Clymer Book Blog

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

2008-07-10T15:17:00.002-04:00

Into the Wild

by Jon Krakauer

1. Why did McCandless reject his parents' lifestyle?

2. What do you think of McCandless's decision to discard his identity and past life without a backward look?

Would you do the same thing if you were in his place, or do you think it would be important to discuss your decision with your family first, even if you were certain that they would try to dissuade you?

3. Pretend that you could speak for McCandless. What would you have to say to Krakauer, his biographer. To his parents?

4. What do you think you would want to say to McCandless if you were his father? If you were his mother?

5. The author believes that McCandless was deeply embittered by his discoveries about his father's past.

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

2008-05-07T13:21:00.002-04:00

Tuesdays with Morrie

by Mitch Albom

1. Did your opinion about Mitch change as book went on? In what way?

2. Who do you think got more out of their Tuesday meetings, Mitch or Morrie? In what ways? How do you think each would answer this question?

3. Do you think Mitch would have listened if Morrie hadn't been dying? Does impending death automatically make one's voice able to penetrate where it couldn't before?

4. Morrie told Mitch about the "tension of opposites" (p. 40). Talk about this as a metaphor for the book and for society.

5. Are college students today missing out because they don't have the meaningful experiences that students in the 1960s had? Do you think Morrie thought they were?

6. Morrie said, "If you've found meaning in your life, you don't want to go back. You want to go forward" (p. 118). Is this true in your experience?

7. Mitch wrote, "Perhaps this is one reason I was drawn to Morrie. He let me be where my brother would not" (p. 97). Discuss Mitch's relationship with Peter.

8. Morrie said that in marriage, "Your values must be alike" (p. 149). In what ways do you agree or disagree?

9.Would Morrie's lessons have carried less weight if Mitch and Peter hadn't resumed contact by book's end?

The Road By Cormac McCarthy

2008-03-04T11:14:00.002-05:00

The Road

By Cormac McCarthy

1. Why do you think McCarthy has chosen not to give his characters names? How do the generic labels of "the man" and "the boy" affect the way in which readers relate to them?

2. McCarthy doesn't make explicit what kind of catastrophe has ruined the earth and destroyed human civilization, but what might be suggested by the many descriptions of a scorched landscape covered in ash? What is implied by the father's statement that "On this road there are no godspoke men. They are gone and I am left and they have taken with them the world" [p. 32]?

3. As the father is dying, he tells his son he must go on in order to "carry the fire." When the boy asks if the fire is real, the father says, "It's inside you. It was always there. I can see it" [p. 279]. What is this fire? Why is it so crucial that they not let it die?

4. The man and the boy think of themselves as the "good guys." In what ways are they like and unlike the "bad guys" they encounter? What do you think McCarthy is suggesting in the scenes in which the boy begs his father to be merciful to the strangers they encounter on the road? How is the boy able to retain his compassion--to be, as one reviewer put it, "compassion incarnate"?

5. McCarthy's work often dramatizes the opposition between good and evil, with evil sometimes emerging triumphant. What does The Road ultimately suggest about good and evil? Which force seems to have greater power in the novel?

6. What makes the relationship between the boy and his father so powerful and poignant? What do they feel for each other? How do they maintain their affection for and faith in each other in such brutal conditions?

7. Why do you think McCarthy ends the novel with the image of trout in mountain streams before the end of the world: "In the deep glens where they lived all things were older than man and they hummed of mystery" [p. 287]. What is surprising about this ending? Does it provide closure, or does it prompt a rethinking of all that has come before? What does it suggest about what lies ahead?

From Publishers Weekly

McCarthy's latest novel, a frightening apocalyptic vision, is narrated by a nameless man, one of the few survivors of an unspecified civilization-ending catastrophe. He and his young son are trekking along a treacherous highway, starving and freezing, trying to avoid roving cannibal armies. The tale, and their lives, are saved from teetering over the edge of bleakness thanks to the man's fierce belief that they are "the good guys" who are preserving the light of humanity. In this stark, effective production, Stechschulte gives the father an appropriately harsh, weary voice that sways little from its numbed register except to urge on the weakening boy or soothe his fears after an encounter with barbarians. When they uncover some vestige of the former world, the man recalls its vanished wonder with an aching nostalgia that makes the listener's heart swell. Stechschulte portrays the son with a mournful, slightly breathy tone that emphasizes the child's whininess, making him much less sympathetic than his resourceful father. With no music or effects interrupting Stechschulte's carefully measured pace and gruff, straightforward delivery, McCarthy's darkly poetic prose comes alive in a way that will transfix listeners.

