BEATRICE AND VIRGIL by Yann Martel

Hope to see you Friday night, August 20th at my place (above the funeral home). Let me know if you need directions. dludwig@cogeco.ca or 905-689-6140. Here are some questions to consider:

1.What is Beatice and Virgil about?
2. Why do you thing Martel named both of his characters Henry?
3. Discuss the characters of Beatrice and Virgil. Why might Martel have chosen them to be a donkey and a howler monkely, and why might he have chosen to name them after Dante's guides through heaven and purgatory?
4. What do you think of Henry's original idea for his book? Do you agree with him that the Holocaust needs to be remembered in different ways, beyond the confines of "historical realism"?
5. Close to the start of the book, Henry (the writer) says, "A book is a part of speech. At the heart of mine is an incredibly upsetting event that can survive only in dialogue." (pg 12) What does this mean? How does his comment inform the book we are reading?
6. Describe the role of Flaubert's story," The Legend of Saint Julian Hospitator" plays in the novel.
7. How do you explain Henry's wife's reaction to the taxidermist and his workshop?
8. How do you feel about the play "A 20th Century Shirt"? Could it be performed? What role does it play in the book?
9. WHat moral challenges does Beatrice and Virgil present the reader with? What does it leave you thinking about?
10. How is writing like or unlike taxidermy in this book?
11. What role do Erasmus and Mendelssohn play in the novel?
12. What is the significance of Nowolipki Street?
13. How is Henry changed by the events of the novel? How does this relate to Beatrice and Virgil having "no reason to change" (pg 151) over the course of their play?

Choose Your Own Adventure!

Hi guys!

Remember when we were talking about Choose Your Own Adventure books and wondering if they still existed? Well, there's a wiki site: http://editthis.info/choose_your_own_adventure/. Apparently people can post their own stories here. I haven't had time to check it out...just thought it was cool:)

The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson

I'm looking forward to hosting our next Book Club meeting on July 16. And hoping you'll love this book as much as I did. Sort of perfect for North Country camping. If you manage to sneak some of that in before then...

Here are some discussion questions (I'm hoping they've downloaded okay. That you're able to read any of this at all is, I would think, a Very Positive Sign.)

1. How were you affected by the novel’s prologue? What did you discover about Arthur and Jake in this scene? How did your perceptions of the brothers change throughout the book?

2. How would you answer the questions that conclude the prologue? What accounts for the differences between those who follow the rules, like Arthur, and those who defy them? Which came more easily for you as an adolescent: obedience or defiance?

3. How were Jake and Arthur affected by their family dynamic? Did their mother pamper Jake too much? Did their father favor Arthur because he was easier to manage, or was Jake difficult to manage because of his father’s favoritism?

4. What was the effect of the novel’s timeline? How did it compare to your own experience of the continuum between present moments and memory? What parallels run between Ian’s life and Arthur’s?

5. Discuss the use of the headlines that open each chapter. What do they say about the local and global concerns of humanity? In what way were the headlines timeless, and in what way did they convey the unique attributes of this locale? What headlines would be most significant in marking the chapters of your life?

6. What is the significance of the two time periods in the lives of the characters? How were the Dunn brothers shaped by a youth of economic hardship and the presence of POWs? How was Ian shaped by an era of greater liberation, with television for entertainment and “risqué” music on the radio? What dreams for the future did each of these generations possess?

7. Discuss the nature of love and marriage as described in the novel. What made Jake so irresistible to Laura? What made Dr. Christopherson’s wife choose another man? Was Laura’s appeal strictly physical when she first moved to town? What is the riskiest romantic decision you have made?

8. How are the characters shaped by the novel’s setting? What do the natural surroundings of the town mean to them? What separates those who want to escape from those who bask in the town’s familiarity?

9. Why is Ian so transformed by the “day of the dragonflies” that concludes chapter nine? What did these memories mean to him?

10. Discuss the novel’s title. What does it mean for the characters to reach the other side of the bridge? Could Jake and Arthur ever be free of the wounds they inflicted on each other?

11. Who ultimately was responsible for Jake’s fall from the bridge? Who ultimately paid the price (literally, in terms of his medical bills, and figuratively as well)?

12. How did you react to the knowledge that Ian followed in his father’s footsteps after all? Did he make the right decision?

13. Laura confides in Arthur soon after meeting him, telling him she doesn’t believe that God cares about humanity (Chapter Ten). How would you have responded to her?

14. Discuss the cycles of tragedy conveyed in the Dunn family history, from the death of Arthur’s father to the closing scenes of Carter. How do characters cope with the concepts of fate versus intent? How do they cope with regret?

15. What common threads link the families in this novel to those in Crow Lake? What makes rural landscapes so appropriate for both of these storylines? Do you think people who grow up in cities feel the same passion for them as the characters in these two novels feel for the land?

