The Extraordinary Life Of Sam Hell Book Club Discussion Questions

Read synopsis here.

Discussion Questions:

1. Sam’s mother told him that he was given extraordinary eyes because he was going to lead an extraordinary life. What do you think of her approach to his condition of ocular albinism?

2 .”God did not make you different, Fernando. He made you special.“

Sam teaches the same lessons to Fernando as his mother did for him. Do you think that we are like our parents? That we become like them in our old age? Have you said things that your parents said to you?

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Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We wish you the best time over the holidays to spend time with you family and friends and a few books!

If you’re looking to do last minute shopping, check out our link for some best selling books on the largest online retailer. (Any purchases bought through this link will support Arlene’s Book Club and at no extra cost to you).

We will be back in January with our suggested monthly book club reads.

Cheers!

From Arlene’s Book Club

Girl, Woman, Other Book Review

Book review by Dinh.

5 out of 5 stars

Read summary here.

Review:

To be honest, I have not heard of Bernadine Evaristo’s book Girl, Woman, Other that won the Booker Prize 2019. One of our readers recommended it and we took a look.

The book’s jacket blurb piqued our interest – themes of identity intersected with black British women set in Britain! That’s right up my alley!

Going in and not knowing what to expect, I was surprised how much I ended up enjoying it.

Here’s what I loved about the book and why you should check it out:

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Girl, Woman, Other Book Club Discussion Questions

Read Girl, Woman, Other book review

Discussion Questions:

1. Were you surprised by the lack of grammar in the book? Did you like the style of writing? Did the lack of grammar impede on your reading experience? What do you think the author was trying to achieve in not using grammar?

2. The book had twelve main characters each with their own stories. Did you find find it confusing or were you able to follow the thread of the book? What did you think of the format?

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The Book Woman Of Troublesome Creek Book Review

Book review by Dinh.

5 out of 5 stars
Read synopsis here.

Review:

I was very keen on reading The Book Woman Of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson after reading the blurb on the back. I have never heard about the blue-skinned people of Kentucky nor Roosevelt’s Kentucky Pack Horse Library program and was intrigued!

My interest was also piqued by the controversy surrounding The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and Jojo Moyes’ book The Giver of Stars. Some claiming that there was ‘plagiarism’ going on. I am not sure what all the fuss was about but facts are that Moyes book came out only five months after Richardson’s. Both books are set in Kentucky and about the Pack Horse Librarians. The story line between the two books are not at all similar.

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The Book Woman Of Troublesome Creek Book Club Discussion Questions

Read synopsis here.

Discussion Questions:

1. Before reading The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek did you know about the Kentucky Pack Horse program that was introduced in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration (WPA)? Did you know about the blue-skinned people of Kentucky? Did it pique your interest that you did some research about the topics?

2. The WPA raison d’etre was to to help create jobs and improve economic recovery in the Great Depression. The women’s work programs such as the Pack Horse Librarian was a result of that goal. Do you think that the Pack Horse Librarian program helped the people in the remote area of the Appalachians? What changes did you notice? Do you think today’s library programs are essential for the community?

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Next Year In Havana Book Review

Book review by Dinh.

3.5 Stars

Read synopsis.

Review:

The cover of Next Year In Havana by Chanel Cleeton is just beautiful! Who wouldn’t want to read a book with such an enticing book cover?

I read some great reviews on Next Year In Havana and was excited to see if it lived up to its hype.

Although I enjoyed the book – it was good but not great – I thought that it was a fluffy romance with an interesting setting. (Cuba.)

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