book club

The minute I knew I passed the general surgery boards, I had a list of things that I wanted to tackle. The current job situation has postponed several of those goals (like learning German), but I was still able to join a book club.

This book club is dedicated to reading books on the Modern Library Classics 100 list, which is the perfect kind of book club for me. Reading of all kinds is great, but I really wasn't interested in reading chick lit or Oprah's picks.

The book for April was Appointment in Samarra, which I had never read before. It was good. I made notes. The night of the book club meeting, I made sure I wasn't on call. But that night, a primary care physician specifically asked for me to see his patient. And any good business person can tell you that to get more business you need to be available. So I saw the patient and operated on him instead of going to the book club.

The ladies were all sweet and understanding that I had missed the meeting. They told me their choice for the next meeting: A Passage to India by E.M. Forester. Of all the books I read in college (and I read a lot for a science major because I liked those kinds of classes), this was the book I hated the most. I can't believe I have to read it again. But if I don't want to seem like a flake, I'd better get started. The next meeting is June 11th.

I just hope that more than ten years is enough to give me a different, and perhaps better, perspective on this novel.

What books have you read during your education that you never, ever would consider reading again? Why?

ETA: After posting, I realized that what I said about chick lit and Oprah's books could be interpreted as a tad bit elitist. It's not that I'm above reading that stuff. My choice for brain candy literature is fantasy, like elves and dwarfs and stuff. (Yes, I'm a complete nerd.) But I don't need a book club to fully understand those kinds of books. That's all fluff and fun. I need a book club... a discussion... about the classics: to more completely understand the richer novels, their nuances, and why they are considered classics.