Book Clubs, Part 2

LUCY BURDETTE: Back in August we had a post that featured our new summer releases, The Mango Murders, Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure, and All This Could Be Yours. 

The Reds have three more books out this fall, and we invite you to choose one or more of them for your book group’s discussion. Here now are questions for Jenn McKinlay’s WITCHES OF DUBIOUS ORIGIN, Julia Spencer-Fleming’s AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY, and Rhys Bowen’s FROM CRADLE TO GRAVE. They might also suggest a snack that might best complement the stories!

Jenn McKinlay’s Readers Discussion Questions (no spoilers version): Witches of Dubious Origin

Identity and Legacy

Zoe discovers she is descended from a powerful line of witches. How does her background and family history shape her sense of identity? In what ways does she resist and in what ways does she embrace her witch heritage?

Magical Books

The mysterious family grimoire plays a central role in the story. What does the locked book symbolize for Zoe and for the BODO (Books of Dubious Origin) team? How is knowledge (especially magical knowledge) portrayed as a form of power? What did you think of Freya? Would you want a book-cat of your own?

Fear, Vows, and Promises

Zoe made a vow (to her mother) never to use magic — how does that promise affect her decisions? Do you think her fear of magic stems more from personal loss, or from the responsibility that comes with power (or both)? How do promises like that drive the conflict?

Found Family & Community

The BODO staff become a kind of found family for Zoe. What roles do Jasper, Olive, Miles, and Tariq play in her journey — not just in solving magical mysteries, but in her emotional growth? How does belonging to a community change her outlook?

Good vs. Evil & Moral Ambiguity

There are dark forces at work, including an antagonist who threatens Zoe. How does the novel define “evil”? Are the magical threats purely bad, or are there shades of gray? What moral challenges does Zoe face as she learns to harness her power, and how does she choose to use it?

 

Because our heroine Zoe survives on a diet of junk food, here is the classic recipe for Rice Krispie Treats, a bad breakfast choice for her—IYKYK.

 

Recipe: Rice Krispie Treats

Ingredients:

6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

4 cups mini marshmallows (or about 10 oz large marshmallows)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

(Optional) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

(Optional) A pinch of salt

Instructions:

Prepare your pan

Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan (or line it with parchment paper) so treats don’t stick.

Melt butter and marshmallows

In a large pot over low to medium heat, melt the butter. Once melted, add the marshmallows and stir constantly until they are completely melted and smooth. If using, stir in the vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.

Mix in cereal

Remove the pot from heat. Quickly add the Rice Krispies cereal and gently fold until all the cereal is coated with the marshmallow mixture.

Press into pan

Using a buttered spatula or lightly buttered hands, press the mixture evenly into your prepared pan. Don’t press too hard — you want them compact but still a little light so they're chewy, not rock hard.

Cool and cut

Let the treats cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes (or until set). Then cut into squares.

Serve and store

Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container for up to 2–3 days at room temperature.

Discussion Questions for Rhys Bowen’s newest Royal Spyness mystery,  From Cradle to Grave.

What do you think of Georgie’s reaction to a new nanny appearing on her doorstep?

What would your reaction have been?

Do you think she should have spoken out sooner?

How would you feel about having a nanny for your child?

Did you cheer when Georgie finally put Fig in her place?

Did you enjoy the complex puzzle of the mystery? 

Were you surprised when you  found the link between the victims or had you guessed something similar?

If you’ve been following the series from the beginning how do you think that Georgie has grown and matured?

Queenie…love her or hate her?

Has the writer played fair with the clues?

 

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING:  

 

Discussion questions for AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY (and book club snack suggestions!)

 

Both Russ Van Alstyne and Clare Fergusson are wrestling with changes of their identities - from police chief to unemployed, and from a couple to a family with a child. How well do they manage these transitions? Do you think they're avoiding these changes, or tackling them head-on? Have you ever faced a major life change, and if so, how did you deal with it?

