Book Club Discussion Questions
For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Tilly Nightingale's Books for Healing After Loss and our BookBrowse Review of This Book Made Me Think of You.
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
1. The book opens with these words: "The right book in the hands of the right person at exactly the right moment can change their life forever." Do you think this is true? Can you think of any books that changed your own life in some way?
2. At the start of the novel, Tilly has lost touch with her love of reading. Have you ever gone through a period in life when you found it hard to read? Which books helped you get back into reading? Is there a book you would recommend to a friend experiencing a "reading slump"?
3. This Book Made Me Think of You is a celebration of bookshops and booksellers. Do you have a favorite bookshop? Do you think bookshops are important? If so, why? What challenges do you think bookshops currently face? And do you think you would like to run or work in a bookshop like Alfie?
4. The book is split into the months of the year. Did you have a favorite month?
5. Tilly's sister, Harper, means well but sometimes gets it wrong when it comes to supporting Tilly through her grief. Why do you think this is? If you've ever experienced grief, were there things people said that were particularly unhelpful? And what do you wish people had said instead?
6. Tilly and Rachel's friendship is partly built around a mutual love of books and of sharing book recommendations with each other. Do you
have a particular friend who has a similar taste in books to you? Do you think sharing book recommendations brings you closer to a person? What are some of the challenges of recommending a book to someone?
7. How does Tilly change throughout the book? What do you think were the most important moments in her journey toward healing?
8. Tilly's husband, Joe, has passed away when the book opens, and yet he is still a presence throughout the book. What impression did you get of him through his letters and Tilly's memories?
9. John, one of the members of the Paris Grief Gang, says to Tilly, "Maybe we don't get just one love of our lives. Maybe we all have room in our hearts for more than one story." Do you think this is true? And how does Tilly make space in her heart for the possibility of a new love with Alfie?
10. There are over sixty books mentioned in this book. Have you read any of them already? Are there any that you would like to read?
Discuss the books that are on your current reading list.
11. If you were to leave a "year of books" to a loved one, who would you gift it to? And what books might you include?
Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Berkley Books.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.
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