Wild Dark Shore, by Charlotte McConaghy

 

Characters
Rowan Hank Jones – husband, biology professor at NYU Rowan’s siblings – Liv, Jay, River (drowned when she was watching him)   Dominic Salt “Dom” Claire – wife, deceased Raff – oldest child, violin player, plays whale sounds Fen – swims and stays with seals Orly – 9 years old   Shearwater Global Seed Vault in Antarctica   Scientists: Hank – senior botanist – research into adapting plants to climate change Alex Tom – Alex’s brother, meteorologist doctor
Animals	Plants
Seals – King Brown, Silver, Freckles Penguins – gentoos (babies) Whale – Raff plays whale songs on violin Humpback whales – protected dead baby gray whale from orcas - empathy Albatross – circles globe three times a year, spreads buzzing burr Giant petrels Sooty shearwaters – birds, follow whales	Dandelions – food for many insects and birds, considered a weed Buzzy burr – depend on animals for survival, hook onto fur for transport Mangrove seeds Pitcher plants – eat insects Wollemi pine Banksia plant – only in Australia

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from the 2025 hardback edition.

1.      This book had fewer characters than many books we have read.  Did you like that?  Could it have worked if the author had added more characters?

2.      As you were reading, what did you think happened to Hank?

3.      How was the information about Rowan and Hank’s house burning to the ground important to the story line?

 4.      There were many hints, especially in the first 100 pages, about what had happened.  For example, early on Dominic cleans up blood (page 13), all the communication equipment was broken (page 48), last three emails from Hank (page 94), and Dom thinks he has to warn the kids who Rowan really is and that she is a liar (page 68).  Did this add to your reading?

5.      Were you surprised that it was Orly who broke all of the communication equipment?  Why did he do that?

6.      As you were reading, what did you think had happened and how the story would end?  For example, were you surprised that Rowan died saving Orly? 

7.      Did you like all of the information about plants and animals?  Which did you find particularly interesting?  How did this add to the story?

8.      Did reading Orly’s description of the importance of dandelions and how they feed many animals (pages 17 and 18) change the way you look at them as a weed?

9.      How do you think the surviving family members are going to fare once they get back to civilization?

10.  Did you find the end satisfying?  Why or why not? 

11.  Discuss your reading experience.  Did you enjoy the book?  How did you feel when you finished the book?

12.  Why do you think this book was chosen for Reese’s Book Club and also was at the top of the USA Today’s best books of 2025 list?

My Friends, by Fredrik Backman

 

Characters

The One of the Sea C. Jat – artist, first picture painted at age 14 Three figures: Joar, Ted, and Ali “C. Jat” stands for Christian, Joar, Ali, and Ted   Kim – “KimKim”  Parents divorced Dad – alcoholic, complained to friends about Kim and he could hear   Joar Mother – abused, a lot of gossip regarding the way she dressed, poor judgement Father – abusive to both wife and Joar, worked in factory, injured in accident   Ted Father died of cancer at age 14 Older brother – abused Ted Mother – worked nights to take care of Dad during day Ted became a history teacher, stabbed at school trying to protect a student   Ali Dad could not keep a job, moved a lot, mother deceased   Louisa – graffiti artist, in foster system, aged out at beginning of novel Mother left her with neighbors and never returned   Fish – Louisa’s friend, died   Christian – artist, temporary janitor at Kim’s school, encouraged Kim Mother – art history professor

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from the 2025 hardback edition.

1.      Discuss the various characters.  It took the author considerable time to tell their stories.  Did that add to your reading or not?

2.      Why were the four such good friends?  What did they get from the friendship that they were not getting in their family lives?

3.      When Ted and Louisa were on the train with the ashes and painting, Ted thinks, “…the artist was right.  She’s one of us” (page 119).  How do you think Louisa would have fit in with the four friends?

 

4.      The phrase “one of us” was used several times to describe the friends and Kim referred to Louisa with that phrase.  Christian told him mother he had found one on pages 216 and 408.  At the end of the book Louisa tells Ted she found one on her travels (page 433).  What qualities makes someone “one of us?”

