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Our January 2019 book club pick was the book “14” by Peter Clines- by FAR our most “out there” and controversial book yet, but boy was it a fun discussion! I truly believe a good book club pick is all about finding something debate-worthy. You need something to drive conversation forward, and this book is perfect for that! I found the book through the Audible Essentials page, and it did not disappoint. The audiobook version is an absolutely fabulous experience, and I found that those that listened rather than physically read the book enjoyed it far more.

I’ve been describing this book as a cross between “Scooby Doo” meets “Lost”; “Friends” meets “The X Files”. Does this ring true to you too?

*WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW*

14 by Peter Clines Discussion Questions

Before we say anything about the book, do 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

Discuss who would play each neighbor. Bonus: bring in photos of your picks and vote!
Recap the story:
- List the “oddities” of the Kavach building: (Green cockroaches, Black light, Padlocked doors or doors with no handle, Cold rooms, Humming, No dreams, Not connected to the power grid, No record of the building’s history)
- Activities: (Measuring the building, Peeling back the paint on their walls/ hidden messages and numbers, Going down into the mineshaft with Oskar out of town, Machine in Debbie & Clive’s walls, Open room 14 and there is space)
- Final findings: (Toni the realtor was fake, “The Family”, Nikolas Tesla, HP Lovecraft, Dead Alexander Koturovic in Nate’s wall, The “earthquake”)

Discussion Questions:
- Question #1: Let’s get it out of the way: air your grievances. What did you hate? What were your “WTF” moments?
- Question #2: Now that’s out of the way, think about the whole journey of the book. What did you enjoy?
- Question #3: What unanswered questions do you have?
- Question #4: Favorite and least favorite neighbor?
- Question #5: Did you have an existential crisis reading this book? Do you believe in alternate dimensions?
- Question #6: Consider the three character “reveals”: Veek, Tim, and Andrew. Which did you guess, and which shocked you?
- Question #7: What were some your original guesses at the “mystery” while you were reading?
- Question #8: Would you have taken the job at the end?