Nineteeen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

2008-02-04T11:11:00.000-05:00

Nineteen Minutes

By Jodi Picoult

1. Alex and Lacy's friendship comes to an end when they discover Peter and Josie playing with guns in the Houghton house. Why does Alex decide that it's in Josie's best interest to keep her away from Peter? What significance is there to the fact that Alex is the first one to prevent Josie from being friends with Peter?

2. A theme throughout the novel is the idea of masks and personas and pretending to be someone you're not. To which characters does this apply, and why?

3. Peter was a victim of bullying for twelve years at the hands of certain classmates, many of whom repeatedly tormented him. But he also shot and killed students he had never met or who had never done anything wrong to him. What empathy, if any, did you have for Peter both before and after the shooting?

4. Josie and Peter were friends until the sixth grade. Is it understandable that Josie decided not to hang out with Peter in favor of the popular crowd? Why or why not? How accurate and believable did you find the author's depiction of high school peer pressure and the quest for popularity? Do you believe, as Picoult suggests, that even the popular kids are afraid that their own friends will turn on them?

5. At one point during Peter's bullying, Lacy is encouraged by an elementary school teacher to force Peter to stand up for himself. She threatens to cancel his play dates with Josie if he doesn't fight back. How did you feel, when you read that scene? Do you blame Lacy for Peter's future actions because of it? Do you agree or disagree with the idea that it a parent's job to teach a child the skills necessary to defend himself?

6. When Patrick arrives at Sterling High after the shooting, "his entire body began to shake, knowing that for so many students and parents and citizens today, he had once again been too late" (24). Why does Patrick blame himself for not preventing an incident he had no way of knowing was going to happen?

7. Dr. King, an expert witness for the defense, states that Peter was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of chronic victimization. "But a big part of it, too," he adds, "is the society that created both Peter and those bullies" (409). What reasons does Dr. King give to support his assertion that society is partly to blame for Peter's actions as well as those of the bullies? Do you agree with this? Why or why not?

8. Discuss the very ending of the novel, which concludes on the one-year anniversary of the Sterling High shooting. Why do you suppose the author chose to leave readers with an image of Patrick and Alex, who is pregnant? In what way does the final image of the book predict the future?

From Publisher's Weekly:

Bestseller Picoult (My Sister's Keeper) takes on another contemporary hot-button issue in her brilliantly told new thriller, about a high school shooting. Peter Houghton, an alienated teen who has been bullied for years by the popular crowd, brings weapons to his high school in Sterling, N.H., one day and opens fire, killing 10 people. Flashbacks reveal how bullying caused Peter to retreat into a world of violent computer games. Alex Cormier, the judge assigned to Peter's case, tries to maintain her objectivity as she struggles to understand her daughter, Josie, one of the surviving witnesses of the shooting. The author's insights into her characters' deep-seated emotions brings this ripped-from-the-headlines read chillingly alive.

Finding Father Christmas by Robin Jones Gunn

2007-12-05T10:43:00.001-05:00

Finding Father Christmas
By Robin Jones Gunn

Book Description from Amazon
Bestselling author Robin Jones Gunn brings readers a poignant Christmas novella about a woman, desperate for a place to belong, who finds herself in London a few days before Christmas, looking for the father she never knew.In Finding Father Christmas, Miranda Carson's search for her father takes a turn she never expected when she finds herself in London with only a few feeble clues to who he might be. Unexpectedly welcomed into a family that doesn't recognize her, and whom she's quickly coming to love, she faces a terrible decision. Should she reveal her true identity and destroy their idyllic image of her father? Or should she carry the truth home with her to San Francisco and remain alone in this world? Whatever choice she makes during this London Christmas will forever change the future for both herself and the family she can't bear to leave. Robin Jones Gunn brilliantly combines lyrical writing and unforgettable characters to craft a story of longing and belonging that will stay with readers long after they close the pages of this book.

