The last couple of years, I have been conscious of not posting all the Christmas gifts given or received to social media. Not everyone is at the same levels of fortune. Social media can be a life highlight battledome and the holidays can be a pressure cooker for this. I post a few of course. We got a rower. I posted that as part of the Asgard Athletica stuff. I try to share my fitness journey as much as possible. Pops built a bar that I’m sure was not cheap, and especially in time spent, the ultimate commodity. I had to share that.

But there is one thing Sarah and I decided to do for each other this year I wanted to share. And it is not expensive, especially for us.

We each got to pick two books we have read that we want the other person to read this year. It is a different take on a two-person book club. We are not choosing a book for both of us to read at the same time. Instead, we are both selecting books we have already read. We want the other to read these as well. The reasons can vary. It could just be a story we enjoyed and want to discuss. It could be a development book we think the other would gain from. It could be a different perspective than the other’s wheelhouse. There are no rules, other than picking a book we have read the other has not.

The gift is actually by the receiver here. It is a promise to spend time the other found value or enjoyment in.

Sarah and I both read a fair amount. Our Audible accounts are linked. We already both have access to those, as well as any physical books we already purchased to read. So for us, there is no more cost to this gift other than time.

Sarah tried to pick a couple I already had read. Like I said, we linked our Audibles. She wound up settling on these two for me to read:

And my picks for her:

I did not actually pick the graphic novel version of The Iliad for her. There are already a couple different version in our Audible. But she decided she wanted to order this and try the graphic novel version. I’ll likely read it as well. I think this will be the fifth different version we own now (two audio and two printed already owned).

So, if you have a partner who reads, give this a try.