1. In her memoir’s prologue, Glenda Burgess recalls the child-friendly explanation her father gave for shooting stars: “Just a bit of chance and chaos, Sunshine. Atoms that dance.” How do these images apply to love? Did this description of the universe prove true in her life?
2. Discuss the memoir’s title. What does it mean to create a geography of love, mapping and describing its features? Where was love “located” for Glenda and Ken, both emotionally and on a map of the world? Which places and people have contributed most to your own geography of love?
3. What did Glenda’s parents teach her about being a spouse and a parent? How did her father’s downward spiral and her mother’s withdrawal affect her expectations of life?
4. What accounts for the instincts that helped Glenda know Ken was her soul mate? What is the best way for a couple to know whether they are compatible? Should age differences matter? Besides chronology, how can age be measured in other ways, such as maturity and wisdom, or whimsy and innocence?
5. In what ways were Glenda and Ken both wounded souls when they met each other? What enabled them to forge such a deep trust? Is intense love always tempered by the equally intense risk of losing someone who means so much?
6. How did your impressions of Ken evolve throughout Geography of Love? How did the author’s storytelling style create a vivid portrait of herself and of her beloved? Which scenes from your life would best create a portrait of you and those you love?
7. What turning points were marked when Beckah’s true killer was identified? How had the lives of Ken, Jordan, and Glenda been affected by the shadow of that violent night, and the fact that the crime went unsolved for so many years? What theories had you formed about the murder while reading the memoir’s initial chapters?
8. What was your first reaction to Ken’s illness and diagnosis, as well as that of Glenda’s mother, Louise? How did their experiences compare to that of other cancer patients you have known about? What did Ken’s and Louise’s stories reveal to you about the wrenching imprecision of treating this disease?
9. Did Glenda’s siblings have anything in common with Ken’s? What role did extended family play in creating stability as well as instability on both sides? What is the best way to navigate the tensions and the sometimes overwhelming generosity of extended family that often arise in the midst of a severe health crisis?
10. Were you surprised to hear Louise’s version of events as she recalled her marriage? How did her perception of her past and her life compare to Glenda’s images of growing up? Who “owns” the truth in the re-telling of a life?
11. Compounding the stress of Ken’s illness was the issue of health-care costs and insurance. As Glenda described the frantic tabulations regarding her husband’s coverage, what thoughts did you have about the economics of healthcare in America?
12. “I had learned to pray all wrong,” the author writes in “Ever You Fall.” “Real prayer, I understood, functioned in a unity of situation and awareness, a commune between the head and the heart.” How does her experience of spirituality shift throughout the book? What do she and Ken express about spirituality and its relationship to the physical world?
13. Louise and Ken chose opposing forms of treatment for their cancer, debating these approaches at a diner when they gathered after weeks of estrangement. Which treatment approach would you have favored? What are the limits and benefits of modern medicine?
14. As his illness progressed, Ken saw the ghost of his first wife, Diana. How did you interpret that scene? What are your beliefs about the process of departing from life, and the potential for interaction with those who have died? What did it mean to Ken to see his first love again after so many years? How had he processed the experience of loving three very different women, at three very different points in his life?
15. How do the memoir’s closing images echo the words of the poem that forms the book’s epigraph? What did Campbell McGrath’s words signify to you?

1. What adjustments do you believe Lexi had to make once she went from being single to married life? Do you think marriage changes the dynamics of married and single friendships?
2. When Angel explained her reasons for changing her membership to Lakewood Church, why do you think Jewel wasn’t so accepting? When and under what circumstances do you think it is appropriate to consider changing your church membership?
3. When a person acquires more responsibility in their lives, how do they continue to make God a priority? How does a person maintain that balance?
4. Do you think men are less likely to forgive a hurtful pass than women? Why or why not?
5. How do you think Kevin should have handled the issues between Jewel and his ex-wife? Do you think Jewel had a fair assessment of the circumstances?
6. Why do you think Anthony Stanton had such a strong reaction to his championship loss?
7. Why do you think the men did not openly demonstrate their prayer life until their trip to Las Vegas?
8. What do you think are the spiritual benefits of keeping a journal?
9. Do you think Rex should have remained with the law firm after finding out the impropriety of his father-in-law’s business?
10. Are there any prayers in The Sunday Brunch Diaries that affected you personally?
11. How do you believe couples in this century can improve communication?
12. What are some of the most common issues facing couples of this generation that would threaten their union?
13. Do you think many married men go to strip clubs? What do you think prompts such behavior? Do most people view that as an addiction or do they excuse it away?
14. What scriptures do you rely on during a time of crisis?

1. Edward gets a lot of advice from everyone around him, much of it bad. With which advice do you agree? If you were his friend, what would you tell him?
2. Edward pretends to be a lot of people. How does that relate thematically to the book?
3. How I Paid for College is a love letter to friends. What is Attack of the Theater People a love letter to?
4. How do the two books differ?
5. Edward is told he’s “too jazz hands for Juilliard.” How does that relate to his feelings about his sexuality and his relationship with Hung?
6. Edward continues to be infatuated with Doug. Is Doug gay, straight or bisexual?
7. Which of this crew of friends are you and your friends the most like?
8. This is a book about finding your place in the world. What do you think Edward will do next? What about the rest of his friends?
9. How does the 1980s atmosphere affect the story? How would it be different or the same today?
10. Shakespearean references abound throughout. What do they say about the characters and situations?
11. Both Natie and Chad have no ethical problem with sharing inside information for financial gain. How do you feel about it?
12. Many of these characters have almost religious feelings about the theater. Why do you suppose so few people go to the theater?
13. Edward comes of age during the second-worst season on Broadway (the first being the season before). Why do you suppose that happened? How did Broadway come back? How has it changed?
14. What’s the thematic significance of Edward and Paula fixing the gridlock on Broadway?
15. If you were to create a piece of Guerilla Theater, what would it be?

