tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92003738950164795102024-03-14T03:45:31.328-04:00Cozy Slippers Book Club ForumSemi-online Book ClubTysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-89808707578261803122013-10-07T14:39:00.004-04:002013-10-07T14:40:44.230-04:00Book Club Forum #34: The Preservationist<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">October 2013 Book of the Month: The Preservationist</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Author: Justin Kramon</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Fiction - Thriller</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lHo0wFU_gL4/UlL_fwLzj_I/AAAAAAAABXA/lczpe8kIFlA/s1600/The-Preservationist-Justin-Kramon-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lHo0wFU_gL4/UlL_fwLzj_I/AAAAAAAABXA/lczpe8kIFlA/s1600/The-Preservationist-Justin-Kramon-cover.jpg" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eJsFkFnvq1k/UlL_fw7Fn6I/AAAAAAAABXE/xyuM2Tm7JsI/s1600/Justin+Kramon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eJsFkFnvq1k/UlL_fw7Fn6I/AAAAAAAABXE/xyuM2Tm7JsI/s1600/Justin+Kramon.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Discussion Questions Coming Soon</span></b></div>
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Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-88566686406269231542013-02-07T17:41:00.004-05:002013-02-08T15:57:37.687-05:00Book Club Forum #33: A Land More Kind Than Home<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<object height="250" style="clear: right; float: right;" width="250"> <param name = "movie" value = "http://dgjigvacl6ipj.cloudfront.net/media/swf/PBSPlayer.swf" > </param>
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Month: February 2013</div>
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Genre: Literary Thriller </div>
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Book of the Month: <i>A Land More Kind Than Home</i></div>
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Author: Wiley Cash</div>
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Question source: N/A</div>
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Watch <a href="http://video.unctv.org/video/2263817240" style="color: #4eb2fe !important; font-weight: normal !important; height: 13px; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank">Wiley Cash, A Land More Kind Than Home</a> on PBS. See more from <a href="http://www.unctv.org/ncbookwatch/" style="color: #4eb2fe !important; font-weight: normal !important; height: 13px; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank">NC Bookwatch.</a></div>
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<b>Discussion Questions:</b><br />
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<b><br /><a href="http://www.unctv.org/ncbookwatch/" style="color: #4eb2fe !important; font-weight: normal !important; height: 13px; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank"></a></b></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pwNpeHgQsWc/URQtc-YRhrI/AAAAAAAABNc/6RRFvOrfAMg/s1600/LandMoreKindThanHome_PB_cover_FINAL-210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pwNpeHgQsWc/URQtc-YRhrI/AAAAAAAABNc/6RRFvOrfAMg/s200/LandMoreKindThanHome_PB_cover_FINAL-210.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
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1. Think about the epigraph the author chose to open the book and from
which the novel's title derives. What is the significance of this
particular quote? How does it set the novel's tone and mood? Explain
what the title—"a land more kind than home"—signifies.</div>
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2. The novel is told from three characters' perspectives. How does this
add to the story and deepen it as it unfolds? How might it be different
if it had been told from only one of the character's point of view?</div>
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3. Talk about Carson Chambliss. Describe his character. Why does he have
such a magnetic hold on his congregation, and especially on Julie? Is
Julie a good mother? Can you understand why she behaved the way she did?
Do you think she understood the truth of her son, Stump's fate? Why is
Addie so afraid of him?</div>
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4. How might the events of the story have unfolded differently if Jess
had told his mother the truth about what she heard at the Sunday
afternoon service?</div>
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5. Describe this small North Carolina town in which the story takes
place. What is it like? How does its size and remoteness influence the
lives of those who call it home? Sheriff Clem Barfield is not native to
Madison County. How does this impact the way he sees this place and its
people?</div>
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6. How can religion uplift a person's soul? How can it be corrupting
influence? Julie considers herself to be a "good Christian woman." What
do you think? Whether you are Christian or not, religious or not, what
is your definition of a "good Christian?" Is anyone in the novel
virtuous, and if so, in what way?</div>
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7. Why did Addie pull the children out of Chambliss's services? Did she have any other options?</div>
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8. When Jess asks his grandpa if Stump will be able to talk in heaven,
Jimmy tells him, "Of course he will. We'll all be able to talk. And
we'll be able to understand each other." What does his answer reveal
about him and the world? What is he trying to teach Jess?</div>
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9. Think about Jimmy Hall. What kind of relationship does she have with his son? What about with Sheriff Barefield?</div>
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10. Can this novel be compared to a Shakespearean tragedy? If so, in
what ways? Think about various stories and proverbs from the Bible. How
are they reflected in the story?</div>
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11. What role does nature and the natural world play in the novel?</div>
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12. Addie believes that this place and its people will be saved in the
wake of tragedy. Do you believe in salvation? What role does forgiveness
play in this story? Do you think people can change for the better?
What about Jimmy Hall? How do the novel's events impact his relationship
with the sheriff and with his grandson, Jess?</div>
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13. Think about the novel's themes: revenge, faith, betrayal, goodness
and evil, forgiveness and understanding. Choose a character and show how
these themes are demonstrated through his or her life.<b> </b></div>
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Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-33238583005355061512012-10-02T15:00:00.001-04:002013-02-07T19:04:07.971-05:00Book Club Forum #32: Ashes Of The Earth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Book Selection Status: </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: red;">Read</span><i><span style="color: red;"> </span></i></b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Month: October 2012</span><br />
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Genre: Dystopian fiction, mystery</div>
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Book of the Month: Ashes Of The Earth<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"> </span></div>
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Author: Eliot Pattison</div>
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Question source: N/A</div>
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<u><b>Discussion Questions</b></u></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tf8EIm38bIQ/UGs4dJsKoDI/AAAAAAAABNE/WS-DflJtXHg/s1600/ashesoftheearth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tf8EIm38bIQ/UGs4dJsKoDI/AAAAAAAABNE/WS-DflJtXHg/s200/ashesoftheearth.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>
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<b>Questions Coming Soon...</b></div>
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Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-84326681590613419972012-09-04T12:54:00.002-04:002012-10-02T15:07:03.009-04:00Book Club Forum #31: Summer Session<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Book Selection Status: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: red;">READ</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Month: September 2012</span><br />
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Genre: Fiction, Mystery</div>
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Book of the Month: Summer Session<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"> </span></div>
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Author: <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Merry Jones</span></div>
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Question source: N/A</div>
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<b><i><u>Discussion Questions:</u></i></b></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-deZl6GaIjuE/UEYxZqGeNSI/AAAAAAAABMk/aabwnZT93q0/s1600/51OVS78K2wL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-deZl6GaIjuE/UEYxZqGeNSI/AAAAAAAABMk/aabwnZT93q0/s200/51OVS78K2wL.jpg" width="126" /></a></div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>What did you like and dislike about this novel?</li>
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Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-54721082578479529962012-08-21T10:20:00.001-04:002012-09-04T13:02:12.321-04:00Book Club Forum #30: The Saving Graces <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Book Selection Status: </span><b style="color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: red;">READ</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Month: August 2012</span><br />
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Genre: Fiction</div>
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Book of the Month: <span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal;">The</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"> Saving Graces </span></div>
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Author: <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Patricia Gaffney</span></div>
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Question source: <a href="http://www.patriciagaffney.com/savinggraces_guide.html#">http://www.patriciagaffney.com/savinggraces_guide.html#</a></div>
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<b><u>Discussion Questions</u></b></div>
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<ol style="background-color: #e7edf0; color: #725b45; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vGeBEzF09GQ/UDOYM0hdolI/AAAAAAAABL0/QBUYwKz_TtM/s1600/savinggracesimages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vGeBEzF09GQ/UDOYM0hdolI/AAAAAAAABL0/QBUYwKz_TtM/s200/savinggracesimages.jpg" width="133" /></a>
