Take a deep breath, men; this book should be fine

It didn’t take long to realize that I had selected a “chick book” as Huckleberries’ Book of the Month: Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love.” In fact, the first six words of Gilbert’s New York Times best-seller gave it away: “I wish Giovanni would kiss me.” Then, she explains why a kiss from Giovanni would be a bad idea, beginning with the observation that Giovanni is 10 years younger and that she’d pledged to remain celibate for the next 12 months. A pledge that would come back to haunt her within a few short chapters. No wonder blogger MamaJD mentioned at a recent blog get-together that she chuckled every time she read through some heavy-duty chick thoughts in “Eat, Pray, Love.” She knew that Huckleberries Online regular Thom George and I would be gagging on them. Gilbert’s book was recommended by several female bloggers and commenters at Huckleberries. None of the men mentioned it as I sought nominations for the October Book of the Month. That should have been my first clue. However, I didn’t find descriptions of the book that threatening, like this one by Jennifer Egan/New York Times: “Reeling from a contentious divorce, a volatile rebound romance and a bout of depression, she decided at 34 to spend a year traveling in Italy, India and Indonesia.” I figured the book was equal parts travel and spiritual journey. As an Evangelical, I was intrigued by Gilbert’s yearlong spiritual quest that has its roots in Christianity but veers quickly toward Eastern religion. She’s a terrific writer. Coeur d’Alene Librarian Bette Ammon will lead the online discussion of “Eat, Pray, Love” beginning Thursday. I think I’ll be OK with “Eat, Pray, Love,” if I can get past Giovanni and his 25-year-old twin brother “with those giant brown liquid-center Italian eyes” that “just unstitch” the author.