Discussion at Joanna's

Fault in Our Stars- discussion questions

1. John Green derives his book's title from a famous line in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings." (I,ii,139-140). What does the line mean—and why would Green have used it for his title? Even more important, why would he have altered it to read, "The fault in our stars" rather than ourselves? How does Green's meaning differ from Shakespeare's?

2. How would you describe the two main characters, Hazel and Gus? Do either of them conform, in behavior or thinking, to what we normally associate with young cancer patients? How do the two differ from one another...and how do their personality traits and interests complement each other?

3. How do Hazel and Gus each relate to their cancer? Do they define themselves by it?  Do they ignore it? Do they rage at life's unfairness? Most importantly, how do the two confront the big questions of life and death?

4. Do you find some of the descriptions of pain, the medical realities that accompany cancer, or the discussion of bodily fluids too graphic?

5. At one point, Hazel says, "Cancer books suck." Is this a book about cancer? Did you have trouble picking up the book to read it? What were you expecting? Were those expectations met...or did the book alter your ideas?

5. John Green uses the voice of an adolescent girl to narrate his story. Does he do a convincing job of creating a female character?

7. Hazel considers An Imperial Affliction "so special and rare that advertising your affection for it feels like a betrayal." Why is it Hazel's favorite book? Why is it so important that she and Gus learn what happens after its heroine dies? Have you ever felt the same way about a book as Hazel does—that it is too special to talk about?

8. What do you think about Peter Van Houten, the fictional author of An Imperial Affliction? This book's real author, John Green, has said that Van Houten is a "horrible, horrible person but I have an affection for him." Why might Green have said that? What do you think of Van Houten?

9. Green once served as a chaplain in a children's hospital, working with young cancer patients. In an interview, he referred to the "hero's journey within illness"—that "in spite of it, you pull yourself up and continue to be alive while you're alive." In what way does Green's comment apply to his book—about two young people who are dying? Is theirs a hero's journey? Is the "pull yourself up" phrase an unseemly statement by someone, like the author or any reader, who is not facing a terminal disease?

10. What did you make of the book's humor? Is it appropriate...or inappropriate? Green has said he "didn't want to use humor to lighten the mood" or "to pull out the easy joke" when things got hard. But, he said, he likes to write about "clever kids, [and they] tend to be funny even when things are rough." Is his use of humor successful? How did it affect the way you read the book?

11. After his chaplaincy experience, Green said he believed that "life is utterly random and capricious, and arbitrary." Yet he also said, after finishing The Fault in Our Stars that he no longer feels that life's randomness "robs human life of its meaning...or that it robs even lives of people who don't get to have full lives." Would you say that the search for meaning—even, or especially, in the face of dying—is what this book explores? Why...or why not?

12. How do Hazel and Gus change, in spirit, over the course of the novel?

13. Talk about how you experienced this book? Is it too sad, too tragic to contemplate? Or did you find it in some way uplifting?

Discussion at Kathy's

Wednesday discussion at Jackie's splendid table

Inferno - discussion questions

 

Discussion questions:

 

1.      Before reading Dan Brown's thriller, how familiar, if at all, were you with the The Divine Comedy and its "Inferno" Cantica? Have you come away with a better understanding of the work? What are the ways in which the author uses Dante's great classic as a framework for his thriller?

2.      Robert Langdon and Sienna Brooks race to save the world from a crazed scientist who plans to unleash his solution to the world's overpopulation. To what extent, if any, do you (secretly) agree with the Bertrand Zobrist in his desire, if not his methods, to control overpopulation?

3.      How do you feel about this statement by Brooks:

                                                              i.      As a species, humans were like the rabbits that were introduced on certain Pacific islands and allowed to reproduce unchecked to the point that they decimated their ecosystem and finally went extinct.

4.      To what extent is overpopulation a real-life global problem? You might do a bit of research on overpopulation and look at some of the countervailing predictions, suggesting that the global population will actually begin to collapse after 2050.

