Finding Noel Discussion

I borrowed some of the questions from the Barnes & Noble online bookgroup discussion...there are lots more questions there if you want to check it out and bring another back here.


#1 - In Mark's first encounter with Macy, she says, "We always tell our deepest secrets to strangers." (Pg. 12) Do you agree with her reasoning for this? How does Mark's initial honesty create a foundation for his relationship with Macy? In what ways does this contrast with the other relationships in his life? Why do you think Mark believes people will use his secrets against him?


#2 - In Macy's Christmas poem (pg. 73), she describes the responsibility of Christmas as being "called, to leave our troubled lives of care,/To set aside our burdened minds, with God and man our hearts to share." In what ways is the gift of Christmas also a responsibility? How does Mark step up to the challenge in this novel? In what ways is this a Christmas story?


#3 - How does Tennys's personality contrast with Macy's? What do you think Mark got out of his relationship with Tennys? Mark describes Tennys as a "sure thing." What makes her less of a challenge than Macy? How have Mark's strong emotions for Macy complicated his relationship with her, in addition to validating it? What sort of life do you imagine Mark would have with Tennys?


#4 - Why did Macy react so negatively to Mark's proposal? Was it inappropriate for him to propose after so short a time? Was Macy's anger at Mark's running from his past justified, or was it an easy defense mechanism? How could Macy's past affect her present relationships?


#5 - Adoption is discussed in the book and you see the outcome of Macy's as well as Noel's adoption. Did the story impact your opinions on adoption?  How?  

December 2008: Finding Noel

Finding Noel by Richard Paul Evans. Amazon.com gives a brief description of the book:

On the night that Mark Smart has decided will be his last, his car dies in a blizzard. He enters a closing coffee shop and finds Macy Wood, who literally offers him a shoulder to cry on. The two forge a deep friendship, and after three weeks, Mark proposes marriage. She declines, but waitress Joette, who has taken care of Macy since she was 13, orchestrates a reunion as Mark tries to smooth over the rifts dividing what remains of his family. Mark's stepfather's advice—"sometimes it's the fight that makes a thing worth having"—serves as the defining aphorism of Evans's yuletide offering.

You can get the book here on Amazon. It is thirteen dollars and change. You can get it here on ebay. Most are less than ten dollars, and there are a few audio books on it too - in case you don't want to read it.

Be sure to check the side menu too - so you can be watching for the books that are coming up next year.

Skipping Christmas Discussion

I looked online to get some questions to spur discussion but I couldn't find any so we'll have to wing it this month.


1 - As you were reading the book, did you find yourself siding with or against the Kranks as they skipped Christmas?

2 - Do you think it is possible to skip christmas entirely?

3 - If you skipped Christmas, what traditions, etc would you miss the most?

4 - Has this book affected how you will view the Christmas season this year?

November 2008: Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

The book for November is Skipping Christmas by John Grisham.  This book was made into a movie a few years back called Christmas with the Kranks. The movie was ok, but the book was better.  It is an easy read, pretty short and I think it is fitting to read it before the holidays.  

Here is the book for sale on Amazon (it is less than $10) and here is the book on ebay (I found a couple on ebay for $0.01!)

Come back to talk about the movie the week after Thanksgiving.  

Also - note the list of books on the side.  We have the list set up through February so you can start watching for the books on ebay or at thrift stores.  

If you have any friends that you think would like to join us, pass the website along...I'd love to get more people participating!

Help!

I want to come up with some book ideas for the December book...I'd like it to have something to do with the holidays...if we get two good ideas we'll do them for November and December. So, drop your ballots in the comment section - and hurry, the end of the month is Friday so we need to have the November book in place by then.

I also want to get the list of books at least through March up soon- so post your suggestions for them too.


So, a comment would look like this:

Nov, Dec: Skipping Christmas
New Year: Moby Dick

Thanks!!

Followers

Hey - Blogger added this new thing a month or so ago - and it allows you to follow a blog. It makes it easy to see when the site has been updated, and it also lets me know that I am not the only Unseen Reader out there.