<li style="margin-bottom: 15px;">Which Grace do you relate to most, and why? What do you define as "grace"? Where do you find it in your life?</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 15px;">Why do you think the author starts and ends the story from Emma's point of view? Would you consider Emma the main character?</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 15px;">When Lee is describing Isabel for the first time, she says, "Some people are born knowing things the rest of us spend our lives trying to learn." What kinds of things do you think she's talking about? Do you agree with Lee? What do you think Isabel had, or knew, that the other Graces didn't?</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 15px;">The night Emma finds out that Mick Draco is married, she describes men as "speed bumps ... aggravating distractions scattered along life's otherwise pretty nice highway," and also says that good women are easier to find. Do you think she really believes this? Have you ever felt the way Emma says she does? Do you think men feel that way about women -- that, on the whole, men are the better sex -- or is this a uniquely feminine perspective?</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 15px;">At one point, Rudy says about Curtis, "I tried not loving him -- just for a second; an experiment. To my horror, it worked." What does she mean by this? That her love for him isn't real? What do you think of Rudy and Curtis's relationship, over all? How did your feelings change about him over the course of the book? When he told Rudy he has leukemia, did you believe him? What do you think Rudy's dream means?</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 15px;">There's a remarkably small amount of jealousy and possessiveness among the Graces. Do you think this is realistic? Have you had the same experiences with your women friends?</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 15px;">When you tally it up among the four of them, the Graces experience just about every tragedy known to womankind -- cancer, infidelity, alcoholism and drug abuse, mental illness, infertility, and devastating heartbreak, to name a few. Do you think the author has woven these themes in realistically? Would you say this group of women experiences more than their share of suffering? What about joy?</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 15px;">The only time the idea of romantic love between women comes up in the book is via Jenny, Henry's lesbian plumber mom. Why do you think the author wrote Jenny into the story? What purpose does she<br />serve? Do you think Jenny really assumes The Saving Graces is founded on the same basic ideas as the women's group/commune she belonged to in the late '70s? Is it? If so, how is it the same, and how is it<br />different?</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 15px;">Have you ever belonged to a formal group like The Saving Graces? Do you think it's difficult to form close friendships with women later in life, after school and other settings? How do you think friendships among women change as they age?</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 15px;">At one point, Emma describes Isabel as her "mentor, although neither of us would ever say that out loud, and certainly we'd never use that word." Do you think that's an accurate way to describe their<br />relationship?</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 15px;">What about mothering -- is Isabel the mother figure in The Saving Graces? Or is Lee? Do you think any one member takes more than she gives, or is it all pretty equal?</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 15px;">Why do you think Lee holds out for so long trying to have her own baby? Do you think she's justified in feeling so angry and desperate, especially when she has a loving husband, a good job, a nice home -- and other people have much bigger problems, like her friend Isabel, who's dying? How do you think Lee's experience with infertility affects her reactions to what's going on with Isabel?</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 15px;">Isabel says "sometimes kindness is as excruciating as cruelty." What do you think she means by that?</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 15px;">Why do you think the author wrote in Isabel's encounter with Sheldon Herman, the old man on the bench?</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 15px;">When Isabel and Kirby sleep together for the first time, she's able to forget for a moment that she's dying -- then abruptly remembers again. Do you think that sex and death are related in any way?</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 15px;">What do you think of the scene where the Graces take on Curtis? Is it realistic? Is it everybody's fantasy, in some way, to have their best friends there for them in the hardest moments? Can you really have help with these things, or do you need to face them alone?</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 15px;">Do you think Emma and Mick will make it as a couple? Or were they brought together by the desire for something they couldn't have, and, now that they have it, their passion will be diminished?</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 15px;">Which of the Graces do you think grew the most over the course of the book, and in what ways?</li>
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Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-2790879549558755172012-07-12T13:38:00.000-04:002012-08-28T12:02:37.327-04:00Book Club Forum #29: The Chaperone<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Month: July 2012</span><br />
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Genre: Fiction</div>
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Book of the Month: The Chaperone</div>
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Author: <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Laura Moriarty</span></div>
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Question source: <a href="http://us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/the_chaperone.html" style="background-color: white;">http://us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/the_chaperone.html</a></div>
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<b><u>Discussion Questions</u></b></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CFHMZzXYj5w/T_8JbMZf_4I/AAAAAAAABKc/olNDDa2iy_U/s1600/thechaperone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CFHMZzXYj5w/T_8JbMZf_4I/AAAAAAAABKc/olNDDa2iy_U/s200/thechaperone.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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<li><i>The Chaperone</i> opens with Cora Carlisle waiting out a rainstorm in a car with a friend when she hears about Louise Brooks for the first time. What do we learn about Cora in this scene? What does it tell us about her and the world she lives in? Why does Laura Moriarty, the author, choose to open the novel this way? Why do you think she waits to introduce us to Brooks?</li>
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<li>When we first meet Louise Brooks, she seems to be the complete opposite of Cora, but the two women form an unlikely bond anyway. Are they really so dissimilar? What does Cora learn from Louise? Do you think Louise learns anything from Cora?</li>
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<li>When Cora arrives in New York, the city is worlds away from her life in Wichita. How much do you think Cora actually embraces New York? When she returns to Wichita, what does she bring back with her from New York? What parts of her stayed true to Wichita all along?</li>
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<li>The limits of acceptable behavior for women were rapidly changing in the 1920s, and both Cora Carlisle and Louise Brooks, in their own ways, push against these boundaries. Discuss the different ways the two women try to change society’s expectations for women. Is one more successful than the other? What are the values involved in each woman’s approach?</li>
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<li>Cora becomes frustrated with the hypocrisy of the women in her Wichita circle of friends and yet she herself chooses to keep details about her own life secret. Do you think she should be more open about her life choices? What are the risks for her if she were to be more open?</li>
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<li>Cora Carlisle hopes to find the secret of her past in New York City but discovers that the truth doesn’t align with either her expectations or her memory of the past. Why do you think Laura Moriarty has chosen to leave Cora’s history ambiguous? What does this tell you about Cora? How has Cora’s attitude toward her past changed by the end of <i>The Chaperone</i>?</li>
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<li>Cora narrates the events of the book from a perspective of many years later. What juxtapositions does this allow her? By placing Cora’s narration at a time of radical social change, what parallels is Moriarty making?</li>
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<li>Think about Louise Brooks’s behavior. How much of it would be considered scandalous today? What values has society held on to? In what ways has society changed?</li>
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Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-72713420538766026812012-06-20T13:49:00.001-04:002012-07-12T13:41:06.011-04:00Book Club Forum #28: The Castaways<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Book Selection Status: </span><b style="color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: red;">READ</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Month: June 2012</span><br />
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Genre: Fiction</div>
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Book of the Month: The Castaways</div>
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Author: <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Elin Hilderbrand</span></div>
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Question source: N/A</div>
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Discussion Questions:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a "Free For All" book review please comment and give your opinion about this novel. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-54560871683690406942012-05-01T13:41:00.000-04:002012-07-12T13:46:24.650-04:00Book Club Forum #27: Cutting For Stone<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Book Selection Status: <b style="color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: red;">READ</span></b><br />
Month: May 2012<br />
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Genre: Fiction </div>
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Book of the Month: Cutting for Stone</div>
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Author: Abraham Verghese</div>
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Question source: <a href="http://bestsellers.about.com/od/bookclubquestions/a/cutting_stone_q.htm">http://bestsellers.about.com/od/bookclubquestions/a/cutting_stone_q.htm</a></div>
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Discussion Questions</div>
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1. What did you enjoy most about <i>Cutting for Stone</i>?<br />
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2. Who was your favorite character? Why?</div>
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3. What was "missing" in the main characters' lives (Thomas, Ghosh, Hema, Genet, Marion, Shiva)? What was found?</div>
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4. What was the saddest loss in this tale?</div>
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5. What did you learn about Ethiopia's history as a country that you did not know before?</div>
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6. Did you empathize with Genet's choices? Why or why not?</div>
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7. What did you think of Thomas Stone's back story? Did it help you understand his character's actions and motivations?</div>
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8. How does Marion and Shiva's characteristics and choices as twins reflect the stories' themes about division, reconciliation, and unity?</div>
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9. Were you satisfied with the conclusion? Why or why not?</div>
</div>Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-68971928642449415602012-04-03T13:04:00.002-04:002012-07-12T13:41:34.712-04:00Book Club Forum #26: Home Front<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Book Selection Status:
<b style="color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: red;">READ</span></b> <b><i><span style="color: red;"> </span></i></b><br />
Month: April 2012<br />
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Genre: Fiction </div>
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Book of the Month: Home Front</div>
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Author: K<span style="color: black;">ristin Hannah</span></div>
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Question source: N/A</div>
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<strong>Discussion Questions:</strong></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FvIn8JptxEM/T3ssxn_RShI/AAAAAAAABFc/zNvbVyTrGyw/s1600/home+front_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FvIn8JptxEM/T3ssxn_RShI/AAAAAAAABFc/zNvbVyTrGyw/s200/home+front_.jpg" width="128" /></a>1. Based on your interpretation can you describe the personality traits of each member of the Zarkades family?<br />