5.      Talk about the real possibility of a worldwide epidemic. How plausible is the threat as portrayed Brown's book?

6.      Talk about Transhumanism. What is it, and does it pose a boon—or a threat—to the future of humanity?

a.       At the end of the book WHO Director Elizabeth Sinskey says, "We’re on the verge of new technologies that we can’t yet even imagine.” Those technologies come with dangers but also with hope.

b.      Sienna Brooks adds this about Transhumanism...

                                                              i.      One of its fundamental tenets is that we as humans have a moral obligation to participate in our evolutionary process...to use our technologies to advance the species, to create better humans—healthier, stronger, with higher-functioning brains. Everything will soon be possible.

c.       She then says...

                                                              i.      If we don’t embrace [these tools], then we are as undeserving of life as the caveman who freezes to death because he’s afraid to start a fire.

d.      What do you think?

7.      Have you traveled to any of the three sites of the novel: Florence, Venice, or Istanbul? If so, how accurate is Brown's depiction of these cities? If you haven't been to Italy or Turkey, does the author bring the cities to life? Are they places you would like to visit?

8.      Is this book a page-turner? Did you find yourself unable to put it down? If so, what makes it enthralling? If you didn't find Inferno an engaging read, what put you off the book?

9.       Brown uses a 4-part pattern for the episodes in his book: 1) Langdon is presented with a clue he must interpret, 2) he has a "eureka" moment, 3) he is pursued by villains who make a sudden appearance, and 4) he escapes after a hair-raising chase. Try going through the book to identify the pattern in various episodes.

10.  What about the book's ending? Do you find it predictable ... surprising ... shocking ... frightening ... satisfying?

11.  Have you read other Dan Brown thrillers? If so, how does this compare?

 

And while searching online, I stumbled across this little tidbit: The Funniest, Meanest Reviews of Dan Brown’s ‘Inferno’

 http://flavorwire.com/391380/the-funniest-meanest-reviews-of-dan-browns-inferno/

 

 

See you on Wednesday,

Jackie

We had a great discussion about "Team of Rivals"

Here are some pictures

Pigeon Pie Mystery - book review

Indian Princess Alexandrina (nota bene, born in London) is suddenly left without any money due to death of her father, the Maharaja of Brindor.   Alexandrina, also known as Mink, is forced to make a new life for herself and her loyal servant Pooki.  Queen Victoria grants her a grace-and-favor home in Hampton Court Palace which, as the local legend reveals, is haunted by many famous ghosts (Catherine Howard and Jan Seymour). Mink spends her first weeks trying to establish herself in the new environment.  Very quickly she makes friends with three women: Lady Beatrice Fisher (dove devotee and owner of “exuberant” hats), Lady Mortfort Bebb and Countless Bessington (a widow with an addiction to ferns). They invite her to the annual Eastern residents’ picnic, during which Pooki is asked to prepare pigeon pies. During the picnic General Bagshot takes more than 3 helpings of pigeon pie and later dies.  The autopsy reveals that general was poised by arsenic and Pooki's pigeon pies are suspected as the source of poisoning. Mink does not believe that her loyal servant and friend is the murderer and she decides to solve General mysterious death. After several days of poking into private lives of the residents she discovers that many secrets and motives for committing this crime.  There are at least three persons who had more than one reason to kill the “good’ General:

Lady Bagshot (conveniently traveling to Egypt during her husband passing), American gentleman, Cornelius B. Pilgrim, or young maid, Alice Cockle. 

But was the General Bagshot murdered, did he really die from eating the pigeon pie?

 

We all agreed that this book is full of wonderful characters embedded in rich history and culture of the British empire in the years of the 19^th century. 

We specially like the ending of this book when we found out that Mink placed advertisement in the local newspaper “H.H. Princess Alexandrina, Private Detective.  All inquires to Hampton Court Palace.” This ending opens vast opportunities for new adventures of clever Princess and her dedicated servant Pooki. 

