Debra’s Comments (group member since Apr 01, 2014)

Debra’s comments from the Coffee Club with a Reading Problem group.

I'll try to post my review this weekend! I really liked this book/series!

Discussion about The Knife of Never Letting.

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DISCUSSION REVIEW (copy and paste)


Coffee Club With a Reading Problem Monthly Book Questionnaire
Share what you thought about this month's book! Give as many details as you can!

1. What was your initial impression when you started the book? Were you immediately drawn into the story, or did it take you a while? Did your opinion of the book change by the end? If so, why?

2. Did the book intrigue, amuse, disturb, alienate, irritate, or frighten you, or did you have a different response to the book?

3. Did you find the characters convincing? Were they believable? Compelling? Did you consider them fully-developed or one-dimensional? Did they grow or change? Who were your favorite and least favorite characters (and why)?

4. Was the plot well-developed? Was it believable? Did you feel manipulated along the way, or did the plot events unfold naturally or organically?

5. Was the pacing of the story to your liking? Would you consider the story more plot-driven (events unfolding quickly) or character-driven (more time spent developing characters' inner lives), and did that style work?

6. Did you expect the ending or were you surprised? Did you find the ending satisfying, or did you want it to end a different way?

7. Based on this book, would you be interested in continuing the series (if applicable) and/or reading other books by the same author? Is there anything you'd like to ask the author after finishing their book?

Discussion about Dark Genesis.

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DISCUSSION REVIEW (copy and paste)


Coffee Club With a Reading Problem Monthly Book Questionnaire
Share what you thought about this month's book! Give as many details as you can!

1. What was your initial impression when you started the book? Were you immediately drawn into the story, or did it take you a while? Did your opinion of the book change by the end? If so, why?

2. Did the book intrigue, amuse, disturb, alienate, irritate, or frighten you, or did you have a different response to the book?

3. Did you find the characters convincing? Were they believable? Compelling? Did you consider them fully-developed or one-dimensional? Did they grow or change? Who were your favorite and least favorite characters (and why)?

4. Was the plot well-developed? Was it believable? Did you feel manipulated along the way, or did the plot events unfold naturally or organically?

5. Was the pacing of the story to your liking? Would you consider the story more plot-driven (events unfolding quickly) or character-driven (more time spent developing characters' inner lives), and did that style work?

6. Did you expect the ending or were you surprised? Did you find the ending satisfying, or did you want it to end a different way?

7. Based on this book, would you be interested in continuing the series (if applicable) and/or reading other books by the same author? Is there anything you'd like to ask the author after finishing their book?

No, I totally get that. I've picked up- read a bit - put it down. For me it's not so much the reasons you named, it's more just a general sense of ominousness. The future is so bleak in this world that I'm almost too nervous about the ending to continue.

Yep- still write in options :)

1. What was your initial impression when you started the book? Were you immediately drawn into the story, or did it take you a while? Did your opinion of the book change by the end? If so, why?

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I read the book. The Amazon description didn’t exactly draw me in, but someone who shares my taste in books highly praised BloodSong and I was eager to give it a go.

It more or less lived up to my expectations. I really like the first half or so of the book, but after the “death” of Nortah, it seemed to move too quickly. Or perhaps at least more quickly than it had moved during the boys initiation phase. I was expecting more world building concerning the Alpiran Empire and the Meldeneans and was a little disappointed that it never really arrived.

2. Did the book intrigue, amuse, disturb, alienate, irritate, or frighten you, or did you have a different response to the book?

The book intrigued me.


3. Did you find the characters convincing? Were they believable? Compelling? Did you consider them fully-developed or one-dimensional? Did they grow or change? Who were your favorite and least favorite characters (and why)?

I found the characters to be the best part of the book. I thought they were very well done. I enjoyed watching Vaelin change as the book progressed.

4. Was the plot well-developed? Was it believable? Did you feel manipulated along the way, or did the plot events unfold naturally or organically?

Yes, I believe the plot was developed up to a certain point. There were certain plot points that I thought should have been handled better- specifically:

The men being possessed by the evil spirit. These always seemed to come out of left field. I felt like there should have been a bit more about this.

The truth of Barkus was another WTF moment for me. Where were the easter eggs that would give the reader some idea that this might happen? It was so sudden, it almost spoiled the entire book for me.

The Princess’s role in the book was a bit of a mystery to me. Why was she even there? As I look back, I can only see that she was needed to break Sharon out of jail. Other than that, she appeared to be a bit useless as a character.


5. Was the pacing of the story to your liking? Would you consider the story more plot-driven (events unfolding quickly) or character-driven (more time spent developing characters' inner lives), and did that style work?

At first, I thought the story was moving slow, but after a bit I settled into the story and acclimated to the pace. Then, however, things started to move significantly more quickly after they graduated- and I found that jarring.

6. Did you expect the ending or were you surprised? Did you find the ending satisfying, or did you want it to end a different way?

The ending threw me. Didn’t expect it at all. Looking back, though I feel the author was a bit heavy handed with telling the folktale of the witches bastard. Did it really need to be told twice? I feel like there should have been a better mechanism for injecting the story with it’s own mythology.