So what do I want? I want you to follow the blog (see the box on the right)...come on, what are you waiting for?!?

My Sister's Keeper Discussion

Here are some questions to spur discussion. I got these from HERE and AND HERE. There were more questions at these links too - if you're looking for more.

Reread the prologue to My Sister's Keeper. Who is speaking? Is that who you thought was speaking the first time you read it?

What is your opinion of Sara? With her life focused on saving Kate, she sometimes neglects her other children. Jesse is rapidly becoming a juvenile delinquent, and Anna is invisible -- a fact that the little girl knows only too well. What does this say about Sara's role as a mother? What would you have done in her shoes? Has she unwittingly forgotten Jesse and Anna, or do you think she has consciously chosen to neglect them -- either as an attempt to save a little energy for herself, or as some kind of punishment? Does Sara resent her other children for being healthy? Did you find yourself criticizing Sara, empathizing with her, or both?

Why does Jesse burn things? Is Jesse the opposite of his firefighter father or are they similar? In what ways?

During a conversation about Kate, Zanne tells Sara, "No one has to be a martyr 24/7." When she mistakenly hears the word "mother" not "martyr" and is corrected by Zanne, Sara smiles and asks, "Is there a difference?" In what ways does this moment provide insight into Sara's state of mind? Do you think it strange that she sees no difference between motherhood and martyrhood?

The epilogue talks about how the family moved on. How did they grieve? How did they survive? In what ways did Anna give life back to all of them, not just Kate?

Near the end of the novel, Anna describes "Ifspeak" -- the language that all children know, but abandon as they grow older -- remarking that "Kids think with their brains cracked wide open; becoming an adult, I've decided, is only a slow sewing shut." Do you believe this to be true? What might children teach the adults in this novel? Which adults need lessons most?

At one point, Campbell thinks to himself: "There are two reasons not to tell the truth -- because lying will get you what you want, and because lying will keep someone from getting hurt." With this kind of thinking, Campbell gives himself an amazingly wide berth; he effectively frees himself from speaking any semblance of the truth as long as the lie will somehow benefit himself or anyone else. Did it concern you that a lawyer would express an opinion like this? Do you think, by the end of the story, that Campbell still thinks this moral flexibility is okay? In what ways might this kind of thinking actually wind up hurting Campbell?

Let's add some more...

Leave a comment with another book to add to our list. I'll put them all in a hat and draw them out to decide the order.

September 2008: My Sister's Keeper

The book for September is My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.

I have read this book before and LOVE it. It tugs at your heartstrings, gets you to question things and makes you think. The way it is written also is interesting. Each chapter is written from a different person's point of view. The language is different, the emotions, it is amazing what Ms. Picoult captured.


Here is a summary:

Anna was genetically engineered to be a perfect match for her cancer-ridden older sister. Since birth, the 13-year-old has donated platelets, blood, her umbilical cord, and bone marrow as part of her family's struggle to lengthen Kate's life. Anna is now being considered as a kidney donor in a last-ditch attempt to save her 16-year-old sister. As this compelling story opens, Anna has hired a lawyer to represent her in a medical emancipation suit to allow her to have control over her own body. Picoult skillfully relates the ensuing drama from the points of view of the parents; Anna; Cambell, the self-absorbed lawyer; Julia, the court-appointed guardian ad litem; and Jesse, the troubled oldest child in the family. Everyone's quandary is explicated and each of the characters is fully developed. There seems to be no easy answer, and readers are likely to be sympathetic to all sides of the case. This is a real page-turner and frighteningly thought-provoking. The story shows evidence of thorough research and the unexpected twist at the end will surprise almost everyone.

Here is the book on Amazon for $10, and here is the book on ebay, some are as little as $0.99.

We'll get together starting September 22nd to discuss.

Also - Watch out mid month for another poll, we need to add some more books to our list.

