The Book Men: 2011

Mike's notes of Dec 13, 2011

It was great seeing everyone last night. Our thoughts were briefly with missing comrade, Christian, who fortunately did not slog through The English Major. Those of us who did were unrewarded by the effort. While the sentences slipped by smoothly enough, it was a relief to turn the last page. The general consensus was that the novel could not have been among Harrison’s better works. It was plotless, shallow, and meandering. While Von and others found an interesting trinket or two in the mud puddles of each section—we’ll mainly remember the mud.

Conversation skipped as usual from topic to topic (though most were of the geriatric ilk) : acupuncture, ergonomics, cataract surgery, artificial lenses, vitreal detachment, Palestine, the Ottoman empire, local jazz, LP to CD and MP3 conversion machines, movies, ranked voting, and for about 10 minutes, The English Major.

Moving on: For next time, please rank vote for three of the books below , with 3 being the number for your first choice, 2 for your second choice, and 1 for your third choice. The book with the greatest number of overall points will be our next victim.

Lost Memory of Skin (Russell Banks)

· Review: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/books/review/lost-memory-of-skin-by-russell-banks-book-review.html

Salvage the Bones (Jesmyn Ward)

· Review: http://articles.latimes.com/2011/dec/04/entertainment/la-ca-jesmyn-ward-20111204

The Sense of an Ending (Julian Barnes) Booker Prize 2011

· Review: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/13/books/review/the-sense-of-an-ending-by-julian-barnes-book-review.html?pagewanted=all

Polls close Sunday, Dec. 18, at midnight.

Mike's notes from Oct 27, 2011

Book Boyz--

A big Thank You to Dave for hosting our harvest-time gathering. Paul punched in on time, while Christian and Mike filled out the quorum at 7:30. Beer, wine, grapes, burgers and other treats fueled a low-key discussion until about 9:30 when Morpheus began to beckon and an interloper appeared in the form of a woman.

Two out of three liked the stories in Resistance. Some noted how the main characters struggled to find self-acceptance and fulfillment within while actively resisting social forces outside. The stories revealed how many who believe in progressive, humanitarian values must turn inward over time to find joy in their own lives. We briefly talked about the need to liberate the soul from embedded anger and questioned whether or not it's possible these days to view political and reactionary enemies without anger. It's not.

Congratulations to Christian for taking on a second citizenship and to Paul for taking on a life partner. America is a better place for both acquisitions. And a belated Fright Night award goes to Dave for terrorizing Paul's former neurotic housemates. Thank god for 911.

Next time we’ll be looking at something by Jim Harrison—either a novel or one of his collections of novellas. We need to choose a work. Let me know your preferences for one of the following--or if you have a strong preference for one of his other works, just let me know.

The Woman Lit by Fireflies (three novellas): Review:http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/11/08/specials/harrison-fireflies.html

The English Major (novel): Review http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/books/review/Egan-t.html?pagewanted=all

Here’s the Wikipedia link for Jim Harrison (the writer, not the hockey player or Irish cricket player):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Harrison

The Paris Review interview with Jim Harrison

http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/2511/the-art-of-fiction-no-104-jim-harrison

Other bits:

Wingshooters: (Review) http://articles.latimes.com/2011/apr/25/entertainment/la-et-book-20110425

Russell Banks: Lost Memory of Skin: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/26/books/russell-bankss-novel-lost-memory-of-skin-review.html

Cloudsplitter: (Review): http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/02/15/daily/cloudsplitter-book-review.html

Breaking Bad (Wikipedia): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_Bad

American Obesity and Soda Pop: