bamaace83 ’s Comments (group member since Dec 11, 2018)

bamaace83 ’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

I know we have been doing well, but at least we keep trying to get a fourth. It just hasn't quite worked out yet. I'm working on my third book now because we had to move some offices around at work and that cut into my sneaking and reading time. I should still have all four done by tomorrow night though or at least that is my ultimate plan. I was shooting for tonight but then ran into some work issues.

Thanks for messaging them. I'll have my second book finished soon. We are doing amazing with the three of us. Thanks for being such awesome team members. I will admit it would be nice to have a fourth to help us get a few more points though. I can be a little competitive at times but also totally understand the struggles of real life which is what I deal with all the time.

Just saw a message from Celia when I woke up. She's unable to play at this time due to real life so we need to try to find a fourth player again. Thanks for taking that last book!

Completion Post

Book: Fallen
Author: Karin Slaughter
Date Read: September 9, 2019
Ratings: 4 Stars
How it fits:
10 - Mystery

DQs Day 4: Book 5

18. In "Book 5" there is as much focus on Barry and Helena's relationship as there is on their attempts to stop the world remembering previous timelines and therefore avert catastrophe. What did you think of their romance, and how it played out over multiple time re-sets?
I never really got behind their romance. I liked Barry's first family and never really liked Helena and Barry together. I understood how it fit in the story but it just felt like a never ending loop for me.

19. Earlier in the book, I never got the sense that Barry was a particularly brainy person, but here we often see him doing advanced math and science stuff alongside Helena, on timelines where they met in their early 20s. What did you think of Barry's participation in Helena's work?
I don't know how he learned so much so fast. I mean if he was that smart, why didn't we see it at the beginning of the book.

20. Each April 16 2019 brings a brand new same old nuclear apocalypse! But if everyone in the world gets their "false" memories back at the same time, then everyone would remember those other apocalypses too. Do you think that humankind would really keep reacting the same way over and over, repeatedly dooming themselves?
Yes, because it's just the nature of the world. Sometimes you want to try to do something different but then you just keep repeating the same behaviors. I also think that the world would've been doomed anyway.

21. The solution seems so simple, though I think it contradicts what we were told earlier in the book about the possibility of going back into a "false" memory. Did Barry going back to the "original" timeline make sense to you?
I understood that they must go back to the original timeline to make sure none of the bad things happened but I didn't expect Barry to do so because I really didn't think he was smart enough to figure that out.

22. In the epilogue, we learn everybody's ultimate fate. What did you think of Barry being the only person to remember everything? What did you think of Marcus Slade's demise and Barry's hand in it?
I wanted to see Slade go down because he just felt slimy to me. I wish that Helena was the one to remember everything not Barry. I guess I never jumped on the Barry bandwagon.

Alright here is what I think for sure I'm reading and my goal is to have these done no later than Thursday so that I can help pick up other books if needed.

10:

6:

8:

3:

If anyone wants to take one of these, let me know and I'll rearrange. Also, I'm still digging around to find the inspector book. I'm playing turf wars in another challenge group and a bunch of those people are also playing lava so if I can't find a book by like tomorrow, I'll just ask them for help.

Cool thanks! I will make sure to read more books these next two weeks. Did we lose our fourth again? I messaged her yesterday but no response yet.

Thanks! I just went ahead and added all the suggestions to be to be read list so that way I can work my way through them.

I've read alot of romance books this summer because of a challenge that I was in but I enjoy thriller, suspense, chick-lit, some mysteries, young adult books. I think sci-fi is really the only category that I struggle with. Like for instance I love Nora Roberts but am not a huge J.D Robb fan.

Book: His Shock Marriage in Greece
Author: Jane Porter
Date Read: September 8, 2019
Ratings: 3 Stars
How it fits: Letter H for spell out word

Cool, I really liked Beartown so I'm hoping this book is just as good.

I would love some good suggestions. I’ve been trying to expand my reading genres and have discovered that I seriously lack in this area. What are some favorites? I have read some dystopia series that I do like more than this one.

I still have to go back and answer the last day of questions. I only gave the book 2 stars because I'm not such a sci-fi fan but I am glad that I branched out and finished the book. I think that I need to read some more sci-fi books to see if I can find more of a love for these books.

DQs Book 4 (spoilers likely!)

13. This section opens with a quote from 1984
"he who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past."
Do you usually read these types of epigrams carefully, searching for hints about the theme of books? Did this quote give you a hint about what was coming? Having read this section, do you think it meets the expectations of the quote?
I thought that this quote was meant for us to know something major was going to happen in the book/storyline. I also want to go back and read 1984 because it has been so long. I tend to pay attention to these when they are in books but don't always put that much thought in them.

14. Helena doesn't hold out long, and joins the team in correcting tragedies. Did you agree with her decision at the time? Would you change your answer at the end of the section? Has you opinion of Helena changed over the course of the book?
I thought it was good for her to try to correct tragedies when she was doing it but then that changed when i realized that correcting so many tragedies just kept leading to bigger and bigger problems. I still never really jumped on the Helena band wagon. She was just odd and weird to me.

