Tag: Online Book Club

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. 

Did you enjoy the reading this week? I really did. I could not stop reading. I just had to know who was going to be the next person attacked by the mysterious killer. Do you have any strong theories about who is causing all of the chaos? I don’t really have any idea who the perpetrator is. 

I think one of the creepiest parts of this whole book is the fact that the number of soldiers on the table keeps decreasing. That is such a scary detail. Not only is the person smart enough to stage all of these murders, but also, he is collected enough to remember to take away a soldier immediately. I think the person doing this is such a sociopath. 

The first person to die in this section was Mrs. Rogers. I wasn’t surprised by her death. I figured she would be the one to sleep and not get up since she had had such an extreme reaction to the recording and then had to be sedated. It seemed like she was the most likely candidate for that kind of a death. The other person to die in this section was General MacArthur. Before his death, the people in the house were able to imagine that Marston died of suicide and Mrs. Rogers died accidentally. But, MacArthur was hit in the back of the head. That indicates that someone is hunting the guests, and it negates the suicide and accident theory. Did you ever believe that Marston’s death was a suicide? Or, did you believe there was a murderer from the beginning? 

In this section, we also learn a little more about the incidents mentioned on the recording. We learn that Mrs. Brent’s servant became pregnant and then killed herself because Mrs. Brent threw her out of the house. Mrs. Brent shows absolutely no remorse or regret for her actions. Even after she is questioned by Vera, Mrs. Brent feels like she did the right thing, and the girl deserved what she got because she acted indecently. How did you feel about Mrs. Brent after that section? I couldn’t believe how callous she was. Before his death, General MacArthur confessed that he deliberately sent his wife’s lover to his death. Were you surprised by that revelation? 

In chapter 9, Justice Wargrave holds a kind of a trial, trying to decide who U.N.Owen is. In this trial, they all have to give their alibis. Do you believe all of them? Someone has to be telling a lie, right? Or, do you think there is a hidden person on the island orchestrating everything? I kind of lean towards a hidden person on the island because everyone seems to be accounted for at all times. How is one person sneaking away to commit these murders? 

So far, I think Christie is trying to get us to think that Lombard might be the murderer since he has a gun. She also seems to be pointing at Armstrong, the doctor, because the first two victims were murdered. Do you think both of these are misdirects? Do you think either of them would really be the killer? 

What do you think about Christie after reading over half of the book? I think she had to be a very interesting person to create such innovative stories. If you’d like to read some interesting facts about her, check out this article from her website. 

One of the things I’m most excited for in the BBC adaptation of the book is the fabulous fashion. Do you love to watch period movies and tv shows, just to see the amazing costumes? I feel like the costumes are a big draw for me. Check out the video below if you’d like to learn more about the 30’s fashion in this adaptation. 

I hope you’re ready to finish the book for next week! Please let me know if you figure out the mystery before the end of the book. I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments section. 

Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of And Then There Were None. Are you reading a physical book with us this month, or are you reading a copy on Hoopla? 

The first couple of chapters in this section were all about introductions and setting up the scene and mystery. Did you find it overwhelming to try to keep up with every character? I found it incredibly helpful to write out the name of each of the main characters when I read the first chapter, just so I could keep everyone straight. And, then, after we heard the accusations of the crimes, I wrote that down, too. It was too hard for me to keep all the details together otherwise!

Did any of the characters stand out for you in this first section? I think the characters that stood out to me the most were Vera Claythorne and Philip Lombard. Lombard stood out to me because of the nasty, racist things he said about his crime, and Vera stood out because she seems so quiet and unassuming, but there has to be more to her story than she is letting on. She mentions Hugo at the end of chapter 5, and from her memory, we can see that he was related to the boy she watched. And, we know that she and Hugo were in love. What else is she covering up? Lombard is the only one who has openly admitted that he did something wrong–do you think that makes him a better person than the rest because he’s open about his past mistakes? 

What did you think of the fact that they all came to the island under different circumstances? Did you suspect that it was all a trick before we saw that the initials for all of the letters spelled out “Unknown?” I thought it was weird that they weren’t all invited by the same person, but I never would have been able to see “Unknown,” if the characters hadn’t figured it out first. 

Do you believe all of the stories the characters say about the crimes that were on the recording? Each crime seems to be able to be explained easily, so it seems silly that they are being publicly humiliated with the recording. Dr. Armstrong keeps having memories of being drunk–do you think he’ll come clean about his incident? 

