Book Club / Book Bingo: The End of Your Life Book Club

After his mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Will Schwalbe decided that they should start a book club of sorts: they would read the same books and then discuss them while waiting for her chemotherapy treatments or any time they were together. This book club inspired many revelations in Schwalbe about books, his mother, and the world around him, and when her fight began to slow down, he decided to write these thoughts in The End of Your Life Book Club.

(taken from Goodreads;

published by Knopf; I'm unsure of the cover designer)

First Impression: Since you pretty much know how the book will end when you first start it, I'm a bit depressed when reading it. There's something so sweet and yet morbid about reading Mary Ann's final discussions with her son, and yet, I already feel completely engrossed and involved in the lives of this family. I'm fairly certain this book will be chock-full of meaningful revelations and good book suggestions.

Conclusion: I kind of jumped the gun with The End of Your Life Book Club, since it's supposed to be my book club's pick for next month. But I couldn't help myself; this book was incredibly moving, every step of the way. It's such a beautiful idea to me: sharing your final months with someone by reading the same books he or she does and discussing them, learning a little more about that person and sharing more of yourself every step of the way. As predicted, I've gleaned lots of new book titles for my To-Be-Read list, and I feel very appreciative of my life and the opportunities I've been given. I would highly recommend Schwalbe's memoir of his mother. What a great way to start the new year!

This was one of my free reads for the 2014 Book Bingo Challenge. Keep an eye out for more Book Bingo posts, and feel free to join in for 2014!