5.      When Joar’s father was severely injured in a factory accident, the father’s friends seemed suddenly to feel guilty that they knew he was abusive to his family but never said anything.  Why did they suddenly feel guilty?

6.      Were there any sentences that resonated with you?  For example, if you have recently lost someone in your life, what did you think when you read “You don’t wish for happiness when you have lost the love of your life, because you can’t even imagine ever feeling happy again” (page 69).

7.      The author wrote that “Adults often think that self-confidence is something a child learns, but little kids are by their nature always invincible, its self-doubt that needs to be taught” (page 79-80).   Do you agree? 

8.      The author wrote that Christian “changed the world” (page 189) when he told Kim what his mother had told him: “‘All children are born with wings…It’s just that the world is full of people trying to tear them off…Only a few children escape.  But those children? They rise up to the skies’” (page 188).  How did this change Kim?

9.      Did you like all the quotes about art and the inclusion of various artists?  If you are not particularly interested in art, did they lead you to think about it a little differently?

10.  On page 77, Kim thought that “art isn’t chronological.”  This story was not told chronologically.  Did you like that?

11.  Ted wants his ashes scattered in a library because “you don’t have to put up with reality there” and “you can be among imaginary friends…sitting on the shelves and calling to you” (page 306).  What do your library director would think about this idea?

12.  Did you like how the story kept you guessing (at least for me) until the very end?

13.  Did you know right away who Christian’s mother was?

14.  Did you like the ending?  Were you surprised that Joar was still alive? 

15.  The author Donna Tartt is mentioned on page 306 as an author who “describes why a person falls in love with art: ‘It’s a secret whisper from an alleyway.  Psst, you.  Hey kid. Yes, you.’”   She is again mentioned in the Q and A in the back of the Barnes and Noble Book Club edition.   Why do you think she is the only living author mentioned?

16.  Did you like the last sentence?

17.  Would you recommend this book to a friend?  Why or why not?

Hamnet, by Maggie O'Farrell

 

Characters
Agnes Husband – Will, not named through most of novel Suanna – older sister Hamnet and Judith – twins   John – Will’s father, makes gloves, his father ousted from guild Mary – Will’s mother
Agnes’ family	Will’s family
Father – “former man of means” Rowan – mother, died giving birth to third child Bartholomew – brother, inherited farm Joan - stepmother, allowed to live on farm in will Six children – Caterina, Joanie, Margaret, Thomas, James, Richard   Falcon – Agnes’ pet, a kestrel, given to priest when married   Agnes able to see the future, could “read” people by pinching the area between their thumb and index finger	John – father, makes gloves Mary – mother Eliza – sister Anne – sister, died Two older sisters died before Eliza born Richard, Gilbert, Edmond - brothers

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from the 2020 paperback edition.

1.      On pages 140 – 151 the author tells how the plague of 1596 made its way to England.   Did you find this description interesting, plausible, scary?

2.      On pages 170 and 171 the author describes Susanna playing boat while sitting on the floor in a basket.  What did you think of this description?

3.      If you were Mary, what would you have thought of Agnes as a daughter-in-law?

4.      Did you like how Will is never mentioned by name throughout the novel?

5.      Agnes and Bartholomew conspire to send Will to Strafford because they feel he needs work, to feel useful.  Was this a good decision?  Would will have written what we suppose he did if he had stayed?

6.      Judith thinks her dad stays away because he is reminded of Hamnet when he looks at her.  Susanna was very kind and listed the ways she was different from her twin.  Why do you think Will stayed away from his family so much?

7.      Why didn’t Will tell Agnes about the subject of his new play?

8.      There were no chapter headings or signals that the author was changing times in the story.  Did you like this?  Did you have trouble figuring out where you were in the timeline?

