2-3-4 Challenge Book Discussions #2 discussion
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Child's Play
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Jonetta
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Aug 22, 2021 07:24AM
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I thought it was a good story with two good mysteries. I like seeing Penn working with his former team to figure out what when wrong in their case. I also liked his scenes with his brother.
Another winner in the series for me. One of the best Kim scenes was when she ran back to Ted and explained that she came to him for a rest. "I came because I knew that while I was here you'd never let anyone hurt me. "
A great read, no surprise here. I like Penn even more after this book. He is an overall good guy. Now I’m wondering if we’ll see Tink again? She was kind of a hoot.
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Robin, I liked having the two mysteries that weren’t connected for a change. It was nice to compartmentalize.
Sharon, I love her time with Tim and that was a great moment.
Teresa, I want more of Tink, too. She’s definitely got to make a reappearance
I agree with all your comments. The two unconnected mysteries are a change for this series.
I hope Tink comes back again too.
I actually struggled a bit with getting through this one. For me it wasn't as engaging as some of the previous books. But the last few have been so great I suppose this was bound to happen. Maybe it was because I was trying to link the two cases together when as you've all mentioned they were completely separate. I did like the addition of Tiffany aka Tink. I hope we see more of her as the series progresses. She would be a great addition to the team.
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Interesting. I was totally engaged. Maybe because of the super smart kids. I had a cousin who was off the scales. His parents were so proud and pushed him hard. He was in grad school when the rest of us were starting high school. I'll never forget how he taught me to play chess. I could think four or five moves ahead. Unfortunately, he never fit in and committed suicide. He wrote his parent a long letter explaining why. They didn't see his misery until it was too late.
Penn's case was a challenge.
Oh Sharon, that's so sad. I'm very sorry for your family to experience that. I think it's true that often gifted children struggle to fit in as do children at the other end of the spectrum. I guess humans feel comfortable with what is familiar to them. Hopefully we're all moving out of the comfort zone embracing and being compassionate to difference in whatever form it is.
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I had a cousin who was off the scales. His parents were so proud and pushed him hard. He was in grad school when the re..."
Your personal connection made all the difference here.
Sharon, that’s so, so sad. Unfortunately, it’s not an uncommon one. Did you see a lot of parallels in this story?
In some ways. My aunt and uncle thought that they were challenging him. We didn't have gifted classes like the do now. Also, my uncle was a child of the depression and WWII. He didn't want his children to ever be hungry or do without. I think that was part of the reason he encouraged Russ to accept the accelerated classes.
They didn't see that he was rarely with people his own age. The girls didn't want anything to do with him because he was so young. Here was a teenage boy with raging hormones who didn't even have a decent female friend at school. The boys felt threatened and ignored him most of the time.
Unlike this story, his siblings were never denied love and affection or made to compete. It was always obvious how much all my cousins were loved. It was one of my favorite places to hang out.
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That is such a sad story Sharon and a terrible loss. I think parents put too much pressure on their children to excel even the ones who are not gifted. Kids just was to be loved. Damien in the book definitely took the right approach both for himself and his daughter. I think his own parents played a role in just how balanced he is.
Did anyone else notice some of the snide comments between Bryant and Kim? It really reinforced the tension between siblings theme in the book, but also opens up questions about their relationship. Does Bryant resent Kim?
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Up until now, I did not get that vibe either. However, there was one comment in particular that felt off to me in a sibling rivalry kind of way...
"Bryant didn't like the way this man was able to make everything he said sound ridiculous. He worked all day with someone like that".
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Jonetta wrote: "Nope. Still not going there. There’s too much more to believe the opposite."I hope you are right because I love their relationship.
Lauren wrote: "Did anyone else notice some of the snide comments between Bryant and Kim? It really reinforced the tension between siblings theme in the book, but also opens up questions about their relationship...."
I never get a feeling of resentment; just the opposite. There are times they don't see eye to eye, but Bryant doesn't resent Kim at all.
Thanks Sharon. I'm glad its just me :)
I agree with Sharon here. There are numerous passages throughout the book where it explores Bryant and his decision not to want promotion and his fondness and friendship with Kim. That doesn't mean she drives him mad sometimes though as happens in many good and close relationships. But discussing our different interpretations throughout the series is what these threads are for. Thanks for raising your thoughts, Lauren .
Lisa - (Aussie Girl) wrote: "I actually struggled a bit with getting through this one. For me it wasn't as engaging as some of the previous books. But the last few have been so great I suppose this was bound to happen. Maybe i..."I agree with Lisa on this one.
Also, I'm having trouble with the alternating information and the parallel mysteries. It is really making it difficult for me to keep the clues separate. Jumping back and forth forces me to stop and review the clues and information from each mystery which slows down my reading and distracts me from the cases.
Lynn I see your point. For me, the parallel mysteries are one of the aspects I like most. It keeps me guessing and jotting down notes.
Sharon wrote: "Lynn I see your point. For me, the parallel mysteries are one of the aspects I like most. It keeps me guessing and jotting down notes."Making some notes would probably help me keep track of things better. I'll consider doing that if the next mystery follows the same format.
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FYI, I separate the characters related to each plot in the character list. For example, in this one, I separated the Brainbox characters from those related to Penn’s case.
Good idea Jonetta. I write down characters as they appear. Grouping the characters by plot can make things less confusing.
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Thanks for the ideas. Maybe this will help with the next read.
I have to keep notes too. Some of these stories have so many characters (or suspects) that I can't remember who they are, especially when the author is jumping between a couple of mysteries.
Lisa - (Aussie Girl) wrote: "But discussing our different interpretations throughout the series is what these threads are for. Thanks for raising your thoughts, Lauren ."Thanks Lisa.
I guess I was just reading too much into that throwaway comment :)
Sharon wrote: "Lynn I see your point. For me, the parallel mysteries are one of the aspects I like most. It keeps me guessing and jotting down notes."Me too!
I keep a notebook to track clues and make highlights in the book. I love my ereader!
Lauren wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Lynn I see your point. For me, the parallel mysteries are one of the aspects I like most. It keeps me guessing and jotting down notes."Me too!
I keep a notebook to track clues and ..."
That's one of the advantages of using an ereader vs a physical book. I suppose I could make notes in the margins, but when I finish a book, I usually sell it, so I really don't want to mark it up.
Lynn wrote: "That's one of the advantages of using an ereader vs a physical book. I suppose I could make notes in the margins, but when I finish a book, I usually sell it, so I really don't want to mark it up.."LOL. I'm old-fashioned. Paper and pencil for me.
Robin wrote: "Lynn wrote: "That's one of the advantages of using an ereader vs a physical book. I suppose I could make notes in the margins, but when I finish a book, I usually sell it, so I really don't want to..."Me too.