 

Clare impetuously (how else?) gets involved with two women on the fringes of a white militia movement. Is her desire to change their views generous, or naïve? Do you think she succeeds in any way?

 

Kevin Flynn has always wanted to be a police officer. After the events of the book, do you think he still belongs in law enforcement? 

 

Hadley Knox juggles her job, her kids and helping her grandfather. She doesn't really want to care about Kevin and what nay have happened to him, but she just can't help herself. If you were sitting down to a cup of coffee with Hadley, what advice would you give her?

 

Nature plays a large role in the story. Can you see yourself winter hiking through the Adirondacks, or are you more likely to be at home playing Christmas music by the fireplace?

 

Do you see any symbolism in the natural world versus the man-made concrete environment we spend time in later in the book?

 

We meet two new characters who throw their hats in with our heroes. What do you imagine happening to them after the end of the story? 

 

Snack: Clare serves shortbread cookies to Russ, Hadley and Yixin Zhao when they meet at the rectory. If you don't have parishioners dropping cookies off to you, I suggest Celia Wakefield's shortbread recipe. You can make it more seasonal by adding crushed candy cane or peppermint crunch to the dough. Serve with the strong hot cocoa the group shares while decorating the tree - and if you're not sober, like Russ and Clare, a tot of bourbon in the cocoa is very nice indeed!

Reds, have you read these books yet? What are your book groups reading--and eating?

Planning for Book Clubs

 LUCY BURDETTE: Before we get to the topic of the day (book clubs!), I'd like to extend my tremendous gratitude for everyone who helped launch The Mango Murders. The event at RJ Julia Booksellers was amazing--it's so much fun to talk to friends and readers in person! As an aside, if audio books are your poison, A POISONOUS PALATE  is 75% off through September 5.

LUCY BURDETTE: Now back to the topic at hand...It seems odd to me that mysteries and crime fiction can be lumped into a category of non-book club books--in other words, escapist reading, nothing worth discussing. We couldn't disagree more! With September around the corner and book clubs resuming meeting or planning their reads for the year, we thought we'd make a few suggestions. Five of us have new books that are just out or are coming this fall, and all of us have ideas about which of our books might make great book club fodder. Today you’ll hear from three of the Reds. We’ll suggest a book, a couple of discussion questions, and maybe something memorable to eat along with it. We’ll do part 2 with the other new releases in October.

I choose the brand new Mango Murders. You’ll find all my book club questions here, but here are a few to get you started:

1. Setting as Character: How does the tropical backdrop of Key West influence the tone and atmosphere of the story? In what ways does the setting contribute to the mystery?

2. Hayley’s Expertise: Hayley uses her culinary knowledge to aid in solving the crime. How important is her career as a food critic to the investigation? In what other ways does her profession help or hinder her?

3. The Explosion: The pivotal moment of the story is the explosion that transforms a party into chaos. How did this event shift the story's tone and escalate the stakes for Hayley?

4. Themes of Rivalry and Envy: The mystery revolves around professional rivalries and “recipe envy.” How do these themes play out among the characters? How do they relate to the world of food and culinary competition?

For the book club snack, I suggest a mango upside down cake. It’s super easy but delicious and fits with the theme perfectly.

RHYS BOWEN: Lucy, it’s funny that this arrived in my in box today as I’d just mailed off the list of book club questions to my publicist. (Of course this isn’t a mystery novel but historical fiction so more book clubs do tend to ask ).

Here are some of my questions for readers of Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure.

1. Did Ellie Endicott make the right decision when her husband demanded a divorce? What would you have done in the same circumstances.

2. Ellie takes two women with her—women she would not normally have considered friends. Would you have taken them?

3. Ellie has been the perfect wife. Everything runs like clockwork, her husband says. And yet the moment she is free of him she makes some rash decisions. Is this a side of her character she has not allowed to emerge before or is she evolving as a person?

