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Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Did you enjoy reading this section? Again, I felt like I was able to immerse myself in the world of Narnia as soon as I started reading. It’s such a full and believable world. 

Do you find that you enjoy reading stories with magical elements? Or stories with magical creatures? Usually, I feel like I have to be in the right mood to read these types of stories, but I feel like I could read this story at any time and enjoy those elements. I think, what I like about this book, is that even though Narnia is different from our world, it has enough common elements that I feel like I understand everything I’m reading. Sometimes, fantasy books have worlds that are so intricate and different from our world that I really can’t picture what is going on. I like that the talking animals in this book are animals that I can recognize and picture. What do you think? Did you struggle to understand and picture the magical elements, or did you feel comfortable in the story? 

At the beginning of this section, the children are rescued by some beavers, and the beavers are the ones who explain about Mr. Tumnus. They also explain why the White Witch wants the children. Lewis also goes to great lengths, when talking about the beavers, to describe their living quarters. Did you appreciate all the detail he gave about their house? I liked imagining the bunk beds and the kitchen. My copy of the book had a very nice illustration that helped me really picture everything. After they all eat, the beavers share that the White Witch takes people to her home and turns them into statues. What did you think of the prophesy about Cair Paravel? Isn’t it interesting that two boys and two girls are needed to end the White Witch’s reign? It’s no wonder she was so insistent to meet them when Edmund described his family to her. What is your first take on Aslan? The beavers are convinced that he’s moving, and he will be able to defeat the White Witch. 

Were you surprised that Edmund betrayed his siblings by leaving? I was a little surprised. It’s just surprising that the White Witch could have such a hold on him, even though they only met once. As soon as he makes it back to her, though, it’s apparent that she does not care for him at all, and she does not plan to pamper him and make him a Prince. All she wanted from Edmund was access to all of his siblings, and when she doesn’t get that, she has no real use for Edmund. Do you think Edmund only liked the White Witch because she appeared to be willing to offer him power? I think Edmund probably feels like he has no power and is not important since there are so many children in his family. 

I thought the most surprising thing in this section was the fact that Father Christmas shows up. I just didn’t expect to see him in that world. I thought it was cool how he represented the weakening of the White Witch’s power, but I was still surprised when he showed up. He gave great gifts, though. How do you think each child is going to use their present from him? Will they all end up going into battle? 

At the end of the section, signs of Spring are popping up everywhere. And, the Witch is clearly worrying about her powers weakening. She does not want to hear about Aslan, and she is seeming even more cruel than before. I can’t believe how quickly Spring started to pop up. Do you think it’s all because of Aslan, or do you think the fact that all of the Pevensie children are there contributed as well? 

What was your favorite part of this section? Do you have any thoughts about what will happen at the end? 

Did you know that this book has a stage adaptation? Don’t you think it would be really cool to see the action play out on stage? If you’re curious about how Aslan is depicted, check out this video about the touring production of the show. 

Finally, check out these cool sculptures inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia! Would you travel to England to see them? 

I hope you enjoyed this section and are excited to read the ending! I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments section!

Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. 

Did you love reading the beginning of this book this week? I think one of the best things about this book is that as soon as you begin reading it, you are immediately transported into a new world. I feel like, with some books, it takes a while for the action to start or to feel comfortable in the setting. But, with this book, I felt at home right away. Which character were you drawn to at the beginning? I think Lucy is the most easy to love since she is mentioned most often. I do feel a soft spot for Mr. Tumnus, even though he starts this chapter by contemplating turning Lucy in to the White Witch. 

Did you notice at the beginning of the book that C.S. Lewis dedicated the book to someone named Lucy Barfield? And, he wrote a little letter to her, too? Lucy Barfield was the daughter of one of Lewis’s friends, and she served as the muse for the book. If you’d like to read more about her check out this article. 

The Professor’s house features heavily in the first section of the book, and when I was reading the descriptions of the rooms, I wondered if that house bore any resemblance to Lewis’s personal home. Check out this website, if you’d like to see the outside of the house, and check out this blog post, if you’d like to read more about the interior and the tour experience. Do you think there are similarities between the Professor’s house and Lewis’s house? 

