A Better Book Club

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 a...

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...