Tag: book clubs

  • The Power of Book Clubs

    The Power of Book Clubs

    ​They say you never forget your first time. I was a newlywed, newly arrived in Ohio, and felt enormously flattered when a kind acquaintance invited me to join a prestigious book club that had been meeting for more than a century. ​That month’s selection was Madame Bovary, in which a bored 19th century housewife has…

  • Read Books. Be Kind. Stay Alert.

    Read Books. Be Kind. Stay Alert.

    This morning a podcast host sent me a list of questions we’ll be discussing next week, starting with this one about my move to Seville: “What were some of the most surprising challenges you faced — and what helped you adapt successfully?” My mind instantly filled with a montage of memories — early attempts to…

  • Top 10 Books You’d Take to a Desert Island?

    Top 10 Books You’d Take to a Desert Island?

    ​If you were marooned on a desert island, what ten books would you bring along? Besides, obviously, Raft-Building for Dummies, Six Easy Ways to Catch Fish with Your Bare Hands, and How to Send Up a Humongous Smoke Signal Without Setting Fire to the Trees. A surprising number of people — asked this question online —…