a man who cannot exist in a world with e-books? What do you think of e-books? Do you prefer reading in e- or on paper?Īt one point, A.J. How do you think the arrival of the e-reader is related to the denouement of the story? Is A.J. Which do you consider to be more accurate and why? Were you surprised by the outcome of the short story contest? What do you think of A.J.’s comments to Maya about why certain books and stories win prizes and others don’t? Does the knowledge that a book has won a prize attract you to reading it?Ĭompare Maya’s “fiction” about the last day of her mother’s life to Ismay’s version. How do you think Daniel Parrish might have changed if he had lived? Do you think some people never change? When did you become aware that Leon Friedman might be an imposter? What did you make of Leonora Ferris’s reasons for hiring him? Is it the people or the place that makes the difference? as a reader and as a man?ĭid you find Ismay’s motivations for stealing Tamerlane to be forgivable? How do you think she should pay for her crime? Why do you think Lambiase lets her off?Īt one point, Maya speculates that perhaps “your whole life is determined by what store you get left in” (page 85). creating a canon for Maya? How does the book itself function as a kind of canon? If these are A.J.’s favorites, what do they say about A.J. Discuss some of the ways the stories relate to the chapters with which they are paired. The author chooses to begin each chapter with a description of a short story. Do you think Lambiase’s reaction is different than it would have been if he hadn’t taken up reading? How do you think becoming a reader changes him? Consider the scene where he decides not to confront Ismay about the backpack. Lambiase moves from an occasional or nonreader, to a reader, to a bookseller. What do you make of the references to vampires? Perhaps oddly, vampires are a recurring motif in the story: for example, when A.J.’s wife throws the vampire prom and when A.J.

Why do you think the author chooses to set the book on an island? How does the island setting reflect A.J.’s character? How would you compare the act of buying books online to the act of dating online? Is it relevant to the story that Amelia meets her eventual husband in a very analog location, a bookstore?Ĭonsider the setting. At the beginning of the story, Amelia says she is considering quitting online dating.

The storied life of aj fikry novel