Welcome to Week 1 of the Online Book Club discussion of Twilight.
The Online Book Club, if you’ve never joined us before, is a book discussion group that takes place entirely online. Each week, I write a new blog post that talks about different aspects of the book, and you can interact directly with me and other readers by leaving your comments. Check back each week and see what new topics we’re talking about.
Twilight follows Bella Swan as she moves to Forks, Washington and discovers that her new town has some surprising and mysterious inhabitants. Once Bella starts at her new high school, she quickly becomes intrigued with the Cullen family, a family of impossibly beautiful teens that keep to themselves. She’s especially drawn to Edward, but he seems to want to stay as far from her as possible. Eventually, Edward and Bella decide to become friends, and Bella quickly realizes that being friends with Edward might be putting her and her whole family at risk. He’s hiding deep secrets that have dangerous consequences.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary release of the book, the Fairborn Community Library is having an anniversary celebration! To help celebrate the event, Jessica, the head librarian at Fairborn, will be sharing her thoughts on the book, so the entries this month might look a little different. I hope you enjoy reading about the book from her perspective!
You can still watch the movie version of the book, even if you aren’t interested in reading along! Watch the trailer above to get a feel for the movie version, if you’ve never seen it!
I hope you enjoy the different format of the blog this month! Make sure to leave comments to let us know how you’re enjoying the book and movie!
What did you think of the ending? The book did not end like I thought it would, but I enjoyed it anyway.
I enjoyed reading about Sofia and her musical journey. It was cool that she was able to have so many experiences with piano and school, even though her guardian was not able to leave the hotel. I think she ended up having a pretty normal childhood, all things considered. It was really scary when the director of the Red October Youth Orchestra basically ordered Sofia to become part of his orchestra. I was really afraid that she was going to be taken away. Anna really came in clutch to save the day. Did Rostov just not want Sofia to go to Stalingrad because she would be far away? Or do you think he worried she would become part of the Soviet machine and never be the same? I bet it was a little bit of both.
A really surprising thing in this section was that Rostov confessed that his friend Mishka, who died in this section, was actually the one to write the poem that made Rostov famous and saved his life. I was shocked by that! I guess it makes sense, then, why he never wrote any other poems!
I was really confused when Rostov started to break into rooms and take random things. I couldn’t figure out what he was trying to do. I just never expected that he was going to have Sofia defect and that he, himself, would leave the hotel. That was so surprising to me. I felt like if he were going to leave, he would have already left, but it makes sense that Sofia getting older would make him feel more of a sense of urgency. Sofia was so brave to follow through with the plan. I couldn’t believe how she was able to keep such a level head and was able to do everything she was supposed to do. She really was well-prepared. I was also really surprised that Rostov gave Sofia information to pass along to the American, Richard. I never thought that Rostov would actually be a spy. He must have really believed that what they were doing was wrong.
What did you think of the scene near the end between the Bishop and the Count? I was actually surprised that Rostov didn’t shoot and kill the Bishop. It was surprising how the Bishop nursed his grudge of Rostov throughout the book. He was determined to find something to get Rostov arrested. What do you think he would have done if Rostov had not locked him up? Do you think Rostov would have been able to escape? Rostov’s escape was really ingenious. He really thought through every detail to throw the investigators off of his trail. He was really lucky that Viktor agreed to help him out. Would you have been able to come up with a plan that clever?
What did you make of the very end? I was really surprised that he didn’t meet up with Sofia. But, I guess it would have been really hard for him to leave the country. But, at least now, he is in the countryside, near where his family home once stood. It was really sad that the home was burned down. But, he didn’t seem that upset about it. I’m sure he expected something like that would happen. And, you took the last lines to mean that he was meeting up with Anna, right? What other woman with hair tinged in gray would be waiting for him? It’s nice that she and he were able to stay together throughout it all. What do you think they will end up doing? How do you think the rest of their lives will play out? Do you think they will ever be able to reunite with Sofia?
What parts of this last section stood out the most to you? Would you recommend the book to a friend? If you liked the book and would like to read or watch similar titles, check out this list I created. Make sure to let me know if you check out anything on the list!
Thanks for reading along with me this month! Next month, we’re reading a perfect book for October–the young adult classic, Twilight! I hope you’ll come back next month and follow along with us! I look forward to hearing from you in the comments!
