Summer is here, and we’re starting a brand new book for the book club - Breaking Dawn! The movie is right around the corner, so refresh your memory and have fun reading with us! Here’s the schedule we’ll be following for discussions:

June 12 - Chapters 1-3
June 19 - Chapters 4-7
June 26 - Chapters 8-10
July 3 - Chapters 11-13
July 10 - Chapters 14-16
July 17 - Chapters 17-18
July 24 - Chapters 19-21
July 31 - Chapters 22-24
August 7 - Chapters 25-27
August 14 - Chapters 28-30
August 21 - Chapters 31-33
August 28 - Chapters 34-36
September 4 - Chapters 37-39

If you don’t have a copy of Breaking Dawn, grab it here!

Welcome to the last installment of the Water For Elephants book club! This week we’ll be discussing chapters 22-25. Please discuss freely with your fellow readers and, most importantly, have fun! We’ve posted a few discussion questions below to get the conversation started, but feel free to ignore them and start your own discussions!

Spoiler Warning! Comments will contain book spoilers for the chapters being discussed; however, we do ask that those who have read ahead in the book not spoil future chapters for those who haven’t!

Discussion Question

1. Sara Gruen has said that her Jacob parallels the Biblical story of Jacob. What similarities did you see throughout the novel?

2. Now that the book is finished, how does it compare with your expectations or first impressions?

Welcome to the Water For Elephants book club! This week we’ll be discussing chapters 19-21. Please discuss freely with your fellow readers and, most importantly, have fun! We’ve posted a few discussion questions below to get the conversation started, but feel free to ignore them and start your own discussions!

Spoiler Warning! Comments will contain book spoilers for the chapters being discussed; however, we do ask that those who have read ahead in the book not spoil future chapters for those who haven’t!

Discussion Question

What scenes from the book so far are you most excited to see in the film?

Welcome to the Water For Elephants book club! This week we’ll be discussing chapters 16-18. Please discuss freely with your fellow readers and, most importantly, have fun! We’ve posted a few discussion questions below to get the conversation started, but feel free to ignore them and start your own discussions!

Spoiler Warning! Comments will contain book spoilers for the chapters being discussed; however, we do ask that those who have read ahead in the book not spoil future chapters for those who haven’t!

Discussion Questions

1. What do you think is Marlena’s biggest regret in life? What is Jacob’s?

2. Sara Gruen has said that she likes to write flawed characters. Which of the characters in this book do you think is the most flawed?

Welcome to the Water For Elephants book club! This week we’ll be discussing chapters 13-15. Please discuss freely with your fellow readers and, most importantly, have fun! We’ve posted a few discussion questions below to get the conversation started, but feel free to ignore them and start your own discussions!

Spoiler Warning! Comments will contain book spoilers for the chapters being discussed; however, we do ask that those who have read ahead in the book not spoil future chapters for those who haven’t!

Discussion Questions

1. What similarities do you see between young Jacob and old Jacob?

2. What are your reactions to the love triangle now that the overall intensity is building?

Welcome to the Water For Elephants book club! This week we’ll be discussing chapters 10-12. Please discuss freely with your fellow readers and, most importantly, have fun! We’ve posted a few discussion questions below to get the conversation started, but feel free to ignore them and start your own discussions!

Spoiler Warning! Comments will contain book spoilers for the chapters being discussed; however, we do ask that those who have read ahead in the book not spoil future chapters for those who haven’t!

Discussion Questions

1. What parallels do you see between Jacob’s experiences and Rosie’s?

2. What has been your favorite scene/quote so far?

Welcome to the Water For Elephants book club! You might notice that we’ve moved the discussions here to the main site, but don’t panic! We’ll still be discussing as usual.

This week we’ll be discussing chapters 7-9. Please discuss freely with your fellow readers and, most importantly, have fun! We’ve posted a few discussion questions below to get the conversation started, but feel free to ignore them and start your own discussions!

Spoiler Warning! Comments will contain book spoilers for the chapters being discussed; however, we do ask that those who have read ahead in the book not spoil future chapters for those who haven’t!

Discussion Questions

1. What are your impressions of the love triangle so far? Do you anticipate a happy ending?

2. How does the author use Jacob’s interactions with the circus animals to further the story and character development?

Welcome to the Water For Elephants book club! Today we’ll be discussing chapters 4-6. Please discuss freely with your fellow readers and, most importantly, have fun! We’ve posted a few discussion questions below to get the conversation started, but feel free to ignore them and start your own discussions!

Spoiler Warning! Comments will contain book spoilers for the chapters being discussed; however, we do ask that those who have read ahead in the book not spoil future chapters for those who haven’t!

Discussion Questions

1. What was your first impression of Marlena?

2. At the beginning of the book, Jacob has a hard time adjusting to the circus life. Why do you think this is?

Welcome to the first meeting of the Water For Elephants book club! We’ll be discussing chapters 1-3. Please discuss freely with your fellow readers and, most importantly, have fun! We’ve posted a few discussion questions below to get the conversation started, but feel free to ignore them and start your own discussions!

Spoiler Warning! Comments will contain book spoilers for the chapters being discussed; however, we do ask that those who have read ahead in the book not spoil future chapters for those who haven’t!

Discussion Questions

1. Reflect on the prologue - what are your impressions of the opening scene?

2. Based on the first few chapters, what differences do you see between young Jacob and old Jacob? How do you think his character will develop?

Now that we’ve finished Bel Ami, we’re starting a brand new book for the book club - Water For Elephants! So grab your copy and get ready to read! Here’s the schedule we’ll be following for discussions:

Feb 20 - Chapters 1-3
Feb 27 - Chapters 4-6
Mar 06 - Chapters 7-9
Mar 13 - Chapters 10-12
Mar 20 - Chapters 13-15
Mar 27 - Chapters 16-18
Apr 10 - Chapters 10-21
Apr 17 - Chapters 22-25
Apr 22 - Movie Release (U.S.)
Apr 24 - Movie Reactions

If you don’t have a copy of Water For Elephants, grab it here!