Author: Erin K.

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Outsiders. 

Did you enjoy reading this section? Do you like the twists and turns that the story has taken, or do you wish that the story would go in a different direction? Are you still liking the same characters as you liked in the first section, or are you finding yourself gravitating towards different characters now that you know everyone a little bit better? 

I thought that Johnny and Ponyboy were going to hide out longer than they did. I was sorry that they changed their appearances since they didn’t end up needing to hide from the law for very long. They were both so sad about their hair! Did you think it was funny that they were reading Gone With the Wind? I thought that was a surprising choice for two high school boys. I was so grossed out by how many cigarettes they were smoking. I couldn’t believe how many Ponyboy went through! I guess that really shows that this book was in a different time period. 

When Dallas comes to see the boys, he reveals that Cherry is working as a spy. She tells that the Socs are looking for war and are ready to have a rumble. Do you think that influenced Johnny’s decision to want to turn himself in? Do you think if Johnny hadn’t gotten injured, that he would have had a good chance of not going to jail for the murder? It did seem like it was self-defense. What did you think of the fire scene? Do you think the boys really set the fire inadvertantly? Again, we don’t get a clear view of the accident because Ponyboy passes out at the scene and doesn’t learn the full extent of Johnny or Dallas’s injuries until later. I don’t think that Johnny will be able to make a full recovery. How do you think that will affect his trial? Do you think he will end up having a trial? 

In the aftermath of the fire, and the subsequent publicity that Ponyboy and Johnny have, Ponyboy learns that there will be a trial to determine if he should stay with his brothers. I just feel like these boys can never catch a break. I just don’t know why their lives have to be so hard. It’s hard to read about. 

At the end of the section, the boys are getting ready for the rumble, and Ponyboy asks to have a switch. Do you really think he’ll be able to us it in the fight? I worry that he won’t be at his full capabilities at the fight since he’s had so many injuries recently. I hope they all are able to stay safe and smart while fighting. 

How do you think the book will end? Is there any chance of us getting a happy ending? What do you think is going to happen to everyone? Do you think we’ll get some trial scenes? 

Check out the video below to hear S.E. Hinton talk about some behind-the-scenes things about the movie version. I thought this video was really interesting–let me know your thoughts in the comments. 

Thanks for following along with us again this week! Make sure to comment to let me know what you thought of this section, and make sure to finish the book before joining us next week! 

Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Outsiders.

Did you all enjoy the first section? Did any of you have to read this book in school? I think I read it in eighth grade, so it’s definitely been a while since I’ve read it! I like that it’s a straight forward read. I felt like I was flipping pages really quickly! 

Do you enjoy all of the characters? Is there a boy that you find yourself connecting with more than the others? I like that the book is from Ponyboy’s perspective. He seems so much more innocent than the other boys. I also really like the brotherly connection between Ponyboy and his brothers. I can’t believe that Darry is so young but is doing such a good job raising his younger brothers. Darry definitely sacrificed a lot to make sure that the brothers could all stay together. 

There was a lot of action in these few chapters, didn’t you think? 

Welcome to Week 1 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Outsiders.

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 Outsiders is a story about a group of rough boys called “Greasers,” who are constantly running against a group of more privilged boys known as “Socs.” One night, a fight turns deadly, which changes the course of each gang forever. 

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 Emilio Estevez and Rob Lowe. 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 Longest Ride.

How did you feel about this last section? Did you enjoy the way the book ended? I thought it was a really interesting ending! I definitely didn’t expect the auction to play out like it did. 

Luke eventually had to tell Sophia what was really going on with him and his past injuries. I thought she had an appropriate reaction to his news. I can’t imagine watching someone I love risk their life on a weekly basis, so I don’t blame her for not wanting to stick with him and watch him get hurt. I was glad that Luke didn’t end up getting really hurt–I was nervous when he went to his last match and drew Big Ugly Critter again. Were you surprised when it was revealed at the end that Luke successfully road Big Ugly Critter and won a new truck? Were you doubly surprised when you found out that he sold the truck to have enough money to buy an engagement ring? 

Were you glad that we got a little bit of closure about Daniel, the boy that Ruth and Ira wanted to adopt? Daniel seemed to have had a pretty sad life, but it was really special that he painted that picture of Ruth. It made sense to me that that picture was the most precious one to Ira. He always seemed to love the art because of its connection to Ruth, not because of the art itself. Aren’t you sad that Ruth never got to see the painting or understand how much she meant to Daniel? 

Did you expect that Luke and Sophia would be the ones to find Ira? I did expect that, but I have to admit that I was surprised that Ira was still alive when they found him. 

