Guess whaaaat you guys: I started a book club at work! My love for reading runs deep, and I’ve recently become completely obsessed with listening to Audible audiobooks on my commute. Here in Atlanta, you NEED audiobooks to get through the hours of traffic we sit in per day, and I knew I needed to spread the love to my coworkers. I’ve actually gotten several of them completely hooked on Audible too! It’s nothing short of life-changing for long drives. In fact, it’s easy to get through an audiobook a week if you’re just listening in the car, so this makes book club a lot more feasible for our busy lives.
I decided to share my book club discussion questions with you all each month since I put so much time and effort into them. I’m constantly Googling for discussion guides and questions, and for some books there just isn’t anything close to what I’m looking for. I’m hoping this is a good resource for all of you book club moderators out there!
Without further ado, our first book club pick for October 2018 was “In a Dark, Dark Wood” by Ruth Ware!
Spoilers below: beware!
In a Dark, Dark Wood Discussion Questions
- Before we say anything about the book, I want to explain how we will kick off each book club. The thumb vote:
- On the count of three, everyone is going to hold up their hand signal
- If you read the book, you’ll use your right hand to give it a thumb rating
- If you started the book but didn’t finish it, you’ll hold up an empty fist
- If you never started the book, you’ll hold up two high-fives (favors)
- Discussion Questions:
- Question #1: Think about the “twisty mystery category”. Regardless of how you feel about the ending, you must consider the whole ride, not just the destination. How did you experience the book? Were you immediately sucked in? Could you “put it down”?
- Question #2: What did you think of the ending? When did you figure it out? Or did you?
- Question #3 :A red herring is a “clue” in the book that is meant to mislead you. Who did you wrongly suspect before the ending was revealed? Did you ever suspect Nora? What were the red herrings?
- Question #4: Looking back, what were the actual clues leading to Clare that were overlooked?
- Question #5: Who were your favorite and least favorite characters?
- Question #6: The book is currently being developed into a movie by Reese Witherspoon. What actors would you pick to play Clare, Flo, Nora, Nina, and Tom?
- Question #7: What scenes unnerved you?
- Question #8: What do you think the purpose of the Ouija board scene was? Who do you think was responsible?
- Question #9: What’s scarier: no mobile service or no curtains/blinds?
- Question #10: How do you feel about Nora and James? Was that plotline realistic?
- Question #11: What do you think about Flo? Is she insane, or just a victim?
- Question #12: Does anyone have a bachelor/bachelorette party story where either the people, situation, or location were strange? Can you relate to Nora’s feeling of dread around the event?
- The moral of the story is: Don’t mix tequila and shot guns. Use a passcode on your phone. Any others?
In a Dark, Dark Wood Cocktails!
Because I’m never not extra 😉