Tag: Online Book Club

Welcome to Week 4 of the Online Book Club discussion of Killing Floor.

Did you enjoy the end of the book? Did it finish like you thought it would? The book definitely kept me reading until the very last pages! I couldn’t believe how much action there was right until the very end. 

I think I was surprised by how much violence there was in this last section. It was almost too much for me to read. The scene where Jack sneaks up on the five men and kills them one by one was chilling. I think it was even more chilling because he was using that sap weapon thing. I had never heard of such a weapon, and I honestly could not believe that a weapon like that could inflict so much damage. I also couldn’t believe how cold and detached Jack was able to be. I know the men he attacked were really bad people, but he took them out like they weren’t human beings. It was really hard for me to read that chapter. Did you struggle, too? If you’re curious about what a sap is, check out this article. I really can’t believe that this kind of weapon could do so many horrible things. 

What was the most shocking betrayal in this section? The fact that Baker, the police officer had been working with Teale all along and had been passing along information from Jack and his gang or the fact that Picard was in on the whole deal and was not, in fact, holding Charlie at a safe house? I really couldn’t believe that Picard was in on all of this. It seemed so incredibly random that he was involved. I didn’t see that coming at all. Did you? I also couldn’t believe how hard it was for Jack to kill Picard. He seemed invicible. I about fell over when he showed up at the warehouse at the end, all bloody and gross. That was crazy to me. It reminded me of Aaron in the The Knife of Never Letting Go. He kept showing up, even after it seemed like he had been mortally wounded. 

Jack is eventually able to figure out the whole counterfeiting scheme by looking at Hubble’s bookshelves. I actually had a hunch that they were using 1 dollar bills as the paper for their fake money. It just seemed to fit with Hubbles old job at the bank. And, it makes sense to use money as paper when they were unable to buy any new paper. I was glad when we finally figured out what “Pluribus” was all about. It made sense once we realized “Pluribus” went with “E Unum Pluribus” or “Out of One Comes Many.” I thought that was actually pretty clever. Out of the one dollar bills came a lot of money. 

Were you shocked that Hubble was alive? I didn’t think he had the wits or bravery to be on the run, but it looks like I was wrong. I was glad for him and his wife that he was ok. And, he kind of redeemed himself at the end when he used his car as a battering ram. That ended up being pretty helpful. What do you think Hubble will do after the book is finished? What is life like after a person experiences such trauma? I can’t even imagine going back to regular life. 

Are you surprised that everyone in the main protagonist group made it to the end of the book? The warehouse scene at the end was pretty touch and go. I thought Roscoe or Jack or Finlay could have been killed at any moment. I was glad that the kids were taken to safety right at the beginning of that scene because I don’t think I could have handled them being a part of the violence. That would have been really hard to read. 

I still can’t believe that Jack walked away from all of his misdeeds without any consequences. I just can’t imagine that there isn’t even one person who would be curious about all that he did. But, he’s a professional, so I guess I have to trust that he knew what he was doing when he covered up all of the evidence. Do you think it’s realistic that he could just leave the town without having anyone question him? 

Do you think you’ll read any more Jack Reacher books? Did you enjoy the story? Do you like Jack Reacher as a character? If you liked this book and are interested in reading and watching 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 interview with author, Lee Child. I really enjoyed what he had to say about Jack Reacher as a character. 

Thanks for joining us this month! I hope you’ll leave a comment to let me know how the end of the book treated you! Make sure to join us again next month as we read The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. 

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of Killing Floor by Lee Child. 

I did not enjoy the way this section started. The murder of Chief Morrison and his wife was incredibly violent and gruesome, and I did not enjoy reading about it. Were you able to read about his murder scene, or did you skim over all of the details? 

After Chief Morrison is murdered, the town has to decide who the new chief is going to be. It seems like it should be someone who is already in the police department, but no, the new chief is going to be the mayor, Teale. That’s suspicious, right? Why would he want to be the mayor and the chief of police? Is he hiding something? 

What do you think is really going on with Hubble? Reacher is convinced he’s dead, but no one else seems convinced. Charlie, his wife, wants to hire Jack to investigate. Weren’t you relieved when Charlie and her kids were moved to a safe house? I hope they are able to stay safe and out of the clutches of the evil people in the town. 

Roscoe’s house was broken into, and it seems like the killers were hoping to kill Roscoe and Jack in the same manner they murdered the chief and his wife. Do you think Jack could have kept them safe if they had been home when the attackers came? He’s an incredible fighter, but I don’t know if he could have fought off four attackers in the middle of the night. 

