Book Club and other reads

This past Monday I had a book club meeting at my friend's adorable, remodeled south Austin home where we discussed Nick Hornby's A Long Way Down. This books gets the rare distinction of being one every member of the club actually enjoyed. Finding a book everyone will enjoy and is cheap and available is a real exercise in diplomacy. Anyway, A Long WAy Down is also the funniest book I have ever read about suicide. The book is told from the point of view of four Londoners (1 American expatriate) that meet New Year's eve on top of a tower block where they plan to kill themselves. They find solace in their strange aquaintanceship and begin to work through the depression. Yes, I know it sounds like a real downer but it actually is really funny and extremely entertaining. A lot like salad with ranch dressing- kind of good for you but also very tasty.

Today,I finished an audio book called Killer Angels, a historical novel about the battle of Gettysburg . This sounds like a real downer because in fact it is. There were a couple of time where I was near tears. However, there were only a handful of gorey battle scenes, which made it more interesting to me- it really was about the human reaction to war. Now, that I have finished Killer Angels I am starting, Guns, Germs, and Steel on tape. Right now, I am one tape into it but I have already learned there once were giant kangaroos and one ton lizards on Australia. What I wouldn't give to see a giant kangaroo:).

Our next book club book is 8:55 to Baghdad- a journalist's memoir about retracing the route Agatha Christie took on the Orient Express. Sounds very interesting but it is hard to find and sadly not at our library.