What did you think of the auction scene? I can’t imagine how angry everyone was when the auction ended. Do you think Luke and Sophia ended up keeping any of the art? The ending of the book said that the auctions they held later took care of the majority of the collection, so I’m not sure if they kept anything or not. I thought that Sophia would have wanted to keep some of the art to start her own gallery or something, but she doesn’t seem interested in that. Luke hints that she might be able to get a job at any museum if they give that museum a gift, but she didn’t make any definite plans. I think they’re going to end up staying at the family ranch and eventually will take it over from Luke’s mom. 

What do you think was your favorite part of the book? Would you have changed anything about the story, or were you happy with the way everything played out? Did you enjoy reading this book? Do you think you would recommend it to friends? If you enjoyed this book and would like to read and watch some 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, make sure to check out the video clip below to see what Alan Alda had to say about his role in the movie! 

I hope you enjoyed the book this month! Make sure to leave a comment to let me know what you thought of the ending! Next month, we’re changing directions and reading The Outsiders. I hope you’ll join us again next month!

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Longest Ride.

Did you enjoy this section? Are you still enjoying the characters? I really enjoyed reading about all of the artists that inspired Ira and Ruth. I can’t imagine having that kind of art collection at my home. I think it might be a little stressful to have to care for all of those important pieces of art, but Ira didn’t seem too stressed by them. Did you think it was surprising that such normal people could have such an exciting collection of art? 

What did you think of Luke’s revelation that he needs to keep bull-riding to get enough money to help his mom pay off the mortgage on the ranch? It was so sad that his medical care put them in such a dangerous financial situation. It’s frustrating that Luke sustained such horrible injuries, but he’s not telling Sophia about them. I couldn’t believe when Luke’s injuries were finally revealed to us, and we found out that he had a steel plate in his head and probably wouldn’t survive another blow to the head. What did you think when he fell off the mechanical bull and knocked his head? Do you think he is going to be able to recover from that headache? Is he going to go to the doctor to tell them about this new injury? What do you think Sophia will think when Luke finally tells her what’s been going on? Do you blame Luke’s mom for not being able to talk to him every time he goes to compete in another event? 

A big character in this section was Daniel McCallum, the boy that Ira and Ruth had hoped to adopt. Wasn’t that a really sad storyline? I think the saddest thing was that he just disappeared and they didn’t get any closure about him. I feel so sad that Ruth wanted to have a child and never had the option to have one. I wonder why they didn’t look into adopting a baby earlier. What do you think happened to Daniel? 

Were you shocked that Marcia and Brian started dating? Why would Marcia want to date someone like that? I thought that was a big surprise, and I wasn’t sure what it added to the story. Maybe it will become more important later. 

What do you think is going to happen to Luke? Will he continue bull-riding, or will he have another injury? Do you think he will ever tell Sophia what’s really going on? What about Ira? Do you think he’s going to be rescued, or do you think he will be found after it’s too late? 

Are you interested to learn more about Black Mountain College, the place that inspired Ruth and Ira to start their art collection? Check out the video below to get a glimpse at some of the famous people who spent time at the school. 

Thanks for following along this week! I hope you’ll join us again next week as we finish the book. Make sure to leave me a comment to let me know what you thought of this section!

Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Longest Ride.

Did you enjoy the beginning of the book? Are you a fan of bull-riding? I think it is such an incredibly dangerous and stressful sport. I can’t imagine going to see a bull-riding event in person. I would be terrified the entire time!

What do you think of our main characters? I think Ira’s storyline is more interesting–at least his story about his relationship with Ruth. I hate reading about Ira’s present, though. His car crash was horrendous, and it’s so hard to read about him being in so much pain. Don’t you enjoy getting to understand more about his past and his relationship with Ruth? I think they have such an endearing love story. What did you think about the fact that Ira broke up with Ruth when he realized that he probably wouldn’t be able to have children? Was it fair for him to do that to Ruth without talking to her first? Were you surprised that she decided to stay with Ira, even after he told her that they would probably not be able to have a biological family? 

Do you mind the fact that Ira is hallucinating about Ruth and that her hallucination is helping him survive in the car? Does it seem too far-fetched and magical for the story? Or, are you glad that she still gets to be an important character in the book, even though she’s dead? 

What do you think of Sophie and Luke? I think they both seem like really nice people, and I like how Luke is so kind to Sophie. Sophie’s former boyfriend, Brian, was a real heel. I couldn’t believe how he kept following her and wouldn’t listen to her when she said that she didn’t want to interact with him. I really like Luke, and I really like reading about his ranch and his life there. It’s so much more fun to read about his calm life on the ranch versus his life in the ring. Why do you think Luke keeps riding even though he had such a horrific injury? I think I would like to just spend my days at the ranch and not have to worry about the stress of riding and getting injured again. 

