Only connect

Reading is about connecting. Writing is, too, when you think about it—readers to writers, writers to readers, through the medium of words, characters, atmosphere, and the imagination.

Then there’s the connection we make when we pass a favorite book along to a friend. When we say to someone, “You have got to read this book!” We're really saying, “Let’s share this incredible experience.” In a wider sense, it’s all about community, a basic human need. The English novelist, E.M. Forster, author of A Room with A View, took this idea one step further, when he famously advised about life in general: “Only connect.”

Inevitably, after you finish a good book like The Choice, by Nicholas Sparks, you want to know more about the person behind the world you’ve been inhabiting for a while. That’s why every Select Editions volume includes AfterWords features after each story. But then, it’s inevitable: you probably still want to know even more—to continue the fun. In this vein, what I did after I finished editing the latest Sparks family drama was turn to his memoir published a few years ago, Two Weeks with My Brother (above), which Nicholas co-authored with brother Micah. It’s a wonderfully full read. Also one filled with pathos and humor. In fact, for Sparks fans it’s a must, because there are multiple connections to his bestselling novels directly from his own family experiences. I highly recommend it.

—Tom