Marston dies at the end of chapter 4 after remembering the incident he was accused of in the recording. He ran over two people, and when he remembered the incident, he said how inconvenient the whole thing had been because it caused him to lose his license. Were you sad to see him go? The characters believe that he committed suicide, but Rogers realizes when cleaning up, that there are only nine soldier figures on the table instead of the original ten. Who would have removed one of the figures? Do you think Marston’s death was an accident? It seems like Marston’s death fulfilled the first segment in the nursery rhyme that is displayed all over the house. The next segment says that someone went to sleep and never woke up. Do you think that will show up in the next section? Who do you think it could be? 

Aren’t you curious how Agatha Christie could come up with these types of stories? I know I don’t have the creativity required to make a story like hers. If you want to learn more about her writing process, check out this article on Agatha Christie’s website. 

Also, check out the video below if you want to hear what the actors for the And Then There Were None television version thought of being in the adaptation. 

I hope you enjoyed this first section and are excited to keep reading. I felt like I couldn’t stop reading once I got all of the characters and the crimes straight in my head! Make sure to read through chapter 10 before joining us next week. I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments section. 

Welcome to September’s Online Book Club discussion. This month, we’re reading And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. And Then There Were None is also available on Hoopla, so you can download easily and participate in our discussion from home without ever leaving your house.

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.

And Then There Were None is a mystery book in which ten people travel to a mysterious island called Soldier Island. Each person comes to the island for a different reason, and at first glance, it’s not easy to decipher how everyone fits together. On the first night, a surprising event occurs, and the guests quickly realize that this trip to the island won’t end peacefully like they first imagine. This book had me guessing until the very last page. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6chC3n4Kz4

If you want to follow along with us but you aren’t interested in reading the book, you can always watch the BBC television series on Hoopla. Check out the trailer above if you want to get a feel for how the story plays out on the screen. 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 discussing the first five 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 discussion of Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. 

How satisfied were you by the ending of the book? I was very surprised by how the whole situation wrapped up. 

What did you think about Mulch? He was a really unexpected character. First of all, I was very confounded by his ability to dig through dirt with is mouth. I guess my only other experience with dwarfs is through Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Even though they were miners, they carried pick axes, so I assume they didn’t mine with their mouths. I admit I really didn’t like the visual of how Mulch rid himself of all of the excess dirt and air he acquired during his tunneling. That was really gross, but I can see how it might appeal to younger readers who enjoy potty humor. What did you think when Mulch knocked out the Butler with his expulsion? How did you envision Mulch while you were reading? Josh Gad plays this character in the movie, and you can see how he looks in costume.

When I first read about Mulch opening the vault, I thought that Holly might be in there. I wasn’t exactly sure what he might find in a vault like that. Did you immediately assume that he found the fairy book, or did you think he might have found something else? What else do you think Artemis would hide in a vault? 

Did you feel sad for Juliet when Holly used the “mesmer” spell on her? I couldn’t believe that Holly was able to get so much power just by sticking the acorn in the tiny piece of dirt. I understood why she used her powers against Juliet, but I still felt bad for Juliet. I wish Holly had been able to use her powers on Artemis, since I feel like he deserved punishment more than Juliet did. 

I wasn’t surprised that Mulch was able to escape after leaving the house. He was just too tricky. Do you think Mulch shows up in later books in the series? I bet he does—he’s too interesting of a character to lose. Maybe he eventually works together with Artemis. 

The troll attack in this section wasn’t any better than the troll attack in the first chapters. He immediately wrecked havoc on everything. Could you believe how he took out the Butler? I was sure glad that Holly’s lights finally worked, so she could incapacitate the Troll. And I was glad that she was able to heal the Butler. That would have been an unimaginable loss if he had died from the Troll attack. 

What did you think about the ending? I was shocked that Artemis was able to keep some of the gold. And I was really surprised that his plan to defeat the time bomb was the put everyone to sleep. I’m glad it worked for him, but it was a really big risk to take. Do you think having his mother coherent will put a big crimp in his style? Will he be able to do so many nefarious things if his mother is able to keep tabs on him? Do you think Artemis was the real victor in all of this, or did he lose because he made mortal enemies of the fairies? Do you think they’ll keep close tabs on him now that they realize what he’s capable of? 

I’m sure Holly and Artemis will connect again in later books. I feel like they are so connected to each other through this ordeal, so I can’t imagine that they won’t work together again. What kind of event would bring them together and allow them to fight on the same side? 

I hope you enjoyed reading along with us this month. If you liked this book, check out the list I made of similar items. Make sure to let me know if you try anything on the list!

Before you go, check out the clip below to hear Eoin Colfer talking about the movie version. And read this interview in which director Kenneth Branagh talks about how he made the movie version his own. 

I hope you’ll join us again next month as we read And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments section. 