Right now, Sophia and Luke are experiencing a lot of love but not a lot of conflict or stress. Do you think their relationship will continue to be so easy? What kinds of conflict do you think could pop up for the two of them as the book progresses? Are you excited to keep reading to see where the story goes? What do you think is going to happen to Ira? How is anyone going to rescue him? Do you think he will survive without any food or water? 

Are you curious about how Nicholas Sparks got interested in bull-riding? Check out the video below to hear Sparks’s thoughts on the sport. Then, check out this video in which Sparks talks to an actual bull rider. 

I hope you’ll check back next week as we read through chapter 22! Leave me a comment to let me know what you thought of this first section!

Welcome to Week 1 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Longest Ride.

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 Longest Ride is a love story that follows two different narratives. One contemporary story about a bull rider named Luke and a college student named Sophia who meet at a bull riding competition. The other story follows an elderly man named Ira who has a horrific car crash at the beginning of the book and spends much of the book trapped in the car, remembering his beloved wife and the life that they shared. It’s a heart warming book filled with tender moments and compelling characters. 

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 Alan Alda and Scott Eastwood. 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’ll read the first 11 chapters for next time, so make sure to read those before checking out the next blog post. I look forward to hearing from you in the comments!

Welcome to the final Online Book Club discussion of Without Remorse.

What did you think of the end of the book? I think the biggest problem I had with the book is that I felt like it was several different books in one. There were just too many storylines. I think a book about drug smuggling and John Kelly attempting to exact revenge would have been enough. Adding the extra Vietnam POW angle was just too much. I just couldn’t keep all of the character names straight, and I could not keep the different storylines straight–especially since action for each storyline occurred in each chapter. Maybe it would have been easier if the action between the stories was split into different chapters, but the way it was set up was just too confusing. Did you find yourself unable to keep track of all of the characters? Did you wish the story had been more streamlined? 

To me, the worst thing that happened in this section was that Doris and her father were murdered. I just thought that was so unnecessary. Why couldn’t one of the women have a happy ending? She had just gotten back with her father–why couldn’t that be the end of their story? I just couldn’t believe that they were hunted down and killed. Were you surprised when that happened? How would you have written Doris’s story? 

Were you surprised that the mission in Vietnam was ultimately unsuccessful? The mission definitely showed how brave and well-trained Kelly was, but all of his expertise was not able to overcome the fact that the mission was compromised. It was good that John was able to bring Grishanov out with him at the end of the mission. That made it not a total loss, I think. After the Vietnam storyline was finished, did you finally feel like it was a good addition to the rest of the story? Did you think it added to the book? In the epilogue, we find that all of the prisoners were eventually released, and it seems like John’s actions throughout the book helped with that. I was glad that was a happy ending to the story at least. 

What did you think of the ending? Did you think it was believable that John was able to evade capture and then fake his own death? It’s crazy that he didn’t have to have any repercussions for all of the killing he did throughout the book. Do you feel like you rooted for John throughout the book? Would you classify him as a hero? 

Do you think he and Sandy will have a happy life together? I’m not sure what Sandy found so appealing about him–she obviously knew that he was really dangerous and did some shady things. I hope they end up having a good life together–it seems like the women who love John don’t have much luck, but maybe Sandy will be different. 

What other parts stood out to you? Would you have changed anything about the story? Would you have taken out any characters or storylines? 

Do you think you’d like to read another Tom Clancy novel? If you want to read and watch 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 clip about Tom Clancy and the excitement that surrounded his novels. Are you surprised people loved his books so much? 

Thanks for following along this month! I hope to hear all of your thoughts about the book in the comments. Make sure to check back next month as we read The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks. 

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of Without Remorse.

How did you feel about this section? Did you find it easier or harder to read this section? I found it to be a bit of a hard read because there were so many different details and characters to keep track of. 

What did you think of John Kelly’s decision to take justice into his own hands? I understand that he was ridding the world of horrible people, but it’s still hard to root for a person that is committing a lot of premediated murders. I feel like he became a serial killer, right? He was systematically killing a lot of people and was deliberately covering up his crimes. Does that make him a serial killer? The murders were tough to read about, but I think the whole torture of Billy was another level. I couldn’t believe the violence I was reading. Do you think it was worrying that John was able to commit those murders and then disassociate from the violence and go back to his regular life? 

