Tag: Online Book Club

Welcome back to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of Murder on the Orient Express!

This section was heavy on the details and evidence, wasn’t it? Did you get overwhelmed by all of the interviews? Do you feel like you solved the mystery with the evidence presented? I know I wasn’t able to figure out the ending from reading this section. 

Two of the biggest pieces of evidence in this section were the scarlet silk kimono and the button from the train attendant uniform. But after interviewing everyone, Poirot decided that these two pieces of clothing weren’t really clues. None of the women confessed to having a scarlet robe, and the train attendant who was on duty didn’t have any missing buttons. At the end of the section, the scarlet robe was found in Poirot’s luggage. Why do you think someone would have hidden the robe in his belongings? Was it a challenge? 

Also in this section, Mrs. Hubbard finds the murder weapon, a dagger, in her makeup bag. Why do you think someone put the the dagger there? Do you think she’s guilty, but trying to shift suspicion by finding the murder weapon and suggesting it was planted? 

It was also interesting that one of the passengers, Mr. Hardman, revealed himself to be a private detective. Why do you think Ratchett wanted Poirot to help him when he already had a detective on board who was working on his case? 

Do you suspect any of the passengers for the murder? Do any of them stick out to you as being particularly suspicious? Do you think any of them were lying during their testimonies? 

I hope this section enticed you to keep reading to solve the mystery. You’ll have to tell me next week if you figured out the mystery before you finished reading the book. 

If you’re looking for a fun video about the movie version of Murder on the Orient Express, check out this clip. It gives some behind the scenes details.

I hope you’ll join us next week as we finish talking about the book. Make sure to leave me a comment to let me know how you are enjoying the mystery so far!

Welcome to Week 2 of our Online Book Club discussion of Murder on the Orient Express!

How did reading the first section go for you all? I had a little bit of trouble getting in to the book. There are just so many details!

This first section introduces Hercule Poirot, and the crime he is going to have to solve. What are your first impressions of Poirot? He’s a little like Sherlock Holmes in that he can deduce a lot from just a few clues. Poirot is certainly not afraid to speak his mind, is he? Could you believe that he refused to help Ratchett, and he told Ratchett that he wouldn’t help because he didn’t like Ratchett’s face? That was pretty cold. 

We know that Ratchett was murdered, and the clues left at the scene may or may not be fake. Poirot thinks it is a little too convenient that there was both a pipe brush and a woman’s handkerchief at the scene. It seems like someone was trying to leave distinct clues, so nobody could deduce if the murderer was a man or a woman.

Poirot does find a more important clue at the scene: a scrap of burned paper that reveals that Ratchett wasn’t really named Ratchett. Instead, he was a gangster named Cassetti, who kidnapped and murdered a little girl named Daisy Armstrong. 

That gives us a motive for Ratchett/Cassetti’s murder: Someone wanted revenge for Daisy’s death. But we don’t really have any more concrete details. 

Do you have any guesses about the murder? Share them in the comments, but if you’ve already read the book or watched the movie, make sure you don’t leave any spoilers!

Did you know that you can still take rides on the Orient Express? It’s not exactly like the train that Poirot would have ridden on, but it’s still luxurious and elegant. If you want to learn more about the Orient Express now, check out this article from People and this one from the Telegraph, too. Both articles have great photos of the inside of the train cars. 

Make sure you read the next section before joining us next week. You’ll get a full view of all of the evidence, so by the time you comment next week, you may have figured out the mystery. I hope to hear from you in the comments section!

Welcome to a new Online Book Club discussion for August! This month, we’re reading Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. 

The Online Book Club, in case 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 a comment in the comments section. Make sure you check back each week and see what new topics we’re talking about. 

Murder on the Orient Express is a classic mystery tale that involves one of Christie’s most famous characters, the detective Hercule Poirot. While riding on the luxurious train, Poirot gets caught up in a murder investigation. Instead of spending the journey relaxing, he is forced to interrogate witnesses to try to find a murderer. 

If you’re looking to end the summer with an intriguing mystery story, you’ll definitely enjoy this book. You can also watch one of the movie or television adaptations if you’re interested in the mystery but don’t want to read with us. Check out the trailer of the most recent version of Murder on the Orient Express, released last year, above if you’re on the fence about watching it this month. If you do watch one of the movies, feel free to leave comments on the blog posts, even if you aren’t reading the book with us. 

