Book Club Ideas & Questions
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Just One More
Discussion Questions
Food Ideas from the Book
Discussion Questions
- Is Harriet a cold-blooded killer or a girl struggling to survive?
- Harriet experienced several types of abuse. Which type(s) of abuse do you think are the most detrimental for a child?
- Was Harriet’s ability to communicate with the crows true or coping mechanism?
- Did you cheer at any of the murders? If so, which one(s)?
- Do you believe this life could happen? Why or why not?
- Loss is a recurring theme in Just One More. Has loss affected your life?
- Why do you feel Harriet tries so hard to control her environment?
- The control process involves carefully collecting information about a system, process, person, or group of people in order to make necessary decisions about each. Does Harriet control or react?
- Is Harriet capable of a loving, healthy relationship?
- Assign one of these characters to each participant? Add additional characters to this list is you have more members in your book club. Ask them if they liked the character, why or why not? What was this person’s influence on Harriet? How did the character affect the pace of the book?
- Harriet/Ari
- Jerry
- Stacy Blimm
- Grandmother Harriet Blimm
- Toby
- Miss (Nicole) Charles
- Cedric Danvers
- Cooper Adams
- Angie Layton
- Robin
Food Ideas from the Book
Food to help you celebrate:
Homemade Salsa Recipe
Fact: the best salsa is made with fresh tomatoes. Okay, that’s just my opinion, but in the past, I thought I could go the route of using all canned tomatoes, but using some fresh tomatoes makes a world of difference! Fresh tomatoes make the best salsa, especially when you use nicely ripened in-season tomatoes.
Salsa Ingredients
- Fresh Roma tomatoes – use the nice and red ones, avoid anything soft.
- Canned tomatoes – I like to use canned in addition to fresh because it gives the salsa a better consistency.
- Fresh cilantro – cilantro adds key flavor, don’t omit this! Very important because it will disguise the chopped-up oleander leaves!
- Jalapeno – this adds a nice kick. If you don’t like heat you can replace it with 1/4 cup chopped bell pepper, or omit.
- Red onion – yellow onion can be used here as well.
- Green onion – if you don’t want to buy both kinds of onions you can omit the green onions and add just a little more red onion.
- Garlic – it may seem small but garlic packs a flavorful punch. Only use fresh garlic here for the best flavor.
- Lime – this really brightens up the salsa.
- Chili powder and cumin – I don’t always add these but they’re a nice addition if you have them on hand.
- Sugar – just a touch balances out the acidity of the tomatoes and lime.
- Salt and pepper – the salsa would taste flat without the salt and the pepper adds a light kick.
How to Make the Best Salsa
Making salsa at home couldn’t be easier! No need to measure just chop stir and taste. Here’s how you’ll make it:
- Roughly chop the vegetables (and fruit if you want to get technical those tomatoes are fruit).
- Add vegetables to a food processor along with spices and lime juice.
- Chop in quick bursts until it’s finely chopped up.
What if I Don’t Own a Food Processor?
This salsa can also be made in a blender. Or you can finely chop up the vegetables by hand and then stir everything together in a bowl.
HOMEMADE BAKED TORTILLA CHIPS
WHAT KIND OF TORTILLAS DO I NEED?
I prefer small (6-inch) corn tortillas for this recipe. You can use either white or yellow corn tortillas. You can bake flour tortillas the same way, although the baking time may differ slightly, so you’ll want to keep a close eye on them.
INGREDIENTS
- 6 small corn tortillas
- 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil
- 1 pinch salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Stack the tortillas on top of each other, then cut into six equal sized wedges.
- Place the cut tortillas in a large bowl and drizzle the oil over top. Gently toss the tortilla pieces in the oil until they’re all lightly coated. Other herbs and spices can be added at this time, if desired.
- Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, then spread the tortilla pieces out over the surface so that they’re in a single layer and overlapping as little as possible. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
- Bake the chips for ten minutes, then gently stir and flip the chips. Return the chips to the oven and bake until golden brown (3-5 minutes more). Season with salt once more.
- Allow the chips to cool before serving. They will crisp even further as they cool down.
