Mystery Box

As I drove home I did a little mental math - ok, if I was at school at 6:30 AM - and leaving school at 6:30 PM, that means I have worked a 12 hour day.  If I work five 12 hour days, that's a 50 hour week, and that is only counting the time I'm in the building - and not counting pretty much every Saturday that I have opened the school to allow teachers to come in and set up their rooms.  So, as I walked into the kitchen once I did arrive home, I was feeling kind of crabby, and maybe a little sorry for myself.  

I dropped my computer bag and purse on the floor and glanced at the stack of mail the hubby must have dropped on the table earlier.  Perched on the top was an innocuous brown box labeled Literati.  Instantly, my heart leaped - My book of the month is here!  Without taking off my coat or even washing my hands, I grabbed scissors and cautiously cut the packing tape, being careful to not damage the box.  Upon opening, I checked the quote on the inside left cover of the box (it feels like a book, really) - this month the quote was from Stephen King, "Books are a uniquely portable magic," - Brilliant!  But my eyes were drawn to the right side of the box and the elegant black envelope with an "M" embossed on it, hiding the cover of a book.  

Pulling the cards out of the envelope, I had such a sense of being included in something special, unique.  The host of this book club is Malala Yousafzai, yes, Malala.  And, this month she chose for us to read:  Aftershocks, A Memoir, by Nadia Owusu.  I can't wait.

I have to admit, I'm very much a creature of habit and comfort when it comes to my reading.  I have my favorite genres, I am a serial reader - picking up the first, then the second, then the third and fanatically finishing the whole series in a blink.  I love long books that pull you in...and when I'm getting close to the end, I don't really want to finish at all.  

Belonging to this book club, a lovely gift from my sister-in-law, has pushed me out of the routines of reading into exploring other writers and genres.  I haven't participated in any of the online discussion groups yet, but for right now, I'm thrilled to enjoy the anticipation and luxury of a hand-picked book - by a person whom I admire - being delivered to my front door.  What a lift this box gave me today - what a gift!