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of Artemis Fowl.

Are you enjoying reading the book on Hoopla? My only complaint is that I feel the copy on Hoopla is missing some page breaks, so the action runs together sometimes. Have you noticed that? 

This section starts with Artemis explaining the ritual Holly needs to perform to renew her magic. He explains that Holly has to bury a seed in the ground to give her thanks for her power. If Artemis had not had this information from the magic book, he never would have known where to look for a fairy or leprechaun to kidnap. How do you feel about the fact that Artemis has the fairy book? It made me uncomfortable that he had all of that inside knowledge of the fairy world, especially since he used it to hurt Holly. I felt, throughout this section, that I wasn’t sure if I liked Artemis or not. He’s a hard character to get to know, and he’s not overly likable. What did you think about him? 

When Artemis first mentioned that they would need sunglasses, I was really curious. I wondered why sunglasses would be so important to their surveillance. But, once I realized that Artemis was using them to protect himself from Holly’s “mesmer” spell, I understood their importance. Did you feel sad when Holly was kidnapped? Were you thinking she would be harder to subdue? 

I didn’t really know what to make of Root throughout this section. He has such an uncontrollable temper! It seems like he has Holly’s best interest at heart, but he gets so angry all the time. I definitely didn’t think it was smart that Artemis tricked Root into thinking that Holly was on that boat. Artemis made himself a mortal enemy when he pulled that stunt. What did you think of the fact that Artemis was willing to blow up that boat in order to rile Root? It was moves like that that made me question Artemis. I didn’t feel like he had any redeeming qualities in this section. He just acted like a villain. 

I was really affected by the scene in which Artemis’s mom stuffed the clothes to represent Artemis’s dad. Wasn’t that scene so heartbreaking? I could see how a family situation like that could really make someone act out like Artemis did. 

Near the end of this section, Artemis tricks Holly and makes her think that she told fairy secrets while under the influence of truth serum. Artemis felt bad about tricking her for a second, but he still stuck to his plan. He really thinks that he will be able to get the hostage fund from the fairies. Do you think he will get it? He was able to easily defeat that first coalition that came to rescue Holly. But, I think the time stop and the bio bomb are going to be harder to defeat. Artemis claims he can escape the time field, but I don’t know how that could be true. 

What do you think is going to happen in the last section? How will it all come to an end? Do you think Artemis will succeed? What plan do you think Root has up his sleeve? 

Before you go, check out this cute interview Eoin Colfer did with Scholastic. In the interview, Colfer answers questions from kids. And, check out the video below and tell me what differences you see between the book and the movie. It seems to me that the movie version is going to be really different than the book. What do you think? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMW5tQ55ca8

I hope you’re able to finish the book for next week. I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments section. 

Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of Artemis Fowl. I hope you were able to easily find the book on Hoopla and are reading along with us this month. 

Are you having fun reading this book so far? I am really enjoying all of the imaginative elements of the fairies. Do you enjoy reading about magical creatures, or do you find yourself having a hard time imagining them?

What did you think about Artemis in this first section? I had a hard time understanding who he was because it was hard to imagine a young boy being so ruthless. But then I read that Eoin Colfer imagined Artemis Fowl to be a Bond villain in the body of a 12-year-old boy, and for some reason, that made the character click for me. It’s so interesting that he is so determined, even though he is so young. He was dedicated to decoding the Book, and used many different problem solving strategies!

The Butler is a really interesting character, don’t you think? I couldn’t believe that he was trained from a young age to serve and protect someone from the Fowl family. It’s almost as if the Fowls are royalty or something! I liked how the Butler’s training included Cordon Bleu cooking as well as martial arts and emergency medicine. He sure has a well-rounded set of skills. 

Do you think Artemis’s plan to restore his family fortune is a realistic one? I find it hard to believe that he’ll actually be able to steal gold from fairy folk, even with the Book as a guide. From the descriptions of them in Holly’s chapter, they seem to be a lot more technologically advanced than humans. I don’t think it will be easy to steal from them. I feel like Artemis would be able to find gold more easily somewhere else. Maybe he thinks he wouldn’t face as many consequences stealing from fairies as opposed to stealing from a bank. 

Holly might be my favorite character so far. I like how tough she is, and I like that she doesn’t back down from her supervisor. I liked that she did what she thought was right, answering the call for help from the people in the restaurant, even though her supervisor told her to stay outside. I think she’s really caring. Were you curious about the ritual she kept mentioning? I was interested about why she hadn’t done it in such a long time—maybe it’s a ritual that’s really hard and takes a lot of time? 

