Something Strange & Deadly Book Club Week 1

, , , , , , , , 16

Welcome to week 1 in the Something Strange & Deadly book club!

I’m SO amazed by the amount of people who have signed up, and I hope–as the word spreads–that more people might jump in! If you know of anyone interested in joining, please direct them to the sign-up form here.

And–whether you participate in this book club or not–you’ll definitely want to stop by the Epic Reads discussion board! So far they’ve…

Now, I’m sure many of you are wondering how exactly my  book club works. Basically, I have the week’s discussion questions (one for book 1 and one for book 2) below. You have all of August to answer these, and you can answer them anywhere on the web (that’s publicly visible, of course).

If you don’t want to answer this week’s discussion question, that’s fine! You can chime in next week…or the next. Or even in the final week. One discussion qualifies you for the participation prize. 🙂 What is the prize? A copy of the e-novella A Dawn Most Wicked or an exclusive cut scene from A Darkness Strange and Lovely.

Of course, if you want to be eligible for this week’s EPIC giveaway, you’ll want to be sure you answer this week’s discussion question somewhere on the web (publicly visible, of course) before Monday of next week, when I choose a winner!

This Week’s Giveaway Prizes

  • Copy of Taken by Erin Bowman
  • Signed copy of Something Strange & Deadly OR signed copy of A Darkness Strange and Lovely
  • Signed Something Strange & Deadly swag!

To sign up for the participation prize, fill out this form after you’ve answered your discussion question.

To sign up for this week’s giveaway, fill out this form after you’ve answered Week 1’s discussion question. Remember, you can answer EITHER the question for book 1 OR book 2. 🙂

Something Strange & Deadly Discussion Question

Eleanor’s mother expects a lot from poor El. She wants Eleanor to marry and save the family from financial ruin (despite the fact that Eleanor is only 16), she wants Eleanor to become friends with the rich “cool” kids (like Allison or the Virtue Sisters), and she wastes money the Fitt family doesn’t have on new gowns and fancy house decor. She demands Eleanor behave according to “proper etiquette” and squeeze into a corset that deforms her ribs.

Do you think, given the time period, Mrs. Fitt is justified in her demands on Eleanor? Why or why not?

Historical Extra:

Read from a true Victorian guide to etiquette, Routledge’s Manual of Etiquette, published in the late 1860s!

A Darkness Strange & Lovely Discussion Question

Eleanor finds herself with next to nothing at the start of A Darkness Strange and Lovely. Do you think she is justified in leaving Philadelphia and leaving behind her mother? On the flip side, can you put yourself in Mrs. Fitt’s shoes and understand why she might be so cruel toward Eleanor?

Historical Note:

Explore the grounds of Kirkbride’s Hospital, where Mrs. Fitt stays!

So there you go! That’s week 1 for our discussion of Something Strange & Deadly and A Darkness Strange & Lovely! Stay tuned for fun stuff coming on Wednesday (that might involve me reading the book…*shudder*), and on Friday, I’ll have a list of all the discussions going on across the web!

If you have any questions or want to go ahead and share your discussion, feel free to link to it in the blog comments.

Or feel free to reblog/answer me on Tumblr.

Or, you can always talk about it on Twitter or Facebook.

Thank you, and don’t forget to AIM FOR THE KNEES!

♥