Tag: Online Book Club

Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of Where the Crawdads Sing. 

Are you loving this book this month? I felt like the first 19 chapters just flew by. I didn’t want to stop reading!

Did you enjoy that the book started with a mystery? I was hooked–I wanted to figure out why there was a dead body in the marsh! 

What did you think of Kya throughout this section? She experiences a lot of growth in the first chapters. When we first meet her, she is reeling from the fact that her mother left the family. Then, all of her siblings leave, and she has to be alone with her dad. I was thankful that things with Kya’s father didn’t ever get too bad. I was so afraid he was going to really hurt her once he realized they were the only ones left. It was good that he taught her to fish. I loved seeing how Kya was able to learn to take care of herself as time went on. It was heartbreaking to see how alone she was, but it was nice to see that she learned to be pretty self-sufficient. 

I was so thankful for Jumpin’ and his wife, Mabel. They did so much for Kya, but they allowed her to keep her dignity. I don’t think Kya would have been able to survive without them in her corner. Do you think Jumpin’ and his wife were your favorite characters in this section? 

What are your thoughts on Tate? I was so glad that he taught Kya to read, and I appreciated how tender he was to take care of her and help her. What do you think is going to happen now that he’s going off to school? 

How does Chase Matthews fit into Kya’s story? At the end of the section, Chase’s mother wants to talk to the police about a shell necklace. Shell necklaces make me think of Kya. When do you think the two stories are going to start to intersect? There are rumors in town that Kya is connected to Chase, but I can’t imagine how the two of them would be connected. Chase doesn’t seem like the kind of person Kya would want to spend time with. He has not been kind to her in any of the interactions they’ve had so far. 

I think one of the saddest parts to read was the part where Kya attempted to go to school. Why was everyone so mean to her? They act like she is a wild animal, not a small girl who just needs someone to take care of her. I was a little surprised how easy it was for her to evade the truant officer, but I think that shows that he didn’t want to work to hard to make sure she was taken care of. 

What stood out to you the most in this section? What parts did you find the most heartbreaking? 

Before you go, check out the video below in which the author, Delia Owens, talks about her inspiration for the book. 

Thanks for following along this week! Make sure to leave a comment, so I know your thoughts on the first section. Make sure to read through chapter 38 for next week!

Welcome to Week 1 of the Online Book Club discussion of Where the Crawdads Sing.

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.

Where the Crawdads Sing follows a girl named Kya who is forced, from a young age, to raise herself in the marshes of North Carolina. Shunned by her community, Kya becomes one with nature and becomes an expert in the flora and fauna around her. Jumping back and forth through different time periods, this book talks about Kya’s childhood years and the trouble that comes once a local young man is found dead in the marsh. 

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 Daisy Edgar-Jones. 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 19 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 week of the Online Book Club discussion of The Knife of Never Letting Go.

What did you think of the ending? Was it what you imagined it was going to be? I was definitely very surprised by the ending. I didn’t see any of that coming. 

The worst part of this section, for me, was the fact that Aaron killed Manchee. I just hate reading about animal deaths, and this one was made even harder by the fact that we knew Manchee’s thoughts. It was so brutal to hear how scared he was! I was so glad that Viola and Todd were reunited, but I was just sick to my stomach over Manchee. 

The first settlement that the pair make it to is weird. It seems like a great place at first, but as soon as Doctor Snow starts speaking, it becomes clear that the society views women as second-class citizens. The reaction they have to Ben is sad, too. They were so focused on making sure no one from Prentisstown comes close that they didn’t see that Ben is different from the men in the town. 

