Book Club Reads

One of my favorite things about being human is the energy of sharing ideas. Today ideas are alive in my brain. Thursday night, we did it, a friend of mine (also a Sarah) started Respite: a Book Club. We had our first meeting where we each invited a few people we knew. It was a great turn out - we had 15 people. We ate good food, wore "hello my name is ____" tags, and talked about books! Everyone shared books that they loved or books that they would be interested in reading. We came up with a huge list - so varied and full of life. We only planed out the next 8 months, until we break for summer, but we probably could have planed out the next three years. It was so exciting. We lined up hostesses and book leaders and now instead of it being "Sarah and Sarah's idea of a book club" it is now everyone's book club. The book first up is Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye. This is one on my list that I have wanted to read for a long time but have yet to - it's a long list. There is a book sale at the library today, wouldn't that be great if they had a copy for sale? If not, I'll be in the right place to check one out.

Lucky me, this is in addition to the Relief Society Book Club with the women from church. This month we are reading Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. I'm having a great time with this one. This part had me laughing out loud. The background - Bill Bryson is getting ready to hike the Appalachian Trail and he has been reading a book on bear attacks. "Up to that moment it had not occurred to me that bears might prowl in parties. What on earth would I do if four bears came into my camp? Why, I would die, of course. Literally sh-- myself lifeless. I would blow my sphincter out my backside like one of those unrolling paper streamers you get at children's parties - I daresay it would give a merry toot - and bleed to a messy death in my sleeping bag."

This leads me to one thing I truly miss in New York - Book Group. Each time I would go I came back home feeling new, fresh, inspired. Some of the best women ever are there reading and sharing.

So here's my challenge to myself. Two books a month. We'll see how it goes. Some may have to be book on tape to past the time in the car or folding laundry.

What's on your reading list?