4. One of her impulsive decisions is to take Yvette. Do you think that turned out well or badly for all involved?

5. What themes do you find running through the book? Second chances? Personal growth? The power of female bonding?

And for my book club snack it has to be a French cheese board with a fresh baguette.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS is perfect for book clubs because it’s about an author on booktour–and her relationships with her readers, librarians, and booksellers. What starts as a glam cross country book tour turns into a deadly cross-country cat and mouse chase, with the author running for her life. No spoilers here--and even if you haven't read the book yet, you’ll be able to answer these!

1. On page one, Tessa walks out of her job, live on Insta—she's tired of feeling invisible. Tired of having good ideas that are appropriated by others, and tired of cleaning up after her colleagues' poor decisions and disasters. Have you ever felt like that in the work place? Have you ever just wanted to quit?

2. Tessa is part of a group called #MomsWithDreams. What would be your dream? Is there something that you have always wanted to do with your life? (If so, what’s stopping you?)

3. From the time she was a child, Tessa had a contentious relationship with her social-climbing mother. And that influence put Tessa in some extremely high-stakes situations–where she made decisions that she thought would make her mother happy. Have you ever done something to make someone else happy–only to have it backfire miserably?

4. Almost all of this book takes place in bookstores, libraries, airports and hotels–it's all on Tessa's book tour for her surprise bestselling novel. Have you ever been to an author event at a bookstore or library? Did you enjoy it? Have you ever wondered how the author felt about it?

5. Tessa becomes very apprehensive about parasocial relationships–devoted and adoring fans who relate to her book so much that they feel Tessa must understand them, personally, and should be their friend. Has reading a certain book ever made you feel so personally close to the author–that you feel they are thinking your very thoughts?

6. Tessa hears the voice of her main character very powerfully. Do you think that’s weird? Or do you think it’s logical that authors “hear” their character’s voices?

7. Tessa is on a weeks-long book tour, and must leave her beloved husband and two kids back home. How would you feel about that? She is the sole breadwinner–would that make a difference?

8. Tessa has to communicate with her family by Zoom and Facetime. And realizes she's only seeing what her husband and kids are putting in camera range–what are they leaving out? Would it frustrate you– or worry you?-- to know you’re not seeing the whole picture?

9. Tessa has memories of a gorgeous place she spent a few summer vacations. Did you have an idyllic place you visited as a child? What’s your best memory of that–or worst–and how vivid is it to you?

10. Tessa knows her life is an open book (ha ha) because her tour schedule is on her website–and as a result everyone knows exactly where she will be in person. And even what airport she might be using. Has the vulnerability of a public schedule ever seemed scary to you?

And for food for your event? Got to be Caesar salad with grilled chicken and a glass of red wine. That’s Tessa’s room service go-to!


Red readers, do you belong to a book club? How are the book selections made? What about the snacks? Does someone run the show or is it a free for all?

Celebrating Book Groups and A DEADLY FEAST in Paperback @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: The paperback version of the ninth Key West food critic mystery, A DEADLY FEAST, is on sale today! I thought we might celebrate by chatting about book groups. There are lots of high points in a writer’s life (selling a book, finishing a book, seeing the book in the world for the first time, etc), but nothing better than talking about the book with a book group or club or library or bookstore. In fact, nothing better than talking about any book I've loved with friends who've also read it.

Up into her mid-nineties, my mother-in-law was in a Very Serious Book Group. When it was her turn to lead the discussion, she studied very hard in advance to find out about the author and prepare discussion questions. She would get nervous about whether she'd sound smart enough, and would canvass her daughters and daughters-in-law for input. It was so cute! (By the way, I couldn't find a photo of her with her books, but this was Dorothy voting at age 100!)

I'm not in a regular book group right now, though I did participate this year in a zoom group discussing Ibram X. Kendi's STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING, about the history of racism in America. Wow, that was some very serious reading and heavy discussion, and I was glad to have had that opportunity. I honestly had no idea how uneducated I was on this subject. 

