Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Our February love story was Sense and Sensibility. We read Pride and Prejudice a few years ago and Jane Austen gets a lukewarm reception from our group. Some of us enjoy reading her, others prefer to watch the movie version. It was agreed that this book progressed very slowly. It was interesting to note that it was Jane's first novel and then compare it to Pride and Prejudice. We discussed some of the characters and what we liked and disliked about them. But conversation about the book was tricky as very few of us actually finished reading it. Luckily our plan for this meeting was to enjoy food and drink and then watch Becoming Jane in a newly completed home theater. The movie was a fun way to find out more about the author.

Food was very excellent! We enjoyed bread with farmer cheese, guacamole and chips, chilis rellenos, fresh salsa (I'm not sure why we ended up with a Mexican theme), pizza, strawberries, special K bars, a box of Russell Stover chocolates, LU Petit Ecolier Dark Chocolate Biscuits, and of course, wine.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This plot-driven young adult novel was devoured by everyone in our book club. Half of us had read the second book in the series by the time of our monthly meeting. We enjoyed discussing the moral implications of the Hunger Games along with potential first dates, children's activities, tatoos and body piercing, homelessness, and politics.

We started with the Scholastic questions, but most were more like elementary reading comprehension questions rather than questions for discussion. So we took a few that we liked and mostly made our own.

1) How does the "indifferent mask" worn by Katniss and the roles played by the contestants in the games compare to the masks worn by you and I every day?

2) Compare the contestants in the Hunger Games to characters in other movies and books. Particularly, how does Katniss compare to Bella in Twilight, another hugely popular YA novel, the author of which acclaimed the Hunger Games series?

3) Discuss Katniss's relationships with people back in her district. What do these relationships teach us about Katniss's character? Would you have volunteered in the place of your younger sibling had you been in the same position as Katniss?

4) What did you think of the character of Haymitch? Was his drunkenness understandable, inexcusable or somewhere in between?

5) Discuss Effie, Cinna, and other capitol characters who crossed paths with Katniss over the course of her preparation for the games.

6) Katniss says about Peeta, "I feel like I owe him something, and I hate owing people." How does this statement reflect the way the games play out? When have you felt that you have owed someone and how does it make you feel?

7) Discuss the career tributes and how they compared to other contestants in the games. What makes some tributes more likable than others?

8) What makes Katniss successful in the games? What would your strategy have been had you been one of the tributes? How would you have fared?

9) Compare and contrast the Hunger Games to events in the real world today and in the past.

10) How does the author's choice to tell the story from Katniss's point of view effect your experience as a reader?

11) What do you predict will happen or hope will happen in future books in the Hunger Games series?

12) How well do you think this novel will translate into a movie?

This was a great novel for food options. The idea of having squirrel or rabbit was thrown out there, but overruled early on in the meeting plans. We did, however, get treated to some wonderful lamb stew with plums. It's no wonder it was a favorite of Katniss! There were a couple of bread options, of course. One Red Lobster biscuit and another to go along with a yummy artichoke dip. The salad was fresh and tasty and even incorporated berries! Wine was a must. And I had meant to attach a silver parachute to my Butterfinger brownies for dessert, but it totally slipped my mind. A veggie tray and some luau meatballs rounded out one of the healthiest meals we've ever pulled off without any planning.