Near the end of this section, Edmund finds his way to Narnia, after teasing Lucy and not believing that she had been anywhere other than the inside of wardrobe, and he immediately comes in contact with the White Witch. She immediately wins his trust by giving him food and drink, and she wants him to bring back his siblings. At this point, we don’t really know why the White Witch wants to have any Daughters of Eve or Sons of Adam, but since she has everyone out looking for boys and girls, we know that she must have some plan for them. Why do you think she is so interested? Do you think she would really want Edmund to become the Prince of Narnia? She mentions that to him at the end of their conversation. 

Were you surprised that Edmund was so quick to believe what the White Witch had to say? When Lucy described the White Witch’s actions, Edmund immediately dismisses them and believes what the White Witch has told him. Why do you think he does that instead of believe what his sister, a person he has known a lot longer, has to say? 

At the end of this section, all of the children make it to Narnia and realize that Mr. Tumnus has been arrested, and his house has been ransacked. He is accused of harboring spies and fraternizing with human beings. Instead of leaving when they see this horrible mess, the children decide to stay in Narnia and help Mr. Tumnus. At the end of the section, they are lost and hungry–do you think they will make it to Mr. Tumnus? Will they get help in the woods? 

Did any other details stick out to you in this section? Are you excited to read more? 

If you’d like to hear about the movie version from the actors that were in the movie, check out the video clip below. I always think it’s interesting to hear what actors say about the parts they play. 

I hope you enjoyed the section this week, and I hope you’ll join us again next week as we read the next six chapters. Make sure to leave a comment to let me know how you enjoyed the first chapters. 

Welcome to January’s Online Book Club. This month, we’re reading the The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.

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 Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is a story about four siblings who find a portal to another world called Narnia. The siblings must fight against an evil White Witch who is keeping Narnia frozen in a never-ending winter. The only hope is to band with Aslan, the Great Lion, but no one is sure if he is strong enough to fight against the White Witch’s evil magic. 

If you want to follow along with us but you aren’t interested in reading the book, you can always watch the 2005 movie version. 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.

Welcome to the final discussion for Dashing Through the Snow by Debbie Macomber. 

Did you enjoy the end of the book this week? I couldn’t believe how fast I was turning pages this week. The reading just flew by! 

Could you believe that the pair had such a hard time getting going on the trip? They just ran into impediment after impediment. Snow, puppies, lost cell phones–they just couldn’t get going! They start this section by staying over in a hotel due to the weather. They share a fun karaoke experience. What did you think when the dog brought her bra to the performance?  I already thought the scene was embarrassing because Ashley thought she could win over Dash with her singing. Doing something like that is totally outside of my comfort zone, so I could not identify with Ashley at all when she wanted to sing for Dash. But, the mortification factor was multiplied by 1,000 when the dog dragged her bra through the room. How do you think you would have reacted in that scenario? 

We knew the two boys who switched the license plates would be followed by the FBI, but I didn’t expect the scene to go down like it did. The helicopter flying behind them was unexpected, and all of the cars following them were very intense. I half expected the FBI officers to shoot at the car since they were so convinced that they were tracking down a criminal mastermind. What do you think ended up happening to the boys? I think the punishment for having expired plates would have been a lot easier to handle than all of the attention they brought to themselves after they switched the plates!

What did you think of the section with Stan the Man, the man who was able to touch cars and figure out what was wrong with them? I was confused by that whole section. He just seemed like an extra weird character. I guess he was an outside character that told Ashley and Dash that they should be together, but other than that, I’m not really sure what his purpose was. Do you think he served more of a purpose in the story? Do you feel like the story would have lost anything if he weren’t in it? 

When the FBI eventually catches up to Ashley and Dash, they move quickly to arrest her. I thought that Dash would be able to clear up the misunderstanding about Ashley’s identity immediately, so I was surprised when she actually had to go into custody. Agent Wilkes was absolutely out of control. He didn’t listen to reason about Ashley at all. He didn’t believe anything Dash told him about Ashley, and at one point, he thought Dash had Stockholm syndrome and was falling in love with a person who had kidnapped him. Wasn’t it almost unbelievable the way that Wilkes didn’t listen to anyone else? I can’t imagine that a professional FBI agent would act that way. Then, when Ashley is finally released, she hears that it only took a couple of minutes to verify who she was. How were they not able to do that before they found her? It just seemed like everything cleared up so easily and quickly. I just found it hard to believe that the people chasing Ashley were really the FBI. They did not seem like professional people at all throughout the entire book. Did you feel like the FBI acted in a way that made sense? Did you find the FBI agents to be believable characters? How would you have changed the story to make the FBI fit in more realistically? 

