Biblio File

Join the Club! Talk Books and Hang Out with NYPL Librarians on Google+ by Charmaine NgAugust 21, 2012

What could the NYPL have planned for the end of the summer? We know you’re on the edge of your seats! 

…Have you guessed it yet?

We're holding our first ever Google+ Hangout Book Club! (Did you guess correctly?)

Join us in reading this summer’s hit thriller, Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn. We’ll be broadcasting live on September 12th at 6 p.m. EDT from NYPL’s Google+ page. In the meantime, follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and — of course — Google+ using the hashtag #NYPLBookClub. 

As you progress through Gone Girl, leave your discussion questions in the comments section below. Frank Collerius from Jefferson Market Library and Jenny Baum from Columbus Library, our librarian hosts, will select a number of questions from the comments. If your question is picked, you can participate in the Hangout "on camera," provided you have a working webcam and microphone. All readers can watch the Hangout on YouTube and leave comments and questions in the chat box next to the YouTube video. 

Again, you must post your discussion questions in the comments below, or else they will not be considered. But feel free to share your opinions as you read using the hashtag!

Whether you’re in Montana or Sweden, we’re excited to talk books with you. We’ll see you on Google+ on September 12th! Remember to leave your questions in the comments below.

Update: If you would like to rewatch the Hangout discussion or couldn't attend, head over to our YouTube page. Thank you to everyone who asked questions and watched!

View all posts by Charmaine Ng

Comments

Patron-generated content represents the views and interpretations of the patron, not necessarily those of The New York Public Library. For more information see NYPL's Website Terms and Conditions.

Gone Girl's characters

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on September 5, 2012 - 12:59pm

I've enjoyed reading Gone Girl and am looking forward to your Google+ hangout. I'd like to hear what you and other readers think about Nick and Amy. Are they likeable and relatable? Or do they fall into the "antihero" type and you start getting attached to them in a way you care about Breaking Bad's Walter White or Mad Men's Don Draper. Do you judge them or love them?

Gone Girl's Inspiration

Submitted by Casey (not verified) on September 10, 2012 - 9:28pm

I wondered as I read this book if the author was inspired in her structure by Tim O'Brien's book In the Lake of the Woods. It is one of those stories that causes you to question your narrators and to trip through the minds of some very interesting characters. With Gone Girl, I felt like I would form opinions about the characters only to have them dashed at my feet two chapters later. I was also pleased with the way that the author so tidily wraps up the scenarios that she created. I may not have predicted the ends, but I was certainly pleased with them. In these ways, I felt like I was reading something that was similar to In the Lake of the Woods.

A Villain You Love to Live

Submitted by Robert Gavila (not verified) on September 11, 2012 - 10:41am

There was a creepy pathos that I felt toward Amy. I missed her character the most when the book ended. This book is a masterpiece, in my humble opinion. After reading the two other Flynn books, I was very impressed by the absence of repetition. (I always lose interest in an author when they start to repeat their cleverest ideas (from Kurt Vonnegut to Stephen King, it always happens, it seems. Not so with Ms. Flynn.). I'm looking forward to her next, whenever that happens.

Do I have to Love Them?

Submitted by Jessi (not verified) on September 11, 2012 - 7:51pm

Because I didn't like either character. I wanted to like Nick--I like to root for the underdog, the one who is sure to lose but doesn't deserve to. As the story went on though, I didn't like him any more either. I admit that's because I wanted the story to end with him the victor and the crazy lady behind bars. The pace, the interesting setting and the pure craziness of the main characters kept me reading, but I can't say I liked it. I tend to find this type of book a sort of bible of what I don't like to read and I can compare parts of other books to it later. "I don't like the endless plot twists in this book, it reminds me of <i>Gone Girl<i>." Or "I don't like any of the characters in this book..." you get my drift. There are definitely people I will be able to recommend it to though, and they will love it. Did anyone else have a love hate relationship?

Our Book Club Needs to Know!

Submitted by Corinne (not verified) on September 12, 2012 - 12:44pm

Is Gillian Flynn planning on writing a sequel to Gone Girl? We all could not turn the pages fast enough and are dying to know if there will be more of Nick and Amy to look forward to.

Thanks!

Submitted by NYPL Staff on September 13, 2012 - 12:16pm

Thank you to everyone for your comments and for watching! If you want to rewatch the discussion or you couldn't make it, head over to our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNRjTs7cbTA.