You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

You are not limited to the two chosen books. You may read any book within the theme “Forest Setting” if you prefer.

In order to receive a badge you must:
1. have read the book before or during August 2026.

2. discussed it in this thread. Discussion must be more than "I read the book and I liked it". Discussion requires something more substantial and analytical of what you read. Please elaborate on your thoughts on at least 5 of the following topics:
- Setting
- Characters
- Writing style
- Genre
- How the book made you feel
- Which parts stood out
- Did you/will you read more by the author
- Anything else related to the book you find worth mentioning

This can be done in one post after finishing the book, but preferably in a few posts while reading. Please refer to our group spoiler policy for further information.

3. Report that you have read AND discussed the book in the reporting thread (include a brief summary of what you thought of the book).

General Rules:
1. Please mark your spoilers with the spoiler tags along with mentioning what stage of the book you are at so other's don't get a nasty shock. Chapter numbers/titles are generally best as they are the same across all formats and editions. See our spoiler policy
2. The book may be combined with the Year Long Challenge, Topplers, and Monthly Challenges.

Happy reading!

I am planning to read Open Season and Where the Forest Meets the Stars this month. I don't know how much of the books actually take place in the forest, so I'll be back to discuss later if they end up fitting the theme.

I plan to read The Moonshiner's Daughter for this theme. I will start it when I'm finished my current kindle read.

That one looks good, Janice. I'll be interested to see what you think of it.

I started The Moonshiner's Daughter last night and read the first two chapters. These chapters follow Jessie from the time she was 4 when she witnessed her month's death to the time she's 16, the horror, the need for answers, the anger at not getting any. So far, it's a good start.

Chapter 5 - The Moonshiner's Daughter

(view spoiler)[ I don't necessarily need a likeable character. I'm not really liking Jessie. Her choices seem to be a bit off.

Tension has ramped up with Earnest (the father), Merritt (the brother), and Jessie being run off the road and down an embankment resulting in Merritt breaking his arm. You know that alchohol is going to be a problem for Merrit. At 14, he's already developing a taste for it. (hide spoiler)]

I'm starting Open Season and I expect that it will fit the monthly theme. I'll pop back in once I get a little way into it.

There seems to be a switch in tone in my book, or maybe it's me. The story in the beginning was making me feel a bit anxious, but I didn't feel any of that last night. Hopefully, it will continue to improve.

Kristie wrote: "I'm starting Open Season and I expect that it will fit the monthly theme. I'll pop back in once I get a little way into it."

I have always been drawn to CJ Box's titles, but have yet to read one of his books. I'll be interesting in your comments on this book.

Janice wrote: "Kristie wrote: "I'm starting Open Season and I expect that it will fit the monthly theme. I'll pop back in once I get a little way into it."

I have always been drawn to CJ Box's titl..."

This is my first by this author too. I'm really curious about his writing. Seems like it'll be right up my alley.

I'm 20% into my book, Open Season (through ch 6), and it's interesting so far. It seems like it will mostly be set in the forest. Right now (view spoiler)[ they have to ride horses to get where they are going through the woods and one guy packed so much stuff on his horse that he can't follow the other guys directly. (hide spoiler)]

The book is interested, but it was written 25 years ago, so the writing is different than more current books. I have a thought about (view spoiler)[ why the guy went to the game wardens house to die and it involves the animal that was in his cooler. (hide spoiler)] Of course, I'm not sure about my theory or who would have done it yet, which is good.

I made it to 40% tonight. Of course I don't know how it will end, but it feels like it's going to be a fairly straightforward story so far.

You're motoring along Krisite. I just hit 48% in mine and it's very much a "Hatfield & McCoy" feud which I'm not enjoying. That may be why I'm dragging through.

I am trying to, Janice. I still have to read my two badge 1 books before our buddy read of Call of the Camino and I have a review book due by the 13th, so I'm trying to stay focused. I also have a baby blanket I need to crochet by September, so those help each other. I can listen to this audio while crocheting and the time goes by quickly.

Hope your book improves. That sounds like no fun.

I just don't like the constant threat hanging over their heads. Now that I'm at the half way mark, hopefully it will finish faster.

Audiobooks sure make multitasking easier. Enjoy your crochet.

63% The story is going basically the way I expected so far, though there have been a couple "oh no" moments I didn't see coming. Our MC can be very smart and occasionally very dumb. lol

I finished The Moonshiner's Daughter last night. I just decided I wasn't turning out the light until I finished. The second half of the book moved much faster. The first half was quite slow with the build up of the tension of the feud.

I didn't like the ending. (view spoiler)[The only purpose it could serve in my opinion was to tie up the loose end about Jessie being bulimic. The book would have ended up without a resolution - did she recover from her eating disorder? This ending would have answered that. (hide spoiler)]

I just think that the book could have handled the whole psychology of a young child being traumatized by witnessing her mother's death at the age of 4 better. I think she made a valiant attempt, but it didn't quite work for me.

I finished Open Season. The book is 25 years old and felt a bit aged, but it was still a good start to a series. A lot of the themes felt old, like they've been done before, but I think if I had read it when it was published it probably would have felt fresh. I'm guessing the newer books are even better since book #27 is expected in 2027. I'll likely read the next book.

I'm starting Where the Forest Meets the Stars. I believe most of this story will be set in the forest in rural Illinois.

I'm at 80% in my book already! I'm finding it interesting and looking forward to finding out how it ends.

I finished my book, Where the Forest Meets the Stars. I thought it was really good. I enjoy (view spoiler)[ found family books and this was so sweet with a young girl who really deserved a safe home and a young woman who needed it more than she realized. I loved how the three main characters all fought for each other and what they wanted to the best of their abilities. (hide spoiler)]