Welcome to Week 1 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Christmas Train by David Baldacci.
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 Christmas Train tells the story of Tom Langdon, a journalist, who is forced to travel across the country by train after he is banned from commercial flight. While on the train, he meets a lot of interesting characters and is even reunited with an old flame. As the journey progresses, Tom confronts his past and changes the course of his future through his interactions with those he meets on the rails.
If you want to follow along with us but you aren’t interested in reading the book, you can always watch the movie versionstarring Dermot Mulroney. 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’re reading the first 11 chapters for next week, so make sure to read those before coming back next week for the next blog post!
Welcome to Week 4 of the Online Book Club discussion of Still Life.
Did you guess who the murderer was before the end of the book? Were you shocked? The end was pretty exciting, and I genuinely was surprised when I found out who committed the crime.
At the beginning of the section, it still looks like Philippe is the one who killed Jane. I really believed he would turn out to be the murderer. Were you surprised that Matthew was willing to go to jail for his son? Do you think he ever would have said anything about the crime had they not found Philippe’s arrow in the tree? Clara definitely helped the case immensely by finding that arrow in the tree. Weren’t you sad for Philippe that he believed he had accidentally killed Jane? I did feel bad for him, because I’m sure he was scared to death, but I was also disappointed that he would hide the fact that he might have committed a serious crime from everyone in his family. That’s not a great reaction.
I was not surprised at all that there was another will. It was just too unlikely that Jane would leave all of her money and property to a niece that she wasn’t getting along with. And, the fact that there was another will helped to prove that Nichol was not doing her job. Did you expect that Clara was really the one that Jane had left everything to? Do you think she will do well with the money?
When you found out that Ruth had betrayed Jane in the past, did you wonder if Ruth was the killer? I wondered that for a few pages, but I just couldn’t imagine Ruth committing a murder. That was sad that Ruth had told Jane’s parents about Jane’s boyfriend. I wonder if Jane and her boyfriend would have had a happy life together had Ruth not interfered.
What did you think of the reveal of Jane’s house? I was so confused when they went in the first time and it just seemed like Jane was a really tacky interior designer. I couldn’t imagine that was enough to stop Jane from showing her house to everyone. And, it seems like if she had decorated her house like that, she would have liked it and would not have felt bad about showing it to others. Were you surprised when they found Jane’s drawings all over the wall? It was interesting that she recorded the town in that way.
Jane’s painting ended up being the key to the murder. I can’t believe that painting is what caused Jane to be murdered. If only she hadn’t put Ben in the painting. What did you think when they first realized that someone had been covered up in the painting? Did you immediately think of Ben? I didn’t. I was shocked when it turned out that he was the one who had committed the crime. After the whole details were revealed, it totally made sense that he was the murderer, but I didn’t put it together before it was explained. I was shocked when Clara showed up at his house, and he attacked her in his basement. That was wild. I can’t believe that he killed his mother, too. He just wasn’t who I thought he was at all.
Everything seems to be pretty wrapped up at the end of the book, but I worry for Peter. I think he will be affected by the betrayal of his best friend. Do you think he will be able to move on quickly from learning that his best friend wasn’t who he thought he was?
Did you enjoy the book? Do you think you would read more from this author? Did you like the setting and the characters? If you liked this book and would like to read or watch similar items, check out this list I created. Make sure to let me know if you check out anything on my list!
Before you go, check out the clip below with Louise Penny and Alfred Molina. Do you think you’ll check out the Amazon Prime series after reading the book and checking out the clips?
Thanks so much for following along this month! I hope you really enjoyed the book. Make sure to leave me a comment to let me know if you figured out the murderer before the end of the book! And, make sure to check back next month as we discuss The Christmas Train by David Baldacci.
Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of Still Life by Louise Penny.
What did you think of the reading this week? Are you enjoying the story? Are you feeling like you have figured out the crime?
Do you feel like you’ve grown closer to any of the characters? I definitely find myself rooting for Clara and Peter. I don’t expect that they have anything to do with the murder of Jane, but if that were the big twist at the end of the story, I would be really heartbroken. I really appreciate Inspector Gamache. I like that he is a positive figure in the story, and I like that he doesn’t have some dark secret or dark backstory. I am curious about the past case that has gotten him in so much hot water, but it seems like he wasn’t in the wrong. He might have been too on the ball about his investigating.