At the end, Dash and Ashley are excited about their future together. I thought they moved quickly in their relationship. Do you think they will continue to like each other as time goes on? Do you think they will eventually have a happily ever after? It would be interesting to see where Macomber would take the characters if she ever wrote a sequel to this book. 

Do you have any other thoughts about the book? What were some of your favorite parts? Did this book make you want to read more by Macomber? If you’re interested in getting some writing advice from Macomber, check out the video below. Let me know what you think of her advice in the comments!

If you enjoyed reading this book and would like similar titles, check out this list I made. I also created a list of Christmas movies that our library staff thought were similar to Dashing Through the Snow. Check out that list here. 

I hope you’ll leave a comment below to let me know what you thought of the story. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts. And, I hope you’ll join us next month as we read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. 

Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of Dashing Through the Snow. 

Can you believe how easy this book is to read? I felt like I barely took any time at all to get through these first nine chapters! Couldn’t you see, right from the beginning, that this book was begging to have a movie adaptation? The storyline immediately felt like a movie plot to me. 

In this first section, we’re introduced to Ashley and Dash. Did you feel like you enjoyed one of them over the other? I felt like I understood Ashley a lot better than I understood Dash. He was hard to get to know since he was so serious and reserved. Ashley was a really fun character right from the beginning. What did you think about their meeting? I know I would not have gotten in the car with a strange man, even after talking to his mother. I think I have watched too much Dateline and heard too many true crime podcasts to be that trusting. But, Ashley seemed to think she would be fine to drive with him. I’m not sure if I buy their chemistry right now in the story. I know that we’re supposed to want Ashley and Dash together, but I’m not really seeing them as a good pair right now. Maybe that will change as the story continues. 

The pair definitely had a rocky start together. Were you afraid that Dash was actually going to leave Ashley behind after she picked up the dog? I didn’t think he would leave her behind forever, but I was surprised that he actually drove out of the parking lot. I thought for sure he was going to cave almost immediately. I thought it was really odd that a motorcycle gang showed up, but I guess that scene just served to make the FBI more convinced that Ashley is a devious criminal. What did you think of the motorcycle gang scene? Were you confused about its purpose, too? 

What did you think of the FBI storyline in this first section? It is pretty far-fetched to think that the FBI would be following someone and putting so many resources towards following someone when they don’t know for sure they are following the right person. I felt like the FBI actually acted more like a local police force in the way they were pursuing Ashley. They didn’t seem as professional as I would imagine the FBI to be. But, it’s a fun conflict, and this storyline is different than any book I’ve ever read before. 

This section ends with the boys changing the license plate on Ashley and Dash’s car. Obviously, that’s not going to end well for the boys. They will definitely get in trouble with the FBI for doing that. Don’t you expect that the FBI will end up chasing the boys at some point? Were you surprised that Ashley and Dash seemingly had no idea? When do you think they will realize that they have a different license plate? 

Ashley and Dash are warming up to each other by the end of this section. Do you think love is in the air? What do you think is in store for them in the next section? 

Have you ever wondered how Debbie Macomber got her start? Check out the video below to hear about her early publishing days. I always love hearing how authors get started and how much their careers change over time. 

I hope you’re able to read the rest of the book for next week! Make sure to leave your thoughts about the first section in the comments!

Welcome to December’s Online Book Club. This month, we’re reading Dashing Through the Snow by Debbie Macomber. 

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.

Dashing Through the Snow is a cute holiday romance that follows Ashley Davison, a graduate student who just wants to be home in Seattle for the holidays, and Dashiell Sutherland, a former army intelligence officer who needs to get to Seattle for a job interview right before Christmas. When neither can get a flight to Seattle, they decide to rent a car and drive together to Seattle. But, their trip is delayed by thieves, the FBI, and a michevious puppy. Read to find out if the pair are able to overcome all of the obstacles and maybe find love along the way. 

If you want to follow along with us but you aren’t interested in reading the book, you can always watch the Hallmark movie version. 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.

Next week, we’ll be reading the first nine chapters, so make sure to read those before reading the blog post next week. I hope you’ll check back for the blog post, and I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments section. 

Welcome to the final Online Book Club discussion of The Book Thief. 

Be honest–did you cry at all when reading the last section? I had to take a couple of breaks because I felt very emotional while reading. 