Did you enjoy reading this section? So many things happened! It’s amazing all of the adventures a man can have even if he isn’t leaving his house! He’s lucky that he got to spend his house arrest in a place that has so many people. I think a person would really go insane if they were stuck in a house alone forever. What did you think of the fact that he started helping out in the restaurant? It definitely helped him fill his days and interact with more people.
The most surprising thing, by far, in this section was that Nina returned with a daughter. I was shocked. I think the thing I really had the hardest time with in this book was absorbing time as it passed. Since his location didn’t change, it was hard to track the years, even with them displayed at the beginning of chapters. I just had a hard time really locking in on the time. So, it was shocking that Nina had been gone for so long. To me, it felt like she just left. I couldn’t believe she had such an old daughter. It was so sad that she was going to go looking for her husband. And, it was really sad when it was revealed that Nina never came back. Do you think she ever found her husband? I can’t imagine how hard it was for her to leave her daughter behind. I’m glad she felt like Rostov was a trustworthy person to leave her daughter with. I’m kind of surprised that she picked him since he doesn’t seem to have any experience with children. It was sweet to see him attempt to bond with Sofia. He seemed like a fish out of water. What do you think of Sofia? She is so serious. She’s definitely less whimsical than Nina was when Rostov met her.
Rostov’s connection to Osip ended up being another really important relationship in this section. It was interesting that their lessons shifted from intellectual lessons with important books to more relaxed lessons with American movies. I liked how they were able to grasp so much about American culture and politics from the movies.
I really liked seeing how Sofia and the Count’s relationship changed throughout this section. Their bond ended up being really special. How surprised were you that Rostov actually left the hotel after Sofia was injured? I was shocked! I was so afraid that he was going to be caught and punished. But, I liked how he acted with her best interest in mind, not his. It was interesting that he had the driver take her to what he thought was the best hospital but was not actually the best hospital. He had been out of the city for so long that he didn’t know what would be the best place! I was so relieved when Osip showed up and got her the best care and got Rostov out of the hospital unnoticed. I’m glad that he ended up being such an important trusted friend to Rostov.
Were you surprised that Anna showed up again in this section? Her relationship to Rostov ended up being more serious than I imagined it would be. I wonder why they are so taken with each other. They definitely seem to be different types of people.
Did anything else stand out to you in this section? What were your favorite parts of the section? Are you excited to keep reading? Do you have any guesses as to what will happen at the end of the book?
Before you go, check out author, Amor Towles, talking about the television adaptation of the book. Don’t you think it’s interesting that authors really don’t have any say over the adaptations of their work? I think that would make the process really hard! I can’t imagine what it would be like to give up creative control.
Thanks for following along this month! I can’t wait to read your thoughts on this section in the comments! Make sure to finish the book before checking back again next week!
Did you enjoy the first chapters of the book? I really did. I didn’t know what to expect when I started the book, but it didn’t take me long to really start to enjoy the story. I was a little nervous starting because I noticed that there were some really long footnotes on some of the early pages, and I worried that would make the book really boring. But, I actually enjoyed those little extra details. I didn’t think the first section was boring at all.
I couldn’t believe that the Count was sentenced to house arrest. Obviously, it was a better punishment than death, but I really can’t imagine being forced to stay somewhere and never go outside. That would be horrible. It was sad when he had to pack up all of the things in his rooms. I was curious why he was so insistent in taking his huge, heavy desk, but obviously, it was an important piece to him since it housed all of his gold. That really was a surprise that he had that much gold in his possession! I guess that answers why he was able to continue living and paying for things, even though he didn’t have any sources of income.
What did you think of Nina? I thought it was really exciting once she joined the story. I liked how irreverent she was compared to the Count. She helped to loosen him up a bit. I liked that her first words to him were about his mustache. I can’t imagine what that mustache must have looked in real life! It sounds like it was magnificent.
Do you think Anna is a likeable character? She seemed really spoiled at first with her misbehaving dogs and the way she threw all of her clothes out the window. But, she does get the clothes and seems to mature a bit after that. Would you think of her as a good match for the Count? I don’t think I would have thought to put them together. I think one thing I struggled with throughout the first section was getting a good idea of how old the Count was. At the beginning of the book, he’s 30, but he’s so formal that it was easy to imagine him as a much older man. I had a hard time imagining him as a man in his prime, so that made it hard for me to imagine him in a whirlwind romance with such a young actress.
