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Welcome to Week 1 of the Online Book Club discussion of Message in A Bottle by Nicholas Sparks.

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.

Message in a Bottle is the story of Theresa Osborne, a single mother and newspaper columnist who finds a bottle with a message inside. She immediately becomes enamored with the letter inside the bottle and wants to know the story that inspired the words. She tracks down the author, and once the two meet, their lives are changed 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 Kevin Costner and Robin Wright. Check out the trailer above 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 four chapters for next week, so make sure to check those out before reading the next blog post. Our comments section is currently experiencing some technical difficulties, so make sure to leave comments on our Facebook page, so I can know your thoughts about the book!

Welcome to the final discussion of Run, Rose, Run!

Did you enjoy the ending of the book? I felt a little let down because the secrets with AnnieLee built and built throughout the whole book and then were just quickly announced in the last chapter. I felt like the ending was a little rushed. Did you feel that way at all? 

In this section, a lot of secrets are revealed. We learn that Ethan’s shadowy past includes a murdered wife. Were you surprised by this detail? What are the odds that AnnieLee’s protector would have that sort of skeleton in his closet? Do you think the fact that he had that trauma in his life helped him want to protect AnnieLee? 

What did you think of the balcony jumping scene? It was different than what I thought. When I read the Prologue for the first time, I assumed that AnnieLee was jumping off of the balcony because fame had become too much for her. I was not expecting, at that time, that she would need to be escaping from some sort of thug who wanted her dead. I was a little surprised that she didn’t sustain any sort of injury, but if she had had an injury, she wouldn’t have been able to leave the hospital and face her past. 

How surprised were you that the person she was tracking down was not her father? I was shocked when Ethan uncovered that detail. I had no idea that her story would be so much deeper than an abusive father. Her story was a really sad story–I’m glad she was able to escape, but I know there are many women in that sort of situation who would not be able to. Like I said at the beginning, I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to hear AnnieLee’s story until the last pages. I was glad that there was an epilogue that showed that everyone was able to heal after the crazy happenings. 

Was AnnieLee’s family what you expected? It was sad that she still had those sisters at home. I hope they are able to find a happy ending. 

Do you have any other last thoughts? Did you enjoy reading this book? Would you recommend it to a friend? 

If you liked this book and would like to read or watch something similar, check out this list I created. Let me know if you check out anything on the list. 

Weren’t you interested in the fact that AnnieLee seemed to be able to make up songs on the spot? Apparently, that’s a trait she shares with Dolly Parton. Watch the video clip below if you’d like to see Dolly make up a song just for Johnny Carson. 

Thanks for joining us this month! I hope you’ll follow us again next month as we read Message in A Bottle by Nicholas Sparks. I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments!

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of Run, Rose, Run.

This was another crazy and exciting section, wasn’t it? 

Are you feeling a connection to any of the characters? Who do you think is your favorite to read about? I found myself wanting to know more about Ruthanna more than AnnieLee. I think I was just frustrated throughout this section because I didn’t know enough about AnnieLee and I was frustrated by all of her secrets. 

One thing I thought was a little unbelievable was the way that AnnieLee was able to win over everyone as soon as she sang, even if she had been challenging or disrespectful to them. That happened at least twice in this section, and I just had a hard time believing it. I know talent is intoxicating, and I’m sure the people she was interacting with saw dollar signs when they looked at her, but I really can’t imagine that people can just be a jerk and other people will want to work with them. Maybe I’m just being naive! Are you curious about the “Driven” song that AnnieLee keeps singing in this section? Check out the video below if you’d like to hear Dolly Parton sing the song. 

Were you surprised by the revelation about the death of Ruthanna’s daughter? I thought it was a little unfair that Ruthanna blamed Mikey Shumer for her daughter’s death. It’s not like Mikey was the one who supplied her with drugs and alcohol. Do you think Ruthanna was unfair to blame Mikey? Did you feel like you understood Ruthanna’s motivation more once you heard about her daughter’s death? 

It’s driving me crazy that I can’t figure out why so many men are after AnnieLee. She’s getting attacked, but it seems like the attackers just want to scare her a little bit? Do you think AnnieLee is a murderer or something? What kind of rules did she break? The only thing I can think is that she was in some sort of gang and escaped? I just don’t understand what’s going on. And it’s really frustrating. I feel like Ethan and how he’s so upset that AnnieLee doesn’t share anything with him. 

