In our 16th reading session, it was just Chelsea and me. Only the two of us.

I was a little worried because Nina went back to her home country, which meant there would only be Chelsea and me for July’s reading sessions. We had never done a one-on-one session before. And since we are both Chinese, I wondered: should we speak English or Chinese? I really didn’t want to lose Chelsea because Fallina Book Club wouldn’t be the same without her.

But the two hours turned out to be much more productive and intimate than I expected. I honestly can’t remember the last time I had such a profound and meaningful conversation with someone I barely knew.

The Gift of Reading Beyond My Comfort Zone

Thanks to the book we are reading, The Vanishing Half.

It wouldn’t be a book I would have proactively chosen to put on my bookshelf, but because of the Fallina Book Club, I got the chance to expand my reading horizon.

At the end of the reading session, Chelsea told me that she started to see the beauty of fiction after our very first book together, The Sirens of Titan. She even started proactively looking for new books to read.

I was so relieved and happy to hear that.

Nina and I, together with Fallina Book Club, really did something meaningful for the world. I believe Nina would be thrilled to hear this news too.

For this month’s shared reading, we have only read around 60 pages out of 500 pages of The Vanishing Half. It tells the story of Black people’s struggles in the United States during the 1970s.

I do believe racism still exists in today’s world, but reading about it in books still surprises me from time to time.

The twin sisters, born into a world where they were neither fully accepted as White nor Black, were trying to find their identities and their places in society.

Desiree eventually married a Black man and gave birth to a dark-skinned daughter. Stella, the other sister, disappeared into white society.

Chelsea loves female voices in literature. As a fellow woman, I sometimes feel deeply sorry for those women living their tortured lives inside fictional worlds. But I also know that, in reality, many women probably experience even harsher struggles without fully realizing it.

Life is hard for both men and women.

But why do these two genders keep hurting and misunderstanding each other?

As always, we talked about love, self-love, and the choices we make in life.

We have no idea how the story will unfold over the next 400 pages, but overall, it has been a beautiful beginning.

When Conversations Just Click

We went to Angela’s for our meeting, and it had been a while since I last saw Maybo, the owner.

Chelsea and I ended up speaking English the entire time. Surprisingly, neither of us felt uncomfortable. Slowly, our conversation drifted toward trusting our bodies, our instincts, and the energy of the universe.

Everything just clicked.

As we talked, the peaceful atmosphere inside Angela’s, the smell of freshly baked pastries, the gentle breeze from the AC, the soft background music, and Maybo’s warm presence all embraced us in a way that our minds could barely register.

Every reading session with Fallina feels inspiring and motivating.

We Never Truly Know Someone

For our secret code this week, we each shared one picture from last July and the story behind it.

Chelsea shared her trip to Chongqing, where she saw pandas simply enjoying their lives. They looked so relaxed and happy, almost like they knew how to truly enjoy every moment.

I can tell Chelsea is very ambitious in life. But she also shared this beautiful memory of the pandas with me, along with her experience of crying every day when she used to work at a bank.

That genuinely surprised me.

I guess we never truly know a person, even if we were twin sisters like Stella and Desiree.

Desiree always believed that she and Stella had lived side by side, with their souls floating through one another. But then, she realized that she might never have truly known Stella at all.

The Magic Between Readers

As I sat across from Chelsea, listening to her share her life and thoughts, I felt something almost magical.

How could someone who was almost a stranger share such a deep part of herself with another person?

In real life, even with my close friends, we often don’t talk much about anything beyond food, entertainment, and everyday life.

Maybe that’s the magic of reading.

There is something special that connects people who hold the same book in their hands.

I feel incredibly blessed.

Wednesday was a beautiful day, and it was also the first day of July.

I hope everyone can find some inspiration and enjoy meaningful moments in their own lives as well.

Every time I read with Fallina, I leave feeling happier than before.

Until next time~