Throughout this section, the Count makes an enemy of the Bishop. I don’t think that’s going to end up being a good thing for the Count. I wish he wouldn’t have upstaged the Bishop with the wine suggestion. I think the Bishop is not a man who will forget a grudge.
At the end of this section, the Count is interrupted before he is able to throw himself off the roof of the building. Were you surprised that he was so desperate as to throw himself from the roof? I was. He seemed to be in good spirits throughout the first chapters. Do you think he was depressed by the fact that Nina was growing older? It did feel like things were changing inside the hotel. I am so glad he was interrupted. It was interesting that the interruption led him to taste the delicious honey and realize that the bees were near the whole time.
Did anything else stand out to you throughout these first chapters? Are you excited to keep reading? Do you think you have any idea what will happen to him in the next section?
Before you go, check out the video below in which star of the television adaptation, Ewan McGregor, talks about getting into character. Does his mustache in the clip match what you imagined the Count might have looked like?
I hope you’ll leave a comment to let me know what you thought of this first section! Make sure to read Book Three before checking back next week!
The Online Book Club, if you’ve never joined us before, is a book discussion group that takes place entirely online. Each week, I write a new blog post that talks about different aspects of the book, and you can interact directly with me and other readers by leaving your comments. Check back each week and see what new topics we’re talking about.
A Gentleman in Moscow follows Count Alexander Rostov after he is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel near the Kremlin. At first it seems unthinkable that he will give up his life of privilege to live in an attic room in a hotel that he can never leave. But, the Count proves to be resourceful and begins to make the most of his experience, especially once he meets a little girl named Nina, and she shows him a side of the hotel he’s never seen before. The story is really innovative and funny–once you start reading, I don’t think you’ll be able to stop!
If you want to follow along with us but you aren’t interested in reading the book, you can always watch the Paramount + adaptation starring Ewan McGregor. Don’t have a subscription to Paramount +? No problem! You can request one of the Roku Express 4K+ Streaming Devices at the library. Check out the trailer above if you want to get a feel for the how the story plays out on screen. Feel free to still leave comments on the blog posts, even if you’re only watching the series and not reading the book.
We’ll be reading through Book 2 for next week, so make sure to check those sections out before coming back to the next blog post. I look forward to hearing from you in the comments!
Did the book end like you thought it would? How surprised were you by everything that happened in the final chapters? Did you think the book had a satisfying ending?
I was glad that Fitch and his team ended up losing the trial. I thought that Marlee and Nicholas were probably running a scam on him, but I wasn’t totally sure. I thought that it seemed like Nicholas had been leaning towards the prosecution throughout, so I was glad that he didn’t waver from that. I was disappointed that he stooped so low as to get two jurors kicked off the jury. And, I couldn’t believe that he was willing to poison Herman to get him off the jury. I know the poison wasn’t going to kill him, but still–that’s a pretty big line to cross!
What did you think when Marlee met with Fitch at the end to return the money? I wasn’t completely able to understand the section where Marlee is selling and buying stocks with the money, but I’m guessing she was just trying to disrupt the stock market with the tobacco industry to cause more harm? I assumed she was doing that to make even more money, but it doesn’t seem like that was what was happening. Do you think Marlee was justified in manipulating the jury due to her background and parents’ deaths? I could understand why watching her parents waste away would be really hard on her. I don’t think infiltrating a jury was the best way to deal with her grief, but I understand why she thought it was.
I couldn’t believe that the jury awarded the plaintiff 400 million dollars. That is a crazy amount of money. Do you think it really did a lot of harm to the tobacco companies? I just always feel like big corporations like that always seem to land back on their feet, even after doing big pay outs. I know the end of the book hypothesizes that the problems in the stock market will bring about the end of the tobacco companies, but we know they still exist now, 30 years after this book was published.
Were you surprised that Marlee and Nicholas were able to get the jury to agree to a verdict, even though there were so many different moving parts happening in this last section? So many people were working for themselves and had ulterior motives. And, so many characters had to leave the jury or think in just the right way to make the verdict happen. I think it was surprising that it all ended up coming together in the end!
How would you rate the book? Did you enjoy it? Would you recommend it to a friend? If you liked this book and would like to read and watch similar titles, check out this list I created! Make sure to let me know if you check out anything on the list.
