A Christmas Carol

"Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead," said Scrooge. "But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you show me!"


I love to read this every year... something about the genius of the verbiage combined with the themes of the book (and the fact that I can hear muppets in my head saying the words along with me as I read) makes me feel like it is Christmas for sure!


As a play on the quote above, I was just wondering, if the ghosts of your past, present and future were to come to you today, what would you regret?  What would you be happy about seeing?  And what would you (after seeing the "big picture" of your life) want to depart courses from things that you are engaged in at the moment?


I think for me the one thing that I am not totally ecstatic about in my past and present life is how busy I get.  This last semester reached kind of a breaking point for me.  I had a ton that I was trying to juggle and I did juggle them successfully.  But at what cost?  I know that I was not as patient at home with my daughter and I know that I did not work on any of my most important relationships at all.  I have wonderful friends and family, but if I don't take time to enjoy them, I feel like it will get to a point where I will lose something extremely valuable in the exchange.  Don't get me wrong, I was doing things that I have wanted to do and am glad to say I have done them, but I think I was running faster than I had strength, if you will.  This is one thing in sitting down to reflect on the last year and making new resolutions for 2011 that I would really like to depart from and really take the time to just be and just breathe.  


Do any of you have new years resolutions?  Or was there any part of the book that spoke to you?


I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I do every year!  Merry Christmas!


"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach. Oh, tell me I may sponge away the writing on this stone!"

I am the Messenger

So... what did you think of I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak?  Was it better than The Book Thief?  In what way?  Don't you just love his writing style?

Catch 22 Review

We gave Catch 22 a

3 out of 5

The Actor and the Housewife

Have any of you read this book?  Below is my goodreads review.  But I'm curious, what did you guys think?

The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really have had a hard time knowing what to rate this book.

For the pros:  The dialogue really was very witty and at times I laughed out loud, and it was good enough that I actually finished it in not too long a time, which at this stage in my life is saying something.

However, I think I'll agree with some of the previously written reviews of the book that it was a little bit too much of the authors personal fantasy fleshed out in a book and it got a little ridiculous at points.

I love Shannon Hale and I salute her for doing something different, but it really didn't work completely although I enjoyed the ride for the most part.


View all my reviews

Catch 22

The following questions are from the Random House website

STARTING POINTS FOR YOUR DISCUSSION

1. Throughout the novel, scenes of unalleviated horror are interwoven with farcically comic scenes. How effective is this juxtaposition?
   
2. In what ways is Yossarian a typical literary hero? Would you class him as the novel's hero or its anti-hero?
   
3. Although Catch-22 is set in the Second World War, it was published at a time when America was going through great changes. To what extent do you think the novel provides a social commentary of the time in which it was written as well as of the era in which it was set? Are its issues still pertinent in today's society?
   
4. How do notions of power and bureaucracy function in Catch-22?
   
5. How do you react to the female characters? What role do they play in the narrative?
   
6. Catch-22 has a vast roll-call of hilarious characters. In what ways does Heller use them to develop his themes?

The Poisonwood Bible

I have heard great things about this book and it has been on my to-read list for a long time. I checked it out from the library to read for last month's book club book. I got about 60 pages in and I still wasn't getting interested in the book and, before I knew it, three weeks was up and it was time to return the book to the library. Has anyone else read this? Is it worth trying again and reading the whole thing, or should I move on to the next book? I hate leaving a book unfinished, but I just don't have as much time to read as I would like.

In another vein, I finally read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and I loved it. I wish I had read it when the discussion was happening on this blog!

Same Kind of Different as Me

Here are some questions to get the discussion started on Same Kind of Different as Me.


Consider these LitLovers talking points to help get a discussion started:

1. At the beginning of the book, what kind of person is Ron Hall? How would you describe him (how does he describe himself)? Why does he agree to volunteer at the homeless shelter, and what is his initial reaction in doing so?

2. Talk about the trajectory of Denver Moore's life. What events have landed him in the homeless shelter? Discuss the differences between his life and Ron Hall's. What is Denver's world view?

3. Talk about Deborah Hall? What inspires her life? What does she think of Denver Moore?

4. Eventually, Denver and Ron, two men who have lived vastly different lives, become close friends. What do the two see in one another? What draws them together?