In this section, there was another part where a little decision led to something bigger. In this section, Rudy decides that he wants to win four gold medals, and because he works so hard to become a great athlete, he comes to the attention of the Nazi leadership. And, because his parents don’t want him to go away from home, the Nazi leaders decide that Rudy’s dad should go away to war. I just can’t believe how often little decisions make such a huge impact in this story. It’s just incredible. 

Were you surprised that the mayor’s wife knew that Liesel was sneaking in and out of the house? I was not surprised. Liesel was just getting in and out too easily. And, it seemed like the library was always waiting for her. I’m glad the two were able to reconnect with each other and forgive each other. I’m glad Liesel had another adult who was looking out for her. 

In the middle of this section, Hans Hubermann decides to offer bread to one of the Jewish people in the prisoner transport line. That choice causes Max to leave the Hubermann house, and it makes the Nazi leaders send Hans off to serve. It was good that he didn’t have to go off and fight, but still, he had a very dangerous job. I can’t imagine helping dig people out after an air raid. I assume buildings would be really unsteady, and I’m sure there was fire all around. I would not do very well at that job. What did you think of the fact that Hans narrowly avoided death again? I was glad that he was able to come back home, but, of course, that happiness was short-lived. 

At the beginning of Part 10, Zusak tells us that everyone in the town dies except for Liesel because she is writing in the basement. Again, that bit of foreshadowing almost made me want to stop reading. I didn’t want to get to the end and see everyone die. But, I kept reading. I think I took a break for the day, trying to gather my courage. Did you feel that way while you were reading? 

Max and Liesel are quickly reunited while Max was in a transport. Were you more surprised that they saw each other or that Max was still alive? 

The last bombing scene was terrible to read. Liesel finally kissed Rudy, she mourned for her parents, and even Death was affected by her grief. Why do you think Zusak chose to kill so many characters at the end of the book? Do you think that was necessary? Why do you think Liesel was the only one saved? Would you have changed anything if you were the one writing the end of the book? 

At the very end, we learn that Liesel ended up living a long life, and she had a husband and children and grandchildren. We also find out that Liesel ended up staying with Rudy’s dad, and Max survived the war. I don’t think that Max and Liesel ended up together. I don’t think he is the husband that she eventually got. I think their relationship was like a brother and sister, not like a boyfriend and girlfriend. What do you think? Do you think they ended up together? I think Liesel’s true love was Rudy. But, I’m glad that she did eventually find love again. 

What did you think of the book as a whole? Did you enjoy reading it? Do you think you’ll read other things by the author? Was there a part of the story you enjoyed that I didn’t mention? If you enjoyed this book and would like to read and watch other stories like it, 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 about the making of the movie. Hopefully, it inspires you to watch the movie now that you have read the book!  And, check out this video interview in which Markus Zusak tells the inspiration for the book. 

Next month, we’re reading something totally different. We’ll be reading Dashing Through the Snow, a holiday novel that has been adapted into a Hallmark Christmas movie. I hope you’ll join us again next month, and I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments section. 

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

At the beginning of this section, we learn how Max and Hans formed a connection with each other. What did you think of their connection? It’s just weird to think how little decisions can have big consequences. When Max’s dad volunteered Hans for letter writing duty, he had no idea that he was saving Hans’s life and effectively losing his own. And then, the fact that that whole exchange would be so important decades later for Max is just incredible. 

What did you think of the story that Max wrote over top of the Mein Kampf  pages? It was sweet that Max and Liesel made such a connection with each other so quickly. Even though Liesel is so young, she seems so wise and able to see good in other people. Wasn’t it just so sweet that she would bring a weather report and crosswords to Max in the basement? I especially liked when she and the family made a snowman in the basement. Check out the movie clip below if you want to see how the snowman scene played out on screen. 

At the beginning of Part 5, Death makes a comment about Rudy dying. Did that make you wary to keep reading? It made me really sad to think about one of my favorite characters not making it to the end of the book. It made me examine every interaction he and Liesel had, and it made me feel on edge not knowing what exactly was going to happen to him. Do you wish you wouldn’t have had those types of foreshadowing throughout the book? I hated at the end of Part 5 when Death brings up Rudy’s death again, saying that Rudy went to his grave without a kiss. Even though he rescued Liesel’s book from the water. It just made me so sad to read those parts. 

