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?

Broken Country, by Clare Leslie Hall

 

Characters

Beth Frank Johnson – husband, owns farm Bobby – son, died when hit by tree Jimmy – Frank’s brother Nina – Jimmy’s wife, bartender Grace – daughter born while Frank in jail   David – Frank and Jimmy’s father   Gabriel Wolfe – novelist, Beth’s former boyfriend Wife -living apart Leo – son Rocket – dog, shot by Jimmy after killing two lambs on the farm Tessa and Edward – Gabriel’s parents   Eleanor Kennedy – Beth’s sister, lawyer   Helen – Beth’s best friend   Flora Hughes – reporter, wrote about Beth and Gabriel’s relationship

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from the 2025 hardback edition.

1.      What did you think after you read the first page?  Was it a good introduction?  Did it make you want to keep reading?

2.      Was it realistic for Beth and Gabriel to think they could keep their relationship a secret?

3.      Discuss Beth.  How did she rationalize what she was doing with both Frank and Gabriel?  Was she just fooling herself to make herself feel better?

4.      Was the author convincing when she was describing Beth’s feelings and how she was drawn to and loved both Frank and Gabriel?

5.      Who was at fault the day Bobby died?  Anyone?  Everyone?

6.      When Bobby was nine, the family invited his entire class to a party on the farm at the end of summer.  One activity that was heavily supervised was target shooting with air rifles.  One boy who did not fit in well with the class pretended to shoot his classmates.  Why did the Johnson’s think this was an appropriate activity for nine-year-olds?  Was there anything they could do to prevent what happened?

7.      The details of the trial and the crime were revealed very slowly by the author. As you were reading, what different scenarios did you think had happened?

8.      Did you like that there were so many unanswered questions as the story developed: who was on trial, what had happened to Bobby

9.      When Jimmy broke into Gabriel’s Saturday evening, Beth stayed hidden with Leo.  If she had confronted Jimmy, would that have changed anything?

10.  As you were reading, did your idea change as to what had really happened?  Were you surprised to find out the answer?

11.  What did you think of the end and the sacrifice Frank made?  Why do you think he did that?  The author wrote, “Saving Leo was really a way of saving himself” (page 299).  Did this make sense to you?

12.  Frank did not want Beth or Grace to visit him in prison, so he did not see them for years.  He wrote to Beth, “I have this picture in my head and it’s the thing that sustains me, every single day.  I imagine myself coming back to the farm one bright, spring afternoon…That’s when I see you with Grace, for the very first time” (page 297).   Did you understand his reasoning?

13.  Gabriel and Leo visited Frank almost monthly.  Gabriel asked Beth’s permission to tell Leo that Bobby was his brother.  The author wrote, “And everything was about Bobby, really, when you dug deep enough” (page 299).   Did this tie the novel together for you?  How?

14.  Did you like the organization of the novel: 1968, Before, the daily details leading up to the shooting, The Trial and then after?

15.  Discuss your reading experience.  Did the novel keep your interest?  I was reading quickly to find out what happened and then had to reread the last 75+ pages to be sure I fully understood the story.

Small Town Sins, by Ken Jaworosky

 

Characters
Nathan Stultz	Callie	Andy
Paula – wife, nurse Lee Lee Roland – affairs, teenager and as an adult   Saved man from burning building Found bag of money	Disfigured at birth Nurse   Gabriella – patient, dying, parents don’t want medicine	Kate – wife, suicide to be with Angie Angie – daughter, Down’s Syndrome, died   Danny – teenage friend who kept him somewhat straight Sophie – younger sister   Father Glynn – child predator, notebooks of photos

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from the 2023 paperback edition.

Nathan:

1.      Did you understand Nathan’s motivation for keeping the money?  Was he in general an honest man?

2.      When he went to the hospital to harm the man he rescued, were you surprised that Paula let him in?  Why do you think she did so?

3.      What did you think about the ending of this story with Paula trying to commit suicide?

Callie:

4.      Do you think Callie surprised herself with all of the crazy things she did on the trip to show Gabriella the ocean?  Would she have been able to do these things on a regular day?

5.      When Callie and Gabriella were talking about kindness, Gabriella asked Callie, “Do you think you should always be a nice person, every single minute of the day, even if you don’t want to be?  And if you don’t want to be nice, but you act nice, is that a kind of lie?” (page 45).  What did you think about this idea?

Andy:

6.      Andy’s best friend, Danny, worked to ensure that his sister, Sophie, could succeed in school and go to college.  All that changed when she was beaten and raped by Slee, who Danny had let into the house with drugs.  When Danny and Andy when to confront Slee and kill him, Danny ended up killed instead.  How did all of this effect Andy and his life?