At the end of this section, AnnieLee and Ethan are having a connection on tour, and AnnieLee is planning on singing with Ruthanna in Las Vegas. Do you think Las Vegas is where all of the drama will unfold? Is that where AnnieLee is going to throw herself off of a balcony? What do you think is going to happen next? 

Before you go, check out this video in which James Patterson explains his writing process. What do you think of all of his story ideas in those big drawers? 

I can’t wait to hear your ideas about this section in the comments! I hope you’re enjoying the book so far and are excited to finish the book for next week! 

Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of Run, Rose, Run.

Are you enjoying the reading experience so far? What did you think of that prologue? It sure started with a bang, didn’t it? I wonder how long it will take for us to get to that part in the book. I can’t imagine why AnnieLee would need to leap off of a balcony, but apparently, she will need to. It makes me think that she might get in over her head once she gets some fame? 

The action continued right after the prologue. What did you think of the fact that AnnieLee stole that semi-truck? One thing I wished I had understood was what happened to the semi-truck after she drove away. Did she leave it at the rest stop she told the drive to walk to? She didn’t drive it all the way to Nashville, right? I thought that might come back to haunt AnnieLee later, but it wasn’t really mentioned. I was also surprised that she was able to drive it–I think I would need more training to do it successfully. 

AnnieLee gains traction pretty quickly after singing in the bar. It was pretty lucky that she happened to sing in Ruthanna’s bar. I was surprised how welcoming Ruthanna was from the beginning. She gives AnnieLee a place to sleep, she gives her advice–do you think it’s because Ruthanna sees her daughter in AnnieLee? There’s some sort of secret there with her daughter. I wonder what the story is with Ruthanna and her daughter. It has to be something big because Ruthanna seems pretty sad and broken. 

Near the end of this section, AnnieLee is attacked in her hotel room. Who in the world would want to attack her? The whole scene felt like something out of a spy thriller, but I have a hard time imagining AnnieLee is some government operative or something. Why is she so secretive about her past, and why won’t she share more about the attack. She doesn’t seem to be too surprised that she’s attacked. Do you think she was in a gang or something? I just have no idea what could be happening with her. 

Ethan is going to protect AnnieLee–Ruthanna asks him about it right at the end of the section. Do you think the music producer Mikey is someone that AnnieLee has to be protected from? 

In the last chapter in this section, AnnieLee is going to start recording with Ruthanna. I think she’s going to hit it big quickly. Do you think she’ll find instant success in the next section? I just can’t wait to keep reading because I really want to figure out why she is being followed and attacked. 

Before you go, check out this video of Dolly Parton and James Patterson talking about the book. Did you think the two of them were an unlikely writing pair? 

I can’t wait to hear all of your thoughts and opinions on this first section in the comments! Make sure to read through chapter 64 for next week! Thanks for following along!

Welcome to Week 1 of the Online Book Club discussion of Run, Rose, Run by James Patterson and Dolly Parton.

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.

Run, Rose, Run follows two women: AnnieLee Keyes, an up-and-coming singer who is desperate to get her big break in Nashville and Ruthanna Ryder, a country music superstar who is interested in retiring from the music business. The lives of both of these women overlap and readers soon realize that both women are hiding secrets. Will each women’s secrets overwhelm them, or will they be able to fight back against the demons from their past? 

Because this book is so new, it doesn’t have a movie version…yet. But, you can enhance your reading experience by listening to the album of original songs Dolly Parton created to go with the book. Check out the video above if you’d like to hear one of the songs! 

We’re reading the first 32 chapters for next week. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Welcome to Week 4 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Great Train Robbery. 

Did the book end like you thought it would? Did you enjoy reading how all of the details and plans finally came together? I thought it was a satisfying ending. I thought there would be more scenes with the trial, but I wasn’t sad that there weren’t. I didn’t think the trial was going to bring up any new information, so I wasn’t upset that there weren’t more courtroom scenes. 

This section starts with Pierce climbing across the top of the train to get to the gold. I thought it was hilarious that Pierce later said that he wore two pairs of undergarments to protect him from harm. Like an extra pair of underwear would really do anything! I thought it was interesting that Pierce planned meticulously for every single thing that could go wrong, and he planned the heist down to the last detail. But, he didn’t consider the fact that he would get so dirty while climbing on the top of the train. It’s a good thing that Agar was willing to share his clothes, or I think the whole thing would have been ruined. If you’re curious about the climbing across the top of the train scene, check out the clip below. And, check out Michael Crichton’s website page about the book. If you scroll down, you’ll see the script for the scene, and you can read a description of how the filming went for Crichton and Sean Connery. 