5. What are the symbolic implications of the conversation about how white men fish, especially their catch-and-release method? What does that conversation say about each man, and what is the underlying message that Denver is trying to pass onto Ron?

6. What is the meaning of the book's title, "Same Kind of Difference as Me"? What does it refer to?

7. How do both men change by the end of the book? What do they learn from or teach each other?

8. This is a story about how hate and prejudice can be overcome by love and grace. How difficult is that achievement in most of our lives? What can this book teach us?

9. Does this book inspire you? If so, in what ways?

(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)

The Happiness Project

As a book club, we rated The Happiness Project:

4 out of 5

Another Secret of Adulthood...

...that I was reminded of this morning:

You can't rush a 2 year old!

What are some of your secrets of adulthood?

The Happiness Project

Hi All,

How did you like The Happiness Project?

I gotta say, the author really drove me crazy, but I loved the content, and I loved how methodical she was about dissecting Happiness and what it means and how to get more.  It gave me a lot of food for thought and had some great ideas in there.  I also just got on her blog for the first time and there's some interesting stuff there and it's jam packed with great quotes to get you thinking.

What I have been wanting to ask you, whether you read it or not, is if you were asked to write down your Secrets of Adulthood, and your 12 personal commandments, as Gretchen Rubin did, what would they look like? (Click the links to see Gretchen Rubin's Secrets of Adulthood and 12 personal commandments (this link is actually for the home page of the blog, but her 12 commandments are on the sidebar on the left))

Or if you weren't going to write your own Secrets, and Commandments, which of hers do you like or identify with?  Which have stuck with you after you finished reading the book?

The one that has stuck with me since I read the book back in January is:

What you do EVERY DAY matters more than what you do ONCE IN A WHILE.


I am an all or nothing type of person, and I have been trying to teach myself this same lesson a lot lately in all aspects of my life: housework, work work, reading, teaching Jocelyn, etc.  I recite this Secret of Adulthood subconsciously since reading the book, and I think it has helped.  I also really loved this one:


Outer order contributes to inner calm.


I have probably been driving people crazy lately talking about redecorating my house all the time, but it is what I have been trying to do for myself and my family to create that "outer order".  In my re-decorating, I have gotten rid of mountains of junk (just like Gretchen did with her closet).  I also have been trying to find storage solutions for our teeny tiny house so that I can really have "A place for everything and everything in its' place" even if I don't have a linen closet or a pantry.  I got rid of anything that I didn't LOVE.  I gave away stuff that it almost hurt to get rid of, and painted the walls in bold hues, and guess what?  Now, for the first time in my life, when I walk into my house, my soul breathes a sigh of relief and I feel comfortable.  


It seems silly to go on and on about a house project, but I really feel that the Spirit resides in my home more now that it is a haven and my soft place to land. It is a temporal thing, but I feel like I am a better mother and wife because I'm not stressed out by junk piles everywhere. 


I definitely would include this in my own personal Secret of Adulthood.


I also loved one that a blog reader wrote in that said, "buy whatever you want at the grocery store.  It costs less than eating out."  Isn't that the truth.


What would make your list?

Review

As a book club, we gave Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

1 out of 5

we were not fans!

Book Idea

My Mother-in-Law was telling me about this book called Follow the River and I thought it sounded interesting. It's a true story about a woman who is captured by the indians and the first half is about her ordeal with them, then the second half is about her escape with an old dutch lady who goes mad and tries to kill her to eat her. She said it was really good so I thought I'd try it out

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith

My rating: 1 of 5 stars
This was a ridiculously stupid book.  I can't believe I bought it.  I thought it unfair that the author made money for adding zombie scenes to someone elses hard work. Not to mention, it was fairly graphic.

View all my reviews >>

There you have it folks.  I thought about toning it down and being nicer, but in Ms. Austin's defense, I felt it needed to be said!!

I heard people raving about this book, so I thought "sure, I'll give it a shot".  I had to stop reading when Elizabeth ripped the heart out of the ninja and ate it... that's the limit.

But, that's what book clubs are for: to read things you would have normally not read.  So in that sense, success!  I got outside my comfort zone for sure.  

What did you all think?

