January 2012- you might remember that my New Year’s Resolution was to read more. I did ok for a little while, finding a bunch of novels about art to enjoy (Leaving Van Gogh, An Object of Beauty, Girl in Hyacinth Blue) but then the list ran dry, and I was in a rut. So I started up a bookclub with a few of my girlfriends and we have been pretty successful at keeping to a book a month. Well, lets just say that our book choices are starting to leave something to be desired. We did ok with Gone Girl, but most of the books have been really depressing…

This month I am supposed to read Far from the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity. I’ll let you take a second to read the description. Too lazy??- still waiting for me to sum it up? The book discusses the way families handle raising children with “identifiers” such as deafness, physical deformity, or homosexuality.

Now. I’m sure this is a very interesting choice if say, you work as a teacher of kids with special needs. Or you are a parent in a similar family situation. Or maybe if you are a parent at all. But can someone tell me why a bunch of 26 year old unmarried girls would find this book interesting? Call me close minded but I have NO interest in reading this. I can’t even make it through the description without getting bored. I want something that teaches me about art, or history- or just a lighthearted love story. I think my book club is trying to impress each other with their discussion of difficult topics. But who thinks that is fun??? NO ONE.

Either way, I think more people in the group agree than they are willing to admit- a few have said I should take over with some more fun titles. Problems is we are all bad at picking books. So I’m asking you readers! Please, please let me know your BEST recommendations!