R13: SS Team 6 - Watch Your Six

[Brittany]

Michelle, I agree with you on Elevation. Definitely one of my least favorite King novels of all time.

[Suzanne]

I did go ahead and send a message to Wolf, just in case :)

[Wolf (Alpha)]

sorry y'all, I'm post here in just a minute

[Suzanne]

Nothing at all to be sorry about - thanks for responding!

[Michelle]

Suzanne wrote: "Nice review Michelle!

I've found Stephen King to be a mixed bag for me - some of his books I've enjoyed, but many I haven't liked.

Do you want me to send Wolf a PM?"

If you could, that would be wonderful. Sorry I didnt answer sooner. I worked last night so I slept in.

[Michelle]

Suzanne wrote: "I did go ahead and send a message to Wolf, just in case :)"

Thanks..I'm not really awake right at the moment..lol

[Suzanne]

Haha I totally know how that is. And it doesn't help that I am NOT a morning person.

[Michelle]

Suzanne wrote: "Nice review Michelle!

I've found Stephen King to be a mixed bag for me - some of his books I've enjoyed, but many I haven't liked.

Do you want me to send Wolf a PM?"

I stopped reading him for many years because I found anything he wrote after the 90's was kinda crap. It was only in the past couple of years that I started getting back into reading his newer stuff. It is a mixed bag like you said.

[Michelle]

Brittany wrote: "Michelle, I agree with you on Elevation. Definitely one of my least favorite King novels of all time."

It was not the worst one for me but it's right up in the top 5. Cell is at the very top.

[Brittany]

Michelle wrote: "Brittany wrote: "Michelle, I agree with you on Elevation. Definitely one of my least favorite King novels of all time."

It was not the worst one for me but it's right up in the top 5. [book:Cell|1..."

Oh man I have been afraid to read Cell hahhaa

[Vicki]

I loved 11/22/63 so much, probably because there were so many allusions that many people would never recognize unless they lived at that time. I felt as though I was reliving history! And I lived in Pasadena at the time Kennedy was assassinated and Lee Harvey Oswald was murdered. So there were familiar places named in the book too. It’s one of my favorite books and probably my favorite of Stephen King’s.

[Michelle]

Vicki wrote: "I loved 11/22/63 so much, probably because there were so many allusions that many people would never recognize unless they lived at that time. I felt as though I was reliving history! And I lived i..."

I listened to 11/22/63 on audio last year and really enjoyed that one. My favorite is The Tommyknockers which I read back in the 90's. I grew up reading him and Dean Koontz.

[Michelle]

Funny Stephen King story I have to share..

Growing up I lived in a really rural area in upstate new york. I'm talking 11 people in my graduation class, dirt road, mountains, more cows than people rural. The road I lived on had a trailer 2 places down from my house. A couple lived there who were fiddle musicians and they owned a video tape store (yes it was in the trailer). When they would be traveling I used to go and mind the store. There was not much business so all I did was read most of the time till they closed. So I'm reading It one night while I was there and it was scaring the hell out of me. By the time I locked up the place it was about 9 pm. I left and of course there are no streetlights so I am basically walking in the dark. The only light was the one on my from porch about 3/4 of a mile away. I don't know what was in the woods behind the house but whatever it was started chasing me. My mind went totally blank and the next thing I know I'm standing on my front porch and my mom is at the door. I don't remember the run at all, but my mom said she heard me screaming as I was booking it down the road to the house at a speed she has never seen. She claims nothing was chasing me, but I swear something was. Years later when I think about it, it was probably one of the dogs that ran around the area and my imagination got the best of me, but 16 year old me swore it was that damn clown from the book.

[Suzanne]

haha that's a great story! That book is definitely scary!

[Vicki]

Michelle, that’s too funny! It was real to you! Lol

[Michelle]

Most of my scary moments as a teen stem from an over active imagination and Stephen King books.

[Vicki]

Hahaha!!

[Wolf (Alpha)]

Week 1
Spot 11
Book: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
Date Read: 1/27/22
How It Fits: #1 in series
Review:
I definitely loved this book. I loved reading about Ruby and how she survived when she was in the camp. I love how she always tries to do whats right even when she wants to really hurt someone. I loved that she escaped and was able to help others. This was just like reading the script to the movie.

[Michelle]

WEEK TWO ROLL

Number rolled - 8
Spot Landed on - 19

Tasks Available

Book # 19 in a series
Book # 1 in a Series
Book # 9 in a series
Standalone Book
Alternate Task - Less than 100 ratings

[Michelle]

We also got 2 Bonus points this week.

[Vicki]

Yay!!

[Suzanne]

Woah - 2 bonus points is fantastic!!

[Suzanne]

Boy, I'm torn between knocking off a stand alond netgalley book, and reading a #19 (since this is the only chance I'll get for #19 ). Decisions are hard!

[Michelle]

Suzanne wrote: "Boy, I'm torn between knocking off a stand alond netgalley book, and reading a #19 (since this is the only chance I'll get for #19 ). Decisions are hard!"

I usually go for what I'm in the mood to read unless you have a time frame for one of the books.

[Michelle]

I think I'm going with Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco.

I've had this on hold for over 3 months and it finally came in on Overdrive. It will fit a couple other challenges as well.

[Suzanne]

Thanks Michelle - that is fantastic advice for the choice.

And score! I love when books fit multiple challenges. I've wondered about that Jack the Ripper book - glad I'll get to see your review.

[Wolf (Alpha)]

Hopefully reading The Silent Patient

[Suzanne]

I'm going to read .

[LaurLa]

Hmm, I have 2 #9s I could read plus a few standalones... choices choices!


I have 2 other team challenges starting on Feb 1, so I'll probably wait to see what I need to read for those and try for a mulit-challenge hit!