I was glad that Doris was rescued. That was a positive thing that happened in this section. Were you surprised that she was able to get in touch with her dad? Do you think they will be able to be reunited? Are you surprised that John is so trusting of Sandy and believes that she can keep Doris safe? I’m not quite sure why Sandy trusts John–she obviously knows that he is up to something and is capable of dangerous behavior. 

The sections about Vietnam and the prisoners of war are interesting, but I’m having a hard time understanding why they are necessary to the story. I guess the information about John as a soldier helps us understand him more, and it helps us understand why he is such a killing machine, but otherwise, I think it takes away from the main story. Working with the military literally takes John away from the action of the story–he has to leave to help them. I just don’t understand how this storyline is adding to the narrative. Are you enjoying the subplots throughout? Do you find any of these extra narratives more interesting than the main story with John? 

Do you think the police will be able to connect John to all of the murders? It seems like he should be completely uncatchable. He knows how to blend into the shadows, he knows how to hide evidence, he knows how to change his appearance and be invisible. But, he does keep making little mistakes in the name of helping innocent people. He helps that lady who is being robbed, even though she has the possibility of seeing his face. And, he kills the thief which is a mistake and takes away from his mission. Finally, he lets emotions overtake him when he takes Billy and releases Doris. I just feel like he is going to make some sort of mistake soon, and the police will be able to connect him to the crimes. I don’t think he is at his peak since he is still dealing with so much grief. 

I found myself feeling a little confused about the passing of time throughout this section as well. I feel like a lot of things are happening, but I don’t think much time is actually passing. I don’t think John and Pam knew each other for very long, so it’s surprising that their relationship had such an impact on John. John’s recovery didn’t seem to take very long either, and neither did Doris’s and Pam’s recovery from drug addiction. Everything is just happening so fast throughout the book! Do you think it’s realistic that so much is happening in such a short time? 

Do you like any of the characters? Are you looking forward to following anyone in particular in the last section? 

What do you think will happen in the end of the book? How can this book come to some sort of a conclusion? 

Before you go, check out this video that was made in memoriam of Clancy after his death. Are you surprised that he wasn’t a military vet since he seems to know so much about the world? 

I hope you’re able to finish the book for next week. I can’t wait to hear all of your thoughts in the comments!

Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of Without Remorse.

Did you enjoy the beginning of the book? I found it a little hard to actually get into the story. The first few chapters were a little confusing to me. Once Kelly met Pam, the story made more sense, but at the beginning, I wasn’t really sure what was going on. I’m not sure that I’ve ever read a book quite like this one, so it’s been interesting to read. 

What do you think of John Kelly? I thought it was really surprising that he took to Pam so quickly and was so loving with her. I wonder what drew him to her. Were you surprised that he was willing to stay with her, even after he learned about her past? Their relationship moved so fast. Do you think that was because both of them had experienced so much trauma? I was surprised that their relationship seemed to be so deep after only a couple of days. 

What did you think of the Rosens? I don’t think Pam would have survived the few chapters she was in without them. It was really lucky that they all met each other. John definitely would not have survived the shooting if it hadn’t been for Sam. What do you think of Sandy O’ Toole? She seems like she will continue to be an important character as the book progresses. 

The main problem that I had with the beginning of this book was that I felt like there were too many characters and too many storylines. When I was reading about John and Pam and the Rosens, I was really engaged, and I enjoyed the story. But, I had a really hard time when the story moved to Vietnam or when it followed the drug ring. There were too many characters that I didn’t know enough about to really remember. Did you feel that way? Did you struggle to keep track of everything that was going on? I’m also not sure why the Vietnam element had to be in the story at all. I think the narrative would have been full enough with John Kelly and the drug story that entered the story through Pam. Don’t you feel like that is enough action for one book? 

Were you surprised when Pam was killed? I’m not sure why John thought it was wise to go back to Pam’s stomping grounds so soon after she had escaped. I feel like Kelly thought he was invincible, but he obviously wasn’t. I was surprised when they were shot at the end of that chapter. I thought for sure that they had escaped. Did that surprise you? 

What is Kelly training for? He’s getting back in really good shape, and he has rented an apartment in a different part of town. Do you think he’s getting ready to exact revenge? What would he even think would be an appropriate thing to do to the people who killed Pam? How do you think the Vietnam story with the captured prisoners going to come more into the story? Do you have any ideas about how the rest of the book is going to go? 

The movie version of this book seems to be completely different than the book. Check out the video below to see if you agree with my assessment of the movie. Can you imagine doing the kinds of stunts the actors mention in the video clip? 

I hope you’re excited to keep going through the book! Make sure to read through chapter 24 before joining us again next week. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts about the first section in the comments!