards all crooked and anyhow on one of those old box fridges…

But then this book goes and does totally zany shit, like Chinese zodiac swimming race passwords and hot air balloons dropping from the sky….

Poor Milo!!! I was actually finding it refreshing that this middlegrade wasn’t about BFFs or lost siblings or parents (cuz that’s what your world concerns are at that age, no?) but about three ppl just getting to know each other but apparently there IS gonna be some sibling stuff too.

Also these kids need a bit of a kip but with only 40 hours left theyre not gonna get any, are they? *sniffles* at Artie and his Dad playing rock, paper, scissors (*Lizard, Spock???* :D) for the last pancake. When I was in school, we’d play a variation too named Tiger/Soldier/ Commander.

I love that scene so much I actually went n made banana – choco chip pancakes that day.

Here are some pancakes for you.
I’m so sorry for the late posts!



Ok with the Shadow Patches this book is officially back to awesome. OF course the Wonderscape must have a black market!!! Why didn’t I think of that????
(hide spoiler)]

Ch 20: Nothing much, just… Wangari Maathai.......

[Zaara]

Ch 22 - 23: (view spoiler)[ Hey! Hey Hailee….doesn;t this realm remind you a bit of ChristmasLand from Nos4A2??? All them dead bots, empty stalls, fairground rides and carnival vibe? Ok that abandoned bookstall selling science fiction novels? I’d seriously grab one. Science fiction written four hundred years AFTER this time? Wouldn’t you wanna? But I guess since theyre just props it’ll prolly be a blank block and fake covers….hmmm, fave chapter so far, love the train!!! And Millo seems oddly UB bitter and NOT fuming, seems like he’s made his peace with the betrayal…the lightbulb puzzle, this realm and the Menlo Express were my favourites so far. Best chapters!!!
(hide spoiler)]


Ch 24: (view spoiler)[ Ha, it TOTALLY makes sense that Viktor Frankenstein were Tiburon Nox’s personal hero, he was such a gloomy and whiny, irresponsible and self-obsessed ar$ehoooole…so many ppl died because of him and he was so steeped in self pity, and it’s also just like Tiburon/Viktor…what he did to Mary Shelley… he actually prolly thought he was paying tribute or being some sort of hero.

Have you read Frankenstein? For me, reading it was DIFFICULT when my sympathies were always totally with the Momster…and I kept wondering WHY this book was such a classic and cult hit? It’s probably just the MATURITY of Shelley’s ideas, the commentary on the human condition and to have had such thoughts at 17 and to have written such a book in one flaming weekend. What was I at 17, Hay? I was a complete prat…I was such a nerd…such a doof… (hide spoiler)]

CH 25: (view spoiler)[ I ADORE THE PINEAPPLE GHOSTS! In fact I want them to haunt any maze I create. Btw that maze and facing your “worst fear” again gave me strong HP vibes…
(hide spoiler)]
Ok I’m done…

ENDBOOK FEELS NONPLOT BUT STILL SPOILERING

(view spoiler)[

Book kinda slumped for a few chapters in the middle but the second half was way better than the first. It made Gavin’s top 50 list. I can see why it was placed where it was and what he said about it totally makes sense. It’s a weirdly patchy and very charming book, and I mean patchy in terms of its predictability and its weird child-grandmotherliness. First half 3 stars, second half 4 stars. Pineapple ghosts and the Menlo Express 5000 stars!!!

Also liked the very cute lil illustration of Cloud as Dragon on the back cover (top right)…very tattooable, don’t you think? (hide spoiler)]

[Zaara]

Hailee wrote: "Hope you're enjoying the memoir. Its another genre I don't read. I really should read more non-fiction though. This year I have bought 3 or 4 non fiction books that I want to get to so that's a sta..."

I replied about bookboxes on another thread. Hope yor boss battle went well!!! Did you dnf Wonderscape?

