Shelf Indulgence Book Club

Emily Barr joined us from across the pond to discuss   Things to Do Before the End of the World . First, we caught up. Emily’s kids are prepping for exams, and we discussed what life is like in these post-Covid (although still very much raging) times. Some of us have Covid-arrogance, having yet to get it despite constant exposure, some of us have already had and know better, and some of us are still protecting loved ones (or ourselves) with compromised immune systems. It turns out everything is the same in England as it is here in the US, just with a different accent. Pleasantries sorted, we jumped into the story. Emily actually went to a psychic course with her husband while researching this book. Turns out, cheesy, creepy men like to attend these courses to learn how to read palms or tarot cards as a way of picking up women. It didn’t take Emily a crystal ball to see into the future of her fellow course mates! Luckily she learned what she needed and got out. She can still do...

  What would you do when you hear the news that humans have done such damage to the earth that there might only be a limited amount of safe air left – a year’s worth at most? You’d work through your bucket list, heal rifts, do everything you’ve never been brave enough to do before? Olivia is struggling to do any of this. What it is she truly wants to do? Who do she wants to be? Then out of the blue comes contact from a long-lost cousin Olivia didn’t even know existed. Natasha is everything Olivia wants to be and more. And as the girls meet up for a long, hot last summer, Olivia finds Natasha’s ease and self-confidence having an effect on her. But Natasha definitely isn’t everything she first appears to be . . .  Discussion Questions:  What would you do when you hear the news that humans have done such damage to the earth that there might only be a limited amount of safe air left – a year’s worth at most?  Is there anything in particular on your bucket list, or any ri...

We were so lucky today to have Emily Barr here with our book club to join us for our discussion of Things to do Before the End of The World. We wanted to share the discussion with those that couldn't make it but may have loved the book as much as we did:  Play Video   Enjoy!  P.s. here are those dresses if you were curious 😊  

There’s an odd alchemy to book club discussions. When members have different reactions to a book, the discussion is livelier. Wrobel’s dark tale of a cult leader on a remote island brought out our personal demons, not unlike the guests who took the ocean journey to Wildwood.  We had questions. How do you create a cult leader? Well, you do your homework on illusionists, and cults, and, yes, even Tony Robbins.  You learn more about the performances of Marina Abramovic and Derren Brown. And then you create your own very singular character.  Our group nimbly navigated the intricately plotted puzzle of three perspectives and shifts in the timeline. However, when a book is about a cult based on facing your fears, physical and psychological, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Wrobel is an author who is, well, fearless herself. There are striking images of (intentional) self harm. There is the psychological abuse of children.  This is not a book that is going to be sold as...

  From the Sunday Times and USA Today bestselling author of Darling Rose Gold comes a dark, thrilling novel about two sisters—one trapped in the clutches of a cult, the other in a web of her own lies. Welcome to Wisewood. We’ll keep your secrets if you keep ours. Natalie Collins hasn’t heard from her sister in more than half a year. The last time they spoke, Kit was slogging from mundane workdays to obligatory happy hours to crying in the shower about their dead mother. She told Natalie she was sure there was something more out there. And then she found Wisewood. On a private island off the coast of Maine, Wisewood’s guests commit to six-month stays. During this time, they’re prohibited from contact with the rest of the world—no Internet, no phones, no exceptions. But the rules are for a good reason: to keep guests focused on achieving true fearlessness so they can become their Maximized Selves. Natalie thinks it’s a bad idea, but Kit has had enough of her sister’s cynicism and vol...

We were so lucky today to have Stephanie Wrobel here with our book club to join us for our discussion of This Might Hurt. I've not been able to get Darling Rose Gold out of my head and this book surely lived up to that as one that will stick with us. We wanted to share the discussion with those that couldn't make it but may have loved the book as much as we did:  Play Video   Enjoy!   

The Synopsis  Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year:  Protect her . Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers—Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother. As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss, as a US marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.   The Last Thing He Told Me Book Club Questions  When you first read that Owen went missing, what did you think happened? Owen’s note to Hannah says—protect her. We know he’s talking about Bailey and protecting her from the past. Why didn’t Owen write more to Hannah? Do you believe ...

What was your inspiration for this book?  I’ve always been fascinated by true crime, particularly cases that involve fraud and embezzlement. In the early 2000s, I was intrigued by the financial scandal at Enron. I remember watching Linda Lay [wife of Enron’s CEO, Kenneth Lay] give an interview proclaiming that her husband did nothing wrong. I started to imagine, then, the story of a woman who felt certain of her husband’s innocence despite mounting evidence to the contrary. I didn’t put pen to paper for  The Last Thing He Told Me , though, until almost a decade later when I came to the question I wanted to explore in writing this novel. I wanted to think about what it is to know the people closest to us. To know the people we love the most.  Which character was the easiest and most challenging to write?  Hannah was the easiest because I was experiencing everything through her journey. Owen was the hardest because he made decisions I don't agree with.  Protect he...

EXCLUSIVE :  Jennifer Garner  is set to headline and executive produce Apple TV+ limited series  The Last Thing He Told Me . Based on the  New York Times No. 1 bestseller, the series is produced by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, who optioned the book from author Laura Dave and serves as the studio on the project with 20th Television. Created by Dave and co-created by Oscar winner Josh Singer ( Spotlight ), the  Last Thing He Told Me  adaptation follows a woman (Garner) who forms an unexpected relationship with her 16-year-old stepdaughter while searching for the truth about why her husband has mysteriously disappeared. The Last Thing He Told Me  is executive produced by Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter for Hello Sunshine, as well as Garner and married duo Dave and Singer. This marks the second Apple TV+ limited series Garner is headlining and executive producing, alongside an adaptation of Amy Silverstein’s memoir  My Glory Was I Had Such Fr...

  **SPOILERS AHEAD** This author review discusses Christina McDonald’s first book,   The Night Olivia Fell . If you haven’t read it yet, (and we certainly recommend you do), go grab a copy, a cup of coffee, and find a cozy spot to read before continuing.   We started off our discussion with a who’s who of who has had Covid and which variants. Small talk and ice breakers have certainly changed in the past two years, haven’t they?   Christina was pregnant, and then raising an infant when she was writing this book. One day, while rocking her newborn for two hours just to get the little guy to sleep, she read a tragic news story about a young girl who had become brain dead due to complications from a medical procedure. Processing this tragedy, combined with caring for an infant, got her ‘what ifs’ going, and they led her to her story’s premise.   The chapters of   The Night Olivia Fell   alternate between two narrators; Protective mom Abi, and good teen go...

We were so lucky today to have Christina Mcdonald back for a second time with our book club to join us for our discussion of The Night Olivia Fell. We wanted to share the discussion with those that couldn't make it but may have loved the book as much as we did:  Play Video   Enjoy!   

Synopsis: In the vein of  Big Little Lies  and  Reconstructing Amelia  comes an emotionally charged domestic suspense novel about a mother unraveling the truth behind how her daughter became brain dead. And pregnant. A search for the truth. A lifetime of lies. In the small hours of the morning, Abi Knight is startled awake by the phone call no mother ever wants to get: her teenage daughter Olivia has fallen off a bridge. Not only is Olivia brain dead, she’s pregnant and must remain on life support to keep her baby alive. And then Abi sees the angry bruises circling Olivia’s wrists. When the police unexpectedly rule Olivia’s fall an accident, Abi decides to find out what really happened that night. Heartbroken and grieving, she unravels the threads of her daughter’s life. Was Olivia’s fall an accident? Or something far more sinister? Christina McDonald weaves a suspenseful and heartwrenching tale of hidden relationships, devastating lies, and the power of a mother’s l...