Kristina’s Comments (group member since Aug 31, 2011)

Kristina’s comments from the Key West Library group.

I read Eat, Pray, Love for different reasons than most. But what a bonus the first section was--yum! I was even able to get my ex-chef husband to read (and enjoy) the book as I kept reading "foodie" sections to him. (And the movie--meh.)

It’s time for One Island One Book 2014 our fifth annual “let’s all read the same book” event.
This year Key West reads Killing Mister Watson by Peter Matthiessen
Drawn from fragments of historical fact, Matthiessen's masterpiece brilliantly depicts the fortunes and misfortunes of Edgar J. Watson, a real-life entrepreneur and outlaw who appeared in the lawless Florida Everglades around the turn of the century.
The events:
Wednesday February 12th at 5 p.m.: Book Bites Book Club will discuss Killing Mister Watson
Tuesday February 25th at 3:30 p.m. Book Bites Book Club will discuss Killing Mister Watson at the FKCC Library. All are welcome!
Thursday February 27th The Café con Libros program features Monroe County Historian Tom Hambright discussing the history behind Matthiessen’s novel. The program starts at 9:30 with a social hour (and coffee, tea and treats). The program starts at 10 a.m.
Events take place at the Key West Public Library 700 Fleming Street unless otherwise noted.
Any questions call or email Kristina at the Key West Library
305-292-3595
Neihouse-kris@monroecounty-fl.gov

A month devoted to The Hunger Games
Wednesdays at 5:00 at the Key West Library!

Nov. 13 – Book Bites Book Club discusses The Hunger Games, the first book in the trilogy that went from a Young Adult phenomenon to a widespread blockbuster.

Nov. 20 – Book Bites Book Club discusses Catching Fire, the second book in the trilogy – two days before the theater release of the film version.

(Don't worry, there will be NO SPOILERS allowed!)

All remaining discussion questions...if anyone is interested.
6. Jack is famous for telling stories. Is there a difference between the stories Jack tells to Annie and the ones he tells to the people he’s conning? Are stories necessarily lies?
7. Jack promises to leave Annie a million dollars. Of all the promises he made, and broke, he keeps this one. Why does he keep this particular promise? Is this the one promise Annie would have chosen for him to keep? Which promise that Jack broke do you think Annie would have traded for this one?
8. Like the puzzle at Pilgrim’s rest, there are many different pieces of Annie’s life that have to come together before she feels fulfilled. In the end, it was Dan who put the final pieces together, who helped her make her life complete. What do you believe it takes to make a life complete and fulfilling?
9. Annie said of her father, “He’s a crook. That’s a fact.” to which Raffy replied, “Facts have nothing to do with this.” Is Jack really just a criminal, or is there more to him than Annie wants to admit? What kind of person do you think Jack really is?
10. Look at the family history, as told by Kim, in chapter 6, from “The Boss” to Annie, what traits do all the Peringrine’s have in common? Are there any exceptions? What traits are shared by your family? Are there any exceptions in your family?
11. Sam tells Clark that she wants Annie to be happy, “Fall in love and be happy,” she says. Does falling in love necessarily make people happy? Did it make Annie happy?
12. Annie spends much of the novel wondering about her father and her ‘real’ mother, even though she has Sam and Clark. Who is Annie’s family? How do you define family? Who makes up the family that you have chosen for yourself?
13. What’s your opinion of Brad? Does the manner of his death affect your view of him?
14. Sitting at La Loca, Annie goes through her father’s old business cards and admits that she loved him just as much as everybody else who had fallen for his schemes, and that “love was the biggest con there was.” Did Jack con Annie and the rest of his family? Do you agree that love is a con? When have you felt conned by love?
15. Look at Clark and D.K’s reaction to Annie joining the Navy. Both of them are veterans of the Vietnam War with vastly different experiences and feelings towards the military. How has that affected their views of world? If you know anyone who was or is in the military, how has that service affected their world view?
16. When Jack covered up his father’s murder with the fake suicide note, was he really protecting Sam? Or was it about protecting his mother or himself? What would you have done in the same situation? In what situations would you consider it acceptable to evade or lie to the authorities?
17. Our history can shape who we are as people. Jack and Sam came through a very sad and abusive childhood to grow into very different people. How has your childhood shaped your present? Do you have siblings that grew up with you, but turned out to be very different from yourself? Why do you think that is?
18. Annie had been searching for her mother all her life, while Ruth never knew she had a daughter. What do you think Ruth and Annie were feeling as they sat across from each other at that table in Cuba? How do you imagine you would have felt in Annie’s shoes? In Ruth’s?
19. Annie, Sam, Clark, and Jack all face death or abandonment at some point in their lives. Sam takes comfort in movies, Annie in speed. How has death affected each character’s approach to his or her own life? Have you experienced a traumatic loss that drastically affected your approach to your life? In what ways did you behavior change after that loss?
20. Look at the different ways Sam and Annie respond to the news that Jack might be dying. Compare them to the family of Coach Ronny Buschstabe, whose funereal Annie accidentally attended. Which family do you relate more closely with? Is there a “normal” way to grieve?
21. Annie started this story at 90mph in her Porsche and ended it walking down the aisle and then standing at a grave. What happened to make Annie slow down in life? What events have occurred in your life to encourage you to take things a little slower? Did you always recognize those events or people at the time?

