tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78643633776359053432024-02-06T21:03:53.174-08:00GPL Book GroupThe "live" book group meets the first Wednesday of each month at the Geneseo Public Library District. If you'd like to participate but can't make it then or if you are just more comfortable at your computer please join in.GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.comBlogger242125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-23227370942715887072019-01-08T09:33:00.004-08:002019-01-08T09:35:47.488-08:00A Dog's Journey<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">A Dog’s
Journey</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">by W. Bruce
Cameron – To be Discussed on Wed Feb. 6, 2019 at Geneseo Public Library</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Buddy is a good
dog. After searching for his purpose through several eventful lives, Buddy is
sure that he has found and fulfilled it. Yet as he watches curious baby Clarity
get into dangerous mischief, he is certain that this little girl is very much
in need of a dog of her own. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">When Buddy is
reborn, he realizes that he has a new destiny. He's overjoyed when he is
adopted by Clarity, now a vibrant but troubled teenager. When they are suddenly
separated, Buddy despairs―who will take care of his girl?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">A charming and
heartwarming story of hope, love, and unending devotion, <i>A Dog's Journey</i>
by W. Bruce Cameron asks the question: Do we really take care of our pets, or
do they take care of us? More than just another endearing dog tale, <i>A Dog's
Journey</i> is the moving story of unwavering loyalty and a love that crosses
all barriers.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 20px 0px 0px;">
<b><span style="color: #804d44; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">*Discussion
Questions:</span></b><span style="color: #775d38; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #775d38; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #775d38; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">1. What is a dog’s purpose?<br />
<br />
2. How well does the author do in his ability (or not) to mimic what a dog
might (might!) be thinking? Is there a certain credibility, or not, to the
novel's premise—a thinking dog? <br />
<br />
3. For a dog, what is the difference between obedience and love?. <br />
<br />
4. Is love different for dogs from what it is for humans?</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #775d38; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><br />
5. How would you describe the dog’s voice?<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Do his thoughts sound like thoughts a dog would have?</span><span style="color: #775d38; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #775d38; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">
6. Although the dog is a different breed in each life – and even a different
gender – what traits always remain the same?<br />
<br />
7. The author was born in Michigan in 1960.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>How much of the book do you think is autobiographical, or inspired by
real life events?</span><span style="color: #775d38; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #775d38; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">
8. Do dogs dream?<br />
<br />
9. Are you a proponent of reincarnation? For humans.or pets??</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-83209591463620704612019-01-08T09:29:00.000-08:002019-01-08T09:29:58.357-08:00Notes from Jan 2019 group<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 106%; margin: 0px;">Paris for One</span></b><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 106%; margin: 0px;"> by JoJo Moyes – Discussed on Jan 2, 2019, at Geneseo
Public Library</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 106%; margin: 0px;">Nell is twenty-six and has
never been to Paris. She's never even been on a romantic weekend away—to
anywhere—before. Traveling abroad isn't really her thing. But when Nell's
boyfriend fails to show up for their mini-vacation, she has the opportunity to
prove everyone—including herself—wrong. Alone in Paris, Nell finds a
version of herself she never knew existed: independent and intrepid. Could this
turn out to be the most adventurous weekend of her life? Funny, charming,
and irresistible, <i>Paris for One</i> is quintessential Jojo
Moyes—as are the other stories that round out the collection.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 106%; margin: 0px;">This book contained one
midsize story (Paris for One) and 8 short stories. Paris For One was easy to
read, and its characters were better defined due to its length. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Readers who had visited Paris in real life or
want to enjoyed JoJo’s descriptions of the city sights.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It was an interesting plot.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Most of our group thought Paris for One was
just OK.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Of the short stories we only
liked two of them:<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Crocodile Shoes and
Last Year’s Coat.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>No one wanted to
recommend this book to others.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-42750962608914434282018-12-07T13:40:00.003-08:002018-12-07T13:40:41.301-08:00Paris for One
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Paris for One</span></b><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"> by JoJo Moyes – To be discussed on Jan 2, 2019, at Geneseo
Public Library</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Nell is twenty-six and has
never been to Paris. She's never even been on a romantic weekend away—to
anywhere—before. Traveling abroad isn't really her thing. But when Nell's
boyfriend fails to show up for their mini-vacation, she has the opportunity to
prove everyone—including herself—wrong. Alone in Paris, Nell finds a
version of herself she never knew existed: independent and intrepid. Could this
turn out to be the most adventurous weekend of her life? Funny, charming,
and irresistible, <i>Paris for One</i> is quintessential Jojo
Moyes—as are the other stories that round out the collection.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Discussion Questions:</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "&quot",serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "&quot",serif; margin: 0px;">Which is your favorite
story in the collection and why?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "&quot",serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "&quot",serif; margin: 0px;">Do you recognize yourself
in Nell or any of the other characters in <i>Paris for One and Other Stories</i>?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "&quot",serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "&quot",serif; margin: 0px;">Fabian first feels a
connection to Nell when they are both moved by the same painting at the Frida
Kahlo exhibit. Have you ever responded to a work of art in such a visceral way?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "&quot",serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "&quot",serif; margin: 0px;">Nell’s girlfriends play a
key role in her Paris weekend, in both good ways and bad. How does her
relationship with Magda and the others shift after she returns?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "&quot",serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "&quot",serif; margin: 0px;">On pp. 86–87, Fabien takes
Nell to the Pont des Arts to see the love locks. Were you familiar with this
Parisian tradition of attaching locks to the bridge? Why do people do it? Would
you?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "&quot",serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">6.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "&quot",serif; margin: 0px;">In the final line of “Paris
for One,” Nell says she “always did like a story with a happy ending” (p. 151).
What do you imagine happens to Nell after the story ends?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "&quot",serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">7.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "&quot",serif; margin: 0px;">In “Thirteen Days with John
C,” Miranda finds a stranger’s cellphone and is seduced by the texts of a man
she doesn’t know. Although she is pretending to be someone else and in fact
never meets John C, do you believe that what she did qualifies as cheating?
Would her husband agree?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "&quot",serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">8.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "&quot",serif; margin: 0px;">Why is Sara so
unenthusiastic about being whisked away for the night in “Love in the
Afternoon”? Why didn’t Doug tell her he received the trip as a company bonus?
