Yes and No

Hi. . .

Yes Ryan is adorable. No I didn't drop off the face of the earth.

I just figured since we aren't reading anything as a group I didn't have anything to say. But I have been reading.

I've finished two books by Jonathan Lethem: Fortress of Solitude and Motherless Brooklyn. They're extremely different -- to the point of seeming not to be written by the same author. Ironically about the only thing they have in common is that they both take place in Brooklyn.

In the past week I've started reading TC Boyle's Drop City. Have you read anything by him? Interesting reading about the Sixties. Perspective is an amazing thing. I've read about a third of the book. He's still setting the scene. What is coming through loud and clear is how anti-women communes were. Perspective again: Shula grew up on a commune and it's definitely not anti-women.

As for what we're going to read when Hagit and I are there . . . dunno. I'll think about it. Whatever it is I guess we have to decide soon. Don't know if I want to read the Vreeland book. It's tempting in that we've made several pilgrimages to see the Impressionists all over France. We went to the homes of both Matisse and Renoir in Nice. The Matisse House is now an amazing museum. The exhibition changes (we've been there more than once). The first time they had several paintings hung next to the windows he was looking out when he painted them. Talking about being blown away! OTOH Renoir's house is a bit disappointing. You can go into his studio but there really isn't much of his work hung there.

I have the feeling that Luncheon of the Boating Party may be too similar to Girl in Hyacinth Blue. Go ahead, tell me I'm wrong.

Ed