Michael’s Comments (group member since Feb 28, 2012)

Michael’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

DQ Set 2
5. We’ve seen a lot more about Beth’s new home life and her relationship with Mrs. Wheatley. What do you think of Mrs. Wheatley and how she handles Beth’s chess playing?

I feel like both Mrs. Wheatley and Beth enable each other. Beth needs Mrs. Wheatley as a parental figure to attend chess competitions and travel and Mrs. Wheatley needs Beth as a source of income. I get the feeling that both characters are users a bit -- they seem to value relationships more when the other person has something to offer them and they tend to use up the other person quickly and want to move on. I'm fascinated to know how and why Mr. Wheatley left and how that marriage crumbled (or why he left her).

6. Beth seems to have a continuing relationship with substance abuse. How do you think this will work out – is it going to hurt her? Cause her to lose?

Beth seems to have an addictive personality -- and I don't think continuing to try the stimulants she likes to use (the pills, alcohol) is going to be the best thing for her in the long run. I feel like we could be foreshadowing a downfall for Beth here. I'm not sure she will necessarily lose a chess game, so much as be left alone at a critical juncture in her life.

7. We’ve seen a lot more chess tournaments now. What do you think about how the tournaments are described? Are they exciting or do you skip over them? How would they/do they translate this to the screen?

I can't see the adaptation following the games move for move as the novel sometimes likes to do. But I can see how they can build some tension into it. I do find myself wondering if we'll be able to see Beth's ability to see the board in her mind in some fashion. I think that could be interesting. As for the tournaments, Tevis is doing a good job of giving us enough of the moves to tell the story and the seeing how those moves have an impact on Beth. I do like her shock at times when moves don't go her way or the other player doesn't follow the set of moves she thinks he or she should.

8. I never realized that being good at chess took so much study! (Which shows how little I know). Did that surprise you? What other things have surprised you so far?

I'm intrigued by Beth's take on romance, so far and her decision to "make love" to the various men. It seems like Beth calculates these decisions just as much as she does her moves on the chess board. I do like that we see that while Beth has a natural ability for chess, that she has to hone those skills as she goes up in competition.

I will admit that I was genuinely surprised by (view spoiler)[the death of Mrs. Wheatley. I felt like her rendevous with her pen pal might not end well, but I didn't think she'd pass away. I was also a bit stunned at Mr. Wheatley's reaction when Beth calls him for help. (hide spoiler)]

1. I nominated this book as I had seen rave reviews about the Netflix show and, being a reader, wanted to read the source material before watching the show.
Why did you pick up the book? Have you watched the show? Will you? Are you a book first person, like me?

This one has been on my radar since the Netflix show appeared, but being a literary snob, I wanted to read the book first. I noticed it showed up in the Audible included books with membership, so I decided it was time to start reading it. So far, so good. I think I will watch the series when I'm done reading.

2. I am finding the writing style really compelling - very flat and affectless during most of it, reflecting her tranquilised state, but more engaged when Beth is thinking about chess. What do you think of the writing style - is it working for you?

I'm not finding it quite as flat as you are -- but that may be due to the audio narration. I do think the Beth's reactions to the world are interesting -- she appears to become consumed by things, such as chess and her obsession with finding a way to get more the little green pills (I will admit I loved the way that played out on the page). I think the style works for me because it's not too flowery and has enough description to create a picture but not so much that it puts every leaf on every tree.

3. Beth is surrounded by dysfunctional adults. Do you find these characters to be real or are they one-dimensional? What were your feelings about the orphanage, and Beth's adoption?

I feel like we're seeing adults through Beth's eyes -- and to her, nothing matters beyond their "usefulness" to her. In most cases, adults are a necessary evil for her, though she does have deeper connections with some, like the janitor who teaches her how to play. I wonder if Beth's emotional growth is being stunted a bit by her sudden becoming an orphan and put into orphanage without any (at least that I recall) way to process her parents' death and go through the five stages of grief. As the dad to a little girl, I find myself feeling a bit for Beth and her being "alone" in the world following the loss of her parents.

4. The chess competition... I admit I was nervous about the chess side of the story, worried that I was going to be totally lost. Did you enjoy the competition? Did you expect the outcome?

I liked it a great deal -- Tevis does a nice job of relating what's happening and building the suspense. I'm a bit ahead here, so this may happen in future chapters -- if it does, forgive me. I love the scenes when Beth is thinking through things and realizes her mistakes and the openings others are giving her. I find that fascinating and seeing inside her thought process is intriguing. And I can see that she's starting to become a bit obsessed with chess...I can't help but think this will not turn out well in future chapters.

I've got this on my TBR pile from the library and ready to join!

I hope I can continue to pull my weight. I really got into Joe Hill's NOS4A2 and it weighed in at close to 700 pages. Great book and one that consumed my attention, but not good for knocking out books in the challenge. :)

I don't mind waiting to be assigned a team. Please let me know when I'm assigned and what I need to do.

I'd like the chance to join.

✔ How many books you read in 2012. 167
✔ How many books you plan to read 2013 >/160 pages?
(For the whole year, not just what remains...) 125
✔ If you were in Round I, the percentage of goal reached would be appreciated,
if you know it. 32%
✔ Would you be willing to be a Team Captain? Or Co-Captain? No

I'd like to join, if it's not too late!

Jumping into the challenge a bit late...but here we go.

1. Judgment Calls by Alafair Burke
2. V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
3. 20 0000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
4. The The Mediterranean Caper by Clive Cussler
5. Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis by Lauren Winner
6. Doctor Who and the Ribos Operation (audio) by Ian Marter
7. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
8. The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry
9. Iceberg by Clive Cussler
10. A Study in Scarlet (audio) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
11. Not That Kind Of Girl by Siobhan Vivian
12. Ultimate Comics Spider-Man - Volume 2: Chameleons
13. Morning Glories Vol. 1: For a Better Future
14. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
15. Shadows in Flight by Orson Scott Card
16. Raylan (audio) by Elmore Leonard
17. Pacific Vortex by Clive Cussler
18. My Seinfeld Year by Fred Stoller
19. Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones
20. Field of Blood by Eric Wilson
21. Morning Glories Vol. 2
22. Calculating God by Robert Sawyer
23. Doctor Who: The Taking Of Chelsea 426 (audio) by David Llewellyn.
24. Doctor Who: The Art of Death (audio) by James Goss
25. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
26. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (audio) by Douglas Adams
27. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
28. Bond Girl by Erin Duffy