We are seven handsome and charming* guys who meet at a different restaurant every month or so, having read a book in common, and discuss whatever we want--generally the assigned book, but usually many other timely topics as well. We rotate the responsibility to suggest titles, but the group has the final say. Our book club rules: 1) Anything goes, fiction or nonfiction; 2) paperbacks are preferred; and 3) staying under 300 pages is desirable (N.B., we violate this one all the time). We rate all books and restaurants on a 5-point scale.

* All other adjectives were vetoed.

February 24, 2009

Tender Is The Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Bali)

This month we met at a new Indonesian place called Bali. Nobody was really bowled over by the place but it was pleasant, affordable, somewhat adventuresome, and they treated us well. We read Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night, which we all found a little disappointing. Considered one of the 20th century's best novels, it just didn't seem to translate very well to the 21st. Although the story and writing improved as the book unfolded, it was hard
to get into, and some of the characters, like Rosemary and Tommy, were thinly developed. At Max's suggestion, next month we'll read Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Other books he suggested were Shadow Catcher by Marianne Wiggins, First Person Plural by Cameron West, and Two Gentlemen of Verona by Shakespeare. Next meeting is March 31.