In what way does the discovery change Sara’s attitude?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "&quot",serif; margin: 0px;">9. The stories “Paris for One” and “Love in the Afternoon” both
revolve around a romantic weekend trip. What is the most romantic vacation
you’ve ever had? </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "&quot",serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-82619468484705967422018-12-07T13:38:00.001-08:002018-12-07T13:38:19.191-08:00Notes from Dec 2018 The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd - Movie watched and discussed on Dec. 5, 2018<br />
at Geneseo Public Library<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Set in South Carolina in
1964, <i>The Secret Life of Bees</i> tells the story of Lily Owens,
whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her
mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted black "stand-in
mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides
to spring them both free. They escape to Tiburon, South Carolina--a town that
holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by an eccentric trio of black
beekeeping sister, Lily is introduced to their mesmerizing world of bees and
honey, and the Black Madonna. This is a remarkable novel about divine female
power, a story that women will share and pass on to their daughters for years
to come.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">This was a story about
racism and relationships in the South 1964.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Most of the characters were strong, quirky, black women who accepted stranger
Lily (white runaway teen) into their home and supported her. Enjoyed the
situation between Lily and Rosaleen (her black nanny) who cared for her for ten
years.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>There was a lot of drama between
Lily and her mean father, Lily and the 3 sisters, Lily and Zach, a black teen
she liked. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We learned about bee
keeping.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It was an unusual book – easy
to read and interesting.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The entire
group liked this one.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It generated great
discussion.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Our group liked the books so much we watched the movie in December 2018. They did a great job casting actors to play the main characters - Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Paul Bethany. Costumes, cars, scenery - these 1964 details were all carefully, thoughtfully chosen and enhanced the film. Our bookclub really enjoyed the DVD as much as the book.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-85510718664001612142018-11-14T13:49:00.000-08:002018-12-07T13:32:13.180-08:00The Secret Life of Bees DVDThe Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd - 2008 DVD with Jennifer Hudson, Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Set in South Carolina in
1964, <i>The Secret Life of Bees</i> tells the story of Lily Owens,
whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her
mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted black "stand-in
mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides
to spring them both free. They escape to Tiburon, South Carolina--a town that
holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by an eccentric trio of black
beekeeping sister, Lily is introduced to their mesmerizing world of bees and
honey, and the Black Madonna. This is a remarkable novel about divine female
power, a story that women will share and pass on to their daughters for years
to come.</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-11604775288375126702018-11-14T13:46:00.001-08:002018-11-14T13:47:06.621-08:00Notes from Nov. 2018 groupThe Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd - Discussed on Nov. 5 at Geneseo Public Library<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Set in South Carolina in
1964, <i>The Secret Life of Bees</i> tells the story of Lily Owens,
whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her
mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted black "stand-in
mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides
to spring them both free. They escape to Tiburon, South Carolina--a town that
holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by an eccentric trio of black
beekeeping sister, Lily is introduced to their mesmerizing world of bees and
honey, and the Black Madonna. This is a remarkable novel about divine female
power, a story that women will share and pass on to their daughters for years
to come.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">This was a story about
racism and relationships in the South 1964.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Most of the characters were strong, quirky, black women who accepted stranger
Lily (white runaway teen) into their home and supported her. Enjoyed the situation
between Lily and Rosaleen (her black nanny) who cared for her for ten
years.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>There was a lot of drama between
Lily and her mean father, Lily and the 3 sisters, Lily and Zach, a black teen
she liked. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We learned about bee
keeping.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It was an unusual book – easy to read and
interesting.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The entire group liked this
one.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It generated great discussion.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span>GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-23554707197444680952018-10-10T08:40:00.000-07:002018-10-10T10:58:27.733-07:00The Secret Life of Bees<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">The Secret
Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> – To be Discussed on Wed Nov. 7, 2018, at
Geneseo Public Library</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Set in South Carolina in
1964, <i>The Secret Life of Bees</i> tells the story of Lily Owens,
whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her
mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted black "stand-in
mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides
to spring them both free. They escape to Tiburon, South Carolina--a town that
holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by an eccentric trio of black
beekeeping sister, Lily is introduced to their mesmerizing world of bees and
honey, and the Black Madonna. This is a remarkable novel about divine female
power, a story that women will share and pass on to their daughters for years
to come.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Questions:</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 19.45pt; margin: 0px 20.8px 9.93px 48px; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; margin: 0px;">How
would you describe Lily's feelings about her mother? Did they change throughout
the novel? How did hearing that her mother left her to affect her perception of
her mother?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 19.45pt; margin: 0px 20.8px 9.93px 48px; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; margin: 0px;">Do
you believe T-Ray's account of what happened when Lily's mother died?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 19.45pt; margin: 0px 20.8px 9.93px 48px; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; margin: 0px;">Did
your opinion of T-Ray change when August told Lily about how much he used to
love her mother? Does Deborah's abandonment explain or excuse T-Ray?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 19.45pt; margin: 0px 20.8px 9.93px 48px; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; margin: 0px;">Do
you agree with Lily that people would rather die than forgive? Does she forgive
her mother? T-Ray? Herself?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 19.45pt; margin: 0px 20.8px 9.93px 48px; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; margin: 0px;">What
do the bees mean to the story? What is "the secret life of bees?"</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 19.45pt; margin: 0px 20.8px 9.93px 48px; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">6.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; margin: 0px;">Do
you think race was portrayed realistically in <i>The Secret Life of Bees</i>?
What do you think Sue Monk Kidd was saying about race in this novel?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 19.45pt; margin: 0px 20.8px 9.93px 48px; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">7.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; margin: 0px;">Why
did Rosaleen spit on the men's shoes? What are the ways the characters in the
novel confront injustice? How do you think we should deal with injustice? Do
these kinds of prejudices still exist today?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 19.45pt; margin: 0px 20.8px 9.93px 72px; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">8.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; margin: 0px;">What
was your reaction to Lily's relationship with Zach? What do you think happened
to them in the future?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 19.45pt; margin: 0px 20.8px 9.93px 72px; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">9.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; margin: 0px;">Talk
about the sisters. Who was your favorite? Do we all need a <span style="color: #0086a6; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/wailing-wall-or-western-wall-2353751"><span style="color: #0086a6; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none;">wailing wall</span></a></span>,
like May? Why do you think June was cold toward Lily? How would you describe
August</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 19.45pt; margin: 0px 20.8px 9.93px 72px; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">10.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; margin: 0px;">What
role did the Black Madonna play in their community? What do you think about the
legend of the Black Madonna?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 18pt; margin: 0px 0px 9.93px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span>GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-70469887809860113372018-10-10T08:36:00.000-07:002018-10-10T08:36:14.452-07:00Notes from Oct 2018 group
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%; margin: 0px;">Stranger in
the Woods</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> by Michael Finkel – Discussed on Wed. Oct. 3, 2018 at Geneseo
Library</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<u><span style="color: #0b0117; font-family: "&quot",serif;"></span></u><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 106%; margin: 0px;">Many people dream of
escaping modern life. Most will never act on it—but in 1986, twenty-year-old
Christopher Knight did just that when he left his home in Massachusetts, drove
to Maine, and disappeared into the woods. He would not have a conversation with
another person for the next twenty-seven years. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 106%; margin: 0px;"><br />
<span style="background: white; margin: 0px;"> </span><br />
<span style="background: white; margin: 0px;">Drawing on extensive interviews with Knight
himself, journalist Michael Finkel shows how Knight lived in a tent in a
secluded encampment, developing ingenious ways to store provisions and stave
off frostbite during the winters. A former alarm technician, he stealthily
broke into nearby cottages for food, books, and supplies, taking only what he
needed but sowing unease in a community plagued by his mysterious burglaries.
