Our current Intensive ends soon and the next one will begin towards the end of February. During this interim period we will once again offer an FCM Book Club event, with all of us reading and discussing the same book. We solicited suggestions for books from FCM members and received many interesting and appealing recommendations. We are a widely read group! The choice was not easy, but the selection for our 2018 Book Club is Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise by Thich Nhat Hanh.

On the book’s jacket is written: “In Silence, Thich Nhat Hanh guides us on a path to cultivate the calm within ourselves and experience the profound power of quiet amid our noisy everyday lives. The gift of silence doesn’t require hours upon hours of solitary meditation or an existing practice of any kind. With mindfulness coms the stillness we need to come home to ourselves and discover who we are and what we truly want Combining powerful stories, timeless wisdom, and simple mindfulness techniques, Thich Nhat Hanh shows us that silence is at the heart of the happiness we seek.”

The book club will take place between January 14 and February 18, 2018. All members who join will be assigned to a small group of about eight members that will meet three times in various members’ homes during the five-week period. For those not close to other members, there will be ZOOM book clubs. Each group will have a facilitator to keep the discussion lively, interesting and to make sure everyone enjoys themselves.

The first step is to decide whether you want to participate or not.  If you do, (and this ‘book club’ is open to all FCM members whether or not you participated in the Intensives), please register, then purchase the book and begin reading. One way to find the book is to visit Bookfinder.com, type in the title and author, and you will find many on-line sources listed. Registration will close on Saturday December 23.

In previous Book Clubs, members have found this format to be helpful in stimulating personal transformation, as well as deepening our connection to other members of our community. There is much we can learn from each other.