Better Together . . . C'mon Along

"For most people, what is so painful about reading is that you read something and you don't have anybody to share it with. In part what the book club opens up is that people can read a book and then have someone else to talk about it with. Then they see that a book can lead to the pleasure of conversation, that the solitary act of reading can actually be a part of the path to communion and community."
        --bell hooks

Some books . . . just cry out . . . to be discussed.
You can't just read them alone, and then keep them to yourself. 
You need to talk about it!

And that's what's so great about a book group.

Keep that in mind as we reveal our next Read With Us title . . . 

NPR has this to say about Shuggie Bain (2020's Booker Prize winner):

"Shuggie Bain is a novel that cracks open the human heart, brings you inside, tears you up, and brings you up, with its episodes of unvarnished love, loss, survival and sorrow."
        -- NPR Interview with Douglas Stuart, Author, November 14, 2020

So, yeah.
It's kinda dark.
It's kinda long.
It's sad.
And very real.

But it's . . . So. Dang. Good.

And it will be even better when we share it together! Shuggie Bain is one of those books that cries out . . . to be talked about. Preferrably with friends. (And maybe with a glass of wine. Your call.) I hope you'll take a chance on this book with us. It may not offer an everything-works-out-in-the-end kind of read, but it will make you feel all the feels.

The book is currently available on Kindle for $8.67, and it's recently been released in paperback as well ($14.30 for Prime members). My local independent bookstore has it on the shelf for full price, and it's also available through Audible if you'd prefer to listen. I was able to pick it up right away at my library. It is a little bit longer than any of our previous Read With Us selections, so you may want to get your hands on the book sooner than later. (I will say that it's quite compelling, and once you get started, it reads pretty quickly.)

We'll be talking more about the book and providing some background information later in April and May. Then . . . mark your calendars now for our blog book discussions AND a Zoom discussion on Tuesday, June 8 (probably 6:30pm Eastern time; Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel).

I hope you'll c'mon along. 
Read with us!
And then . . . let's talk about it.

==

Previous Read With Us book selections:

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

Fever by Mary Beth Keane

I'm Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez

Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur

The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

 

Comments

[Kat]

I am moving up on the waitlist (and if I did not just check out Perestroika, I'd have downloaded it immediately from Hoopla!)

[Sarah]

As it happens, I just finished reading it yesterday! It was long, but I also found that I felt compelled to keep reading. It's heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. Should make for a good discussion!

[Bonny]

I think we made a good choice, and I look forward to discussion, "communion and community"!

[Patty]

Really looking forward to this Kym!

[Vicki]

Fantastic! The book is ordered and the meeting is on my calendar!!

[Carole]

I am really looking forward to the discussion on this one, there is SO much to talk about.

[Debbie]

This will be a great book to read & discuss!

[Margene]

Audible has this book for $5.95 today!