Since returning to the world, he has faced unique challenges—and compelled us
to reexamine our assumptions about what makes a good life. By turns riveting
and thought-provoking, <i>The Stranger in the Woods</i> gives us a
deeply moving portrait of a man determined to live his own way.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 106%; margin: 0px;">This was an interesting
book.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We were amazed at how a 20 year
old American man could drop out of society for 27 years.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>His family did not report him missing.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Chris was very resourceful, inventive, and able
to survive outdoors all year long. He did what he wanted to do which was just
leave him alone in the woods.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He has a
very different personality. He was finally caught stealing food and other necessities
as he had done for 27 years. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He never
got sick until he went to prison.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Most
of our group liked this book and it generated great discussion.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-69225608144350385002018-09-10T12:28:00.000-07:002018-09-10T12:29:17.129-07:00Stranger in the WoodsThe Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel - To be Discussed on Wed. Oct. 3, 2018 at Geneseo Public Library<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Many people dream of
escaping modern life. Most will never act on it—but in 1986, twenty-year-old
Christopher Knight did just that when he left his home in Massachusetts, drove
to Maine, and disappeared into the woods. He would not have a conversation with
another person for the next twenty-seven years. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><br />
<span style="background: white; margin: 0px;"> </span><br />
<span style="background: white; margin: 0px;">Drawing on extensive interviews with Knight
himself, journalist Michael Finkel shows how Knight lived in a tent in a
secluded encampment, developing ingenious ways to store provisions and stave
off frostbite during the winters. A former alarm technician, he stealthily
broke into nearby cottages for food, books, and supplies, taking only what he
needed but sowing unease in a community plagued by his mysterious burglaries.
Since returning to the world, he has faced unique challenges—and compelled us
to reexamine our assumptions about what makes a good life. By turns riveting
and thought-provoking, <i>The Stranger in the Woods</i> gives us a
deeply moving portrait of a man determined to live his own way.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Questions:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; margin: 0px;">1. Discuss the significance of the Socrates epigraph that opens <i>The
Stranger in the Woods.</i> How does this set the tone for the book? How does it
relate to the book’s larger discussion of needs versus wants? </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; margin: 0px;">2. In the early pages of the book, Finkel states that Knight has
“stripped the world to his essentials.” Consider the lifestyle that Knight
leads in North Pond. What are his essentials? How many of these essentials are
material versus immaterial? What does he value the most? </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; margin: 0px;">3. On page 5, Finkel states that Knight has a “moral code” that he lives
by, which determines what he will and will not steal. How would you describe
his moral code? How does his moral code relate to larger ideas about capitalism
and materialism in the United States?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; margin: 0px;">4. In the first few chapters of the book, Knight is referred to solely as
“the hermit,” before his name and identity are revealed to the reader. Why do
you think Finkel chose to employ this narrative device? Explore the
significance of the lore around Knight as “the hermit,” and how the mythos of
“the hermit” is complicated once his identity is made publicly known.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; margin: 0px;">5. How would you describe the locals’ attitudes toward the hermit over
time? Discuss the varied experiences of those who were victimized by his crimes
and how these incidents affected their perceptions of their hometown, their
domicile, and their safety. After his arrest, how does the narrative of the
hermit change, if at all? </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; margin: 0px;">6. How do you feel about Knight? On the North Pond camp owners’ scale of
“Lock Knight up forever” to “Let him go immediately,” where do you reside?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; margin: 0px;">7. In chapter six, Finkel describes the fanfare surrounding Knight’s
arrest, pronounced “a circus” by some local officials. Consider the irony of
Knight’s fame in relation to his desire for solitude. How does Knight play into
the public’s idea of what a hermit “should” be? </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; margin: 0px;">8. In chapter seven, the narrative lens of <i>The Stranger in the Woods </i>shifts
to allow for the author’s point of view to emerge. What spurs Finkel to reach
out to Knight, initially? Discuss their early exchanges, as well as Finkel’s
first visit. How does their relationship evolve? </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; margin: 0px;">9. Early in their relationship, Finkel reveals to Knight that he is a
“flawed journalist,” based on past actions during his reportage. Why does he
choose to do this? Discuss the “lofty ideals” that both men strive for in their
lives. How are they both committed to seeking truth?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; margin: 0px;">10. Discuss Knight’s time in jail. How does the movement from complete
solitude to imprisonment affect his morale? What tactics from his time in the
woods does he use to pass the time? </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; margin: 0px;">11. Throughout <i>The Stranger in the Woods,</i> Knight is defined by
many labels: He is a hermit, a thief, a prisoner, a purist, a son, a brother.
Which of these labels does he associate himself with, if any? How much of a
person’s identity is shaped by socialization, and how much is self-determined?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; margin: 0px;">12. On page 50, Finkel states that Knight “seemed to say exactly what he
was thinking, raw and true, unfiltered by the safety net of social niceties.”
Discuss this statement. How does Knight’s time in the woods affect his
understanding of human interactions? What is his general standpoint toward
humanity? How does his exposure to media (books, radio) keep him connected to
society at large? </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; margin: 0px;">13. When reading <i>Notes from the Underground,</i> Knight felt that
Dostoyevsky was reaching through time and speaking directly to him. What books
have made you feel that way?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; margin: 0px;">14. Discuss Knight’s childhood and family. How does the idea of rugged
individualism and self-reliance color his upbringing? The value of privacy?
Consider his absence in the lives of his family members, and his sudden return
to them. Does he feel any guilt about his decision to disappear? How does his
family interpret his return? </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; margin: 0px;">15. On page 78, Finkel notes that Knight’s decision to retreat to the
woods “had elements of a suicide, except he didn’t kill himself.” Unpack this
statement. Considering Knight’s promise to go back into the woods at the end of
the book, how does he view death in relation to the natural world? </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; margin: 0px;">16. Consider Finkel’s discussion of various hermits or secluded
individuals in societies around the world. What does Knight share with these
other historical examples of hermits? Is there a mutual moral commitment that
underpins their solitude? How much of Knight’s decision to isolate
himself seems to come from a place of idealism versus personal preference? How
does his existence in Little North defy the typical categorization of what a
hermit is? </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; margin: 0px;">17. Discuss the discipline inherent to Knight’s existence in the woods.
How is his life reliant on patterns and consistency? How does he use fear as
motivation?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; margin: 0px;">18. On page 112, Knight wonders if “modern society, with its flood of
information and tempest of noise, was only making us dumber.” Reflect on this
statement. What are the pitfalls of technology in relation to modern living?