NOTE: Every oven is a little different, as are brands of tortillas. Watch the chips closely for color change and adjust cooking time as needed.
Shadows In Our Bones
Discussion Questions
Food Ideas from the Book
Discussion Questions
- If you were to discover that your heritage was different than what you’d always been told, how do you think you would react?
- What differences do you see between race relations then (1990) and now?
- Why does Mitch seek out and court Georgia?
- Did you see the marriage between Linda and ken as a hopeful salute to the future?
- How did Marcus escape the measles?
- Why do you believe Jonathan, a man of his time, was such a free-thinker? Possible ideas might be that the early loss of his fit wife created empathy, that he was widely traveled, or perhaps because his first wife was from the south.
- How would a missionary of today differ from the Captain?
- Discuss the work, and impact, of missionaries around the world.
- What type of wedding dress did you wear/or dream of wearing?
- Would you wear your wedding gowany for six months?
- Cora’s views on most issues differ significantly from those of her parents. Discuss how her opinions differ and why.
- Did your view differ from those of your parents?
- How do your children view the issues of today? Is it different from your own?
- Where did the Malagaites come from?
- Why did they choose to live together?
- How do you think the title relates to the content of the book?
- Is it more/less/ same common today to wed someone eighteen years older?
- How do you think that age difference affects a marriage/family?
- How have expectations for mixed-race marriages changed? In society? Among your family and friends?
- Have you done a DNA test? Why or why not?
- Why do you think Susan never looked in the box?
- The advancements made by science have changed our lives and our beliefs in many ways. What do you see as some of these changes?
- Does “scientific racism” still exist? Where? How is it used?
Food Ideas from the Book
Food mentioned in the book:
- Twenty Bean Soup and Bread
- Chicken Cacciatore
- Tiramisu
- Game – rabbit, deer, fox
- Fish
- Thin soup for the Malagaites (fish, potato, onion)
- Bouillabaisse for the Lanes
- Lady Baltimore Cake
- Cottage Pudding with Nutmeg
Menu from Lane Thanksgiving:
“The gleaming white cloth was covered with dishes: roast pork, apple sauce, mashed potatoes, creamed cabbage, stewed corn, beet pickles, and two types of bread. All of this had been preceded by a meat soup, and in the kitchen, an apple cake waited to be served with whipped cream, cheese, and coffee.”
Menu from Lane Christmas:
“An elegant Yorkshire pudding accompanied the roast beef, and, much to Jack’s delight, the meal culminated in a flaming plum pudding.”
Family Lies
Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions
- Describe your favorite character and explain why this person is your favorite.
- An important topic in this book is secrets. Does keeping secrets bind or break relationships?
- When should you keep a secret?
- When should you never keep a secret?
- Are wealthy families more likely to “keep secrets”?
- Did you feel the gossip columnist – Sharon Chatsworth – added to the story? Why or why not?
- What are the gossip columns of today’s world? How much influence do they have? Is this influence good or bad?
- How has Walter maintained control over his family? Is his control justified?
- Was your birth family matriarchal or patriarchal? How did this affect you and/or your siblings?
- Divorce in 1940 carried a social stigma. How was this different for men and women? How have these attitudes changed? Is this good for our society?
- Do you think women still face societal pressure today only to fill traditional roles? Do you think it’s possible to “have it all”?
- Do you think a ‘good parent has a favorite child? If so, why?
- Is a birth child favored over a stepchild? Over an adopted child?
- Contrast John and Sam. Which is the better man? Why?
- Is Sylvia’s behavior excusable due to her childhood?
- Do you have beliefs about the differences between the Southern and Northern United States? Elaborate on your opinions and why you believe this.
- Sylvia seems to like ‘bad boys’. Was John a bad boy in college?
- How do the characters in this story handle their lives? Why do you feel this is true?
- Forgiveness between family members is handled differently between individuals. Who truly forgave one another? Minette and Lily? Sam and John? Sylvia and John? John and the family.
- When they return to France, is this a selfish move on Minette’s part or Lily’s?
- John and Valerie are a ‘match made in heaven. Do you agree? Why or why not?
