Home Front, by Kristen Hannah

 

Characters
Jolene Larsen Zarkades Michael – husband, lawyer Betsy – preteen Lulu - toddler   Theo Zarkades – Michael’s father, partner in law firm, deceased Mila – mother, owns Green Thumb, gardening shop   Bill Antham – partner in firm   Tami Flynn – Jolene’s best friend and neighbor Carl – husband Seth – son, same age as Betsy   Keith Keller – Michael’s client in murder trial, killed wife, two tours in Iraq   Christian Cornflower – psychiatrist, Viet Nam vet, POW, treated Keller   Sierra and Zoe – Betsy’s friends in school   Conny – physical therapist in rehab center	Military
	Jolene – Army National Guard, Black Hawk helicopter pilot   Tami – same as Jolene, flew together   Owen “Smitty” Smith – newest member of helicopter team   Jamie Hix - gunner   Leah Sykes – morale officer, lost both legs in combat   Sarah Mewrrin – marine who lost both legs in Iraq, wrote to Jolene who never replied, eventually Jolene visited her

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from the 2012 paperback edition.

1.      Why did the girls in Betsy’s class tease her about what Jolene did?  Also, why do you think Sierra’s dad made derogatory comments about women’s ability to fly helicopters (page 314)?

2.      Can relate to Betsy’s experience in middle school?  Did the author present Betsy’s feelings as a preteen accurately?

3.      There were several times when things just did not go well.   Should the family have been more aware or should someone have helped them? For example:

a.      When family first greeted Jolene at rehab center, Betsy ran to hug her and bumped into leg wound hurting Jolene who then swore.

b.      On her first morning home, Jolene tried to make breakfast for the girls, and it was a disaster.

4.      This was a love story, a war story, and a judicial story all together.  Did you enjoy the various aspects and how they all tied together?

5.      Michael was defending Keith Keller who has PTSD and killed his wife.  Did Jolene’s story help you understand Keller’s actions?  What about the other way around – did Keller’s experience with PTSD help you understand Jolene?

6.      How do you think someone in the military would like this book, particularly a woman with a family?

7.      Do you think you will look at people with prosthetic limbs differently after reading this book?  What do you think about the contestant in Dancing with the Stars who is a Paralympian?

8.      Will this book stand the test of time?   Will it be popular 20 or more years from now?

9.      Discuss your reading experience.  With about 100 pages to go before the end, I read the Epilogue to see how everything turned out.

 

The Astral Library, by Kate Quinn

 

Characters

Alexandria Watson “Alix” Libby Bibb – new name on all of Alix’s accounts   Beau Sato-Jones – hand-made period clothing, making dress for movie premier   Elizabeth – boss at public library   Chad and Chester – security guards   Astral Library – live inside a book, can enter from any library in the world Librarian – in charge Alix – a Page   Astral Gallery – can enter and live in a painting Gallerist – head   Programmer – can live in video games   Other Patrons living in books: Sarah – in Sherlock Holmes’ world, someone looking for her Stephanie – in Jane Eyre Larry Barr/Lawrence Douglas – in Tom Sawyer; transgender, escaping strict, religious family

Rules for entering the Astral Library

Can only use a book in the public domain When the story ends: 1)      Return the book and try a new one 2)      Go back to old life 3)      Keep living in that world but with no guarantee what will happen Same amount of time happens in real life – if stay one year in book return one year older Person automatically accepted into book society

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from the 2026 hardback edition.

1.      Did you enjoy all the references to books?  Did you enjoy them even if you had not read the book?

2.      With the character of Beau, did you enjoy all of the descriptions of period clothing?  Would you like to wear some of the different styles?

3.      There was some serious commentary in the book such as the insights into the foster care system and how if failed Alix.  What did you think about this inclusion in a fantasy book?  Was it too much?

4.      Did you gain any insight into living in poverty?   The author wrote, “another aspect of poverty math: how expensive it is, how frustratingly, ruinously expensive, to be broke” (page 12).  For example, Alix could not afford good shoes that would last, so she had to keep buying cheap shoes that wore out quickly.

