The Heretic's Daughter - Kathleen Kent - Questions

Hello everyone,

Just to remind you that the book club will be held this Thursday 21st October.

Here are some questions you might like to think about for the meeting:
- Identify and discuss some of the factors that contributed to the witch hysteria in seventeenth-century New England
- Discuss Mercy Williams' role in the tragedy that befalls the Carrier family. What motivates Mercy?
- Why do you think the magistrates, and the wider community of Salem so easily believed in and relied on "spectral evidence"?
- Are there any notable or notorious ancestors in your family tree? Did this book make you want to look into your ancestry?

Questions created by PPH bookclub.

Dewey the Library Cat - Vicki Myron

Most of the group started this book thinking it would be an enjoyable read, however, few finished it with the same view. In fact some readers didn't manage to finish the book and not many would recommend this to another reader.

The main disappointment with this book was the over sentimental way in which it was written. There didn't seem to be any real personality in Dewey the cat, he seemed to be used as a way for Vicki to write her life story. Unfortunately this story was only written about briefly with lots of areas glossed over. We felt that there should be more focus about the book, either more about Dewey or more about Vicki. The book didn't seem to go anywhere, each chapter seemed to be a little unrelated snippet.

Some members of the club thought the projecting of thoughts onto the cat was very similar to The Soloist. Many members were unhappy with the anthropomorphism of the cat by Vicki.

We felt that it was trying to say something good about small town America but it didn't come through clearly enough. Some points did come through though and they didn't seem to be very positive, for example, the rejection of the factory and the casino on the grounds that foreigners would then arrive in the town.

Overall the score for this book was 3 out of 10. We would not recommend this book to anyone else.

Dewey the Library Cat - Vicki Myron - Questions

Hello,

I hope you enjoyed or are still enjoying this months book. Here are some questions for you to think about:

- Vicki Myron believes she had a deep connection with Dewey. For example, he knew when he was going to the vet before she even said the word. Do you believe people and animals can have such a connection? If so, how do they read us so well?

- Vicki Myron says: “In our society, people believe you have to do something to be recognized, by which we mean something “in your face,” and preferably caught on camera.” Do you agree? Is this a good or bad thing? What about Vicki’s belief that Dewey was special precisely because he wasn’t like that?

- Did this book change your opinion of cats? How would you answer the question posed at the beginning of the book: how much of an impact can an animal have? Is your answer different after reading the book?

- This book has been described as “a love letter to libraries.” Has it reinforced or changed your attitude about the importance of libraries? Has it changed your opinion of librarians? Would you like for your local library to have a cat?

Questions from Reading Group Guides.