Questions

1. What do you think of Miranda’s decision to go searching for her birth father?

2. How did Doralee's spiritual experience affect Miranda in the long run?

3. Why do you think Miranda preferred to think of herself as an accident of nature rather than someone created by God?

4. What roles did the image of Father Christmas play in the book? In what ways was this “character” like God? In what ways was Father Christmas different from God?

5. How did God win Miranda’s heart? What does this tell us about him?

6. What do you think of the way Miranda told the Whitcombes about her possible relationship to them? Do you think she handled the situation fairly for all involved?

7. What does the last paragraph of the book tells us has occurred in Miranda spiritually and emotionally?

The Golden Compass

2007-11-06T10:21:00.000-05:00

The Golden Compass

by Phillip Pullman

1.The author tells us that The Golden Compass takes place "in a universe like ours, but different in many ways." How do you think Lyra's universe relates to ours?

2. What is a daemon? What function do they serve? Would you like one? What form do you think it would most often take?

3. Lyra's friend the sea captain says, "when your daemon settles, you'll know what sort of person you are." (147). What do you think the daemon settling represents?

4. Describe Lyra. What kind of person is she? Do you think you would like her? What are her faults?

5. In what ways is Lyra's world different from our own?

6. What do you think "Dust" is? What purpose does it serve?

7. How would you describe the process of "cutting"? What do they hope it will achieve?

8. In what ways are Iorek and Lord Asriel alike?

9. Did the ending surprise you? Did it leave you satisfied?

The Poe Shadow

2007-10-02T11:53:00.000-04:00

The Poe Shadow

by Matthew Pearl

1. Aside from Quentin, most of the novel’s characters in this 1849 setting do not appreciate or read Edgar Allan Poe's works, and this fact in part provokes Quentin to try and rescue Poe's name. Why do you think Poe means so much to Quentin?

2. If you have read Poe, what are your thoughts about his work? Is there any author, from past or present, whom you would "fight" for as much as Quentin does for Poe?

3. In addition to serving as physical locales, Baltimore and Paris may be said to serve as "characters" in the book. What do the cities add to the novel, and what kinds of details bring alive their histories?

4. The word "shadow" is used in many different ways in the novel. Quentin tells us, "Poe once wrote in a tale about the conflict between the substance and the shadow inside of us. The substance, what we know we should do, and the shadow, the dangerous and giggling Imp of the Perverse, the dark knowledge of what we must or will do or secretly want. The shadow always prevails." What are possible meanings of the title The Poe Shadow?

5. If you had been in Quentin's position at the end of the novel, would you have made the information on Poe's death public, or kept it private?

6. What do you think would have happened if Quentin had met Poe before Poe died? Do you think this would have made his personal quest more or less important to him?

From Publishers Weekly

Pearl's second historical thriller involving literary figures (after 2003's The Dante Club) is set in 1849, when young lawyer Quentin Clark's desire to burnish the tarnished reputation of his favorite author-poet, the recently deceased Edgar Allan Poe, drives him to such extremes he eventually winds up on trial for insanity and murder. His defense forms the novel. Singer provides Clark with a splendidly appropriate voice: young, intelligent, yet naïve and idealistic. He's also adept at capturing the attorney's shifting moods, from his indignation at journalists' shoddy send off of Poe (labeling him a debaucher and drunk) to an increasing obsession as he puts his practice and his impending marriage on hold, ocean-hopping to Europe to seek the aid of the real-life model for Poe's genius-sleuth, C. Auguste Dupin. Some listeners may raise an eyebrow at Singer's use of fractured French for one of the Dupins and an equally arch British accent for the other. They should be reminded that all of the characters are being filtered through the sensibilities (and vocal capabilities) of a not terribly sophisticated Baltimore barrister.

