At our first book club meeting in 2022, we got cozy together in Zoom and discussed our January pick – “Conversations with Friend” by Sally Rooney. We’ve heard many great things about this Irish author before reading the book and we were pleased to discover that her writing is worth the hype.

This story, told from a young woman’s perspective, depicts beautifully the dynamic between lovers, friends, family members and even the relationship with oneself. In a rather melancholic and dreamy style, Sally Rooney recreates the state of being completely in love, taken over and immersed in a relationship, to the extent of losing sight of anything else in life.

It was a great read, but we all agreed that the open ending left us a little bit surprised and willing for more. Thankfully, there are other Sally Rooney books out there to fulfill our reading appetite.

Whenever we meet with other Nobel team members in an informal setting such as the Nobel Anonymous Readers Association (N.A.R.A.) book club, we get to know each other better and in a different way than when we collaborate on a work project. We think that sharing our hobbies creates a bond that benefits our teamwork.

We are excited for our February bookish chat and for many other Fun at Work activities to come in 2022!