Leo’s Comments (group member since Jan 31, 2016)

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

I'm in, and I'm gonna set a capstone of ten! :)

Round 1



1st in Series
The Bad Beginning
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
The Field Guide
Ett Glas Efter Midnatt
Carry On
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Six of Crows
The Department of Sensitive Crimes
Häxprovet
A Bear Called Paddington


2nd in Series
The Seeing Stone
The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy
Wayward Son
More about Paddington
Häxans dotter
Giraffens tårar
Crooked Kingdom
Nya hyss av Emil i Lönneberga
The Talented Mr. Varg

3rd in Series:
Häxpojken
Paddington Helps Out
Morality for Beautiful Girls
Än lever Emil i Lönneberga
Pippi Långstrump i Söderhavet
The Horse and His Boy
The Queen of Nothing
Bara roligt i Bullerbyn

4th in Series:
Paddington Abroad
The Kalahari Typing School for Men
Häxguldet
Prince Caspian
Olycksfågeln

5th in Series:
The Full Cupboard of Life
Häxkatten
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Tyskungen

6th in Series:
Häxbrygden
The Silver Chair
Sjöjungfrun
Fyrvaktaren

7th in Series
The Last Battle

Yeah, he needs to make more appearances, but I have a feeling as Matt grows older, El Patron will definitely get more involved in his life. There's a reason why Matt was created after all. Right now we just see this old man, but we know he created a clone and that he's waaaay old, so it's just a matter of time before something horrible will happen. At least Matt is growing older and more aware of his surroundings.

I made my way through the second part of the book today (finished chapter 14) and I have to say - I love the casual sci-fi in the background, like the explanation of the eejits and more about the clones. It's just... there. It's part of their world now, and we're slowly introduced to it as Matt is. I thought that eejit was just a dialectal version of idiot, and while that's certainly the origin of the word, finding out what the true meaning is was chilling.

Seeing McGregor's clone in the hospital was horrible! At least we got more of a perspective on clones and why they are so hated. The conversation between him and his body guard was intriguing - his respect and calling Matt a human instead of a pet or a beast.

And how horrible isn't Tom!! He's so awful and I know his type, though not as extreme as to poison a dog! What a little asshole!

El Patron is starting to come into the story more and more, and he seems awful too, but lets be honest; good stories need good villains. How are you feeling about him right now after a few more chapters?

I'm really interested in Celia because she obviously know that Matt is a clone, but she treats him so nicely. It's clear that society as a whole thinks of clones as much lesser beings: the children knows what they are and how they are supposed to treat them. María's comparison between her dog and Matt just showcases her innocence but also privilege.

I have another book to finish today but I am definitely reading some more today to find out how the rescue operation will go!

Still not further than chapter five, but I really enjoyed the setup so far. The first chapter was really interesting to me, with the scientist's point of view. Cloning has always created a large debate, with everything from Dolly to shows like "I Cloned My Pet". Is it morally right? For science? Never Let Me Go brings it up, and I am looking forward to reading more.

It's a great science fiction idea, and I always love fiction that makes you think about morality and humanity - especially as we get the first look of Matt as a six-year-old who doesn't know anything about the outside world. Even if it's a YA book, I did enjoy the longer view of him as a young child. It helps built up his humanity, because right now, he is like any other child, being brought up by oh so loving Celia. The later treatment of him is horrible though!

I am really excited to read on! How are you liking it so far?

I'm just about to start the book, and depending on school work and how much it's gonna wanna crush me, I think I am going to try and read one section per day, so today my goal is chapters 1-5!

I'm in! I'm going for Deputy Managing Editor with all 101 sentences and no spell-it-outs. Lets see how well I do!

