Thank You!

Sadly, the HPL Online Book Club has been discontinued at this time. A special thank you to all of you who have supported and contributed to the book club.

We encourage you to keep reading and please feel free to make comments on this site about any great books you come across. We would be happy to hear from you and any suggestions you have.

Thank you and Have a Wonderful New Year!
Olga

November Book of the Month

No Such Creature by Giles Blunt

Blunt takes a break from his award-winning John Cardinal crime series with the entertaining tale of Magnus "Max" Maxwell and his great-nephew Owen. The pair spend every summer vacation bonding while traveling the countryside in their oversized Winnebago, affectionately dubbed 'the Rocket'. Max's occupation as a wig salesman provides the perfect cover for the dynamic duo as they rob rich Republicans at house parties. Max charms the victims with his delightful personality, no one gets hurt, and, due to extensive pre-operation planning, everything goes off without a hitch - until now. Max is good but he isn't perfect. He spent time in prison and made valuable contacts, many of whom he uses as accomplices on larger 'shows'. Unfortunately, he also made the acquaintance of some very bad men who want to relieve Max of his valuable gains. One, in particular, will stop at nothing - even murder - to get rich quick.

Witty, faithful, sad and endearing - these two special individuals step boldly off the page. At first glance it seems like we've heard it all before. Not so. Blunt offers us an unpredictable slice of a very unique summer vacation. Highly recommended. Librarian Reviewer: Joanne

Discussion Questions:

1. How did you feel about the banter between Owen and Max? Was the interaction believeable?

2. If you had to choose either Owen or Max to travel with, who would you choose?

3. Do you believe that there is such thing as an ethical thief, as Max believes he is?

4. What did you think about the ending? Some say it feels like paragraphs were removed in the attempt to make the story shorter. Do you agree?

October Book of the Month

The Murder Stone by Louise Penny

Clementine Dubois, ageless proprietor of the Manoir Bellechasse, welcomes Reine-Marie and Armand Gamache to her inn in rural Quebec. Chief of Homicide for the Sûreté du Québec and his wife have been looking forward to their annual getaway with great anticipation. The promise of lazy days filled with resting, reading and reconnecting is almost tangible. Sharing the inn with the couple are the Finney clan. They are a very strange family who made the effort to attend this reunion and yet do not seem to like one another. In fact, they seem to put extra energy into mocking, criticizing and tearing each other down with well-placed barbs and ripping the scabs off unhealed hurts from the past. The family has united to pay homage to the late family patriarch, a man whose lack of presence in the lives of his grown children has left them all incomplete in one way or another. Gamache keeps his identity hidden until an accident claims the life of one of the guests. Is it an accident or murder? Has someone gone too far? Secrets, insecurities and old hurts begin to emerge under the expert prodding of Gamache and his trusted team, Inspector Jean-Guy Beauvoir and Agent Isabelle Lacoste.

With the fourth novel in this first-class mystery series, Louise Penny has comfortably joined the ranks of Ian Rankin, Peter Robinson and Minette Walters. Intelligent, humane and wise. Highly recommended. Librarian Reviewer: Joanne

Discussion Questions:

1) Why do you think Louise included a history of Quebec? Did it help create the mood of the story?

2) Armand Gamache is a character with many intertwined facets of his personality. What was your first reaction to his character?

3) Did you find it realistic that the chief inspector just happened to be at the same Inn where the murder takes place?

4) Which Finney family member was most significant in this story?

5) Have you visited any Inns this summer that you would like to share with us?

September Book of the Month

Dewey: the small town cat who changed the world by Vicki Myron

I am head-over-heels in love - with a cat! Dewey Readmore Books to be exact. Dewey was a little 8-week-old alley cat from Spencer, Iowa, who was dropped into a metal-lined library book drop box overnight and found on the bitterly cold Monday morning of January 18, 1988. He was nursed back to health by the staff and became a permanent, endearing fixture in the library. He touched the hearts of thousands of people across America and the world, many of whom never met him in person. This sentimental, sweet tribute of his life is so much more than what I expected. It lays bare the often difficult life of single mom and library director Vicki Myron. She was Dewey's saviour, his owner, his 'mother' and best friend. Myron takes us on a nostalgic historical journey of her northwest corner of Iowa as she paints a beautiful picture of the Great Plains, each carefully measured acre overflowing with stalks of corn reaching for the heavens. A place where everyone knew everyone, everyone helped their neighbours - and no one ventured beyond the borders of their county. She takes great pride in the citizens of Spencer who have survived many disasters over the decades and who made room in their hearts for a sensitive little cat who was an inspiration, a friend, a protector and a confidant.

A heart-warming social history of a town in the middle of the Heartland and Dewey the library cat who changed their lives forever. Highly recommended. (Librarian Reviewer: Joanne)

Discussion Questions:

1) What do you think makes Dewey such a special cat and why do you think he became famous?

2) How does Vicki describe the small town life of Spencer, Iowa?

3) Why do you think the library decided to retire Dewey to Vicki's home?

4) If you have a cat, what is your favorite part of being a cat owner?

5) Do you have a special cat story to share with us?

August Book of the Month

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella


Do you find that you buy things that you don't necessarily need? Have you ever found yourself shopping just because there is a sale on? Is your credit card maxed? Well this is the book for you. Finance magazine editor, Rebecca Bloomwood always had a passion for style. So much that her closet pulsates with tons of apparel and her credit is maxed to the limit. Reality strikes when Rebecca becomes overwhelmed by her debt and makes every effort to rid of her dues. Along with her trials and tribulations, Rebecca finds herself falling for a wealthy finance group representative named Luke Brandon. Will Rebecca finally take control of her spending and catch the man of her dreams? (Librarian Reviewer: Olga)

Discussions Questions

1) When do you think Rebecca realized she had a problem with spending?

2) What qualities do you think Luke find attractive about Rebecca?

3) Do you think Rebecca will stray away from saving and start spending again?

4) Did you find it ironic that a severe spender like Rebecca worked for a finance magazine?

5) What role does the scarf play in this story? Is it a symbol for money?

July Book of the Month

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

Juliet Ashton is a 30 year old single author of war stories who becomes exhausted of writing about the positive side of war and it's consequences. This novel begins in 1946 when Juliet decides to write her publisher to inform them of her feelings about the stories she writes. Meanwhile, in the quaint town of Guernsey farmer Dawsey Adams locates a used book with Juliet's name in it. Dawsey begins to gather stories from neighbors and sends the stories to Juliet. Letter after letter, Juliet regains her passion for writing about war stories and learns about the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society that had formed while the Germans occupied Guernsey. Each story of heroic efforts and the overall setting of the spirit of Guernsey inspires Juliet's life and her next novel. (Librarian Reviewer: Olga)

The was Mary Ann Shaffer's first novel written with her niece Annie Barrows. Mary Ann passed away February 2008 prior to the completion of the novel. She was a well known editor, librarian and booksales representative.

Discussion Questions

1) Why do you think Juliet began to feel tired of her writing war stories?

2) Do you enjoy writing stories? What inspires you to write?

3) What was your favorite Guernsey war story?

4) How did you feel about Dawsey Adams?