We realize, throughout this section, that there’s something going on with counterfeit money. Jack’s brother was investigating a special project with the Treasury Department and was looking into international counterfeiting. What do you think is really going on? Molly Beth Gordon reassures Jack several times that there isn’t printing of fake money in the United States anymore because John Reacher took control of all of the sales of the ink and paper needed to do the printing. So, then, what kind of operation could be going on? We find out that Hubble was laid off from his bank job over a year ago, but when he worked at the bank, he was responsible for tracking down cash. How is he using those skills and expertise to help with the illegal activity that’s going on in the town? We realize, by the end of the section, that the Kliner Foundation is a hoax, and there has to be some sort of money moving happening, but I really don’t understand exactly what’s going on. Do you think you understand all of the illegal activity going on in the town? 

It was really sad when Molly Beth Gordon was killed in the airport. It seemed like her death would stop the investigation, but Jack was able to keep going by using the computer print out in his brother’s shoe. And, they used the files from the former police chief, who now, appears to not have killed himself and was instead murdered. How are all of the details going to come together? 

At the end of this section, Roscoe goes with Picard to the safe house. And, Jack is ready to finish up this case. Do you think he’ll be able to solve the case before anyone else gets killed? Do you think Jack is ever going to have to face any consequences for the killing he’s been doing? Again, it’s really weird to read a book in which the protagonist is willingly killing people. 

Check out the video below if you want to learn more about the actors who play Roscoe and Jack Reacher in the series adaptation on Amazon Prime!

I hope you’re excited to finish the book for next week! I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments!

Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of Killing Floor by Lee Child. 

This book sure started with a bang, didn’t it? What a way to start a story! The book started with so many questions–Jack Reacher is such a mysterious character! 

Why in the world did the police force look at Jack for the murders when he just got in to town? Did you notice at the end of the first chapter that Jack thinks to himself that he’s never been to the town before and he hasn’t killed anyone…recently. That made me pause. It’s not often that characters say from the get-go that they have killed before. I have to admit that I was suspicious of Jack at the beginning of the book. He stayed completely silent in front of the police, and I just didn’t trust that he wasn’t hiding something big. It was weird to me that he didn’t want a lawyer when he was questioned by the police initially, and I didn’t understand why he didn’t have any form of I.D. on him. It all just seemed too suspicious. 

What did you think once Jack revealed some details about himself? He explains that he used to be in the military, he used to be Military Police, and he used to do homicide investigations at his old job. Did you start to trust Jack once he divulged those details? I felt a little more confident in him at that point, but I still couldn’t understand why he came to the town in the first place, and I didn’t understand why he would want to walk the roads alone. 

From the beginning of the book, it seemed like the Chief of police in Margrave had it out for Jack. When Jack is brought in for questioning, the Chief says that he saw Jack at the warehouse. How could he have seen Jack there? Doesn’t it almost seem like the chief wants Jack to be charged with the murder, whether or not he actually did it? It’s like he just wants to tie up loose ends and move on. Why would he want that? 

What did you think once Hubble entered the story? He seemed like a nervous wreck–why in the world would he confess to the murder? Didn’t you just feel his despair once the pair was sent to prison? I couldn’t understand why they both had to go to prison, even though Hubble was the only one to confess. I hoped their prison experience would be bearable, but, of course, it wasn’t. Could you even believe how bloody and violent the prison chapters were? I did not enjoy reading them. There was the fight in the cell and then the horrible fight in the bathroom. Why did those prisoners target Jack in the bathroom? Why did Spivey mess up the orders and put them on that dangerous floor? 

I couldn’t believe that Jack didn’t face any reprucussions for killing one man and blinding another in jail. Did you think that seemed realistic? Later, at the end of this section, we realize that Jack was attacked in the bathroom because he was the one wearing glasses, not Hubble. It made more sense to me that someone would want to attack Hubble in prison since Jack didn’t really know anyone in the town. 

Were you shocked when you realized that the investigator that was killed was Jack’s brother? I was shocked. I felt sorry for Jack that he had to find out in such a callous way. He didn’t really have time to process the information privately. That made me feel sorry for him. 

At the end of the section, we believe that Hubble has been killed, but then we find out that it’s actually Chief Morrison. Did that surprise you? Where do you think Hubble is? Do you think the police will be able to keep Hubble’s family safe? 

What’s the deal with the town? Why is it so nice? And, why are the Kliner’s so suspicious? The Kliner son seems like a really unsavory character. Do you think they have something to do with what’s going on in the town? I just don’t understand why this little town in Georgia is so nice. And, I don’t understand why Jack’s brother from the Treasury Department would be in the town. Do you have any ideas about what’s really going on? 

