The Painted Girls, by Cathy Marie Buchanan

Characters
1878 – 1881	1895
Marie Madam van Goethem – mother Father – deceased Antoinette – older sister Charlotte – younger sister   Edgar Degas   Monsieur Lefebvre – Marie’s benefactor   Emile Abadie – convicted murderer, loved by Antoinette Michael Knobloch – convicted of murder and executed   Monsieur Zola – facial appearance can predict criminal behavior	Alphonse – Marie’s husband – baker’s son   Matilde – 8 Genevive - 9

 For discussion:

NOTE: The page numbers are from the hardback edition

1. Marie had ambition to change her lot in life.  Why was she so different from Antoinette?

2. The play, L’Assommoir, by Monsieur Zola, is about how hard work makes no difference to those who are at the lowest rungs of society.  Do you agree? 

3. Could Marie have stopped her downward spiral in 1881?   How did her appearance determine her situation?

4. Why was Antoinette obsessed with Emile?  Why couldn’t she see what was so obvious to others about his behavior and how he treated her?  Do you think she should have seen that he was exploiting her – especially after he encouraged her to earn more money by working at a brothel?

5. Did you think that Marie should have been more supportive of Antoinette and her relationship with Emile, even if Marie disagreed with Antoinette’s decisions?

6. Was Marie and her relationship with Monsiuer Lefebvre much different from Antoinette and the brothel?

7. Did you think Marie should have taken the calendar (proving Emile’s innocence) to the court or was she justified in destroying it?

8. Should Marie feel guilty about Michael Knobloch’s death?

9. After telling one last lie to Marie, Antoinette never lied again.  Do you think this is really possible?

10. What did you think of each sister’s life at the end of the story?

*****First Semester Success: Study Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at wordassociation.com and amazon.com.

Inferno, by Dan Brown

NOTE:  This is the final part of a three-book series for the Murrysville Community Library Book Group in PA.  We read Dante’s Inferno, The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl and ended with this book.

Characters
General	The Consortium
Robert Langdon Sienna Brooks   Dr. Elizabeth Sinskey – Director World Health Organization   Marta Alvarez – Arts and Culture Administrator, Palazzo Vecchio   Ignazio Busoni (il Duomino) – Director Museo dell’ Opera del Duomo   Jonathan Ferris -  WHO/Consortium   Agent Christoph Bruder – European Center for Disease Prevention and  Control	The Provost Laurence Knowlton   Vayentha     Bertrand Zobrist – Shade - client

For discussion:

NOTE:  All page numbers refer to hardback edition.

1. Did you like the recap of Dante’s Inferno on pages 64 - 65 and 82 - 83?  What difference did your background knowledge from the two previous books make to your reading experience?

2. Do you think the use of texting slang (TILF) will limit the long-term life of this book?   Did you know what it meant?

3. In a preface listing the facts in the book, the author noted that there is an actual group like the Consortium with offices in seven countries.  Were you surprised to read this?

4. Did you like the insertion of historical facts, not necessarily related to the plot?  For example, on page 119 he writes that the Boboli Amphitheater was the site of the first opera performance.

5. Did the charts and graphs that Zobrist showed to Dr. Sinskey add to your understanding and enjoyment of the book?

6. Do you think the idea of overpopulation as the cause of the world’s problems is a plausible idea?  Do you have any ideas about what can be done about it?

7. On pages 214-215 the author writes about people being in denial about various problems and that they escape by watching “sports highlights, funny cat videos, and celebrity gossip.”    Do you think this is why so many people care about what celebrities are doing?

8. What about the idea of denial being the “ultimate manifestation of pride” (page 215)?  According to the novel, Dante reserved the final ring of hell for those who were prideful.

9. Was there any part of the story that you felt was “over the edge” or too far out of the realm of possibility?

10. When did you figure out the following?

• The identify of FS-2080
• Who was remembering the evening with Zobrist (chapter 66, page 287)
• Who Bruder worked for
• That Dr. Sinskey ordered herself to be drugged

11. Do you think the reader would have a different reading experience if he or she had travelled to the locations in the novel?

12. What do you think Dr. Sinskey and Sienna will do after the story ended?

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer is available at wordassociation.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

I Shall Be Near to You, by Erin Lindsay McCabe

I Shall Be Near to You is both an interesting and informative book.   The fiction story is based on well-researched facts and mixes historical with fictional characters.  Before reading it I had never thought much about women soldiers during the Civil War.  The book provided insight into not only why a woman would do that but also into the cultural expectations for women at that time and the devotion between a husband and wife.    The book is a different kind of reading experience than a “page-turner” or suspenseful mystery, but the characters will stay in your thoughts and you will remember them, their decisions and their lives long after closing the covers. 

NOTE: A complimentary copy of this book was provided through Blogging for Books.

Characters
Home	Military
Rosetta (Ross Stone) Parents – Betsy – sister   Jeremiah Wakefield Parents and family   Eli – Bully   Friends: Henry and Jimmy O’Malley Sullivan Cameron	Ross Stone (Rosetta) Jeremiah   Captain Chalmers Jennie Chalmers   Three friends from home   Will Eberhart (Towhead Boy) John Morgan (Leatherskin) Frank – John’s son Hiram Binhimer (Foul Mouth) Edward Stiles (Black Eye)   Levi Blalock - Deserter   Real people: Clara Barton - nurse Mrs. Greenhow – spy

For discussion:
NOTE:  All page numbers are for the hardback edition of the book.


1. How do you think Rosetta expected Jeremiah to treat her in camp?   Were her expectations of Jeremiah and military life realistic?


2. Did you think Jeremiah’s reactions were realistic?  Would a husband in the military, surprised by his wife’s unannounced appearance as a man, act that way?   


3. Early in the story Will keeps looking at Rosetta.  Do you think he knows she is a woman or does he have other intentions?  Were you surprised to find out that he was gay?   Do you think the offer he made to Rosetta after Jeremiah died would have worked out?


4. This is based on true experiences of women fighting as men in the Civil War.  But do you think it would be possible to actually live with your husband in the military camp and no one knows?


5. Consider Jennie Chalmers compared to Rosetta.  Do you think one was happier or more fulfilled than the other? 


6. How do you think Captain Chalmers would react in the same situation as Jeremiah?


7. Did you like the inclusion of real people into the story (Clara Barton and Mrs. Greenhow)?


8. Can you imagine yourself doing what Rosetta did?  Why or why not?


9. What do you think happens after the story ends?  

First Semester Success, Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at wordassociation.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.