Pilot's Wife Discussion

Here are some comments to spur discussion, but if you have any other comments/questions please voice them! (Questions are from here if you want to read some more)

The complex relationship between secrecy and intimacy is an important theme of The Pilot's Wife. Consider the secrets kept by the following characters: Kathryn, Jack, Mattie, Robert, Muire. In each case, what motivates the deceiver? Who is protected and who is harmed by the secret? Can deception ever be an expression of love? Examine the conversation between Kathryn and Mattie on pages 118-119, especially Mattie's question: "But how do you ever know that you know a person?" Is there a more satisfactory answer to this question than the one Kathryn offers?

What devices does Shreve use to make her novel such a compelling read? Consider the flashbacks, the action, the style of language and word choice, and character painting.

Do you think The Pilot's Wife would make a good film? If so, why? Who would you cast as the major characters in the film version? Why?

August 2008: The Pilot's Wife

The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve is our book for August.




Here is the snippet from Amazon.com:

News of Jack Lyons's fatal crash sends his wife into shock and emotional numbness:
Kathryn wished she could manage a coma. Instead, it seemed that quite the opposite had happened:

She felt herself to be inside of a private weather system, one in which she was continuously tossed and buffeted by bits of news and information, sometimes chilled by thoughts of what lay immediately ahead, thawed by the kindness of others ... frequently drenched by memories that seemed to have no regard for circumstance or place, and then subjected to the nearly intolerable heat of reporters, photographers and curious on-lookers. It was a weather system with no logic, she had decided, no pattern, no progression, no form.

The situation becomes even more dire when the plane's black box is recovered, pinning responsibility for the crash on Jack. In an attempt to clear his name, Kathryn searches for any and all clues to the hours before the flight. Yet each discovery forces her to realize that she didn't know her husband of 16 years at all. Shreve's complex and highly convincing treatment of Kathryn's dilemma, coupled with intriguing minor characters and an expertly paced plot, makes The Pilot's Wife really take off.

Here is where you can buy the book on Amazon.
And here is where you can get the book on ebay.


Read the book and then come back here the week of August 25th to discuss!

See you then!

List

We got a few books for the list, thank you to the two of you who voted...not the turn-out I was hoping for, but ah well.
I put the three books mentioned (see comment below on the fourth book) in a bowl and pulled them out in random order. So here we are:

August: The Pilot's Wife
September: My Sister's Keeper
October: Lust for Life

Someone nominated Breaking Dawn, but I don't know if you need to read the other books first (Twilight, etc) and since the comment was anonymous I couldn't ask them. So if that comment was yours, could you please let us know? Or if you didn't leave the comment but just know the answer, could you let us know as well?

Ok, so now you know our schedule for the next three months so you can get ahold of copies of the books and start reading!!

Testing 1, 2, 3...anyone hear me??

Ok, I am going to open up voting again...now we've had a couple months off we can try to get back on track.  Here's how you do it - for those of you who are new or who may have forgotten ;) - all you do is leave a comment with the title/author (if you know him/her) of the book you'd like to read.   You can nominate more than one this time, and we'll get a list for the next few months so you can plan ahead! :)  I will 'tally' the totals on Saturday the 26th and post the next few month's selections (that is if I get nominations...hint, hint) on Sunday or Monday. 

Ok, all you blogstalkers...VOTE!!

Let the voting begin!

Ok, last month's voting was GREAT! We had lots of great nominations for books to read. This time we're going to make it just a tad simpler - you can only nominate ONE book. So choose your favorite for right now and leave a comment!

This vote will cover June and July...I figure everyone is going to be super busy over the summer and won't have as much time to read so we'll lump June and July together to give us a bit longer to finish - so if you have a longer book, this would be a good time to nominate it!

Voting closes Friday night! :)

The Lovely Bones Discussion

Here are a couple questions I found to spur our discussion. If you haven't read the book yet - beware -there will be spoilers in the comments!!

Discuss the way in which guilt manifests itself in the various characters - Jack, Abigail, Lindsay, Mr. Harvey, Len Fenerman.

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

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

Why does the author include details about Mr. Harvey's childhood and his memories of his mother? By giving him a human side, does Sebold get us closer to understanding his motivation? Sebold explained in an interview about the novel that murderers "are not animals but men," and that is what makes them so frightening. Do you agree?