[Brittany]

I started a #1 book today :)

[Suzanne]

I started mine today too (stand alone). It's been pretty good so far - although it's basically a plague like covid (only worse) - maybe a little too soon/close to home.

[Michelle]

Wolf (Alpha) wrote: "Hopefully reading The Silent Patient"

I have that one on my want to read list too. I hear its really good.

[Michelle]

LaurLa wrote: "Hmm, I have 2 #9s I could read plus a few standalones... choices choices!


I have 2 other team challenges starting on Feb 1, so I'll probably wait to see what I need to read for those and try for ..."

I try and do that too if I can.

[Michelle]

Suzanne wrote: "I started mine today too (stand alone). It's been pretty good so far - although it's basically a plague like covid (only worse) - maybe a little too soon/close to home."

I read a lot of books like that. I love the zombie genre and thats how they normally start off.

[Suzanne]

Oooh - I need to look at your book list - I love the zombie genre too. I'd love to hear some of your favorites. Currently mine are the two series starting with Until the End of the World. I also loved Feed when I read it quite awhile ago.

[Brittany]

Suzanne wrote: "Oooh - I need to look at your book list - I love the zombie genre too. I'd love to hear some of your favorites. Currently mine are the two series starting with [book:Until the End of the World|1858..."

I haven't read either of those yet, but I have had Feed on my list

[Brittany]

Completion

Book - Fable
Author - Adrienne Young
Date Completed - 01/30/22
Spot - 19
How it fits - Book 1 of Fable
Alternative (Y/N) - N
Player - Brittany

Review
The beginning leaves a bit to be desired. I didn't feel on firm footing for all that was going on in the world, and I felt detached from the characters.

With so much going on from so many different angles and a significant story being told, I think the narrative choice may have hurt this beautiful world. Only told in first person POV, and through Fable's young mind, much is lacking and unable to be told. I wish it would have been said in the third person, or at least had another narrator from first.

The pace is slower than I wanted to experience from an adventure book, and the romance lacks heat. The build-up of the relationship was a bit stilted and then rushed. I can see how this could have developed with a bit of better flow that would have sold it a bit more.

Honestly, most of my complaints are due to pacing and stilted narrative view. Reading this book was like sitting up in the crow's nest and watching the story through the eye of a scope. I wish I could have seen more of the other characters and world. Fable was likable enough.

The ending was intense and left anticipation for the next book. I will continue in the future.

Overall I am sitting solidly at a 3-star rating.

[Wolf (Alpha)]

I've had that on my TBR forever

[Brittany]

Wolf (Alpha) wrote: "I've had that on my TBR forever"

My review sounds more negative than the experience was. It wasn't bad, but it could have been great with some changes.

[Vicki]

Can someone please tell me which 2 bonuses are already covered?

[Suzanne]

I believe it was the 2 in 1 bonus we got. I think that may actually be the only bonus point - we did cover it twice, but we only get one point per category.

[Suzanne]

Completion Post - Week 2

Book: At the End of Everything
Author: Marieke Nijkamp
Date Completed: 1/30/22
Spot: 19
How it fits: Stand alone
Player - Suzanne

Rating: 4 stars

Review:
I saw some descriptions of this book as science fiction, dystopian, or apocalyptic, but my interpretation of this novel was a an all-to0-real description of how society and the justice system might respond to a horrible pandemic - maybe that dystopian or apocalyptic, but perhaps not.

Our protagonists are a group of teenagers in a youth detention center. When all of the adults leave without an explanation, the kids are left to fend for themselves. They work together to determine what is happening, and to survive illness, hunger, and isolation.

Several different attitudes and issues are represented, with non-binary and autistic POV characters.

I admire what the author did, and I think she accomplished her goals well. I also think it was courageous to write something so close to what is happening with Covid-19, while the pandemic is still going on. I will be thinking about this for awhile.

[Denise, Manufacturing Director]

Suzanne wrote: "I believe it was the 2 in 1 bonus we got. I think that may actually be the only bonus point - we did cover it twice, but we only get one point per category."

Please, please mention in the team completion posts when someone earns a bonus point.
And yes, you got the 2-in-1 bonus last week. :)

[Michelle]

Suzanne..

Here are some of my favorite zombie series

The First Days by Rhiannon Frater
Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
Zombie Fallout by Mark Tufo
Grace Lost by M. Lauryl Lewis
Omega Days by John L. Campbell
Aftermath by Owen Baillie
The Book of Riley 1 by Mark Tufo
The Last Bastion of the Living by Rhiannon Frater
Dead of Night by Jonathan Maberry

[Vicki]

I had no idea that I got the 2 in 1, so I apologize for not posting that. I thought I needed #1 or #11 in a series but next time I’ll be more careful.

[Michelle]

Denise wrote: "Suzanne wrote: "I believe it was the 2 in 1 bonus we got. I think that may actually be the only bonus point - we did cover it twice, but we only get one point per category."

Please, please mention..."


Sorry..That was me, I mentioned the bonus, but not who.

[Michelle]

Suzanne wrote: "Completion Post

Book: At the End of Everything
Author: Marieke Nijkamp
Date Completed: 1/30/22
Spot: 19
How it fits:..."

I really like this author. She tends to make you really think for awhile after putting down one of her books.

[Michelle]

Vicki wrote: "I had no idea that I got the 2 in 1, so I apologize for not posting that. I thought I needed #1 or #11 in a series but next time I’ll be more careful."

Don't worry about it. I almost forgot completely about bonus points until I saw someone else posted a completion post and had bonus points on there. It totally slipped my mind to have you all put it in your completion posts.

[Suzanne]

Thanks Michelle! I really appreciate that list!

[Vicki]

Thanks, Michelle :)