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2. What did you like most about this book? Was there a specific chapter in this book that peaked your interest? Why?<br />
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3. What circumstances aided in the deterioration of Michael and Joleen Zarkades marriage?<br />
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4. How would you rate their parenting skills?<br />
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5. How did the war affect the Zarkades family and Michael and Joleen's marriage?<br />
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6. How did this book affect your view about marriage and family in general?<br />
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7. If you were to meet these characters, what advice would you offer them?<br />
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8. How do you feel about the conclusion of this story? </div>
</div>Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-46953185559741334872012-03-02T12:43:00.006-05:002012-04-03T13:12:58.417-04:00Book Club Forum #25: The Boy In The Suitcase<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Book Selection Status: <b><span style="color: red;">READ </span></b><br />
Month: March 2012<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Genre: Fiction </div><div style="text-align: left;">Book of the Month: The Boy In The Suitcase</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Author: <span style="color: black;">Lene Kaaberbol & Agnete Friis</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Question source: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Discussion Questions:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UGNNy2yBY-c/T1T_QamjGuI/AAAAAAAABFI/bAMn9Q0n6TA/s1600/The%2520Boy%2520in%2520the%2520Suitcase-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UGNNy2yBY-c/T1T_QamjGuI/AAAAAAAABFI/bAMn9Q0n6TA/s200/The%2520Boy%2520in%2520the%2520Suitcase-1.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> 1. How did you <strong>experience</strong> the book? Were you engaged immediately, or did it take you a while to </div><div style="text-align: justify;">"get into it"? How did you feel reading it—amused, sad, disturbed, confused, bored...?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<span class="red-bold">2.</span> Describe the main <strong>characters</strong>—their personality traits, motivations, inner qualities. Why do they do what they do? Are their actions justified? Do you admire or disapprove of them? Do they remind you of people you know?<br />
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3. Do the main <strong>characters change</strong> by the end of the book? Do they grow, or come to learn something about themselves and how the world works?</div><div style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="red-bold">4.</span> Is the <strong>plot</strong> engaging—does the story interest you? Is this a plot-driven book: a fast-paced page-turner? Or does the story unfold slowly with a focus on character development? Were you surprised by the plot's complications? Or did you find it predictable, even formulaic?</div><div style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="red-bold">5.</span> Talk about the book's <strong>structure</strong>. Is it a continuous story...or interlocking short stories? Does the time-line more forward chronologically...or back and forth between past and present? Does the author use a single viewpoint or shifting viewpoints? Why might the author have choosen to tell the story the way he or she did—and what difference does it make in the way you read or understand it?<br />
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</div><div style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="red-bold">6.</span> What main ideas—<strong>themes</strong>—does the author explore? Don't forget to talk about the title, often a clue to a novel's theme.</div><div style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="red-bold">7.</span> What <strong>passages</strong> strike you as insightful, even profound? Perhaps a bit of dialog that's funny or poignant...or encapsulates a character? Maybe comments that state the book's thematic concerns?<br />
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</div><div style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="red-bold">8.</span> Is the <strong>ending</strong> satisfying? If so, why? If not, why not...and how would you change it?<br />
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</div><div style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="red-bold">9. </span>If you could ask the <strong>author</strong> a question, what would you ask? Have you read other books by the same author? If so how does this book compare. If not, does this book inspire you to read others?<br />
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</div><div style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="red-bold">10.</span> Has this novel <strong>changed you</strong>—broadened your perspective? Have you learned something new or been exposed to different ideas about people or a certain part of the world?</div><div style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div></div>Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-68945458359810853472012-02-02T00:20:00.002-05:002012-04-03T13:13:23.605-04:00Book Club Forum #24: The Bird House<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Book Selection Status: <b><span style="color: red;">READ </span></b><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">Month: February 2012</div><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: Fiction </div><div style="text-align: left;">Book of the Month: The Bird House</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Author: Kelly Simmons</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Question source: h<a href="http://books.simonandschuster.ca/Bird-House/Kelly-Simmons/9781439160930/reading_group_guide">ttp://books.simonandschuster.ca/Bird-House/Kelly-Simmons/9781439160930/reading_group_guide </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Discussion Questions: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HfsE8EDTsEE/Tyoag2ilZiI/AAAAAAAABE0/78KnYLlpQCA/s1600/THE+BIRD+HOUSE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HfsE8EDTsEE/Tyoag2ilZiI/AAAAAAAABE0/78KnYLlpQCA/s200/THE+BIRD+HOUSE.jpg" width="128" /></a>1. Ann reveals within the first chapter that her memory is failing. How did this confession affect your reading? Was Ann an unreliable narrator? Explain your answer. </div><br />
2. Bird houses are a recurring theme throughout the novel—besides the title itself, Ellie chooses bird houses for her "Aspect" school project. Do you think the bird houses hold some sort of symbolism? Why or why not?<br />
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3. Throughout the novel, we get bits and pieces of what Ann's husband, Theo, was like. Do you think Ann is fair with his depiction? If the novel had been narrated by Theo, how do you think he would have described himself? How would his perspective differ from Ann's?<br />
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4. In the beginning, Ann describes her daughter-in-law, Tinsley, as almost perfect. She even attributes her granddaughter's wonderful demeanor to Tinsley. When do you see Ann's opinion begin to change? Why do you think it changes so drastically? Do you think they will ever completely resolve their differences?<br />
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5. Ann thinks the world of Tom and Ellie. In her mind, they can do no wrong. Do you feel the same? Or do you think she is fiercely loyal to them because they are her flesh and blood?<br />
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6. Adultery recurs throughout the novel and is also a shared commonality between Ann, her mother, and Tinsley. How do you think this bonds the women together? Does this shared connection help them relate to one another? Or could it also have an opposite effect on their relationships?<br />
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7. Ann, her mother, and Tinsley all have completely different personalities and lead completely different lives. What do you think lead each woman to cheat on her partner?<br />
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8. There were multiple instances throughout the novel where Ann's daughter, Emma, acts in an odd, and even malicious, manner. Do you think this is a result or an effect of the anger and resentment she feels for losing her daughter at such a young age?<br />
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9. Do you blame Ann for her daughter's death? Do you think Ann blames herself? Why do you think she kept this a secret for such a long time?<br />
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10. When Ann confronts Tinsley about her affair, she claims to have the best intentions. Do you agree with how Ann handled this discussion? If you were in Ann's position, what would you have done?<br />
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11. Ann never gave her father the chance to give his side of the story, and after his death she discovers he was not her biological father. Do you think she should have given him the chance to explain himself? And do you think this was what he was trying to tell her?<br />
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12. Ann reveals a great deal about her past, and even present, to Ellie. Do you think this relationship was inappropriate? Why or why not?<br />
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13. On page 272, Ann says to Ellie: "'If you ever have to choose between a man who's serious and a man who's fun, choose the fun one. Promise me.'" Do you agree with Ann? Who do you think was the "fun one" and who was the serious one? Theo or Peter?<br />
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14. Did you like that the novel was told from only Ann's perspective? Or would you have a more objective, third person narrator?' <br />
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</div></div>Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-82776500199372947242012-01-03T13:21:00.003-05:002012-02-02T00:23:57.231-05:00Book Club Forum #23: Girl In Translation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Book Selection Status: <b><i><span style="color: red;"> </span></i><span style="color: red;">READ</span><i><span style="color: red;"> </span></i></b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Month: January 2012</div><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: Fiction </div><div style="text-align: left;">Book of the Month: Girl In Translation</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Author: Jean Kwok</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Question source: <a href="http://jeankwok.net/discussion.shtml">http://jeankwok.net/discussion.shtml</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Discussion Questions: </div><ol style="text-align: left;"></ol><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ANSmoDI_IFk/TwNGL6sTraI/AAAAAAAABEo/KYIxKZniqNo/s1600/girltranslation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ANSmoDI_IFk/TwNGL6sTraI/AAAAAAAABEo/KYIxKZniqNo/s200/girltranslation.jpg" width="133" /></a>1. Throughout <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Girl in Translation</i>, the author uses creative spelling to show Kimberly’s mis-hearing and misunderstanding of English words. How does the language of the novel evolve as Kimberly grows and matures? Do you see a change in the respective roles that English and Chinese play in the narrative as it progresses? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left;">2. The word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">translation </i>figures prominently in the title of the novel, and learning to translate between her two languages is key to Kimberly’s ability to thrive in her new life. Does she find herself translating back and forth in anything other than language? Clothing? Priorities? Expectations? Personality or behavior? Can you cite instances where this occurs, and why they are significant to the story as a whole?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left;">3. Kimberly has two love interests in the book. How are the relationships that Matt and Curt offer different? Why do you think she ultimately chooses one boy over the other? What does that choice say about her? Can you see a future for her with the other boy? What would change?