We’ll be reading Part One for the discussion next week, so make sure to read that section by August 13 if you want to follow our pace. I hope you’ll join the discussion!

Welcome to our last Online Book Club discussion of Everything, Everything.

How shocked were you by the twist ending? I wasn’t surprised at all when Maddy became sick when she was in Hawaii. That seemed inevitable. But, I was really surprised that she wasn’t really sick with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency. It must have been incredibly heartbreaking for her to realize that she really didn’t know her mother at all. And, to find out by an e-mail from a stranger, the doctor who treated her in Hawaii, must have made it more confusing. 

As a mother, I can totally understand Maddy’s mom’s desire to keep Maddy safe, especially since she had already lost her husband and son. But, it was too bad that she chose to keep her safe by making her believe she was really sick. Maddy lost out on so many different experiences by staying in her house for all of those years. 

Do you think that Maddy and Olly will continue to be together as the book implies at the end? They seem to be pretty compatible, and they had such a great time in Hawaii before Maddy got sick. 

What do you imagine Maddy’s life will be like after the book’s end? Do you think she will want to go away to college, or spend a lot of time traveling? I feel like she would want to experience everything. Even simple things like going for walks or visiting a zoo or a park would be really exciting if you had spent so much time in your house. 

Didn’t you think that Maddy was a believable character, and her excitement for the world and new experiences was true to her upbringing? Nicola Yoon drew on her young daughter’s reaction to experiencing new things to create the character of Maddy. She also made sure to make Maddy a biracial character, so that her daughter would be able to see parts of herself in Maddy. If you want to read more about Yoon’s writing process and the inspiration behind the book, check out this article. Make sure to check out the We Need Diverse Books website if you want to learn more about the organization. 

I hope you enjoyed the book this month! If you really enjoyed Nicola Yoon’s writing style, you might want to check out her other book, The Sun Is Also A Star. 

Let me know what you thought of the book by leaving a comment. I’m really interested to hear if you were surprised by the fact that Maddy wasn’t really sick. 

Join us next month as we read Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. I hope to hear from you in the comments!

Welcome to Week 3 of our Online Book Club discussion of Everything, Everything.

This was an exciting section, wasn’t it? How surprised were you that Maddy left her house, bought plane tickets, and went to Hawaii with Olly? I felt like something big like that was going to happen after they met. After they touched, it seemed inevitable that she wouldn’t be content with life inside the house anymore. I was pretty surprised that she went all the way to Hawaii, though. You’d think that she might want to start a little smaller than flying to a different state. I guess she just wanted to make sure she could have a good experience without her mother’s interference. 

Before the trip, Nicola Yoon spends a lot of time in this second section talking about Olly’s dad. Why do you think she put so much time into telling us about this periphery character? Do you think the fact that he was so volatile helped to bring Olly and Maddy closer together? Did it give them something to bond over? 

A pivotal point in this section was when Maddy ran out of the house after Olly’s dad punched him in the stomach. Her reaction was too intense for her to pretend that she didn’t care about Olly. Were you surprised that she ran outside? And were you surprised that she appeared to have no ill effects when she did?

It was sad that this event caused Maddy’s mom to fire Maddy’s nurse, Carla. She was so kind to Maddy. The new nurse is pretty horrible. I didn’t enjoy her passive-aggressive Post-it Notes. 

This section ends with Maddy ignoring a painful squeezing in her heart. She isn’t showing any other signs of illness, but this symptom is a little worrying. Do you think it’s stress, or is this a sign of her disease? Are you surprised that she is doing so well otherwise? How do you think this trip will end? 

As I’m sure you can guess from the format of this book, Nicola Yoon, the author, is a lot of fun. If you’re interested in seeing more of her personality, check out this video. Yoon plays a book game that looks like a game I would like to try with my family. 

Make sure to finish the book in time for our discussion next week! I hope to hear from you in the comments!

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

How is the book treating you so far? The format is really interesting, isn’t it? There are so many different emails, text messages, lists, and pictures sprinkled throughout. Did you enjoy how author Nicola Yoon told the narrative? I thought that made the book different, fun, and fast to read.

On her blog, Yoon shared a behind the scenes photo of one of the first sketches she did for the story. Her husband ended up stepping in to create the art that we see in the book, and I think you’ll agree that was the right call after you look at her initial sketches. Yoon shares more about collaborating with her husband in this interview.

