I am just finishing up The End of Your Life Book Cub by Will Schwalbe. It is a chronicle of the 2 1/2 years of his mother's illness and eventual death from pancreatic cancer, but it is much more than that. It is the best, 336 pages worth, description I've ever come across of why we read, the potential of reading and the urge to share and talk about what we read. I feel guilty about this but will admit, that at times reading about Mary Anne Schwalbe (Will's mother), made me think, "Come on Mary Anne, be a little bad or at least be cranky for Christ's sake, you have cancer after all." But it is after all the author's loving tribute to his mother, written not that shortly after she died. The list of books they cover in this 2 1/2 year span is impressive. I wanted to post the quote that captured my attention and assured that I'd keep reading, but can't find it right now. Here is a quote from near the end of the book that I rather like -

“We're all in the end-of-your-life book-club, whether we acknowledge it or not; each book we read may well be the last, each conversation the final one.”

Here is the quote I wanted to post -

"Mom and I read dozens of books of all different kinds. We didn't read only "great books," we read casually and promiscuously and whimsically."

I love it!

each book we read may well be the last, each conversation the final one.

reminded me of the old practice of thinking on your own mortality as a way of improving life, they'd have a mock burial or meditate on a skull etc, we do tend to forget at times that the clock is ticking.

We didn't read only "great books," we read casually and promiscuously and whimsically.

yes, when there's a rainbow of colours you wouldn't want to read green only, It'd be like only looking at a great statue from one angle.