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left;">4. In many ways Kimberly takes over the position of head of household after her family moves to New York. Was this change in roles inevitable? How do you imagine Ma feels about it? Embarrassed? Grateful? In which ways does Ma still fulfill the role of mother?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left;">5. Kimberly often refers to her father, and imagines how her life might have been different, easier, if he had lived. Do you think she is right?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left;">6. Kimberly’s friend Annette never seems to grasp the depths of Kimberly’s poverty. What does this say about her? What lesson does this experience teach Kimberly? Is Kimberly right to keep the details of her home life a secret?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left;">7. Kimberly believes that devoting herself to school will allow her to free her family from poverty. Does school always live up to her expectations? Where do you think it fails her? How does it help her succeed? Can you imagine the same character without the academic talent? How would her life be different? What would remain the same? Is Kimberly right to believe that all of her potential lies in her talent for school? Must qualities like ambition, drive, hope, and optimism go hand in hand with book smarts?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left;">8. Think about other immigrant stories. How is Kimberly’s story universal? How is it unique? How does Kimberly’s Chinese-American story compare to other immigrant stories? Would it change if she were from a different country or culture?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left;">9. Kimberly lives in extreme poverty. Was anything about her circumstances surprising to you? How has reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Girl in Translation </i>affected your views of immigration? How can you apply these lessons in your community?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left;">10. The story is set in the 1980s. Do you think immigrant experiences are much different today? What has changed? What has remained the same?<o:p></o:p></div><ol style="text-align: left;"></ol></div>Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-62254445872553185022011-12-03T10:24:00.003-05:002012-02-02T00:25:07.354-05:00Book Club Forum #22: The Paris Wife<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: left;">Book Selection Status: <b><span style="color: red;">READ</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Month: December 2011</div><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: Historical Fiction </div><div style="text-align: left;">Book of the Month: The Paris Wife</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Author: Paula McLain</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Question source: http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/features/paula_mclain/author/ </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Discussion Questions: </div><br />
<ol class="italicized-list"></ol><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m3xJwHvho-w/Tto_hQ-nhpI/AAAAAAAAA9c/IXt3Fz9iJns/s1600/the+paris+wife+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m3xJwHvho-w/Tto_hQ-nhpI/AAAAAAAAA9c/IXt3Fz9iJns/s200/the+paris+wife+cover.jpg" width="131" /></a>1. In many ways, Hadley's girlhood in St. Louis was a difficult and repressive experience. How do her early years prepare her to meet and fall in love with Ernest? What does life with Ernest offer her that she hasn't encountered before? What are the risks?<br />
<br />
2. Hadley and Ernest don't get a lot of encouragement from their friends and family when they decided to marry. What seems to draw the two together? What are some of the strengths of their initial attraction and partnership? The challenges?<br />
<br />
3. The Ernest Hemingway we meet in THE PARIS WIFE—through Hadley's eyes—is in many ways different from the ways we imagine him when faced with the largeness of his later persona. What do you see as his character strengths? Can you see what Hadley saw in him?<br />
<br />
4. The Hemingways spontaneously opt for Paris over Rome when the get key advice from Sherwood Anderson. What was life like for them when they first arrived? How did Hadley's initial feelings about Paris differ from Ernest's and why?<br />
<br />
5. Throughout THE PARIS WIFE, Hadley refers to herself as "Victorian" as opposed to "modern." What are some of the ways she doesn't feel like she fits into life in bohemian Paris? How does this impact her relationship with Ernest? Her self-esteem? What are some of the ways Hadley's "old-fashioned" quality can be seen as a strength and not a weakness?<br />
<br />
6. Hadley and Ernest's marriage survived for many years in Jazz-Age Paris, an environment that had very little patience for monogamy and other traditional values. What in their relationship seems to sustain them? How does their marriage differ from those around them? Pound's and Shakespeare's? Scott and Zelda's?<br />
<br />
7. Most of THE PARIS WIFE is written in Hadley's voice, but a few select passages come to us from Ernest's point of view. What impact does getting Ernest's perspective have on our understanding of their marriage? How does it affect your ability to understand him and his motivations in general?<br />
<br />
8. What was the role of literary spouses in 1920's Paris? How is Hadley challenged and restricted by her gender? Would those restrictions have changed if she had been an artist and not merely a "wife"? <br />
<br />
9. At one point, Ezra Pound warns Hadley that it would be a dire mistake to let parenthood change Ernest. Is there a nugget of truth behind his concern? What are some of the ways Ernest is changed by Bumby's birth? What about Hadley? What does motherhood bring to her life, for better or worse?<br />
<br />
10. One of the most wrenching scenes in the book is when Hadley loses a valise containing all of Ernest's work to date. What kind of turning point does this mark for the Hemingway's marriage? Do you think Ernest ever forgives her? <br />
<br />
11. When the couple moves to Toronto to have Bumby, Ernest tries his best to stick it out with a regular "nine-to-five" reporter's job, and yet he ultimately finds this impossible. Why is life in Toronto so difficult for Ernest?<br />
<br />
12. Why does Hadley agree to go back to Paris earlier than they planned, even though she doesn't know how they'll make it financially? How does she benefit from supporting his decision to make a go at writing only fiction?<br />
<br />
13. Hadley and Ernest had similar upbringings in many ways. What are the parallels, and how do these affect the choices Hadley makes as a wife and mother?<br />
<br />
14. In THE PARIS WIFE, when Ernest receives his contract for <b>In Our Time</b>, Hadley says, "He would never again be unknown. We would never again be this happy." How did fame affect Ernest and his relationship with Hadley?<br />
<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">15. The Sun Also Rises</b> is drawn from the Hemingways' real-life experiences with bullfighting in Spain. Ernest and his friends are clearly present in the book, but Hadley is not. Why? In what ways do you think Hadley is instrumental to the book regardless, and to Ernest's career in general?<br />
<br />
16. How does the time and place—Paris in the 20's—affect Ernest and Hadley's marriage? What impact does the war, for instance, have on the choices and behavior of the expatriate artists surrounding the Hemingways? Do you see Ernest changing in response to the world around him? How, and how does Hadley feel about those changes?<br />
<br />
17. What was the nature of the relationship between Hadley and Pauline Pfeiffer? Were they legitimately friends? How do you see Pauline taking advantage of her intimate position in the Hemingway's life? Do you think<br />
<br />
18. Hadley is naïve for not suspecting Pauline of having designs on Ernest earlier? Why or why not?<br />
<br />
19. It seems as if Ernest tries to make his marriage work even after Pauline arrives on the scene. What would Hadley it have cost Hadley to stick it out with Ernest no matter what? Is there a way she could have fought harder for her marriage? <br />
<br />
20. In many ways, Hadley is a very different person at the end of the novel than the girl who encounters Ernest by chance at a party. How do you understand her trajectory and transformation? Are there any ways she essentially doesn't change? <br />
<br />
21. When Hemingway's biographer Carlos Baker interviewed Hadley Richardson near the end of her life, he expected her to be bitter, and yet she persisted in describing Ernest as a "prince." How can she have continued to love and admire him after the way he hurt her?<br />
<br />
22. Ernest Hemingway spent the last months of his life tenderly reliving his first marriage in the pages his memoir, <b>A Moveable Feast</b>. In fact, it was the last thing he wrote before his death. Do you think he realized what he'd truly lost with Hadley? </div>Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-88070546103939422512011-11-01T12:23:00.005-04:002012-02-02T00:25:44.055-05:00Book Club Forum #21: Lady Undertaker<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div closure_uid_oymno0="246" closure_uid_tv5n3e="235">Book Selection Status: <b><span style="color: red;">READ</span></b></div>Month: November 2011<br />
Genre: Fiction <br />
Book of the Month: Lady Undertaker<br />
Author: Lyn Johnson and Lisa Branch-Tucker<br />
Question source: <a href="http://www.book-clubs-resource.com/running/discussion-questions.php">http://www.book-clubs-resource.com/running/discussion-questions.php</a><br />
<br />
<div></div><div align="center">Discussion Questions:<br />
<br />
</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4OhtCzQSGq8/TrAdEW8wQOI/AAAAAAAAA0U/NCMe-o45iN8/s1600/JohnsonBranchTuckerCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4OhtCzQSGq8/TrAdEW8wQOI/AAAAAAAAA0U/NCMe-o45iN8/s200/JohnsonBranchTuckerCover.jpg" width="125" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4OhtCzQSGq8/TrAdEW8wQOI/AAAAAAAAA0U/NCMe-o45iN8/s1600/JohnsonBranchTuckerCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>1. What was unique about the setting of the book and how did it enhance or take away from the story?<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. What specific themes did the author emphasize throughout the novel? What do you think he or she is trying to get across to the reader?</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">3. Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to their predicaments? To what extent do they remind you of yourself or someone you know?</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. How do characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? What events trigger such changes?</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">5. In what ways do the events in the books reveal evidence of the author's world view?</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">6. Did certain parts of the book make you uncomfortable? If so, why did you feel that way?</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div></div>Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-81211888506065089032011-10-03T12:38:00.004-04:002011-11-01T12:08:03.483-04:00Book Club Forum #20: The Heart Specialist<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div closure_uid_oymno0="246" closure_uid_tv5n3e="235">Book Selection Status: <strong><span style="color: red;">READ</span></strong></div>Month: October 2011<br />
Genre: Fiction Literature<br />
Book of the Month: The Heart Specialist<br />
Author: Claire Holden Rothman<br />
Question source: <a href="http://www.bookmovement.com/app/readingguide/view.php?ratings&readingGuideID=18157">http://www.bookmovement.com/app/readingguide/view.php?ratings&readingGuideID=18157</a><br />
<br />
<div align="center">Discussion Questions:</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8moNBxqYJP4/TonlJk4G3EI/AAAAAAAAAtU/5NjRtDqbO6Y/s1600/heart+specialist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8moNBxqYJP4/TonlJk4G3EI/AAAAAAAAAtU/5NjRtDqbO6Y/s200/heart+specialist.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>1. One of the central images of the novel is a misshapen, three‐chambered human heart in a laboratory bottle. Human hearts normally have four chambers – two atria and two ventricles – but the Howlett Heart, as it is called in the book, has only one ventricle, which confuses Agnes <br />
