Book Review: The End of Your Life Book Club

I've seen this book mentioned over and over, so when our library acquired it, I quickly placed my name on the hold list.  Those who love books tend to love to read about others who love books equally.  This is a book in celebration of books.

Will Schwalbe's mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  During the medical visits when Will accompanied his mother, they would discuss books and even came to call it their own "book club."  Thus, when she did eventually succumb to the disease (much later than anticipated), Will set out to write a book chronicling both the difficult journey through the cancer experience and the delightful journey discussing important books.

While I did enjoy reading about the story in this memoir and certainly enjoyed the emphasis on books, I found that there were very few books mentioned that I was familiar with.  I think I was disappointed.  I wanted them to discuss books that I knew.  I could join in on the limited discussion about The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, Marilynne Robinson's Gilead, C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Number One Ladies' Detective Agency books.  There were a few classics mentioned that I had read ages ago, like Gone With the Wind, and several children's books I'm familiar with.  But the majority of books sounded like things I just wouldn't select to read.  In fact, as one Amazon reviewer admitted, the books didn't really sound "bucket-list-worthy."  I found myself wishing the books within the book were more interesting and the discussions more profound than they actually were.

It was a brilliant tribute to his mother and I did find myself swelling with gratitude for the similar bond I share with my own mother through books (she often gives me reading suggestions and I am always grateful to hear what she is reading).  For me, there is nothing better than bonding with someone over a shared interest in a particular book.  While I love reading a book just for the thrill of reading a book, the enjoyment multiplies when someone else shares the experience.  I love the fact that I can always make a reading recommendation to my mother.  With other people, I sometimes get the feeling that they are just nodding with no real interest in the delight I feel for a particular book, but I always know my mother will respond with something like "Oh, I want to add that to my list of books to read."  In fact, I think if my mother didn't read this book review blog of mine, I might be tempted to shut it down, since it receives relatively limited numbers of readers.  But, I carry on because I want my mother to know how I feel about the books I read and also so I can look back and remember how a book struck me.

So, if you love to read about what someone else is reading, this might be a good selection for you.  In fact, you can look in the back at the list of books mentioned within the book to see if it is a list you are deeply familiar with or not.  If you are a liberal, this might appeal to you more than it did to me.  Also, if you are close to someone who is dying, this might be an interesting read for you, simply because it tells the tale of a family going through that difficult struggle.  It might spark a desire to spend some of your last moments discussing a shared interest in books.  Books are the common denominator here and, apart from religious experiences, I cannot think of a better common denominator.