Underfoot in Show Business

Underfoot in Show Business by Helene Hanff

Location: Harvard Gardens, Cambridge Street
Date: May 9, 2007

This may not be the most elegant post to the bookgroup blog because I have the base ball game in the background and my cat keeps biting me. Ow. But to begin…

Manda got rockstar parking in front of the restaurant and luckily did not have a ticket when she realized later that she did not pay the meter. Even though Anne lives the closest to the restaurant she was the last to arrive. To be fair, she does have to take the commuter train home from work. We waited for Anne to begin the discussion of the book, but not for ordering baked brie and truffle infused french fries.

There was not much “discussion” per say since we all enjoyed reading the book and thought Helene Hanff was great. Anne pined for the cheap life in New York (though I imagine she could do without the bedbugs). We enjoyed reading about the early days of television and the life of a struggling playwright in New York.

Donna gets extra credit for bringing biographical information about Helene Hanff. Beth gets extra credit for going on to read 84 Charing Cross Road. I did not know that Helene had a secret affair with an important unnamed married man (I thought maybe she and Maxine were special friends, but I guess I was reading too much into the book).

Afterwards everyone who lives in Belmont (meaning most of us) got a ride home with Manda. Wendy dutifully went on to the gym to train for her half marathon. (Go Wendy!) Anne, Beth and myself got ice cream. We are not training for a half marathon.

-Rachel

There is no me without you

I recently listened to There Is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Green on CD. It's about AIDS orphans in Ethiopia. Yes - it's a depressing topic. But her writing reminds you why it's important to care. She tells the story of one woman running an orphanage in Addis Ababa but intersperses compelling statistics and history of the epidemic. AIDS doesn't get the front page coverage that it once did and her book reminds us why it should. Even if you don't have time to read the book, check out her web site linked above. And give Bill Clinton some applause for brokering deals for AIDS drugs this week.

peace,
jen

Next pick: Rendezvous in Black by Cornell Woolrich

It's dark, written in the 1940s, begins in the midwest, and examines what happens to a man when he loses the love of his life...totally up my alley and I hope yours as well...

Be sure to read this alone at night with all the lights off!

And just so you don't all think I am a total slacker, I did finish up Manda's book selection this weekend and really loved it. What a great choice, Manda!

Cheers, Wendy