Before you go, check out the video below to hear John Grisham talk about the inspiration behind his writing.
I hope you enjoyed the book this month! Make sure to leave a comment to let me know what you thought. I hope you’ll join us again next month as we read A Gentleman in Moscow. I hope to hear from you in the comments!
Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Runaway Jury.
Did you enjoy reading this section? I was glad that I got more information about Marlee and Nicholas. I feel like I understand a bit better when they are hoping will happen at the end of the trial.
What do you think of Marlee? She definitely has a plan and is not intimidated by anyone. I thought she was so brave to stand up to Fitch, even after he started digging in her past life. She didn’t show him that she was scared. Were you surprised when she finally laid out her plan? She told Fitch that she and Nicholas could get the jury to agree to vote against the prosecution, as long as Fitch paid her enough. I was a little surprised. I knew that she and Nicholas had some sort of plan, but I really didn’t expect that they would be willing to manipulate a jury for money. I thought Nicholas had more morals than that. I wonder if there is more to the story. Do you really think Marlee has the same deal set up with the prosecution? I find it hard to imagine that Rohr and his team would be willing to work with someone like Marlee, but maybe they would.
I really couldn’t believe how shady Fitch and his men were throughout this section. I couldn’t believe how they leaned on family members to ensure votes. The whole thing with Hoppy Dupree was especially sad because he seemed like a nice man that really wanted to do the right things. I don’t think he ever would have wanted to manipulate a jury had he not thought that he was caught in an FBI sting. I know he agreed to the manipulation, but it was under extreme duress.
Did you expect that Fitch would send his goons back to Nicholas’s apartment? I was surprised that they were bold enough to go back there. And, I was surprised that Nicholas had left his computer and discs behind. I would think he would have wanted to keep those more safe. I really wasn’t expecting the men to set a huge fire as they left. They really could have hurt a lot of people.
Do you think it sounds exciting or boring to be a part of a jury? I think it sounds kind of interesting, but it also sounds boring. I couldn’t believe how long some of the people talked while giving their testimony. I think it would be hard to listen and focus for that long. And, I think, for this trial, the scientific information could get a little tedious. I also think it would be hard to keep an open mind throughout the different testimonies. I think it would be really easy to make up your mind at the beginning and decide to not listen anymore. It would be hard to truly be impartial.
One of the most surprising things to me was that the jury convinced the lawyers to pay for them to have an adventure around New Orleans. I wonder if that is something that actually happens! I couldn’t believe all of the perks the jury got throughout this section.
What do you think is going to happen in the last section? Do you feel like you know how the book will end? Do you think you have all of the jurors figured out? Are you anxious to read the last section and finally figure out everything?
Before you go, check out this interview in which John Grisham discusses other writers that inspire him. Have you read anything from one of the authors he mentions?
Thanks for following along again this week. Don’t forget to leave a comment to let me know what you thought of the section! I’m excited to hear what you think of the ending of the book next week!
Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Runaway Jury.
Did you enjoy the beginning of the book? I felt like I had so many questions about what was going on, so I felt impatient to read and find out more! I wish that the story had unfolded a little quicker, so I could have felt like I understood the story a bit quicker! I was just so confused about Nicholas Easter and what he was up to. I could tell he was important, obviously, but I wasn’t really sure what his end game was.
How do you feel about the defense? They seem very sleezy to me. I just can’t believe the lengths they go to to get the outcome they want for the trial. They follow people, they break into Nicholas’s apartment, and they threaten people. Were you surprised that they were bold enough to go into Nicholas’s apartment? I wasn’t really, but I was surprised that Nicholas seemed ready for them and had an undetectable security system. Why would he think that they would come after him? How would he know that was a tactic they employed? Do you think real trials have that much deliberation over each jury member? I guess I didn’t realize how much thought went into selecting a jury.
What do you think about Marlee? Why is she telling Fitch about Nicholas and his outfits? Why does she tell him any information about the jury? I don’t feel like knowing what Nicholas is going to wear tells anything about the trial. Is she just trying to get Fitch to trust her, and eventually, she will do more? Do you think she is friends with Nicholas? Is she working with him? I was frustrated not to know more about her by the end of this first section.
