March 2020 Book of the Month Club

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rubysmama

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I do love my Fire. 🔥

And I am LOVING this book !!! So glad, Mia6 Mia6 , that you convinced me to get back to reading thrillers. Also glad you discovered HOOPLA, and glad my library is affiliated with it..

Not finished the book yet, though I had to force myself to stop reading, to go to bed last night. Then I read a little bit this morning, but stopped as I want to have time to be able to finish it next time I pick it up.

"Oh, Claire" :eek2::eek2::eek2:
 

Mia6

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I do love my Fire. 🔥

And I am LOVING this book !!! So glad, Mia6 Mia6 , that you convinced me to get back to reading thrillers. Also glad you discovered HOOPLA, and glad my library is affiliated with it..

Not finished the book yet, though I had to force myself to stop reading, to go to bed last night. Then I read a little bit this morning, but stopped as I want to have time to be able to finish it next time I pick it up.

"Oh, Claire" :eek2::eek2::eek2:
Thrillers are great! There doesn't have to be a lot of violence or vulgar language to "thrill" you!!:thumbsup:
A word here and there is ok.
 
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rubysmama

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Thrillers are great! There doesn't have to be a lot of violence or vulgar language to "thrill" you!!:thumbsup:
A word here and there is ok.
I think that's what had been keeping me away from them, as I thought they'd have more violence, but so far the ones I've read have been more suspenseful and "thrilling", than violent, and the adult language minimal.

To anyone lurking in this thread, it's not too late to join in and read "The Housekeeper" with us. The Kindle version is still only 3.99 (actually $3.72) and as far as I know can be read on any device using the free Kindle app download.
Free Kindle Reading Apps for iOS, Android, Mac, and PC

Amazon.com: The Housekeeper: A twisted psychological thriller eBook: Natalie Barelli: Kindle Store
 
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rubysmama

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I finished the book last night. So good. Lots of twists.
Though really wish the author had left out the part about the kitten :mad:
 

Mamanyt1953

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I should be starting it tomorrow or Wednesday. I'm reading another book for the book club that Aeleen and I founded here locally, and since it is her copy, I need to get that done and get it back for her to read. I get them first, because I'm the faster reader!
 
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rubysmama

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I read it really quickly, so you'll finish it in no time. :read:
 
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rubysmama

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The book of the month club on here is such a great idea! I need to start reading more and different genres. Thanks for the recommendation, finished this last night.😎
maeganj maeganj : Glad you've joined us. We'll be starting the discussion part, starting March 22, so hope you'll come back and share more thoughts on the book..

I'm five chapters in, and WOW!!! :runaround:
There's WAY more WOW to follow !!!
 
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rubysmama

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One more day till the discussion officially starts.

Here's some questions to help start the discussion.
Answer as many or as few as you'd like.

Generic questions we post every month

1. How would you rate the book on a scale of 1-5 *****?

2. Who was your favorite character?

3. Did you have to force yourself to get through the book, or were you unable to put it down?

4. Would you read another book by the same author?

5. Did you learn something you didn’t know before?

6. Did you find the characters believable?

7. Is there any part of the book you would change?

8. Were there any points of view you felt the author had that you disagreed with?

A few questions specific to this book

9. Was there a time when you thought both Hannah and Claire's stories of what happened were plausible and were unsure who to believe or did you only believe one story throughout the book and the other fabrication?

10. Do you think that any father would be capable of murdering his own child the way Harvey planned, poisoning with foxglove leaves or dropping from balcony?

11. Were you surprised with the reveal of Harvey's involvement?

12. If you had the chance to escape a dangerous situation, like Claire had with the open door, would you stay behind rather than leave the baby, or run for your life?

13. What would you do if an upset woman carrying a baby begged you to call a hospital and tell them a patient was suffering from a specific poisoning?

14. Do you think the ending was realistic with Hannah and Claire becoming friends?

15. Were you surprised that Claire's father was responsible for the assault on Hannah and the others

16. Were you surprised that Harvey was behind the diary entries, plotting, and murder of Serena?
 
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Mia6

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1. ****
2. Claire; she was so comical
3. I read it with gusto
4. Definitely, I would read another book written by her.

jumping to 9.
I always believed Claire's story but I found it difficult to believe her father was an embezzler; and he
wasn't, he was a molester.

more later
 
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rubysmama

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Finally get to talk about this book without using spoiler tags. :yess:

1. How would you rate the book on a scale of 1-5 *****?
probably 4 ****

2. Who was your favorite character?
That's tough, but as I was reading, I kept thinking I'd like someone like Claire's roommate as a friend

3. Did you have to force yourself to get through the book, or were you unable to put it down?
No. Not at all. I had to force myself to put it down to get some sleep.

4. Would you read another book by the same author?
Yes, for sure.

5. Did you learn something you didn’t know before?
Yes, that foxglove leaves were toxic to humans

6. Did you find the characters believable?
That's always a tough question to answer, as characters need to be interesting, and do things that might not seem believable, at least to me. For starters, I would never have pursued the whole housekeeper job/revenge like Claire did. At least I don't think I would have.

7. Is there any part of the book you would change?
I mentioned this upthread under spoiler tags, but definitely the paragraph about Harvey killing the kitten.

8. Were there any points of view you felt the author had that you disagreed with?
No. Don't think so.

A few questions specific to this book

9. Was there a time when you thought both Hannah and Claire's stories of what happened were plausible and were unsure who to believe or did you only believe one story throughout the book and the other fabrication?