White when she discovers it in the McGill museum of pathology. At first she thinks it is reptilian or perhaps amphibian, but eventually she realizes it's human, albeit gravely defective. She publishes an article about it in a scholarly journal, a first step in what will become her celebrated <br />
career in heart medicine. The deformed heart is also the first of a series of clues leading to her missing father, and it figures in her discovery of love at the novel’s end. What does the Howlett Heart evoke for you? What are its functions in the novel? <br />
<br />
2. The Heart Specialist tells the story of a young woman trying to enter medicine at a time when <br />
this was nearly impossible. Other characters in the novel are marginalized as well. Agnes’s lab <br />
assistant Jakob Hertzlich is marginalized because of his religion. Her colleague Dugald Rivers is <br />
marginalized due to sexual orientation. These characters are all hurt by a society with overly <br />
rigid definitions of social roles. Which characters in the novel are marginal? Which are <br />
mainstream? What impact does this have on their fates? <br />
<br />
3. Vision is a motif in this novel. Agnes White is myopic. George Skerry is constantly removing her <br />
spectacles and rubbing the lenses clean. Honoré Bourret is half‐blind when Agnes finally meets <br />
him at the novel`s end, and shortly after that meeting, Agnes declares, ``I just opened my eyes <br />
for the first time in fifty years. It certainly took me long enough. I had built my life on a dream.`` <br />
Discuss vision and its symbolic importance in this book. <br />
<br />
4. In section VI of the novel, entitled War, Agnes White laments that she has been forced, due to <br />
her sex, to stay in Montreal, while her male colleagues head off to France to serve in the First <br />
World War. She is deeply jealous of them. After reading letters from Dugald Rivers, however, <br />
her view shifts. ``From that day until I died,`` she declares, ``I would offer up prayers of thanks <br />
for the good fortune of having been born a woman.`` Agnes White has conflicting feelings about <br />
womanhood. Would you characterize her as a feminist? <br />
<br />
5. Agnes White pursues a career in medicine in large part as an attempt to enter the world of her <br />
missing father. The father quest is an archetypal story form, found in ancient myth and legend. <br />
In the Greek myths, for instance, Theseus goes in search of his missing father, Aegeus, and in the <br />
process proves himself a hero. Likewise, young Telemachus searches for his missing father <br />
Odysseus, and proves his own courage and worth. Discuss the ways in which The Heart Specialist <br />
is a father quest, with a twist. <br />
<br />
6. Love is hard to achieve in this novel filled with hearts. Is there a successful love relationship <br />
here? <br />
<br />
7. The Heart Specialist was inspired by one of Canada`s first female physicians, Doctor Maude <br />
Abbott. Does this fact change your approach to the novel? How? <br />
<br />
8. The act of story‐telling is important in The Heart Specialist. Twice, Agnes White recounts the <br />
story of her life: the first time to William Howlett in Baltimore, and the second to George Skerry <br />
by the river in Saint Andrew`s East, right at the novel`s end. Why are these two scenes <br />
important in the novel? <br />
<br />
9. Compare the two sisters, Laure and Agnes. One picked a more traditional female life, the other <br />
charted new waters. What were their fates? Now add George Skerry into the mix. What kinds of <br />
options for happiness and fulfillment did women have in the society depicted in this novel? <br />
<br />
10. This novel opens with death, and death seems to follow Agnes White wherever she goes. In <br />
part, this is because of her profession. But could the death be metaphoric as well as literal? <br />
Must Agnes White die in this novel, to be figuratively reborn?</div>Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-8789635810815305872011-09-02T12:39:00.002-04:002011-10-11T12:22:14.595-04:00Book Club Forum #19: Promise Bridge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div closure_uid_oymno0="246" closure_uid_tv5n3e="235">Book Selection Status: <span style="color: red;"><strong>READ</strong></span></div>Month: September 2011<br />
Genre: Historical Fiction Literature<br />
Book of the Month: Promise Bridge<br />
Author: Eileen Clymer Schwab<br />
Question source:<br />
<br />
<div align="center">Discussion Questions:</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SoYXGQHwgrE/TmEFjMJTS0I/AAAAAAAAAss/xTinwUrjoW4/s1600/promise+bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SoYXGQHwgrE/TmEFjMJTS0I/AAAAAAAAAss/xTinwUrjoW4/s200/promise+bridge.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. What did the promise bridge mean to you and how did it expand as the novel progressed?</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">2. Livie's move to freedom can be seen in a physical journey. Do you think Hannah and Colt discover a kind of freedom? How so?</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">3. Why did Hannah feel more alive in Mud Run than she did in the main house?</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">4. Several circumstances occur during the story that change Colt in Hannah's eyes. What instances are memorable and how did they change her perception of him as a man?</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">5. Elements of friendship, suspense and romance carry the story, with a few surprises along the way. How did the mix of these elements affect the pace of the story, and which plot twist did you least expect?</div></div>Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-65164105876926409672011-08-03T12:38:00.002-04:002011-09-12T11:50:09.356-04:00Book Club Forum #18: State of Wonder<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div closure_uid_oymno0="246" closure_uid_tv5n3e="235">Book Selection Status: <strong><span style="color: red;">READ</span></strong></div><div closure_uid_oymno0="246"></div><div closure_uid_oymno0="246" closure_uid_tv5n3e="339">Month: August 2011</div><div closure_uid_oymno0="246" closure_uid_tv5n3e="340">Genre: Fiction </div><div closure_uid_oymno0="246" closure_uid_tv5n3e="340">Book of the Month: State of Wonder</div><div closure_uid_oymno0="246" closure_uid_tv5n3e="340">Author: Ann Patchett</div><div closure_uid_oymno0="246" closure_uid_tv5n3e="340">Question source: <a href="http://www.bookmovement.com/app/readingguide/view.php?ratings&readingGuideID=17907">http://www.bookmovement.com/app/readingguide/view.php?ratings&readingGuideID=17907</a></div><div closure_uid_oymno0="246"><br />
</div><div closure_uid_oymno0="246" closure_uid_tv5n3e="293" style="text-align: center;"><strong><u>Discussion Questions:</u></strong></div><div closure_uid_gk5v9w="239" closure_uid_oymno0="246"><br />
</div><div closure_uid_oymno0="246"><div closure_uid_oymno0="246"></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xXq1OUIXw10/Tjl48lH-4II/AAAAAAAAAsk/8GFQ2dyiQ_I/s1600/state+of+wonder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xXq1OUIXw10/Tjl48lH-4II/AAAAAAAAAsk/8GFQ2dyiQ_I/s200/state+of+wonder.jpg" t$="true" width="130" /></a></div><div closure_uid_oymno0="246" closure_uid_tv5n3e="322" style="text-align: justify;">1. How would you describe Marina Singh? How has the past shaped her character? Discuss the anxieties that are manifested in her dreams. </div><div closure_uid_oymno0="246" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div closure_uid_tv5n3e="292" style="text-align: justify;">2. “Marina was from Minnesota. No one ever believed that. At the point when she could have taken a job anywhere she came back because she loved it here. This landscape was the one she understood, all prairie and sky.” What does this description say about the character? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. Talk about Marina’s relationship with her boss, Mr. Fox. Would you call what they share love? Do they have a future? Why does he want Marina to go to the Amazon? What propels her to agree? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. What drew Marina to her old mentor, Annik Swenson? Compare and contrast the two women. How does Annick see Marina? Barbara Bovender, one of Annik’s caretakers/gatekeepers tells Marina, “She’s such a force of nature. . . . a woman completely fearless, someone who sees the world without limitations.” Is this a fair assessment of Annik? How would you describe her? How has the elderly doctor’s past shaped the person she is and the choices she has made? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">5. Describe the arc of Marina and Annik’s relationship from the novel’s beginning to its end. Do you like these women? Did your opinion of them change as the story unfolded? Why didn’t Marina ever tell anyone the full story of her early experience with Annick? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">6. Consider Annik’s research in the Amazon. Should women of any age be able to have children? What are the benefits and the downsides? Why does this ability seem to work in the Lakashi culture? What impact does this research ultimately have on Marina? Whether you are a man or woman, would you want to have a child in your fifties or sixties? How far should modern science go to “improve” on nature? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">7. In talking about her experiences with the indigenous people, Annik explains, “the question is whether or not you choose to disturb the world around you; or if you choose to go on as if you had never arrived. “ How does Marina respond to this? Did Annik practice what she preached? How do these women’s early choices impact later events and decisions? How does Annik’s statement extend beyond the Amazon to the wider world? Would you rather make a “disturbance” in life, or go along quietly? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">8. Talk about the Lakashi people and the researchers. How do they get along? Though the scientists try not to interfere with the natives’ way of life, how does their being there impact the Lakashi? What influence do the Lakashi have on the scientists? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">9. Would you be able to live in the jungle as the researchers and natives do? Is there an appeal to going back to nature; from being removed from the western constraints of time and our modern technological society? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">10. What role does nature and the natural world—the jungle, the Amazon River—play in Marina’s story? How does the environment influence the characters—Marina, Annik, Milton, Anders, Easter, and the others? Annik warns Marina, “It’s difficult to trust yourself in the jungle. Some people gain their bearings over time but for others that adjustment never comes.” Did Marina ultimately “gain her bearings”? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">11. Marina travels into hell, into her own Conradian “heart of darkness.” What keeps her in the jungle longer than she’d ever thought she’d stay? How does this journey transform her and her view of herself and the world? Will she ever return—and does she need to? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">12. What is your opinion of the choices Marina made regarding Easter? What role did the boy play in the story? Do you think Marina will ever have the child—one like Easter—that she wants? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">13. What do you think happens to Marina after she returns home? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">14. State of Wonder is rich in symbolism. Identify a few—for example, Eden Prairie (Marina’s Minnesota home), Easter (the young deaf native boy), Milton (the Brazilian guide)—and talk about how Ann Patchett uses them to deepen the story. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">15. State of Wonder raises questions of morality and principle, civilization, culture, love, and science. Choose a few events from the book to explore some of these themes. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div closure_uid_tv5n3e="305" style="text-align: justify;">16. What is the significance of the novel’s title, State of Wonder? </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div>Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-49654608648137206322011-07-07T12:07:00.002-04:002011-09-12T11:50:50.589-04:00Book Club Forum #17: Save Me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Book Selection Status: <strong><span style="color: red;">READ </span></strong><br />