In this first section, we’re introduced to our main characters, Madeline and Olly. What do you think of Maddy and her illness? Can you imagine living inside, completely unable to interact with the outside world? She seems to have a pretty good attitude about it all at the beginning of the book. Were you surprised by all of the things she did while not leaving her house? Did it remind you of the movie Tangled, where Rapunzel lives in her tower but still finds tons of things to do every day? 

Once Olly shows up, things become more complicated. Did you guess that they would eventually meet in person once they started messaging each other? Do you think it was a good idea for them to meet? I completely understood why she would want to meet and why her nurse, Carla, would approve, but I was wary anyhow. It seems like at least one of them is going to be heartbroken by the end of the book. 

Did you know that Madeline’s disease, Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, is a real disease? The most famous case was David Vetter, sometimes known as “The boy in the bubble.” David Vetter was born in the 1970s, so he didn’t have all of the technological advances that Madeline did in the book, but doctors were still able to learn many things about the disease by studying him. Unfortunately, David died when he was 12, but his family has worked to make sure that all babies are screened for the disease. You can learn more about David in this video. 

Are you excited to keep reading along to find out what happens to Maddy and Olly? Do you have any guesses about how the book will end? 

I hope you’ll join us next week as we talk about the next 100 pages! Make sure to leave me a comment, so I know how you are liking the book. 

Welcome to a new Online Book Club discussion for July! This month, we’re reading Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon.

The Online Book Club, in case 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 a comment in the comments section. Make sure you check back each week and see what new topics we’re talking about.

Everything, Everything is the story of Madeline Whittier, a girl who has a rare disease that makes it impossible for her to leave the house. She lives with her mom in a specially-modified house that keeps all outside germs away, and she only interacts with her mom, her nurse, and a couple of tutors. She isn’t allowed to touch anyone or experience the outdoors because she isn’t sure what could make her ill. Madeline is relatively happy with her situation until a boy named Olly moves next door. After seeing each other through the window, Olly and Madeline start to interact online, and that’s when Madeline’s life starts to turn upside down.

This book is really easy to read and would be a perfect book to take on vacation. If you’re not convinced that you want to read along but still want to contribute to the discussion, you could always check out the Everything, Everything movie instead. Feel free to leave comments on the blog posts, even if you aren’t reading the book with us. Make sure you check out the movie trailer above if you’re on the fence about watching the movie this month. 

We’ll be reading the first 100 pages for the discussion next week, so make sure to read those if you want to read along with our pace. I hope you’ll join in the discussion!

Welcome to the final Online Book Club discussion of The Lost City of Z!

How did the end of the book go for you? Did it end like you thought it would? 

Wasn’t it really sad that Fawcett had to endure such poverty and loss of position after World War I? I thought it was interesting that he fought in the war, but I couldn’t believe how hard it was for him to get back to the Amazon after the war. His family endured a lot while helping to support his dreams of finding Z. It was really sad that his family never really got closure and was always waiting for Fawcett and his son to come back. 

David Grann’s narrative was pretty interesting in this last section. He was able to talk to a lady who might have seen Fawcett and his crew. Do you think she really met Fawcett, or was she remembering another group of explorers? Were you afraid that Grann was going to be really hurt while traveling around the jungle? When he got separated from his guide, it seemed like he might come to real harm. I was really relieved when he made it back to his guide and made it safe to his destination. 

Were you shocked when Grann was shown the remains of that civilization by Heckenberger? There were roads, defensive moats, canals, and human dwellings. Do you think this was the elusive Z that Fawcett tried to find? Wasn’t it so sad that he was so close to finding a civilization like this? 

Throughout the book, Grann mentions that people went to the Amazon trying to find Fawcett, and many people claimed to have information about him. We looked at the Fawcett Adventure website last week, and it also includes old newspaper articles about Fawcett. These articles show that Fawcett was an elusive figure and many false stories circulated about him throughout the years. Make sure to click through a couple of the articles to find out more about Fawcett and the search to find him. 

I hope you enjoyed the book this month! It was a pretty fun adventure story, wasn’t it? Make sure to let me know if the story of Fawcett inspired you to take any summer explorations. 

Join us again next month as we read Everything, Everything. And, make sure to leave me a comment to tell what you thought of the end of the book! I look forward to hearing from you!

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Lost City of Z.