From The Most Decadent Diet Ever by Devin Alexander. I dreamed about eating a cake like this for years (both in my sleep and just rapid-fire thoughts during the day). I’m serious. I’m one of those “There’s no such thing as chocolate cake that’s too rich” types. I was dieting, but I would have to “cheat” with chocolate from time to time just to keep my sanity.

And then came this cake. It’s as rich as they come and I love it more than any other flourless chocolate espresso cake I’ve had. Plus, it packs six grams of fiber, so it really is guilt free!

If you really want to impress your friends, store some, unbaked, in the ramekins in an airtight container in your freezer. When you need a no-fuss dessert, pop them in the water bath and bake them 30 to 32 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Generously mist four 3-1/2-inch-diameter ramekins with spray. Place them side by side in an 8 X 8-inch baking pan. Add water to the pan until it reaches halfway to the top of the ramekins.

Use a sturdy whisk or spatula to mix the applesauce, vanilla, egg whites, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until well combined. Add the cocoa powder, espresso, and salt. Stir until just combined and no lumps remain. Divide evenly among the ramekins (each ramekin will be about two-thirds full).

Bake for 21 to 24 minutes, until the tops look silky and puff slightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out a bit wet. Remove from the oven and carefully transfer the rame-kins from the water bath to a cooling rack. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Then invert each ramekin onto a dessert plate. Let stand for
1 minute, and then slowly lift off the ramekin (the cakes should come out on their own, but if they don’t, run a knife around the edge of the cakes to loosen them). Cool for another 5 to 10 minutes. Use a fine sieve to evenly dust each cake with a light sprinkling of powdered sugar. Place one raspberry on the center of each cake, if using. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 Cakes; 4 Servings or 8 Portions

Each 1-Decadent-Disk portion (1/2 cake) has: 101 calories, 3 g protein, 23 g carbohydrates,
1 g fat, <1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 182 mg sodium

Each 2-Decadent-Disk serving (1 cake) has: 203 calories, 7 g protein, 46 g carbohydrates,
2 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 6 g fiber, 364 mg sodium

You save: 293 calories, 33 g fat, 19 g saturated fat

Traditional serving: 496 calories, 6 g protein, 47 g carbohydrates, 35 g fat, 20 g saturated fat,
195 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 369 mg sodium

Photograph by Theresa Raffetto

1. The book opens with an epigraph by Elizabeth Bishop, excerpted from her poem “Questions of Travel”: “Think of the long trip home/ Should we have stayed at home and thought of here?/ Where should we be today?” What do you think of this choice for an epigraph? Why is it significant? Look up the original poem if you wish. Is CS Richardson influenced by other aspects of this poem?
2. CS Richardson has called this book “a fable, a parable on the notions of love and loss and relationships, and how far you would go in the name of love.” How does the tone of fable impact the way you receive the ideas contained in this book? Why do you think Richardson chose to tell this particular story with nuances of the fabulous?
3. The physical descriptions of Ambrose and Zipper are parallel in structure, with paragraphs devoted to their tastes in clothing, in music and literature, in food, and brief descriptions of their appearances and personalities. Why do you think Richardson chose to describe them in this way? Do you see other symmetries in the structure of this novel? What do they contribute to the experience of reading this book?
4. As “average” as everyone considers Ambrose to be, he has some exceptional qualities, including his ability to visualize history as though seeing through time. What does this instinct say about him, about his being and his desires? What does the revelation of his long-hidden list mean to Zipper?
5. Ambrose loves to walk, to experience his life through walking, referring to his favourite Paris route as his flânez and wearing a self-circumscribed path through his London neighbourhood. Does this give you any insight into Ambrose? Have you ever had a favourite flânez?
6. “Ambrose Zephyr liked what he liked and didn’t like what he didn’t like.” Consider the ongoing debate Ambrose and Zipper have about the Rockeby Venus. What do you think of their perspectives on art? Have you ever liked anything without wishing to dissect your reasons? What does their debate say about their perspectives on life, and about their relationship?
7. What lessons does Ambrose carry with him from the life, and death, of his father?
8. Ambrose is dying from an illness that is cloaked in mystery in every aspect save its fatality. Why do you think Richardson chose to leave the illness unnamed and vague?
9. A camel utters with equanimity some advice in Ambrose’s dream: “Why, you ask? There is no why, Master Zephyr. Life goes on. Death goes on. Love goes on. It is all as simple as that.” Discuss Ambrose’s dream. What does it reveal about the state of his mind and heart?
10. In chapter “Z,” why did Ambrose leave the list in Zipper’s book? Why that book? What is the gift of his message?
11. At the novel’s close, Zipper opens her notebook and writes, “This story is unlikely,” repeating the phrase that opens the novel. Why do you think Richardson chose to loop the book’s narrative in this way? Did it change your perspective on the preceding pages?
12. If Ambrose had not received this death sentence, how do you think his life with Zipper would have progressed? Where would they have been in 10 years?
13. What was your favourite passage in the novel? Who was your favourite character?
14. If you were told you had 30 days left to live, what would you do?
15. If you were to make a pilgrimage through the alphabet, where would you go? Try working your way through the alphabet naming places you’d like to visit someday.