A Better Book Club

Movie poster from 1932  (Universal Pictures) "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe published in Graham's Magazine in 1841.  It has been described as the first modern detective story.   1. The title of the story is "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," but the narrator spends nearly the first third of the story on chess players, whist players, and Chantilly the comic/tragic actor.  What is the purpose of this long introduction to Dupin's method?   What would be the effect of jumping right into the murder plot? 2. In explaining his logic for his "tales of ratiocination" , Poe talks about presenting clues for the reason to reason along with his protagonist.  Do we have the clues we need to solve this mystery before the sailor appears to explain all?   What is the purpose of presenting so much detail to the reader (e.g., the three spoons of metal d'Alger , the four gold Napoleons, etc.) that will never reappear in the story

  Questions for Discussion 1. Why is Frannie taught to read? What makes reading such a powerful skill that it was denied to slaves? Why does Phibbah, a slave like Frannie, plead with Miss-bella not to teach Frannie? How does the ability to read change her? 2. Consider all the literary allusions throughout the book. What does each work bring to the novel? In what ways might Voltaire’s Candide or Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein be particularly relevant? Why do you think Moll Flanders is so important to Frannie? 3. How does Frannie navigate and survive the brutal, oppressive ignorance of slavery? What are the particularly important decisions she is forced to make? How does she bear the extreme anger and grief that result from such oppression? 4. What explains the base and sadistic drive and methods of John Langton? What ethical limits to scientific inquiry does he ignore? 5. Despite mistreatment and manipulation, Frannie admits that “there was love as well as hate” for Miss-bella. What do you

Yeah, this door would take a long time to describe.   Welcome to the Name of the Rose discussion! Buckle up your saddles, you're in for a wild ride.  1a. Eco has described the first 100 pages of the novel as a “penitential obstacle”; in terms of Dante, if you endure the purgatory of the first day (if you get all the way up Mount Purgatorio), you’ll enter Paradise.  Well, not really.  But you will be ready for the rest of the book.  He’s training you as a reader. Did you feel that 100 pages like the purgatory he planed?  1b.Adso is with William because his father wants him kept out of trouble and out of the way of the fighting, and also (unstated) so that Adso doesn’t become a hostage.  Adso’s father is nobleman fighting for the emperor; therefore, our naive and earnest narrator would be a valuable tool in the hands of his father’s enemies.  Adso is represented as an old man recalling events of many years ago. Does he seem to be a reliable narrator? Does Eco ever give us cause to do

Way back in time to the start of our journey through mystery, time and place, we arrive in Italy of 1327. The Name of the Rose takes place in an Italian monastery. It was the author's debut  novel and it came out in the 1980's. Who's ready to get their Tonsure haircut?  ( Tonsure (/ˈtɒnʃər/) is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word tōnsūra (meaning "clipping" or "shearing"[1]) and referred to a specific practice in medieval Catholicism, abandoned by papal order in 1972. Tonsure can also refer to the secular practice of shaving all or part of the scalp to show support or sympathy, or to designate mourning. Current usage more generally refers to cutting or shaving for monks, devotees, or mystics of any religion as a symbol of their renunciation of worldly fashion and esteem.) Oh shoot, it was discontinued in 1972.  Check out this group of

Imagine a year where everything is backwards, upside down, different and strange...welcome to 2020, and Season 8 of our book club. This year and our future is a mystery, so our theme this season if very thematically appropriate.  First with the changes to the rules for this season: 1. Due to Covid-19 and uncertainty surrounding the near future, we have decided to make our meetings for this season virtual (barring any significant changes to the world we are currently living in) 2. The meetings will be held monthly instead of by-monthly, usually on the third or fourth Saturday of the month, at 3:15 OK, now for the fun stuff, like our schedule!  I went through the winning titles and found some interesting time/setting themes. The majority of our books are set in the 1800's, which is a neat byproduct theme. So I have arranged the books in order of their setting in time chronologically.  Additionally, I picked up this 'Crack the Case' mystery puzzle book for us while waiting aro

Ghosted 1. Have you ever ghosted someone, or been ghosted yourself? How did you handle it? What happened? 2. How should Sarah have handled Eddie’s disappearance? Was she right to keep searching for him, or should she have left it alone? 3. What do you make of Sarah and Reuben’s marriage? Do you think they were a good fit for each other when they met, or was their match doomed to fail no matter what? Did they behave well toward each other? What advice would you have given them? 4. There are a number of relationships in the book, and all are written with nuance and complexity. Do you see yourself in how the characters interacted with one another? Why do you think Eddie’s relationship with his mother was so tense? Could Sarah have been a better friend to Jenni? 5. Technology plays a significant role in the book and Sarah’s constant addiction to checking her phone takes a toll on her mental health. Do you think it’s important that Sarah had the option to try to track down Eddie? Why or why