Each month, we try to give our books a theme. We produce a short list of related novels, and we vote for the winner! Themes are generally pretty witty and have literal or loosely related books. If you've read any, or have any titles that would fit nicely in a theme, post below!

December - January 2017 The Long Winter Clocking in at over 1,400 pages, this epic fantasy novel was sure to tide us over for two whole months! DISCUSSION QUESTIONS General Questions I. Did you like the book? II. Did you get involved in the story? III. Was it hard to get invested in the story and characters? IV. What part of the book grabbed/lost your attention? V. What was your favourite part/quote/chapter in the book? Character Questions I. What characters did you like and why? II. Did the characters grow or develop throughout the book? III. Are the characters actions justified? IV. Dos the community the characters live in/created contribute to their actions/decisions? V. Are the dynamics between the characters important? Plot Questions I. Did the story interest you and was the plot engaging? II. Was the story driven by the plot or the characters? III. Did anything in the story surprise you? IV. Did anything in the story up set you? V. Was the plot compelling? Book Structure Questions I. Was the book written from one or multiple perspectives? Did the different perspectives add or take away from the book? II. Does the timeline move in a straight like? Does the timeline make sense? III. Is the story one large story or a series of small interconnecting short stories? IV. Why do we think the author chose to tell his story this way? V. Does the way the story is written give us any deeper insight or understanding of the characters/plot? Theme Questions I. Did the book fit the theme of the month? II. What themes did the author explore in this book? III. Why do you think he chose those themes? IV. Do the themes make sense to be included in the story? V. Did the author use any symbolism or imagery? VI. Are there any themes that you didn't like or found problematic? Ending Questions I. Was the ending satisfying? II. Did you predict the ending or was it a surprise? III. Why do you think the author ended the book in this way? IV. Is there anything that surprised you? V. Would you change the ending of the book, if so, how? The Inheritance Trilogy Questions I. Race and nationality are very contentious in this world -- Amn, Darre, Maro -- how did the gods and gods wars promote unity OR diversity? II. These books include glossaries, appendices and scribbled; did these improve your reading experience? Would you prefer these books as stand-alone novels, or did you like the stories as a collection (and which was your favourite)? IV. With the strong female voice in the books, how did you feel about the male Darre issues presented in The Awakened Kingdom novella?

November 2016 - Not Lost in Translation China's bestselling Science Fiction novel. Set amongst the Chinese cultural revolution, we establish contact with aliens on the brink of destruction. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS General Questions I. Did you like the book? II. Did you get involved in the story? III. Was it hard to get invested in the story and characters? IV. What part of the book grabbed/lost your attention? V. What was your favourite part/quote/chapter in the book? Character Questions I. What characters did you like and why? II. Did the characters grow or develop throughout the book? III. Are the characters actions justified? IV. Dos the community the characters live in/created contribute to their actions/decisions? V. Are the dynamics between the characters important? Plot Questions I. Did the story interest you and was the plot engaging? II. Was the story driven by the plot or the characters? III. Did anything in the story surprise you? IV. Did anything in the story up set you? V. Was the plot compelling? Book Structure Questions I. Was the book written from one or multiple perspectives? Did the different perspectives add or take away from the book? II. Does the timeline move in a straight like? Does the timeline make sense? III. Is the story one large story or a series of small interconnecting short stories? IV. Why do we think the author chose to tell his story this way? V. Does the way the story is written give us any deeper insight or understanding of the characters/plot? Theme Questions I. Did the book fit the theme of the month? II. What themes did the author explore in this book? III. Why do you think he chose those themes? IV. Do the themes make sense to be included in the story? V. Did the author use any symbolism or imagery? VI. Are there any themes that you didn't like or found problematic? Ending Questions I. Was the ending satisfying? II. Did you predict the ending or was it a surprise? III. Why do you think the author ended the book in this way? IV. Is there anything that surprised you? V. Would you change the ending of the book, if so, how?The Three Body Problem Questions I. How are knowledge, technology and video games treated in this book? II. Do you see any parallels between the book and our current society? III. Would you welcome the Trisolarans?