9.      Did you like/enjoy this book?  Is there a difference between ”liking” a book and appreciating the writing?

Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

Characters
Joan Goodwin Barbara – younger sister Frances – Barbara’s daughter   Daniel – Barbara’s new husband   Joan on a space flight that launched in November 1984.	1979 – 1984 – NASA shuttle program
	Group 9 – new astronauts (total 16): Donna Fitzgerald John Griff Lydia Danes Vanessa Ford – aeronautical engineer and commercial piolet Joan Goodwin – astronomer   Antonio Lima – director of flight at Astronaut Office
Space Flight – December 1984
Navigator Spacecraft Crew: Steve Hagen – commander Hank Redmond – pilot Mission Specialists: John Griffin Lydia Danes Vanessa Ford   Mission Control: Joan Goodwin – CAPCOM Jack Katowski – Flight director Ray Stone – flight surgeon Greg Ullman – EECOM

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from the hardback edition.

1.      Discuss the various characters.  Did any of the others stick out to you besides Joan and Vanessa?

2.      Was there anything Joan could do to improve her relationship with Barbara?  Why couldn’t they understand each other?

3.      Did you learn anything about the space program?  What have you read previously about the program?  Do you have any specific memories about our space program?

4.      When Joan and Vanessa were astronaut candidates, everything they did was observed all of the time and all behavior recorded.   How would that feel?

5.      Did you understand Vanessa’s decision to risk her own life to try to save Lydia?

6.      Did you like the way the author inserted science in the text?  For example, when Barbara got engaged, the author wrote diamonds were not the strongest metal in the universe compared to the hardness of lonsdaleite from an asteroid that struck Earth in 1967.

7.      This story had multiple storylines.  Which ones stood out to you?  Did the author address each one in a thoughtful way?

a.      A love story between two women and the hardships faced in this time period as well as at NASA

b.      The difficulty of being a woman in the space program during the time of the novel  (The author specifically mentioned Sally Ride and the consequences if she had made a mistake on pages 223-224.)

c.      The physical and mental courage required of the astronauts

d.      The difficulty of being a single parent

e.      Sibling rivalry

8.      The author also addressed many deeper ideas and thoughts such as these.  Did anything else stand out to you?

a.      While Joan and others were in the plane experiencing weightlessness, she thought “Admitting you were afraid took more guts that pretending you weren’t…The world had decided that to be fallible was weak.  But we are all fallible.  The strong ones are the ones who accept it” (page 102).

b.      When Joan was on her flight, she and Harrison (crewmate) were looking down on earth and he said, “Hard to believe any one person has any significance…Human life is meaningless” but Joan was “overwhelmed with her own life’s meaning – and the fact that the only meaning it could have was the meaning she gave it” (page 280).

c.      When Vanessa’s brother was talking with her about what she is doing he said, “But if all I am doing with what I’ve learned is using it for myself, what kind of legacy is that?” (page 151).

9.      Discuss your reading experience.  Did you like that you had to read the entire novel to see how things turned out?  OR did you skip ahead the read the end at some point?

10.  The front of the book has the words “A Love Story” under the title.  Does that adequately describe the book?

The Address, by Fiona Davis

 

Characters
1884 – Sara Smythe	1985 – Bailey Camden
Theodore Camden – killed in the Dakota Minnie – wife Lulu and Luther – twins Emily - older sister Christopher – Sara and Theo’s son, adopted by family   The Dakota: Fitzroy – head porter Mr. Douglas – building agent Daisy Cavanaugh – assistant, stole from tenants to support her family Mrs. Haines – assistant and switch board Camden – architectural team Henry Hardenbergh – Camden’s boss   Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum   Nellie Brown – Nellie Bly	Bailey – Parson’s School of Design   Tristan – business partner in Diego Crespo design company, let Bailey go after she got out of rehab   Silver Hill - rehabilitation for drinking   Peggy and Jack – Bailey’s parents Christopher – Jack’s father, adopted as baby into Camden family   Melinda – friend Manvel – twin brother Theodore Camden – great-grandfather Tony – Melinda’s boyfriend   Kenneth Worley – Dakota tenant   Renzo – Dakota superintendent, AA meetings with Bailey

 

1.      When Bailey was doing research on the Dakota, she used a card catalogue and microfiche.   Do you remember using these when you were in school?