5.      As you were reading, what did you think was happening when Alix thought she saw her mother in a book or painting?

6.      Were you surprised to read that her mother had a new family, business and daughter and had completely abandoned Alix?  Why do you think she did this?

7.      What were some references to books and reading that you liked?  For example, the ghosts reading the books in the Astral Library were described as “people who died with too many books on their To Be Read stack” (page 50).

8.      The author wrote, “What a miraculous thing a book was, when you stopped to think about it: whole worlds springing to life from nothing more than squiggles on a page” (page 190).  What books have you read where you could clearly imagine the world the characters were living in?

9.      Did you like the ending, including the following:

a.      Alix deciding not to contact mother but secretly watching stepsister

b.      Beau working out of the library so he has more time in the day to work

c.      Alix deciding to stay and become the new Librarian, turning into a dragon

d.      Talking to current authors about people being able to enter their books, including Kate Quinn

10.  The new library board wanted the library to be 25% each - books, computers, tertiary media and monetized programming.  In the book this was portrayed as bad and against the library’s purpose.   How do you think a library should adapt in today’s world and still remain relevant plus promote books and reading?

11.  Discuss your reading experience.  Do you usually read fantasy books?  Did you enjoy this one?  Did your feelings change as you read along?

 

Pineapple Street, by Jenny Jackson

 

Characters

Stockton Family Chip and Tilda – parents Cord, Darley, and Georgiana – children Berta – housekeeper   Cord Sasha – wife Jake Mullin – Sasha’s high school boyfriend   Darley Malcolm Kim – husband, lost job Poppy and Hatcher – children Soon-Ja and Young-ho – Malcolm’s parents   Georgiana Brady – married, affair with Georgiana, project manager in same company, killed in plane crash Lena and Kristin – high school friends Curtis McCoy – relationship later in novel

 

NOTE: The page numbers are from the 2024 paperback edition.

1.      Discuss the Stockton family and the in-laws.  How easy would it be to become a member of the family by marriage?

2.      Were you surprised that Darley refused her inheritance and passed it to her children?  How would the children be able to deal with that amount of wealth if they had lived a more “normal” life?

3.      Mullin was very close to Sasha’s family, to the extent that it made Sasha uncomfortable.  Did you see a comparison to the way Sasha treated Mullin and the way the Stockton’s treated Sasha?   Was it fair to Sasha to expect her to see the comparison at first?

4.      Mullin told Sasha told her that he was drawn to her because of “how loved you were…You had friends, you had so much love surrounding you that it was easy for you to share it” (page 241).  How did this make Sasha feel? 

5.      Do you think Georgiana and Darley realized how hurtful it was to Sasha when they called her a Gold Digger?  Did they know they were being mean or think they were just being funny?

6.      How would you feel moving into someone else’s house and not being allowed to change anything to make it more your own?  Did you understand Chip, Tilda, and Cord’s point of view?

7.      Did you get any insight into the lives of the ultra-rich?  At one point the author wrote, “Darley had noticed something about people with money: they stuck together…it was because when they were together, they didn’t have to worry about the differences their money meant in their lives” (page 284).

8.      What did you think about Curtis McCoy and his discussion with Georgiana about money.  He said “there is a difference between stability and obscene wealth” and “Income equality is the most shameful issue of our time” (page 224).  Was this a bit too heavy for the rest of the book or did it fit in?

9.      After Brady’s death, Georgiana went into a downward spiral and then realized she “had been horrible” and “It was the money that made her so horrible.  It had made her coddled and spoiled and ruined” (pages 246 - 247).  Was she being too hard on herself?

10.  Could each of the stories stood on their own?  How did they interconnect?

11.  When Georgiana became aware of Curtis, he suddenly seemed to be everywhere.  The author said it was the “Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, whereby once you notice something new you saw it all over the place” (page 215).  Have you ever experienced this?

12.  Discuss your reading experience.  What did you expect as you started reading compared to as you got at least halfway through?  Were you surprised the book included very serious subjects?

13.  Did you like the way it ended?

14.  This book was chosen as a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, USA Today, Elle, Vogue, Goodreads and several others.  Do you agree?  Why or why not?