How does our reliance on technology undercut some of the most essential human
functions? </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; margin: 0px;">19. <i>Stranger in the Woods </i>asks complicated, fundamental questions
about solitude, self-reliance, and humans’ relationship with nature, with an
extraordinary, singularly unique human at the center. Consider your own life as
it relates to these concepts. How often are you completely alone? Do you ever
seek out solitude, particularly in nature? How is nature both restorative and
challenging for the human spirit? By the end of the book, how did your feelings
toward Knight evolve? </span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-50737862092041080442018-09-10T12:18:00.002-07:002018-09-10T12:22:55.848-07:00Notes from the Sept 2018 group<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Radium Girls
The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">by Kate Moore – Discussed on
Wed <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Sept. 5, 2018 at Geneseo Public
Library</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRw4P-u2yUGzxi9_gb9wCz7FdpxZ-81-trc5f6fAa0EngssokSlTTYhqQKkTyp2Wr_oj-MkvCvCLtzCKd2PFCCi6Hon3rBJWiyQIGysowFk9A9OxiA3aPghtnq7HMvywjVYxpH9FlhQnJ/s1600/Radium+Girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="218" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRw4P-u2yUGzxi9_gb9wCz7FdpxZ-81-trc5f6fAa0EngssokSlTTYhqQKkTyp2Wr_oj-MkvCvCLtzCKd2PFCCi6Hon3rBJWiyQIGysowFk9A9OxiA3aPghtnq7HMvywjVYxpH9FlhQnJ/s200/Radium+Girls.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRw4P-u2yUGzxi9_gb9wCz7FdpxZ-81-trc5f6fAa0EngssokSlTTYhqQKkTyp2Wr_oj-MkvCvCLtzCKd2PFCCi6Hon3rBJWiyQIGysowFk9A9OxiA3aPghtnq7HMvywjVYxpH9FlhQnJ/s1600/Radium+Girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">The
Curies’ newly discovered element of radium makes gleaming headlines across the
nation as the fresh face of beauty, and wonder drug of the medical community.
From body lotion to tonic water, the popular new element shines bright in the
otherwise dark years of the First World War.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">Meanwhile,
hundreds of girls toil amidst the glowing dust of the radium-dial factories.
The glittering chemical covers their bodies from head to toe; they light up the
night like industrious fireflies. With such a coveted job, these “shining
girls” are the luckiest alive — until they begin to fall mysteriously ill.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">But
the factories that once offered golden opportunities are now ignoring all
claims of the gruesome side effects, and the women’s cries of corruption. And
as the fatal poison of the radium takes hold, the brave shining girls find
themselves embroiled in one of the biggest scandals of America’s early 20th
century, and in a groundbreaking battle for workers’ rights that will echo for
centuries to come. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">Written with a sparkling voice
and breakneck pace, <em><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">The Radium
Girls</span></em> fully illuminates the inspiring young women exposed to the “wonder”
substance of radium, and their awe-inspiring strength in the face of almost
impossible circumstances. Their courage and tenacity led to life-changing
regulations, research into nuclear bombing, and ultimately saved hundreds of
thousands of lives...</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">This was a subject that my group
did not know much about.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This British
author did lots of research and family interviews to write this book.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The reality of so many young women dying due
to men / corporate conspiracy, greed, and lack of communication between the
different American company locations created many emotions for us readers.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We were shocked at the doctors and dentists
who became involved in the coverup – they lied privately and at the trials for
money.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It was extremely difficult for
the sick women to find anyone to take on their cause.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Our group had good discussions.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We found this an interesting but long book,
in parts too detailed and wordy.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Overall
most of us enjoyed learning about this issue.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span>GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-74090982194714990402018-08-06T13:44:00.002-07:002018-08-06T13:46:08.863-07:00Radium Girls<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Radium Girls
The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">by Kate Moore – To be
discussed on Wed Sept. 5, 2018 at Geneseo Public Library</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4K15kVzpxQKXf6AzXbq_VBhHIlHqubvG2496dUiTB_ubJwL4MpVoVa1A_j0NFpv6SMwZ2BgKfSVmqkack4DTGhDM49pnzPocBZcc6faqYkh_ZZfNXPIGMw5LQhzuEH-dDyy3k-4b72mG/s1600/Radium+Girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="218" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4K15kVzpxQKXf6AzXbq_VBhHIlHqubvG2496dUiTB_ubJwL4MpVoVa1A_j0NFpv6SMwZ2BgKfSVmqkack4DTGhDM49pnzPocBZcc6faqYkh_ZZfNXPIGMw5LQhzuEH-dDyy3k-4b72mG/s200/Radium+Girls.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">The
Curies’ newly discovered element of radium makes gleaming headlines across the
nation as the fresh face of beauty, and wonder drug of the medical community.
From body lotion to tonic water, the popular new element shines bright in the
otherwise dark years of the First World War.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">Meanwhile,
hundreds of girls toil amidst the glowing dust of the radium-dial factories.
The glittering chemical covers their bodies from head to toe; they light up the
night like industrious fireflies. With such a coveted job, these “shining
girls” are the luckiest alive — until they begin to fall mysteriously ill.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">But
the factories that once offered golden opportunities are now ignoring all
claims of the gruesome side effects, and the women’s cries of corruption. And
as the fatal poison of the radium takes hold, the brave shining girls find
themselves embroiled in one of the biggest scandals of America’s early 20th
century, and in a groundbreaking battle for workers’ rights that will echo for
centuries to come. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">Written with a sparkling voice
and breakneck pace, <em><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">The Radium
Girls</span></em> fully illuminates the inspiring young women exposed to the “wonder”
substance of radium, and their awe-inspiring strength in the face of almost
impossible circumstances. Their courage and tenacity led to life-changing
regulations, research into nuclear bombing, and ultimately saved hundreds of
thousands of lives...</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Questions:</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">1. Trace the emotional trajectory of the
women who worked with radium paint—from their initial excitement about their
jobs to their realization that it was killing them.<br />
<br />
2. What do you find most horrifying about the suffering the women endured as
their health deteriorated? Was this too difficult to read? Or did you get
through it?<br />
<br />
3. Talk about the response of the United States Radium Corporation to the
women's complaints—how much did it truly understood about the hazards of
radium? What arguments did the company enlist against the health claims of the
women?<br />
<br />
4. What most outraged you about the treatment the women received? The dentist
who approached the company for hush money, for instance? What else?<br />
<br />
5. To what extent do today's laws offer workers protection against hazardous
materials and other dangers in the workplace? Consider OSHA, for instance. How
far have we come? What relevance does this story have in the 21st century?</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-66934865088248576212018-08-06T13:40:00.000-07:002018-08-06T13:40:25.586-07:00Notes from August 2018 group
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Pawleys
Island </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">by Dorothea Benton Frank - Discussed on Aug 1, 2018 at the
Geneseo Library</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Catapulted from her home,
her marriage and her children, artist Rebecca Simms has come to Pawleys Island,
South Carolina, to hide herself from herself. Little does she know that on
this “arrogantly shabby” family playground, she’ll encounter three people who
will change her life: a wise and irresistible octogenarian who will pry her
secrets from her, a gallery owner who caters to interior decorators and heaven
save us, tourists, and a retired attorney from Columbia who’s complacent in her
fat and sassy life until Rebecca’s stormy advent.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">This is an easy to read,
soap opera style plot with quirky characters.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Pawleys Island is a real island in South Carolina near Myrtle
Beach.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We enjoyed the beach setting and
descriptions.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The villain was truly a
bad, immoral guy.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We had great
discussion on the characters and topics of spouse abuse, substance abuse, the
trial, family/parent rights, and southern personalities etc. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The trial and ending were unrealistic. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Our group split on comments on this book –
half liked it and others had mixed feelings.</span></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-32892273807725510302018-07-09T12:08:00.002-07:002018-07-09T12:08:58.788-07:00Pawley's Island
