Sometimes it seems like even my non-comics reading involves comics. That probably says a lot about my taste in books, but in this case, it's because of someone else. My book club decided to read Beautiful Children by Charles Bock. It's a good book, and Bock is a great writer, and it pertains to comics: One of the characters is a writer and illustrator, and, without giving away too much of the plot, two teens go to see his signing at the local comic store. Reading it took me back to my days as a young fan, when I rode my bike downtown to a store called Worlds Beyond several times a week (weather permitting). It was a small store in a small town, so they never had any signings, but still...I could relate.

Last weekend the weather was amazing, so it was time for outdoor reading. I started with PERFECTION, a memoir by Julie Metz. After her husband’s sudden death, Julie learned that for years, unbeknownst to her, he had been having affairs with women, one of whom was the mother of her daughter’s best friend. In the days after his death, her brother and some friends learned his story, but no one wanted to tell her. Little by little it came out, and instead of burrowing herself in sorrow, Julie contacted these women. They had the story that Henry had never told her --- and through these conversations she learned a lot about the man she had loved and the double life he led. She writes with honesty, but there is no "woe is me" on these pages, which keeps it interesting. If you are in a book group, you may want to check out a contest we are running on ReadingGroupGuides.com in which 10 book clubs will have the opportunity to win a copy of the title. Click here for more details.