How surprised were you when Todd and Viola found Ben? I felt like them finding Ben was a turning point in the book. I felt like we finally started to get some answers after the Ben section. Now we know that Cillian was killed, and we finally understand what happened to the women in Prentisstown. What did you think when you realized that the men killed off all of the women? The men were jealous that the women were able to keep their thoughts hidden, so they killed them off. That was heartbreaking. I thought it was interesting that the boys become men when they learn the secret, but I wasn’t quite sure how they became complicit to the killing just by hearing about it. It wasn’t until Aaron explained more at the end that I finally understood the process of the boys becoming men. What did you think when Aaron revealed that the boys become men after they kill another man from the town? That was a shock to me. And, it was a shock that Aaron wanted Todd, not Viola, all along. Aaron was so delusional. It was so hard to read that final fight scene between Aaron and Todd. I wanted Aaron gone, but I didn’t want him to pressure Todd into killing him. I was so stressed that Todd was going to snap. 

Weren’t you heartbroken for Viola when she had to make the choice to kill Aaron? She made the right choice, but it was sad that such a young girl had to have that act of violence on her conscience. 

I was so relieved when Viola finally read parts of the book to Todd. Her writing confirmed that the Spackle were not dangerous beings, and she provided some insight into how Aaron and the Mayor came to power. It’s sick that they used messages of fear to get people to do what they wanted. Todd’s mother seemed really kind and gentle. I can’t believe that she was killed along with all the other women in the town. 

What did you think about the final page? Could you believe that the mayor beat them to Haven, and he ended up taking over the town? What’s going to happen to Viola and Todd now? How are they going to continue on their journey? Do they have any hope? Do you think you’ll read the next book to find out what happens next? 

If you liked this book and are curious to read and watch similar things, check out this list I created. Let me know if you watch or read anything on the list!

Before you go, check out the video below to find out more about Patrick Ness’s inspiration and writing process!

Thanks for following along this month! I hope you’ll leave a comment to let me know what you thought of the book! 

Join us again next month as we read Where the Crawdads Sing.

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Knife of Never Letting Go.

How did you feel about this section? Did you enjoy it more than the first section? Are you excited to keep reading? 

Right from the beginning, we realize that women are immune to the noise, and Mathilde is married. Both of those things were interesting developments. I didn’t imagine that there were societies of men and women living together successfully. And, I didn’t expect that the women would not be affected by the Noise. Why do you think the Noise affects only men and not women? How did the women in Todd’s society die, then? 

One question I had throughout this section was where were all of the new settlers coming from? Where did the men of Prentisstown travel from originally? And, where did Viola and her family come from? Are they coming from space? Another planet? I had so many questions about the space travel and felt like I didn’t get any answers. This book isn’t taking place on Earth, is it? I feel like I still have so many questions and not a lot of answers. 

Todd and Viola bring the whole Prentisstown army to Farbranch, but all of this could have been avoided if they had just read the book and note from Todd’s mother. Ben left instructions for Todd to warn the settlement, but he didn’t know that since he didn’t read the note. I’m so frustrated about the fact that Todd is carrying around a book that has all of the answers, but he’s not letting anyone read it! How do you think it’s going to go for Todd and Viola since they can’t stop in at any of the other settlements for fear of bringing violence to them? I don’t know how they are going to be able to fight off an entire army by themselves. 

What did you think of the part where Todd kills the Spackle? I couldn’t believe he actually did it. I don’t think he would have done it if they had not just had that confrontation with Prentiss, Jr. Todd was so convinced that he wasn’t capable of being a man, so he decided to prove himself with the Spackle. It was sad how scared the Spackle was, but Todd didn’t see it at the time. 

Could you believe that Aaron showed up again? He’s immortal at this point. I can’t believe how he is able to keep chasing after them after being incredibly injured. My heart just sinks every time he shows up! This time, he stabs Todd and takes Viola. Todd sure is lucky that his mom’s book stopped the knife from killing him. Now, if he would only let someone read the book to him…

At the end of this section, Todd is rescued by Wilf, but before he can make it all the way to Viola, he’s run out of town. How can Todd make it to Viola? He’s so injured. And, he’s just a little boy. I don’t know how he has the strength to keep going forward. It feels like the people against him have super powers. They are always gaining on him. 

What do you think will happen in the last section? Do you think Todd will make it to Viola? Do you think he will ever make it all the way to Haven? What will he find at the end of the journey? 

