by
Blake CrouchReview:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...Buddy:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...Pages: 359
Word: T in title HE in author name
How it fits: The in author name
Omg I forgot to mention I LOVED this part it, I had the biggest smile reading it. It also made me lol 😂
(view spoiler)[
Although some might really prefer you behave yourself and not climb all over the furniture in joy or all over people in welcome, do it anyway. Some will draw back from you in fear or disgust. Your lover, however, will cherish this new aspect of you—if he or she be the right lover for you.
Some people will not like it if you take a sniff at everything to see what it is. And for heaven’s sakes, no lying on your back with your feet up in the air. Bad girl. Bad wolf. Bad dog. Right? Wrong. Go ahead. Enjoy yourself. "
I like how she emphasized "if he or she be the right lover for you" because YES. My first thought most men would probably be annoyed, and then she said that. I was oh yes exactly!!! (hide spoiler)]
I love how you found the actual word "whammy" 😂
Grace wrote: "Amanda wrote: "I've had a difficult week and haven't been reading as much as usual but I'll be finished with Voyager today and then gonna focus on reading this for the rest of my reading today to t..."yes there is a lot! I think I'm gonna aim for like 2 chapters a week (give or take)
Chapter 1 I wasn't sure what the structure of this book was going to be like but I like how it's written so far. I like how she uses accumulated imagery and cataloging. It makes the writing really poetic and beautiful. It does make it a bit confusing at times to understand the point she's making, but I found that she will eventually get to a more straightforward explanation. So I appreciate how she uses both!
I was writing notes in my phone as I was reading and its funny, i'm reading your comments now & we literally comment on all of the same things 😂
La Loba
(view spoiler)[
"okay I really love this concept
I will have to dig deep and do some research to see what she was talking about with the ancient dissectionists
But it fascinates me how much these dissectionists used to link internal organs with more psyche functions as well"
- I literally thought the same thing. I actually went to search the traditional legend of The Loba. I find it more interesting to have a basic understanding of the stories she's analyzing. Otherwise, I felt like I didn't have the necessary context to appreciate her analysis.
One of the main takeaways for me, was how the use of arts is so strongly connected to our core, instinctual selves. It's something I've already known but the way she describes it just makes you really reflect on how important it is. It is the way to reach "The One Who Knows." It's how to connect with the deepest parts of your psyche.
and again with the river beneath the river:
"She arrives there through deep meditation, dance, writing, painting, prayermaking, singing, drumming, active imagination, or any activity which requires an intense altered consciousness."
- I also wondered if she will talk more about traditional gender roles and how the man impacts the wild women. I'm sure she will. I'm really looking forward to that lol (hide spoiler)]The Four Rabbinsim
(view spoiler)[
"I LOVE that she said that
I love it more because a baby girl in the womb already has her ovaries and her eggs which means at some point a granddaughter was in the womb of the grandmother
So back to her dream of standing on the shoulders of an older woman, and how this chain of all of us being connected on such an instinctual basic level"
I loveddd this as well and noted it. I envisioned it in my mind. All the past generations holding you up. It's really so beautiful to think about. (hide spoiler)]I also really appreciated the parts near the end of the chapter around reviving yourself and coming back to life. I think it is so important. I also really liked how she incorporated what people typically say in her sessions "I dont feel good, but I don't feel bad" or something like that. Because yes, that's so common and so much of it is spiritual and I love how she explores that.
(view spoiler)[
I loved these quotes that kinda touch on that:
"This is our meditation practice as women, calling back the dead and dismembered aspects of ourselves, calling back the dead and dismembered aspects of life itself. The one who re-creates from that which has died is always a double-sided archetype."
I really loved this one too:
"La Loba, the old one in the desert, is a collector of bones. In archetypal symbology, bones represent the indestructible force. They do not lend themselves to easy reduction. They are by their structure hard to burn, nearly impossible to pulverize. In myth and story, they represent the indestructible soul-spirit. We know the soul-spirit can be injured, even maimed, but it is very nearly impossible to kill.
You can dent the soul and bend it. You can hurt it and scar it. You can leave the marks of illness upon it, and the scorch marks of fear. But it does not die, for it is protected by La Loba in the underworld. She is both the finder and the incubator of the bones." (hide spoiler)] I was really suprised she didn't touch on the scripture of the Dry Bones from the bible
(view spoiler)[ that's immediately what I thought about when she started talking about the bones and revival. It directly correlates with what she's talking about and it goes to show how in almost every culture and religion there is a version of a story with this same symbolism.
I just googled a brief summary to confirm that it is so similar
"In the vision of the “valley of dry bones,” God shows Ezekiel a field full of bones that are completely dried out — symbolizing a people who feel spiritually dead, hopeless, or cut off. God tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones, and as he speaks, the bones come together, grow flesh, and receive breath. They rise and become a living people again.
The message is that no situation is too lifeless, broken, or hopeless for renewal. God can restore what seems spiritually dead — whether it is a person, a community, or a nation. It represents."
