Love Or Something Like It

Thanks to Logan's Run for hosting a lovely TCOB last week, and to Red for pinch hitting on the apps.  If a last minute fondue pot with apples, baguette slices, mushrooms and broccoli is what you call pulling together apps on the fly, we'll volunteer you every week!  Then, a wild mushroom lasagna with mixed green salad, and a smorgasbord of chocolately goodness--peanut butter cups, dipped pretzels, dipped almonds and more-- for dessert.

We definitely were not in love with Dierdre Shaw's Love or Something Like It.  And not even something like it, either.  More like a lukewarm friendship, coming in at 5.9. 

We were missing a few potential high scorers, in particular, the Highlander (who said the book was a hit with her), but as those votes weren't actually submitted we're stuck with a mediocre rating.  There's no doubt the story was fun and fast-paced, and the writing talented enough, but there's a certain sense of literary snobbery that seems to hold this group back from giving novels "on the lighter side" high praise.  That being said, some things things about this book hit home, including the descriptions of the protagonist, Lacey Brennan's disfunctional family.  As someone who still is not all that tuned into "The Business," El Jefe was somewhat amazed at the sneak peak inside the TV writers' room, and couldn't help but wonder how many hours a day her own writer friends spend discussing take-out food and breasts.  Surely it's an exaggeration, except that the Foxx actually corroborated much of the author's description and in fact thinks that she has identified the real life characters that these fictional characters were modeled after.  There was across the board disapproval of Lacey's ex-husband, Toby, the pot-smoking loser, and didn't anyone think it was completely annoying how they both called each other "Smooch?"  All in all, an enjoyable read, definitely recommendable, especially to others living in L.A., and definitely getting us all ready for a quality book on the next go round.  And speaking of....

The nice thing about being El Jefe is that, well, El Jefe does the recaps and so can take some poetic (not the right word) license in what to write about, and also when it comes to matters of grade inflation.  So let's circle back to the Great House for a brief moment, which El Jefe just finished yesterday.  Who knows why our group, other than La Mademoiselle, couldn't get through this book, and in the last recap La Mademoiselle's score of neuf was described as "high ball."  Well, El Jefe is going to top that with a major retroactive grade inflation of neuf ans et demi, and for those of us English speakers, that's 9 and a half.  El Jefe actually pronounced last night--and granted it was after a margarita, but only one (well, maybe one ans et demi)--that Nicole Krauss, the author of Great House, would ultimately come to be considered among the likes of Walker Percy and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  Ok, well maybe it was one and half margaritas and a michelada, but still, it was a wonderful book.  Nicole Krauss is being featured on the USA network this upcoming Tuesday at 8PM, on a proram called Character Approved:  Honoring the Characters who are Changing American Culture.

The Magic Castle

El Jefe leaves you with these thoughts:  (1) BC field trip to the Magic Castle, anyone? (2) Logan's Run may never be allowed to host again if her husband overhead our dinner conversation, and (3) please make every effort to attend the next meeting and to bring a LOD suggestion.  We torched all titles in the LOD and are starting anew, and we have some important BC business to discuss at the next meeting that requires full participation.

The Foxx will be hosting on Wednesday, April 6.  The Doctor is bringing apps, and El Jefe dessert.  And the Doctor will host May's meeting.  We are reading Funny Boy, by Shyam Selvaduai. 

Until next time...xoej