Can you believe how many great actors are in the movie adaptation? Check out the clip below to hear star, Daisy Ridley talk about the amazing cast. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-arAjG-n4L8

Thanks for following along this week! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts in the comments section. Make sure to finish the book before joining us next week!

Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Knife of Never Letting Go.

How did you like the beginning of the book? This book started off so differently than anything else I have ever read. Right off the bat, I was surprised that Todd’s dog, Manchee, was able to talk. And, of course, it was totally foreign that Todd’s thoughts were displayed above his head. I have a hard time imagining what that would look like. It would be really weird to see blocks of text above people’s heads. I wonder how quickly the thoughts would dissapate once they appeared. Did you wonder what the Noise would look like in the movie version? Check out the clip below to see a little bit of how the filmmakers dealt with the Noise on screen. Does it look like what you imagined? If you’re still curious about the movie making process, check out this clip to hear the author of the book talk about how they brought the Noise to life. 

One of the biggest problems I had with this first section was that I had so many questions, but I didn’t get very many answers. I’m so curious about what happened to all of the women, and I can’t figure out why it’s such a big deal that Todd will be considered a man in just a little bit of time. Will something happen to him once he becomes a man? Does he have to do something special? I was also so curious about the Spackles. Are they real aliens? Where did they come from? Or, is Spackle just a term for something else? I was so confused. Finally, I just wanted to know what was in that book that Todd got from his mother. I know he’s embarrassed that he can’t read it, but I think it has stuff in it that we all need to know. I wish he would let someone else read it to him. 

There were a lot of hateful characters in this first section, but I think my least favorite was Aaron. There was nothing redeeming about him. And, it seems like he is unable to die. I couldn’t believe when he showed up again with the Mayor, chasing after Todd. I thought for sure he was dead after the first skirmish the pair had. The Mayor and his son seemed pretty awful, too. Which characters did you have the hardest time with? 

What do you think of Viola? She’s very mysterious. She came to Earth on some sort of a spaceship, and she has really neat supplies. What do you think is going to happen to her in regards to the noise sickness? Do you think it’s going to infect her? I really hope she will read Todd’s book to him. I think the book holds a lot of answers to my questions. 

At the end of this section, Todd and Viola make it over the bridge and then blow up the bridge so the mayor and his crew can’t get over. They meet Mathilde, and Todd feels lonely because Viola and Mathilde don’t have any noise. The last thing we know is that someone with noise is coming towards the group. Who do you think it is? What do you think Todd and Viola are going to encounter in the settlement? 

Are you excited to read the next section? What do you think is going to happen to the pair as the story goes on? I’m excited to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Thanks for following along this week! I hope you’ll read the next 14 chapters before joining us next week! I hope to hear from you in the comments!

Welcome to Week 1 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Knife of Never Letting Go.

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 Knife of Never Letting Go follows a boy named Todd who lives in a society of only men. In this society, all of the thoughts of the men are displayed above their heads, so there are no secrets–only sadness and despair and violence. One day, while on an errand for his adopted family, Todd stumbled upon a surprising thing, and immediately, his life is thrown into chaos. 

If you want to follow along with us but you aren’t interested in reading the book, you can always watch the movie version called Chaos Walking starring Tom Holland. 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 14 chapters for next week, so make sure you read those before you check on the blog post. I can’t wait to hear all of your thoughts in the comments!

Welcome to the final discussion of Mrs Harris Goes to Paris.

Did the book end like you expected it to? I, for one, was shocked by the ending, and to be honest, the ending made me upset that I had read the book. Did anyone else feel that way? 

At the beginning of this section, Fauvel and Natasha don’t think that they will continue to see each other after Mrs. Harris leaves. But, she makes them confess their feelings to each other, and they decide that they would like to get married. I was glad that they were finally able to be honest with each other. 

Mrs. Harris finally gets the dress, and she’s going to go home with all of the gifts that she received from the people in Paris. Couldn’t you tell, from the gifts, that Mrs. Harris made a big impact on everyone she came in contact with. She brought Fauvel and Natasha together, she helped Mme Colbert’s husband, and she brought smiles to those around her. I liked that someone so unassuming could do so much for so many. 