We would highly recommend this book to anyone likes novels about Victorian England enjoys good mystery.  This is a great summer reads.

We are looking forward to the next book by Julia Stuart.

Pigeon Pie Mystery discussion

Pigeon Pie Mystery - discussion questions

1. Is Pigeon Pie Mystery a proper murder mystery? Why? or Why not?
2. A Washington Times book review descibes the book as 'enchanting'. Do you agree?
3. What do you think of faithful servant Pooki? Is her relationship with Mink believeable or not?
4. Who is your favorite character?
5. Who is your least favorite character?
6. And who is the most unexpected character?
7. What do you think of the world of the Hampton Court?
8. How are grace-and-favor residents of the appartments at Hampton Court different from everybody else?
9. Do you think that Mink and Dr. Henderson are meant for each other?
10. Who is the ultimate villain in the book?

“The Casual vacancy” review by Dorota Ponikiewska

I don’t know what we were expecting from reading J. K. Rowling’s book “The Casual Vacancy.”

Most readers love the Harry Potter series, can read them over and over and never tire of them.

Maybe it was our mistake, because we were hoping to find in “The Casual vacancy” some magic (even casual or accidental).

But the author warns the readers: this is an adult fiction about small town politics, social manipulations, poverty, narcotics, deviant sexual behaviors, and other obscurity of ordinary life.

Still, we were hoping for one drop of fairy-tale.

Then came the analogy: what about if Thomas Harris (best known for writing “Hannibal”) wrote a love story.  Would we want to read it?  Of course! But even his book was the most beautiful love story ever written, we would anticipate seeing at least one gruesome scene in which the groom-to-be devours bride-to-be.

O well….

What is the premise of “The Casual Vacancy”?  There is no conflict in this book, there is no main storyline. There are just group of ordinary people from the small town.  The story starts out with a bunch of characters and setups. We were bombarded with characters, their descriptions, and stories of their past. It is very difficult to keep up with these people and even if we reread some pages (to remember who is who), next chapter moved to a totally different setup with totally new characters. After fifty pages or so, we are totally confused, and the only reason why we are still reading is the belief that there was a purpose for all this miss-mash. The switching between characters even within a single chapter or page disallow Rowling to create one or more memorable characters.She introduces a new person, writes one or two paragraphs about it and moves to the next person. There are not actual protagonists (to love) or antagonists (to hate). Characters in this book, use each other without any regrets or morals, there are scenes after scenes of physical abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, profanity, and rape. 

So, what we liked in this book?

We liked last 50 pages (it is too bad that the author took such a long and painstaking route to get there), and the heartbreaking and painful ending. Even if the ending left us wondering about certain unsolved events.

We liked her writing style: the third person insightful point of view, her wonderful way with words, and the brilliance of her depiction of scenes and dialogs.

Overall, we would recommend “The Casual Vacancy” to any potential reader, but try not to set your expectations too high….

Evening at Kathy's

We had a great discussion of the J K Rowling's latest novel "The Casual Vacancy"

Food was delicious and we enjoyed some chocolate wine for dessert.

Casual Vacancy- discussion questions

1. Before reading, did you have certain expectations for this book based on the Harry Potter series? If so, does The Casual Vacancy meet these expectations?

2. The book has more than 30 main characters. Did you have trouble keeping them and storylines in order?

3. Do you think the profanity, violence and sex is excessive and sensational? Is Rowling trying to prove that she can write for adults or does it enhance the plot?

4. Which storyline with which characters is your favorite and why? Least favorite?

5. Rowling describes the book as a "comic tragedy". What does that mean? Some have talked about the wit, others described the lack of it. Do you find her wit on display in the book?

6. Many reviewers and readers complain that the plot takes is slow to get off the ground and drags in some parts. What do you think? Is The Casual Vacancy too long at 500+ pages?