Some years ago, I was in a book group with some local Connecticut friends. Until it got to be too much work, each hostess would make dinner--and of course those food memories are my strongest! I remember cooking for our discussion of WAITING FOR SNOW IN HAVANA, Carlos Eire's beautiful memoir about growing up in and then fleeing from Cuba. I know I made a Cuban pork roast and roasted bananas and black beans. If I was cooking today, I would serve a mojito cake for dessert.

And we had a wonderful book discussion here on the blog of Ann Patchett's Bel Canto, led by our friend Kristopher Zgorski. Kristopher supplied us with questions, and music! (Say, we should do another one of those...)

One of the most fun book group events I've heard about was from one of my fans who talked her group into discussing AN APPETITE FOR MURDER over dinner. She served Key West chicken, Caribbean rice, the recipe for leaning tower of eggplant from the back of my book, and key lime pie of course! I called in to chat with them and she sent me photos of the food and decorations. 

I will end this post by supplying questions for discussing A DEADLY FEAST since it's now out in paperback, but I'd really love to hear about your book club experiences. How do you choose the reading? Who leads the discussion? Is food or wine served? Should Jungle Red Writers have another book discussion?

In A DEADLY FEAST, Key Zest food critic Hayley Snow is set to be married to her heartthrob detective Nathan Bransford. But she has a lot of worries because Nathan’s been married before and both sets of parents were married and then divorced. So she talks a lot to her friends and family about their experiences with marriage. So I've included lots of questions about fictional weddings and marriage...and below that, a group of non-wedding questions!

What’s your theory about what makes for a good marriage? 

Does it seem to you that Nathan and Hayley are a good match? Why or why not?

When you’re reading about a fictional wedding, how much do you like to hear about wedding plans and details?

What are your favorite examples of fictional weddings, either books or movies? Explain why you chose them.

And for some non-wedding questions:

Have you ever gone on a food tour? If so where? If not yet, where would you love to eat your way around?

Martha Hubbard talks about chefs feeling possessive about the recipes they make and serve—they don’t want diners making substitutions. How do you feel about that?

How do you feel about Hayley’s relationship with her mother? And compare this to her relationship with Miss Gloria and Allison, her stepmother. 

Hayley’s boss Palamina says she never understood why Hayley was living with a senior citizen, until she met Miss Gloria. How do you feel about this character? Does she accurately reflect seniors?

And in case you missed it, DEATH ON THE MENU ebooks are on sale for $1.99 for a limited time only!

Book groups: How to invite a Jungle Red Writer

Summer is upon us, and book groups are looking for summer reads. And what could be more fun than reading a book and then inviting the author to share with your book group. If you've been wondering how to set up a book group discussion with one of the Jungle Reds, here's how...,

HALLIE EPHRON: If you're in the Boston area, I might be able to visit with your group in person. If not, there's Skype! Or FaceTime. Just go to my web page and click on CONTACT and send me a message about when you were thinking of and what your group will read.

My latest book, YOU'LL NEVER KNOW, DEAR, just was featured on the New York Public Library's Summer Pick for Adults List.

Two suggestions from me, domestic suspense, all now in paperback:
YOU'LL NEVER KNOW, DEAR - Mary Higgins Clark Award finalist and Earphones Award winner. A little girl and the porcelain portrait doll her mother made for her went missing... 40 years later, the doll comes back. 

THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN - Mary Higgins Clark Award finalist, NY Times bestseller. A ninety-one-year-old woman, living on the water in the Bronx, thinks she may be losing her mind... a much younger woman, the daughter of her neighbor, could save her.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Thank heavens for Skype! I've used it to converse with small gatherings in peoples' homes and with large crowds at universities and libraries. Book club members, if you'd like to do a video chat with an author but are worried about the logistics - will we be able to see her? Will she be able to hear us? - I suggest you contact your local library. Many libraries are equipped with AV resources that make it easy for a group to interact online. And libraries love book clubs!