Westing Game Review

As a book club, we gave The Westing Game

3 out of 5

Informative Site

Although you all are the type that would read your children's books yourself to find out whether they were suitable for your children, I thought this was a great site.  It's called The Literate Mother and she reviews children's and young adult books based on violence, language, adult content, etc. so you can see what your kids would be reading.  She also reviews books.  Click HERE to check it out.

The Westing Game Discussion Questions

Hi All,

Here are some questions to spark discussion on The Westing Game.  Click HERE to find them.

Hope you all enjoy Pride and Prejudice and Zombies for June...should be an interesting change of pace! :)

The Great Divorce review

As a book club, we gave The Great Divorce

4 out of 5

The Great Divorce

Hi All,

Sorry it has taken me so long to get around to this blog.  I found some interesting background on The Great Divorce.  Click HERE to check it out.

Also, HERE are some questions for discussion if anyone is interested.  It is quite lengthy but if you scroll down to the bottom you'll see some questions.

Review

As a book club, we gave The Help

5 stars out of 5

One of the best we have read yet!

Call Me Slacker

Sorry ladies! I've been a bit absent in the book club lately. I didn't read for March, and admittedly I didn't reread The Great Divorce for April.....BUT, I do think it's a fabulous book, so I thought I'd post some thoughts that I originally posted on my personal blog fresh after I read it.

......What I loved about this book is that the individual had the opportunity to watch others also on the journey, and see how their decisions affected them. Each of these individuals had a specific "vice" or downfall that needed to be overcome in order to achieve the highest realm. Many simply could not overcome their weaknesses and chose to return to their stagnant positions in "hell". What struck me about this is; first, that these people were offered every opportunity to choose to stay in "heaven" and it was only their own unwillingness to change that kept them from glory. I believe that we have a loving Father in Heaven that truly wants us to live to our divine potential, and that through our Savior, Jesus Christ, he has given us every opportunity to overcome obstacles in our way. He wants us to return to him.....it will be our choice if we don't.

Second, some of these vices were a bit surprising. There was one that represented most "sins" as we think of them. Addictions, habits, things we do that keep us away from God. It was represented by a man with a lizard on his shoulder, that controlled him. He was the one out of all the figures represented that was able to overcome and "move on" so to speak. When he allowed his lizard to be destroyed, it turned into a beautiful white stallion. This reminded me of the scripture in Ether 12:27, "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." It was interesting to note that all of the other vices represented were things that we might not normally think of as sin. One was a mother who loved her son, but she loved him to the exclusion of all else, making life miserable for her husband and daughter after his passing. Another was a man with a problem of self-pity. All of these characters except the man with the lizard, chose to return to "hell" although they didn't see it as such. It was a place where they could hold on to that which they couldn't let go of, although it kept them stagnant. It was too uncomfortable for them to let go of what they had held on to for so long. It was pointed out that sometimes these sins are harder to recognize and let go of, because they may start with good intentions. It is good to love your son, but not to the exclusion of everyone else. It is good to recognize fault in ourselves, but only to the point that it helps us improve. Guilt and pity do not come from God.

Reading this made me want to take a closer look at myself. What is my pet vice? Is there something, maybe even with good intentions, that I cling to that keeps me from progressing? This book was very thought provoking, and I highly recommend it to all.

More "help"...

Ashlee left a comment on my blog wanting to talk about The Help some more, and I totally agree.  We haven't even scratched the surface on this one!  This book has so many themes and issues in it, it would take a long time to do it justice.  But I did want to comment on these two questions put out by the publisher:

2. What do you think motivated Hilly? On the one hand she is terribly cruel to Aibileen and her own help, as well as to Skeeter once she realizes that she can’t control her. Yet she’s a wonderful mother. Do you think that one can be a good mother but, at the same time, a deeply flawed person?

3. Like Hilly, Skeeter’s mother is a prime example of someone deeply flawed yet somewhat sympathetic. She seems to care for Skeeter— and she also seems to have very real feelings for Constantine. Yet the ultimatum she gives to Constantine is untenable; and most of her interaction with Skeeter is critical. Do you think Skeeter’s mother is a sympathetic or unsympathetic character? Why?

