Susan’s Comments (group member since Jan 05, 2014)

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

I finished this book over vacation this week so my apologies for the long response!

1. This book sounded extremely interesting! I was hoping to learn more about bodies.
2. I absolutely agree that death makes us polite. I think it makes us each realize that we're not immortal. We think about our own lives when death is brought up.

5. I've not thought much about donating my body, but this book makes me wonder if maybe I should consider it? I'm an organ donor, & then I would like to be cremated. However, maybe some other scientific use can come of my bodily donation.
6. I did like the history. The author did a great job of mixing that in with her stories. It made it all that more fascinating.

8. I'm usually ok with this kind of material. There was only 1 chapter (toward the end) that made me want to stop eating my M&Ms.
9. I guess I'd have to actually smell corpses before really commenting on the author's description. I'm not sure I could ever classify it as sweet, but maybe?
10. I live in America, so embalming isn't really weird. Unless a person was severely injured, our viewings are usually open casket -- at least that what I've seen.
11. Cadavers do make sense to use for crash tests. I would agree that child cadavers would be awkward & I don't think I could allow it.
12. I would think it would be hard to see a plane crash & its aftermath, regardless of whether the bodies were whole or just parts.
13. I don't know how any price can be put on any human life.
14. I suppose everyone would react differently to a gun shot. I think it depends on your lifestyle, your upbringing, & your mental capacity. Reacting psychologically or physiologically to a gunshot wound is probably different for all.
15. I honestly don't see anything wrong w/ using human cadavers for scientific research, as long as the scientists & doctors are very respectful of the cadavers.
16. I'm not sure if I agree that family should be upset if they ask why a loved one's body is being used. If that person agreed to something research-wise, then those wishes should be respected. I guess I just wouldn't want to know. It's not as if the body is still the loved one.

18. Yes, I agree that death occurs with the absence of brain activity. However, it would still be hard to be put into a situation where you had to decide to let a loved one go or let that person live by machines.

23. I don't know if I want to think about head transplants in the future! How could one person be the same person with the same head but a different body?! Yikes. Too much to think about there…

25. I would absolutely not try any of those human bodily function remedies!

29. I may need to go back & read more about the Loups & Leroi. I’m not sure I understand their significance? Did they only appear because they were part of David’s dreams? Do certain new characters (evil beings) appear in this world when someone new arrives? Hmmm…

30. I absolutely enjoyed the fairy tales in this story! I don’t think I would rate the book as well if the fairy tales were just the same old fairy tales told as we all know them.

31. I think the King was just so tired of being where he was that he was ready for someone else to save him from it. If David didn’t take the throne then he would have to stay until he died. Yes, that’s the reason David was there & why he was lured by the Crooked Man, but it seemed like the King just wanted to be gone from the place that cost him his entire life & his family. I believe he knew he had done wrong. Not sure if it was pride that made him keep working with the Crooked Man all the way through the end? But he needed someone to take his place.

@Yzabel: I think he was too old, too tired and too desperate to be willing to learn, and just wanted things to be over after so many years.
Absolutely agree on this point.

32. I was totally shocked by the Woodsman appearing! I’m glad he made it, although it did seem like a story out of a fairy tale that he managed to survive!

33. Yes, I’m always glad when an author provides us with some closure to the characters! I was sad to hear about David’s dad & Rose divorcing though.

34. I loved reading the fairy tales again!

35. I definitely give this a solid 4 stars. I wasn’t too thrilled about reading it when I first started, but I’m glad I stuck with it! I know I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much if the fairy tales weren’t as crooked as they were presented in this other world. =)

@ Renee: I liked the concept that everyone dreams their own afterlife and that David was able to go back and reunite with his wife and child.
Same here! David’s worlds seem to come full circle for him. I liked that.

Zonnah wrote: "Chapters XXVII-end

Yay, woodsman alive!"

Like!

17. I'm not sure of the significance of Roland.

18. I'm sure David thinks the Crooked Man's offer is pretty good, especially if he can get away from Georgie.

19. I love the way the fairy tales have been mixed into this story! The "evil" twists make David's situation seem like he's in his own dream world. Which leads to my comment on…

20. I have doubts about David being alive! I believe he's wondering the same thing. He's familiar with the fairy tales, but why would they all be backward & completely different from what he knew in the real world?? Maybe he is dreaming or he was seriously injured from the crash.

21. It kind of seemed like Roland was trying to get the people in the village to think of him in a valiant light. David didn't think he was just a soldier, & his heroics/antics in the village against the Beast proved that he was more of a leader than he would have anyone believe.

22. I think the villagers needed someone to blame, so they took it out on David & Roland. After all, some said if it weren't for David being there then the Beast may have never come.

24. By asking for Georgie's name, I wonder if someone that David knew gave his name to the Crooked Man? How else would he get more children?

25. Absolutely! I'm sure David's defeat in the Tower will prove that he'll win over the king or successfully return home.

26. Yes, I believe all of these encounters help David deal w/ his loss. More so than the actual therapist he was seeing!

27. It almost seems as if David is maturing in this world! Perhaps he's growing up too fast?

28. Leroi is definitely changing! I wonder if he'll become more of an animal or was he human & now he's going to be human again? It'll be interesting to see how he finally changes.

13. I wondered if the different characters were appearing because David had either read about them or dreamt about them? It's like he's stuck in this world & all of his (bad?) dreams are coming out to get him.

14. I'm not sure if I thought David would solve the riddle or not. However, it makes sense that he would've solved it & not the Woodsman if all of these characters are appearing because of what's in David's mind.

