Book Club

This year is the 20th anniversary of my book club. In some ways it doesn't seem possible,  until I think of all the births, deaths, marriages, divorces, illnesses, etc. we've been through together.  It's the only group of people that I'm not related to that I've seen on a regular basis for such a long time.  Once a month, for 20 years. We've read hundreds of books, and we all like each other, a lot.

I'm the youngest of the group- the lone reading-glasses holdout, and probably the least forgetful.  It's my job at this point to fill in the blanks in conversations.  And tonight, I wasn't in peak form.  I wasn't as quick with my book and movie references as I usually I am. Maybe it's daylight savings, maybe it's the m-word. The funny thing was that I realized that they don't really need me- we've been together for so long that we just know what we're trying to say to each other.

Woman #1- Remember that book we read, about the guy who was a musician?

Woman #2- The one set in Sarajevo?

Woman #3- No, the one written by that guy, the one who wrote the Silk book.

Woman #4- The one where they were taken hostage?

Me- No- he was a juror- I remember it. And he taught music lessons because he had been some kind of musical prodigy when he was younger.

Woman #2- They made a movie about it- Silkwood?  With Meryl Streep?

Woman #3- Was Adam Sandler the homeless guy?

Woman #5- No, it was Robert Downey Jr.

Woman #2- That was the Soloist.

Me- The book was called the Soloist, but the movie was completely different, not based on that book. And I know the main character was a juror.

Woman #5- The movie based on his other book was Iron and Silk.  Silkwood was made about 30 years before he wrote Iron and Silk.

Me- we're like a talking Google search engine....
I know he was a juror. Someone google it!

Woman #1 (looking at her phone)- Yes, he was a juror, and a cellist.

(This led to me feeling the need to bring up the 30 Rock "Rural Juror" theme, which no one watched. I was laughing so hard that it was even harder to say Rural Juror than it is with a straight face. It was ok. They're used to me.)

Woman #4- Sometimes I watch The Rock.