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Pawleys
Island </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">by Dorothea Benton Frank – To be discussed on Aug 1, 2018 at the
Geneseo Library </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Catapulted from her home,
her marriage and her children, artist Rebecca Simms has come to Pawleys Island,
South Carolina, to hide herself from herself. Little does she know that on
this “arrogantly shabby” family playground, she’ll encounter three people who
will change her life: a wise and irresistible octogenarian who will pry her
secrets from her, a gallery owner who caters to interior decorators and heaven
save us, tourists, and a retired attorney from Columbia who’s complacent in her
fat and sassy life until Rebecca’s stormy advent..</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "&quot",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">DISCUSSION QUESTIONS</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Abigail is a confident, independent, educated woman, but she is also
extremely hard on herself at times. What does she want to change about her
life?<br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Why do Abigail and Huey decide to help Rebecca?<br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Although the story is mainly told through Abigail’s eyes, some chapters
are shown through other points of view. Why might the author have chosen to
reveal some of Rebecca’s past, including her abandonment, through Miss Olivia’s
perspective? What is revealed about Rebecca’s attitude toward Abigail when we
see things from her view, especially in the early chapters?<br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>At first Rebecca is less than comfortable with the idea of Abigail
taking over her case. What leads to her change of heart?<br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>During her preparations for the trial, Abigail feels like she has
stepped into the past while Rebecca is clearly moving forward. Is she merely
referring to her reprise as a divorce lawyer, or is there more to it than that?<br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Discuss Rebecca’s mild abuse of pharmaceuticals and alcohol. How did
this affect your opinion of her, if at all?<br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>How do issues of socioeconomic power factor into the characters’
motivations? Do you think things would have turned out differently if Rebecca
had been hired at the local dry cleaner’s instead of Huey’s gallery?<br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Shortly after she
finds out about Charlene, Rebecca muses that she could have understood Nat’s
infidelity if he’d left her for someone beautiful and aristocratic. Is there
any validity to that line of reasoning? How does it speak to her self-esteem?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>On the surface, Abigail and Rebecca appear to be very different, but
they share similar insecurities. How do they help each other?<br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Discuss Charlene. Do you think she is a victim of circumstance or a
ruthless home wrecker? Perhaps a little of both?<br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>What does it take for Abigail to finally forgive herself for her son’s
death?<br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>The idea of having secrets—and maintaining protective illusions—is a
major theme of <i>Pawleys Island</i>. Abigail hides the crippling guilt she
feels about her empty marriage and the death of her son, Rebecca retreats to
Pawleys Island to escape public scrutiny of her divorce (or so she thought),
and Huey’s lover hides his true identity from Miss Olivia. Discuss how each
character liberates him/herself.<br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>What is Abigail’s philosophy on finding love later in life?<br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>The subject of the poem in the beginning of <i>Pawleys Island</i> is the
idea that a place can absorb one’s “unbearable secrets.” Do you think this is
true? Do you have an equivalent of Pawley’s Island in your life? How can such
places be both a sanctuary and a crucible for change?</span></div>
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<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
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<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span>GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-6989841518566146212018-07-09T12:05:00.002-07:002018-07-09T12:05:13.937-07:00Notes from July 2018 group
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Sisters
First – Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> by Jenna Bush Hager
& Barbara Pierce Bush – Discussed on Thurs July 5, 2018, at Geneseo
Public Library</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Born into a political
dynasty, Jenna and Barbara Bush grew up in the public eye. As small children,
they watched their grandfather become president; just twelve years later they
stood by their father's side when he took the same oath. They spent their
college years watched over by Secret Service agents and became fodder for the
tabloids, with teenage mistakes making national headlines. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><br />
<span style="background: white; margin: 0px;">But the tabloids didn't tell the whole story. In
SISTERS FIRST, Jenna and Barbara take readers on a revealing, thoughtful, and
deeply personal tour behind the scenes of their lives, as they share stories about
their family, their unexpected adventures, their loves and losses, and the
sisterly bond that means everything to them.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">This book is written by both
sisters – each chapter alternates between the two sisters, who have different personalities / styles.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>They have remarkably close extended family
relationships.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>They were raised to have good,
down-to-earth values (even though they are wealthy they are humble, hardworking
<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>not spoiled).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Our group enjoyed the twin’s antics and
seeing historic events through the Bush’s eyes. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This book gave us insights into their grandparents
and parents lives.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Most of my group
liked this book.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span>GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-74022034483341716562018-06-29T13:22:00.002-07:002018-06-29T13:25:29.751-07:00Sisters First<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Sisters
First – Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> by Jenna Bush Hager
& Barbara Pierce Bush – To be discussed on Thurs July 5, 2018, at Geneseo
Public Library</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Born into a political
dynasty, Jenna and Barbara Bush grew up in the public eye. As small children,
they watched their grandfather become president; just twelve years later they
stood by their father's side when he took the same oath. They spent their
college years watched over by Secret Service agents and became fodder for the
tabloids, with teenage mistakes making national headlines. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><br />
<span style="background: white; margin: 0px;">But the tabloids didn't tell the whole story. In
SISTERS FIRST, Jenna and Barbara take readers on a revealing, thoughtful, and
deeply personal tour behind the scenes of their lives, as they share stories about
their family, their unexpected adventures, their loves and losses, and the
sisterly bond that means everything to them.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Discussion Questions:</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Did you enjoy this book? Why or why not?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Did you find parts of this story humorous? <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>If so which parts?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Do you believe it would be difficult to be
raised in the environment the Bush sisters were raised in?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">4.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">What were some struggles the Bush sisters faced
as they grew up in the public eye?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">5.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Was it easy to stay engaged in this book? Did
you find it interesting?</span><br />
<div font="">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">6.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Did you think this book was well written?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">7.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Discuss the relationship between Barbra and
Jenna. Do they have a close relationship?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">8.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">How has Jenna and Barbra’s childhood experiences
shaped them into the women they are today?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">9.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Would you recommend this book to someone else?
Why or why not?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px 48px;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span></div>
GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-28007419756926251622018-06-29T13:19:00.001-07:002018-06-29T13:19:20.590-07:00Notes from June 2018 groupThe Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje- Discussed on Wed June 6, 2018 at Geneseo Public Library<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">In the early 1950s, an
eleven-year-old boy in Colombo boards a ship bound for England. At mealtimes he
is seated at the “cat’s table”—as far from the Captain’s Table as can be—with a
ragtag group of “insignificant” adults and two other boys, Cassius and Ramadhin.
