Ponder: The End of Your Life Book Club

The End of Your Life Book Club ©2012 is a non-fiction novel, a genre I rarely read. The title is somewhat morbid and yet I was inspired to read it by one of my usual sources for book suggestions ... possibly the Reese Witherspoon Book Club or Amazon Editor's Choice? No matter, I decided to investigate it and was glad I did.

In it the author Will Schwalbe tells of the final months of his mother's life as she is dying of pancreatic cancer. Mother and son form a book club of two members and use reading and discussion of what they've read to pass away the long hours during her chemotherapy infusion treatments. The author's YouTube description of the book, explained of he and his mother that , "We didn't read only great books, we read casually and promiscuously and whimsically." The brief trailer, quite worthy of a listen, summarized it very aptly, "Reading is not the opposite of doing; it is the opposite of dying". The six page long appendix at the end of the book lists all the books they read or referenced. Many are too heavy and dark for my taste, several I have already read, some I would not want to read, but many were very enticing, indeed. The pithy excerpted passages they shared from many of the books were thought provoking.

Overall though, I was very impressed with the humanitarian and altruistic work Mary Ann Schwalbe did in her lifetime. Per wikipedia, as well as serving as Associate Dean of Admissions at Harvard University,

Schwalbe was a supporter of refugees cause in Thailand and later in Afghanistan. She was involved with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and was the Founding Director for the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, now known as the Women's Refugee Commission. During this time she also served as an electoral observer in the Balkans. She also raised funds for a library in Kabul and traveling libraries for Afghanistan.

I cared about the books they read together and the life lessons absorbed, but also I cared deeply about the impressive women and her close relationship with her son, the author, Will Schwalbe. Granted I skimmed rapidly through some portions of the book that were too heavy for my taste, but overall it was an educating and absorbing read. Because I did speed read through some passages, I oscillated in my rating between three and four stars. I did engage with the characters, resonated with the precepts, and highly respected the dying woman, and so I decided upon four stars.

★★★★☆ Really good; maybe only one weak aspect or limited audience

Ponder: Point Last Seen

Point Last Seen by Christina Dodd ©2022 is categorized as a thriller romance. That is an odd genre I had never experienced so I decided to give it a try. The suspense in the beginning of the book is strong, raising many questions, urging me to read on. One setting is near Big Sur, California along a sweeping picturesque portion of the California Pacific coastline in a small town called Gothic, City of Lost Souls. A second more minor setting is on board a scientist-laden exploration vessel out at sea. The two main characters, Adam a loner making a living as metal sculpture artist, and Elle, a yet to be described woman, meet in an extremely unconventional way. Her limp body washes up on the beach. She has strangulation marks on her throat, screams uncontrollable when the memory of how she got those bruises washes over her, yet has amnesia about the other circumstances of her life. The story takes off as how to assess and treat her injuries, mental and physical. The role, if any, that the ship and its crew play, is a niggling distraction in the background, but one the reader cannot dismiss as irrelevant.

Yes, this book has suspenseful portions, but I think the majority is more of a mystery, learning the background of both key characters. The romance portion of the book involves the budding relationship between the two of them. I liked the affect Elle had on Adam. She was strong and upbeat despite her travails; she was not a ditsy, clingy female like those portrayed in so many romance novels. Other supporting characters native to the town of Gothic, are plentiful but initially hard to follow and absorb – a local vet, a psychic, a psychologist, an actress and her entourage, a teenage girl, a garrulous old man, a wealthy town land-owner/landlord. All characters have their quirks that lend a bit of whimsy to the novel, especially the fortune-teller/palm-reader. Another oddly good aspect of this book is short chapters. Point Last Seen has 481 pages and 81 chapters which are conducive to an interrupted reading scenario. Per Wikipedia

Christina Dodd is the best-selling American author of suspense and regency historical romance. She is a recipient of the RITA Award.

Perusing the Amazon reviews of her works, many comments alluded to this novel as not being representative as the best of her works but still averaging a 4.4/5 rating. 

I read Point Last Seen on two plane flights and during hours in airport terminals before and between flights. Just like with movies, I think reading in travel situations detracts stars from a book's rating. On the other hand, I did not regret having this book to help me while away the hours. Sometimes a book can be so bad, you rue your choice for travel, and you'd rather nap than read. This novel held my interest though it did seem rather long; but, to be fair, it was probably the flights and layovers that were rather long. This is the first of her books that I have read and I give it 3 stars. Fellow local library readers also gave it an average rating of 3 stars. Despite my mediocre rating, however, I am not deterred from giving this author another try.

★★★☆☆ Better than average; not a waste of time