Until now, I have led a fairly lonely literary life. Sure, I could share a book here and there with a fellow reader, but the conversations were either, "Hey, you should read XYZ. It's really interesting!" or "Here, read this and tell me what you think." As you can imagine, those conversations left something to be desired in the Intellectual Stimulation department.
Ryan would usually politely listen as I went on and on and on about this book or that character or these relationships, but since he hadn't read the books, the conversations were decidedly one-sided.
So I took a bold step this spring and started a book club. WHICH I ABSOLUTELY ADORE. I approached one of my former colleagues about joining me in this genesis, and she agreed. We each invited two friends we knew could be relied upon to actually read the book and add to the discussion, and I am so thrilled with every person we chose.
We have met twice now to discuss the books, and let me say, these women are smart! They are interesting, and well read, and thoughftul, and easy to talk with. I feel like I hit the jackpot, book-club style.
Anyway, the latest book we read together was Cutting for Stone. I am not qualified to give a synopsis of such an intense book, but basically, a Indian nun working in Ethiopia gives birth to conjoined twins. She dies, and the story is about the boys' coming of age. It's complicated and beautiful and poignant and medical-ly and an absolute delight to read. It's about 600 pages, and I read it in three days. I couldn't put it down!
Like I said, it's a long read, but I do think it's worth your time. If you do read it and are unfortunate enough not to belong to a book club where you can actually talk about all the things that cross your mind as you read this, give me a call. I'd love to chat. :)
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