The Lovely Bones

2007-08-14T18:31:00.001-04:00

The Lovely Bones

by Alice Sebold

1. In Susie's Heaven, she is surrounded by things that bring her peace. What would your Heaven be like? Is it surprising that in Susie's inward, personal version of the hereafter there is no God or larger being that presides?

2. Why does Ruth become Susie's main connection to Earth? Was it accidental that Susie touched Ruth on her way up to Heaven, or was Ruth actually chosen to be Susie's emotional conduit?

3. Does Buckley really see Susie, or does he make up a version of his sister as a way of understanding, and not being too emotionally damaged by, her death? How do you explain tragedy to a child? Do you think Susie's parents do a good job of helping Buckley comprehend the loss of his sister?

4. Can Abigail's choice to leave her family be justified?

5. Susie observes that "The living deserve attention, too." She watches her sister, Lindsay, being neglected as those around her focus all their attention on grieving for Susie. Jack refuses to allow Buckley to use Susie's clothes in his garden. When is it time to let go?

6. Ray and Susie's final physical experience (via Ruth's body) seems to act almost as an exorcism that sweeps away, if only temporarily, Susie's memory of her rape. What is the significance of this act for Susie, and does it serve to counterbalance the violent act that ended Susie's life?

7. Alice Sebold seems to be saying that out of tragedy comes healing. Susie's family fractures and comes back together, a town learns to find strength in each other. Do you agree that good can come of great trauma?

The Interpretation of Murder

2007-06-07T12:53:00.000-04:00

The Interpretation of Murder

by Jeb Rubenfeld

1. The author's portrayal of women is noteworthy: Is Nora still a victim when she is empowered by a sympathetic listener? What are Clara's motives for the events in the novel? How are Betty the maid, Susie Merrill, and Greta depicted? Do these characters reflect the turn-of-the-century society, or do they represent a more timeless portrayal of women?

2. Is Younger the right man for the job of trying to unravel the attempted murder of Nora? Discuss psychoanalysis versus interrogation.

3. Younger asks, "How can human beings be loved if we carry within such repugnant desires?" Freud thinks that Nora wants to sodomize her father. Is this ultimately true?

4. Younger is obsessed with solving the riddle of Hamlet in the book. Discuss his analysis of "to be or not to be" in terms of Freudian/Oedipal theories. What does Younger finally decide is the correct interpretation?

5. Younger says, "Some people feel a need to bring about the very thing that will most torment them." How does this describe the characters in the book?

6. When he boards the ship back to Europe, Freud says that "America is a mistake... A gigantic mistake." What does he mea

The Girls by Lori Lansens

2007-05-09T10:10:00.000-04:00

The Girls

By Lori Lansens

1. The Girls is written as a fictional autobiography. Why do you think the author chose this format? Did you ever have to remind yourself while reading that the book is a novel rather than a memoir?

2. Rose and Ruby have spent every moment of their lives bound to each other, and yet they have forged two very distinct personalities and ways of looking at the world. What does this novel say about identity? How does each sister manifest individuality? In what ways do they borrow from each other?

3. Throughout the book we are let in on information that Rose and Ruby don't tell each other. What role do secrets play in the story? Were you surprised by some of the things Rose and Ruby kept from each other? What about Aunt Lovey and Uncle Stash?

4. Aunt Lovey is portrayed by Rose and Ruby as a very wise woman. Is it possible that their perception of her is influenced by their deep gratitude for her sacrifices in raising them? Why do you think they never refer to her as their mother?

5. Did you find yourself forgetting that Rose and Ruby were joined at the head? In what way is the bond of sisterhood more important than their physical link?

6. The girls said that, if given the chance, they wouldn't want to be separated. Is this a sentiment you understand? How does the dynamic of the girls relate to real-life relationships you've been in or witnessed?

Hitler's Niece by Ron Hansen

2007-03-09T15:24:00.000-05:00

Hitler's Niece
by Ron Hansen

1. Hansen does not portray Geli Raubal as a particularly naive or gullible young woman. To what degree is she responsible for her own fate?

2. Geli is simultaneously repulsed and seduced by Hitler's hypnotic hold and becomes one of the first victims of his madness. To what extent can Geli be seen as symbolic of Germany's seduction?

