A book group you can join in your PJs

Can we talk about book groups? Why is it so hard to find a good one? I mean, it’s easy to join a book group at a book store or a library, but they may be a bit impersonal, they rarely serve food or drinks, and there’s always that one person who talks too much. I like the idea of getting together with people to talk about the books we all want to read and discuss, and I love the idea of food and drink being provided. I just don’t want to read the book AND host or lead the group.

So, the library folks figured this out and are starting an online book group for those of us who’d rather stay home and chat late at night (ala fuzzy PJs, chocolate, drink), and also for those of us who are too busy at work to leave the office for lunch, let alone go to a book group. Whenever and wherever book thoughts hit us, we can send it to Book Chat!

The first Book Chat title is Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, a compulsively readable story of twin brothers, raised in Ethiopia by foster parents during the 1960s and 70s, whose journey to manhood takes them in widely different directions. Narrated by Marion Stone, one of the brothers, the story immerses readers in everyday life (and death) at Missing Hospital, near Addis Ababa, as Marion describes his home and the people he loves. Already abandoned by their father, an act of betrayal separates the twins emotionally in early adulthood and political upheaval is the catalyst that sends Marion to America where, as an immigrant, he seeks his identity – as a doctor, a brother and a son.

Book Chat runs from November 1 to 28 and anyone can participate. The Seattle Public Library has a few extra copies of the book for Book Chat participants at the Northeast, Ballard, Columbia and West Seattle branches and at the Central Library (Level 3, Fiction desk), but if you miss out on getting a library copy in time, the book is readily available in bookstores and online.

See you there!

Note: This online book discussion is made possible in part by a grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, with help from The Seattle Public Library Foundation.