I have always struggled with being a good judge of character.  I think I'm more like Celia in that I tend to see everyone as good, even if what they do is not in keeping with that...which I think is a good thing to some extent.  But...my husband on the other hand is the type of person who can tell what kind of character a person has just from meeting them once.  He frequently will tell me that I need to watch out for so and so so they don't take advantage of me or something similar, and I usually listen but think he's being a little harsh... surely that person isn't thaaaaat bad, right?  And then usually months or years later that person will do something and burn me and I'll have to admit that my husband was one hundred percent right about that person.

I'm not condoning snap judgments, but waiting until you get burned by someone to stop trusting them can't be the best way to live, do you think?  Does anyone else struggle with the mix of good and bad in people?  I  have a hard time knowing who to trust and when.  Is that a bad thing? Or is it worse to judge people before they act?  I wish that this wasn't even an issue but in our world today, I think things aren't so much black and white as they are every shade of gray, with evil being disguised as good and vice versa.  And maybe that's what we're here for-to love everyone even with all their unsympathetic qualities. But I don't think that means we shouldn't judge righteously...

My first reaction was to not like Skeeter's mom, but in the end, she did stand up for Skeeter and maybe I wouldn't have acted much differently had I lived in that area at that time.  I don't know?

I'm not saying this very well, but do y'all know what I mean?

Can we start yet?

So I have a lot to say about "The Help," but I want to hear what ya'll have to say about it before I just shoot off a massive post with all my feelings. I'm shooting for a more detailed post instead of an overall review if you will. So two things I want to say:

A- Celia Foote was my favorite character to read.

B- I absolutely adored Aibileen continually telling Mae Mobley she was good, kind and smart.

Okay concerning Celia: It may seem odd that she was totally my favorite character when you compare her to ... say... Aibileen, but I just couldn't help but love her! I felt totally sympathetic towards the one person in the book who didn't get the rules. I loved how hard she tried and how very natural she was (okay I know the oober-blonde hair and all wasn't exactly "natural,"but the point is that she was who she was!) I guess she was trying to live by the rules, but she didn't get them, and she put so much of her own natural inclinations into things. And even though you knew she was always going to fail I wanted so badly for her not to! (I thought all the lead up to the big ball, which name is escaping me at the moment, was truly hillarious. The author did such a great job at building and building up to it. I was mortified for her and it was kind of a "I want to look away but I just CAN'T," kind of feeling for me.)

I was so grateful that she had such a sweet and adoring husband who didn't care what anyone else thought. If he hadn't have been in the picture or if he had turned out to be a jerk it would have been too much for me.

I also loved her for the way she was able to love Minny, and I loved watching their relationship develop. I loved how Minny professed she was a "crazy fool," but how her actions spoke louder than words and you knew she was starting to love her in spite of herself. How could you not? Celia is so pathetically loveable.

Now concerning Aibileen telling Mae Mobley she was good. Oh! I appreciated this so much! I have long felt that in ANY relationship, but especially relationships with children it is SO important to tell people they are good! I really believe that we all have such a power within us to help people become who it is they are going to become (did that confuse you how I said that?!?). I just think that if you continually hear that you are bad- you start to believe it and then act it. But the opposite is also true- if you continually hear you are good you believe it- or if you don't believe if you at least WANT to believe it and try and make your actions consistent with what you are being told.

As a child my mother always expressed so much confidence in me. Always, always I was being told in one way or another the same thing that Aibileen told Mae... that I was good, that I was smart, and that I was kind. As a young child I just accepted it and it gave me confidence, as a youth when I screwed up but she kept telling me anyway, I wanted so much to make it the truth so I tried hard to live up to it.

Reading it from Aibileen was really touching, especially where Elizabeth was telling her daughter the exact opposite. I loved her trying to offset her mom's influence. Sad! That she had to do it, but good that she did.

Any thoughts?

ps- I'm sorry I can't just say something short and simply. I have yet to learn that skill.

Couldn't put it down... literally

***Warning***plot spoilers***don't read unless you want to know what happens in the book

Okay, I just have to say first of all, that I literally read this in 5 days straight, which is saying a lot for how crazy busy I am (the same as the rest of you, I realize), but I just couldn't put it down. When I had to go to work, I had my Kindle read it to me in the car, lol. First of all, I thought that the relationship between Noel Strachan and Jean was very weird. And I understand it at the same time. She didn't have anyone else in the world to turn to, so he became his family, and he didn't have much by way of family either, so they suited one another. But all the same, I thought it was interesting how much detail she shared with him about EVERYTHING. And how he basically wished he was younger to have married her himself... I don't know, it gave me the creeps.

