Skip to main content

Update on Season 8 - Strange, but Still Great


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 around at Loews last month. At the beginning of a new month's book, I will upload a puzzle that you can do if you want, and reveal the correct answer at the following book club meeting. If we can't have amazing food, at least we can have brain games. 

Ready to go on a mysterious virtual journey across time and space? Yes, of course we are! Here's our travel itinerary: 

1. August 22, 2020 - The Name of the Rose - Italy, 1327

2. September 19, 2020 - The Confessions of Frannie Langton - London, 1820

3. October 17, 2020 - Complete August Dupin Stories - Paris, 1840

4. November 21, 2020 - How Much of These Hills is Gold? - Gold Rush California, 1849

5. December 19, 2020 - Sherlokian - London, 1893/New York City, Modern Time

6. January 23, 2021 (!) - Opium and Absinthe - New York City, 1899

7. February 20, 2021 - In the Time of Butterflies -  Dominican Republic, 1960's/1994

8. March 20, 2021 - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime - England, 1998

9.  April 17, 2021 - The Guest List - Ireland, Modern Day

10. May 22, 2021- Devolution - Washington State, The Near Future 

I will post a simplified schedule as well on our main page so it is easy to access. 

Thanks for being flexible and willing to try this format for this season. Hopefully, by the start of season 9, we can go back to our original format. 

Take care of yourselves, Mystery Masters!


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

9.1 Light From Uncommon Stars Discussion Questions

1. What were your thoughts about this book as you discovered that there were both the Deal with Devil concept combined  with Aliens, alongside of the main character, Katrina, being revealed as transgender? And what about the donut shop? *** Den of Geek Interview: First, what brought together the two very different speculative fiction tropes—soul-bargaining and stargates—together into the same story for you? How did you create a universe in your head where both things worked without contradicting each other? Ryka Aoki: I respect both science fiction and fantasy, but I had honest intentions and reasons to mix them in  Light from Uncommon Stars . I was a little bit worried about how people would accept this—or not. But I’ve been thrilled with how readers have embraced and accepted this book. I think this book might resonate with readers because we  all  hold seeming contradictions. In the book, Shizuka Satomi mentions how great pieces of music contain such different-sou...

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

 A Better Book Club Questions-March 2023  Howl's Moving Castle  by Diana Wynne Jones General Discussion Questions 1.  The author, Diana Wynne Jones had written 30 fantasy books, many of them award-winning,  prior to writing Howl's Moving Castle.  Jones said the idea for the book came directly from a young child in a school she was visiting who asked her to write a story about a moving castle.   What is it about this particular story that even today, continues to resonate with the public, inspiring a much-revered animation film and companion soundtrack?   As an adult, did the story hold any magic for you?    2. The characters are related in many ways to each other. Which relationships are key to the book, in your opinion.  3. Why do you think the Witch of Waste chose to curse Sophie with old age instead of turning her into a turnip?   4. How does the fact of being prematurely aged affect Sophie and her perception ...

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

  Book Discussion Questions for October 21, 2023 Hitchhiker's Guide m akes fun of a lot of things, but are there any things that this book takes seriously? Are any of the characters treated seriously? Are any institutions (like businesses, governments, or churches) treated seriously? Or is everything made fun of here? Hitchhiker's Guide  is full of digressions and little stories that are set into the larger story. For instance, there's the story of the ballpoint planet in Chapter 21, or the story about Earth that Slartibartfast tells Arthur. Do you enjoy these digressions? Do they take away from the pacing of the story? Did you ever find it confusing to follow the many different plots and digressions going on? Or are some of these digressions just regular flashbacks that fill in information we need? Who do you think is the most important character in this book? Is there a hero/heroine here? Is there a character that you care about more than the others? Are there any villain...