3. Do you think Geli is ever really in love with her uncle or do other emotions motivate the choices she makes?

4. In the details of their distasteful sexual relationship, we see the fine line Geli walks between being dominated by Hitler and dominating him. How does this sexual rondo play out in what ultimately happens to her?

5. Many historians believe that Geli committed suicide, but Hansen has chosen to end her story with a murder. Discuss both the plausibility and symbolism of this ending.

6. In order to bring his fiction to life, Hansen has had to portray Hitler's human side and show us qualities -- notably vulnerability and a certain measure of charm -- that might seem at odds with our historical memory. Has the novelist succeeded in creating a credible character or has he merely humanized the demonic by offering us a glimpse into the frailties of Adolph Hitler?

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

2007-02-05T13:01:00.000-05:00

The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini

1. The strong underlying force of this novel is the relationship between Amir and Hassan. Discuss their friendship. Why is Amir afraid to be Hassan's true friend? Why does Amir constantly test Hassan's loyalty? Why does he resent Hassan? After the kite running tournament, why does Amir no longer want to be Hassan's friend?

2. We begin to understand early in the novel that Amir is constantly vying for Baba's attention and often feels like an outsider in his father's life, as seen in the following passage: "He'd close the door, leave me to wonder why it was always grown-ups time with him. I'd sit by the door, knees drawn to my chest. Sometimes I sat there for an hour, sometimes two, listening to their laughter, their chatter." Discuss Amir's relationship with Baba.

3. Why is Baba disappointed by Amir's decision to become a writer? During their argument about his career path, Amir thinks to himself: "I would stand my ground, I decided. I didn't want to sacrifice for Baba anymore. The last time I had done that, I had damned myself." What has Amir sacrificed for Baba? How has Amir "damned himself"

4. Discuss how the ever-changing politics of Afghanistan affect each of the characters in the novel.

5. Throughout the story, Baba worries because Amir never stands up for himself. When does this change?

6. When Amir and Baba move to the States their relationship changes, and Amir begins to view his father as a more complex man. Discuss the changes in their relationship. Do you see the changes in Baba as tragic or positive?

Publishers Weekly Article on the Kite Runner
Hosseini's stunning debut novel starts as an eloquent Afghan version of the American immigrant experience in the late 20th century, but betrayal and redemption come to the forefront when the narrator, a writer, returns to his ravaged homeland to rescue the son of his childhood friend after the boy's parents are shot during the Taliban takeover in the mid '90s. Amir, the son of a well-to-do Kabul merchant, is the first-person narrator, who marries, moves to California and becomes a successful novelist. But he remains haunted by a childhood incident in which he betrayed the trust of his best friend, a Hazara boy named Hassan, who receives a brutal beating from some local bullies. After establishing himself in America, Amir learns that the Taliban have murdered Hassan and his wife, raising questions about the fate of his son, Sohrab. Spurred on by childhood guilt, Amir makes the difficult journey to Kabul, only to learn the boy has been enslaved by a former childhood bully who has become a prominent Taliban official. The price Amir must pay to recover the boy is just one of several brilliant, startling plot twists that make this book memorable both as a political chronicle and a deeply personal tale about how childhood choices affect our adult lives. The character studies alone would make this a noteworthy debut, from the portrait of the sensitive, insecure Amir to the multilayered development of his father, Baba, whose sacrifices and scandalous behavior are fully revealed only when Amir returns to Afghanistan and learns the true nature of his relationship to Hassan. Add an incisive, perceptive examination of recent Afghan history and its ramifications in both America and the Middle East, and the result is a complete work of literature that succeeds in exploring the culture of a previously obscure nation that has become a pivot point in the global politics of the new millennium.

Walking in Circles Before Lying Down

2007-01-08T12:04:00.000-05:00

Walking in Circles Before Lying Down

By Merrill Markoe

1. Do you feel the author described animal behavior accurately? Did you find her portrayal of Chuck to be funny?

2. Can you relate to Dawn and her family situation in anyway? How do you think you would cope with a sister and parents like Dawn's?