7.      Andy stole the briefcase from Father Glynn’s car because he thought it contained money.  Instead, he found pornography.  He decided at that moment to kill Father Glynn along with himself.  Was this a positive or negative purpose for his life?

General:

8.      When Callie and Gabriella where driving to ocean, Gabriella said to Callie, “It’s always those little things, huh?’ (page 217) referring to the small memories and joys we have in life.   What “little things” were there in the stories that brought people joy?

9.      Would the characters’ lives have been different it they had lived in a more prosperous location with more opportunities?

10.  How do you think the stories ended?  Did Gabriella make it back to the hospital?  What happened to Callie?  Did Paula survive?  Did Andy commit suicide or decide to live after he heard Angie telling him, “Daddy: The best part about tomorrow is that there will be more things to love,’ (page 245)?

11.  What did you find hopeful or positive in the novel?

12.  What was your reading experience?  Was there any point when you thought you might stop reading?  Were you tempted to skip to the end to see how everything concluded?

13.  Was there any connection among the three stories?  Were you expecting the story lines to somehow converge at some point?  What do you think the author’s creative and thought process was?

14.  This book received a 3.9-star rating on Goodreads and 4.2 on Amazon.  How would you rate the book?  Why?

 

Buckeye, by Patrick Ryan

 

Characters
Cal Jenkins	Margaret Anderson Salt
Cal Jenkins – exempt from serving in military in WWII due to leg deformity, Civilian Defense Corp.   Becky – wife, able to connect people with loved ones through voices   Cal Maurice Jenkins Jr. “Skipper» - son, died in Viet Nam   Everett – father   Ida and Roman Hanover – Becky’s parents   Casey LaGrange – pretended to be writing a book about psychics	Margaret - Left at Open Arms Orphanage, multiple foster homes   Lydia Verts – live-in administrator, gave Margaret responsibilities at orphanage   Moved to Columbus, met Felix and married, eventually moved to Bonhomie   Felix – unknowingly gay   Felix entered Navy, unable to fly because of color-blind, survived sinking of ship while many died including Augie (romantic partner)   Bishop – veteran, part of veterans group met over lunch to share stories, later a relationship with Felix   Margaret kissed Cal when end of war announced on radio – began affair   Thomas Aquinas Salt – Felix or Cal’s son?

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from the 2025 hardback edition.

1.      Did you gain any insight into what it was like during WWII?  For example, letters were delayed months, information blacked out, Felix’s R and R was over before Margaret even knew it was happening. 

2.      Felix’s letters became more impersonal as their separation continued.  Their separation was so long that Margaret felt she had “lost the sense of him” (page 153).  They were separated for over two and a half years.  Do you think this was normal during WWII?  Was there anything they could do to reestablish their relationship?

3.      Did the book give you any insight into what it was like to serve and then return home during WWII?  After Felix was home and trying to return to his former life he often felt like “that version of himself had gone down with the Teague.  In fact, it was as if all versions of Felix Salt had gone down with the Teague except for this one, this carapace of a guy with his eye set on nothing” (page 248).

4.      Discuss Margaret’s challenges as a mother.  She felt as “if he (Tom} were always playing a game with her, but she never knew what the game was” (page 243).  How could she know what to do given her childhood in the orphanage?

5.      Given her experience of being abandoned by her own mother, how do you think she rationalized doing the same to her own child?

6.      Did you think Felix thought of himself as gay, even after his relationship with Augie?  Given the time frame of the novel, was this normal?

7.      Augie told Felix a quote from Thomas Aquinas, “The things that we love tell us what we are” (page 247).   How does that apply to the different characters in the book?

8.      Do you think Skip and Tom should have been told they were half-brothers, especially when Skip joined the Marines and was in harm’s way?  Was there a good time when this could have happened?

9.      Discuss the various characters and how their experiences in life impacted their choices.  For example, was there any way Margaret and Felix’s marriage could have survived?

10.  Did you like the ending focusing on Cal and Becky?

11.  The story starts in 1920 and ends around 1976.  Did it provide a good history of our country?  Multiple important events were referenced such as Pearl Harbor, FDR dying, the killings at Kent State, and the draft lottery in December 1969.  Did the author’s description seem true to you, especially the way he described the wars and their impact on those at home and those who served? 

12.  Discuss your reading experience. What things mentioned did you recognize?  For example, Lazarus Department Store, Laura Engles Wilder, Zane Grey novels.

