It’s my turn today to do the wrap up of our Sorrow and Bliss experience. Can I be completely obvious and say that we found both sorrow and bliss . . . and everything in between?

I should have taken notes during our Zoom discussion last week but I sort of . . . forgot . . . that I was doing the wrap up this time. I think we had 10-12 people on screen, a comfortable number for our group. Kym started things off, as she always does, and I’m so appreciative of how she handles it. A little ice breaker question that everyone answers and by the time we’ve done that we have probably already brought up the book a bunch of times and the discussion evolves from there.

Our discussion was lively and, while most people enjoyed the book, some did not. And that’s not only to be expected, it’s also perfectly okay. How boring would the world be if we all agreed on everything? (well, except for some things like human rights and equity and democracy.) The bottom line was that the people that enjoyed the book liked the characters and their relationships with each other, felt comfortable with the ambiguity of Martha’s illness, and were satisfied with the ending. Our friends who didn’t enjoy the book as much commented that they still enjoyed the discussion and saw some things about the book in new ways. I call that a win all around.

In case you haven’t realized it before, we’re pretty loosey-goosey in our book club. It doesn’t matter if you can’t really remember the book because you read it months ago. It’s okay if you loved it or hated it. It’s good to gain the perspective of others, to sometimes be vulnerable with what we share, and it’s just a lovely thing to connect with other readers about a book. Really, we only have one rule . . . we do actually talk about the book!

And that’s a wrap on Sorrow and Bliss. Come back next Tuesday for the announcement of our fall selection!

Dear readers, the day has come to discuss our summer Read With Us selection, Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason. I read it so long ago that I needed to do a bit of a refresher in order to write this post. But here we are . . . and here are my questions for you.

I want to know what you think of the characters in this book, in particular Martha, but also Patrick and Martha’s extended family . . . Aunt Winsome, her mother Celia and father Fergus, and her sister Ingrid. Do you like them or dislike them? Do they feel like real people or stereotypes? Would you want to hang out with them? Do you see them as being supportive of one another?

I’m not going to respond to these questions here but I am looking forward to reading your answers in the comments and hoping to talk about them more tonight in our Zoom session.

Be sure and visit Bonny and Kym today to join in the discussions on their blogs and let me know if you’d like an invite to tonight’s Zoom.

My task today is to convince you to read our summer book selection, Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason. I mean, I already recommended it and, in my opinion that should be enough but . . . here we are.

There are a lot of videos with Meg Mason discussing this book. I didn’t have time to watch them all but I did enjoy this one from the Yarra Valley Writers Festival:

I know an hour is a big time commitment but it’s a perfect excuse to sit and knit and watch.

If you’d rather read an interview, this one from Toast is delightful and (I think) really capture’s Meg Mason’s personality and sense of humor. Plus there are photos and it’s charming.

There is also this Q&A with Meg Mason that is excellent, entertaining, and focuses more on the book than the one from Toast.

As I mentioned when we announced this book as our summer selection, I really enjoyed it. The writing is tight and the dialogue is witty and the characters are real and flawed. I hope this is enough to convince you to pick it up and join us!

Bonny and Kym will also be sharing promo posts in the coming weeks and our Zoom discussion is scheduled for Tuesday, September 13th at 7pm

We’ve talked a lot about summer reading on this blog already but today we’re going to talk about it some more because . . . it’s announcement day for Read With Us. Those of you who participated in our Young Mungo discussion know the book already but for the rest of you . . . drumroll please . . . we are reading . . .

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason

I read this book back in May and I really enjoyed it. And I’m not the only one, as some of you have already read and rated this highly, it was a nominee (short list) for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, and the film rights have been acquired by New Regency, the production company behind 12 Years a Slave, Gone Girl, and Bohemian Rhapsody. In other words, it’s got street cred.

It tells the story of a young woman named Martha. She is married to Patrick and struggles with mental illness. This illness is never named by Mason but she writes about with incredible sensitivity and understanding. Martha isn’t always likeable, but I found myself cheering her on and being moved by her situation. The story is bitingly honest and beautifully written with sharp and witty dialogue, characters who are incredibly real, and a story that will move even the most stoic of readers. Just my opinion, of course.

I’m hoping you will want to form you own opinion and will read this along with Bonny and Kym and I. We will be promoting it on our blogs over the summer and will be holding our Zoom discussion on Tuesday, September 13th at 7:00pm EST.

When you’re choosing your summer reading, don’t forget Sorrow and Bliss so that you can Read With Us.