Book Club, the Universe, and Everything...

Mile Marker 7584:

What do space travel and book club have in common?

Well today, snacks.  No astronaut ice cream or Tang.  I didn't plan far enough in advance for either of those.  (I couldn't find the "space food" aisle at Target, so I'm guessing that's not where NASA shops!)

Instead, I gather up provisions found within a mile of my Earth-bound apartment:

Green earth...

dusty moon...

stellar salad...

shooting stars...

and dark chocolate galaxy bark!
(recipe here)

We even have moonshine -- in space age Dixie cups!

This summer, I can't get enough of the moon landing coverage.  Maybe it's because I wasn't born yet when it happened the first time around!

Growing up, my brother Mark was always the space buff.  He built model rockets, went to Space Camp, and even traveled to Florida to watch a space shuttle launch.

He did take me to Mars once... in 3-D.
(Bonus, Matt Damon was there too!) 

I love the inspiration of space travel.  First footsteps.  Moonshots.  The idea that we can solve impossible problems through teamwork and collaboration.  That there's a future out there, and it's expansive and hopeful.  That, despite our differences, we all share the same tiny corner of the universe.

Maybe that seems like a dramatic segue to a book club, but stick with me...

This month our meeting is scheduled for July 20, the exact anniversary of the moon landing.  And the point of the book club is to read outside our comfort zone.  To push our own boundaries. To pick up books we wouldn't typically gravitate toward.

Remember my 19 for 2019 List?  Well, if reading is an escape, then reading outside my comfort zone is like venturing beyond the Earth's atmosphere -- without the hassle of a prosthesis in a space suit!

Here's how our book club works.  We pick a theme each month, and within that theme, everyone picks a book they want to read.  We explore new genres, share books around, and go off on tangents that lead to interesting destinations.

By the way, it's true -- books do open doors.  The month we read graphic novels, I discovered a whole new world in the comic book store across from my apartment!

Coincidentally called Brave New Worlds!

This month's theme is sci-fi, for obvious reasons :)

The conversation wanders from Ray Bradbury, to Ursula Le Guin, to time travel books with bad endings.  After we've stuffed ourselves with space snacks, I tell everyone I'm working on a blog post about the group.  The thing is, we cover so much ground, I can't quite put our meetings into words.

"Describe the book club in 7 words or less," I say.  (Hey, if we can put a man on the moon, I figure we're up for this challenge.)

Natalie, our most voracious reader, immediately comes out with this:

"Books, boys, jobs, travel, life, and... cheese."

There you have it.  Books, the universe, and everything.  Cheese included.

This group -- and each book we share -- makes me want to take chances and imagine possibilities.  Do anything.  Go anywhere.

All good fuel for a trip to the moon.

Or wherever the pages take you.

Happy 50th, Apollo 11!

Read on!

Want to read along?  Stay tuned for a new feature on the blog -- a page called "Book Shelf" -- launching soon!