The Power of Proximity

Book Club @ Drake's Dealership in Oakland: a brewery with great fast food, pizzas, space, drinks, and chatter!

The read this month was Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. As always with this Bay Area group of child-free women, the discussion and authentic reactions to this grueling, historical fiction FILLED. MY. SOUL.

Just before heading out to Sunday Book Club (on a day when cuddling up inside in front of a warm fire might have been even better!)

It never ceases to amaze me how books and the numerous stories and characters contained within them can transport the mind, emotions, and spirit in just a few minutes.

And this is how you know you've found your genre.

I gave this book a very rare 5.0 star review on Storygraph and there were a few other 5.0 stars from the other book club members as well. I wanted the chapters, each based on a character within a lineage of troubled interconnected families, to keep going and going. At the end of each, I found myself shouting "but why do I have to wait to find out what happens next through the eyes and perspective of yet another character!?"

I am a lover of...

Historical Fiction

Printed Books

Women Authors

Challenging Characters you despise

Challenge Characters that grow

Sassy Characters

Tearful Reads

Books that give hope and meaning

Stories that push back on your worldview

Now, who's with me?!

I am not surprised that Homegoing brought together a highly intellectual, diverse, charismatic, and willful group of women today. These women (my friends) are BRILLIANT.

In terms of cultivating adult platonic relationships, you can find so much community in your local book club -- whatever it is that you rally around, whatever it is that brought you together in the first place.

And yet, up until now I have always had a hard to sustaining a book club because of various reasons:

we drink too much wine

we start flaking for more interesting plans

we don't have time to read the book

we don't feel like driving

we are too tired to be in person

we don't think we'll become friends

we get busy with other priorities

we make enough friends so we think "what's the point?".

The next book club meetup has been scheduled about a month from now and the title will be voted on (we're so democratically operated!).

What are you reading, listening to, or watching these days that is shaping your worldview?

What is a title that you believe should be required for all school children of a certain age?

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In case you missed the last few picks and my ratings, follow me on Storygraph (@stephaniejoong) so we can do read-alongs together.

Here is a list of the most recent books I've reviewed:

1. The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods - Fiction // 3.75 out of 5

2. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett - Fiction // 4.5 out of 5

3. The Women by Kristin Hannah - Historical Fiction // 4.0 out of 5

4. The Knightblood Prince by Molly X. Chang - Fantasy // 3.5 out of 5

5. Shark Heart by Emily Habek - SciFi // 4.25 out of 5

6. Katabasis by R.F. Kuang - Fantasy // 4.0 out of 5

(See what I mean by the "Rare 5.0 Star Review"? Nothing has tied with this book in 2026 so far!)