15. I've already finished the book, so I am going to pass on this question.

7. I can't see why this other book world would cause David to have arguments or not get along with Rose & Georgie. I think he's feeling the same way a lot of kids do when their parents are remarried & there are step siblings.

9. I don't believe the bomber hit anything more than the garden in the yard. I'm sure David's father & Rose heard the crash, but they should have been fine since David was the only 1 who ran outside.

10. I also think the writing style changed when David entered the other world! It did seem to become very fairy tale-like.

11. It was interesting to hear about the twisted fairy tales, but also expected considering that David followed the Crooked Man. If he can see the Crooked Man then it seems to me that the stories told to him there would be different from the fairy tales that he's heard in the real world. I can see the Woodsman being from Snow White--he's saving David just as the Woodsman allowed Snow White to run off instead of killing her.

12. Not sure why the Crooked Man needs children, but I was thinking along the same lines as Yzabel: that he may have had something to do with Jonathan & Anna's disappearances.

Susan wrote: "Susan wrote: "...I can feel for his wanting to become somewhat obsessed with doing little things to try to keep his mother alive, & I understand why he would think that some of his obsessions didn'..."

Hi there, Susan! =)
I was thinking the exact same thing w/ David -- OCD! Poor kid thought he could keep mom healthy by performing little rituals... It certainly made me feel for him as a character.

@Kelly: Totally agree w/ your comment on #5! Is it David's innocence as a child that allows him to only see the crooked man?

1. What a fabulous description of the books! Don't all books transform the reader?! =)
The writing style makes for a quick read.

2. I did feel bad for David losing his mother; I can't imagine that at such a young age. I can feel for his wanting to become somewhat obsessed with doing little things to try to keep his mother alive, & I understand why he would think that some of his obsessions didn't keep his mom alive. It's sad that he feels maybe he could've done more or done something different to help her.

3. I would like to learn more about David's father's job -- just out of my own curiosity. I don't see how it can be that relevant to the story though. Good observation!

4. I wonder if David's attacks are his way of dealing w/ the situation w/ Rose. I know he misses his mother dearly. Is he just having visions during his attacks that make the fairy tales seem real? I'm wondering about that. But maybe the books did have something to do w/ the disappearances & the book seller knows…

5. I can't say if I believe the crooked man & magpie are the same. I think David only sees him because the crooked man only allows David to see him. (But perhaps this all has something to do w/ David's attacks?)

6. I think David is imagining his mother's voice…

I'm not a zombie fan, but I also liked the synopsis. This will make for an interesting discussion!

Wow, this sounds like a fun read. I think I'm in for this one.

44. I was surprised that JP finally came clean to Rachel. I guess he had nothing to lose after Cecilia started talking though. I wasn't surprised that Rachel then let them go back to see Polly. She could turn JP in, but that wasn't going to bring back Janie. Plus I think Rachel felt better knowing that she was starting to mend things in her life with her son & his wife.

45. I totally don't agree with Tess giving Will more time! I would have loved to see her end up with Connor! That relationship actually seemed real.

46. No, I don't think Rachel will ever tell the police. I think she feels better knowing exactly what happened, but she has the rest of her life to live now with Rob & his family. I believe that will help her get through Janie's death. I'm sure she doesn't want to tear JP away from his family, but I'm also sure some of her reasoning has to do with the fact that she was the one who put them all there in the hospital in the first place! Perhaps this is helping relieve some of her guilt?

48. I liked this book! Totally unexpected secret! But it was almost fate that Rachel hit Polly at the end...

40. I was surprised when Felicity showed up, too. However, knowing how close she & Tess were growing up, I'm not surprised that Tess talked to her. I don't think I could have allowed her to talk about Will or give me advice. Will would probably be out my life. I don't think I could take him back, even if he did want another child! I guess it's different forgiving a cousin who was pretty much a sister growing up than it is your husband.

41. Yes, I thought it was about time that Rachel opened up for Rob! He deserved that for himself.

42. I very much disliked Rachel for going after Connor! How selfish. After so many years & so much hatred… I realize her disdain for him wasn't really enough for her, but would it really have made her feel better if it were Connor that she hit instead of Polly? I really doubt it.

43. I'm not sure if I'm glad that Cecilia told Rachel the truth about Janie's death… I feel as if she only did it to free her own conscience. Just because she read the letter -- did it make it her secret to tell?

37. It’s hard to definitively say what I would do in the same situation! But I don’t know if I could ask my hubby to confess either. Guilt would eat at me, but I wouldn’t want to lose my family…

27. It is rather selfish of Rachel to treat her only living child that way. I understand her grief, but what about everyone else? Yes, she lost a child, but Rob also lost a sister.

29. It might be a good friendship for both of them, but I don’t see them coming together to eventually be friends.

30. The mom seems like someone who would protect her child from anything. She’s put up a wall to almost justify her reaction (or lack thereof).

31. Nope, the cousins were certainly not in the most healthy of relationships!

34. Yes, I’m glad we know the specifics of her last day in her POV. It helped to bring the entire story together.

Looks interesting. I look forward to the discussion.

1. I liked this book. The writing style made it easy to read this book quickly.

2. The Pandora reference was very appropriate! It certainly kept my interest in what was to come and whether or not the letter would be read.

3. I thought Cecilia was very anal. I didn't love her character, but I understood why she opened the letter based on how her character was portrayed.

4. Honestly, I don't think I could have opened the letter. I would have had to respect my husband's wishes, especially after telling him I found it!

6. Will and Felicity were stupid. I'm not sure I really believe that Will loves Felicity.