The troll attack was pretty crazy, wasn’t it? It was almost as crazy as the whole process Holly had to go through to get to the surface. The pressure she faced was pretty intense. I know for sure that I wouldn’t be able to withstand that kind of force, so I would just have to stay underground. Do you think the troll fight was worse than the journey to the surface? The troll fight definitely lasted longer. Do you think Holly made the right call to go into the restaurant? It was too bad that she caught the attention of the people in the restaurant, but I think it was better for them to have to be knocked unconscious by Holly than to be killed by the troll. 

The section ends with Holly promising to do the ritual. Do you think she’ll be able to do it? I’m very curious about what happens during the ritual. What about Artemis? What do you think he’ll do next? What do you think he’s going to do with the fairy book he has? 

Before you go, check out this video that gives some behind the scenes information about the making of the movie. Do you think you’ll try to watch the movie version? 

I hope you’ll come back next week to talk about the next three chapters. I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments section. 

Welcome to June’s Online Book Club discussion. This month, we’re reading Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. Artemis Fowl is available on Hoopla, so you can download easily and participate in our discussion from home without ever leaving your house.

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.

Artemis Fowl is a young adult fiction book in which the main character, Artemis Fowl is a 12-year-old evil genius who attempts to restore his family fortune by capturing a fairy and demanding a ransom in gold. He expects the fairies to comply willingly, but he gets a big surprise when they fight back with magic and technology. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl2r3Fwxz_o

If you want to follow along with us but you aren’t interested in reading the book, you can always watch the new movie version premiering online on June 12th. Read this article if you’re interested in learning about the movie premiere, and check out the trailer above if you want to get a feel for how the story plays out on the screen. 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 discussing the first three 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 Five Feet Apart. 

Did the book end the way you thought it would? I have to say that I was really surprised by the ending. I thought that one of the characters would probably not make it to the end of the book, but I never expected the character that would pass would be Poe. I really didn’t expect Will to make it to the last pages. 

Were you surprised how quickly Poe dwindled? I couldn’t believe how he was seemingly healthy at the birthday party and then he stopped breathing. I wonder what made him decline so quickly. I understood Stella’s reaction to Poe’s death, but I hated reading about her reaction. I really disliked the fact that Poe’s death made her question getting new lungs, and I didn’t like how she put herself in such a dangerous situation with Will. 

What did you think of the fact that Will had to give Stella mouth to mouth? I really don’t understand how he did not pass his infection to her. I thought that was a little unbelievable since the whole time, they were worried that just being in close proximity to each other would hurt them both, but when he actually blew into her mouth, she was fine. Did you think it was believable that he didn’t get her sick? Were you surprised that her surgery seemingly went off without a hitch after her body had sustained such trauma in the water? 

If you’d like to learn more about double lung transplants, I encourage you to read this article from the Mayo Clinic. It explains the procedure and talks about eligibility for a transplant. And, if you’d like to read a first hand account from someone who has gotten a double lung transplant, check out this blog post. I encourage you to read the follow up blog post Caleigh Haber wrote in which she describes what she learned after her lung transplant. You can also check out Haber’s website to learn more about her fight to fund research for patients with cystic fibrosis. 

How did you like the ending? I liked seeing that Stella and Will were both doing well, and I was glad both were getting to travel and experience new things. Did you wish there was more closure about their relationship? Do you think they ended up approaching each other at the airport? Is there anything you would have changed about the ending? 

Is there anything from this section that I didn’t mention? What were your final thoughts? Did you enjoy reading the book? 

If you enjoyed reading the book and want to read and watch more things like it, check out this list I created of similar items. Please let me know if you check out anything on the list. 

Finally, check out the video link below if you want to learn more about what it took to bring these characters to the big screen. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn1ijMyV60M

I hope you enjoyed reading along with us this month! Make sure to leave a comment to let me know your final thoughts. I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments section. 

And, please join us again next month as we read Artemis Fowl. You can access Artemis Fowl any time on Hoopla!

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of Five Feet Apart. 

How did you feel about this section? I felt like it was more emotional than the first section. Did you feel that way? I felt like I was better able to understand how much people with CF sacrifice on a daily basis through Stella’s character. 

This section started off with us learning about Abby’s death. She had an accident while cliff diving, and Stella was supposed to be with her. I can’t imagine the guilt that Stella carried—both for not being there when Abby died and for being the child who lived. I feel like I was able to understand why Stella was so strict about her medicine regimen and her care. She wants to make sure that she lives so her parents have at least one surviving child. 