A lot of this section followed Matthew Croft. Do you think he’s innocent of the crime? I know he looks guilty because the bow was at his house, and they were trying to hide evidence. But, I really think he was just covering for his son. I think, if he were responsible for the crime, he would not have spent so much time talking about archery in the town hall meeting. I think he was too open about his knowledge and expertise, and I think he would have been more secretive if he were the perpetrator.
What do you think of Agent Nichol? I felt sorry for her at the beginning of the book because she seemed like she was trying hard but was awkward. But, now, I feel like she is just really unpleasant. I think she’s so busy trying to make a name for herself, and she is not interested in working with everyone else. What did you think about the fact that she lied about the will? She didn’t investigate at all to make sure that it was the latest will. I just can’t imagine that the will they found is the most recent. It’s just so weird that Jane would leave her house to her niece when it seems like they don’t have a relationship.
What do you think of Yolande, Jane’s niece, and Andre, her husband? They seem so weird. I feel like they are both hiding something. Why do you think Yolande is so set on being inside of Jane’s house? I really feel like there is something in there that is really important. Do you think Jane had a lot of hidden money or priceless antiques? There must be something really important in her house.
Do you have any guesses about who could have committed the crime? Who do you think is the most likely suspect? What do you think will happen in the last section?
Before you go, check out the video below to learn more about author, Louise Penny. She seems like such a nice person! I really enjoyed getting to see more about her in this video.
Thanks for following along this week! I can’t wait to hear what you thought of the section and what you’re thinking about the mystery. Make sure to leave a comment to let me know what you thought! Check back next week after finishing the book!
Welcome to the Online Book Club discussion of Still Life by Louise Penny.
Did you like reading the book this week? I found that I really enjoyed all of the characters. I liked that the setting was a small town, and I thought all of the characters were charming. Do you have any characters that you’re enjoying learning more about? What do you think of Chief Inspector Gamache? He’s kind of like a Hercule Poirot kind of character, but he seems to be more down to Earth. He seems to be pretty caring about his staff, and they definitely respect him a lot.
At the beginning of the book, we find out that after years of secrecy, Jane is ready to let others see her art. I expected her painting to be magnificent, so I was a little shocked and disappointed when it ended up being so devisive. Can you even picture what her painting must have looked like? How do you think people would have responded to the painting had Jane not died? Why do you think Jane was ready to let people see her painting now after so many years?
In these first chapters, it seems like Jane’s death might have been caused by a hunting accident. Were you surprised that there was an archery club in such a small community? It’s lucky that the people were so well-versed in bows and arrows because they really answered all of Gamache’s questions in the town hall meeting. Are you thinking that Jane’s death was just an accident? What do you think of the incident with the teens that she witnessed earlier? Do you think that has anything to do with her death? I’m sure the kids who threw the manure at Olivier and Gabri were embarrassed that Jane reconized them, and I’m sure they didn’t like that she chastized them. Do you think they would want to kill her out of revenge?
Are you a little curious about Jane’s house? When she tells everyone that she would like to invite them over after the painting is revealed, they are all shocked because she hasn’t had them into her house before. And, her niece seems very eager to go to the house and clean up immediately. And, it seems like she is really excited to inherit the house. Do you think her house is extra valuable or is hiding something? Why would she not have people over regularly? It seems like they are all with each other all the time.
What do you think about the fact that there are so many artists in such a small community? Don’t you feel like art is somehow important in the story?
Do you have any idea what is going to happen in the next section? Do any of the characters seem suspicious to you? Are you excited to keep reading?
Before you go, check out the video below in which Louise Penny talks about her inspiration for the character of Gamache.
Make sure to read through chapter 8 before joining us next week. I can’t wait to hear your first impressions in the comments!
Welcome to Week 1 of the Online Book Club discussion of Still Life by Louise Penny.
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.
Still Life is the story of a sleepy town near Montreal called Three Pines. The town is rocked when one of the townspeople dies unexpectedly, and they’re even more shocked when it seems like the death was a murder. Once Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team arrive in town, everyone is on edge, wondering who could have committed such a terrible crime.
If you want to follow along with us but you aren’t interested in reading the book, you can always watch the series, Three Pines, which streams on Amazon Prime. Don’t have a subscription to Amazon Prime? No problem–you can put a hold on one of our Roku Express 4K+ Streaming Devices and check out the service for three weeks. Check out the trailer above for the series if you want to get a feel for how the characters look 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’re reading through chapter 4 for next week, so make sure to read those chapters before checking in on the next blog post. I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments!