<br />
Month: July 2011<br />
Genre: Fiction - Thriller<br />
Book of the Month: Save Me<br />
Author: Lisa Scottoline<br />
Question source: <a href="http://scottoline.com/Site/Bookclubs/">http://scottoline.com/Site/Bookclubs/</a><br />
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<div align="center"><strong><u>Discussion Questions:</u></strong></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R96RzASWwRo/ThXZd1DwK0I/AAAAAAAAApQ/IPN__LbtbjE/s1600/save-me-lisa-scottoline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" m$="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R96RzASWwRo/ThXZd1DwK0I/AAAAAAAAApQ/IPN__LbtbjE/s200/save-me-lisa-scottoline.jpg" width="136" /></a></div>1. SAVE ME explores the mother and child relationship, at its heart. What do you think defines a mother? How is a mother and child relationship different than any other relationship? Look at other forms of culture, like art, for example. How many depictions are there of mother and child? And how many of father and child? Are we discriminating against fathers, or diminishing them, by all this talk of the mother-child bond? And by doing so, do we create a self-fulfilling prophecy? <br />
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2. In SAVE ME, Melly is the victim of bullying because of a birthmark on her face. Do you think bullying is different today than years ago? Do you think that the bullying is getting worse, or are we just hearing more about it because of the Internet? What do you think parents and schools should do to help curb bullying? What kind of punishment do you think is appropriate for the child who is doing the bullying? What about those who watch and say nothing? Are they, or aren't they, equally as culpable? Do you think that school programs and curricula that build up self-esteem and a sense of community will really make a difference? <br />
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3. Rose experienced her own bullying at the hands of the angry parents, which gave her new perspective on what Melly was going through. Do you have any experience with bullying between adults? In what ways are adults better equipped to deal with bullying than children? What impact can bullying have on adults, and what can an adult do if they are faced with a bully? What impact does being a bully, or being a bully as an adult, have on their children? <br />
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4. Rose steps in to defend Melly against her bully. Do you think it was a good idea? Why or why not? How do you think a parent's involvement hurts or helps the situation? At what point do you think a parent needs to involve themselves in the situation? What steps would you take to help your child if they were being bullied, and how far would you be willing to go? <br />
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5. What impact do you think a physical blemish has on a child, and how do you think it effects their identity, their relationship with their family, and their relationship with the outside world? Take it a step further -- like how about physical differences, like a child in a wheelchair? Or learning challenges, that aren't so visible? Or how about discriminations based on race, religion or sexual orientation? Melly's father reacted very badly to Melly's birthmark. What did his reaction make you feel about him? <br />
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6. Many of Lisa's books center on single mothers or blended families. Do you think the love of one great parent is enough to sustain a child through life? Does it take a husband, too? Or a village? <br />
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7. As Rose found out, volunteering comes with risks. The book makes clear that this is a problem in the law of many states, maybe even where you live. What do you think of the laws in terms of protecting those who volunteer their time? What changes, if any, would you make to the laws to protect volunteers? Should we expand the Good Samaritan statues to include volunteers and to encourage even more people to volunteer? <br />
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8. How did you feel about Rose keeping her secret past from Leo? Did you understand her reasoning? Did you agree or disagree with it? What impact do you think Rose's past will have on her marriage as she moves forward? Do you think she will ever really be able to escape what happened? Will he forgive her not telling him? How do secrets impact intimacy in our lives? <br />
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9. Rose was called a "helicopter" parent, a term often used in today's society with a negative connotation. What separates helicopter parenting from good parenting? What kind of parent do you think Rose was? What mistakes do you think she made? Do you think she was a good mother? Do you think she favors Melly, or the baby? Or treats them equally? <br />
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10. How did you feel about Amanda in the beginning of the book? How, if at all, did your opinion of her change by the end of the book? What do you think causes children to be bullies? Under what circumstances would you ever feel bad for the bully? In punishing a bully, do you think their personal circumstances should be taken into account? <br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">11. What did you think of Rose's lawyers' strategy? Did you agree or disagree with it? Why or why not? Do you think they were just passing the blame, or do you think the school had a responsibility in what happened? Do you think that litigation is another form of bullying? Do you know anybody who is sue-happy?</div></div>Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-11469726977240222242011-06-15T13:15:00.004-04:002011-09-12T11:51:02.177-04:00Book Club Forum #16: Cheap Cabernet: A Friendship<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Book Selection Status: <strong><span style="color: red;">READ</span></strong><br />
<br />
Month: June 2011<br />
Genre: Non fiction Chic-Lit Memoir<br />
Book of the Month: Cheap Cabernet: A Friendship<br />
Author: Cathie Beck<br />
Question source: <a href="http://www.cathiebeck.com/my-book/reading-group-guide/">http://www.cathiebeck.com/my-book/reading-group-guide/</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><u>Discussion Questions:</u></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2fwONVMfPjI/TfjnxC1DBVI/AAAAAAAAAo8/HV5rOXlM73U/s1600/cheap+cabernet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2fwONVMfPjI/TfjnxC1DBVI/AAAAAAAAAo8/HV5rOXlM73U/s200/cheap+cabernet.jpg" t8="true" width="128" /></a></div>1. Why does Cathie feel the need to start a women’s group? What crossroads has she arrived at in her life? How does her children moving away from home change the way she feels about her place in society? <br />
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2. Cathie and Denise become fast friends, but their relationship is far from smooth, even at the beginning. In what ways do their personalities clash? In what ways do they complement one another? Why do you think their complex relationship ends up being so special?<br />
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3. Why does Cathie retell the story of applying for food stamps when her children are young? What does that story tell the reader about Cathie’s life as a young mother? What do we learn about her background, and how does it inform the woman we meet in the memoir?<br />
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4. Discuss issues of ownership as they are portrayed in the memoir (Cathie’s need to own a house, and Denise’s need to own garage sale bargains). What does owning material objects mean to each of the women? How do their different backgrounds inform this need?<br />
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5. Denise and John have unique and unconventional marriage. How does Cathie feel about their relationship? Do you think she envies them, or pities them? What about the marriage works for Denise, and in what ways does the arrangement fail her? Do you think John and Denise are in love? Why or why not?<br />
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6. Cathie had very complicated, mixed feelings about Denise’s illness. In what ways does Cathie let Denise’s MS affect their friendship? Would you say that Cathie takes care of Denise when she is ill? In what ways does Denise’s MS frustrate and disappoint Cathie?<br />
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7. Discuss Cathie and Denise’s trip to Jamaica and Cuba. In what ways is the trip a turning point for both women? What do they each discover about themselves on the trip and what do they discover about one another?<br />
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8. Why does Cathie include the story of her visit to New York to see where Denise grew up? What does visiting Denise’s home, and meeting the women she grew up with tell us about Denise and her upbringing? Why does meeting these women have such a profound effect on Cathie?<br />
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9. Toward the end of the memoir, Cathie writes about her own mother, and the struggles she faced raising Cathie and her siblings. Is Cathie anything like her mother? In what ways does Cathie escape her families’ legacy? In what ways does she continue where her mother left off? How does her family and her childhood haunt her into her adult life?<br />
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10. In the end, Cathie and Denise have a falling out and Cathie does not attend her friend’s memorial service. Do you think Denise orchestrated their rift to protect Cathie, as Cathie assumes? Do you think Cathie can really find closure?<br />
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11. Cheap Cabernet follows in a tradition of many great memoirs, novels, and movies about women’s friendships. How does this book fit in to that tradition? How is Cathie and Denise’s friendship unique from others you have read about or seen?<br />
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</div>Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-82944553732507538722011-05-02T22:48:00.002-04:002011-06-15T13:07:32.673-04:00Book Club Forum #15: The Passage<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Book Selection Status: <strong><span style="color: red;"><em>READ</em></span></strong><br />
Month: May 2011<br />
Genre: Science Fiction<br />
Book of the Month: The Passage<br />
Author: Justin Cronin<br />
Question source: <a href="http://bestsellers.about.com/od/bookclubquestions/a/The-Passage-By-Justin-Cronin-Book-Club-Discussion-Questions.htm">http://bestsellers.about.com/od/bookclubquestions/a/The-Passage-By-Justin-Cronin-Book-Club-Discussion-Questions.htm</a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><u>Discussion Questions:</u></strong></div><br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; height: 19px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; width: 501px;">1. What do you feel were the main themes Cronin was wrestling with in this novel?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://0.tqn.com/d/bestsellers/1/G/Y/C/-/-/passage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Passage by Justin Cronin" border="0" class="photo" height="200" src="http://0.tqn.com/d/bestsellers/1/G/Y/C/-/-/passage.JPG" width="131" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2. What was your favorite quote/intro to which section of the novel and how do you feel it best set up what was to come?</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">3. Did you think the national response to the crisis was realistic (ex. California seceding from the U.S.)?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>4. Do you think Cronin’s writing techniques and style changes were successful in bringing this world to life? Why or why not?<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">5. Did you have a hard time transitioning from the first third of the book to the last two-thirds? Why or why not?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>6. Was there any point in the story where you felt you couldn’t read anymore?<br />
