Hello and welcome to the 4th Noble Paiges online book club discussion - today we're going to talk about GOODNIGHT JUNE by Sarah Jio. Honestly, this is probably the cutest book I've ever read. Left me so happy and full and wanting to visit a local bookstore in Seattle :) And because of it I have a new-found drive to instill the love of reading in my children and have ordered Goodnight Moon and can't wait for it to get here and read it to Fox & Jane!
Synopsis: June Andersen is professionally successful, but her personal life is marred by unhappiness. Unexpectedly, she is called to settle her great-aunt Ruby’s estate and determine the fate of Bluebird Books, the children’s bookstore Ruby founded in the 1940s. Amidst the store’s papers, June stumbles upon letters between her great-aunt and the late Margaret Wise Brown - and steps into the pages of American literature and a mystery she must choose whether or not to solve.
Synopsis: June Andersen is professionally successful, but her personal life is marred by unhappiness. Unexpectedly, she is called to settle her great-aunt Ruby’s estate and determine the fate of Bluebird Books, the children’s bookstore Ruby founded in the 1940s. Amidst the store’s papers, June stumbles upon letters between her great-aunt and the late Margaret Wise Brown - and steps into the pages of American literature and a mystery she must choose whether or not to solve.
QUESTIONS (please note there are major spoilers if you haven't read the book yet!):
1. Did you read Goodnight Moon as a child? Did you like the way it was worked into this book?
I have read Goodnight Moon, but not for decades and I don't have a copy of it! But after reading this book I purchased it and I can't wait to flip through it page by page and read it to Fox and Jane and hopefully make it one of their favorite books. I think Sarah Jio is so clever and creative for the way she weaved an entire story around this children's book!
2. Were you surprised that June was JP and ended up being Ruby's daughter?
I was completely and totally surprised! Caught me off guard and while big reveals like that usually don't sit well with me I found this one to be charming and the perfect fit. It all made sense :)
3. There is a strong emphasis on the importance of reading, especially when it is instilled in children. Did you read a lot as a child? How do you get your child interested in books or reading?
Yes I read a lot as a child - my dad used to read us books before we went to bed like The Hobbit and LOTR series, and we had a couple of shelves filled with kids books that we could sift through and read while eating our morning bowl of cereal. My dad always read during breakfast so we, naturally wanting to be like him, read during our breakfast. Fox and Jane both seem to love reading on their own and I hope to read Harry Potter to them in a couple of years.
4. Economics come into play a lot throughout the book—June used to be a banker that shut small businesses down, now she's struggling to keep one afloat. What did you think of her turnaround?
I'm not sure if her complete turnaround was completely believable, but I'd like to think it is!
5. Have you ever seen You've Got Mail? This book reminds me of that movie and makes me want to watch that movie, and/or turn this book into a movie! I always like to add a bit of pop culture into the questions - if you were to cast June Andersen and Gavin for a movie who would you choose?
I'd pick Julia Roberts as June and Benedict Cumberbatch as Gavin :)
****************************************************************
1. Did you read Goodnight Moon as a child? Did you like the way it was worked into this book?
I have read Goodnight Moon, but not for decades and I don't have a copy of it! But after reading this book I purchased it and I can't wait to flip through it page by page and read it to Fox and Jane and hopefully make it one of their favorite books. I think Sarah Jio is so clever and creative for the way she weaved an entire story around this children's book!
2. Were you surprised that June was JP and ended up being Ruby's daughter?
I was completely and totally surprised! Caught me off guard and while big reveals like that usually don't sit well with me I found this one to be charming and the perfect fit. It all made sense :)
3. There is a strong emphasis on the importance of reading, especially when it is instilled in children. Did you read a lot as a child? How do you get your child interested in books or reading?
Yes I read a lot as a child - my dad used to read us books before we went to bed like The Hobbit and LOTR series, and we had a couple of shelves filled with kids books that we could sift through and read while eating our morning bowl of cereal. My dad always read during breakfast so we, naturally wanting to be like him, read during our breakfast. Fox and Jane both seem to love reading on their own and I hope to read Harry Potter to them in a couple of years.