As the ship crosses the Indian Ocean, the boys tumble from one adventure to
another, bursting all over the place like freed mercury. But there are other
diversions as well: they are first exposed to the magical worlds of jazz,
women, and literature by their eccentric fellow travelers, and together they
spy on a shackled prisoner, his crime and fate a galvanizing mystery that will
haunt them forever. By turns poignant and electrifying, <i>The Cat’s Table</i> is
a spellbinding story about the magical, often forbidden, discoveries of
childhood, and a lifelong journey that begins unexpectedly with a spectacular
sea voyage.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">It seemed our group liked the plot of this story but not the
format it was written.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We liked that the
story was written from the boy’s point of view but went back and forth in
time.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Many in our group thought that the
characters were confusing, hard to follow, and the book was difficult to
read.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Therefore most people in our group
did not like this book.</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-77257562964698957242018-05-08T10:01:00.001-07:002018-05-08T10:01:23.508-07:00The Cat's Table
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">The Cat’s
Table</span><span style="font-family: calibri;"> by Michael Ondaatje – To be Discussed on Wed June 6, 2018 at
Geneseo Public Library</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">In the early 1950s, an
eleven-year-old boy in Colombo boards a ship bound for England. At mealtimes he
is seated at the “cat’s table”—as far from the Captain’s Table as can be—with a
ragtag group of “insignificant” adults and two other boys, Cassius and Ramadhin.
As the ship crosses the Indian Ocean, the boys tumble from one adventure to
another, bursting all over the place like freed mercury. But there are other
diversions as well: they are first exposed to the magical worlds of jazz,
women, and literature by their eccentric fellow travelers, and together they
spy on a shackled prisoner, his crime and fate a galvanizing mystery that will
haunt them forever. By turns poignant and electrifying, <i>The Cat’s Table</i> is
a spellbinding story about the magical, often forbidden, discoveries of
childhood, and a lifelong journey that begins unexpectedly with a spectacular
sea voyage.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Discussion Questions:</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">1.</span></strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> The epigraph is taken
from the short story “Youth” by Joseph Conrad: “And this is how I see the
East…. I see it always from a small boat --- not a light, not a stir, not a
sound. We conversed in low whispers, as if afraid to wake up the land…. It is
all in that moment when I opened my young eyes on it. I came upon it from a
tussle with the sea.” How does this set up the major themes of <strong><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; margin: 0px;">The Cat’s Table</span></strong>?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">2.</span></strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> How is the voyage itself
a metaphor for childhood?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">3.</span></strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> Why do you think the
opening passages of the book are told in third person?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">4.</span></strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> We are 133 pages into the
novel before Ondaatje gives us an idea of what year it is. How does he use time
--- or the sense of timelessness --- to propel the story?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">5.</span></strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> The anonymity of ocean
travel and the sense that board ship we know only what others want us to know
about them come into play at several points in the novel. What is Ondaatje
saying about identity?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">6.</span></strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> For several characters
--- the three boys and Emily among them --- the journey represents a loss of
innocence. For whom does it have the greatest impact?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">7.</span></strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> Discuss the importance of
some of the seemingly minor characters at the table: Mr. Mazappa, Mr. Fonseka,
Mr. Nevil. What do they contribute to the story?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">8.</span></strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> “What is interesting and
important happens mostly in secret, in places where there is no power,” the
narrator realizes (page 75). “Nothing much of lasting value ever happens at the
head table, held together by a familiar rhetoric. Those who already have power
continue to glide along the familiar rut they have made for themselves.” How
does this prove true over the course of the novel?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">9.</span></strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> How do the narrator’s
experiences breaking and entering with the Baron change his way of looking at
the world?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">10.</span></strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> Discuss the three boys’
experience during the typhoon. How does it affect their friendship and their
attitude toward authority figures?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">11.</span></strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> How does the death of Sir
Hector factor into the larger story?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">12.</span></strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> On page 155, the narrator
refers to Ramadhin as “the saint of our clandestine family.” What does he mean?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">13.</span></strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> When describing the
collapse of his marriage, the narrator says, “Massi said that sometimes, when
things overwhelmed me, there was a trick or a habit I had: I turned myself into
something that did not belong anywhere. I trusted nothing I was told, not even
what I witnessed” (page 203). What made him behave this way? How did it affect
his marriage?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">14.</span></strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> On page 208, the narrator
tells us about a master class given by the filmmaker Luc Dardenne in which “he
spoke of how viewers of his films should not assume they understood everything
about the characters. As members of an audience we should never feel ourselves
wiser than they; we do not have more knowledge than the characters have about
themselves.” Why did Ondaatje give us this warning, so far into the novel? What
is he telling us?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">15.</span></strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> What was your reaction to
the revelations about Miss Lasqueti?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">16.</span></strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> How do
you think her letter to Emily might have changed the events on board the <em><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Oronsay</span></em>? Why didn’t she send
it?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">17.</span></strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> Miss Laqueti signs off
her letter, “‘Despair young and never look back,’ an Irishman said. And
this is what I did” (page 231). What does she mean?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">18.</span></strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> Discuss Emily’s
relationship with Asuntha. Did she, as the narrator suggests on page 251, see
herself in the deaf girl?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">19.</span></strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> When Emily says to the
narrator, “I don’t think you can love me into safety,” (page 250), to what is
she referring? What is the danger, decades after the voyage?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">20.</span></strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> The narrator wishes to
protect Emily, Cassius has Asuntha, and Ramadhin has Heather Cave. “What
happened that the three of us had a desire to protect others seemingly less
secure than ourselves?” he asks on page 262. How would you answer that
question?</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-79659802446491886342018-05-08T09:57:00.006-07:002018-05-08T09:58:25.182-07:00Notes from May 2018 group<div style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">The
Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">by Katarina Bivald – Discussed on Wed May 2, 2018, at
Geneseo Public Library</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Broken
Wheel, Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who traveled all the way from
Sweden just to meet her book-loving pen pal, Amy. When she arrives, however,
she finds Amy's funeral guests just leaving. The residents of Broken Wheel are
happy to look after their bewildered visitor―there's not much else to do in a
dying small town that's almost beyond repair.</span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">You
certainly wouldn't open a bookstore. And definitely not with the tourist in
charge. You'd need a vacant storefront (Main Street is full of them), books
(Amy's house is full of them), and...customers.</span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">The
bookstore might be a little quirky. Then again, so is Sara. But Broken Wheel's
own story might be more eccentric and surprising than she thought.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">This story started slowly.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>The townspeople characters were all unusual but real.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Our group enjoyed the made up Iowa small town
(population 637) which seemed believable. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Sara from Sweden was a devoted reader – her
life was books.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Within this novel many
book titles and characters are mentioned by Sara. She did not relate to people
but that changes during the story.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We
liked the way the town council people took care of the town’s events, problems,
and people.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Felt the story had a
Hallmark happy ending.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Our group had
very mixed feelings about this book.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Loved that the book included a list of all the books Sara talked about.</span></div>
GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-48219454251994930192018-05-02T14:06:00.001-07:002018-05-08T09:55:53.733-07:00The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">The
Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">by Katarina Bivald – To be Discussed on Wed May 2, 2018, at
Geneseo Public Library</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<u><span style="color: #000120;"><br /></span></u></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Broken
Wheel, Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who traveled all the way from
Sweden just to meet her book-loving pen pal, Amy. When she arrives, however,
she finds Amy's funeral guests just leaving. The residents of Broken Wheel are
happy to look after their bewildered visitor―there's not much else to do in a
dying small town that's almost beyond repair.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">You
certainly wouldn't open a bookstore. And definitely not with the tourist in
