you can’t make this stuff up…

So I go back to the medical supply place to turn in the catheters.  would you believe that in the time since i was in there last, the catheter company has been bought out by another, so now the box looks different but they assure me it is “the same product inside.”  Inside a week this happens!?!?!? They better be right, and it better fit the extension tube.

So here’s my question:  on what date will one company own everything? and don’t they have enough on their plate (and in their pockets) already?

WSBG reviews Had a Good Time by Robert Olen Butler

We in the World’s Smallest Book Group picked this book because all of us so enjoyed the earlier one by this author we read many years ago.  Good Scent from a Strange Mountain.  Wonderful stories of Vietnamese immigrants to the U.S.  Gentle culture.  Sweet characters.  Strange new land.  Interesting results.

This book (subtitle is Stories from American Postcards) seemed promising.  Fascinating premise.  Collect old picture postcards and write a short story based on the photo on the front and personal message on the back of the postcard.  

For example, the first story is based on this postcard and describes strange and interesting encounters between two men from different ends of the class spectrum in early 20th century America.  
The second story comes up with an explanation for why there is a postcard with a woman standing in a World War I trench with the handwritten label  ”Mother in the trenches.” 

First few stories really worked, made us admire the approach.  Good writing. Got very tedious after that.  Seemed to become gimmicky and almost became a parody of itself by the end of the book.   

Conclusion:  should have remained a short story!  Expect Powell’s won’t buy back.  I think I got it from the remainder table…  should have been a clue!

A Fan’s Notes by Frederick Exley

And our first question to Joyce, who brought the book to our attention, was: where the hell did you find this book?!?!?!

We were surprised to find ourselves reading a book published in 1969 that a group of dedicated readers like us had never come across before. We all, to varying degrees, admired the writing, but the deep seated hatred of women it expressed shocked us… especially since the cover blurbs were so glowing! “A singularly moving, entertaining, funny book,” according to the New York Times. Newsday called it “The best novel written in the English language since The Great Gatsby.”

Yes, there was humor. Agreed, many well-turned phrases. And the man is brilliant and erudite. But the misogyny! And racism. At some point, we couldn’t get past it. Was it so rampant in 1969 that this expression of it was considered unremarkable? Do only men read this book?

We were touched by his admission near the end that he realized he was doomed to be a spectator when he wanted so badly to be the star performer. But we hoped for further insight into his self-destructive and self-involved way of being.

Glad we are finished. Back to Powell’s it goes.

World’s smallest book group bookblog

I am a proud member of the world’s smallest book group (WSBG).  We’ve been meeting since September 1990.  Well, Joyce, Reba and I have.  Darcy joined a few months later.  We still consider her a probationary member.

We are a very picky book group.  We don’t read just anything.  Each member has veto power and we exercise it often.  We might be a little quirky too.  We once chose a book on the basis of the smooth and sensual surface of its cover.  No kidding.  (It was the softcover version of The Discovery of Light by J.P. Smith)

We read at least one book a month, maybe more often two.  The other members are much smarter than I am. In fact, I bet they are the smartest people I know. Reba is in charge of detecting the theme when there is more than one book.  Joyce comes up with the best nominations.  Darcy has acute insight.  I fear I am known as the wacky one.  

So what follows is what we have been reading…  

Monday morning menu

Word has it that the correct catheters have arrived in the local store.  I will be going over there today to exchange them.  For real, this time, right?!

My home office is now nearly clean and organized.  Just a bit more tidying and organizing. What a load off this will be! 

Other tasks for today:  do some work work, answer email, plan menu and go grocery shopping, make exercise plan that I will actually implement, sew new curtain for Toaster Moon, water greenhouse, twitter as needed, etc.  Stop there, please.  That’s enough.  

One more task:  recognize my tendency to make lists that are too long.