The best of the best

When we organized The Book Club, we decided to dedicate two selections a year (March and December) to the "classics." Graham Greene's "The End of the Affair" is one of those classics.

The most popular, though, was Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," which we read exactly a year ago. We got more response to that powerful novel than anything else we've selected.

Some Book Club members read it for the very first time that month, but even more read it for the umpteenth time and loved it just as much as their first reading.

"To Kill a Mocking Bird's" universal themes appeal to all generations of readers and seems to touch something deep in our souls.

Adding to the mystery around the book is the relative obscurity of its author. Though she's been seen in public a few times in the past year at events focused on her book, Harper Lee rarely makes any comments.

I doubt even Oprah could get her to talk.