16. If Matt Morrison, the brilliant and adored older brother in Crow Lake, had wandered into this book, which character do you think he would have had more in common with, Ian or Pete?

Books : That Old Ace in the Hole : Reading Group Guide

Books : That Old Ace in the Hole : Reading Group Guide

Here are some questions to think about while or after reading.

I hope to host Book Club here in Etobicoke. I hope that's ok. It's a bit of a drive for you guys.

We're at
28 Rossburn Dr.
Etobicoke ON
M9C 2P6


View Larger Map


Let me know if you need more help with directions.
See you on the 18th around 8.

Our next book, from the critically acclaimed author Annie Proulx, is That Old Ace in the Hole.
Did you know that Annie wrote Brokeback Mountain too? You can find it in her collection of short stories entitled, Close Range: Wyoming Stories. I think that might be a little too close range for me, if you know what I mean, but check it out if you're interested.
And please enjoy this book too.
I'll have more details on the location of the meeting closer to the date.

The Namesake

Here it is! Our pick for May is The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri! Pour a cup of Chai and enjoy!

Discussion Questions for The Book Thief

Just a quick reminder that we have book club this Friday April 16 at my house. 

1. Discuss the symbolism of Death as the omniscient narrator of the novel. What are Death’s feelings for each victim? Describe Death’s attempt to resist Liesel. Death states, “I’m always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both.” (p. 491) What is ugly and beautiful about Liesel, Rosa and Hans Hubermann, Max Vandenburg, Rudy Steiner, and Mrs. Hermann? Why is Death haunted by humans?



2. What is ironic about Liesel’s obsession with stealing books? Discuss other uses of irony in the novel.



3. The Grave Digger’s Handbook is the first book Liesel steals. Why did she take the book? What is significant about the titles of the books she steals? Discuss why she hides The Grave Digger’s Handbook under her mattress. Describe Hans Hubermann’s reaction when he discovers the book. What does the act of book thievery teach Liesel about life and death? Explain Rudy’s reaction when he discovers that Liesel is a book thief. How does stealing books from the mayor’s house lead to a friendship with the mayor’s wife? Explain how Liesel’s own attempt to write a book saves her life.



4. Liesel believes that Hans Hubermann’s eyes show kindness, and from the beginning she feels closer to him than to Rosa Hubermann. How does Hans gain Liesel’s love and trust? Debate whether Liesel is a substitute for Hans’s children, who have strayed from the family. Why is it so difficult for Rosa to demonstrate the same warmth toward Liesel? Discuss how Liesel’s relationship with Rosa changes by the end of the novel.



5. Abandonment is a central theme in the novel. The reader knows that Liesel feels abandoned by her mother and by the death of her brother. How does she equate love with abandonment? At what point does she understand why she was abandoned by her mother? Who else abandons Liesel in the novel? Debate whether she was abandoned by circumstance or by the heart.



6. Guilt is another recurring theme in the novel. Hans Hubermann’s life was spared in France during World War I, and Erik Vandenburg’s life was taken. Explain why Hans feels guilty about Erik’s death. Guilt is a powerful emotion that may cause a person to become unhappy and despondent. Discuss how Hans channels his guilt into helping others. Explain Max Vandenburg’s thought, “Living was living. The price was guilt and shame.” (p. 208) Why does he feel guilt and shame?



7. Compare and contrast the lives of Liesel and Max Vandenburg. How does Max’s life give Liesel purpose? At what point do Liesel and Max become friends? Max gives Liesel a story called “The Standover Man” for her birthday. What is the signifi cance of this story?



8. Death says that Liesel was a girl “with a mountain to climb.” (p. 86) What is her mountain? Who are her climbing partners? What is her greatest obstacle? At what point does she reach the summit of her mountain? Describe her descent. What does she discover at the foot of her mountain?



9. Hans Junior, a Nazi soldier, calls his dad a coward because he doesn’t belong to the Nazi Party. He feels that you are either for Hitler or against him. How does it take courage to oppose Hitler? There isn’t one coward in the Hubermann household. Discuss how they demonstrate courage throughout the novel.



10. Describe Liesel’s friendship with Rudy. How does their friendship change and grow throughout the novel? Death says that Rudy doesn’t offer his friendship “for free.” (p. 51) What does Rudy want from Liesel? Discuss Death’s statement, “The only thing worse than a boy who hates you [is] a boy who loves you.” (p. 52) Why is it diffi cult for Liesel to love Rudy? Discuss why Liesel tells Mr. Steiner that she kissed Rudy’s dead body.



11. How does Zusak use the literary device of foreshadowing to pull the reader into the story?



12. Liesel Meminger lived to be an old woman. Death says that he would like to tell the book thief about beauty and brutality, but those are things that she had lived. How does her life represent beauty in the wake of brutality? Discuss how Zusak’s poetic writing style enhances the beauty of Liesel’s story.