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7. Did you have any issues with the pacing of the novel? Why or why not?<br />
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8. Which character do you think loved Amy the most? Which do you think Amy loved the most?<br />
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9. Was the ending satisfying or did it leave you thirsty for more?<br />
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10. Rate The Passage 1 to 5. <br />
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<div align="center"></div><img height="96" src="http://0.tqn.com/d/bestsellers/1/G/Y/C/-/-/passage.JPG" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 45px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 270px; visibility: hidden;" width="63" /></div>Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-21121913194776168792011-04-01T13:00:00.000-04:002011-04-01T13:00:43.638-04:00Book Club Forum #14: Push<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Book Selection Status: <strong><em><span style="color: red;">CURRENTLY READING</span></em></strong> <br />
Month: April 2011<br />
Genre: Nonfiction: Nonfiction<br />
Book of the Month: Push<br />
Author: Sapphire<br />
Question source: <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/book/160691/push-by-sapphire/9780307474841">http://www.randomhouse.com/book/160691/push-by-sapphire/9780307474841</a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Discussion Questions:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xuffaqN6imE/TZSqOLThYTI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/QHrf8IuNmgM/s1600/push.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" r6="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xuffaqN6imE/TZSqOLThYTI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/QHrf8IuNmgM/s200/push.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><br />
1. What does this story tell us about the inadequacy of ordinary schools to deal with students' problems and with their resulting learning handicaps? "I got A in English and never say nuffin', do nuffin'"[p. 49], Precious says. Precious's principal in effect tells her teacher to give up on her, saying, "Focus on the ones who can learn"[p. 37]. Is this an understandable or forgivable attitude? How would you describe Mr. Wicher and his teaching methods? Is he merely a coward or is he trying his best? <br />
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2. "The tesses paint a picture of me wif no brain," says Precious. "The tesses paint a picture of me an' my muver—my whole family, we more than dumb, we invisible"[p. 30]. In what way are Precious and her family members invisible to the larger world? If you have read Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, can you compare the way the two authors use the metaphor of invisibility for their characters? <br />
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3. During the course of the story, Precious is obliged to confront her own prejudices and modify or reject them. Her experience with the Hispanic EMS man makes her look at Hispanics for the first time as human beings like herself; her friendship with Ms. Rain and Jermaine makes her reexamine her knee-jerk homophobia. Early in the novel she says, "I hate crack addicts. They give the race a bad name"[p. 14], but later she questions that uncompromising position. In an interview, Sapphire said of Precious that "she doesn't know that hating gay people or hating Jews or hating foreigners is detrimental to her" (Interview, June 1996). Why is it detrimental to her? Why is it imperative that she lose her prejudices before she, herself, can be helped? <br />
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4. How would you describe Precious's self-image at the beginning of the book, and how would you describe it at the end? How have her friends and supporters succeeded in helping to alter her view of herself? <br />
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5. What is Precious's attitude toward Louis Farrakhan and his movement at the beginning of the story? How does this attitude change during the course of her education? Why have Farrakhan and his opinions become such a vital part of her worldview? What do you deduce the author's attitude toward him to be? <br />
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6. A famous—or perhaps infamous—Labor Department study, the Moynihan Report, blamed the absence of fathers and the dominance of women (rather than economic and racial inequality) for the problems confronting the African American family. Many black scholars and activists have argued against the report's conclusions. Which side of the argument do you believe Push to support? <br />
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7. Push presents what one reviewer called "one of the most disturbing portraits of motherhood ever published" (City Paper, November 1996). How would you explain or interpret Precious's mother's behavior? <br />
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8. "Miz Rain say we is a nation of raped children, that the black man in America today is the product of rape" [pp. 68–69]. What does Ms. Rain mean by this metaphor, and does it strike you as an accurate one? <br />
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9. Precious tells Ms. Rain that the welfare helps her mother, to which Ms. Rain responds, "When you get home from the hospital look and see how much welfare has helped your mother" [p. 73]. What does this novel indicate about abuses and inadequacies in the system? How might an ideal system be constructed? <br />
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10. Precious's file reflects the government "workfare" point of view, that Precious should already be earning her own living, possibly as a home attendant. Precious objects violently to this idea. Can you understand the social worker's point of view? Have Precious's and Jermaine's arguments [pp. 121–123] changed any opinions you previously held on this subject? <br />
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11. "Miz Rain say value. Values determine how we live much as money do. I say Miz Rain stupid there. All I can think she don't know to have NOTHIN'"[p. 64]. Which opinion do you agree with, or is there something to be said for both? What answer, if any, does the novel offer? <br />
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12. "One of the myths we've been taught," Sapphire has said, "is that oppression creates moral superiority. I'm here to tell you that the more oppressed a person is, the more oppressive they will be" (Bomb, Fall 1996). How does the novel illustrate the concept of the cycle of abuse? How does Precious break that cycle, and what aspects of her own character enable her to do so? <br />
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13. Push has been called a Dickensian novel, to which Sapphire has responded, "Part of what's so wrong in this story is that we're not in a Dickensian era. Those things shouldn't be happening in a post-industrial society" (Bomb, Fall 1996). She sees the novel as "an indictment of American culture, which is both black and white" (ibid). What aspects of our culture have enabled the inequities described in the novel to develop? Would you say that contemporary American cities consist, as Dickens's London was said to, of two entirely different cultures, the rich one and the poor? <br />
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14. Why do you think Sapphire has chosen to end the story where she does? Does the book end on a sad or hopeful note? What sort of future do you envision for Precious? <br />
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15. What is the significance of the novel's title, Push? At what points in her life is Precious enjoined to "push"? What is meant by this word, and how does Precious respond to the injunctions? <br />
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</div>Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-77045595848132748922011-03-01T12:21:00.004-05:002011-04-01T13:03:46.329-04:00Book Club Forum #13: Bury Me In My Jersey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Book Selection Status: <span style="color: red;"><strong><em> </em></strong>READ</span><br />
Month: March 2011<br />
Genre: Nonfiction: A Memoir<br />
Book of the Month: Bury Me In My Jersey: A Memoir of My Father, Football, and Philly<br />
Author: Tom McAllister<br />
Question source: Original<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Discussion Questions:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JADXCYSFqwA/TW0n3xzrA3I/AAAAAAAAAlc/zmigJieoHUM/s1600/9780345516510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" l6="true" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JADXCYSFqwA/TW0n3xzrA3I/AAAAAAAAAlc/zmigJieoHUM/s200/9780345516510.jpg" width="131" /></a><span style="background-color: #6aa84f;">1.</span> What are your overall thoughts and feelings about this story?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="background-color: #93c47d;">2.</span> What was your perception of football before you read this book?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="background-color: #93c47d;">3</span>. Has reading this book changed your perception of football?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="background-color: #93c47d;">4.</span> Can you think of other forms of entertainment that tend to become a passionate means of tradition for families?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><span style="background-color: #93c47d;">5.</span> Who was your favorite character?<br />
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<span style="background-color: #93c47d;">6.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span>What (list maximum of 4) question(s) would you like to ask the author?<br />
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</div>Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-59519731174940078562011-02-01T13:50:00.002-05:002011-03-01T11:54:37.032-05:00Book Club Forum #12: The Lotus Eaters<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Book Selection Status: <span style="color: red;"><em>READ</em></span><br />
Month: February 2011<br />
Genre: Fiction:<br />
Book of the Month: The Lotus Eaters<br />
Author: Tatjana Soli<br />
Question source: <a href="http://www.thelotuseaters.net/HomeLotusEaters.html">http://www.thelotuseaters.net/HomeLotusEaters.html</a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Discussion Questions:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3z3o-YowR8U/TUhUtw7w2JI/AAAAAAAAAlY/i8jVs0JqusY/s1600/the+lotus+eaters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" s5="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3z3o-YowR8U/TUhUtw7w2JI/AAAAAAAAAlY/i8jVs0JqusY/s200/the+lotus+eaters.jpg" width="152" /></a><strong><span style="color: red;">1.) </span></strong>Soli pulled the novel’s title, The Lotus Eaters, from an episode in Homer’s The Odyssey and uses Homer’s description of the land of the lotus-eaters as the novel’s opening epigraph. What connection do you see between Homer’s lotus-eaters and the main characters of this novel? What, if anything, in this novel acts like the lotus described by Homer, so powerful and seductive it causes one to abandon all thoughts of home? Does each character have a different "lotus" that draws them in? How does the title illuminate the main themes of the novel?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="color: red;">2.) </span></strong>The novel begins with the fall of Saigon, and then moves back in time twelve years to the beginning of the war. How do you think this structure contributed to your experience of the novel? Did this glimpse of Helen in 1975 influence how you related to her character at earlier points in her life? Did knowing the outcome affect your judgment of her actions and the actions of those around her?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="color: red;">3.)</span> </strong>Helen makes a pivotal decision at the end of Chapter 1—to send Linh on the plane and stay behind to “see it end.” Why does she make this decision? How did you feel about it? Did your feelings about it change over the course of the novel?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="color: red;">4.)