To Read or Not To Read

Tomorrow night is my book club meeting. We meet once a month (skipping December and the summer months) to discuss a preassigned book that the whole group has read. Tomorrow, we are reading my picks, Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris, and I am the discussion leader. That sounds all fine and dandy, but I still have about 160 pages of the book to read.

I really love the people in my book group. They are all really cool people, and I enjoy the social aspect of getting together each month. Most of the group is older than me, some are retired. So, everyone has usually gone on interesting trips or done something cool that they share with the group. The only downside to the club is having to read a darn book.

Maybe is it the part about the book being assigned. Maybe it has to do with trying to make an intelligent point about a book. Maybe it is just trying to remember the plot points. I find the whole thing to be full of pressure. All of the members are so smart. They make smart insights and comments while I am left with "I liked it." It is hard for me to find time to read the books as well (or anything else for that matter - you should see the stacks of magazines by my bed!)

So, what should I do? Should I stick with it or should I bow out? Do I go for the pleasure of the company, or do I quit yet another activity that is hard to fit in my schedule? I wish I knew what to do.