Are you curious about Lee Child and the reason he began writing the Jack Reacher series? Check out the video below to learn more about the series and the author. 

 I hope you enjoyed this section and are excited to keep reading! I hope to hear from you in the comments section, and I hope you’re able to read the next 11 chapters for next week. 

Welcome to Week 1 of the Online Book Club discussion of Killing Floor by Lee Child.

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.

Killing Floor is the first Jack Reacher novel and introduces the character to readers. After leaving the military, Jack Reacher decides to travel around the United States, reveling in his new freedom. However, at one random stop, he is arrested for murder, and slowly, he begins to discover that this sleepy, small town isn’t all that it seems. This book is full of action and adventure–you’ll have a hard time putting the book down as soon as you start!

If you want to follow along with us but you aren’t interested in reading the book, you can always watch Reacher , the television series, or the movies starring Tom Cruise. Check out the trailer above for the television adaptation if you want to get a feel for the series. Feel free to still leave comments on the blog posts, even if you’re only watching the series and not reading the book.

We’ll read the first 11 chapters for next week, so make sure to read those before checking the next blog post! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Welcome to the final Online Book Club discussion of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.

Did you enjoy the ending? I thought the last chapters were the most interesting chapters of the book. I was glad to see how making the windmill changed William’s life so much. If you’re curious about William’s windmill projects now, check out the site, Moving Windmills, and read about what the foundation is doing in Malawi now. 

One of the most exciting parts in this last section was when William was able to share his story at the TED conference. What a cool experience! I was so glad that everyone welcomed him to the event and showed him how remarkable he is. If you’d like to watch William’s speech at the event, check out the video below! 

How excited were you when William’s windmill worked and provided light for his room? Again, I was so surprised by William’s fearlessness and ingenuity when he decided to take on wiring his house for electricity. He made his own circuit breakers, for goodness sakes! He was so lucky that his house never burned down. Were you curious about how he was able to make his own light switches? Check out the photo below, taken from William’s blog, if you’d like to see what his homemade light switches looked like. I can’t imagine how revolutionary it was to have light in the evenings at home. And, how handy it was to have a local place to charge phones! I enjoyed reading about how his family was able to listen to the radio at night, too. That was so cool. 

I was nervous when people thought that William’s windmill was bringing bad luck to the village. I was really worried that someone would damage his windmill in retaliation, but, thankfully, that didn’t happen. Weren’t you sad that William’s mom had malaria? I was glad that she recovered. 

I couldn’t believe how quickly William got notoriety for his windmill. It seemed like it all happened so quickly. I was so glad that the attention allowed him to go back to school, and it was awesome that he was able to help his family so much through the donations he received. What did you think when you read how William felt when he saw the internet for the first time? Or, when he flew in a plane for the first time? I was so glad he was able to have those experiences. Especially since he earned them through is hard work and ingenuity. When William was traveling, he got to go to a really cool library. Check out pictures of the library here–it seems like it’s quite the place!

At the end of the book, William has his whole life ahead of him. He wants to create a water pump for the village, and he mentions how the village got solar panels. Check out William’s website to read more about what he’s up to now and to see how his windmill project has expanded. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this book along with us! If you liked this book and would like to read and watch similar titles, check out this list I created. Make sure to let me know if you check out anything on the list!

 I hope you’ll join us again next month as we read Killing Floor by Lee Child. I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments section!

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.

How was the reading experience for you this week? I felt like I had an easier time reading this section compared to the first section. I liked that these chapters focused more on William. 

In Chapter 6, we learn that William’s mother is pregnant, and this puts a strain on their already low resources. Weren’t you sad when you read that many children are given sad names during times of distress? I can’t imagine that it would be very fun to carry around a name like that. 

I was surprised that William’s mother was able to start a business during this time. Although William’s family didn’t have much, it seemed like they were able to have some food, even in the darkest times. It was so hard to read about all of the starving babies and people who wandered through Willliam’s village. I just can’t imagine seeing all of that hardship on a daily basis. I can’t even imagine how hard it was to survive from day to day. It was sad to see how desperate people got. When people are desperate, they almost act like wild animals. They do things they would never imagine doing during times. 

What did you think of the goat skin eating scene? That sounded absolutely disgusting! I was surprised by how chewy it was. I bet if they had had the resources to fry the skin, it would have been more edible, but it seemed like they only had the resources for boiling. What a horrible way for them to spend Christmas. 