This section started off with a bang with Coraline exploring more creepy stuff and finding her other father. I just don’t know how Coraline has the braveness to fight off these horrible creatures! What did you think when she ripped out his other eye instead of letting him chase her around? Would you have made that same choice?
Were you surprised that Coraline wasn’t tempted at all by the thought of living in the other world? The man in the upper apartment seemed to be offering her everything she could ever want. She was really strong to be able to know that she wouldn’t really get those things.
The cat really saved the day when he caught and killed the rat that had the last marble. And, then, he jumped on the other mother and scratched up her face. That was really helpful, too.
What did you think once Coraline got in the corridor with all of the souls? I didn’t think she was going to be able to make it back to her home. It seemed like there was a lot of dark magic in there that was set on keeping her in the other world. Did you think that the other mother was vanquished after they left the other world? Did you notice the sentence saying that a hand had followed them into the regular world?
Did you like the fact that Coraline was able to see the little kids that she had freed? Aren’t you glad they are finally at peace? It was just so creepy to imagine them trapped in that horrible place that the other mother created.
The other mother’s hand was so scary. I didn’t like that it moved of its own accord. Do you think the hand will stay at the bottom of the well? I couldn’t believe how smart Coraline was to trap the hand in that way. I worry that the hand will find a way to escape. It seems wily, and I just don’t know that the evil is contained forever. At least the key is at the bottom of the well, too. Maybe that will ensure that everything is safe.
Did you enjoy the book? Are you glad you read it? Do you think you would recommend this book to anyone else?
If you liked this book and would like read or watch similar items, 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 in-depth discussion of the costumes in Coraline! Can you even believe how intricate everything is? I can’t imagine having the vision to be able to create such cool costumes and to figure out how they would work on the screen.
Thank you for following along this month! I hope you enjoyed the book and are excited to join us again next month as we read Still Life by Louise Penny. I hope to hear from you in the comments.
Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of Coraline.
What did you think of this section? Did you think it was more spooky than the first section?
Were you surprised that Coraline’s parents were taken? I figured something horrible was going to happen at the beginning of the section because it seemed too easy when Coraline left the other world to come home at the end of the last section. I knew there was going to be something more sinister that would have to happen in the story. Where do you think her parents are exactly? Do you think the other mother was able to come in at night and steal them away? How else would they have been kidnapped? Do you think they walked through the door themselves?
I thought it was nice when Coraline recounted the story about her dad saving her from the bees. I liked seeing that her parents were loving and caring towards her, even though they were really busy in the first section. I liked that she decided to go to rescue her parents because she knew they would have done that for her. What kind of magic do you think the other mother is working with? It was crazy that she was able to manipulate images to make Coraline think that her parents were telling her to stay with the other family.
This other world is very confusing to me. In that one part, Coraline tried to walk out of the area but ended up in a mist that brought her right back to where she started. And, it’s just so weird that everything is almost the same as Coraline’s real house. What do you think of the other world? What do you think of the mirror that the other mother uses to trap people?
What did you think once Coraline met those other children who had captured by the other mother? Do you think the other mother lives off of the souls of her stolen children? Is that the impression you got by that scene? How do you think Coraline is able to be so brave? I can’t believe she decided to go against the other mother, even though this other mother is so scary!
Coraline convinces the other mother to play a game for everyone’s freedom. Do you think the other mother will keep her end of the bargain? Were you surprised when Coraline was able to see all of the souls by looking through her special stone? It was awfully creepy when she had to reach through that weird sac thing to get the soul in Miss Spink and Miss Forcible’s flat. That whole scene was pretty scary!
What do you think is going to happen in the last section? Do you think Coraline is going to be able to win the game and get everyone free? Do you think the other mother will be able to let go without a fight?
Check out this behind the scenes look at the making of the Coraline movie. Can you even imagine how much work it took to get the story to the screen?
Thanks for following along this week. I hope to hear all of your thoughts about this section in the comments. Make sure to finish the book before checking back next week!
Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion for Coraline by Neil Gaiman.
Did you enjoy the beginning of the book? Do you think you’ve ever read a book like this before? It’s an interesting idea to think that Coraline is able to travel to a different dimension through a simple door.
What do you think of Coraline in these first chapters? She seems really lonely and is really looking for someone to spend time with. It’s too bad that her parents are so busy and everyone in her building is so much older than she is. I liked how she did so much exploring in the first chapter. I thought that was pretty fun that she was willing to go and poke around by herself.
