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

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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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Next Year In Havana Book Club Discussion Questions

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Discussion Questions:

1. Before reading Next Year In Havana, did you know much about the political history of Cuba? Did you learn much? Did it make you want to learn more?

2. The novel goes back and forth between Eliza Perez life in the 1950s and her granddaughter’s Marisol Ferrera’s trip to Cuba in 2017. Which story line did you enjoy the most? Who did you identify with? Did you find their stories similar?

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The Midnight Library Book Review

Book review by Dinh.

4 stars

Review:

I was thrilled to read The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, which was the winner of Goodreads Choice Award for fiction

I had previously read How To Stop Time (which I enjoyed immensely), and The Radleys, by Haig so I knew his style of writing.

The Midnight Library has been a very popular read and is still being recommended by readers.

So, does it live up to its expectation? Is it worth checking out? The short answer is yes!

Here’s why you should check it out.

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The Midnight Library Book Club Discussion Questions

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Discussion Questions:

1. At the start of The Midnight Library, Nora was depressed and anxious and nothing was going right for her. She had so many regrets. Why do you think Nora turned to suicide? Why did she think this was her only option?

2. What did you think of Nora? How did you feel about her? Could you relate to her and what she was going through?

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Hamnet Book Review

Book review by Dinh.

4.5 stars out of 5 stars

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Review:

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell got our attention because its title name is interchangeable with Hamlet, which is a play written by William Shakespeare. I’m not a big Shakespeare fan but I’m familiar with the play Hamlet.

We chose to read Hamnet partly because Maggie O’Farrell is a new author to us and also because it’s an historical fiction about Shakespeare’s family.

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