A Long Way Gone

I just finished this book by Ishmael Beah and it was great. Terrible, but great, but terrible. Anyway I highly reccomend it, although it's brand new so it may be hard to find. Keep your eyes peeled at your local libraries! I suppose I can give you a brief recap too: Autobio of a child soilder in Sierra Leone. The author is only 26 now, and it's just...I can't think of a fitting word. It's a quick, easy read and I'd love to hear some feedback. Here's my take: I thought I was desensitized to violence until I read this and said, "Bollocks."

Kurt Vonnegut Dies at Age 84

First may I say that I totally already posted this and it didn't show up.

Secondly, I thought this news was relevant because we are, in fact, a book club. While I've never read Vonnegut, I think I'll give it the ole' college try. Any suggestions???

Speaking of asparagus

The other day we had broccoli for dinner (it was a side dish, Ma, not the main thing). That night Joel commented to me how his tinkle smelled of broccoli. I went to the bathroom later and yup, broccoli. The next morning when Lucy sat on the potty: broccoli. Then all the next day... broccoli!

Yikes! Joel thought we must all be very dehydrated, if it was still in our systems like that. About three days later (all still broccoli-laden), I remembered that I'd purchased a new plastic bath mat (so the kids don't slip in the tub and crack their skulls open). The bath mat has a real plasticky smell, which is not unlike... broccoli tinkle.

So now my bathroom has the constant reek of broccoli tinkle (this is on top of the odor of my scented shower gel that smells just like the Great Ape House at the Lincoln Park Zoo).

Yum.

But at least all our skulls are intact.

Meg's take (though I'm not done yet)

I'm maybe 25 pages from the end. Ma, I found some references to "Dr. Urbino Daza" who is Fermina and Juvenal's son -- he has a first name too, but you know in those Latin cultures how they use both last names? I'm pretty sure that's it. That is, if you were still confused about that part.

What are people's thoughts on the whole America Vicuna bit? I'm, like, WHAAAAT!??! Maybe 14 wasn't considered a child back then?

Also, there was an interesting segment a ways back about Fermina and Juvenal's marriage -- how she was so miserable in the beginning (well, right after the very beginning I guess) but then as time went by and their relationship mellowed, she grew to be very happy in her marriage. Do you think many/most long marriages go this way? It just really struck a chord with me, as someone who's still in pretty much the beginning of what I can only hope is a very long marriage. Any thoughts on that?

Did anyone besides me and Jean and sorta Joel see America's Next Top Model last week? I"m still not over Benny Ninja.

Page 39

To whomever has the book: Read the last sentence on page 39 and tell me how realistic this is. I'm not being sarcastic either, this guys got my number. Apparently Dr. Urbino and I have the exact same habits following a meal involving asparagus.

Democracy reigns!

MUAHAhahahaaaaa....

Thanks El! You're the bomb, baby.

Do people still say that? :)

Book Club!

This blog has been created for the sole purpose of book club activities. This includes discussion, recommendations, yadda, yadda, yadda...There's a good chance that as your blog leader, I may stray from the preapproved topics. If this occurs y'all can eat it, it's my blog.

I have a few questions for everyone before we start...
1. How's the title Grandma Books? Don't think of this as a proper noun so much as an abstract conglomerate of words.
2. How does everyone feel about reading Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez?
3. Very soon I will write up some rules and regulations for the approval of the voting community and if you have a specific position you would like to hold, i.e. president, historian or some such, let me know. Well this isn't a question at all. I will now refer to the second half of the last sentence in the first paragraph.

Test

Does this work?