7. Based on this book, would you be interested in continuing the series (if applicable) and/or reading other books by the same author? Is there anything you'd like to ask the author after finishing their book?

Yes, I’m interested to see if the author’s style evolves and I’d like to see where Vaelin’s story leads.

Discussion about the Wool Omnibus series. I have an epub version of this book, if anyone needs it. PM me if you want a copy.

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DISCUSSION REVIEW (copy and paste)


Coffee Club With a Reading Problem Monthly Book Questionnaire
Share what you thought about this month's book! Give as many details as you can!

1. What was your initial impression when you started the book? Were you immediately drawn into the story, or did it take you a while? Did your opinion of the book change by the end? If so, why?

2. Did the book intrigue, amuse, disturb, alienate, irritate, or frighten you, or did you have a different response to the book?

3. Did you find the characters convincing? Were they believable? Compelling? Did you consider them fully-developed or one-dimensional? Did they grow or change? Who were your favorite and least favorite characters (and why)?

4. Was the plot well-developed? Was it believable? Did you feel manipulated along the way, or did the plot events unfold naturally or organically?

5. Was the pacing of the story to your liking? Would you consider the story more plot-driven (events unfolding quickly) or character-driven (more time spent developing characters' inner lives), and did that style work?

6. Did you expect the ending or were you surprised? Did you find the ending satisfying, or did you want it to end a different way?

7. Based on this book, would you be interested in continuing the series (if applicable) and/or reading other books by the same author? Is there anything you'd like to ask the author after finishing their book?

I'm ALMOST done... this book is certainly a long one!

witchypoo wrote: "I'm new here & it looks like we have a tie for the February book. Which one will we be reading?"

Hi Witchypoo! Welcome to the group. Sorry, I was AFK recently and this is the first I've been able to log in to the group. Looks like there is no longer a tie. We'll be reading the Wool Omni in Feb.

I'm currently about half way through it (it's a bit longer than our normal). The story is slow, but I'm quite enjoying it so far.

Jan 2015

DISCUSSION REVIEW (copy and paste)


Coffee Club With a Reading Problem Monthly Book Questionnaire
Share what you thought about this month's book! Give as many details as you can!

1. What was your initial impression when you started the book? Were you immediately drawn into the story, or did it take you a while? Did your opinion of the book change by the end? If so, why?

2. Did the book intrigue, amuse, disturb, alienate, irritate, or frighten you, or did you have a different response to the book?

3. Did you find the characters convincing? Were they believable? Compelling? Did you consider them fully-developed or one-dimensional? Did they grow or change? Who were your favorite and least favorite characters (and why)?

4. Was the plot well-developed? Was it believable? Did you feel manipulated along the way, or did the plot events unfold naturally or organically?

5. Was the pacing of the story to your liking? Would you consider the story more plot-driven (events unfolding quickly) or character-driven (more time spent developing characters' inner lives), and did that style work?

6. Did you expect the ending or were you surprised? Did you find the ending satisfying, or did you want it to end a different way?

7. Based on this book, would you be interested in continuing the series (if applicable) and/or reading other books by the same author? Is there anything you'd like to ask the author after finishing their book?

Jodi wrote: "Perhaps she was infected by area X even before she breathed the spores. Eww. "

Gross. What would have happened if she had gotten pregnant? Could she have? Maybe that was goal of the clones to infiltrate the "normal" world and mix the genes even more?

Kaitlin wrote: "Deb, where did they imply there were aliens? I don't remember reading anything that made it sound specifically like aliens. "

I couldn't tell you specifically, since I work from the audio version, but it was very late in the book where she was comparing Area X to a thorn stuck into the land. Something in the language used made my mind jump to extraterrestrial.

Jodi write: "Also, did it seriously freak anyone else out that after she read her husband's journal it is confirmed that her husband's (and other expedition member) clone type things were able to cross the "boundary" from Area X. That still freaks me out."

Remotely, yes I was a little freaked out by that idea. Makes me wonder how many clones are out there, wandering around? I think I'd be more freaked out in general if it wasn't for the fact that they seem to have a biological expiration date. I was actually more freaked out by the fact that she had sex with the freaky clone!

Y'all have FIVE days to post a book you'd like to read in Jan. Get posting people!

REVIEW

1. What was your initial impression when you started the book? Were you immediately drawn into the story, or did it take you a while? Did your opinion of the book change by the end? If so, why?

Initially, I wasn’t very into the book. The description on Amazon sounded alright, but it didn’t stand out to me. I was very hesitant about idea of the people being defined by their roles- a feeling that never truly left me as I made my way through the book.

I’m not really sure I could say that I was ever drawn into the story. I experienced it remotely. Perhaps it was the point of the narrative, but it read like a scientific journal. Every piece of emotion was removed. The only thing that remained for me was the relentlessness of the account and the feeling that the atmosphere was bleeding over into my own life. Or maybe that means I was extremely drawn into the story.



2. Did the book intrigue, amuse, disturb, alienate, irritate, or frighten you, or did you have a different response to the book?

