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.

 

Me Before You, by JoJo Moyes

Characters
Clarks	Traynors
Louise Parents – Josie and Bernard Sister – Katrina and son, Thomas   Patrick – Louisa’s boyfriend	Will Parents – Camilla and Steven Georgina – sister   Nathan – physical therapist   Alicia – former girlfriend Rupert – fiancée/husband   Della – Steven’s girlfriend

 For discussion:

NOTE:  Page numbers refer to the paperback edition.

1. The author describes Lou’s style as “dressing inventively.”  How did you imagine her looking?

2. Discuss the Clark family’s treatment of Louisa vs. Katrina.  For example, her dad called Louisa “lardarse.” 

3. When Katrina had Thomas, Louisa slept in a very small room and gave them the larger room.  When they left for college, Louisa moved back to larger room, but Katrina thought they should still have the larger room for when they came home.  Do you agree or not?  Why?

4. Discuss Camilla, Will’s mother.  On page 32, the author wrote, “His mother wouldn’t look at him as she spoke, I noticed.  She kept her gaze about ten feel away on the floor.” 

a. Also, why did she keep touching her cross necklace?  This seemed like it was foreshadowing something, but was not mentioned at the end.  Why did the author mention it so often? 

5. Camilla had a way of speaking that made the other party feel inferior.  Louisa said, “I wondered if she knew that everything she said made the other person feel like an idiot.  I wondered if it was something she actually cultivated deliberately.”  (page 120)  Have you ever known someone like that?

6. What should Alicia have done regarding her and Will’s relationship after the accident?  Can you understand her thinking and decision?

7. When the Traynors built the annex after Will’s accident, why did they have two steps separating it from the house?  Why not a ramp?  (page 109)

8. What did you think about Louisa’s mother reaction at the end of the novel when she went to Switzerland to be with Will?  Did you think she might be more supportive of her daughter?

9. Did you like the ending, with Louisa at the café in Paris? 

10. Discuss the different reactions to the disabled by “ordinary” vs. middle class people.  (pages 161-162)  Louisa observed that “ordinary “people “stared, smiled sympathetically, expressed sympathy or ask...what had happened.”  But middle-class people pretended not to look but kept sneaking glances.  How do you think we should react when we encounter a handicapped person?

11. What does the title mean?  Who put themselves before someone else?

*****

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.

The Dante Club, by Matthew Pearl

NOTE:  This is the second in a three-part series on Dante's Inferno.  Last month I posted information and discussion questions for Dante's Inferno and various bibliographies.  Next month look for a list of characters and questions for Dan Brown's Inferno.  This series is for my Library Book Club's "Dante Summer."

Characters

The Dante Club J. T. Fields – publisher of poets and for Harvard Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes – Professor, anatomy – Harvard alum James Russell Lowell – Professor and editor, modern languages and literature – Harvard alum George Washington Greene – Harvard alum – preached on Dante to veterans Henry Wadsworth Longfellow – professor Publishing House J. R. Osgood –senior clerk Samuel Ticknor – son of deceased partner, William D. Ticknor Cecilia Emory – clerk – kissed by Samuel Ticknor Dan Teal (Benjamin Galvin) – clerk – defended Ms. Emory and punched Samuel Ticknor Victims #1 – Artemus  Precott Healey - Neutrals – refused to sign Fugitive Slave Act and to argue on behalf of Dante to Harvard Board #2 – Rev, Elisha Talbot – Simoniacs – profited from selling religious artifacts and religious grants #3 – Phineas Jennison – Schismatic –created internal riffs #4 – Augustus Manning - traitor Nicholas Rey – detective, mulatto Willard Burndy – second-best safecracker, arrested for three murders Langdon Peaslee – safecracker Grifone Lonza – criminal who whispered Dante’s words to Rey and then jumped to death at police station Simon Camp – Pinkerton detective, hired by Manning

Harvard

Dr. Augustus Manning – treasurer of Harvard Corporation – against teaching of Dante Dante Students Edward Sheldon Pliny Mead Pietro Bachi – Italian instructor, banished by Vatican and fired from Harvard for intemperance and insolvency Professor Louis Agassiz – insect expert and faculty, accepted money for museum to side with Manning, participated in book burning

For discussion:
NOTE:  All page numbers are from the paperback edition.

1. In discussing the murderer and his relationship with Dante, Holmes stated that, “It would not be the first or last time that literature mastered a weakened mind.  Think of John Wilkes Booth.”  (page 170)  We usually think of the positive impact of reading, is there any negative impact?

2. Ticknor, the retired publisher, stated, “Shakespeare brings us to know ourselves. Dante, with his dissection of all others, bids us know one another, “and “I have tried to teach so many members of my family how Dante made me a better man, with little understanding.”   (page 227)  What positive influence might reading Dante have on an individual, positive or negative? 

3. Matthew Pearl stated that he had access to numerous journals, letters, etc. from the main historical characters.   Did you like the personalities the author gave to each one?  Do you think they were accurate?

4. One “rule” of mystery writing is that the crime is solved with the available evidence that was presented to the reader but that the reader does not solve the crime before the detective in the book.  Does this book follow that pattern?  Do you think it is a traditional mystery story?

5. Matthew Pearl stated that you do not have to know Dante to enjoy the book.  Do you agree or disagree?  Why?

6. Do you think the story could stand on its own without Dante?

7. How did your previous knowledge of Dante’s Inferno influence your reading of this novel?
****
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.

A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert “Believe It or Not” Ripley, by Neal Thompson.

