blueheartscraps

Normally, the top of this post is where I would brag about the adorable/thoughtful/heart-touching parts of the book, praise the author for their great job and hope that you all enjoyed the book as much as I did. Hmm. That's not happening this month, LOL! Instead, I shall get right to the questions, and will save my commentary for a follow up comment on this thread in a day or so, after others have had an opportunity to do all of the bragging and praising that I can't. Be aware: THERE COULD BE SPOILERS IN THE QUESTIONS AHEAD! So, if you're not ready to discuss yet, come back when you are - we have all month long! Also, an apology. I couldn't find a series of discussion questions online, so the sad attempt below is mine. Feel free to discuss ANY other parts of the book. Seriously. Please, lol. ************************************************************* 1. Margaret's character is meant to be seen as manipulative, critical and, at times, downright nasty. Do you think she earns those very judgement terms, or do you think the criticism of her character is overdone? Is she truly the monster mother-in-law that Allie sees her as, or is she just a grieving, misunderstood mother? 2. What do you make of the relationship between Allie and Hank? Should Allie have given him (and his mother) more grace throughout the book? Did they deserve her anger and frustration, or did she let her lack of self-confidence control the narrative far too often (i.e. Robyn?!) 3. Give us your thoughts on some of the other relationships in the book: Allie and Val; Samantha and Margaret; Samantha (and/or Margaret) and Keith; Hank and Margaret, etc. What positives did you take from any of these relationships? What blinding negatives did you see? 4. Towards the end of the book, you hear Margaret's backstory and see a quick turnaround in her actions. Do you have hope that a future friendly relationship between Allie and Margaret is possible? 5. Who was your favorite character? What character did you identify with the most? Were there any characters that you disliked? Why?

The discussion posts are always open, so join in with any of them ANY time!

I feel this completely! We went from zero pets to 4 rescue kittens in just a few weeks, and it's been a CRAZY adventure, lol! I'm used to reading mostly at night, in bed, while everyone else is asleep and it's quiet. But 'my' kitten DOES. NOT. LIKE. THAT. He tries to bite my phone all the time...so my reading's dropped a good bit lately

I'm the same way. Not that I read a TON each month (a couple books, maybe) -- but if I don't finish this one right before we start discussing it, I'll have forgotten half of what's going on. My brain is mush. 💩

Good morning, fellow readers! I'm running a little late getting this posted (it was supposed to be up last night). My apologies. This month's selection was a struggle. After our first two books, filled with death and drama, I really wanted to pick something light and airy...but all of the books that called to my soul once again contained themes of death and trauma or claimed themselves as psychological thrillers. *sigh* This month's pick is in the humor category and proclaims that it "takes readers on a relatable and hilarious ride"...so I'm REALLY going to need it to live up to that! 😏 For the month of April, we're going to be reading and discussing the book And Then There's Margaret by Carolyn Clarke. You can read the book's description on the image below, or by visiting the book's Goodreads page here: And Then There's Margaret You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon using the link below: And Then There's Margaret on Amazon Feel free to grab the book and begin reading at your convenience. We will post a discussion thread on April 1st with a few talking points and questions to get the discussion started, but don't worry. We'll discuss the book all month long, so no need to rush!

You're fine! The discussion thread for this month's book will be open until the end of the month (technically, we won't ever really "close" the thread, so you can still comment after February is over)...and there's still a scrapping prompt that will come out the 20th. We just post the next book early to give people a chance to pick it up and read before all the fun gets started with it

Hello, hello fellow book lovers! I'm SO glad you all seemed to enjoy this month's book so much (I've enjoyed reading your discussion question responses so far; they've given me a new outlook and appreciation of some parts of the book!) -- hopefully this next book will be as well received! For the month of March, I've chosen the book Call the Canaries Home by Laura Barrow. You can read the book's description on the image below, or by visiting the book's Goodreads page here: Call the Canaries Home You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon using the link below (look! I picked another book that's part of Kindle Unlimited -- that seemed well appreciated last month!) Call the Canaries Home on Amazon Feel free to grab the book and begin reading at your convenience. We will post a discussion thread on March 1st with a few talking points and questions to get the discussion started, but don't worry. We'll discuss the book all month long, so no need to rush!

*yawn* 🥱 I understand that ALL. TOO. WELL.

FYI, for those joining us...the discussion thread has been posted. Can't WAIT to hear everyone's thoughts!!