The book made me uncomfortable. I was jumpy and “off center” immediately after listening to it- especially after the long evening drives on the way home. I think experiencing the book whilst driving at night wasn’t a good thing for me. The odd thing is, that I didn’t find it alienating per se, just relentless. I wanted the narrator to stop telling me things as much as she wanted to be able to stop telling them too me.

I felt the atmosphere keenly. Mold, decay, and being so very alone. Even when the characters were with each other, the sense of aloneness was very compelling. The atmosphere and the small disturbing changes to the animals got into my head and made me want to wriggle out of my own skin, just leave the story behind. This could be a personal thing, though. I do have a fear of animals being anthropomorphised, especially when this occurs in such a dark and disturbing narrative landscape as this.

I was thrown off by the ending. I didn’t know what I expected in regards to the strangeness of Area X, but to have it suddenly compared to an extraterrestrial invasion felt like an abrupt course correction that I didn’t see coming. I felt like those few paragraphs cheapened it a bit. Even though I found the story uncomfortable and the atmosphere disturbing, I was ok with it. I was ok with leaving it a mystery. I thought the character’s self journey was conclusion enough.



3. Did you find the characters convincing? Were they believable? Compelling? Did you consider them fully-developed or one-dimensional? Did they grow or change? Who were your favorite and least favorite characters (and why)?

I have conflicting feelings about the characters. On one hand, I didn’t like the stripping of the names and the choice to voice the story through the very scientific Biologist. DOn’t misunderstand, I understand the choice, I just didn’t like it. It felt too removed. It was always holding back, and while this completely matches her character, as a reader, I found it completely unsatisfying. In the end, I felt like her husband because I always wanted more from her. This, in turn, made me feel bad knowing that this same desire in her husband was a source of strife and unhappiness for her.

In the beginning, as they were walking down the first path and met the wild boar, I felt like they were characterchures and their voices seemed forced based on their respective stereotypes. But then their personalities began to unravel and I saw each of them in a new light. I don’t want to go so far as saying that they were expertly designed, but I do have a respect for the author’s choice of revelation speed. They became human to me slowly and I craved to know them better.

My favorite and least favorite characters were one in the same: the Psychologist. She was such a contradiction. And in true form, she intrigued and repulsed me in turn. I felt her death scene was (realistically) too long, but at the same time I wanted to ask her more questions.



4. Was the plot well-developed? Was it believable? Did you feel manipulated along the way, or did the plot events unfold naturally or organically?

Once again, I don’t know. I feel like the plot was well developed, but it frustrated me with how little we were shown of the area and the characters and the towns and EVERYTHING. Was it believable? At first, no. Then, when I became immersed, yes.

Other than the alien idea proposed at the end of the book, I felt like the plot did unfold at an organic pace.



5. Was the pacing of the story to your liking? Would you consider the story more plot-driven (events unfolding quickly) or character-driven (more time spent developing characters' inner lives), and did that style work?

This book definitely seemed to be character driven. I feel like the point was more to explore the biologist’s personality and life. She’s on a quest for answers about herself, her husband, and their relationship. Her quest through Area X seems to mimic that.

The pacing felt slow to me, though again, I feel like it was what was needed when you compare it to the characters. It worked, even if it drove me nuts.



6. Did you expect the ending or were you surprised? Did you find the ending satisfying, or did you want it to end a different way?

No. It was not satisfying in the least to me. I wanted to know more about the door at the bottom of the tower. I wanted to know what came of her husband. I wanted to sit and read more of journals in the lighthouse. I wanted to know why were the government thought the people and their notes so disposable that they just kept throwing them out into Area X. How did they monitor the expedition's progress? Why was the cache of journals hidden?



7. Based on this book, would you be interested in continuing the series (if applicable) and/or reading other books by the same author? Is there anything you'd like to ask the author after finishing their book?

No, I don’t think I’m going to read more. I found the atmosphere too oppressive and unsettling. It was psychologically taxing on me.



Misc Notes
We’ve only been doing this conclusion’s format for the last two books, but I’m enjoying it. I find it strange, but for both books, it almost feels like I don’t know how I feel about the book until I’m writing this up. My initial opinions change as I’m forced to reflect on the story as a whole.

I'm about half way through right now and I'm not sure how I feel about this book. The narration is so... scientific. I get how it works in relation to the character, but it feels like it's alienating me by removing the emotions I've come to expect from stories like this.

And psychologically, it's doing a number on me. I can't listen to it at night when I'm alone at home. The house is too dark and big for that. Maybe it's partially due to the fact that I'm listening to it on my commute to work and half of that is a night, driving through forested highway, but it's unnerving and kinda gives me the heebie-jeebies.

Kaitlin wrote: "SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU READ THE BOOK SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

Coffee Club With a Reading Problem Monthly Book Questionnaire
Share what you thought about this month's bo..."

Good god woman! You are the fastest reader I think I've ever known!

Dec 2014

And it looks like we're reading Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer next month! Annihilation
(2 votes 66.7%)

New Poll is up for both January and February. Both polls are open now for write in and voting.

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson is one of my top ten books. It's fantasy and has a unique twist on magic.