 

The Pioneers, by David McCullough

 

1783 Paris Peace Treaty – all land west of Allegheny Mountains to Mississippi River belong to the United States

1787 – 1794

Rev. Manasseh Cutler – one of the driving forces of the passage of the Northwest Ordinance Jervis Ephraim, and Charles – sons who went west 1800 – elected to Congress   Northwest Ordinance – 1787 – Conditions for statehood: freedom of religion, emphasis on education, no slavery   Bunch of Grapes Gathering: General Rufus Putnam Ohio Company of Associates – Putnam chair   1788 – First pioneers – 48 men in 2 groups – skilled tradesmen Jervis Cutler – Rev. Cutler’s son Leaders – Major Haffield White and General Rufus Putnam   First fort – Fort Harman – housed 864 people, originally built to protect Indians from illegal settlers   First settlers: Dr. Jabez True – medical doctor Paul Fearing – attorney Mary Owens – first female, nurse General Authur St. Clair – first governor of Northwest Territory Rev. Manasseh Cutler   First families: 36 total people General Benjamin Tupper, wife, 5 children, 2 grandchildren Four other families   Dec. 1790 – Rufus Putnam wrote to President Washington about Indian attack concerns   1791 January 2 - first Indian attack on settlers May 3 – Congress addressed problem Arthur St. Clair put in command of army, hoped for 2,000 troops – mostly men pulled off streets and from jails   Indians – Little Turtle, Miami war chief; Blue Jacket, Shawnee war chief; Tecumseh, scout, Sharnee warrior   Nov. 4 – Indians attacked St. Clair ordered retreat, wounded left behind, 1094 killed or wounded out of 1400 1792 New commander – General “Mad Anthony” Wayne   August 1794 Overwhelming victory   August 1795 Treaty of Greenville – Indians confined to certain areas

1795 - 1814

Ephraim Cutler- June 1795 he and family went to Ohio Children Hezekiah and Mary died on trip west 1799 – Established new settlement in Waterford Sally Parker – second wife, 5 children Brothers Jervis and Charles joined him in Ohio   Harman Blennerhassett – very rich, built house on island Margaret – wife (also his niece) Wrote “The Querist” column that promoted western independence from the Union   Jospeh Banker – shipbuilder   1803 – Ohio became the 17th state – first in the Northwest Territory   1803 – Chapman family – son Johnny became Johnny Appleseed   1804 – Ohio University established in Athens, Ohio   1805 - Colonel Aaron Burr visited Blennerhassett who paid for all of Burr’s plans Wanted to build ships, recruit men and take over Mexico   Dr. Samuel Hildreth – stayed in Marietta Worked with Dr. Jabez Tru During fever epidemic in 1807 few of his patients died   During this period, Marietta successful in shipbuilding and rope-works Embargo Act of 1807 stopped shipbuilding

1815 - 1863

1816 – Indiana became a state 1818 – Illinois became a state   1934 - 1935 – Marietta College founded   Ephraim Cutler – in state legislature, promoted public school systems, against slavery   1824 - Rufus Putnam died – supporter of higher education; helped establish Marietta’s first school, church, and bank; against slavery Dr. Benjamin Silliman – “prominent and influential scientific American during the first half of the nineteenth century” (page 234), raised money for art gallery at Yale   Marietta one of main stops on Underground Railroad   1852 – Harriet Beecher Stowe – published Uncle Tom’s Cabin, lived in Cincinnati for 17 years

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from 2019 paperback edition.

1.      Initially the western territory was thought to be a wonderful, safe, and prosperous place.  Would you have gone out west with your family?

2.      When the Indians were attacking the settlers around 1790 and the families were told to come to the fort for safety, one mother would not leave her house until it was straightened up (page 95).  Did you understand her actions?

3.      So many visitors disapproved of how the Indians were treated and forced to move to remote locations.  What might have been the alternatives?

4.      Did you enjoy the details presented in the book?  I had a hard time deciding which people to include in my chart!

5.      Besides Aaron Burr and Johnny Appleseed, were you familiar with any of the people in the book before reading it?

6.      On that same topic, have you ever heard of Manasseh Cutler or Rufus Putnam?  They were very instrumental in several areas.  One newspaper upon Cutler’s death wrote that he was “a pioneer in a new country, not merely a pioneer in science, but a pioneer for truth and civilization in every form” (page 201).   Why do you think we never heard of them?

7.      The author mentioned at least twice that Harman Biennerhassett had married his niece.  Did that matter to the story?

8.      On page 225 McCullough wrote that one thing that amused “first-time visitors was the range and oddities of local expressions and vocabulary to be heard on all sides” (page 225).  Two expressions included were “crick” for “creek” and “red up” (obviously misspelled!) for “tidy up.”   Do you use any of these expressions?

9.      If you are from, or living in, Pittsburgh, did that add to your enjoyment and understanding of the book?

10.  Discuss your reading.  Did you enjoy this book?  Are you happy that you read it?  If so, why?