I also didn't necessarily love the narrator's voice. I understand that's how Mr. Strachan was tied into the book best, but he reported on everything in such an impassive, unfeeling way. In some parts of the book, I appreciated that, because it would have been way too graphic if it had been too emotional and/or descriptive, but in other parts of the book, it drove me crazy that he just reported on people dying and being beaten as if it was just a walk in the park.

I thought Jean's role in a male-dominated society was very interesting. She obviously learned how to be diplomatic enough to get what she wanted out of everyone, but in a sincere way still, but the part that really struck me was how she was coming in to Malaya after the war to pay for and put up a well and washing hut for the women, and yet she had to jump through all the hoops and make it seem like it was the men's idea and get permission before she could move forward. In some ways, I don't think this has changed much in our society... we all know certain people, men or women, who we have to butter up and sweet talk to get what we want out of them (or maybe it's just me with the University politicking I live with day to day). And I thought it was a very telling comment about the culture of that society that the men were wondering if they had done a bad thing by allowing the women to have something that caused so much laughter.

Mostly throughout the book, I just kept thinking about how every hard thing we do, helps prepare us and teach us valuable lessons. In most cases we wouldn't be able to do what we do if we didn't have some kind of difficult experience to prepare ourselves for what we are asked to do. I have a friend who has gone through an almost literal hell with her husband for the past two years, and has been wondering, why? Why me? What am I supposed to learn from this if anything? She recently was appointed to a fairly large leadership opportunity and is going to be over about 20 faculty members who are all strong-willed and who tend to fight amongst each other. I talked to her the other day, and she was just in awe because she just had realized that day that she was prepared to take on this new assignment because she had learned so much in the past few years about conflict management and resolution, among other things. It has given me a greater resolve to try to learn the lessons I am supposed to at the time of my most difficult situations with a happy heart, realizing that I will be better for it. I thought that this was one of the main points of this book. It was just very interesting to see how Jean turned her horrific experience in the war into a very happy and profitable life afterward. Not that she would wish it upon herself again, but she was just very practical in applying the lessons she learned, almost like Dashti, just very matter-of-fact.

Sorry this is so lengthy, but I want to know....What did you gals get out of the book? Anything that really stuck with you?

Review

As a book club, we voted and gave Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale:

4.3 out of 5

The Help

Here are some questions put out by the publisher on March's book, The Help, to get your brains going as you read the book this month. I read it early and I loved it, so I hope you do too!

1. Who was your favorite character? Why?

2. What do you think motivated Hilly? On the one hand she is terribly cruel to Aibileen and her own help, as well as to Skeeter once she realizes that she can’t control her. Yet she’s a wonderful mother. Do you think that one can be a good mother but, at the same time, a deeply flawed person?

3. Like Hilly, Skeeter’s mother is a prime example of someone deeply flawed yet somewhat sympathetic. She seems to care for Skeeter— and she also seems to have very real feelings for Constantine. Yet the ultimatum she gives to Constantine is untenable; and most of her interaction with Skeeter is critical. Do you think Skeeter’s mother is a sympathetic or unsympathetic character? Why?

4. How much of a person’s character would you say is shaped by the times in which they live?

5. Did it bother you that Skeeter is willing to overlook so many of Stuart’s faults so that she can get married, and that it’s not until he literally gets up and walks away that the engagement falls apart?

6. Do you believe that Minny was justified in her distrust of white people?

7. Do you think that had Aibileen stayed working for Miss Elizabeth, that Mae Mobley would have grown up to be racist like her mother? Do you think racism is inherent, or taught?

8. From the perspective of a twenty-first century reader, the hairshellac system that Skeeter undergoes seems ludicrous. Yet women still alter their looks in rather peculiar ways as the definition of “beauty” changes with the times. Looking back on your past, what’s the most ridiculous beauty regimen you ever underwent?

9. The author manages to paint Aibileen with a quiet grace and an aura of wisdom about her. How do you think she does this?