7. Before the success of Harry Potter, Rowling had experiences with poverty. Does knowing this increase the creditability of the Krystal character?

8. In many interviews, Rowling states that she felt she "had to write" this book and that it's very personal to her. Several characters and experiences can be paralled to her life. For example, Howard Mollinson and Simon Price are her estranged real-life father; Gavin is her first husband; Kay Bawden is a young, single J.K. Do you see any of your own relationships in the book? Does the story cause you to examine any of your relationships?

9. Is the ending satisfying? Does Rowling tie up loose ends or does she leave some things unanswered?

 

 

Catherine The Great - book review

Catherine The Great; Portrait of a Woman by Robert Massie is a biography well worth reading. The book is well researched and full of historical information from Catherine’s childhood in Germany to her many years as a Russian monarch. Catherine was greatly influenced by many individuals in her life. As a young child, Catherine yearned to be accepted and loved by a harsh, distant mother.  Her father, although caring, had little say in Catherine’s upbringing.  This strong desire for acceptance lead Catherine to embrace all things Russian when she went to Russia to marry Peter, heir to the throne.  Her immersion in the Russian culture eventually enabled her to become loved by the Russian people. As monarch, she had numerous lovers throughout her life, a testament to her desire for love. Although Massey described Catherine as enlightened, there were differing opinions about this among the members of our book group. Catherine had strong interests in art and literature, and even desired to free the serfs; however, she was still a monarch who conquered neighboring nations in a quest to broaden her Russian empire.  Although she was a friend of Voltaire and shared many of his views, she was ultimately constrained by the desires of the Russian nobility to maintain the status quo.  While she may have done little to change the day-to-day life of the average Russian, she is still remembered as one of the greatest Russian monarchs.

Our book club meeting on 4/23/2013

Catherine the Great -discussion questions

Discussion Questions for Catherine the Great; Portrait of a Woman

1.      How did Sophia’s/Catherine’s relationship with her mother affect her?

2.     Why do you think Sophia/Catherine embraced all things Russian when she came to court?

3.      Would Catherine’s life have been different if her husband, Peter, had not contracted small pox?

4.     Were you surprised by the Russian court’s blasé attitude toward Catherine’s relationship and pregnancy with Saltykov?

5.     Do you think Catherine was aware of the services the Orlov brothers could give her when she became involved with Gregory Orlov?

6.     Catherine considered herself Enlightened, and was a follower of Voltaire.  Was she successful in any of her attempts to change Russia?

7.     Why was she drawn to Gregory Potemkin?  How did he influence her?  Do you think they really married?

8.     Catherine had three children.   What affect did any of them have on her life?

9.     Based on this book, what is your opinion of Catherine?  Do you like or respect her?   Why, or why not?

10.                         Catherine often said she could not live one day without love.  Did these need for love affect how she ruled Russia?  Did it affect how she was perceived by leaders in Europe?

11.                        Catherine wrote an epitaph for herself, shown on page 573.  Do you believe it Is accurate?

12.                        Does Catherine remind you of any other female monarchs, past or present?

13.                        Would you recommend this book to a friend?

THE LIFEBOAT, by Charlotte Rogan

THE LIFEBOAT, by Charlotte Rogan

A Review

Grace Winter, age 22, is a survivor.  She is a survivor of a shipwreck and is on trial for murder.  While in prison awaiting trial she writes an account of the events leading to her arrest.  In the summer of 1914, she and her husband Henry, newlyweds, were crossing the Atlantic on an elegant ocean liner which sank after a mysterious explosion. Henry secured Grace a place in a lifeboat, which the occupants soon realize far exceeds its weight capacity. For any in the boat to live, some must die.  In the first days adrift in the ocean, a number of the men willingly sacrifice themselves for the good of the others.  But tensions among the survivors grow as day after day, rations become scarcer and conditions become more desperate.   One man is thrown overboard.  Once rescued, Grace and two other women are accused of his murder.