It is possible she didn't include it because it doesnt speak to women - but it does speak to the metaphor of the bones and reviving what is thought to be dead. (hide spoiler)]Since my program is a psychoanalytic program - I recommended this book to two of my professors (if they haven't read it already) and I'm waiting to hear back from them lol
oh lmfao 😅 I thought you were saying you guys actually did one like on zoom or something. I was like, wait I want to join next time 😂😂
Omggggg I just went to post that, and it did that annoying glitch it's been doing where the red box comes up and says your message didn't post.
I thought I just lost all of it 😭 i was going to be so pissed. Thank god it was still in the box.
Chap 61 – End
Wow, yeah, that ending was crazy. There was so much happening lmao.
Mr. Willoughby / Yi Tien Cho
(view spoiler)[
I know this was so different in the show. I loved him in the show (from what I remember), so I was completely shocked by his betrayal here. I also don’t understand his motivation. I didn’t fully get what he was saying to Claire.
From what I understood, he felt that Jamie giving him a white person’s name took away his identity — the whole “eating his soul” thing — but… is that all Jamie did? Jamie, although with good intentions, did kinda treat him like a pet or a child at times, but Yi Tien Cho also never seemed to assert himself or say, “I am Yi Tien Cho, not Willoughby,” which I feel would naturally happen before jumping to betrayal.
Also, I didn’t get what he meant by “your life for mine” to Claire after he saved her. I couldn’t keep track of everything happening lol.
(hide spoiler)]The tribal ritual / Margaret
(view spoiler)[
Okay WTF was happening? lmao. This part was so creepy — it gave me chills. I didn’t clearly understand Margaret’s role in it. It seemed like her different states were connected to whatever ritual they were performing. And why did she bite the head off the chicken?
The different voices Claire was hearing — were they coming from the fire or from Margaret? I couldn’t tell if biting the chicken’s head off was some kind of spiritual rite that allowed spirits to possess her.
If I understood this part correctly, then my theory is that her traumatized psychological states — switching between dissociation and mania — allowed her to easily channel other spirits.
I loved that part, as creepy as it was 😂
(hide spoiler)]The Reverend
(view spoiler)[
Now that we know he was actually the serial killer, I’m mad I didn’t see it coming. There was so much foreshadowing lol. I knew something was off about him, but the idea that he was the killer never crossed my mind.
(hide spoiler)]Geillis
(view spoiler)[
She is fucking crazy. I really want to know what she did to the boys that Jamie found — do they ever explain?
I became SO angry when Ian told Jamie what she did to him. I love Ian, and it made me so sad. The way he was so confused and asking Jamie to understand why it felt good even though he didn’t want it… that broke my heart.
I was glad, though, that he asked Jamie if he had ever slept with someone he didn’t want to, because Claire overhearing Jamie admit that he had and didn’t want it was so important. It reassured her that he hadn’t wanted anyone else but her.
The prophecy is also so interesting. I don’t get why Geillis would want to kill the person who’s the possible heir, though. Didn’t she want there to be a Scottish monarch?
I Googled to understand it better and found this — I do remember them mentioning syphilis, but I didn’t make the connection:
"The Misinterpretation: By the time of Voyager, Geillis had become fanatical and likely mentally unstable due to tertiary syphilis. She fixated on the idea that the prophecy required action on her part."
(hide spoiler)]I love how each book in the series is its own little adventure. Always something new and exciting that you don’t expect. I’m also excited
(view spoiler)[ about them being in America. I love when they first get there and all the historical references of the time. (hide spoiler)]
What didn't you like about SOA? Just curious bc I loved that book and I have some friends who also loved it and some friends who also rated it 1 star so I always find it so interesting when some people love a book so much, and then some people don't like it all 😂 So im interested in your opinion
I read it like 3 or 4 years ago though, so I don't remember too many details just that I loved it and stayed up all night. I think it made me cry too? but can't remember for sure
oh well I saw you rated The Song of Achilles 1 star so maybe you wouldn't like Circe 😂
Although, I have seen people say that they didn't like SOA as much as they did Circe, so maybe it's worth a try.
Carrie wrote: "Amanda wrote: "I also just finished a 5-star read that I couldn't put down so that could also be part of it"
Really what was your five star? I need one of those! This one I agree is very boring an..."it was
by
Madeline Miller. Same author of
which I also loved. I stayed up all night reading both of them lol
But yeah - I honestly think this book will still have been kinda blah either way lol
Grace wrote: "we're in the lead guys woop woop! hahaha
we also hosted a mini book club with our pet(s) last week lolll
the updates from Alaina are so fun"wait with your pets?? where? lol
Amanda wrote: "
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Buddy: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...-..."Oh I forgot to add bonus for this one being part of the Outlander series!
Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...Buddy:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...Pages: 1059
Caramel - MC name starts with the letter C
How it fits: MC first name is Claire
aw, no worries and no rush!! I'm sure we will be fine then once they're added 😊
same i'll be starting soon
Alchemy of Secrets would work too actually!
Amanda ’s
Comments
(group member since Aug 31, 2025)