4. Economics come into play a lot throughout the book—June used to be a banker that shut small businesses down, now she's struggling to keep one afloat. What did you think of her turnaround?
I'm not sure if her complete turnaround was completely believable, but I'd like to think it is!
5. Have you ever seen You've Got Mail? This book reminds me of that movie and makes me want to watch that movie, and/or turn this book into a movie! I always like to add a bit of pop culture into the questions - if you were to cast June Andersen and Gavin for a movie who would you choose?
I'd pick Julia Roberts as June and Benedict Cumberbatch as Gavin :)
****************************************************************
Kelsey Noble has another set of fun and thoughtful questions about GOODNIGHT JUNE by Sarah Jio on her blog!
****************************************************************
Our next Noble Paiges book: THE BOOK OF UNKNOWN AMERICANS by Cristina Henríquez!
Synopsis: A boy and a girl who fall in love. Two families whose hopes collide with destiny. An extraordinary novel that offers a resonant new definition of what it means to be American. Arturo and Alma Rivera have lived their whole lives in Mexico. One day, their beautiful fifteen-year-old daughter, Maribel, sustains a terrible injury, one that casts doubt on whether she’ll ever be the same. And so, leaving all they have behind, the Riveras come to America with a single dream: that in this country of great opportunity and resources, Maribel can get better. When Mayor Toro, whose family is from Panama, sees Maribel in a Dollar Tree store, it is love at first sight. It’s also the beginning of a friendship between the Rivera and Toro families, whose web of guilt and love and responsibility is at this novel’s core. Woven into their stories are the testimonials of men and women who have come to the United States from all over Latin America. Their journeys and their voices will inspire you, surprise you, and break your heart.
Our next Noble Paiges discussion of THE BOOK OF UNKNOWN AMERICANS by Cristina Henríquez will be on Saturday October 18th 2014 - over a whole month to read so mark your calendars and see you then! And make sure to visit Kelsey's blog for the other half of the discussion!
Our next Noble Paiges book: THE BOOK OF UNKNOWN AMERICANS by Cristina Henríquez!
Oh.... these both sound good!!!
ReplyDeleteI didn't get to read along this month it was just too crazy with summer ending.. but the new book sounds really good!!!
ReplyDelete1. I've read the book a lot to Miles and Molly, and I love the idea of a bookstore that feels like the book. I really enjoyed the journey through children's books that comes in the letters between Ruby and Margaret.
ReplyDelete2. Were you surprised that June was JP and ended up being Ruby's daughter?
I was surprised, although after I read it, I felt like June should have been a little more suspicious. She had the same initials, same birth year...I talked to my husband about it and he pointed out that she had so much going on that she probably didn't even notice :)
3. I read so much as a kid. My mom used to take us to the library all the time because it was close to our house and cheap entertainment. I remember curling up in the corner between my sister's crib and my dresser with pillows and blankets and it was my special reading corner. I've tried to read a lot with my kids, too.
4. I think I believed it reasonably because she had kind of fallen into banking and wanted to run the bookstore during her whole childhood. If anything was less believable to me, it was her boss forgiving the loan. I'd probably believe an extension a little more :)
5. John Krasinski as Gavin. I just see them both as really likable. Maybe his real-life wife, Emily Blunt, as June?
Also, if you liked this one, you should check out some more of Sarah Jio's books. Most of them veer a little more mystery-based than this one, but they're fun.
ReplyDeleteElisabeth, I agree with you about JP/June being Ruby's daughter and that she should have been more suspicious. I was surprised Ruby was able to keep it a secret for so long.
ReplyDeleteWendi and Julie, I hope you can join with us next month!
So, I finished the book yesterday and I loved it even though I figured out fairly early on about June. I totally thought of You've Got Mail as well!! This has to be made into a movie. Great book!
ReplyDeleteoh and my aunt painted and decorated a tiny room.space beneath her stairs just like Goodnight Moon! All of the grandkids and grandnephews loved going in there when they were little as it was such a fun and magical space! So cool.
ReplyDeleteNo more book clubs? I was just checking to see what the next book was, since I've missed the last couple.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the postpone! We'll be discussing the next book on Saturday October 18th!
ReplyDelete