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

East of Eden Discussion

Here we are at the end of another month. East of Eden was quite an undertaking and if there are any of you who have read it before (Briana, nudge - nudge) please feel free to comment too.

This reviewer says East of Eden is a bore and should never be re-red or even read. I know a lot of people associate Steinbeck with heavy reading because we were all 'forced' to read something of his in High School when we would have rather been reading Seventeen or Cosmo. I did have a hard time getting into the book...did you?


Here is one of the questions I stole from This site:

Adam Trask struggles to overcome the actions of others—his father, brother, and wife—and make his own life. What is the lesson that he learns that frees him from Kate and allows him to love his sons? He says to Cal near the end that "if you want to give me a present—give me a good life. That would be something I could value." Does Adam have a good life? What hinders him? Would you characterize his life as successful in the end?

And another:

What constitutes true wealth in the book? The Hamiltons and the Trasks are most explicitly differentiated by their relationship to money: though Sam Hamilton works hard he accumulates little, while Adam Trask moons and mourns and lives off the money acquired by his father. Think of different times that money is sought after or rejected by characters (such as Will Hamilton and Cal Trask) and the role that it plays to help and hinder them in realizing their dreams. Does the quest for money ever obscure deeper desires?

So here we are...lets get the comments rolling...If you have comments that don't relate to the questions above - that is AWESOME...please share them.

May 2008: The Lovely Bones

Thanks Janus, Briana and Kim for the votes!!  I am excited that we got so many great nominations...The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold was mentioned or nominated twice so we'll do that one.  I have added the other books nominated to the side 'On the Docket' menu...so maybe next month.  But Im SO excited that we got more votes this time. :)

HERE is where you can buy it on Amazon.   And HERE is the book on ebay.

There is a mini-review on the Amazon site and other reader comments so you can get a feel for the book. 

I am excited because we've had several good books nominated and so things should pick up over the summer...If you nominated a book and it didn't get picked nominate it again next month (and maybe get a friend to join the bookgroup and nominate it too...sneaky sneaky)

Cast your ballots

We'll discuss East of Eden beginning on Monday the 5th (so finish it if you haven't already). But please nominate a book for May.

If you are one of the few who nominated books back at the very beginning, pick one and nominate it again now for May. Summer is starting and it is the perfect time to get out a good book, a tall glass of ice water, cop a squat in a lawn chair and read in the evenings.

So what are you waiting for...nominate!

April 2008: East of Eden

April's book will be East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I have not read the book, but the storyline intrigued me. Here is some info to give you an idea of what to expect:

John Steinbeck's last significant work of fiction (1952), a huge family saga based on the book of Genesis, is set in the Salinas Valley of the author's youth. Beginning with the purchase of a parcel of rich California farmland by Samuel Hamilton, who comes from Ireland with his wife, EAST OF EDEN traces the turbulent lives of the Hamilton and Trask families from the Civil War to the end of World War I. Adam Trask marries a prostitute who bears him twin sons--the Cain and Abel figures--and their rivalry shadows the second half of the novel, culminating in tragedy.

"Probably the best of John Steinbeck's novels, 'East of Eden' is long but not 'big', and anyone who, deceived by its spread in space and time (c.1860-1920), says that it is 'epical in its sweep,' is merely in the usual grip of cliche....Through the exercise of a really rather remarkable freedom of his rights as a novelist, Mr. Steinbeck weaves in, and more particularly around, this story of prostitution a fantasia of history and of myth that results in a strange and original work of art."
New York Times Book Review - Mark Schorer (09/21/1952)

I have found the book on ebay for as low as $0.99 or you can get it on on Amazon for $11.56

The Kite Runner discussion

Here are a few questions I found online to spur our discussion of The Kite Runner. If you found something else interesting in your reading, please share - don't limit your comments to these questions.

**WARNING** The questions below and the discussion will contain spoilers about the book.

1: What did The Kite Runner teach you about Afghanistan? About friendship? About forgiveness, redemption and love?

2: Who suffers the most in the book?

3: Were you surprised to learn about the racial tension between the Pashtuns and Hazaras in Afghanistan? How is this similar to and different from other racial tensions in nations around the world?