What do you think about Will and Stella’s relationship? I’m finding it hard to cheer for their relationship since I see so much at stake. I just don’t want Stella to miss her chance at new lungs. What did you think of the date they had by the pool? I have to admit I was really glad that Poe texted them and interrupted them because I think they might have attempted to touch. I want them both to be happy and I want them to experience a positive relationship, but I just worry that Will is going to infect her. 

I was so glad that Stella made it through her surgery without any complications, weren’t you? I was a little scared that something was going to go wrong with the surgery. Did you know much about G-tubes before reading this section? I had a vague idea of what they were, but I didn’t know much. I thought this article from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation was really helpful. Check it out if you want to understand more about G-tube feedings. 

Do you feel like Will showed growth in this section? I liked how he finally understood that his bacteria could harm Stella, and I was glad that he understood that his mom was being so pushy because she wanted to be able to spend more life with him. Did you feel like he became more mature in this section? I felt like he began to think about other people more than he thought about himself. 

This section ends really happily with Will’s birthday party. I’m afraid that that will be one of the last really happy scenes in the book. Do you have any guesses about what will happen in the last section of the book? I’m afraid that all of the characters won’t make it to the end. 

Is this story making you want to hear more real cystic fibrosis stories? I feel like I want to know more, especially since I want to know if Will and Stella are realistic characters. While researching about cystic fibrosis memoirs, I stumbled upon this article about a mother who published her daughter’s diary after her daughter died following a double lung transplant. Check out the article to learn more about the story and make sure to check out the book, Salt in My Soul, if you want to read the diary. 

Before you go, make sure you watch the video below to find out why the director, Justin Balboni, wanted to tell this story on screen. 

Make sure to leave a comment to tell me what you thought of this section. I’m excited to hear your thoughts. I hope you’re able to finish reading the book before joining us next week!

Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of Five Feet Apart. 

How did you enjoy these first ten chapters? I thought they were really engaging, and I found myself flying through the pages. I really like Stella. I think she’s a really interesting character. She is definitely incredibly driven. So far, I don’t have too many feelings about Will. He kind of seems like a stereotypical bad boy in that he doesn’t really care or take things seriously. I’m hoping his character grows and changes as the book continues. 

An interesting thing to note about this book is that it is actually an adaptation of the screenplay for the movie version. That’s why there are three people listed as authors on the front of the book. According to this article on Publisher’s Weekly, the book actually came to fruition during the development of the movie. I think that’s pretty unusual, and maybe that’s why the book is so fast-paced and easy to read. Are you surprised that the movie was actually in development before the book?

There were so many medical things in this first section that I had never heard of before. One of the things that really stuck out to me was the AffloVest. When I was reading about it, I envisioned a vest that shook like a massage chair, but after watching this video, I think it’s less disruptive than that. But, it still seems restricting, and I’m sure it’s not super fun to wear. I had also never heard of B. cepacia. If you’d like to read more about B. cepacia, check out this article from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. 

Did you feel so incredibly stressed every time Will and Stella interacted? I definitely did. I didn’t want him to accidentally spread his infection to her. I even felt nervous when she was in his room setting up his medicine cart. I was afraid that he hadn’t taken the necessary precautions to disinfect his room. What did you think of the scene where he was on the roof and had a coughing fit? I’m not really sure why he would risk being that close to the edge of a building in the first place. I was so scared that Stella would have to physically touch him in order to rescue him. Did you fear that as well? 

I was shocked when I read that Abby, Stella’s sister, had passed away. Did you suspect that at all? I had no idea, but it does help explain Abby’s dedication to her health regimen, and it explains the tension between her parents. Do you think Will will help Stella process her sister’s death? Do you think it’s fair that Stella feels like she has to live in order to keep her parents afloat? 

Who was your favorite minor character in this section? I definitely liked Barb the most. She seemed like the most nurturing woman, and I really liked reading about her relationship with Stella. I like how she’s so no-nonsense. I thought Julie, the nurse, was a fun character, too. I’m interested to read more to find out why Stella seems to be having a hard time talking to Julie, though. 

When I was researching the movie version of the book, I found out that a real person with cystic fibrosis helped to shape the character of Stella. According to this article on Refinery29, the movie’s director, Justin Baldoni was heavily inspired by Claire Wineland, a motivational speaker who passed away after a double lung transplant in 2018. Wineland consulted on the movie and helped movie makers understand why it’s so important for cystic fibrosis patients to stay away from each other. Check out one of Wineland’s videos below if you want to know more about her. 

Before we finish talking about this first section, I think it’s worth noting that May is Cystic Fibrosis awareness month, so take some time to click around on the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation website to find out more about the disease. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this first section, and I hope you’re able to finish the next ten chapters before next week. I can’t wait to hear your impressions of this first section in the comments.