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.

Dispatches from the Edge

 
Book menu for Dispatches from the Edge:a Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival by Anderson Cooper

ISBN of edition I read:  0061132381

Food mentioned in Dispatches from the Edge:
Hamburgers, 39
Chinese takeout, 46
Soda, 81
Bottled water, 81
Cashews, 92
Power Bars, 104
Daiquiris, 171-2
Birthday cake, 189

Books mentioned in Dispatches from the Edge:
Out of Africa / Isak Dinesen, 3
F. Scott Fitzgerald, 30
How to Win Friends and Influence People / Dale Carnegie, 75
Families: a Memoir and a Celebration / Wyatt Cooper, ?
Joseph Conrad, ?
Gone with the Wind / Margaret Mitchell, 160
John Grisham, 196
Truman Capote, 170

Magazine mentioned in Dispatches from the Edge:
American Heritage, 34
Commentary, 34
The New Yorker, 40
   article by Michael Cunningham "White Angel", July 25, 1988 (page 25)

Movies mentioned in Dispatches from the Edge:
The Philadelphia Story, 16
Gone with the Wind, 16, 160
Apocalypse Now, 59

The Second Summer of the Sisterhood

 
Book Menu for The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares

ISBN of edition I read:  0385729340 (hardcover)

This installment of the Sisterhood books is by far my favorite. Be sure to check out the Book Menu for the sequel to this title, Girls in Pants.

Food mentioned in The Second Summer of the Sisterhood :
Iced tea, 3, 53, 81, 125
Cherry tomatoes, 3
Gummi worms, 15, 214
Cheese puffs, 15
Juice, 15
Donuts, 21
Cereal, 21
Spaghetti, 36
Salad, 36
Quesedillas, 36
Burgers, 37
Diet Coke, 37
Shish kebab, 50
Milk Duds, 51
Tater Tots, 51
Tarte tatin, 56
Waffle, 57, 259
Pasta Salad, 71
Coffee, 72
Rice Krispies, 76
Lasagna, 78
Herbal tea, 81
Low-fat chips with avocado, 81
Cheesecake, 84
Ben and Jerry's ice cream 87, 200
Pizza, 88, 113
Sesame noodles, 96
Pancakes, 105
Bologna sandwiches and chips, 110
Brownies, 110, 127, 165
M&M cookies, 110
Watermelon, 135
Hamburgers, 137
Potato Salad, 137
Corn, 137
Popsicle, 143
Milkshakes, 149, 252, 257
Carrots, 159
Turkey sandwich, 159
Peanut butter on whole wheat, 184
Cap'n Crunch Berries, 197
Latte, 204
Croissants, 204
Orange Juice, 218
Haagen-Dazs ice cream, 230
Cheerios, 244
Slim Jims, 248
Frosted Flakes, 251
Lemonade, 257, 296
Mint-chip shake, 257
Corn and lobster salad, 265
Raw cookie dough, 267
Strawberry Pop Tarts, 267
Spicy chicken wings, 361

Music  mentioned in The Second Summer of the Sisterhood:
Mozart, 24
   Minuet in G, 24
The Carpenters, 96
Lucinda Williams, 99
Beethoven, 113
  Fifth Concerto, 115
  Emperor Concerto, 222
Led Zeppelin, 137
Nick Drake, 195
Beatles, 270, 305
Beck, 369
Paul McCartney and John Lennon, 305

Books/authors mentioned in The Second Summer of the Sisterhood:
Lord Byron, 6
Jack Handey, 17
Jane Eyre / Charlotte Bronte, 31
Groucho Marx, 35
Franz Kafka, 73, 261, 295
E.L. Doctorow, 80
e.e. cummings, 94
William Goldman, 106
Ralph Hodson (poet), 117
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths / Edgar Parin D'aulaire, 169
George Bernard Shaw, 234
Walt Whitman, 247
W.B. Yeats, 262
Henry David Thoreau, 276
Charles Dickens, 319
Matt Groenig, 331

Television show mentioned in The Second Summer of the Sisterhood:
Friends, 42, 200

Magazines mentioned in The Second Summmer of the Sisterhood:
Smithsonian, 191
CosmoGIRL, 215
Ladies Home Journal, 314

Great vocabulary in The Second Summer of the Sisterhood:
reclusive, 10
convergence, 14
itinerant, 20
contrarian, 22
inadvertently, 32
lecherous, 43
eschewing, 50
companionably, 59
wheedled, 64
nefarious, 132
magnanimously, 133, 137
derision, 178
harangued, 196, 301
indignation, 202
voracious, 204
malleable, 219
incandescent, 314
discordantly, 33

Discussion questions for The Second Summer of the Sisterhood:
Compare this book to the first.