</span></strong> What does Helen think of Vietnam and the Vietnamese people when she first arrives in Saigon? How do her feelings evolve throughout the novel? How does this evolution affect how she comes to view the war and her role in it?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="color: red;">5.)</span></strong> In Chapter 3, Darrow says, “The cool thing for us is that when this one’s done, there’s always another one… The war doesn’t ever have to end for us.” Why does he say this to Helen? What does it show about how Darrow views the war and about Darrow himself? When Helen repeats these words back to him in Chapter 11, how has their meaning changed? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><strong>6.)</strong></span> In Chapter 19, Helen believes that “violence had poisoned them all....” In what ways are Darrow, Helen, and Linh poisoned? What, if anything, keeps each of them from being destroyed by it?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><strong>7.)</strong></span> Throughout the novel, Helen finds herself in love, and loved by, two very different men. How would you characterize each of her relationships? Did you prefer Helen in one relationship over the other? What are each relationship’s strengths and weaknesses? Which man do you ultimately believe is Helen’s great love?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><strong>8.)</strong></span> Mark Twain said, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” Bravery and courage are frequently mentioned in the novel. In what ways do the various characters display these traits? In what ways do they fail?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><strong>9.)</strong></span> What do you think the future holds for Helen at the end of the novel? For Linh? </div></div>Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-61299964594088449412011-01-01T20:43:00.003-05:002011-02-01T13:54:42.185-05:00Book Club Forum #11: Mercury In Retrograde<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Book Selection Status: <span style="color: red;">READ</span><br />
Month: January 2011<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Genre: Chic-Lit Fiction:</div>Book of the Month: Mercury In Retrograde<br />
Author: Paula Froelich<br />
Question source: <a href="http://www.bookmovement.com/app/readingguide/view.php?readingGuideID=13788">http://www.bookmovement.com/app/readingguide/view.php?readingGuideID=13788</a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><u>Discussion Questions:</u></strong></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3z3o-YowR8U/TRwBMqynZkI/AAAAAAAAAlE/RCR8hS45xVo/s1600/mercury-retrograde.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3z3o-YowR8U/TRwBMqynZkI/AAAAAAAAAlE/RCR8hS45xVo/s200/mercury-retrograde.jpg" width="126" /></a><strong><span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">1.</span></strong> On the surface, Penelope, Lipstick and Dana are three very different women. Why do you think they become friends? </div><strong><span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">2.</span></strong> Lyrics to several popular 1980s songs appear throughout Mercury in Retrograde. Why do you think author Paula Froelich decided to include them? How did they enhance your read? <br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">3.</span></strong> What role does fashion play in the novel? What do each woman’s clothes say about her character? <br />
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<span style="background-color: #f4cccc;"><strong>4.</strong></span> Why do you think Paula Froelich included horoscopes at the start of each chapter? What do they add to the novel? <br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">5.</span></strong> If she had not been fired from The New York Telegraph, would Penelope have ever quit her job? <br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">6.</span></strong> Why is SocialStatus.com initially so important to Lipstick? If she “always feels dirty after reading the website” (pg. 15) why does she still visit the site? <br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">7.</span></strong> Instead of staying at her parents’ home and joining the family business, why does Lipstick decide to strike out on her own? <br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">8.</span></strong> Following her divorce, why is Dana so hesitant to socialize with other people? Is she afraid to get hurt, embarrassed about being single once again, or something else? <br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">9.</span></strong> “And every day [Lipstick would] think, I’ll call them tomorrow. But she never got around to it” (pg. 186). Is she simply too busy, or is there another reason Lipstick never returns her mother’s telephone calls? <br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">10.</span></strong> Following the disastrous events at the Met Gala, Lipstick thinks, “What is Bitsy going to do? What will be on Socialstatus.com? What am I going to tell my mother?” (pg. 240). After previously declaring she no longer cared about what her fellow socialites think, why do these thoughts run through Lipstick’s mind? <br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">11.</span></strong> Why doesn’t Dana finish decorating her new apartment? And why are the few items she does buy all in white? <br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: #f4cccc; color: black;">12.</span></strong> Each woman has a complicated relationship with her parents. To what extent do they care about their parents’ approval, and do these relationships change throughout the novel? <br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: #f4cccc; color: black;">13.</span></strong> Ultimately, is Penelope happy with her job at NY Access? Have Penelope, Lipstick and Dana found success both in their professional and personal lives? <br />
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<span style="background-color: #f4cccc; color: black;"><strong>14.</strong></span> There are several characters in Mercury in Retrograde who bear strong resemblances to real-life people. As a group, see if you can name them all. <br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: #f4cccc; color: black;">15.</span></strong> Penelope, Lipstick and Dana all endure wacky, disastrous moments while on the job. Now that they’re behind you, why not share your own favorite embarrassing work story? <br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: #f4cccc; color: black;">16.</span></strong> The Met Gala is an important event both in the novel and in New York society. Do some research on the soirée and post a picture of your favorite red carpet looks (maximum of 3).</div>Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200373895016479510.post-18390066182220247612010-12-07T00:48:00.000-05:002010-12-07T00:48:18.885-05:00Book Club Forum #10: Eat, Pray, LoveBook Selection Status: <span style="color: red;"><em>CURRENTLY READING</em></span><br />
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Month: December 2010<br />
Genre: Memoir non-fiction:<br />
Book of the Month: Eat, Pray, Love<br />
Author: Elizabeth Gilbert<br />
Question source: <a href="http://us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/eat_pray_love.html">http://us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/eat_pray_love.html</a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Discussion Questions:</div> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3z3o-YowR8U/TP3KczuX6gI/AAAAAAAAAiw/afuJRl06aWI/s1600/eat_pray_love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3z3o-YowR8U/TP3KczuX6gI/AAAAAAAAAiw/afuJRl06aWI/s200/eat_pray_love.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><strong><span style="background-color: white; color: purple;">1.</span></strong> Gilbert writes that “the appreciation of pleasure can be the anchor of humanity,” making the argument that America is “an entertainment-seeking nation, not necessarily a pleasure-seeking one.” Is this a fair assessment? <br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><strong>2.</strong></span> After imagining a petition to God for divorce, an exhausted Gilbert answers her phone to news that her husband has finally signed. During a moment of quietude before a Roman fountain, she opens her Louise Glück collection to a verse about a fountain, one reminiscent of the Balinese medicine man’s drawing. After struggling to master a 182-verse daily prayer, she succeeds by focusing on her nephew, who suddenly is free from nightmares. Do these incidents of fortuitous timing signal fate? Cosmic unity? Coincidence? <br />
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<strong><span style="color: purple;">3.</span></strong> Gilbert hashes out internal debates in a notebook, a place where she can argue with her inner demons and remind herself about the constancy of self-love. When an inner monologue becomes a literal conversation between a divided self, is this a sign of last resort or of self-reliance? <br />
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<div> </div><div><strong><span style="color: purple;">4.</span></strong> When Gilbert finally returns to Bali and seeks out the medicine man who foretold her return to study with him, he doesn’t recognize her. Despite her despair, she persists in her attempts to spark his memory, eventually succeeding. How much of the success of Gilbert’s journey do you attribute to persistence? </div><div> </div><strong><span style="color: purple;">5.</span></strong> Prayer and meditation are <span style="color: purple;">both</span> things that can be learned and, importantly, improved. In India, Gilbert learns a stoic, ascetic meditation technique. In Bali, she learns an approach based on smiling. Do you think the two can be synergistic? Or is Ketut Liyer right when he describes them as “same-same”? <br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: purple;"><strong>6</strong>.</span></span> Gender roles come up repeatedly in Eat, Pray, Love, be it macho Italian men eating cream puffs after a home team’s soccer loss, or a young Indian’s disdain for the marriage she will be expected to embark upon at age eighteen, or the Balinese healer’s sly approach to male impotence in a society where women are assumed responsible for their childlessness. How relevant is Gilbert’s gender? <br />
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<strong><span style="color: purple;">7</span><span style="color: purple;">.</span><span style="color: purple;"> </span></strong>In what ways is spiritual success similar to other forms of success? How is it different? Can they be so fundamentally different that they’re not comparable? <br />
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<div> </div><span style="color: purple;"><strong>8.</strong></span> Do you think people are more open to new experiences when they travel? And why? <br />
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<div> </div><div><strong><span style="color: purple;">9.</span></strong> Abstinence in Italy seems extreme, but necessary, for a woman who has repeatedly moved from one man’s arms to another’s. After all, it’s only after Gilbert has found herself that she can share herself fully in love. What does this say about her earlier relationships? </div><br />
<div> </div><div><strong><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;">10.</span> </span></strong>Gilbert mentions her ease at making friends, regardless of where she is. At one point at the ashram, she realizes that she is too sociable and decides to embark on a period of silence, to become the Quiet Girl in the Back of the Temple. It is just after making this decision that she is assigned the role of ashram key hostess. What does this say about honing one’s nature rather than trying to escape it? Do you think perceived faults can be transformed into strengths rather than merely repressed? </div><br />
<div> </div><div><span style="color: purple;"><strong>11.</strong></span> Sitting in an outdoor café in Rome, Gilbert’s friend declares that every city—and every person—has a word. Rome’s is “sex,” the Vatican’s “power”; Gilbert declares New York’s to be “achieve,” but only later stumbles upon her own word, antevasin, Sanskrit for “one who lives at the border.” What is your word? Is it possible to choose a word that retains its truth for a lifetime?</div><br />
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<div> </div>Tysheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819112802427742199noreply@blogger.com1