10. Do you think there are still vestiges of racism in relationships where people of color work for people who are white?

11. What did you think about Minny’s pie for Miss Hilly? Would you have gone as far as Minny did for revenge?
(Questions issued by publisher.)

A Town Like Alice

For those of you who have already read A Town Like Alice, I thought I'd post some discussion questions early. If you haven't read it yet, it might spark some thoughts as you read if you have some of these questions in mind. I am very looking forward to reading this... starting tonight!

I've been getting the questions from different sources, but I thought these ones looked good:

Discussion Questions for A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute Galesburg Public Library Tuesday Book Club November 2006

1. Did you like the book? If so, what was your favorite part of the book?

2. If not, why not?

3. While talking to the narrator, Jean says:

People who spent the war in prison camps have written a lot of books about what a bad time they had....They don’t know what it was like, not being in a camp.

This comment really struck me. Any thoughts about this passage?

4. Did any thing that happened or was said in the book stick with you?

5. When Joe gets caught stealing the chickens, the Japanese soldier who was given a chicken by Jean is punished by the Japanese for “participating” in the crime. When he gets sick later, as the only guard for the women and children, the women nurse him. What do you think about this turn of events?

6. The author uses crucifixion as a plot device. What did you think about this?

7. What do you think about Noel’s attitude toward Jean?

8. Any comments about the way the book ended?

9. In 1998, Random House’s Modern Library published two lists of 100 Best Novels. The list voted on by readers included A Town Like Alice at number 17. What do you think about that? Would you vote to include A Town Like Alice on your personal list of best novels?

10. Has anyone here ever been to Malaya or Australia? Tell us about your experiences.

11. Are there any questions you would like to ask?

Review

The book club gave Three Cups of Tea

4 stars of 5

A great blog

All of you who are interested in great children's lit, check out this blog I found. It's packed with great discussion and review of the best of children's lit. Just thought I'd pass it along.

Book of a Thousand Days

Hi All!

I hope you enjoyed reading Book of a Thousand Days in January. It is one of my favorite Shannon Hale books. One suggestion I got last month when I asked for ways to improve the blog was to always have a list of questions to spark discussion as we did on Wives and Daughters. I agree that it's a great way to spark some thoughts and ideas about the writing, so here are some discussion questions for Book of a Thousand Days brought to you by LitLovers:

Also, consider these LitLovers talking points to help start a conversation for this Book of a Thousand Days:

1. Describe the two young women in this story, Lady Saren and Dashti. In what ways are they different from one another? How does each cope with the deprivations of the tower? (Lest we judge...how would most of us fare locked away in a tower?) Why is it left to Dashti to communicate with the visitors who come to the tower?

2. Do you like the way in which this story is told: with Dashti narrating through her journal. How would you describe Dashti's voice—boastful...self-effacing...bright...depressive... uncertain...strong...thoughtful...? Does her voice change during the story?

3. How does Dashti's background prepare her to endure the isolation of the tower and the hardships of the Mongolian landscape? Talk about the ways in which Dashti's leadership and ingenuity save the two young women in their fight for survival.

4. Describe Dashti's conflict: her growing feelings for Kahn Tegus vs. her loyalty to Saren. How did you feel about the budding relationship between Dashti and Tegus?

5. How would you describe Dashti's healing songs—are they poetry, folk lore, magic? What is their purpose: why does Dashti use them, and why would Hale include them as part of the story?

6. Talk about the male characters: Lord Khasar and Khan Tegus? Are either fully-developed as human beings? Or are they one-dimensional, cartoonish characters?

7. Comment on this lovely passage: "Things worn closest to the skin, to the heart, carry the scent of a person, and of course, scent is the breath of the soul." What might Dashti mean by the last 5 words? Find and read other passages that you find lyrical or otherwise notable.

8. In what way does Saren change by the end of the book? Does she rise in stature in your estimation?

9. Hale based this book on a Brothers Grimm folk tale, "Maid Maleen," in which the imprisoned lady is the heroine, not her servant. Why might Shannon Hale have changed the heroine in her reworking of the original?

10. Does the book deliver in terms of engaging you all the way through? Are characters compelling, is the plot suspenseful, and are you satisfied with how the story ends?

(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)