The men successfully steal the gold by switching it with lead shot, and Pierce makes it off the train. I wasn’t sure how it was going to go–I’m sure he looked a complete mess once he got off the train. It’s lucky for him that his dirtiness translated to him looking sickly and not just dirty. After they steal the gold, it almost seems like nothing will come of the robbery. It seems like all of the authorities will just fight about it all and wouldn’t get organized enough to look for a suspect. However, eventually, Pierce gets connected to the crime because Agar’s mistress tries to get Agar out of prison by giving information about the train robbery. Were you surprised that Agar told what he knew about Pierce? I guess Pierce messed up by not giving Agar all that he was promised. 

In the end, Pierce is convicted, but when he heads to jail, he’s able to escape. Do you think Miriam passed him the key when she kissed him in the court room? I definitely think that’s what happened. I was glad Pierce escaped in the end–I think it was believable that he was able to trick everyone and stay out of jail. 

What did you think? Were you satisfied with the story? What do you think was your favorite part? Did you have a favorite character? 

If you’d like to read more about the real robbery that inspired the story, check out this site. You’ll have to scroll to the bottom to get to the The Great Gold Robbery part. It’s a pretty interesting story. How do you think it compares to the book we read? 

Finally, check out this museum description of the lead shot bullion box from the real robbery. Isn’t that neat?

If you enjoyed 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 the list! Or, let me know if you’ve enjoyed anything on the list. 

Thanks so much for following along this month! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts about the book in the comments section. Next month, we’re doing James Patterson and Dolly Parton’s new book, Run, Rose, Run. There’s no movie to accompany it, but there is a CD with original music from the book! Make sure to check out the Run Rose Run music CD to listen to while you read the book. I hope you’ll join us again next month!

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Great Train Robbery

Did you enjoy this section? Are you liking how all of the parts of the robbery are coming together? It’s just crazy to me that Pierce has to keep track of so many details!

One of my favorite parts of this section occurred right at the beginning. I loved how Miriam went to that safe shop so she could figure out if the safes were being changed before the robbery. She played her part so perfectly! I couldn’t believe how confident and belligerent she was. I loved how the men didn’t take her seriously and thought she was a loon, but she found out all of the important information the team needed. I thought that scene was really well-done. 

Clean Willy sure made some wrong decisions in this section. He tried to get more money from Pierce, and then he ended up getting killed. I thought that was pretty sad. Were you surprised when he ended up dying? I thought the Crystal Palace that they met in sounded really interesting. Check out this article to learn more about the Crystal Palace, and click here if you’d like to see what the ruins of the place look like now. 

I was sad to see Elizabeth Trent show back up in this section. She was pretty sad that Pierce hadn’t kept up his conversation with her. Do you think she believed Pierce’s story about the lost letter and then finding a new lady since he never heard back from Elizabeth? I don’t think I would have, but things were different back then. I guess it would be believable for a wealthy man like Pierce to get married quickly, especially if he was hoping to have heirs or something. I was just sad that she was a victim to the whole scheme. She didn’t do anything wrong. 

The whole having Agar pretend to be a dead body in a coffin to gain entry to the train was gruesome but ingenious. What an ingenious way to sneak someone on to the train. I liked how Pierce explained why the coffin had to be opened in the way it was opened. The railway workers were going to search the coffin either way, but if they hadn’t heard the bell and thought the body was alive, they would have checked for pulse and looked around. But, since they were expecting a live person and saw and smelled a dead looking person, they shut the coffin back up again quickly without an inspection to the body. That was so smart. If you’d like to see how the scene played out in the movie, check out the clip below. 

I thought that Pierce was never going to be able to get rid of Fowler once they were on the train. Didn’t that part make you nervous? I couldn’t believe how tense I felt while I was reading it. It was smart for Pierce to light that smelly cigar. I was so relieved when Pierce was finally alone in his train car. 

Pierce thinks that he will be able to climb across the roof of a moving train car to get the gold. I have a hard time imagining that he will actually be able to do it. How will that work? I really doubt there are a lot of hand holds on the top of a train. I would think it would be pretty slippery! I think the wind alone would be enough to disorient a person. Do you think he will do it? Will he be successful? 

What do you think will happen in the last section? We’ve had hints throughout the book that there will be a trial. How do you think that’s going to go? 

I hope you enjoy finishing the book for next week! I can’t wait to hear what you thought of this section in the comments!