Saturday, October 29, 2011

Room: a Novel

 
Book Menu for Room: a Novel by Emma Donoghue

ISBN of edition I read: 9780316120579 (large print)

This is a disturbing story but a real page turner.  I bet every reader falls in love with five-year old Jack. I can't wait to hear what my book group has to say about this story. 
 
Food mentioned in Room: a Novel:
Chocolates, 18, 32-33, 79, 81, 295-6
Tuna on crackers, 23
Spaghetti and broccoli, 29-30
Fish fingers, 30
Birthday cake, 30, 35, 49, 53-4
Grapes, 36
Pancakes, 44, 428
Bean salad, 59
Fish sticks and rice, 62
Oatmeal, 77
Vegetable soup, 81
Hot dogs, 84, 165, 194
Baked beans, 91
Bananas, 92, 149, 157
Bread and peanut butter, 94, 125
Chickpea curry and rice, 98
Mini pizzas, 98
Bagels, 103, 132
Lollipop, 108, 113, 248
Apples, 120, 154
Mandarins, 125, 149, 162
Macaroni and cheese, 153
Beef soup, 171
Chocolate Easter eggs, 263
Waffles and omelets, 263
Banana chocolate cake, 278
Apple juice, 278
Strawberries, 280
Pancakes, 263, 284
   Blueberry pancakes, 383
Bacon, 284
Coffee, 284, 413, 466
Kebabs and quinoa, 289
Fruit salad, 289
French toast, 323, 467
Beef stroganoff, 337
Popcorn, 364
Lasagna, 377
Potato chips, 405
Tagliatelle carbonara, 405
Coconut cake, 414
Lemon cake, 414
Cookie, 425
BLT, 434
Pad Thai, 435
Pork Chops and risotto, 444
Strawberry ice cream, 459
Vanilla ice cream, 459
Chocolate milk, 466
Granola, 468-9

Books mentioned in Room: a Novel:
"Danae" (poem) / Simonides, epigraph
My Big Book of Nursery Rhymes, 24, 48, 154
The Runaway Bunny / Margaret Wise Brown, 24-5, 81, 114, 154, 437
Pop-up Airport, 24, 46-47, 154
The Shack / William P. Young, 24, 96
Twilight / Stephenie Meyer, 24
The Guardian / ?, 24
Bittersweet Love / ?, 24 
The Da Vinci Code / 24, 82
Alice in Wonderland / Lewis Carroll, 25, 45, 47, 81, 88, 91, 121, 140, 154, 159, 224, 299-300, 320, 420-1, 426
The Count of Monte Cristo / Alexandre Dumas, 99, 181
The Great Escape / Paul Brickhill, 141
The Very Hungry Caterpillar / Eric Carle, 292, 305
The Giving Tree / Shel Silverstein, 292, 318
Go, Dog, Go! / P.D. Eastman, 292, 306
The Lorax / Dr. Seuss, 292, 318
The Tale of Peter Rabbit / Beatrix Potter, 282, 319

Poems mentioned in Room: a Novel:
"Snow" / Louis Macneice, 287
   actual line in book: World is suddener than we fancy it
"The soul selects her own society" / Emily Dickinson, 466

Television programs mentioned in Room: a Novel:
Dora, the Explorer, 14, 20, 26, 35, 78, 92, 122, 206, 247, 310, 325, 360
SpongeBob SquarePants, 16, 20, 116, 310
Wonder Pets, 43, 89
Backyardigans, 43
Bob the Builder, 89, 165
Barney, 89
Tom and Jerry, 156
Road Runner, 192
Hannah Montana, 360

Music mentioned in Room: a Novel:
Macarena, 8
"She'll be coming 'round the mountain", 8
"Swing low, sweet chariot", 8, 340
"Stormy weather", 8, 61
"Row, row, row you boat", 8
"Tubthumping", 8
"Can't get you out of my head", 8-9
"Let it snow", 11
"Winter wonderland", 11
"He's got the whole world in his hands", 41
"Ain't no sunshine", 45
 The Beatles
   "Here comes the sun", 45
   "All you need is love", 327
"You are my sunshine", 45
"Singing in the rain", 55
"It's raining men", 61
Rihanna, 69
Lady Gaga, 69
Kanye West, 69
"Ninety-nine bottles of beer", 117
"This land is my land", 152
John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt, 168
"Bitter Sweet Symphony" / The Verve, 326
"The wheels on the bus", 382

Paintings mentioned in Room: a Novel:
The Virgin and the Child with St. Anne and St. John the Baptist /
   Leonardo da Vinci, 6-7
Impression: Sunrise / Claude Monet, 6-7, 80
Guernica / Pablo Picasso, 6-7, 31

Discussion questions for Room: a Novel:
  • Do you think there will be a sequel to this novel?
  • Throughout the book many of the things Jack describes are capitalized in the text (Room, Rug, Wardrobe). Why and is there any significance to it?
  • Were you able to pinpoint exactly where in America this story takes place?
  • We and Jack never learn Ma's name. Why? What was the author's intent by omitting a proper name for this character?
Libraries mentioned in Room: a Novel:
page 426: In the library live millions of books we don't have to pay any moneys for. Giant insects are hanging up, not real, made of paper. Grandma looks under C for Alice and she's there, the wrong shape but the same words and pictures, that' so weird.