Did you think anything of the door that lead to nowhere when it was first introduced? It seemed so innocent–a door that lead to a brick wall. Did you expect that it would be a magical doorway that would lead Coraline into a different world? In the second chapter, the older ladies read Coraline’s tea leaves and predict that she will be in terrible danger. And, then, they give her a stone with a hole in it. How do you think those things connect to the magical door?
When Coraline actually enters the doorway and goes into the other realm, it leads her to a place that is almost exactly like her home, but everything is just a little bit different. Why do you think everyone in this other dimension has creepy buttons for eyes? I wonder why the author included that detail? Do you think it made the figures more scary? The people in the other world seem friendly enough at the beginning, but there is still something unsettling about them. What do you think they are up to?
What do you think of the cat character? I feel like he could have been more helpful to Coraline. It’s obvious that he knows more than he is letting on. What did you think of the theatrical performance that Coraline watched? It was super weird that Miss Forcible and Miss Spink broke apart and had other people come out of their skins. I don’t know how Coraline was brave enough to stay in there! I think I would have run away if I had seen something like that.
At the end of the section, the other parents encourage Coraline to stay there with them. That was definitely pretty spooky. Were you surprised that they let her leave? And, were you surprised that the doorway actually worked and took her back to her regular life? I definitely expected something to keep her in that weird world.
What do you think is going to happen in the next section? Do you have any guesses about what is going on in that other world? Do you think Coraline is going to go back?
Before you go, check out this video clip in which author, Neil Gaiman talks about the creation of the book. Don’t you like hearing how authors get their ideas for books?
Welcome to Week 1 of the Online Book Club discussion of Coraline by Neil Gaiman.
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.
Coraline is the story of a young girl who moves in to a new house and discovers that there is an unexplanable hallway in her house that leads to an alternate dimension. The other world seems exciting at first, but things in that place are not what they appear. Coraline quickly realizes the danger of the other house and goes on a mission to stop the evil she unleashed when she unlocked the door to this other world.
If you want to follow along with us but you aren’t interested in reading the book, you can always watch the stop-motion animated version. Check out the trailer above for the movie version if you want to get a feel for the movie. Feel free to still leave comments on the blog posts, even if you’re only watching the movie and not reading the book.
We’re reading through chapter 4 for next week, so make sure to read those chapters before checking in on the next blog post. I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments!
Welcome to Week 4 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Outsiders.
What did you think of the ending? Was it the ending that you wanted? Did you walk away from the book feeling sad?
This section starts with the rumble. I think the fight went like I imagined it would. I didn’t think that Ponyboy would be able to use his switch. And, I thought he would probably get beaten up. But, I was glad that the Greasers won. They seemed to deserve it more than the Socs. It was shocking to go from the high of winning the fight to the low of losing Johnny in the span of just a couple of pages. Did you feel like that was an abrupt jump? Had you expected Johnny to make a recovery? I didn’t really expect him to make it out of the hospital. His injuries were just too severe.
I was surprised by Dallas’s reaction to Johnny’s death. I didn’t expect him to be so upset about it–at least, I didn’t expect him to be so upset that he would brandish an empty gun to get the police to shoot and kill him. I was shocked by that. What did you think of that scene? Could you have guessed that something like that would happen? That scene made me sick to my stomach. It was just so sad. Again, Ponyboy passes out, so we don’t really get to see all of the action. He passed out a lot in the story. I guess that helped to keep some of the violence off of the page, but it was a little odd that it happened so much. What did you think of all of his fainting episodes?
I’m glad that the brothers get to stay together. That was one positive, hopeful thing from this section. What do you think is going to happen to all of them? The end seems to hint that Ponyboy is going to end up ok, even though he’s a mess right now and is slacking at school and track. What kind of life do you think waits for each of the boys? Do you think the violence is over? Do you think they all learned anything through Johnny’s and Dallas’s deaths? Do you think any of the boys would be able to leave town and live bigger lives somewhere else?
Did you enjoy reading this book? If you liked this book and would like to read and watch similar titles, check out this listI created. Make sure to let me know if you check out anything on the list!
Before you go, chekc out the clip below where cast member from the movie version, Ralph Macchio, talks about The Outsiders. Let me know what you think of the clip in the comments!
Thanks for following along this month! I hope you’ll join us again next month as we read Coraline by Neil Gaiman. I hope to hear from you in the comments!