Hmmm... at the beginning I was very confused, and yet in the back of my mind I kept thinking that Hannah was probably telling the truth about Claire's father.

10. Do you think that any father would be capable of murdering his own child the way Harvey planned, poisoning with foxglove leaves or dropping from balcony?
Hopefully none that I know, but I suppose someone suffering from mental illness would be capable of doing anything.

11. Were you surprised with the reveal of Harvey's involvement?
I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped when he uttered "Oh, Claire". I was so shocked, I signed onto this site so I could post my spoiler tagged comment. Thinking back, there were clues, such the lights being turned on when he was "away", but still the clues weren't enough to "clue me in" to what was going on.

12. If you had the chance to escape a dangerous situation, like Claire had with the open door, would you stay behind rather than leave the baby, or run for your life?
I think my instinct would be to flea, yet I'd be so scared for the safety of the baby, that maybe I'd stay behind.

13. What would you do if an upset woman carrying a baby begged you to call a hospital and tell them a patient was suffering from a specific poisoning?
I'd probably forget what she said in all the confusion.

14. Do you think the ending was realistic with Hannah and Claire becoming friends?
I suppose it's possible, but I'm not sure I could be friends with someone who originally set out to destroy my life, even if she saved my baby. But, maybe.

15. Were you surprised that Claire's father was responsible for the assault on Hannah and the others
That was probably the only thing that didn't surprise me.

16. Were you surprised that Harvey was behind the diary entries, plotting, and murder of Serena?
Yes. And I had no clue Serena was dead.
 

Mamanyt1953

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1. How would you rate the book on a scale of 1-5 *****?

Oh, a solid 5

2. Who was your favorite character?

Actually, I like April. Steadfast, loyal, but not a ninny.

3. Did you have to force yourself to get through the book, or were you unable to put it down?

The only forced part was reading online on my laptop. IF I can ever afford a Kindle, it would be much faster for me.

4. Would you read another book by the same author?

Absolutely

5. Did you learn something you didn’t know before?

Nope

6. Did you find the characters believable?

Not until the end, when so many things finally made sense.

7. Is there any part of the book you would change?

Yes...and I'll discuss that later on, on question #14

8. Were there any points of view you felt the author had that you disagreed with?

Not after I read the entire book. Or nothing major.

A few questions specific to this book

9. Was there a time when you thought both Hannah and Claire's stories of what happened were plausible and were unsure who to believe or did you only believe one story throughout the book and the other fabrication?

LOL, frankly, right up until the end, I thought they were equally improbable.

10. Do you think that any father would be capable of murdering his own child the way Harvey planned, poisoning with foxglove leaves or dropping from balcony?

Absolutely. Without doubt. Harvey was a malignant narcissist, and they are capable of anything, having no conscience. And it is absolutely typical of them that, when cornered, they will take as many people down with them as possible. Even their own children. Even like that. Remember...they do not love those children, those children are possessions, and valued only as tools.

11. Were you surprised with the reveal of Harvey's involvement?

I was. But he was really a minor player right up until the end of the book. We never saw enough of him to pick up on the red flags that constant contact might have revealed.

12. If you had the chance to escape a dangerous situation, like Claire had with the open door, would you stay behind rather than leave the baby, or run for your life?

That's a tough question. It depends on the situation, If I thought that the best chance for the baby was to get help quickly, I'd run like a greyhound. Or waddle like a panicked duck, more like. But then, mothers in general do not leave their children except under extreme duress.

13. What would you do if an upset woman carrying a baby begged you to call a hospital and tell them a patient was suffering from a specific poisoning?

Call, of course. How could you possibly not? Although there are a couple of politicians that I'd have to think about it for a minute...

14. Do you think the ending was realistic with Hannah and Claire becoming friends?

I think that, given the circumstances, the ending was inevitable. Think about this...both women were abused twice in their lives, and by the same men. Now, Hannah's abuse by her father was far different than Claire's by him, but...she was abandoned. I know he died of a heart attack, but emotionally, it was still abandonment, especially with the timing. And both were abused by Harvey. They both loved that baby. They had a shared background, even if it was not a friendly one. They had much in common, and went through so much together (even though physically apart for much of it), that they would have had to end up either as friends or as bitter enemies. I think that their shared love of the baby cemented that friendship.

15. Were you surprised that Claire's father was responsible for the assault on Hannah and the others?

I don't know. I do know that only a VERY small number of accusations of rape/molestation are false. Only about 2%. So that's always in my mind, but this is a work of fiction.

16. Were you surprised that Harvey was behind the diary entries, plotting, and murder of Serena?

Yep, for the reasons that I stated in #11.

The only thing that I would have changed about this book, and the only thing I found REALLY farfetched is that fact that everyone seems to have gone on about their lives, being happy and whole without long term therapy. THAT did not ring true at all. Now, although nothing was written about them having therapy (although we know Claire was seeing someone all along), it is possible that Hannah was receiving help as well, and it simply wasn't stated. But the end of the book is about a year or so after everything happened, and that's an awfully short time for recovery after a very traumatic experience. And an awfully short time for recovering from the kind of obsession that Hannah had about Claire.

I don't usually read psychological thrillers. Probably because I worked at an acute care mental hospital for ages, and am on intimate terms with the disorders that the antagonists have. I know too much about the reality to enjoy the fiction. This was an exception. I would so be willing to read other books by this author.
 
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