3. Who does Jack love? How does he show it? How do other characters in the book demonstrate love in different ways? How do the important people in your life demonstrate love? How do you show that you care about someone?
4. When Annie is 17 her father comes to visit and wants her to come and meet him the night before she leaves for Paris but she refuses. Why doesn’t she go? Would you have gone in that situation?
5. How does forgiveness play a role in Annie’s relationship with her father? How does forgiveness play a role in all relationships? Which of your relationships requires the most forgiveness?

i agree!

2. Raffy said, “That’s Jack’s gift. To make you feel it. He was an artist…He did it for art.” Do you agree or disagree? Could Jack be considered an artist? Do you think that was why he did what he did?

I found them similar in that they both go for what they want. It's just Annie's goals are less self destructive than Jack's.

So here begins our "Ediscussion" of Four Corners of the Sky by Michael Malone. Please comment at any point to any question that intrigues you. I'll post one question every day or so...
1. Do you think Annie and her father are at all alike?

Let's try something new!
This ebook is now available from the Monroe County Public Library. This is being promoted as a "Big Library Read," a "Worldwide Book Club."
For more information about the program go to: www.keyslibraries.org
To download the book with your MCPL Library Card go to: http://estuff.keyslibraries.org

Starting in early June I will post one discussion question a day on here, on my blog and on facebook, both my personal page and the Key West Library page. You can participate at any time, day or night, or three weeks from now!

The Reading Group Guide is available here:
http://www.sourcebooks.com/reading-gr...
or at the end of the ebook.


Happy Reading!!

Enjoyed it much more on the second reading. Also I was not expecting an arching story--you know one with a Beginning, Middle and End. This time I read it more as a series of essays with the common theme of orchids. And as I’ve stated before I just love books that emphasize the weirdness that is South Florida and I think this book does that very well!

Comment here or if you're around stop by the Library for our in person discussion Thursday December 13th at 4:30.

So sorry I will miss this!

I plan on starting my re-read of this book over the weekend!

We will be discussing this book at the Key West library on Thursday November 10th at 4:30. If you cannot make it to the library start discussing the book here or on the Book Bites blog: www.bookbitesbookclub.blogspot.com

I ended up really enjoying this book, and this surprised me. I was having such a hard time reading the print version but once I started the audio book I just loved it (other than the fact that there was only one reader for both Ethan and Joan.)
I found the character development very interesting. My opinion of Ethan changed slowly as the novel progressed while my opinion of Joan slowly changed from interest to annoyance than back to interest.
This is a great book not only as a work of fiction but also as a work that has produced a great interest in early American history.
I highly recommend it!

I was struggling to read this book. But a few days ago I started to listen to the audio book and the struggle is over! There have been quite a few books that I've listened to and thought "I would have put this down by now if it were a print book." The reader is very entertaining as Ethan Saunders; I missed a lot of his humor in print. I must say they should have gotten a female reader for Joan but her chapters are still enjoyable. She is not one of my favorite characters. Also, all the books and DVDs on early American history I've reading and viewing helped to spark my interest in the characters and setting. I just upped my review by a star!