Literary Circles Final Meetings

Literary Circles will be meeting for their final book club discussions over the next two weeks beginning Tuesday, April 21st. Get prepared ahead of time. Be sure you and your circle are doing the following:

1. Choose a leader for your last discussion. The leader should go over the discussion questions in the back of their book or at book club websites provided. Be sure you are prepared to lead having review the guidelines for leading a literary circle. These were provided for everyone at your first meeting. If you need a new copy please check out Edline or get a copy from the LC file in class.
2. Each member should come up with a discussion question. BE SURE it is a DISCUSSION question not a quiz question.
3. Each member should come with a few observations written down to share with your circle.
4. Also, remember to mark your book where you find passages that catch your attention.

*I will be looking for AT LEAST one passage being shared and discussed in your literary circle.

Looking forward to our literary circles together!

A Peak at the New Series

Here is a peak at the new series inspired by McCall Smith's No1 Ladies' Detective Agency. It is always a little iffy when a movie or television series is made from a book, but this is one of the jewels.

No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

From the moment I read his first book I was hooked to his easy style. His language, mini plots, and colorful characters are all brilliantly written. No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, the first in his prolific engaging series of books about a lady detective living in Botswana, solving mysteries and making things right.

For more about Alexander McCall Smith, visit his website @ http://www.randomhouse.com/features/mccallsmith/



To hear an interview with McCall Smith visit Barnes and N*ble's interview.

Links about The Three Musketeers

A site for fans of everything Three Musketeers including movies, on-line games and the novels.

http://www.fanpop.com/spots/the-three-musketeers

A computer game about The Three Musketeers

http://www.fanpop.com/spots/the-three-musketeers/links/1022922

The movie trailer 1993 Disney version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6KCfmSKnD8

Last Book Club Meeting on Three Musketeers

Let's Discuss!

While enjoying scrumptious yummies we will chat about the final chapters with their twists and turns. Tomorrow, we say au revoir to our group of heroic musketeers. I hope you have enjoy the adventure. Here are a few questions for discussion tomorrow:

1. Was Milady’s trial at the end a "just" trial? According to whose standards of justice?

2. Did you expect the ending? Did you like the way the story ended? If not, what would you like to have seen different and how?

3. In the end, D'Artagnon has grown quite a bit from the young eager 18 year old to a 21 year old man. How do you think he has changed? Do you like the ways he has changed?

4. Now that you have read the whole book what do you think? Did you enjoy it? What did you like about the story? What did you find the most interesting about the story? There were so many themes including honor, chivalry, romance etc. What element did you like the most?

All for One and One for All

The Three Musketeers

Today we begin our journey. Traveling back in time and across the sea to 18th century France and the time of gallantry, bravery, and honor - the time of the musketeer. Written over 150 years ago it is an enduring tale of romance, courage and loyalty. Its characters are as varied as the stories twisting plot and subplots. Set in the background of a musketeer France, it is the story of a boy longing for adventure and love and becoming a man. There are characters to love and those to despise. Most of all there is a rich storytelling quality that takes away from the walls of the classroom to another time, another life.

I hope that most of all, you will walk away from this story having found enjoyment and discovery.