charge. You'd need a vacant storefront (Main Street is full of them), books
(Amy's house is full of them), and...customers.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">The
bookstore might be a little quirky. Then again, so is Sara. But Broken Wheel's
own story might be more eccentric and surprising than she thought.</span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">
<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Discussion
Questions</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; margin: 0px;">1. Did you enjoy this book? Why or why not?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; margin: 0px;">2. Which characters in the book did you like best?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; margin: 0px;">3. Did any of the characters remind you of yourself or
someone you know? How?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; margin: 0px;">4. What aspects of the author’s story could you most relate
to?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; margin: 0px;">5. Share a favorite quote from the book. Why did this quote
stand out?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; margin: 0px;">6. If you got the chance to ask the author of this book one
question, what would it be?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; margin: 0px;">7. What do you think of the book’s title? How does it relate
to the book’s contents? What other title might you choose?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 17.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; margin: 0px;">8. What do you think the author’s purpose was in writing this
book? What ideas was she trying to get across?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 17.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; margin: 0px;">9. Did the book’s pace seem too fast/too slow/just
right?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 17.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; margin: 0px;">10. Compare this book to others your group has
read. Is it similar to any of them? Did you like it more or less than other
books you've read?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 17.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; margin: 0px;">11. What did you learn from, take away from, or get out of
this book?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 17.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; margin: 0px;">12. Would you recommend this book to a friend?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 17.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></span></div>
</div>
GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-63642862379694361022018-05-02T14:03:00.001-07:002018-05-02T14:03:14.753-07:00Notes from April 2018 group
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 106%; margin: 0px;">Stella Bain by Anita Shreve - Discussed on April 4, 2018 at Geneseo Public Library</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 106%; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 106%; margin: 0px;">Stella Bain has no memory of
her past when she wakes up in a hospital bed in Marne, France. It is 1916, and
she wears the uniform of a British war nurse but speaks with an American
accent. As soon as she is able, Stella sets out for London, where she hopes to
find answers. What she discovers-with the help of Dr. August Bridge, who takes
an interest in her case-both shocks and startles. As Stella's memories come racing
back, she must undertake a journey across the ocean to confront the haunted
past of the woman she used to be.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 106%; margin: 0px;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white; margin: 0px;">In this gripping historical drama that
transports us from Europe to America and back again, Anita Shreve weaves an
engrossing tale about love and memory, set against the backdrop of a war that
devastated an entire generation.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 106%; margin: 0px;">This was written in an
unusual format – narrative voice and letters between the characters.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Was an interesting plot.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Story goes back and forth in time.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We enjoyed the history of the WWI and wished
for more history.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This book generated
good discussion on women’s rights, the trial, the divorce, family
relationships, love etc – we compared 1920’s and current date events.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Overall our group had mixed feelings on this
book.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span>GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-63586383143921092712018-03-09T10:00:00.000-08:002018-03-09T10:01:25.629-08:00Stella Bain<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Stella Bain</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">
by Anita Shreve – To be Discussed on Wed. April 4, 2018 at Geneseo Public
Library</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Stella Bain has no memory of her past when she wakes up in a
hospital bed in Marne, France. It is 1916, and she wears the uniform of a
British war nurse but speaks with an American accent. As soon as she is able,
Stella sets out for London, where she hopes to find answers. What she
discovers-with the help of Dr. August Bridge, who takes an interest in her
case-both shocks and startles. As Stella's memories come racing back, she must
undertake a journey across the ocean to confront the haunted past of the woman
she used to be.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white; margin: 0px;">In this gripping historical drama that
transports us from Europe to America and back again, Anita Shreve weaves an
engrossing tale about love and memory, set against the backdrop of a war that
devastated an entire generation.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Discussion Questions:</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">1. Did you enjoy reading this book? </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">2. Which character was your
favorite and why?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">3. Would you recommend this book to
other people?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">4. What do you think of the book’s
title? How does it relate to the book’s contents?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">5. Does this book seem realistic?
Does the content presented accurately represent the time period?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">6. If you could rewrite any part or
parts of the novel what would they be and why?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">7. What did you think of the book’s
pace? Was it too fast or too slow?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">8. What
artist would you choose to illustrate this book? What kinds of illustrations
would you include? Discuss scenes that stood out to you while you read.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">9. What were some quotes or
passages from the book that were your favorite?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">10. Which character in the book
would you most like to meet?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">11. Have you read any other books
by Anita Shreve? If so, how did they compare to this novel?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">12. If you have not read another
book Anita Shreve would you? Why or why not? </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-16436526705114558372018-03-09T09:53:00.000-08:002018-03-09T09:54:31.134-08:00Notes from March 2018 group<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor - Discussed on Wed March 7, 2018, at Geneseo Public Library</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Barry Laverty, M.B., can barely find the
Northern Ireland village of Ballybucklebo on a map when he first sets out to
seek gainful employment there. But Barry jumps at the chance to secure a
position as an assistant in a small rural practice.<br />
<br />
At least until he meets Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly.<br />
<br />
The older physician has his own way of doing things. At first, Barry can't
decide if the pugnacious O'Reilly is the biggest charlatan he has ever met or
the best teacher he could ever hope for. Through O'Reilly, Barry soon gets to
know all of the village's colourful and endearing residents and a host of other
eccentric characters who make every day an education for the inexperienced
young doctor.<br />
<br />
Ballybucklebo is a long way from Belfast, and Barry is quick to discover that
he still has a lot to learn about country life. But with pluck and compassion,
and only the slightest touch of blarney, he will find out more about life--and
love--than he ever imagined back in medical school.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This wholesome story was filled with interesting characters
and situations written by a real Irish doctor.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>We like the contrast of the old established doctor (Fingal O’Reilly) vs
the new rookie doctor (Barry Laverty) in rural Northern Ireland in 1960’s.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We discussed the morning patient office
visits then each afternoon they went to on home visits.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The older doctor O’Reilly knew and was
concerned for all his patients and sometime used unusual methods to resolve
medical / personal conflicts.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Both
doctors learned from each other, and admitted when they made a mistake.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Doctor O’Reilly was the soul of the small
community and well respected.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The medical
experience was so different back then.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Our
group really enjoyed this book and some of us will continue reading rest of
this series. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Note there is an Irish
glossary at the end of this book – helpful to American readers.</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span>GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-69280499056259691522018-03-02T08:30:00.003-08:002018-03-02T08:31:07.638-08:00An Irish Country Doctor<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">An Irish Country Doctor</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"> by Patrick Taylor – To be discussed on Wed March 7, 2018 at
Geneseo Public Library</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Barry Laverty, M.B., can barely find the
Northern Ireland village of Ballybucklebo on a map when he first sets out to
seek gainful employment there. But Barry jumps at the chance to secure a
position as an assistant in a small rural practice.<br />
<br />
At least until he meets Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly.<br />
<br />
The older physician has his own way of doing things. At first, Barry can't
decide if the pugnacious O'Reilly is the biggest charlatan he has ever met or
the best teacher he could ever hope for. Through O'Reilly, Barry soon gets to
know all of the village's colourful and endearing residents and a host of other
eccentric characters who make every day an education for the inexperienced
young doctor.<br />
<br />
Ballybucklebo is a long way from Belfast, and Barry is quick to discover that
he still has a lot to learn about country life. But with pluck and compassion,
and only the slightest touch of blarney, he will find out more about life--and
love--than he ever imagined back in medical school.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Questions:</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">1. Just a few pages into An Irish Country Doctor, its main
character, Barry Laverty, speaks of his love for and devotion to Northern
Ireland. What do we learn about the soul of the country, by the story’s end?
