Kurt Vonnegut is dead. How about that? Actually I wasn't aware that he was still alive.

I began reading him in high school- we probably had to- Cat's Cradle I think it was- and I was hooked. I read them all in high school and college. What self-respecting college student didn't have worn paperback copies of his book in their measly little libraries.

I brought a Kurt Vonnegut book with me on my last trip to Paris- but I brought it for a different reason. The book was old and the pages worn- I brought it because I wondered if they were as good as I remember and also because I could leave it on the plane after I was through with it.

An unceremonious disposal of a book by an author that once meant something to me but, now, no longer did. So it goes.

I had a very nice weekend, a lot of reading. I felt as though I shoveled the walk 5 times but really that’s the only physical exercise I had.

I’ve been very good about reading so far this year. The key to increasing your reading is to stop watching TV and the key to cutting down your TV viewing is to get rid of cable. The book I began this weekend was a biography on the French writer Flaubert by Henri Troyat. The book is excellent and very detailed and while Flaubert is interesting what is more exciting is Henri Troyat- this guy is great. I read several of his biographies in the past and had forgotten how compelling he makes the story. The biographies that I’ve read by him are Chekhov, Tolstoy, Catherine the Great, Peter the Great I guess the translator ought to be given kudos as well. My favorite, if I remember correctly, was Chekhov, but they are all worthwhile.

I received some great advice from Self Taught Artist and Frog with a Blog (look at me linking to sites 'n shit) regarding the year-long rental in Paris. As you may recall, after doing the math I found it would cost us $40,000 to rent the apartment we were looking at. K- and I need to investigate this a little further. That is too much money that is basically pissed away. At $40,000 dollars we are looking at a pretty healthy down payment on buying a place in Paris. Of course, I suspect they French banks aren’t interested in lending mortgage money to an unemployed couple. Banks are funny like that.

How I Read The Sunday New York Times

My favorite part of the Sunday New York Times is the Book Reviews. Specifically the letters to the editors in the book review. So this is where I begin. Every week some author writes in to bitch about a crappy review they got the week before. I love it, its a school yard fight,

Critic: "Your book sucked"
Author: "No it didn't You suck!"
Critic: Your mamma suck
Kid playing 4 Square: "oooo that boy say his mamma suck"

After that I read the hardcover best seller list and place an order with the library. I'll receive the book 5 weeks later and think "why did I order this?" I then peruse the paperback bestsellers for kicks.
Wow DaVinci Code is still there, how about the Devil in the White City? Yup
...and A Million Little Lies Pieces, the James Fry scam? Yup still there too, all is well in the world.

I read A Million Little Pieces before the ruckus broke out on that. I don't know if you remember. It was the supposedly true story of James Fry and his attempt at getting sober and all his shenanigans. I knew it was bullshit, not because of the outrageous stories- those happen, although probably not to him, but because he has several places in the book where poor white guys are referring to him, an upper middle class white guy, as the bravest, toughest man they've ever met. Trust me, poor young white guys hate rich young white guys. No guy who grew up in the street would refer to James' rich, punk-ass as "tough". They might call him a "punk-ass mother fucker", beat the shit out of him and steal his watch but that's about it. They would probably beat him up just for calling himself James. But that's neither here nor there.

A quick perusal of the travel section. My sister used to call it the Dream Section.I look for any place that I have been so I can say to K- "I've been there" I, of course search for anything about Paris, as you may have gathered, I'm a bit obsessed with Paris. It would be a great disappointment to get move there and not like it.

I should at this point move to the front page or the Week in Review, but I roll right into Sunday Styles. I make a stab at the cross word puzzle- I used to be able to finish them but I'm so out of practice that I barely make a dent. After this I make a start for current events, but a nap is generally calling me and this is a call I take.

This weekend was a bust. My back kept me laid up and is causing me trouble even today. I walk with both knees bent and my shoulders hunched over, I walk a little like the orangutans in the first Planet of the Apes. Whenever I pass the full length mirror I yell, "you won't like what you find out there!" to an imaginary Charlton Heston.-Spoiler Alert- He, in fact, does not like what he finds out there. Strangely enough, in the book (yes I read the book) The Charlton Heston character smacks Nova (the hot chick) around- of course it was written in the early 50's by a Frenchman. I'm not judging, I'm just saying- but I digress. The point is I was laid up this weekend.

Luckily I ordered a few books from the library and picked them up on Friday- and have spent the entire weekend reading. I also rented the TV show "My Name Is Earl, which is surprisingly funny.

This weekend I've been reading The Razor's Edge by Somerset Maugham. I read this for the first time several years ago and I'm enchanted with it. I've been working on a story that is somewhat similar and have been meaning to re-look at the book- I have not been disappointed.

The point in this whole post is to say that I am a clever little monkey...I mean orangutan and pain has made me loopy and incoherent.

We had a book group last Saturday night on The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud. It was my first book club and a very pleasant experience.


One woman was much too enthusiastic about the whole book club concept and wanted to know who had read the book.
"Did you read it?" she demanded from me early on.
"Yes I did -but I don't think a lot of people finished it" I responded, wondering who the hell she was but more than willing to rat people out.
"Oh" she said in a fright, "People have to read the book." She raced around the party looking for the remiss book club members "Did you read it?" she asked an equally confused man I'd never seen before. Their voices trailed off.

"I didn't read it," said Ken and took a drink. He had waited to approach until after she had left.
"I figured as much", I replied.
When I visited Ken's apartment several years ago he had two paperback books on his window sill, there were no other books in the place.
"Did you read all those?" I had asked him, pointing to the two books, he looked at the books and seemed confused as to why they were there and went back to watching golf on TV. Some people aren't readers.

There were 16 people discussing the book which seems like too many, especially when you throw liberal drinking into the mix.

Joe hadn't read the book but that didn't keep him from discussing it, and drunkeenly assault anyone that disagreed with him "9/11 changed everyone!!" he barked at us. It was quiet as we all tried to figure out what in the Sam Hill he was talking about.

Chuck spent most of the night explaining what happened in the book to the prettiest and youngest woman there, K- and Ken's wife, Felicia.
"Does it seem like Chuck is always trying to pick up our wives?" I asked Ken.
"Yup, everytime we get together", Ken responded. We watched for a minute and then went to the kitchen to get more snacks.

K- got tired and wanted to leave.
Joe's wife offered to host the next book club and would let us know the book.
Ken promised to read it but asked that it be at least under 300 pages.
Joe got mad at me, for some reason, and flipped me off

It's funny, many years ago I used to be chased by the police with some of these people now we are discussing books. There were no fights, no tears, no drunken hook-ups. Where have all the good times gone?

The New York times has their top 10 list of books for 2006. 5 fiction 5 non fiction.

I finished Special Topics In Calamity Physics last week. It took all of 3 days to read because it is that good and that suspenseful. I would suggest not doing as I did and read the story slowly. There is a lot going on and you will miss some of the finer details because you want to find out what happened. Slow down, and enjoy.

If you are as petty and bitter as I, there is a subplot that will go through your mind as you read. You will look at the author on the back cover and you will say, aloud. "She wrote this when she was 27!!!!" You will then want to hate her but you can't help but notice that she is also quite attractive (K- pointed this out as it would have been suicide for me to) "You think so?" I said to K, squinting my eyes as I look at the picture to see what she sees. "I suppose" I say dismissively. "Nicely played" I think to myself but accidentally say out loud.

So she wrote a best seller at 27 and is good looking so she's probably a bitch. It would appear from her acknowledgement that she is also a very nice person.

Despite all that Marisha Pesslar has going against her I enjoyed the book.