One of the most affecting parts of this section was the imagined speech between Max and Hitler in the boxing ring. It was incredibly hard to read Hitler’s speech on page 254. In the speech, he turns the crowd against Max and gives a hateful diatribe against Jews, manipulating the audience into thinking that Max and the other Jews are somehow dangerous. It was hard to read because the manipulation was subtle but so effective, and even though this particular speech was imagined, I’m sure Hitler made countless other speeches just like the one in the book, and those speeches caused innumerable deaths. I just felt so sad while reading that part. 

What did you think of the way Liesel treated the mayor’s wife? Were you surprised when she started stealing books from that house? Can you believe she is so desperate to get her hands on books?

Did you think Max was going to die when he got so sick? Did you prepare yourself to read about what they would do with his body if he did die? I thought for sure he was going to die. I’m really glad he didn’t, though. 

At the end of this section, the Nazis come to the Hubermann’s door, but they don’t find Max. Mostly, this is due to Liesel’s quick thinking. Wasn’t your heart in your throat the whole time, worrying that Max would be uncovered? Then, in the very last chapter, Death talks about all of the destruction and souls he finds at the concentration camps. Zusak ends the chapter by saying, “They were French, they were Jews, and they were you” (pg. 350). What a weighty but important way to end a chapter. It’s good to remember, when reading these fictional accounts of war, that actual human beings were tortured and died. The characters in these books aren’t just characters–they represent real people who were human beings, just like you or me. I thought that was a good reminder. The death in this book isn’t just a plot point; instead, it reminds us that real people with real families died unjustly. 

Are you ready to keep reading? What do you think will happen in the last section? Are you wary to keep reading since you know death is coming for some of the characters? I can’t wait to hear what you thought of this section. I hope you’ll let me know your impressions in the comments. Finish the book for next week!

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

This book is definitely set up differently than any other book I’ve ever read. Did it take you a few chapters to get the hang of the narration? I think it took me a couple of chapters to get acclimated, but once I did, I was hooked. Wasn’t it interesting that the story was narrated by Death? I don’t think I have ever read a book that had that kind of narrator. Didn’t you feel like having Death as the narrator made the story more heartbreaking? Death knew the destruction and sadness that was happening everywhere, not just with our characters, so I think that added a heavyness to the book. What did you think? 

In this first section, we meet a lot of characters. We get to know Liesel, the Hubermanns, Rudy, and Max–did you have a favorite? I liked everyone, but I think Rudy was my favorite. I loved how he was so kind to Liesel, and I enjoyed how boisterous and energetic he was. We don’t know much about Max by the end of the section, but we do know that he is a pretty sad and pathetic character. What did you think of Rosa Hubermann? I had a hard time understanding the way she showed love to others. I definitely don’t have anyone in my own life that shows love and care the way she does. But, she does seem to really care for Liesel deep down. Hans is really kind and seems like a really good man. Did you look forward to learning more about any of the characters? Do you have any hopes for any of the characters as the story progresses?

I hated how the kids at school picked on Liesel when she didn’t know as much as they knew. I just hate reading stories about children who are cruel to each other. I was glad that she had Rudy in her corner, and I have to admit, I liked when she beat up that boy on the playground after he kept teasing her about her inability to read. 

The relationship the Hubermanns had with their son was hard to read about. It was hard because, of course, we see that Hans is right to not be a part of the Nazi party, but the son doesn’t have the benefit of hindsight, so he doesn’t see it that way. I can’t imagine how hard it would have been to go against the status quo during those times, so it’s easy to understand why the son is so frustrated that his dad just won’t join the party. And, it’s just so sad knowing that the last interaction they had was so unpleasant, especially since we know that the son had to go fight in Stalingrad. 

Near the end of this first section, Liesel attends a book burning and ends up rescuing a book from the burning pile. It doesn’t appear in the book that Liesel does this because she doesn’t approve of book burning or wants to read banned literature. It seemed to me that she was just interested in reading more books. But, in real life, other people risked their lives to save books from being burned, and many more tried to explain why burning books is so incredibly dangerous for a society. If you’d like to see what a book burning looked like and want to understand why burning books is so dangerous, check out the video link below. Let me know what you think of the video after you watch it. 

I hope you’re excited to keep reading. Make sure to leave all of your impressions from the first section in the comments. And, make sure to read through Part 6 for next week!