Well! I think it's safe to say the lead up to this first book discussion has been quite the exciting event. I am SO glad to see so many of you excited to read along with Chere and I and find some great new stories to love! It's funny, I spent the first little bit after we posted this new adventure just hoping that someone, anyone, would be interested enough to join us...to seeing my email flood with forum post replies of people grabbing the book and finishing it (long before I had even started it!)...to avoiding that thread like the plague to make sure I didn't get any spoilers before I finished reading, lol! Below are a few discussion questions, most taken directly from the author's website, to get the discussion of Impossible to Forget started. This is ONLY a start, though. You're welcome to add on any interesting points, pose any questions, or discuss anything else inside the book (Did anyone else ever see Maggie and Leon together?! What about Tiger's real name...and does anyone else think the author missed a great chance to name him Rome/Roman, so that Romany is another nod to Angie's friendship with him?! Do you think Daniel/Jax remained an active part of Romany's life moving forward?!). I'm just trying to get the ball rolling When we first meet Maggie and Angie, it’s hard to imagine that they will ever be friends as they are so very different to one another. Why do you think their friendship works? What at first seems exciting and Bohemian about Tiger’s life starts to tip over into something else. How appealing is a life with no roots? What do you think Tiger is running away from? Why does he stop? Leon choice of wife surprises Angie and threatens to drive them all apart. What do you think Leon is searching for? Jax runs a mile when Angie falls pregnant and yet Angie seeks to arrange it so that he and Romany meet. Why do you think she does that? Have you ever thought about appointing a guardian for someone? What did you take into consideration? How practical do you think Angie’s proposal actually is? Ultimately, it seems that Angie knew her friends almost better than they knew themselves. Do you think their lives are improved by the end of the book? On a scale of 1 to 5 stars (with 5 being the greatest), where did this book fall on your rating scale? I'll dive into my answers over the next day or two (I'm kind of excited to see what some of you think before I give a lot of my opinions), I can't wait to hear what you all thought of the book!

I am SO excited to see so many replies of interest this afternoon! Like Tracy, I've got to finish my current book before I can start this one, but that's probably for the best...if I race through this book, it's going to be very hard to wait until February to discuss it! A-M, I'm very sorry you're having troubles. Give me a little time this evening/tomorrow to see if there's anything I can figure out, and I'll message you.

Amen! Me, too

Yay!! So glad a few of you are already jumping in to join us!

Hello, hello fellow book lovers! I'm both nervous (about picking a book that we hopefully all love!) and extremely excited (about reading and scrapping some...hopefully...great books this year!) and hope to see quite a few of you joining together with Chere and me on this new adventure. To start us off for the month of February, I've chosen the book Impossible to Forget by Imogen Clark. You can read the book's description on the image below, or by visiting the book's Goodreads page here: Impossible To Forget Feel free to grab the book and begin reading at your convenience. I will post a discussion thread on February 1st with a few talking points and questions to get the discussion started, but don't worry. We'll discuss the book all month long, so no need to rush! Amazon Book Link Happy Reading!

ooh...that one sounds interesting! Probably not something I would normally read (not even sure if I would have heard about it any other way), but the description is enough for me to throw it on my To Be Read list, and I'll pick it up soon! Thanks for sharing!! I'm currently reading Blind Bake, the first in the Maddie Baker Mysteries Series by Denise Grover Swank. I'm a HUGE fan of Denise and read most of her books (her Rose Gardener series, and its multiple spin-off books, are some of my favorite books!)

Yah for a new release! ;)

I'm running a day or so late here (sorry! oldest son has his first theater production last night, and twisted his ankle right beforehand -- trying to take that whole "break a leg!" idea too seriously *sigh*) Anyway!! Thank you for all of the BEAUTIFUL layouts! You're also so talented! ❤️ I let Wheel Decide pick a winner -- huge congrats, @Celestine! I'll message you before the day is over with 🎉😍

Carla!! 😍 So glad to see you here! (Yes, I know. I'm ALWAYS late to the party...but I'm fabulous, so it's all good, lol)

🎉🎈 Happy ScrapGirls Anniversary! 🎉🎈 To help celebrate, I'm excited to host a word art challenge for you all. The rules are simple: 1. Grab the word art freebie linked below 2. Create a new layout and upload it to the Anniversary Gallery - 2022 album in the store gallery found here: http://scrapgirls.net/forum/gallery/category/479-anniversary-gallery-2022/ 3. Upload the layout in this thread (and link it to the gallery image so we can ooh and aah and leave some love for you) Layouts must be posted in this thread and in the gallery by 11:59 on October 31st, 2022 You will receive 1 entry for completing and uploading your layout in time. If you use my products (kit and/or template) to create your layout, you'll earn 1 extra entry (be sure to list all credits in the gallery!). I'll randomly choose at least 1 winner for a $10 gift certificate to my store! 😊 (Don't have a lot of fabulous Blue Heart Scraps products?! You're in luck! The store is already 45% off through October 31st, but if you use coupon code BHSChallenge30, you can save an additional 30% off already reduced priced goodies! SCORE! 😉) Can't wait to see all of your gorgeous layouts! Grab the word art HERE