My picks? If you want to discuss current issues such as veterans reentering society and the effects of America's wars, ONE WAS A SOLDIER. On a warm September evening in the Millers Kill community center, five veterans sit down in rickety chairs to try to make sense of their experiences in Iraq. What they will find is murder, conspiracy, and the unbreakable ties that bind them to one another and their small Adirondack town. You can find a downloadable reading guide here.

If you want to escape the heat with an adventure in the frozen north, IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER, which won the Agatha, Anthony, Barry, Dilys, Macavity and Gumshoe awards.  When a newborn baby is abandoned on the church stairs and a young mother is brutally murdered, Reverend Clare Fergusson has to pick her way through the secrets and silence that shadow that town like the ever-present Adirondack mountains. Want a downloadable reading guide? Here!

RHYS BOWEN: I'm always happy to Skype with a book group. I'm not so comfortable attending in person, first because I really don't have the time and second because I don't feel the members can be honest about the book if I'm there. (Imagine sitting in a room with twelve people who trash your book!) I am often asked to send discussion questions to a book club.

Two books of mine I can recommend are the latest big stand-alones: In Farleigh Field is a novel of espionage among the upper class in World War 2 and The Tuscan Child is also set in WWII but has parallel stories that take place in 1944 and in 1973, mainly in Tuscany. It's more than a war story: it's about family, healing through food.

LUCY BURDETTE: I LOVE talking to book clubs, hearing readers' reactions and discovering questions I never considered about the books I've written.
The two I'd recommend as starting points are the first book in the series, AN APPETITE FOR MURDER, and the fourth, MURDER WITH GANACHE. APPETITE introduces Hayley Snow and her gang and the bigger character, Key West.

Here are some questions to jumpstart the discussion.

And here's the story of a whole Key West themed dinner party that one club did for AN APPETITE FOR MURDER,

​And for Murder with Ganache, here are both questions and a recipe for noccialato fudge to feed your group while you talk.

INGRID THOFT: Book groups are one of the perks of the job, as far as I’m concerned!  I love talking to groups in person—in the Seattle area and also the Boston area, where I visit a few times a year. 

Skype is also a wonderful tool for connecting with readers.  To arrange a visit, IRL or virtual, just send me a line and you can check out the book group guides on my website. 

Given that my books are a series, I always recommend readers start with the first, LOYALTY.  The book introduces Fina Ludlow, a private investigator in Boston who tangles with the city’s criminal element and her family of personal injury attorneys.  Juggling family, business, cops and crooks is no problem for Fina, but when her sister-in-law disappears, she’s caught up in a case unlike any she’s encountered before.

Prefer to jump into the series?  BRUTALITY won the Shamus Award for Best P.I. Novel and finds Fina immersed in the world of college sports and the debate about sports-related concussions. 

What price are we willing to pay for entertainment?  What happens when tradition collides with the prospect of serious injury?  What are we willing to sacrifice for personal glory?  Fina wrestles with these questions while uncovering a murderer and navigating the perils of her own family.

HANK PHILIPPI RYAN: Can you tell we are all about book clubs? What could be more wonderful? I love doing them, too, adore it, and am always completely wowed by the wonderful questions and terrific insight. Invite me!  On Skype or in person, I'm there.

The newest Jane Ryland thriller, SAY NO MORE , is a Library Journal Best Thriller of the year, and offers some wonderful book club discussions about very contemporary issues: campus sexual assault, eyewitness identification, and personal sacrifice. 

Here's the list of questions my editor and I came up with. But don't read it unless you've read the book. 

And, say no more, I can now help you with that, and give you a bargain in the meantime! SAY NO MORE ebook is now $2.99  on all platforms. AND you get the first five chapters of my new standalone TRUST ME too!   (Here's the link for that short-term offer.)

Speaking of which, I would be honored for you to read and discuss TRUST ME. There is so much to talk about, from what makes a "good" mother, to what makes a "true" story, to how many versions of the same story can exist.

It's a psychological cat and mouse game between two strong women--but which one is the cat, and which one is the mouse?  I dare you to find the liar.  It comes out August 28, but, as we say, it is now available for pre-order! And one reviewer whose name you will recognize will soon publish a review saying: "It could be this summer's Gone Girl." (One can only hope.)

