The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden

 Is he the man of your dreams or your worst nightmare?

OK - this one was an interesting and deviating tale!

I absolutely disliked Kevin and everything he was about.  However, I am more weirded out by the "boyfriend" from the very beginning.  I mean, who watches a girl bleed profusely from her face and does not offer to get help!  That thought stuck with me throughout the whole book.  

What about you?

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Discussion Questions

(taken from the back of the book - Poisoned Pen Press 2024 Book of the Month version - October 2024)

1. Compare Sydney and Bonnie's approach to dating.  What are the pros and cons of using dating apps?  Have you ever used one?
2. Is Slug a good person?  Why do you think he and Tom stick together?
3. After Bonnie's murder, it becomes apparent to Jake that a serial killer is on the loose.  What is the killer's MO? Who do they seem to target, and why?
4. Why does Alison hate Tom so much? Are her feelings justified?
5. Count the ways Tom seems like a perfect boyfriend.  In what ways does he seem ... not so perfect? 
6. Sydney can't help but feel unsettled around Randy.  Why is that?
7. Consider Tom's mother's choice to protect her son, though she suspects he's guilty of something terrible.  Do you think she made the right decision?  What would you have done in her position?
8. This story is told between two perspectives and timelines.  Did this make the read more suspenseful?  Were you able to predict any of the twists?
9. What do you think happened to Kevin?  Do you think he deserved it?
10. Discuss Sydney's future.  Then, discuss Tom's future.  Do you think each are happy?

Sleep Tight by J.H. Markert

 What a psychologist's dream, this book!  This book has all kinds of psychoses, I don't even know where to begin!  

Dissociative identity disorder (multiple personalities) is a good place to begin.  The author put a twist on this already difficult to believe and understand mental health condition and had one of the characters envelop other characters' personalities.  Is that actually a thing or what this character just a "good actor"?  The argument in the book (and real life) is that the child lived through such trauma, his brain created these personalities to cope with the stress.  Do you think it helped?

Other issues that arise are cultism and how it breeds and cultivates, psychosis that leads one to kill and entice others to follow your lead and kill for you (Charles Manson ring a bell?).  The story also shows us what childhood neglect can lead to (i.e., kidnapping and psychotic violent breaks).  We even have a touch of substance abuse in the mix.

The story has many plot lines and stories weaved into the mix and it can get too confusing.  Often, I found myself wanting it to "get to the point."  But that it did.  I truly enjoyed reading this and personally am thrilled with the outcome.  Can't wait to discuss.

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Discussion Questions

1. The book begins with the public execution of "Father Silence."  What went wrong during the execution and how that play into the entire story?
2. Tess Claiborne's parents are brutally murdered, but the story is more heavily centered on the kidnapping of her daughter at the same time.  Do you think it was important to murder Tess's parents, given the plot, or could they have just created the mystery around Julia's kidnapping?  What added plot quality was there to include the double murder?
3. There are several relationships highlighted among the story's heroes.  Discuss the dynamics between the relationships of Justin, Tess, Danny, and Eliza.
4. There were several events leading up to the arrest of Father Silence.  What role did Tess play in the entire night?  Why do you think she repressed many of the memories of that night?
5. Julia, despite her parent's weaknesses, is a strong character throughout the story.  Do you think she will be able to keep her resiliency after experiencing this trauma?
6. There were many religious elements included within the story.  What role do you think Catholicism played and why do you believe the author included such as strong influence?
7. Do you believe that Benjamin would ever hurt "his" children?  Did you find his ending tragic?
8. Who do you believe was the main antagonist? How did you feel about the end for them?
9. Do you believe Noah actually suffered from dissociative identity disorder, or was he just a good actor?
10. What do you think is in the future for any and all of the characters?

I, Robot by Issac Asimov

 Adding a sci-fi thriller to the list!

I enjoyed this, even though some of the concepts were a bit over my head :(.  Logically, everything presented made sense and I kind of liked the utopian ending.  What did you think?

I also liked how it was happening in our current time - in fact, I am the exact same age as the robopsychologist, Dr. Susan Calvin.  She's a psychologist, too, so fun!  I liked how she was a female leader in the ever-growing world of men and basically everyone went to her for answer on why the robots have gone wrong.

The level of suspense in this book definitely would classify it as a thriller.  I was always wondering when the robots would take over, like you would see in all the robot movies out there, even the one with the same title!  Not going to spoil the ending for you, but you will see that the anxiety was not worth it.

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Discussion Questions:

Borrowed from Reading Group Guides

1. Do Asimov’s now-famous Three Laws of Robotics mirror humanity’s ethics code in any way? Whose orders are human beings required to obey? Do our definitions of "harm" ever lead to the same confounding dilemmas experienced in I, Robot?

2. Why was Gloria’s mother unable to accept Robbie as an excellent nursemaid? Was Robbie premonitory on Asimov’s part—a prediction that children in the twenty-first century might form intense emotional attachments to electronics?

3. Cutie (QT) questions his origins and finds it impossible to believe that a human created him. In what ways did Powell and Donovan reinforce this belief?

4. Does the case of Stephen Byerley indicate that robots might make better politicians? Would this only hold true if, as the novel envisions, nations dissolve into massive world regions?

5. What is the ultimate commodity produced by U.S. Robot & Mechanical Men, Inc.? Does our global workforce follow this model in any way? Were humor and compassion inevitable traits in the robots? Do these traits interfere with productivity in the world of I, Robot?

6. In the book’s closing lines, Dr. Susan Calvin tells the narrator, "You will see what comes next," as robots stand between mankind and destruction. How did her career lead up to such a precarious conclusion?

7. I, Robot has been turned into a major motion picture starring Will Smith. How does the movie compare with your book-reading experience? What do you think of the adjustments made and liberties taken when converting this collection of stories to one seamless film adaptation?