Wednesday, November 9, 2005

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

Another late BC recap, but better late than never. We had a very lively meeting at Chez Jefe that kicked off with tuna tartare, followed by pumpkin-black bean soup and grilled cheese (the beginning of those hearty winter BC dinners!), and a low-calorie Oreo cream cake for dessert.  Lish!  After a thorough discussion of Red's new Belgian love interest, we reluctantly moved on to a discussion of the book....



The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime was relatively well received, with a 6.75 rating. Could it be that our typical grade inflation is deflating?  That is a comparatively low average score for a book that everyone seemed to like.  But, we certainly are talking about "like" and not "love."  No one was passionate about this book.  We talked about the game show math puzzle a bit (the goats and cars behind closed doors) and once everyone was satisfied with the answer to that, there wasn't a whole lot else to say.  The strongest part of the book was the author's insight into autism, and his portrayal of how an autistic mind sees the world. Several people were surprised to find out that Christopher's character was 15 years old, since his narration suggested that he was more like 10 or 11.  We also talked briefly about the father;  in a recurring BC theme, we were split between being sympathetic towards and disgusted by this character who had dealt a deadly blow to an innocent dog with a garden fork, and yet clearly was dedicated to his handicapped son.  And.... that's about it.  The group was much more interested in discussing the holiday calendar. I believe there is a triple-threat trunk show (the Foxx, La Madamoiselle, Red) being hosted by Logan's Run on the 14th, so save the date.

As I mentioned, the discussion was very lively when it came to the LOD selection and the stressful challenge of picking a book for the December meeting. I've tallied the votes to date, and even though two people didn't weigh in (ahem) there are two clear leaders of the pack, so we'll go with those for December and January, respectively.

The December book will be The Sea by John Banville, this year's Booker prize winner. Yes, it's hardcover, but hey, writers need to make a living too.  January's book is Herzog, by Saul Bellow.

As for the date for Dec. BC, everyone I've heard from so far (missing two) is available all of the dates, but P___ likely will prefer to generously let us use her home on Monday the 5th. So, please pencil that date in and I will send a confirmation once I hear from the rest of the group. Remember that you are welcome to invite a guest but please make sure they read the book and make sure to let the Highlander know if you are bringing someone or not so she can get a headcount.
La Madamoiselle has volunteered for apps for the December BC.  Logan's Run, can I volunteer you and your Skor Bar cookies for dessert?!  Everyone else, wine, bubbly, you name it, but please designate a driver. Until then... read early and often! xo