From the Bookshelf of Around the World in 80 Books…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought
This book is about a mother and son who start a 2-person book club while mom battles pancreatic cancer. Overall, I enjoyed this book for two reasons. First, I like reading books about people reading books. I picked up some interesting selections from the books that the mother and son read together over the course of a 2-year period. Schwalbe does give spoilers in regard to some of the books, though - so beware!
More importantly, what I really enjoyed about the book was reading about Schwalbe's m ...more
More importantly, what I really enjoyed about the book was reading about Schwalbe's m ...more
I lost track of the titles mentioned (which is probably for the best). Also, I've been reading about death and family a lot lately...I wonder why.
...more
As Will Schwalbe's mother is dying of pancreatic cancer, mother and son decide to start a book club, which often takes place during the mother's cancer treatments. Schwalbe tells some stories from his mother's life and also relates the discussions they had about the books they read. The book reads like a eulogy, chronicling many of the positive things his mother did during her lifetime. She was an amazing women, devoting a lot of energy to humanitarian causes up until her death. However, I got t
...more
What a special gem of a book.
I found it to be an uplifting story, poignant for sure but not sad. What an amazing life Mary Ann had, and what an inspiration to others, and to me. So many relationships she had with others were truly exceptional, including the one between mother and son. I pray that my children and I will stay that close and connected and I will make the effort to do so.
I added many books discussed to my to read shelf and was reminded of others I have read and loved hearing Will ...more
I found it to be an uplifting story, poignant for sure but not sad. What an amazing life Mary Ann had, and what an inspiration to others, and to me. So many relationships she had with others were truly exceptional, including the one between mother and son. I pray that my children and I will stay that close and connected and I will make the effort to do so.
I added many books discussed to my to read shelf and was reminded of others I have read and loved hearing Will ...more
I want to like this book much more than this. What's not to like from a memoir of a book lover, written by her son who's also a book lover? Lots of book recommendations, for sure! Also some chapters about several books that I've already read, so it feels a bit nostalgic as well. But sadly I can't connect much with the people in this book, both the sick mom and the writer son. Perhaps because the writing style is too aloof? It feels more like reading a text book, rather than a touching memoir abo
...more
Sep 30, 2012
Tania
marked it as to-read
Oct 21, 2012
Isabel
marked it as to-read
Nov 19, 2012
Paula
marked it as to-read
Dec 25, 2012
Ching-In
marked it as to-read
Jul 07, 2013
Kristen Iworsky
marked it as to-read
Jul 26, 2013
Lori
marked it as to-read
Aug 15, 2014
Mansir
marked it as to-read
May 01, 2016
Terri FL
marked it as to-read
Oct 29, 2016
Jocelyn
marked it as to-read
Apr 06, 2019
Colleen Chi-Girl
marked it as to-read
May 11, 2019
Jillian
marked it as to-read
Dec 21, 2019
Brian
marked it as to-read
Jan 14, 2020
Jody Rowan
marked it as to-read