It’s really interesting to read about the tobacco industry from 30 years ago. I feel like a trial like this wouldn’t be going on in present day because we know so much more about the dangers of smoking. I do think all of the scientific evidence presented in the courtroom would be pretty boring to hear, but it all seems pretty cut and dry. I wonder how the defense is going to combat all of the information the prosecution is presenting.
At the end of this section, the jury has been sequestered. Why do you think Nicholas is excited about that? He seems to be the only one who thinks it’s a good idea. Do you think the jurors are going to get impatient to finish the trial so they can go home? Do you think they will have a harder time throughout the trial if they are together all the time?
Do you have any guesses as to what is going on? What do you think will happen in the next section? Are you excited to read more?
Before you go, check out the clip below to hear John Grisham talk about his books being made into movies. Do you think it’s interesting that authors don’t really have any control over how their story appears on screen?
I hope you enjoyed this section! Make sure to leave a comment to let me know what you thought. Don’t forget to read through chapter 28 before checking back next week!
Welcome to Week 1 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Runaway Jury.
The Online Book Club, if you’ve never joined us before, is a book discussion group that takes place entirely online. Each week, I write a new blog post that talks about different aspects of the book, and you can interact directly with me and other readers by leaving your comments. Check back each week and see what new topics we’re talking about.
The Runaway Jury follows a tobacco trial in Mississippi in which a widow is suing the tobacco companies for causing her husband’s death. Both the defense and the prosecution try to build the perfect jury, investigating each member to figure out if they are sympathetic to the tobacco companies or not. Throughout the book, readers find out that the defense has many manipulative tactics to influence the jury and control the outcome of the trial. Juror #2 is a bit of an enigma to the defense–will his presence on the jury help or hurt their case?
If you want to follow along with us but you aren’t interested in reading the book, you can always watch the movie version starring Dustin Hoffman. Check out the trailer above if you want to get a feel for the how the story plays out on screen. Feel free to still leave comments on the blog posts, even if you’re only watching the movie and not reading the book.
We’ll be reading the first 14 chapters for next week, so make sure to read those before checking out the next post. I look forward to hearing from you in the comments!
Welcome to the final Online Book Club discussion of The Wild Robot.
Did you enjoy reading this section? It got really intense! This was definitely the most stressful section to read.
At the beginning of the section, Roz invites all of the animals into her home to escape from the icy winter. Then, they create several more nests to shelter as many animals as possible. Weren’t you thankful that the animals were able to work together to survive? It was interesting to imagine all of the forest animals stuck together in a tiny place. I was worried when there was a fire, but, thankfully, it seemed to be not too big of an issue. Roz really worked hard to put out the flames. I am so glad that the animals are accepting her more than they did at the beginning of the story.
Weren’t you relieved when Brightbill made it back? I thought he would, but it was still nice to see him again. It was interesting that he saw other robots while trying to find his winter spot. It seems like most humans in this world have a Roz robot. It makes sense why Roz is so helpful since she appears to have been created to be a helper to humans.
Did you expect that the place that created Roz would send out robots to collect her? I thought that was a surprise. I don’t know why they cared about one robot so much. Were you surprised that the animals were willing to fight to protect Roz? They didn’t even hesitate or make a plan–they just immediately acted together to save her. It was a little shocking that the animals were so ferocious and willing to tear apart the RECO robots. But, I guess they couldn’t have been stopped any other way. Weren’t you relieved when Nettle, the bear cub, was saved by the fish? I think I would have had a really hard time reading the end of the book if she had not made it.
The animals successfully killed all of the RECO robots, but that wasn’t enough to save Roz. I still can’t believe that the company that made Roz really cared that much to have her back. It seems like they were willing to spend a lot of get her back, so I don’t think the company is hurting for money. Roz decides to return to where she was created, but I can’t imagine that she won’t be able to make it back to the island. Don’t you think she will retain her wild mind, even after she is rebuilt and reprogrammed? Are you interested in reading the next book in the series to see if she makes it back to Brightbill?
Did you enjoy reading this book? If you liked this book and would like to read some similar titles, check out this list I created. Make sure to let me know if you check out anything on the list!
Before you go, check out this video of author, Peter Brown, talking about how proud he is of the movie version. Are you surprised the movie was nominated for a couple of Academy Awards?
Thanks so much for following along with us this month. I hope you’ll join us again next month as we read The Runaway Jury by John Grisham. I’m excited to hear from you in the comments!