One of the things that I love to be a part of is a good book club. This is the first place I have lived that I have really had a good group to be a part of and lucky me—I am in two really amazing groups with really amazing women. I count myself very fortunate to be able to read and discuss books with such intelligent and insightful women.

My Connestee book club met this week and our book was Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks.

If you are not familiar with this book it is about the plague of 1666 and was inspired by the true story of Eyam, a village in the rugged hill country of England. This was not light reading, by any means, and I approached it with a bit of trepidation. I am not a huge history fan and some novels of this type get me all bogged down with all the historical references and facts and figures. I was pleasantly surprised that this really read like a faster paced novel with characters who were those you either loved or hated . The author is a skilled writer and while the subject matter was tough, it was a good book.

Our discussion was lively, as it usually is, and I loved hearing what the others had to say about the book. I always end up coming away with a much deeper understanding of what we read and I usually wonder how I missed so much. But the real question that our discussion leader asked at the end of our time together was if we had to put a name to our COVID years ( because it was plural) what would we title that book? I loved our diverse answers from “The Year of the Dog” from one who loved being able to just be home and spending time with her dog to “A Year Diminished” from one who experienced the time in a diminished sense of being. My own wasn’t really well thought out since I was the first one in the circle to respond but mine would be along the lines of “Cherish the Year”. While it was devastating to lose people and see the suffering, to the feelings of the unknown, it has revived in me the thought of cherishing every moment. Big or small. There was so much taken away from us during that time when we had to “shelter in place” and that makes relationships all that more important and doing what I love and want to do all that more precious. So yes, “Cherish the Year” would describe my book title because that Is indeed what I tried to do and what I continue to do.

If you had to title a book based on your time during COVID, what would it be? I really would love to know what yours would be. Don’t forget to leave me a comment and Comment for a Cause for Asheville Cat Weirdos Emergency Vet Fund.