February Pick: Hyperbole and a Half

Thanks, Liz, for hosting a lovely evening and discussion of John Steinbeck's East of Eden. Lots of yummies, especially the cheesy bread that was devoured.

We all enjoyed Steinbeck's prose and the character of Lee, the scenic descriptions of Salinas Valleyand complex characters. His heavy-handed moments and saint/whore woman-complex had some of us complaining---and is it just me or does it seem like the more well-established a writer becomes the more long-winded they become too? Is it that editors get sheepish about telling them to cut pages?

We found it odd that in a novel built around the idea of timshel and one's ability to choose, that the character of Cathy would seem so unnaturally evil, some supposing she was a sociopath from birth. This led to a discussion on nature vs nurture and then on favoritism in parenting. My favorite part of the discussion was the tangent about dogs:) And cats---especially the image of Liz's cat skyping with her mom and of Rachel's cat playing on the iPad.


Oh---and here is the Paradox of Dogs by the Oatmeal that Chelsie and I referenced. Warning: you may pee your pants from laughing while reading it.

And lots of tangential movie recommendations/discussions. Liz has seen EVERYTHING. My picks for the year are over here, but I haven't seen hardly anything (Oscar contest coming soon nonetheless). PLEASE, if you have a rental recommendation, tell us in the comments!


Our next gathering is February 20th at 6PM, and I'm taking a risk---a comic memoir of sorts,
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened

It's $10 on Amazon, slightly less as an e-book, and at our library (well, that copy is actually at Natalie's house but she's sure to finish it soon so put it on hold). Here's the blurb from Amazon:

Touching, absurd, and darkly comic, Allie Brosh’s highly anticipated book Hyperbole and a Half showcases her unique voice, leaping wit, and her ability to capture complex emotions with deceptively simple illustrations.

It's a thick book but a fast read. I'm not sure it will provide as much meat for discussion as Steinbeck, so please bring your funniest story/joke/drawing on the 20th. Lots of bugs going around Moab and they say laughter's the best medicine so let's all get a good dose. See you on the third Thursday!

P.S. This is the Oliver Jeffers' book Christy was describing:

And the video that made me fall in love with him a couple years ago (I was wrong--- The Incredible Book Eating Boy wasn't his first book, just the first one I discovered):