The story is told through Grace’s eyes.  Grace describes the way the survivors battle the elements, thirst, hunger and each other. Grace also recalls her past; her father’s financial ruin and suicide, the way she and Henry met and married, and the new life of privilege she thought she'd found with him.  She is a complex character, by turns demure, conniving, astute and manipulative; but always pragmatic. 

THE LIFEBOAT is a well-written, intense page-turner.  It is a fast read and on the surface is a story about a group of people surviving a shipwreck, struggling in a lifeboat adrift in the ocean for fourteen days.  The book can be read on many levels however, and on slower contemplation is a complex study of human interactions, self-deception, survival strategies, power struggles and alliances, hard choices and moral dilemmas.

Members of our book club did not rate The Lifeboat, but all enjoyed it and we had a lively discussion. 

Discussion Questions: The Life Boat

1.  In disaster situations, is it right to save women and children first? What moral justifications exist for your answer?

 2. Discuss the thought experiment referred to in Grace’s trial, also known as “The Plank of Carneades.” Is either the first or second swimmer to reach the plank justified in pushing the other swimmer away?

 3. What do you think of the concept of necessity as a justification for behavior that would not be condoned in ordinary circumstances?

 4. If you were to ask Grace what qualities she looks for in a friend, what would she say? What would the truth be?

 5. Which characters, in your opinion, hold the moral high ground?

 6. Seventeenth-century political philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke postulated that humankind started off in a state of nature and gradually gave up certain freedoms in return for security, an exchange sometimes called the social contract. How does the lifeboat approximate a state of nature? Does survival in such a state require giving up personal freedom and autonomy?

7. Some modern writers assert that the advances in opportunities for women have been predicated on the requirement that women become more like men. Do you agree with this?

 8. Are people more likely to revert to traditional male/female roles in crisis situations? What traditional male/female traits might help a person survive?

 9. Author Warren Farrell, who writes about gender issues, said: “Men’s weakness is their façade of strength; women’s strength is their façade of weakness.”  Does this hold true for the characters in The Lifeboat?

 10. In his book In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, Nathaniel Philbrick argues that an “authoritarian” leadership style is useful in the early stages of a disaster, but a “social” style becomes more important over time. Does this dynamic fully explain the power struggle in Lifeboat 14 or were other forces at work?

 11. Does power always involve the threat of coercion?  Besides violence, what forms of power influence the characters in The Lifeboat?

 12. The first thing a person says is often more honest than later explanations. Are there instances in the book where a character’s early words are a clue to assessing the truth of a particular situation or incident?

 13. Do you think Mr. Hardie stole or helped to steal anything from the sinking Empress Alexandra? Would this have been wrong, given that any valuables were destined to be lost forever?

 14. Should Grace have been acquitted of Mr. Hardie’s murder?

 15. Comment on the use of storytelling in the novel. Does your answer shed any light on Grace’s own story?

Book Club meeting on January 23, 2013

We discussed "Fundraising the Dead" while munching on delicious dishes.

Fundraising the Dead (A Museum Mystery)- discussion questions

Fundraising the Dead (A Museum Mystery)

1.       Did you enjoy the book? Why? Why not?

2.       How did the book compare to other books by other books in the same genre?

3.       What about the plot? Did it pull you in; or did you feel you had to force yourself to read the book?

4.       How realistic was the romance between Nell and Charles?

5.       Do you like  Eleanor “Nell” Pratt Why? Why not?

6.       How real is Martha Terwilliger aka Marty and her relatives (Alfred Findley, FBI agent James,  computer wizard)?

7.       How does the setting figure into the book? Does it come to life?

8.       What are some of the book's themes? How important were they?

9.       Did the book end the way you expected?

10.   Would you recommend this book to other readers?

11.   One opinion of this book is: “Great read for public transportation,” – do you agree?

 

Dorota