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Oh, isn't Skype great?? I love talking to book groups and library groups on Skype! But as there are 17 books (so far) in my Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Scotland Yard detectives series, it's so hard to know what books to suggest.

It is always fun to start readers on the very first book in the series, A SHARE IN DEATH. This introduces Duncan and Gemma, who as partners are just getting to know each other, and is a proper British mystery set in a time share in the brooding Yorkshire Moors.

But for books that offer a little meatier book group discussion topics, I'd recommend two later novels in the series. WHERE MEMORIES LIE is set in west London, Notting Hill and Chelsea. The contemporary story, which centers around the auction of a rare Art Deco piece of jewelry, is interwoven with a historical backstory that deals with the difficulties encountered in London by Jewish refugees escaping Hitler's purges at the beginning of WWII.

Then, there is NO MARK UPON HER, a more recent book, that deals not only with the post traumatic stress suffered by a British army veteran, but with the sexual abuse of female police officers by a superior officer. It also has Olympic caliber rowing and search and rescue dogs, so there is lighter fare to discuss!

JENN MCKINLAY: Yes, I’ll Skype or show up in person! I love book clubs. It’s a meeting of book lovers - my people! - plus, there’s usually food.

A book I’d recommend? Trevor Noah’s BORN A CRIME. I just finished it and it is fascinating, wonderfully written, and if you do audio, Trevor reads it, which is a treat. For one of my own books, I have no idea. I’ve written forty so you have plenty to choose from, mystery or rom-com. I have both happening. LOL.

HALLIE: So who out there's in a book group, and what are you reading?

Meet the Literary Giants!

ROSEMARY HARRIS: Twenty or so years ago, I briefly belonged to a book club known as the Giant Literaries. The GLs were started by  one of my favorite people on the planet, an amazing woman named Becky whom I met while we were both working for Crown Publishers. I was sad to see her leave the East Coast  - but delighted that she met the man of her dreams and moved to the Bay area, where they still live.

Of course, she started another book group, this one called the Literary Giants and I've been jealous ever since. The LGs have been together for close to twenty years. They meet once a month and once a year they take a house at Stinson Beach and spend the weekend together. I went to a meeting some years ago and have always kept up with what they were reading and doing. Some of them even came to one of my events at the Oakland Public Library. (Here's a pic of half the table, some LGS are missing. Should have had the group shot before we opened the wine!)

This summer I told Becky (she's the gorgeous smiling blond second from the left) that my WIP was something of a departure from the Paula Holliday books and she made an extraordinary suggestion. The Literary Giants would read an early version of my manuscript and give me feedback. For someone who had never even let her husband read an early draft (that would be me) this was a nervous-making prospect. But I did it. Becky made copies, the group read my manuscript and this past Monday I heard what they had to say.

I knew there would be a lot of chat (and a fair amount of wine) so that afternoon I purchased a recorder, so that I wouldn't miss a word. I may be able to use it for blackmail. Will definitely steal great dialogue from it.

First off, I would fly to the coast once a month to meet with these gals! Fun, great cooks, well-read, accomplished, and dang if they didn't make a newcomer feel welcome. I think my book was sandwiched in between Cleopatra and The Lost Memory of Skin. I was honored. And they'd read the Dirty Business books, so they had a sense of my style.

We had a blast. I came armed with questions covering everything from the title to a possible name change for me!  Soon the chat was flying fast and furious. It was exhilarating to hear a lively group of women discussing characters and situations that I had created. And I got e valuable information which I will incorporate into the next draft. Needless to say the LGs will be thanked profusely in the acks!

So, JR writers and readers - are you in a book group? Have you ever had an author visit or Skype in? Do you have early readers? Has anyone ever used a group of readers as a focus group? Let's talk!

PS - And if any of you ARE in a book group, the JRs would be delighted to help you plan a discussion of any of our books - questions, topics, suggestions and even recipes!