“A woman’s place is...”
“Can you look me straight in the eye and tell me that…”
“Did you ever…”
“Did you know that...”
“Does this dress make me look...”
“Don’t drink the water here, it’s filled with...”
“Every day we attack them with…”
“Everyone loves a…”
“Everything is...”
“For breakfast I had...”
“Happiness is...”
“He came to...”
“How is it possible that I've never heard of...”
“I can’t believe it was…”
“I can’t wait until...”
“I confess, I...”
“I feel better after drinking...”
“I hate it when certain people...”
“I have a horrible…”
“I learned the hard way that...”
“I left him/her...”
“I like my men...”
“I love taking ‘selfies’ with…”
“I love to dance and sing with Amelia Bedelia."
“I often wonder why I bother to…”
“I used the money for..."
“I want to eat my lunch with ...”
“I went to my prom with...”
“I wonder why...”
“I would do anything for you, except...”
“I wouldn’t be caught dead…”
“I wrestled a...”
“I’d like to teach the world to sing, but...”
“I’d like to travel to...”
“I’d rather be...”
“I’d tell you with my dying breath that...”
“I’m in love with my...”
“I’m really looking forward to...”
“I’m training to be a…”
“If I could live anywhere, it would be...”
“If I had one superpower that would be Dragonwings.”
“If I’d known you were coming, I’d have...”
“If only I had a dollar for every time I thought of...”
“If only I had...”
“If you are ever chased by zombies, try…Metamorphoses"
“If you can’t beat them, …”
“If you had written a book, you would call it...”
“In a land far, far way…”
“In the garden I found...”
“Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it’s...”
“It time for…”
“It took...”
“It was a dark and stormy night, just perfect for…”
“It’s rabbit season! It’s Duck season! No, it’s...”
“Last night I dreamed I was Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher."
“Last night I dreamt of...”
“Last night I was walking in the park and saw...”
“Look out behind you, it’s a...”
“My father always said, ...”
“My favorite time of the year is...”
“My most embarrassing moment was when...”
“My mother always told me to…”
“My neighbor wants me to help her...”
“My personal motto is...”
“My prom night was...”
“My secret talent is…”
“Once upon a time there was a ...”
“Our paths will cross again when...”
“People always tell me...”
“People call me the...”
“Poor vampire, he’s…”
“Right now is the perfect time to...”
“Run, if you see…”
“She had a heart like...”
“Sometimes I have to...”
“That is a match made in...”
“That reminds me; I need to…”
“That was definitely NOT your average...”
“The best dream I ever had was about...”
“The best things in life are...”
“The night is still young and…”
“The shocking truth is...”
“The specialty of the day is...”
“The world needs more...”
“The worst nightmare I ever had was about...”
“Then I met...”
“Today’s special is...”
“Tomorrow, let’s go to...”
“Welcome to...”
“What do you mean she said Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom."
“When I was little I wanted to be...”
“When I woke up this morning, I thought...”
“When I’m alone, I like to...”
“When no one’s looking I like to...”
“When the weather is cold I like to...”
“When the weather is hot I like to...”
“Whenever I think of that time of year, I think of…”
“Will you stay and be my…”
“Will you stay...”
“Wouldn’t it be nice if...”
“You couldn’t pay me to...”

I'm in, and I'm gonna set a capstone of ten! :)

1st in Series
Star Wars: Jedi Academy
The Giver
Hush, Hush
Holes
The House of the Scorpion
Poison
Anna and the French Kiss
Kometen kommer
Rivers of London
The Maze Runner

2nd in Series
Star Wars: Jedi Academy, Return of the Padawan
Savage Sam
The Sea of Monsters
Gathering Blue
Hollow City
Miss Queenies osannolika kärlekssång
The Son of Neptune
The Scorch Trials
The Arctic Incident

3rd in Series
Star Wars: Jedi Academy, The Phantom Bully
The Titan's Curse
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Farmer Boy
The Mark of Athena
The Kill Order
The Eternity Code
Library of Souls

4th in Series
The Battle of the Labyrinth
The House of Hades
On the Banks of Plum Creek
The Opal Deception
Broken Homes
Son
Taran Wanderer

5th in Series
The Blood of Olympus
By the Shores of Silver Lake
The Lost Colony
The High King
Origin
Foxglove Summer

6th in Series
The Long Winter
Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox
The Hanging Tree
Det osynliga barnet
Katitzi, Rosa och Paul & Katitzi i Stockholm

7th in Series
Little Town on the Prairie
The Atlantis Complex
Pappan och havet
Katitzi och Lump-Nicke

8th in Series
The Last Guardian
Sent i november
These Happy Golden Years

9th in Series
The First Four Years
Katitzi Z-1234

10th in Series
Katitzi barnbruden

I've had my copy from the library for a few days now, but I've been telling myself I need to finish a few of my other currently reading before I start a new book. I've heard a lot of good about this, and both Newbery and National Book awards are usually good indicators. :)

I was thinking an informal, but we can always step up our game depending on how we feel. It's my first ever buddy read so I thought I should give it a try!

Marcelina wrote: "Leo wrote: "Does someone want to read The House of the Scorpion with me? I plan to start this weekend or maybe Monday.

"

I am up to do thi..."

Great! I have the book already so I can start whenever. We have guests over the weekend so if we start before Monday I might not be able to read all that much per day.

Could we get a thread for this then, please?

Does someone want to read The House of the Scorpion with me? I plan to start this weekend or maybe Monday.

Allison wrote: "Guys I think I have to quit on this challenge. School is putting a lot of pressure on me so I don't have as much time anymore. So pick up a hitchhiker if you want to fill my spot because I can't co..."

No worries! School takes priority after all!

This has been dying down a bit lately, so what do the rest of you say about picking up a hitchhiker and continuing? We're not that far from completion!

I agree that two or more works! (otherwise I'll have to tead another book for the detour as well)

I wanted to check in with you since we govern ourselves for this! I'll add it to the spreadsheet when I'm not on my phone!

Edit: Added it, and it has a submarine in the background, which should work for the final detour if we are doing that!

Okay, question: I've read a graphic novel (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1) but are we at all counting graphic novels for this challenge? It's 192 pages, so fairly long.

I just finished Sula which contains strawberry!

I'm reading Sula by Toni Morrison, and that's about a 190 pages. I'm really enjoying it, especially because it's good to read more non-white authors for me. And you get the bonus of reading a Nobel Prize winner! ;)

If we're aiming for all tem members gor the strawberry detour, I have a book with the qord that I should be able to finish over the weekend!

I 'accidentally' stayed up to 3am to finish Old Man and the Sea, so I added that to the spreadsheet - only V left now! :)