In a world of gridlocked rush-hour traffic, fast-forwarded digital TiVo and thousand-channel internet radio, it's harder than ever to hear the subtle sound of pen writing on paper. Yet for centuries this was the quiet chorus of friendship, of the shared thoughts and confidences that bound individuals, particularly women, together.

Longtime riends Helen Levine and Oonagh Berry decided they missed the tradition of "real" letters. The obvious solution for them was to initiate a correspondence  project. Their goal? To write each other a longhand letter every two weeks for a year, and see what, if anything, they were missing in their usual friendship rituals of lunches, visits and telephone chats.

The result is a wealth of insights yielded from over 150 years of combined life experience. Week in and week out, Helen and Oonagh weave together tales of family, work, politics, motherhood, aging and creativity. Reading Between Friends is like sharing a warm pot of tea with two frank, articulate and experienced companions.