Kafka on the Shore

Snow Crash

Took us by surprise. After the first few pages, we almost universally hated it. But then...we goggled into the Metaverse. Awesome book. I dare all haters of sci-fi to read it.

Jitterbug Perfume is an epic.

Which is to say, it begins in the forests of ancient Bohemia and doesn’t conclude until nine o’clock tonight (Paris time).

It is a saga, as well. A saga must have a hero, and the hero of this one is a janitor with a missing bottle.

The bottle is blue, very, very old, and embossed with the image of a goat-horned god.

If the liquid in the bottle actually is the secret essence of the universe, as some folks seem to think, it had better be discovered soon because it is leaking and there is only a drop or two left.

Amazon link to purchase

Meeting to discuss on 11/11/15 at the Ambassador Loft. (2400 Dowling Place #2 in Berkeley) Bring your reflections, concoctions, elixirs and potions as we delve into the delightfully absurd world of Tom Robbins.

Drew

Kindred

Speak now or forever hold your peace.

Lost Memory of Skin

Greggy, you're hosting. Post the date, and folks can stage an email battle to figure out what works best. Post your favorite quotes about how unfair life is for sex offenders below.


Post Meeting Reflections, by MGS
Only the stout of heart–those with genuine perseverance and an openness to examining even the most revolting social constructs–stuck with this one. Some thought it moved too slow, others just weren't willing to spend hours on end with an unlikeable character. "The boy"–such a Hemingway character name, by the way–was screwed from childhood. He had a crappy mom and a laptop. Russell Banks brought to light our society's universal disdain for sex offenders. In our meeting, we realized how the terms "child molester" and "sex offender" are often conflated. The boy didn't touch anyone. He may have, given the chance, but he didn't.

Moral ambiguity was the norm in this book, and the professor character–the best in the book, methinks–brought that home. Was he a super-genius spy or a sex offender himself? In the end, the boy comes to see that it is not worth passing such a judgement one way or the other. Life is not black and white, it would seem, in Lost Memory of Skin. It's scaly, ugly, and as old as the trees.

Meet the Bourbon Clause

The Bourbon Clause began in January 2015. A choice group of young but mature men came together to discuss Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See. Some say the quality of the conversation was Ivy League, a kind of best rarely achieved by the hackneyed book clubs of the day. A diverse group of seasoned scholars came together and made meaning through conversation. The members engaged in an emotional discourse rich with personal vignette, honest self-examination, and brotherly bonding. Some member chose, also, to get shit-faced.

So far, the group has read:

1. All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr
2. The Power of One, by Bryce Courtenay
3. Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts
4. Brothas Be, Yo Like George............................., by George Clinton
5. Lost Memory of Skin, by Russell Banks
6. Kindred, by Octavia Butler

Mike chose All the Light.
Zac chose The Power.
Marc chose Shantaram.
Joel chose Yo.
Greggy chose Lost.
Is chose Kindred.

Andrew, Patrick, and Ben haven't chosen yet. Andrew, think of your book. Patrick, Ben – if you come to the next meeting, then we'll consider letting you a choose a book.

Oh, and I chose the name based on the principle that slackers who don't read the book(s) for the meeting should feel inclined to purchase a bottle of quality bourbon for the traveling crate. Pat, don't worry about it.

I will also make a page for each of the books on the horizon. We will post the location of the event, the bourbons (and teas) on tap, and favorite quotes from the book. You will each have permission to edit this blog.