What did you think of the scene where the man at the airport didn’t believe that the dress was a Dior? I was really curious how Mrs. Harris was going to make it past customs, and I was glad that she didn’t have to lie. It was nice that he could tell the truth, and it was the man’s own fault that he didn’t believe she could have something so nice. What do you think you would have done in that situation? 

The ending with Miss Penrose made me so angry! Could you believe how it all played out? Mrs. Harris was trying to be so kind by letting Miss Penrose borrow the dress, and Miss Penrose treated Mrs. Harris and the dress so poorly! She wasn’t even brave enough to tell Mrs. Harris to her face how she ruined the whole thing! I have to say that I was really disappointed that the book ended with Mrs. Harris just accepting the dress and being thankful for her memories of the trip. I wish she could have gotten new pieces to fix the dress. Did you feel that way? I’m glad that the trip was so important to her and that she valued the people she met, but she worked so hard for that dress! I wish she had a pristine one. How would you have changed the ending? Or, did you think it was a good way to finish the story? 

What did you think of the book as a whole? Did you enjoy it? Are you glad you read it? Or, did the ending ruin the whole thing for you? 

If you liked this book and are interested in reading and watching similar things, 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 and listen to the star of the movie talk about what she kept from the set. 

Thanks for following along this month! I can’t wait to hear all of your thoughts in the comments section! Make sure to come back next month as we read The Knife of Never Letting Go.

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of Mrs Harris Goes to Paris.

What did you think of this section? Did you enjoy getting to know Mrs. Harris better? I appreciated how she was herself everywhere she went. She definitely didn’t try to change herself to suit the people around her. 

I was really curious about what Dior’s shop looked like. I wasn’t able to find any really good pictures of it, but I did find this interesting article that had a bunch of pictures of Dior memorabilia. There are a few pictures of his store in the article if you scroll towards the bottom. Make sure to check out some of the fashion show videos! I think those are so interesting. The fashion shows are so different from the ones we have now. I feel like this fashion show video is the closest to the show that Mrs. Harris experienced. What do you think? 

At the beginning of this section, we meet Mme Colbert. What did you think of her? She had a lot of things on her mind that made her unpleasant at first, but I think she had a good heart under it all. I was so glad when she held firm during the fashion show and let Mrs. Harris sit in a regular seat. Could you believe that horrible woman who said such horrible things about Mrs. Harris? She was so unpleasant! I was glad that she didn’t get her way. 

What do you think of Fauvel and Natasha? It’s interesting that Natasha is so successful and beautiful, but all she wants is a normal man, and Fauvel is just a normal man, but he assumes that Natasha could never love him because he’s not glamorous like her. I did feel a little frustrated that Fauvel and Natasha couldn’t just talk to each other and have a discussion about their feelings, but they were intriguing enough as a pair that I felt like I wanted to root for them. What did you think when Natasha showed up at Fauvel’s door and ended up cleaning with Mrs. Harris? I can’t imagine how mortified Fauvel was, but the whole thing ended up endearing Natasha more to him. 

At the fashion show, Mrs. Harris decides that she wants the “Temptation” gown. Didn’t your heart just plummet to the floor when you realized with Mrs. Harris that she would have to get a dress made and couldn’t just walk out the door with the sample? I was so glad when Fauvel offered to have her stay with him for the week. Though, I can’t imagine accepting that kind of offer! Do you think you’d like the opportunity to go to a haute couture show and try on one of the dresses, or do you think you’d be too nervous and would feel too out of place? I don’t think I would want to. I think I would feel like a fish out of water. 

At the end of the section, Mrs. Harris runs into the man from the fashion show, Marquis de Chassagne. It seems like he is taken with her. Do you think there are any romantic feelings there? I don’t think there are any feelings on Mrs. Harris’s side. She seems content with her life. The Marquis says that he would like to help Mme Colbert and her husband. What do you think he will be able to do for them? 