Note:  I received a copy of this book in exchange for writing a review.  Happily this was very easy as I loved the book!  I have always read the Sunday Comics, and remember as a young child reading “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” and marveling at the oddities presented each week.   LeRoy Robert Ripley’s life was truly amazing – as amazing as the people, places and endeavors he drew and wrote about each week.  It was hard to believe that he accomplished what he did - consistently producing five or more cartoons a week plus radio and TV shows on top of frequent world travels!  At the same time he met many famous people including Mark Twain, Walt Disney and Barry Goldwater to name a few.   

Below is a list of the main people in his life as well as discussion questions.   This book will appeal to many people and will promote interesting discussions.  Enjoy!

 

People

LeRoy Robert Ripley Isaac and Lillie – parents Ethel and Doug – siblings   Beatrice Roberts – wife – divorced   Arthur “Bugs” Baer – best friend   Almuth Seabeck – housekeeper   Associates: Norbert Pearlroth – researcher – critical to success but unknown Robert Hyland – financial manager Dick Hyman – publicist Joe Simpson – traveling secretary C. C. Pyle – oversaw Odditoriums Doug Storer – managed radio shows (wife Hazel also good friend of Ripley’s)   Women friends: Ruth Ross (Oakie) Li Ling-Ai Ming Jung Leise Wisse

For discussion:

1. How did Ripley’s childhood (buck teeth, shy, stutterer) shape his adulthood and vocation?

2. Seneca, a first-century Roman philosopher, said, “Luck is where the crossroads of opportunity and preparation meet.”  How did Ripley exemplify this quote?

3. Were you surprised how many well-known people were among Ripley’s acquaintances and friends?  For example he knew Mark Twain, Walt Disney and Barry Goldwater.  Charles Schultz, creator of Snoopy, sent Ripley a drawing for his cartoon.

4. Ripley loved to travel and used trips for rejuvenation.  What travel experiences have you had that rejuvenated you?  Or the opposite – exhausted you?  What is the most unusual or interesting thing you have seen on your travels?

5. In the mid 1920s American newspaper readers’ tastes changed and they wanted more pictures and gossip.  Tabloids became popular as they promoted this type of news.  The “critics likened tabloids to addictive drugs, fretting that they’d precipitate the demise of American culture.”  (page 139 of paperback)   Did that happened?  Are we still on a downward spiral?

6. Discuss Ripley’s relationship with women.  With alcohol.

7. Of all the people in Ripley’s life, Norbert Pearlroth seemed to stay the longest and stayed with the enterprise the longest after Ripley’s death.  How do you think he managed to be happy and stay in the background with no recognition?  Do you think he was treated fairly?

8. Did you feel like Ripley was exploiting the people in his shows or giving them a chance to earn money and be a celebrity?  Was his exhibit in the Chicago World’s Fair in 1933 publicity-seeking and exploitive or educational?

9. Do you think his exhibits will continue to be as popular as they were?  Why or why not?

10. Was Ripley a patriot, a celebrity or both?

11. At the end of the book, what did you think about the author’s commentary about current TV reality shows in comparison to what amazed Ripley?  How does our current fascination with “Fear Factor” or “Bizarre Foods” compare with people’s fascination with Ripley’s cartoons and shows?

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.

 

Defending Jacob, by William Landay

Characters

Andrew Barber – lawyer, narrator Jacob – son – accused of Ben Rifkin’s murder Laurie – mother Bloody Billy Barber – Andrew’s father - jail   Neal Logiudice – ADA   Jonathan Klein – Jacob’s lawyer Dr. Elizabeth Vogel - psychiatrist   Ben Rifkin – murder victim – age 14 Dan and Joan – parents   Lt. Detective Paul Duffy   Leonard Patz – pedophile, confessed to Ben’s murder and hung himself   Father James O’Leary – fixer, old gangster   Derek Yoo – friend of Jacob’s   Hope Connors – deceased girl at resort

 For discussion:

1. At one point Andrew said that he believed in the power of rituals associated with the court system – the robes, religious symbolism, etc.  What rituals do you have in your own day-to-day life or for special occasions?

2. Do you think Leonard Patz was guilty?  In the beginning was Andrew just looking for any other answer?  In the end, do you think Patz really did it?   Did Andrew?

3. In the beginning of the novel when the parents were gathering at the school following the murder, Andrew stated that he felt like an outcast with the group of mothers.  When you first read that how did you understand it?  Did your understanding change as the story progressed?

4. Discuss the influence of Facebook?  At one point Derek was asked about something he “published” on Facebook and he replied that he did not “publish,” he just wrote something.   What part did Facebook play in the story?  Do the teens understand the implications of posting something?   How much responsibility do parents have to monitor their children’s Facebook usage?

5. Do you think there really is a “murder gene?”

6. At one point Andrew stated that “whatever Jacob may have done, she (Laurie) and I were certainly innocent.”   Do you agree?

7. When Laurie was first talking with Dr. Vogel, do you think she was sharing too much information?  Was she now looking at the past with a different perspective?

8. When Andrew was talking with a classmate of Jacob’s (Sarah Groehl), she said that each student had their own thing – be on a team, play an instrument, etc. – but that she and Jacob did not and were just “nothing.”    Do you think this is an accurate depiction of junior and senior high school?  What about as adults? 

9. One incident the author described was the family shopping at Whole Foods during the trial and how it was so uncomfortable.  How do you think they should act in public?  What should they do about their basic needs – food, etc?   10. Could you understand Joan Rifkin spitting in Laurie’s face?  Was that realistic?

11. When Patz confessed and all charges were dropped against Jacob, why did Dan Rifkin still want to kill Jacob?  (Was he planning to kill Jacob or someone else in the family?)

12. After the trial, was it possible for the family to return to normal?  What do you think they should have done with the rest of their lives?

13. What do you think really happened to Ben?  To Hope?

14. Were you able to understand Laurie’s decision at the end of the novel?  What else could she have done?

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