In chapter 7, William learns that he got bad test scores, so he’s going to have to go to a bad school. I thought it was really unfair that William and his classmates were expected to pay for uniforms and shoes and school books when no one had anything. What did you think of the descriptions of his school building? I felt sick to my stomach when I read that the latrines were so crumbly that a classmate actually fell through the floorboards and was not discovered for several hours. I imagine that that girl got really sick. I hope she ended up being ok. Weren’t you so sad when William realized that he couldn’t stay at school because there was no way to pay his school fees? 

The part with Khamba the dog and his last days was so upsetting. Didn’t that make you feel so unsettled? I just hate when animals die or are injured in books. 

I was incredibly glad that William and his family survived the famine. I really can’t believe they were able to make it through those dark days. I hoped that William would be able to go right back to school, but that wasn’t the case. I enjoyed reading about how he was able to still go to the library. I can’t believe that he just picked up books on energy on a whim, and those books ended up changing his life. I guess that shows how important libraries are! Once William got the idea to make the windmill, things really started moving. He had success right away! I just couldn’t believe how he was able to scrounge to find parts and how he was able to understand the science of everything needed to keep the windmill going. He is just so smart! I can’t believe how fearless he was to take on such big projects. At the end of the section, he’s able to have a dynamo, so hopefully, his dream of a a full-scale windmill will be realized. 

Want to see William’s village and hear about his windmill-making process? Check out the video below!

Thanks for following along this week. I hope you’re excited to finish the book for next week! Make sure to leave me a comment, so I can know how you are enjoying the book!

Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.

Are you enjoying the book so far? Did you find it hard to get into the story, or were you hooked right from the beginning? I found it a little hard to get into the story in the first few chapters. William’s experiences and surroundings are just so different than anything I have ever experienced, so I found it a little hard to visualize everything that was going on. But, once I got going with the story, I really enjoyed it!

What did you think about the fact that the book started with a description of the windmill actually working? Did that make you more motivated to keep reading? It made me feel excited because I knew he was going to succeed, and I was interested to see how he actually did it. 

In this beginning section, we don’t learn much about the windmills and William’s experiments. Intsead, there is a lot of explanation of his village and the government of Malawi and the growing seasons. It was really sad to learn about the reasons why William’s village experienced a famine. Did you catch that he said that deforestation caused rains to turn to floods, and that washes away soil and minerals? And, all of the rains wash away the fertilizers. It’s interesting to think how rain can be so damaging because rain is also so necessary for the growing process. What did you think about William’s description of the growing season in Malawi? What a difference to be planting in December through March! I was surprised that the dry season was August through November. They are completely opposite of us here in Ohio. When talking about the growing season, William mentions that that nsima is eaten at every meal. If you’re curious to see how nsima is made, check out the video below. 

In the last chapter in this section, the famine has hit William’s village. Wasn’t it heartbreaking that the people were depending on extra food from the government, but all of that food was sold to Kenya for a profit? What do you think the people are going to do? How can they make it until the next growing season? Immediately, people start selling and eating the gaga, the husks of the maize. William says that normally, he uses the gaga as a bait for his bird traps or as food for the chickens. But, the people are already desperate. William’s family seems better off than some, but by the end of this chapter, WIlilam realizes that they are going to run out of food in a month, but they have over 200 days until the next harvest. His family has to sell their goats, too. Do you think his family is going to be ok? Do you think some food will come to them from some other source?

In this last chapter, William learns a bit about wind energy through the bike wheel and the light that’s powered by a dynamo battery. William is very interested to know why the rotation of the bike wheels causes the dynamo to power the light. I was so impressed by how fearless William was when he was determined to figure out how something worked. He wasn’t afraid to move wires around or take things apart. He mentions that the experiment with the bike made him think about electricity–did you notice that he said that most people used kerosene lamps to see at night? But, with the price of fuel being so high, they didn’t use the lamps all the time and instead, went to bed as soon as it got dark. I think that would be really hard! I’m a night owl, so I would struggle to go to bed early. 

What do you think is going to happen to William and his family in the next section? Are you excited to read about his first experiments with wind power? 

I hope you enjoyed this first section and are excited to read the next five chapters for next week. Make sure to leave me a comment to let me know what you thought of this section! 

Welcome to Week 1 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.

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 Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is the true story of William Kamkwamba, a boy from Malawi who used an old book from the library to construct windmills for his village. These windmills brought electricity and irrigation to his village. It’s a very inspirational story, so make sure to check it out. 

If you want to follow along with us but you aren’t interested in reading the book, you can always watch the movie version on Netflix. 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 5 chapters for next week, so make sure to read those before checking the next blog post! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Welcome to the final discussion of Where the Crawdads Sing.

What did you think about the ending? Was it what you hoped? Were you surprised at all by all of the things that went down? 

