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With the exception of Stella and Ruth, Baker disparages the girls in her care, thinking of them as “low-class degenerates” and “promiscuous, diseased, and immoral.” Why do you feel she is unable to find value in more of her charges?
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5
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21
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April 1, 2026
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2026 Wordplay Winners!
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11
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104
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April 1, 2026
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[Warning: Spoilers] What did you think of the author’s view of the afterlife? How does it match or differ from your own?
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16
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52
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April 1, 2026
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Hiram calls Shine his "daughter of the spirit." What does he mean? How does Hiram's love and acceptance play a part in Shine's later decision to form and embrace her own unconventional family bonds? In the end, who do you think is the "strongest Strong?"?
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1
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6
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April 1, 2026
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John Flanagan is an idealist whose experiences reflect the arc of Prohibition. How does this "rule follower" fare with a rogue partner, mountain moonshiners and criminals? What finally jolts him out of his passivity to pursue what he really wants?
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2
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6
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April 1, 2026
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How does Rebecca's reluctance to speak up about Jed cause trouble? And later, with Eulalie? Discuss some of the complicating factors in her romantic relationship. What finally pushes her to risk giving voice to her own wants and desires?
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4
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12
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April 1, 2026
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Baker tells others that she feels the Colony is better for the women than sending them to prison. Do you think this is true?
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10
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33
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March 31, 2026
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There are many motherless daughters in The Moonshine Women. How do the women mother each other? How do sisterhood and female friendship become even more important when our mother figures are unavailable or gone?
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4
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17
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March 31, 2026
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Both Hiram and his abusive father were alcoholics; Jed's drinking dramatically changes his personality for the worse. Yet it becomes their livelihood. How do they deal with this contradiction? What do you suppose none of the Strong daughters drink?
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3
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8
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March 31, 2026
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Shine is both starry-eyed and fearful of her first famous customer at the bar, Al Capone. She believes they are both "willing to do whatever it took to survive and keep their families safe." Do you agree? Does Shine discover a line she won't cross?
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4
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13
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March 31, 2026
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What did you think of the author’s choice to make the lead investigator a mass murderer recently released from prison? Did you agree with Carol that she was uniquely qualified to investigate the murder?
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20
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59
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March 31, 2026
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Margaret felt that her life got much better once she left politics. What did you think of this transformation? Have you ever felt something similar in your own life?
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10
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49
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March 31, 2026
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Overall, what did you think of I’m Not the Only Murderer in My Retirement Home? (No spoilers, please!)
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38
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219
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March 31, 2026
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To what audience would you recommend I’m Not the Only Murderer in My Retirement Home? Is there another book or author you feel has a similar theme or style?
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18
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72
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March 31, 2026
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Carol insists on having a dénouement, where she exposes the guilty party/parties. Why do you suppose this was so important to her?
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13
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62
|
March 31, 2026
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Catherine finds Carol’s diary, which contains disturbing information about her past. Yet, she chooses to remain friends with her. Why do you suppose this is? Do you think you could have stayed friends with Carol after learning such details?
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18
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47
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March 31, 2026
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Who was your favorite character, and why?
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23
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94
|
March 31, 2026
|
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House committee advances national book ban bill
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2
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44
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March 31, 2026
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Making moonshine requires careful identification of the different parts of the distillate. Shine becomes an expert at this at an early age, but is far less adept at handling matters of her own heart. Are you glad she gets a second chance with John?
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10
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19
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March 30, 2026
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Many women were scared or intimidated into submitting themselves to these facilities. Women didn't receive due process through a court system. Why do you think women were the primary focus of immoral behaviors and not men?
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18
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55
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March 30, 2026
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The novel is about the mass incarceration of women suspected of promiscuous, immoral, or lewd behavior. Were you aware of this history? Are there other similar instances mass incarcerations in the US that you know of?
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27
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112
|
March 30, 2026
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Each chapter of the book starts with an excerpt from Inez’s final letter to Rita. What did you think of this technique? How do you feel it set the stage for the chapter each precedes, or for the book in general?
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22
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57
|
March 30, 2026
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Even as she began to fall in love with Giuseppe, Rita would tell herself, I want him, but I don’t want to need him. Considering her past divorce and her thriving career, was she wise to guard her heart against the count?
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10
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35
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March 30, 2026
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Of Lidy, Elsie says, "Right or wrong, but never indifferent. She was a Strong through and through." Did you agree with the steely matriarch's decisions to do what she thought best—whether keeping a painful secret or ending a life prematurely?'
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4
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15
|
March 30, 2026
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Stella's intelligence and eagerness to please win Baker over. What did you think of their relationship? Do you think it was helpful to Stella, or do you wish her outcome were different?
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8
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26
|
March 30, 2026
|
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What book was the subject of your most memorable book club discussion?
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13
|
89
|
March 29, 2026
|
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What’s the funniest book you remember reading?
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16
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522
|
March 29, 2026
|
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Here's a stat for you
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17
|
92
|
March 28, 2026
|
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Freya faces one of the hardest challenges in the book. Would you have made the same decision she did? If not, why?
|
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14
|
56
|
March 28, 2026
|
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Genevieve begins the book wanting to impress the organization she works for, and by the end, she's thrown protocol out the window. What did you think of her journey? Do you think there was another way of achieving her end goal?
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11
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27
|
March 28, 2026
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