A few recent experiences have got me thinking about friendships - a distant email-only friendship, friendship with an old female friend, and with Claude, my AI. I don't know if I have lots of friends or few. I know the value of friends in my life but I find it hard to find the time for them.
I came across a couple of books - Lydia Denworth looks interesting as does Robin Dunbar's Friends, he of Dunbars number