What makes it such a compelling home for Barry, and for Taylor’s other
characters? </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">2. Barry’s first encounter with Dr. Fingal Flahertie
O’Reilly is surprising, to say the least. What is your initial reaction to
O’Reilly? Does your opinion of him change along with Barry’s as the book
progresses? </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">3. By many standards, Dr. O’Reilly’s medical practice is
often unorthodox. Is he an effective physician? Is he a moral one? Have you
ever known a doctor who resembled him? Would you trust O’Reilly with your own
medical care? </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">4. There are several instances throughout the book in which
O’Reilly breaches traditional ethics—in maintaining confidentiality, in telling
patients the truth, even in prescribing “tonics”—while caring for his patients.
How does Barry react to this? How do those breaches make you feel? Are there
ever medical situations like these in which you think the end justifies the
means? </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">5. An Irish Country Doctor portrays two people who each lost
their partner long ago, and who have now platonically shared a home and a life
for decades. What do you think makes O’Reilly and Kinky such good colleagues in
the running of his practice and his day-to-day life? How do they play off one
another’s temperament? At any point in the story, did you wonder why they had
never fallen in love with one another? Why has each remained single for so
long? </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">6. Barry’s first meeting with Patricia seems to have a
quality about it of” love at first sight,” of his being smitten by her beauty
and she by his slightly awkward charm. Is there more to their attraction than
that? Do you think that “love at first sight” can form the basis of an enduring
relationship?</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span>GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-7453366631814495292018-03-02T08:24:00.000-08:002018-03-02T08:24:49.263-08:00Notes from Feb 2018 group<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 106%; margin: 0px;">Secrets of the Tulip Sisters </span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 106%; margin: 0px;">by Susan Mallery</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> – Discussed on Wed Feb. 7, 2018 at Geneseo Public Library</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 106%; margin: 0px;">Kelly Murphy's life as a
tulip farmer is pretty routine—up at dawn, off to work, lather, rinse, repeat.
But everything changes one sun-washed summer with two dramatic homecomings:
Griffith Burnett—Tulpen Crossing's prodigal son, who's set his sights on
Kelly—and Olivia, her beautiful, wayward and, as far as Kelly is concerned,
unwelcome sister. Tempted by Griffith, annoyed by Olivia, Kelly is overwhelmed
by the secrets that were so easy to keep when she was alone. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 106%; margin: 0px;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white; margin: 0px;">But Olivia's return isn't as triumphant as she
pretends. Her job has no future, and ever since her dad sent her away from the
bad boy she loved, she has felt cut off from her past. She's determined to
reclaim her man and her place in the family…whether her sister likes it or not.
For ten years, she and Kelly have been strangers. Olivia will get by without
her approval now. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white; margin: 0px;">While Kelly and Olivia butt heads, their secrets
tumble out in a big hot mess, revealing some truths that will change everything
they thought they knew. Can they forgive each other—and themselves—and redefine
what it means to be sisters? </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 106%; margin: 0px;">Our group did not like this
book.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The story was OK – we enjoyed
learning about tulip farming.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The family
was very dysfunctional, especially the mother. She came back to town to cause
trouble for her relatives again.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>There
was lots of secrets between the main characters which all came out.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>No one would recommend this book.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7864363377635905343.post-76057879380658686092018-01-23T12:37:00.003-08:002018-01-23T12:46:30.162-08:00Secrets of the Tulip Sisters <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";"></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";">
</span></a><br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: black;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Secrets of the Tulip Sisters </span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">by Susan Mallery</span> – To be
Discussed on Wed Feb. 7, 2018 at Geneseo Public Library</span></span></a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";">
</span></a><br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";">
</span></a><br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: Calibri;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</span></a><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Kelly Murphy's life as a
tulip farmer is pretty routine—up at dawn, off to work, lather, rinse, repeat.
But everything changes one sun-washed summer with two dramatic homecomings:
Griffith Burnett—Tulpen Crossing's prodigal son, who's set his sights on
Kelly—and Olivia, her beautiful, wayward and, as far as Kelly is concerned,
unwelcome sister. Tempted by Griffith, annoyed by Olivia, Kelly is overwhelmed
by the secrets that were so easy to keep when she was alone. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white; margin: 0px;">But Olivia's return isn't as triumphant as she
pretends. Her job has no future, and ever since her dad sent her away from the
bad boy she loved, she has felt cut off from her past. She's determined to
reclaim her man and her place in the family…whether her sister likes it or not.
For ten years, she and Kelly have been strangers. Olivia will get by without
her approval now. >p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white; margin: 0px;">While Kelly and Olivia butt heads, their secrets
tumble out in a big hot mess, revealing some truths that will change everything
they thought they knew. Can they forgive each other—and themselves—and redefine
what it means to be sisters? </span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="background-color: white; color: #b01600; font-family: Arial;">Discussion Questions:</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><br /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Did it
take time to get into this book or were you drawn into it immediately? Why or
why not?</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><br /></a></div>
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</span></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span>Was the setting one that felt familiar or
relatable to you?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Why or why not?</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";">
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span>Were the characters authentic or believable in
their roles?</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";">
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";">
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span>Which character did you identify with the most
and why?</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";">
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span>If you could smack any of the characters upside
the head, who would it be and why?</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";">
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";">
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">6.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span>What surprised you the most about the book?</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";">
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";">
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">7.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span>Did you find the ending to be satisfying /
appropriate or not? Why?</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";">
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";">
</span></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446697435/thebookreport" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="popup2"><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">8.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span>Did you like the book?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Yes, No or in the Middle?</span></span></a></div>
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GPL Book Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15503882574121241668noreply@blogger.com0