Book Clubbin’: 10 Discussion Questions for ‘Group’ by Christie Tate

Welcome to our monthly blog feature, Book Clubbin’!

As the COVID-19 lockdowns continue into these colder months, the safe choice to see our friends outdoors is becoming less and less realistic. Luckily, virtual book clubs are a safe way to keep connected with your loved ones. And we’re here to help make your book club even easier with these monthly Book Clubbin’ posts!

We get it, the period between Halloween and the new year is extremely busy. It can be hard to find the time to stay on top of your TBR list. But whether you’re getting started on your online holiday shopping, cleaning around the house, or testing out a new recipe, audiobooks help spice up even the most mundane chores. We’re not going to promise that you’ll suddenly be ecstatic to do the dishes but we will definitely make them more tolerable!

This month’s Book Clubbin’ pick is Christie Tate’s debut memoir Group, narrated by Christie herself. This new release is quickly gaining attention after being named as Reese Witherspoon’s latest book club pick.

As a young, overachieving law student, Christie was reaching all her goals. On paper, her life was turning into everything she could have hoped for. At the same time, she felt awful. When thinking about life made Christie feel more anxious and afraid than fantasizing about her death, she knew she needed help to make a change.

In an unexpectedly humorous recounting, Christie shares her experience with group therapy and all the bizarre, intimate moments that changed her life.

If you’re ready to discuss Group in your book club, get started with the questions below. Beware— SPOILERS ahead.

—————MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!————

1) In the beginning of Group, how do you feel Christie’s image of herself compares to how other people in her life view her? Discuss how external influences, such as social media, might contribute to how people today view themselves.

2) Which specific moments throughout Christie’s journey resonate with you as turning points in the way she views herself? What relationships, positive or negative, may have helped with this healing?

3) Dr. Rosen is known for having an unconventional method of helping people. What were your initial thoughts about his approach and did how did these opinions change throughout the book?

4) Over the course of her memoir, Christie mentions multiple flawed relationships from her young adult life. Which of her relationships do you remember as being the most impactful? What lessons might she have learned from that person?

5) In Group, Christie openly shares many raw, embarrassing moments with her readers. What do you think her goal was in sharing these stories? Do you think you would be able to share such a vulnerable experience with the world?

6) Some memorable moments in Group are completely silent, whether it be a long hug or an entire 90-minute group session. Why do you think silence might play an important part in one’s healing journey? Have you ever experienced a situation where silence was impactful to you?

7) As time goes on, Christie describes her relationship with various groupmates as much more than a regular friendship. What do you think makes her feel this connected to these people? Have you ever created a similarly unexpected bond with someone in your life?

8) If you had to choose one lesson to hold onto from this book, what would it be?

9) Outside of group therapy, what other groups of people helped Christie within the book? Do you have a group in your life that helps teach you similar lessons in love, vulnerability, or identity?

10) Why do you think Christie decided to end her story with an update from 10 years after the story, instead of ending it with her wedding?

New to Audiobooks.com? Get your first book free, PLUS a bonus book from our VIP selection when you sign up for our one-month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking, and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobooks!

Book Clubbin’ – 10 Discussion Questions for The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Welcome to our monthly blog feature — Book Clubbin’!
A lot of us are busy parents, have challenging jobs, or just have generally hectic lives, so listening to audiobook versions of the novel can be really useful. You can squeeze your book club choices into your commute, listen while you work, or even when your baby is napping (HAH!).

Every month we’ll pick a popular book club pick and set up some discussion questions to get you and your book club going. This month, we’ve got questions for The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. Unless you have been living in a cave for the last couple of months, you have probably heard a lot about this amazing sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale. Book clubs EVERYWHERE have been devouring this book (Our own office book club included!), and so it seemed like an awesome pick for this month’s blog.

So take a peek at our questions, and as always, remember there MAY be some spoilers in here!

—————MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!————

1) Do you think The Handmaid’s Tale needed a sequel? Were your questions answered by the end of the novel, or do you have even more?

2) Did The Testaments change your perception of Aunt Lydia? Why or why not?

3) In section 52, Aunt Lydia says the Aunts sometimes share information about their previous lives, “…Past lives are shared, I took care not to share too much of mine….” What do these snippets of information that we hear tell you about the Aunts? What opinions may they secretly have of Gilead? And what does it tell us about Aunt Lydia?

4) Even though Gilead seems to allude to having a lot of the same technology as the rest of the world, unbabies, deaths during childbirth, and other fatal/serious ailments seem to be the norm there. Why do you think this is?

5) When Nicole and Agnes are travelling to Canada, Nicole says “Just because people are related to you doesn’t mean you love them.” Agnes replies “Love is like a discipline, like prayer.” How have the girls’ upbringings developed their perception of what love is?

6) Much like The Handmaid’s Tale, the Gilead in The Testaments reflects a lot of situations in current society, especially in relation to movements such as #metoo. What parallels can you see?

7) Why do you think Atwood called the novel The Testaments?

8) Of all the groups of women in Gilead, who do you think has the most “freedom”?

9) Men are not portrayed very favorably in The Testaments. Are there any male characters who have redeeming features? Is it possible to be a man in Gilead and NOT be a bad person?

10) The novel has multiple narrators. How does this format help you to understand the story in different ways? How effective did you find the narration to be?


New to Audiobooks.com? Get your first book free, PLUS a bonus book from our VIP selection when you sign up for our one-month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking, and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobooks!

Book Clubbin’ – 10 Discussion Questions for Ask Again, Yes

Welcome to our new blog feature — Book clubbin’! We know that many of you (and us in the Audiobooks.com office!) are in book clubs, and so it seemed an obvious thing to blog about.

In the clubs I’m in (Yes, plural. I have a bit of an addiction) a lot of us are busy parents, have challenging jobs, or just have generally hectic lives, so listening to audiobook versions of the novel can be really useful. You can squeeze your book club choices into your commute, listen while you work, or even when your baby is napping (HAH!).

Every month we’ll pick a popular book club pick, and set up some discussion questions to get you and your book club going. This month, we’ve got questions for Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane, which was recently voted the Tonight Show Annual Summer Book Club Read. This is a really intense and awesome listen, with in-depth characters, and a lot to talk about. So here are our Ask Again, Yes book club questions!

—————MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!————

1. This novel has been described as a “Domestic” novel. Do you feel that’s the right genre for this novel? Why or why not?

2. Ask Again, Yes is told from the perspective of many different characters (Kate, Peter, Francis etc.). How do you think this adds to the development of the story?

3. The title Ask Again, Yes references the discussion Kate and Peter have at the end of the book. Do you feel that it applies to any other characters?

4. How are mental health and addiction issues portrayed in the novel? Do the characters’ experiences differ due to the era they grow up in?

5. Who do you think is the most sympathetic character in the book? Who is the least likable?

6. When Francis discovers Anne at Peter and Kate’s house, are you surprised at how calm he is? Or is this in line with his character?

7. The theme of history repeating itself is central to this novel. Which characters most fall into these patterns? Are there characters that don’t?

8. Kate, Lena, and Anne are very different women. How is the role of the traditional wife and mother portrayed in this novel?

9. The shooting changes the lives of almost everyone in the novel. How different do you think the following relationships would have been had it never happened? i) Kate and Peter ii) Lena and Francis iii) Anne and Brian.

10. What do you think the future holds for Kate and Peter?

New to Audiobooks.com? Get your first book free, PLUS a bonus book from our VIP selection when you sign up for our one-month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking, and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobooks!