There are millions of book clubs & lists out there, and each has its own validity. But I recently decided that I wanted to read books that would not only foster my own intellectual and philosophical growth, but also foster growth within my relationships.
Literature can be a very intimate thing. Certain books touch our souls, forever changing the way we see the world. To recommend one to another person exposes a lot about us, revealing our heart and mind to an extent.
In an attempt to connect with my family and friends, especially those with whom I have less direct contact than in years past due to geography, life changes, etc, I asked 52 loved ones to suggest just one book each. It's a tall order, but the request received positive responses.
My goal is twofold:
1. to read all fifty-two books over the next year. This is perhaps an ambitious endeavor, given how busy I am in other areas of life. But when I think about all the senseless ways I spend some of my time (re-watching movies, window-shopping) it may be very possible to allocate that energy into a worthwhile project such as this.
2. to sit down over coffee with each contributer and discuss his/her submission. The 52 folks whose suggestions I sought are for the most part in reasonable locations relative to my own :Denver, Dallas, Austin, Houston; but there are a handful of others: Hawaii, Minnesota, California, Maryland, Amsterdam. What I envision is a couple trips to each of the more 'popular' places and have a dozen coffee dates on each trip. And a single trip to each of the more random spots for a coffee date with the friend/family there.
Wish me luck!