3. Do you think Dawn ran away from her relationship problems or do you think she handled her problems well?

4. Describe what you think about Chuck? Do you think he was a good dog? Do you think he was envious of the other dogs in Dawn's life?

5. What was your overall opinion of this book? Did you like it or dislike it? Explain

Booklist
by Allison Block

When her latest boyfriend leaves her for another woman, twice-divorced Angeleno Dawn Tarnauer buries her face in the fur of her mixed-breed canine, Chuck, and cries. The dog, it seems, sensed trouble all along. "I should have said something before," he laments in a gravelly voice. "Couldn't you smell her on his pants?" Has Dawn gone nuts, or is her dog actually talking to her? This latest offering from multiple Emmy winner and one-time David Letterman head writer Markoe (It's My F***ing Birthday, 2002) may be her best yet, delivering the drama, dark humor, and dysfunctional characters that have become the author's cachet. There's Halley, Dawn's dim, cell phone-addicted sister, determined to succeed in her new career as a Life Coach (thanks to the encouragement of her friend, convicted-killer Scott Peterson); their woefully nonmaternal mother, Joyce, inventor of the hokey but potentially very profitable Every Holiday Tree; and Dawn herself, a tall, blonde California beauty who feels more comfortable sharing confidences with mongrels than men. Markoe's fans will delight in her hilarious doggy dialogue, as when Chuck enlightens his owner on the topic of urination: "There's two kinds of peeing," he says. "There's regular peeing, because you have to pee. And then there's auxiliary competitive peeing. For acquiring an empire. I'm all about the real estate."

Can This be Christmas? by Debbie Macomber

2006-12-04T10:52:00.000-05:00

Can This be Christmas?

by Debbie Macomber

1. Did this book put you in the Christmas Spirit? Was the book touching to you? Why or why not?

2. Do you feel the characters in this book where changed by the snowstorm and the fact that they were snowed in on Christmas Eve?

3. Can you relate personally to any of the characters situations? The newly adoptive parents, the navy man about to propose, the widower doing through her first holiday season alone.

4. Do you feel the location of the book, A New Hampshire Depot, added to the realness of the story? Why or Why not?

Amazon.com Review of Can this be Christmas?
by Ellen Edwards

In this short hardcover, Debbie Macomber shows how a group of train travelers stranded in a New Hampshire depot on Christmas Eve find the true meaning of Christmas. Len Dawber, a navy man stationed in Maine, is desperate to get home to Texas, where he intends to propose to his sweetheart Amy. Cathy Norris, devastated by her husband's recent death, doesn't expect to enjoy the holiday with her daughter's family in Boston. Burned-out computer salesman Matt McHugh, emotionally estranged from his wife and two kids, nurses his resentment and contemplates divorce. Kelly and Nick Berry fear they're losing the closeness they once shared as they struggle to adjust to their new roles as adoptive parents. When a blizzard forces these characters, and several others, all cranky and argumentative, to spend the night before Christmas together, they find that a little kindness and the courage to open their hearts go a long way toward making it a Christmas to remember. A good choice if you're looking to get in the Christmas spirit.

The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier

2006-10-02T15:50:00.000-04:00

The Brief History of the Dead

by Kevin Brockmeier

1. The Brief History of the Dead is prefaced with a quote describing African societies that believe humans pass from being alive to living-dead, to dead. How does the author explore this idea throughout the novel?

2. The novel begins with a description of crossings to the city of the dead. What sense do you get of the city from the first chapter? What is the emotion created by opening with varied stories of the crossings, and particularly with the first story of the blind man? What is the significance of beginning and ending with the blind man, and how are he and Laura connected or separate from each other in their relationship to their respective worlds?

3. "The city was not heaven, and it was not hell, and it was certainly not the world." How does the city operate and expand or contract? What is the thumping noise and how does it affect the characters? How is the city different from the world of the living, both in physical and emotional ways?

4. Much of The Brief History of the Dead is structured around memory and its role in Laura's survival and in the lives of those in the city. Are the memories of the living and the living-dead different? How do they function in the characters' lives, and do they change how each character experiences the world he or she exists in? What do you imagine the author is suggesting about the role of memory and the role of storytelling?