[Hailee]

No I didn't DNF Wonderscape I'm just a very bad buddy read partner who is still on chapter 8 🙈🙈. I have set myself a schedule to read all my currently reading books before the end of the year and so I'm hoping to have finished Wonderscape on Christmas Eve. My previous Boss Battle went well, this one is gpoing less well 😅

[Hailee]

Zaara you'll have to forgive me but I am putting Wonderscape back on my shelves temporarily. I think I just binged too many middlegrades too close together in November. This is the kind of book I should be able to read in a day or two and the fact that one month later I'm still only 80ish pages in just shows how much difficulty I'm having. Not helped by the fact that all I want to read is rom coms and P&P variations. I expect to restart this in the first quarter of 2022 so I promise to return to your comments when I do. Sorry 😬 xx

EDIT: Oh and Merry Christmas 😅 xx

[Zaara]

I absolutely love this cover and made it my current desktop background and I think you'll like it too so I wanted you to have it. This'll be the edition I'll be getting.

(view spoiler)[
(hide spoiler)]

[Zaara]

Hay...which Gardens thread was it you're using agn? There's so many...I know you linked it once but there's so many threads we chatted on I'm lz to trawl thru all the old posts so I took the lazy shortcut of asking.

I've already been on here a while so I'll just update my GotM posts the next time I log in, ok? I'm reading but I only reached Ch 4 :/
o boy!

[Hailee]

Hey, I'm posting on the GotM January 25th one. Only made on comment so far since I've only just finshed chapter 1 😬 so you're doing better than me. More on that when I PM you.

I've seen your PM and I've got a confession of my own so don't worry about it. I'll be replying to it in a few hours when I have time at work xx

[Zaara]

Noted, tks. Trope-ical announcement is up. Just watched...

[Hailee]

Yes I actually read the blog post instead of watching the video. I don't own any of the group books so I'll just focus on the common challenges this time and fit them around the books I have to read in March anyway.

[Zaara]

Trust me to pop up like a medieval demon thru a trapdoor on Friday the 13th.

It all came crashing down and I've been ill. Not terminally since I'm still here. Been thinking about you and knowing you'd possibly be (justifiably) annoued or at the least irritated amd knowing I was being an appalling squit...im sorry Hay...

Now i will write more on PM. I'll never forget RW&RB cuz I literally keeled over and splatted spectacularly midway...that was the start...dont worry its not as bad as Im making it sound. I am just being evil and dramatic n hoping you will forgive me...scold me if you want...you have every right...

I read the books, i swear. I never could understand margret's problem of reading the books but never logging in to chat until now....because i always loved chatting about the read....

(view spoiler)[
Except Siskou would have three eyes and kinda more stabby fingers and toes...and have a more convincing contrite expression...

(hide spoiler)]

[Hailee]

Zaara wrote: "Trust me to pop up like a medieval demon thru a trapdoor on Friday the 13th.

It all came crashing down and I've been ill. Not terminally since I'm still here. Been thinking about you and knowing y..."

Hey yes I've just replied to your PM!! Nothing to forgive just glad that you're on the mend now!!

On the subject of not logging in to chat I've just realised I haven't updated the thread for the last half a dozen chapters of The Bone Ships!! (I finished it on holiday so just wrote them in my notebooks) I'll do that now!

[Zaara]

Aaaah well type your notes if you want to but mind, I havent posted anything for the last few chapters of Sarum, tho I finished it I already started losing detail (xept Obadiah is such a thunderkunt and that Barnikel descendent who forgot the origins of his family name was such a dobbin and that priest who shut himself into a walled room was in there mentally long before he physically closed the door on life...so feel free to skip if you wouldnt rather spend time on it.
Just sent you a MONSTER TRUCK WITH ALL THE reading plans and updates...but I did the bold thing so dont be scared of the size of it. its mostly monthly lists and nothing else.

EDIT: Fun game, check how many times I say "absolutely" in the first graf of that email, wontcha? :D somebody stumped for vocab much?

[Hailee]

Moving this to make room for 2024 buddy reads in comment 1:

2021/2022 Buddy Read Tracker

October 2021
1st - Carry On ✔️ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
15th - Wayward Son ✔️ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
24th - Any Way the Wind Blows ✔️ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


November 2021


December 2021



January 2022
4th - Sarum: The Novel of England ✔️ ⭐⭐⭐⭐



February 2022
1st - Prince of Thorns ✔️ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
14th -The Bone Ships (currently reading)


March 2022



April 2022
1st- Gardens of the Moon


May 2022


June 2022
15th- Deadhouse Gates