15. The team start off idealistic... Would you be willing to be part of the team, fixing those sorts of tragedies? Do you agree with their ideals? The team got co-opted by the government very quickly. Did you expect that?
I wouldn't want to be a part of the team. I think trying to change bad things just leads to more bad things happening and it's a never ending cycle that just can't be stopped. I kind of expected the government thing because it's just the nature of the government.

16. At the end of this section it all goes very grim (though I enjoyed the destruction of Trump Tower!). Do you think Helena can solve this, or is the world going to collapse in a mess of conflicting dead memories?
I wanted Helena to fix it but was still unsure how all that was going to play out. I liked Trump Tower going down also. I also was worried that this book was going to end with everyone dying and no one knowing exactly what life path they were to be living on. I felt it was going to be one big hot mess.

17. Do you have a provisional rating for the book? Why? And are you missing Barry and Marcus?!
I still gave it a 2 because I'm just not getting into the book as I would other genres but I really feel that is a personal rating. The book is written well if you like these type books. I'm not really missing them.

Day 2 – Book 2 &3
Most of these questions are spoilers for Book 1-3

1. Were you surprised to see how time travel works in this book?
I thought it was very interesting that you could go back in a particular point of time and change the outcome but I also thought it was interesting that you would still remember what would happen if you hadn't changed the time.


2. Did you anticipate the issues with Barry going back in time and Meghan? Do you think that is a realistic reaction?
Yes, I kind of anticipated the issues. I had a feeling that it would end the way it did because of future timelines. Trying not to spoil the book for people but it's hard because I've already finished it. I think that it was a realistic reaction and to be expected.

3. Now that we are about halfway done, what do you think of the characters and motivations? Do you feel like you connect to them or that they are real people?
Sometimes I think Helena is just a little too much but I understand why she is the way she is. Barry just still gets on my nerves but I can't really pinpoint why. Not a fan of Slade either. He just seems off for me.


4. At this point, in the book, multiple timelines are starting to branch. How do you think this would change your view of reality if it was this malleable?
I wouldn't like knowing that there were multiple timelines that I could live. I like knowing that I can't control the things that happen and have learned to accept that everything happens for a reason. I think it would be hard to do the right thing at times if I had an inkling of what would happen if I chose the other path. I also think that way too many bad decisions could be made instead of good decisions.


5. Finally, this book is already optioned as a screenplay (I think) and many reviews comment that it reads that way too. Do you like books that read like a movie or do you wish the author wrote it differently?
I like to read a book like a book and then have the book turned into a screenplay. I would rather have more details in the book to get to know the characters and storylines more before they turn it into a screenplay.

I'm catching up all the questions. I finished the book last week but just haven't had time to answer questions yet.

1. We start with a bit of a bang. Did you have any first impressions of what was going on? Time travel? Parallel universe? Delusions? Something else?
I was thinking it was going to be a book where we saw time travel. I wasn't quite sure how the entire book was going to play out.

2. What do you think having FMS is like? Why do you think it seems to be contagious, and how?
I bet having FMS is super difficult. I couldn't even imagine having two lives running through my brain and not totally knowing which one was the current one. I think it's contagious because once you're in another person's memory/world then you gain FMS.

3. The main characters are both dealing with loss; Barry with his daughter, and Helena with her mother’s memories. How do you think what they have gone through is affecting their careers and their lives?
I think it's hard to deal with grief in general. I think it tugs on their emotions and they are trying to deal with life every day while still trying to have a piece of the life they once knew that made them extra happy.

4. Why do you think Slade is going all in on funding Helena’s research? Something personal, or just financial?
I thought Slade had a personal reason for wanting to pursue the funding. Not many people are going to put that kind of money in a project without having a personal reason for doing so.

5. Is there a moment that you would go back to to start over? Share if you wish to.
I think there are moments all the time that I'm like what would happen if but at the same time going back to change a moment would lead me on an entirely different path. I would love to go back and have some more moments with some of the family members that have passed away. I wouldn't totally change the outcomes just be able to have more concrete memories to pull back on.


6. Lots of stuff happens in Book 1. What do you think so far? Any Ideas on what comes next?
I think it's going okay but I've realized that I really just don't love science fiction. I was curious to see how the characters would play out and the story line would continue to emerge.


7. On a lighter note, would you prefer drinking Old Grand-Dad and Coors, or the ’47 Cheval Blanc?
And, did anyone else keep thinking of chipmunks when Helena was being mean to the mice?

If I was dying of thirst or having to drink one of those things, I would probably go with Coors but it would need to be really really cold. I tend to drink craft beer or a good red wine. Hehe, nope I didn't think of any chipmunks while reading that part.

I'm reading a quick book for the letter H. That means we would just need a T book for the word "than."

For next round, I'm going to tackle 6 if "A Man Called Ove" can be counted because I need to get that book out of my to be read list. I'll also take care of 10. I'm going to do some research to see what I can find out about books for 7.

Safezone Group 3 Spell Out

Book: A False Mirror
Author: Charles Todd
Date Read: September 7, 2019
Rating: 3 Stars
Letters: A, C, T

I'm currently reading an A book. I should be able to finish a couple books this weekend depending on what letters we need to finish.

Book:
Author: Meg Cabot
Date Read: September 5, 2019
Rating: 3 Stars
How it fits:
Letter S in a word