Are you still enjoying the story? Have you been inspired by Fawcett and are now itching to go and explore? I think this story is reinforcing my inclination to stay inside and not go into creature-infested jungle water.

The hardest and most disgusting thing to read in this section was the description of James Murray, the polar scientist who accompanied Fawcett on one exploration, and the maggots that infested his body. I almost passed out when I read that he had maggots growing under his skin and was able to count 50 around his elbow alone. Just thinking about that now makes my skin crawl and makes me start to itch all over. I cannot imagine seeing such a sight. The physical toll that these explorations took on the men is just astounding. Everything they encountered was extremely dangerous and left them with all sorts of injuries and ailments. Could you believe that Fawcett appeared to be unaffected by the conditions, though? He seemed to be the only person who didn’t have some sort of horrible injury.

Wasn’t it so cool that Grann was able to connect with one of Fawcett’s granddaughters? It was really neat that she was willing to share documents with Grann and was willing to let him look through Fawcett’s journals. The little tidbit she shared about Fawcett’s signet ring bathed in blood was pretty chilling. Do you think that shows that Fawcett was brutally murdered on his last expedition? What do you think about the Dead Horse Camp and the fake coordinates? Do you really think that Fawcett left those behind in an effort to stop people from finding Z?

If you’re interested in learning more about Fawcett, author Ben Hammott’s website has historical articles and modern information about him, including a photo of Fawcett’s granddaughter wearing what she claims to be his signet ring.

This section ends with Grann describing a historical document that he viewed in Rio de Janeiro. It was pretty brave of Grann to travel all the way to Brazil without knowing for sure if he was going to be able to look at the document. This document was really important, though, because it claimed that a Portuguese soldier found an ancient city in the middle of the jungle. This document was enough, in Fawcett’s mind, to prove that there was a lost city to explore. What do you think? Do you think this document was definitive proof that there was an ancient city like Z? Why didn’t more people know about it, and why couldn’t anyone find it? 

What were your impressions of this section? Do you think that Grann will be able to discover a lost city by the end of the book? Do you have any ideas about what might have happened to Fawcett during his last journey? I’m anxious to hear what you’re thinking about the book so far.

Make sure to finish the book before you join us next week. I look forward to hearing from you in the comments section.

Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Lost City of Z!

I don’t know about you all, but I was totally hooked by the preface. Wasn’t it so good? Immediately, I was transported into the jungle with David Grann, and I could imagine myself in his shoes as he tried to follow his map despite the fact that he was lost and covered in bug bites. Were you worried about Grann? Did you wonder how he made it out of the jungle intact enough to write the book?

What were your first impressions of Fawcett? In those first pages of description, we see that he is hardened, adventurous, and determined. Did he fit your image of what an explorer should be? Did he make you think of Indiana Jones? I loved the descriptions in chapter six about the explorer school he attended before he went out on his first missions. Those classes and skills that Fawcett learned there were indispensable—especially since he was embarking into completely into unknown territory. Could you imagine having to learn so many different ways to survive and adapt since you didn’t really know what you would encounter once you got to your destination? My favorite thing that Fawcett learned was that if he got a venomous snakebite, he would have to “ignite gunpowder in the wound” and “burn out” the infected area with an iron ramrod. If I heard that sort of suggestion, I would immediately give up all of my dreams of becoming an explorer. Can you imagine thinking about attempting those sorts of medical procedures? Would explorer school have scared you away from being an explorer?

In chapter eight, Grann casually mentions that Theodore Roosevelt explored an Amazon tributary in 1914. I had no idea that Roosevelt took an Amazon journey, so I did a little digging to find out more about his trip. Apparently, Roosevelt went on the trip after losing the election that would have given him a third presidential term. The journey was so hard that he almost died—at one point, he demanded to be left alone to die in the jungle. If you want to read more about his journey, check out this article from History.com. And, if you want to watch a documentary about his journey, check out Into the Amazon from American Experience on PBS. Check out the trailer, if you’re interested.

What other parts of these first eight chapters stood out to you? What did you think of the story of the father and son team who tried to follow Fawcett’s journey, only to be kidnapped by Indians? What did you think of the sections where Grann writes about his own preparations for attempting to explore the jungle?

I hope you’ll leave a comment telling me your thoughts on these first chapters. I’m really interested to see if you are enjoying this book as much as I did. Make sure you read chapters 9-16 for next week. I look forward to interacting with you in the comments section!