5. In many ways, Luka is the voice of the city of the dead. What does his character suggest about the role of the media in creating a world?

6. In many ways, the end of The Brief History of the Dead functions as the opening to new world of stories. What do you think comes after the city of the dead?

Marley & Me by John Grogan

2006-09-01T14:36:00.000-04:00

1. The sub-title of Marley & Me is "Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog." Do you think Marley deserves the title "World's Worst Dog?"

2. Is the story of "life and love" primarily between John and his dog, or was Marley just a sidekick in a story about John and his family? Were you surprised by how much non-dog related content the book contained? Did you enjoy the parts about John's family or did you wish he would just get on to another dog story?

3. Did any of Marley's antics strike you as particularly humorous?

4. Did any parts of the book make you cry?

5. Is this only a book for pet lovers or would people without pets like it too?

6. If you don't already own a dog, did this book make you want one or did it make you think twice about any impulse you might have to get one?

7. Why do you think Marley & Me topped the bestsellers list after it was released? What's the mass appeal? Do you agree with the hype? Would you recommend the book?

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

2006-08-10T15:00:00.000-04:00

1. ‘The impoverished always try to keep moving, as if relocating might help. They ignore the reality that a new version of the same problem will be waiting at the end of the trip – the relative you cringe to kiss.' (p 25) Discuss.

2. Rosa Hubermann seems unlovable (p 35) and yet she has a lot of love to give, and ‘was a good woman for a crisis.' (p 230) Are seemingly angry people simply protecting themselves from the hurt which inevitably lies in human relationships? Discuss.

3. How ordinary people tolerated the excesses of Nazism is illustrated by the points made by Alex Steiner (pp 61-2). Such movements prey on insecurities, on fear of unemployment and loss of livelihood, of poverty, and of not being able to support one's family. ‘there was an itch in his heart, but he made it a point not to scratch it. He was afraid of what might come leaking out.' (p 62) Later the narrator explains that ‘it would all have come to nothing had the Germans not loved one particular activity – to burn.' (p 90) Compare this to global and Australian toleration of atrocities today.

4. Discuss narration in this book.

5. Punishment for a moral transgression must always be made personal for people to really fear it. Hans warns Liesel not to reveal that they are harboring a Jew, by threatening to take those things which are most precious to her. (pp 219-221) This is a metaphor for the need to always ‘feel' the consequences of a crime…to ‘feel' other people's pain. Is our affluent society insensitive to other cultures and their pain?

The Other Boleyn Girl

2006-07-05T14:24:00.000-04:00

The Other Boleyn Girl

Philippa Gregory

1. Why does Philippa Gregory choose Mary to narrate the story? Keeping in mind the relationship between the observer and those observed, is Mary a good, trustworthy, narrator? As Mary ages, how is her loss of innocence reflected in her telling of the story?

2. Discuss the Boleyn family's scheming and jockeying for favor in the court. In light of these politics, discuss the significance of Mary's explanation that she had "a talent for loving [the king]" (page 119). Is this simply a girl's fantasy? Why does Mary call herself and George "a pair of pleasant snakes" (page 131)?

3. Share some of the characteristics that you like about historical fiction. For you, what aspect of The Other Boleyn Girl stands out the most? How does the book change your impressions of life in King Henry VIII's court?

4. Discuss Mary's evolution of thinking from when she realizes that after Queen Katherine's departure, "from this time onward no wife...would be safe" with her later thought (on page 468) that "the triumph of Anne, the mistress who had become a wife, was an inspiration to every loose girl in the country." What does this say about Mary's state of mind? Is she being a reliable narrator here?

5. In King Henry's court, homosexuality was a crime. Why do you think George essentially flaunted his preference? What do you make of the intimate kiss between George and Anne that Mary witnessed? What is the impetus behind George and Anne's relationship? Discuss whether or not you believe that George slept with Anne so that she might have a son, and why.

6. Why do you think George declares that Anne is "the only Boleyn anyone will ever know or remember" (page 410)? Was that true for you before you read The Other Boleyn Girl? What about now?

