Sept 2018: Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

Book: Hollow City (#2 Miss Peregrines)
Place: Emily's house
Date: Oct 4
Time: 7:30pm, discussion starts @8


Menu:
Meat pies (Olive' favorite)
A favorite dish with honey, inspired by Hugh
Gypsy stew
Gypsy bread https://www.thedailymeal.com/rosemary-dill-and-bacon-manriklo-pan-fried-bread-recipe
Jacket potatoes (ch 8) https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1656645/classic-jacket-potatoes
Stewed apples (from the Menagerie)
Nuts (from the carnival)



Discussion Questions:

1. Did you like the book? Why/why not?
2. Enoch tends to be the antagonist within the group. Do you think Enoch is pessimistic or realistic?Enoch repeatedly voices the worst-case scenario. Does doing so harm or hurt the group’s progress? Is it better to keep spirits high by sugarcoating the truth or to be completely honest about the situation and prepare to face it?
3. Why do you think the hollows and wights chose to pose as Nazi soldiers? How does this element add to their malicious presence in the book?
4. The children spend the entire book running away from hollows while trying to make their way to London. Did you think running was the best plan, or should they have tried to stand and fight, or simply hide?
5. When the children had to leave the loop, Enoch packed reptile hearts, Hugh took the front doorknob, Horace took his “lucky pillow,” Fiona a jar of wormy garden dirt, and Millard had “striped his face with bomb-pulverized brick dust.” Jacob observed that “if what they kept and clung to seemed strange...it was all they had left of their home.” How did each of these items fit the character of each child? What would the others have taken? What would you have liked to keep from the house, or from your own home, if it were damaged? 
6. The Gypsies live separately from the rest of society, much like the peculiar children. What other similarities do you notice between the Gypsies and the peculiars?
7. The children’s stories of their past are mostly sad, especially Emma’s. How would you react if your friend or family member suddenly developed peculiar powers?
8. What did you think about Jacob’s eventual decision to leave the peculiar children? What decision would you have made in his place?
9. Hollow City ends with a spectacular cliffhanger. What do you think will happen in the next book? How will Jacob’s newly discovered powers affect the story? 
10. Mr. White was appalled that the children called them monsters, and considered him and his kind more evolved than any other creatures on the planet. Why do evil creatures lie justify their actions to make themselves look better than they really are, especially to those who actually pursue good, like the children? How is he actually like many evil men throughout our world history, and what makes him blind to it? 
11. Why was it so important for Emma “to prove to a stranger that we were good-hearted, when we knew ourselves to be”? Why did “the suggestion that...our natures were more complexly shaded, seemed to bother her”? Was it that way for all of the peculiars, or only some? And do normal people struggle with that as well? Why? 
12. Would you recommend this book to others? If so, who?

October 2016: The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman

Meeting details:
What: The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax (Mrs. Pollifax #1) by Dorothy Gilman
When: Oct 13 @ 7:30pm, discussion to start 8pm
Where: Emily's house

Menu:
Tortillas (pg 57)
Welsh rarebit (pg 94)- savoury cheese sauce on toast
Cheese and olives (pg 170, 275)
Cornbread (pg 275)

Cakes 'drenched in honey' (pg 94)
Chocolate bars (pg 50)

Mexican dish of choice
Albanian dish of choice (haha! Good luck!)

I will supply drink, including tea, coffee, brandy, maybe I can find raki

Discussion Questions:

1. Did you like the book? Why/why not?

2. Who was your favorite character? How did Mrs. Pollifax’ character (age, disposition, experience, etc.) affect the stories and plots? What is the change of attitude she exhibits upon her return home? What kind of person is Johnny Farrell? Is he a believable character?

Do you see yourself in any of the characters?

3. Describe Mrs. Pollifax's attitude during her time in captivity. What happens to gain her the sympathy of some of the captors? What do her captors think of her?

4. What do you think of the message and the way it is conveyed? Too obvious, inspiring, etc?

 

5. There were a lot of coincidences and lucky breaks for Mrs. P., which probably would not happen in real life. Did they detract from your enjoyment of the books? (Assuming you enjoyed them!) Were some situations too ludicrous for your “willing suspension of disbelief”?

 

6. Did the surprises “work” (were you surprised?) or were they predictable?

7. Since the book was written during the Cold War, it has become outdated. How did that affect your reading? Do you think this book will become obsolete?

 

8. Would you recommend this book? Would you read other books in the series?

 

November 2015: The Orchard by Adele Crockett Robertson

Meeting Details:
When: Thurs Nov 5
Time: 7:30, discussion starts at 8
Where: Emily's house- 45 Concession Rd 2 (York)

Discussion Questions:
1. Did you like the book? Why or why not?
2. 'There are worse things than being poor' pg 69. What things is Kitty's father referring to? Is his view 'old-fashioned' or still applicable today? Do you agree with him? Contrast to the Greenberg family.
3. Kitty deals with her neighbour's bees even though she has little experience and is scared to do it. Do you think this shows a positive or negative character trait? How does she feel about the bees? Would you feel the same way?
4. 'Times like these it's awful hard to stay honest' pg 166. Discuss. Do you think this is a reasonable statement or a cop-out? Can you imagine being in their position?
5. 'People are essentially good and kind' pg 207. Is this true? Is this true of Kitty's experience or is she seeing through rose-coloured glasses?
6. Why is it important to Kitty to dig a well? Was it worth it?
7. What do you think of how Kitty dealt with the thieves in her orchard? Why does she treat the boy differently than the men? Would you have done the same?
8. What do you think of Kitty's relationship with Joe?
9. What does the orchard mean to Kitty? Why does she feel the need to preserve it?
10. What did you think of the ending? Were you surprised by it?
11. Kitty's daughter writes about what happened after. Did it change your perceptions? What do you think about the fact that Kitty's mother gave the farm to one of her brothers?
12. Would you recommend this book? To whom?

Menu:
Apple dishes of course!
Two mentioned are:
Apple Pudding (pg 108)
Baked Apples (pg 182)
Or another favorite apple dish- pie, crisp, etc.

Ice cream (several times, eg. pg 7)

Soup gets Adele through the long cold winter (pg 128, 197 etc) I'm pretty sure it's pea soup, but I think we can improvise a bit.
Clam chowder (pg 183)

A meal with the Greenbergs includes chicken, peas, potatoes, gravy, bread and butter (well, it says black bread, but I don't even know what that means, so any bread)

A dish featuring honey (tribute to pg 35 and following)

And I will supply drinks, including Apple Cider, and Iced Tea (pg 27)

JUST A REMINDER THAT WE NEED TO CHOOSE BOOKS THIS MONTH! 

 IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO MAKE THIS MEETING, PLEASE TAKE A MINUTE TO ADD ANY COMMENTS OR PREFERENCES TO THE POST ABOUT BOOK CHOICES.  :-)

Welcome new members!

It's been kind of sad saying goodbye to some of our members who've moved away and gotten too busy to fit bookclub into their lives right now.  And while we hope to have them rejoin us one day, we're excited to welcome our new members: Lindsey, Marion and Emily!

To help us get to know them and so that they can get to know all of us a little better, I figured that it was time to do another fun questionaire.

Sometime this summer, please copy this list of questions into a new post and answer them!

"Get to Know Me" Questionaire

1. How would your friends describe you - in just three words?

2. What's the last thing you've read? (cereal boxes count  :-))

3. If you could go back in time, what time period would you travel to? 

4. What kitchen appliance/tool do you use every single day?

5. If you were a super-hero, what powers would you have?