4: What were your impressions of Baba and did they change throughout the book? How was he different in America than Afghanistan?

5: Why did Amir act the way he did towards Hassan after he witnessed the rape? Why did Hassan act the way he did to Amir?

6: Did Amir ever redeem himself?

7: Who was the character that most inspired you?

8: Rate the book 1-10 and explain.

Let's try this again...

Before we get to discussing The Kite Runner (which will be next week so you all need to finish the book this weekend!) I thought we could set up the vote for April's book. Now Kimberly picked March's book because she was the ONLY one who voted...so lets try and make it more exciting this time around.

How do we do that, you may ask?? Nominate the book you would like to read for April. It is VERY easy- simply add a comment to this post and type the name of the book you want to read, voting goes until Monday the 31st at midnight. Whichever book has the highest amount of votes will be the one we read.

Now those of you out there who are not reading the books, maybe it is because you aren't interested in or don't like that particular book. Well then nominate one that you would like to read and ...bam... problem solved! :)

March 2008: The Kite Runner

It looks as if this bookgroup has the same problem with elections that the US has: voter turnout. Well we did have one vote (thanks Kimberly) and so we will be reading The Kite Runner for the month of March.

As for the 'rating' of the book which some of you asked about, I went to Internet Movie Database to see what the film was rated (it was released in December) and this is their rating: Rated PG-13 for strong thematic material including the rape of a child, violence and brief strong language. You can see their entire detailed movie page here. And this is a link to a discussion on the age-appropriateness of the book - it gives you a little better idea of what is in there.

If you want to read more about the book you can go here and see a plot synopsis, etc... Not that I am a huge fan of Wikipedia, and I usually don't condone it's use but the site seems to have some good information about the book - !!BEWARE!! there will be spoilers on both this and the IMDB site.

I have read this book before and there is a scene where a young boy is raped, there is some violence and there is some talk of war (it is set in Afghanistan). It is a sad book, and will tug at your heartstrings.

Leave a comment if you plan on reading the book (to get a 'body count') and plan on coming back to post your opinions on the book starting Tuesday April 1, 2008. - As well as to vote for April's book.

Here is coupon for 20% off an item at Borders Booksellers it does expire March 11, 2008. Of you can go to Amazon and get it for $9 and free shipping.

Ok, lets try this again

Well the reading of and commenting on 1984 didn't go as well as I had hoped - but I am not discouraged.

We'll try a democracy this time around and see if that gets us a little farther. So I need all your help. In the comments, nominate one book (please limit it to one - you can do another next month) you want to read...I'll tally the votes on Saturday and we'll have the book for March.

Ok, what are you waiting for...nominate...

Coincidence?? maybe...

I just read THIS STORY on CNN.com and I am surprised at the timing. It works well to our advantage that this story would break the month we are reading 1984. I thought it would be a good platform from which to jump for our book discussion.

So take a minute, read the article and let me know what you think. Post your impressions on the book also (for those of you who have read it). ***WARNING*** the comments will likely contain spoilers, so if you have not finished reading and don't want to know the ending don't read them!!

Here are some questions to spur discussion:

How do you feel about civil liberties in our society?

Do you feel we are coming close to the society described in 1984? If yes, how? If no, do you think we ever will?

Roll Call

Please leave a comment if you would like to participate in this online book group. Since I am the only member right now I am going to make an executive decision as to the first book we'll read.

So here it is:

1984 by George Orwell is probably one of my favorite books...I have read it quite a few times and I would like to again -

I think how we'll work it is to read the book and then come online and post our opinions here the first week of February. We'll see how this works and then go from there!

Happy Reading!

Welcome

I have wanted to start a bookgroup for a while, but have not had the time - then today this idea smacked me in the head: An Online Bookgroup.

The idea is that anyone who wants to participate reads the chosen book, then we all make comments, etc. - Not sure how it will work, but I'm willing to give it a shot!

Pass this site along to others who you know who like to read.  All are welcome - as long as you are open minded and willing to listen to other's opinions!