The End of Your Life Book Club

I wanted to give the book four stars, but I think that was just a reaction about the details of the story and not the writing. This book was good. It didn't make me want to stop reading, but it didn't “wow” me. At first glance, I thought there was more to it. But it is simply an autobiography with some books mentioned along the way. I found it interesting how many of the books mentioned I had read. I guess the author couldn't go into too much detail, but at the end, I wish I had a list of all the books mentioned.

I really enjoyed this book ... it was interesting on several layers. It was firstly about a love of reading and sharing that love. It was also an exploration of a relationship between a son and his mother. Finally it was about facing death and living as much as you can despite terminal cancer. I would recommend this book for many reasons.

It was not life-changing, but I enjoyed it enough to read it in one sitting. First, because Mary Ann Schwalbe was really someone worthy reading about, the kind of person who makes you a bit ashamed of yourself. Maybe I'm being condescending. Maybe you have fought for refugees, raised money for a public library in Afeghanistan and helped in a refugees' camp. I haven't, so I did feel ashamed of myself for my small complaints of everyday life, especially because it doesn't sound as if she felt she was some kind of hero, but only she was privileged enough to be able to help, and did so.
That said, if you enjoy books, it is enough reason to read it; they discuss interesting ones, on different topics such as religion, foreign culture or contemporary fiction, and I ended up with a small list of titles to my TBR.

For a book about life before death, it was fairly devoid of emotion and it failed to make me invested in the people who were portrayed.

Well written and easy-to-read book that brought the author's mother alive and made you wish you had been able to meet her. It's always a bonus to read something written by and about people that love to read, and this was all about exploring life through devouring and sharing books.

A sweet story of a man's relationship with his amazing Mother, her terminal illness from pancreatic cancer and their shared love of reading.

I wanted to write a glowing review of this book, but I find that I feel as if I will be digesting it, and learning from it for days, weeks, and even months to come. I've gained some perspective on a few things in my own life, and a rather substantial list of possible books to read from it, and I know that those are not the only contributions it's made to me.

A review would simply not do it any justice as every single person who reads this is bound to take something completely different from it, as it affects the differing aspects of their life.

“That's one of the things books do. They help us talk. But they also give us something we all can talk about when we don't want to talk about ourselves.”

This is an amazing story about selflessness, family, friends, and the power of the written word. Mary Anne Schwalbe dedicated her life to help those in the most need. She traveled to third-world countries without a thought for her own well-being just to make at least one person's life a little bit brighter. One would think that after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Schwalbe would slow down and take it easy, not the case. She was more determined than ever to create more happy memories with her family and friends and to fulfill her dream of building a national cultural center and library at Kabul University in Afghanistan.

Will and his mom share a love of reading and find the book discussions as easy segues to other topics on their minds: cancer, death, religion, etc. The pair forms their own personal book club and discuss their reads on trips to and from chemo therapy. Their discussions help create a special bond between them – and the discussions serve a therapeutic role for both of them.  Sharing book discussions with his mom help Will as he tries to cope with his mom's illness and how to approach her illness without seeming suffocating. Mary Anne, a strong and independent woman learns how to subtly communicate her feelings of fear and hope by reading books on the illness and other subject matter which help her to come to the realization of just how blessed and enriched her life is. Because Mary Anne cares more for others than herself, she makes it a point to always check in via email to see how everyone is doing. With the help of Will, she communicates with everyone on a blog and updates them on her health and on her many projects to serve those in need. She ultimately receives, from a friend who also gave her a book that helped her cope with her illness (Daily Strength for Daily Needs) a donation for a million dollars to put towards the Afghan library project! 

This book isn't just for those who have or know someone dealing with cancer. This book is about inspiration and getting (and giving) the most out of life. It's about opening up to those you love and letting them know who you are and what you stand for before it's too late. It's about acts of kindnesses and paying them forward. At the very least, read this book for the amazing discussions and summaries on the many books the mother and son share. Everything from P.G. Wodehouse to Owen Meany to Continental Drift to People of the Book and The Painted Veil (the list goes on and on) are mentioned.

Wow! A “must read” for anyone who loves books. I details an incredibly inspiring story about an amazing women and her son (the author) as she undergoes monyhd of difficult treatment for pancreatic cancer. Their love for each other and their love of books truly shines through, despite her dire circumstances.

Will Schwalbe's mom is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Will and his mom decide to form an informal two-person book club and set off reading and talking about books they wish to share with each other.

And that's this book. Will's mom, it turns out, is an amazing person, with a long history of working to help the unfortunate around the world, especially refugees. We get to know his mom so well that we are terribly saddened by her (inevitable) death.

Any reader will love this story, finding herself rapidly adding title after title to her wish list as she reads along. Beautiful.

Wow.