Can you believe how Mrs. Harris is helping everyone? She is really making a difference in everyone’s lives, even though she is just there for a dress. What do you think will happen in the end? How do you see the story finishing? 

Before you go, check out the video below to learn more about the Dior gown recreations from the movie. 

Thanks for joining us this week! Make sure to check back next week after you finish reading the book. Don’t forget to leave a comment, so I can know your thoughts about this section!

Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of Mrs Harris Goes to Paris.

Are you enjoying the book so far this month? I think it’s such a cute story, and it feels so different from any other book that I’ve ever read. Do you think you’ve ever read a book like this one? 

From the very beginning, we know that Mrs. Harris is going to Paris. The book starts with her on an airplane with 1400 dollars in American currency in her bag. One thing that bothered me throughout the story was that people were so unkind and looked down so much on Mrs. Harris, just because she was a maid. It was infuriating that everyone thought she was crazy for being on the plane–they just couldn’t imagine what she would be doing leaving her house. I’m sure that’s just a comment on the time period, right? I don’t think people are as easily recognizable in their careers, unless they have a uniform, so I can’t imagine people are as quick to judge people who are traveling around. 

What did you think of all of the people that Mrs. Harris cleans for? They are a varied group of people, for sure! I did like Mrs. Harris’s friend, Mrs. Butterworth, though. She seemed like a really loyal and true friend. I thought it was interesting that Mrs. Butterworth would sub for Mrs. Harris when she had an emergency. It was a little surprising that the people Mrs. Harris cleaned for couldn’t go without a cleaning for one day, but it was good that Mrs. Butterworth could sub in if needed. 

Don’t you kind of wish that there was a picture of the dress Mrs. Harris first fell in love with? Take a look at some of the dresses featured in this blog post. Maybe the dress Mrs. Harris saw looked like one of the red dresses on the page? I thought it was interesting that Mrs. Harris knew from the beginning that she didn’t want to actually wear a couture dress. She just wanted to have it and enjoy its beauty. I also thought it was interesting that it was the first time Mrs. Harris had seen such a dress in color–she mentions that dresses in magazines are pictured in black and white. Isn’t that wild to think about? I’m just so used to having everything presented to me in hyper-realistic detail that I can’t imagine selling dresses or clothes from a black and white photo. 

Throughout this section, Mrs. Harris tries several different ways to get money. I was very frustrated reading about her gambling attempts–it was so stressful to read about her losing money at the dog track! I thought that the lottery that she wins at the beginning would be enough to get her to Paris, so I was very disappointed that she won such a small amount of money. What did you think when she found that diamond and platinum hair clip in the gutter? That would have paid for her trip, but she was honest and turned it in. It was nice that she got a little money as a reward for turning it in. 

It ends up taking Mrs. Harris 2 years, 7 months, 3 weeks, and 1 day to save for the trip. I wasn’t sure if she would be able to save enough money at all, so 2 years of saving isn’t that terrible. Mrs. Harris realizes that she can’t take all of the money for the dress out of the country in the form of pounds, so she comes up with an elaborate scheme to exchange her money with American dollars from one of her clients. She really thought of everything on this quest for a dress. 

Are you excited to read the next section? Do you think Mrs. Harris is going to find a dress easily? What do you think will happen to her once she makes it to Paris? 

Before you go, check out the video clip below to learn more about designer, Christian Dior. Let me know what you think of the clip!

Thanks for following along this week. I hope you’ll leave a comment to let me know what you thought of this section. And, make sure to read through chapter 10 for next week! 

Welcome to Week 1 of the Online Book Club discussion of Mrs Harris Goes to Paris.

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.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is the story of a housekeeper who decides that she really needs a couture dress from Paris. Specifically, she wants a Dior dress. Throughout the story, Mrs. Harris saves and schemes to get the dress, and then, finally, she’s able to travel to Paris. The story takes hilarious twists and turns, but Mrs. Harris stays true to herself and her mission regardless of her surroundings. 

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 Leslie Manville. 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.