At the beginning of this part, we learn that Chase attacked Kya, and she apparently screamed that she wanted to kill him. I think that’s a pretty justified reaction to the way he treated her. Now, Kya is not able to feel safe at home, and really, there’s no way to guarantee that she will be safe. No one would believe her if she said that Chase hurt her. And, she’s so isolated from everyone else. 

Were you surprised that the red cap that helped put Kya behind bars was originally Tate’s? Do you think that cap shows that Kya was at the scene of the crime? 

During the trial, a lot of the testimony and evidence against Kya seemed ridiculous. The part where the prosecutor accused her of dressing up in elaborate disguises to ride the bus to and from Greenville was something else. Didn’t that sound like a wild thing for someone to do? And, the evidence of the tide washing away footsteps and the man who thought he recognized her outline–those things really weren’t very conclusive. What did you think about those details in the trial? Did you believe that she would dress up in a disguise or do the things they accused her of?

Kya’s lawyer was really good at making those accusations look faulty, and he did a good job of making the townspeople feel really guilty for completely abandoning Kya. She really lucked out with the lawyer she was assigned. I was so relieved when she was cleared of the charges. I thought it was really sad after the whole trial that Kya said, “I never asked people for anything. Maybe now they’ll leave me alone” (p. 350). All she wanted was to be left to her own devices, and people really were so mean to her her entire life. She never got a fair chance at love and acceptance. 

When Tate gets hauled into that police boat, I thought for sure that he was going to be arrested for the murder or something–since his hat was the red hat and there were red fibers. I wasn’t expecting for his father to be dead. I was glad that his father’s passing caused Kya to reach out, and I’m glad they were able to be reconnected with each other. 

I was really satisfied with the ending–right up until the very last page. I was glad that Tate and Kya were married and had a good life together. I was glad that Kya acknowledged that Jumpin’ was her dad, and it was awesome that she was able to keep writing and keep being successful. But, the very end was not my favorite. I felt a little duped when I realized that Kya had killed Chase and all of the outlandish accusations at her trial were true. I know she would have never felt safe again if he had lived, but it was still hard to read that she was the one who did it. What did you think about the fact that Tate destroyed the evidence at the end? Do you think he was disappointed in Kya? Do you think that last revelation colored his whole relationship with her? 

Were you happy with the way the book ended? Did you feel a little duped at the end? What did you like the most in this last section? 

I hope you enjoyed reading this book this month! If you’d like to read 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 interview where Delia Owens gives a little more insight into her characters. 

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the end of the story in the comments! And, I hope you’ll join us again next month as we read The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of Where the Crawdads Sing.

I am so mad at Tate! I cannot believe he didn’t come back for Kya once he went off to school. He was such a coward. I understand that Kya is odd and would have a time of adjustment before she could live comfortably in the “regular” world. But, he was a coward to not talk to her and instead just leave after he saw the way she reacted to the fisherman that came near to her house. She already experienced so much loss–how was she ever supposed to learn to trust people once Tate abandoned her, too?

Were you suprised that she and Chase had a relationship? I don’t think she would have gone for Chase if she had not been burned by Tate. Throughout the section, we start to see some things about their relationship that relate to Chase’s murder. They did visit the fire tower together, and Kya did give Chase a shell necklace. Finally, he ends up betraying her by getting engaged to another girl while telling Kya that he wants to be with her. Do you think those things are enough to show that Kya wanted Chase dead? 

Evidence against Kya starts to build. The fisherman claims he saw her the night of the murder, and they find the red cap in her house. But, do those things really prove anything? She was with her book publisher. How could she be anywhere close to the murder? 

Were you shocked when she was arrested? I wasn’t surprised, but I was really sad. Kya doesn’t seem to be able to defend herself. Or, maybe she doesn’t want to. 

I was so excited when Kya started to publish her work. I loved all of the freedom that job gave her. She was able to fix up her house, she was able to buy her land, and she was able to finally live and not just survive on scraps. I was glad that Tate gave her the idea to publish, but I was still so frustrated with him.. I think my feelings about Tate mirrored Kya’s feelings about Tate in this section. 

Weren’t you so excited when Jodie showed up again? I was glad that he was doing so well, and I was glad that Kya was able to have that family connection and the paintings that her mother made. I wish her mother’s story had been a little happier, but I was glad that Jodie gave her some closure. 

What else stood out to you in this section? Are you anxious to finish the book, so you can finally figure out what’s going on? 

Before you go, check out this interview with the actress who plays Kya in the movie version. 

I hope you’re able to finish the book for next week. Make sure to leave a comment to let me know what you thought of this section!