7. After Anne is arrested, Mary pleads for her by saying, "We did nothing more than that was ordered. We only ever did as we were commanded. Is she to die for being an obedient daughter?" (page 650). What is your reaction to these arguments? Did Henry have no choice but to sentence her to death?

The Da Vinci Code

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1. As a symbologist, Robert Langdon has a wealth of academic knowledge that helps him view the world in a unique way. Now that you’ve read The Da Vinci Code, are there any aspects of life/history/faith that you are seeing in a different light?

2. The novel’s “quest” involves numerous puzzles and codes. Did you enjoy trying to solve these puzzles along with the characters? Did you solve any of the puzzles before the characters did?

3. Will you look at the artwork of Da Vinci any differently now?

4. How do you think the book compared to the movie?

5. How do you feel about all the controversy surrounding the movie and the book?

700 Sundays

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If you don't want to answer any of the questions, but just feel like posting your thoughts on this book, feel free.

1. How do you think the book compared to the Broadway Show? While you were reading the book, did you feel like you were watching the show?

2. The last type of interaction Billy Crystal and his father had was an argument over a girl. How do you think Billy Crystal has learn to cope with that? Did you ever have a similar situation?

3. The book is filled with pictures of the Crystal family and all of the eccentric aunts, uncles, and cousins mentioned in the book. Do you think this added to the appeal of the book and help the reader feel more connected with the characters?

Rosie Dunne

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Answer as many questions as you want. If you don't want to answer any of the questions but just feel like posting your thoughts on this book, feel free.

1. Rosie and Alex are friends from childhood. How did your earliest friends affect your life? How does their friendship compare to yours? How does Rosie present herself to Alex and he to her?

2. As Rosie and Alex get older, their friendship changes. What changes their friendship --age, love, distance, being of the opposite ?

3. How does Cecelia Ahern tell this story? Why might an author choose this narrative style? What are some of the advantages of this type of narrative? What other type of narration could be used? Would this narration be as effective?

4. Do you have long distance friends? How hard/easy is this? How do you think the physical separation between Rosie and Alex affected their relationship?

5. Do you think the setting of the story makes an impact? Do you think Rosie's story would be different if she was born and raised in the United States?

6. Do you think the intimacy of Rosie and Alex's relationship with each other meant that were emotionally cheating on their spouses? Do you think people need to explain these type of close friendships to others?

7. How does instant messaging affect the storytelling? What do these exchanges add to your understanding of the characters? How does this connection affect their otherwise long-distance relationship?

8. Think about Alex's love letter to Rosie that Rosie doesn't find till much later. What would have happened if Rosie found the letter immediately?

9. Looking at Chapter 20, share whether or not you agree with Phil when he tells Alex not to be the one who breaks up her marriage and that she will never forgive Alex.

10. Rosie and Alex love each other, but it takes them a long time to realize that the feeling is mutual. Can a man and a woman just be friends? Would you tell your best friend that you loved them? What risks are involved? Are the risks worth it?

11. How does family affect Rosie and Alex's life? How do her friends and acquaintances play a role? How did they, knowingly and unknowingly, change the course of her life? Is it fate or coincidence that brings people in and out of their lives?

May's book blog discussion will be on 700 Sundays by Billy Crystal.

Welcome!

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Welcome to Clymer Library's Book Blog Discussion Group!

This blog was set up to allow people to actively participate in a book discussion group from the privacy of their own home. You can post comments as many times as you would like, whenever you would like! 3 o'clock in the morning, and you can't sleep? Come to this site and post your comment on our latest book! Just click on the comment section at the end of this post and start typing, when you are done just write your name or you can post anonymously! It's that easy!

The first book to be discussed is Rosie Dunne (Love, Rosie) by Cecelia Ahern. The library will post some discussion questions for this book on Monday April 3rd, to give everyone some time to read the book. Feel free to talk about these questions, post your own question you had about the book, or just simply say how you felt about the book.

After this month, if any one has any suggestions for next months book, feel free to post them or stop in at the library and tell us!

The library will post the name of next month's book as well as, some discussion questions for the current book, the first Monday of every month.

Lets keep this informal and have fun! We look forward to hearing everyone's comments on Rosie Dunne (Love, Rosie) in April!