Would you recommend this book to your mom? Why or why not? What do you think is the best age/reading/grade level for this story?

How would you change this book?

What is the most important thing that happens to each girl?

Who did you most empathize with?

What mother/daughter issue(s) can you relate to in this story?

If you could redesign the cover, what would it look like?

The Woods

 
Book Menu for The Woods by Harlan Coben

ISBN of edition I read: 9780525950127 (hardcover)

Food mentioned in The Woods by Harlan Coben:
Brownies, 21
Hot dogs, 42
Pizza, 44, 53, 320
Ice cream, 54
Spaghetti and meatballs, 54
Cheeseburger, 76
Beer, 76
M&Ms, 153
Chicken salad on whole wheat, 172-173
Meatball sub, 172
Popcorn, 197, 232
Coffee, 262
Turkey breast on rye, 200
Poland Spring, 335
Diet coke, 343
Bagel, 353

Books/Authors mentioned in The Woods by Harlan Coben:
William Butler Yeats, 21
Roald Dahl, 43
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes / Arthur Conan Doyle, 264
Blink / Malcolm Gladwell, 347

Music mentioned in The Woods by Harlan Coben:
Village People, 31
Cat Stevens, 59
James Taylor, 59
Tom Waits, 88
"Let's Live for Today" / The Grass Roots, 89
Rob Thomas, 157
Bruce Springsteen, 200
   "Back in Your Arms", 291, 330
"August and Everything After" / Counting Crows, 219
"Bat out of Hell" / Meatloaf, 220
"Head over Heals" / Tears for Fears, 232
James Taylor, 256
The Beatles, 256
Jim Morrison, 256
The Mamas and the Papas, 258
Jimi Hendrix, 302
"Super Freak" / Rick James, 330
Steely Dan, 353
Supertramp, 353
Doobie Brothers, 353
Eric Clapton, 372

Movies mentioned in The Woods by Harlan Coben:
The Little Mermaid, 41
Beauty and the Beast, 41
A Little Princess, 41
Aladdin, 41
Rocky III, 45
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, 89
The In-Laws, 347

Television mentioned in The Woods by Harlan Coben:
Petticoat Junction, 45
I dream of Jeannie, 106
Dora the Explorer, 152

Theater mentioned in The Woods by Harlan Coben:
The Lion King, 43
West Side Story, 51

Comic strips mentioned in The Woods by Harlan Coben:
Doonesbury, 192
Fox Trot, 192

 Libraries mentioned in The Woods by Harlan Coben:
page 114: "The e-mail came from a bank of computers at the Frost Library."
                "The library," she repeated. "There must be, what, fifty computers in there?"

Straight Man

Book Menu for Straight Man by Richard Russo

ISBN of edition I read: 0375701907 (trade paperback)

Food mentioned in Straight Man:
Coffee, 14, 26
Cookies, 26
Popcorn, 70
Tea, 75
Peach, 75
Corned beef sandwich, 79
Pimento cheese spread sandwich, 91
Beer, 116
Margaritas, 116
Pancakes, 140
Scrapple, 182
Iced tea, 255
Cream soda, 272
Prime rib, 310
Sugar Pops, 327

Books/Authors mentioned in Straight Man:
The Great Gatsby / F. Scott Fitzgerald, xi, 128, 155
Stephen Spender, 1, 207
Mark Twain, 16
   The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 43
   The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 67, 144
On the Road / Jack Kerouac, 27
The Red Badge of Courage / Stephen Crane, 41
Ralph Waldo Emerson, 53
The Scarlet Letter / Nathaniel Hawthorne, 53
Bartleby / Herman Melville, 53
Ernest Hemingway, 98, 346
William Shakespeare
   MacBeth, 100, 203
   King Lear, 334
D.H. Lawrence, 136
Emily Dickinson, 145
William Butler Yeats, 149
James Joyce, 149, 343
Sean O'Casey, 149
Charles Dickens, 158, 213
   Oliver Twist, 158
   David Copperfield, 214
James Thurber, 203
Moby-Dick / Herman Melville, 218
Virginia Woolf, 259
Bronte sisters, 259
Joseph Conrad, 259
Marcel Proust, 343
H.L. Menchen, 373
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 381
Beowulf, 385

Music mentioned in Straight Man:
Rigoletto (opera) / Verdi, 109
"Gimme Some Lovin'" / Spencer Davis Group, 123
"Just One of Those Things" / Cole Porter, 132
Buffalo Springfield, 177
Patsy Cline, 180
   "Crazy", 342
Willie Nelson, 181
Johnny Mathis, 184
Everly Brothers, 272