SBBC - Derailed by James Siegel

Our first book club book is Derailed by James Seigel (ISBN 0446531588).

Book Genre: Thriller Adult themes: sex, violence, some sensitive topics.

Summary:

Two strangers on a train, A step taken toward temptation— And a life terrifyingly thrown off course...

DERAILED

Charles Schine and Lucinda Harris are two successful professionals, two suburbanites married to other people, and two strangers on a train who never should have met. After they exchange pictures of their kids an undeniable attraction ignites—and compels them to arrange a tryst in a seedy Manhattan hotel. . .

Swap details:

I've set the sign-up date for January 20th to give folks time to pick up a copy and read it a bit (if you wish) before you decide to join this swap, but you can start reading whenever you'd like. Send-by date is set for March 3rd to read the book, answer and send the associated questions to your partner, I will consider changing it if people voice in the comments that they need more time to read the book (looking at the overall opinion of who has signed up). once the sign-up date has closed, I will also create a discussion thread in the group forums, which anyone who is in the group will be able to add to. this will give everyone an additional opportunity to discuss the book (even while you are reading).

You can either hand-write or type and send (via post) the answers to your questions. Please use your best judgement. If it illicits a yes or no, please answer it with atleast one complete sentence. I would say most questions should be answered with a minimum of a few sentences. The purpose is to create a dialog, a discussion about the book - with your assigned partner, perhaps you will be in touch via e-mail, or private message or through the forum as part of a larger group, or you just want to see what someone else thinks about what we've read. If you only answer yes or no, it doesn't really leave room much room for a discussion.

Category 1 (answer all 7 of these questions for your partner)

1. Have you ever read this book before?

2. Did this book fall in the usual genre of books you read?

3. As an overall experience, how did you feel about this book? Did you enjoy it, hate it, did it make you irritated, angry, sad, did you find it easy to read or did it take you a while to get into, was it entertaining, annoying or something else entirely?

4. Did you have a favorite part of the book? Describe what it was. If you didn't like the book, please tell more about why.

5. Would you recommend this book to others?

6. On a scale of 1 to 10 (one being low and 10 being high), how would you rate this book?

7. Does this book remind you of others you have read? if so, recommend a book that has some likeness in your opinion (even if the likeness is not apparent). Please include the title, and author and a brief description about the book, or why it reminded you of this one.

Category 2

Please pick 8 of the following questions (below) to answer with the above questions. Please be honest in your answer and use constructive criticism. You can choose to answer more questions below, but you must choose a minimum of 8. If there is something not asked in the questions that you'd like to share, please feel free to discuss that too.

• What was unique about the setting of the book and how did it enhance or take away from the story?

• What specific themes did the author emphasize throughout the novel? What do you think he or she is trying to get across to the reader?

• Did the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to their predicaments?

• Was there a character you felt strongly about in either that you liked or disliked them? Why did you feel that way about them?

• Pretend the characters are real people, pick one that you would like to meet, and what would you say to him or her?

• How do the characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? What events trigger such changes?

• Did certain parts of the book make you uncomfortable? If so, why did you feel that way?

• If you could insert yourself as character in the book, what role would you play? (you can either make-up a character, or replace yourself in an existing role).

• Is the plot well-developed? Is it believable? Do you feel manipulated along the way? Do events unfold naturally or is the storyline forced?

• Recall how the story ended, could you foresee the ending, or was it a surprise? Did it seem too clean, or was it ambiguous?

• If you could rewrite the ending, would you? In other words, was the ending satisfying? Would you change anything?

• Can you pick out a passage that strikes you as particularly profound or interesting? (is there a part that particularly resonated with you - whether you liked or disliked the book?

• Did the book or its characters remind you of someone—a family member, friend, someone in your job, or yourself? Did the book help you to resolve or question an issue or concern in your own life?

• If you were to talk to the author, what would you want to know?

• This book was made into a movie, have you seen it? Would you see it? Why or why not?

And finally: Group rules apply in order to join. If you sign-up for the swap, please be prepared to make the commitment. If you flake or don't rate, you will be removed from the group and not permitted to join in future group swaps.

Please understand that people can be very passionate about a book they read and as such, their opinions may differ from your own. When you rate, or discuss the book, please use constructive criticism and be polite. Your rating should reflect that your partner answered the questions (with more than a yes or no answer), and not on their opinion, please.

Any questions should be directed to the swap host.

Happy reading and swapping!