2.      What did you think about Melinda completely remodeling her apartment and getting rid of the original workmanship? 

3.      Given the times, was there anything Daisy could have done to support herself and her siblings?

4.      Did the addition of Nellie Bly (Nellie Brown) add to the story for you?

5.      We are familiar with the Dakota because of John Lennon’s murder.   Did this knowledge add to your reading experience?

6.      Did the author do a good job of describing Bailey’s addiction and recovery?  Were you able to understand her feelings?

7.      Did you guess the ending - that Melinda and Manvel were not Theo’s real relations and that, through her father, Baily was?

8.      What were the clues the author wrote that led to the unraveling of the mystery?  For example, Bailey resembled Sara in the photo she found.

9.      This book followed a current trend in fiction where the story bounces back and forth in time and between characters. Did you like the way this author handled the transitions?  Were you able to keep everything and everyone straight?

10.  What was your reading experience?  Did you enjoy the novel?

The Names, by Florence Knapp

 

Recurring Characters
Atkin family: Dr. Gordon Cora Maia “Bees” Bear/Julian/Gordon – 9 years younger than Maia		Silbhe – Cora’s mother, husband deceased Cain – boyfriend later in life   Mehri – Cora’s friend Fern -daughter
Timeline and Occurrences
Bear – born 1987	Julian – born 1987		Gordon – born 1987
Gordon arrested for murder: Pushed Vilaan through door
Bear – 1994	Julian – 1994		Gordon – 1994
	Cora killed by Gordon Children in Ireland living with Silbhe		Father asks him to “tell” on Cora
Bear – 2001	Julian – 2001		Gordon – 2001
Met Lily Atkins in school Maia with Charlotte	Cain – Silbhe’s boyfriend Julian learns silversmithing from him Maia told Cain family history		Maia – doctor of homeopathy Cora and Gordon to medical conference
Bear – 2008	Julian – 2008		Gordon – 2008
To Jordon on archeological dig	Making and selling jewelry Meets Orla Maia – to medical school		Works with computers and numbers – in banking – job not respected by father or grandfather   Silbhe died – Gordon did not tell Cora – hid inheritance from her
Bear – 2015	Julian – 2015		Gordon - 2015
Lily shot in nightclub, was supposed to go with Bear	With Orla - pregnant Maia – comes out as gay		Lost everything due to drinking   Regretted treatment of Lily in high school – she became Human Rights lawyer   Cora left Gordon four times
Bear – 2022	Julian – 2022		Gordon – 2022
Bear and Lily married Pearl -daughter Bear stung in attic and died   Gordon married with new family	Two daughters with Orla   Maia told Julian family history   Maia with Meg		Filmed father abusing Cora Working in art museum   With Comfort – met in 2019 Ida - daughter

 

1.      Besides the names, what other factors influenced the different scenarios in the three stories?

2.      How did each of the names influence the person the character became?

3.      Discuss the other characters in the stories.  How were they influenced by Gordon’s abuse? 

4.      Why did Gordon go along with his father as a youngster while Maia saw what was happening?  Was it because of the age difference or were there other factors?

5.      Discuss Gordon’s (the father) relationship with his own father (the grandfather).  How did that shape his life?  Why do you think he was unable to treat his own son any differently?

6.      Do you think Cora’s friend, Mehi, suspected what was going on?  Was there anything she could do if she did?

7.      Do you think Cora’s story is typical of an abused spouse?  Is there any typical story?  What did you think about the statistic Maia said, that the average number of times a wife leaves is seven before she is able to fully escape?

8.      Discuss your reading experience.  Did you read straight through, or did you follow each individual story?

9.      Did you like the Epilogue ?

10.  Does your family have any names handed down through the generations?  Do you think that generally this would be an honor?

11.  Does your name have any particular meaning that you know of?

Did your name influence your personality? Do you know anyone whose name did influence who they became?