- Valerie appears very accepting. Is she a strong or weak woman?
- Do you believe in love at first sight?
- At the end of the book, when Valerie is killed, Michael begins to see her ghost. Have you ever seen a ghost?
- If you were casting a movie, who do you see in each role?
Family Matters
Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions
- The dictionary defines a lie as a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive. Deception is defined as to mislead by a false appearance or statement with the intention of causing harm to another person. So is the Augustus family myth built on lies or deception, or both?
- Why doesn’t anyone in the family stop covering up the past?
- When Sam takes over the company, his attitude toward deception changes. Does it change his fundamental character?
- How does the weight of the family secrets affect each character? Particularly John, Minette, and Elizabeth.
- What were the significant changes in the United States social climate during World War II? Explain their impact?
- Using examples from your family or persons you know, illustrate the changes in the USA in the 1950s.
- Tattletales writer, Sharon Chatsworth, stopped writing her column because the “rapidly changing world was too much for her”. It was 1957; what did she mean?
- Why did American youth and youth throughout the world rebel – was this a normal social shift? Think about the 1920s and 1930s.
- John refuses to admit that he is Elizabeth’s birth father. Why does he do this? Do you agree with his decision?
- John and Sylvia choose to create a sham marriage. Does any good come from this decision? Why do you feel they made this choice?
- If a modern-day actress played Sylvia on screen, who would it be?
Family Myths
Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions
- Major themes in this book include:
- Family secrets and lies
- Ghosts as available to help
- Regrets and anxiety they cause
- Daughters and fathers
- Living on regrets seems to be part of human nature but, is this good or bad? Do the characters grow through their dwelling on regrets?
- Does fundamental human nature change over time?
- John appears to be much the same as he was in book one, Family Lies. Do you agree? If so, why do you think this is?
- Were you surprised that John came home after the war?
- What impact did his return have on other family members? Good and/or bad?
- The struggle with appreciating the family you have is often troublesome. Why do so many struggle with this?
- Do you believe daughters have a special relationship with fathers? Explain?
- What are the main reasons Serena couldn’t commit to Logan?
- Do you believe Logan would have taken her back into his life if he thought she was pregnant with his child?
- What are your thoughts about Brian and how he left after the night with Serena?
- How do you think Serena handled being an unwed pregnant woman?
- Serena looks at the women in her office and wonders how many of them are living lies. Do you wonder the same?
- Why does Serena stay with Joey Coppola after the first few ‘red flags’?
- Alan was clearly smitten with Serena. Why do you think the relationship never evolved past boss and employee?
- Is keeping secrets hard? Is it ever ‘worth it’?
- When the Augustus family secrets are finally revealed to one another, each person reacts in their own way. What ultimately caused John to admit his errors?
- Why does Minette go along with the lies for so long?
- Why does the ghost (Valerie) speak less to Michael in this book than in Family Matters?
- Do you believe in ghosts?
- Have you ever seen a ghost?
- Share your favorite part of this trilogy?
- The 1960s, 70s and early 80s were a tremulous time in the United States and in much of the world. Elizabeth was born too early to be a true hippy and too late to be a true beatnik. Does she feel caught between these two movements?
- Elizabeth feels like an outsider in the Augustus family. But, if John had been honest, with the children, from the beginning, would there have been a different outcome?
- Do you think of Elizabeth as a survivor? Why or why not?
- Is Michael’s love for and protection of Elizabeth healthy? What impacts did you notice on his life and relationships?
- If you were to choose a life-long friend from the books, who would you choose and why?
- Forgiveness between characters is handled differently throughout the stories. Who truly forgave one another?
- Does anyone in the Augustus family have integrity? Who and why?
- Who is an excellent example of a Modern-Day Augustus family?
Book Signings
JUST ONE MORE Launch April 19, 2022 – Wickenburg, AZ
UT Book Fair – San Diego, CA -August 20, 2022
Book Fair and Panels – Oct.8, 2022 – Coronado, CA
Schedule a Book Club Meeting
Tamara will attend your book club in person, or via Zoom, Skype, Google Meetups, and on many other platforms.