Garth's Counter

My apologies to Larry if he has taken even the slightest offense, since I harbored no intention to usurp his erudite selection, which I look forward to with baited breath (or is that the cioppino?). But yes, Andrew, you ARE a clever lad to discover a bit of the thread that binds them. Namely, these are books that either I have read or have been highly recommended because they possess the quality of being additional to our understanding of the world - both within and without. As opposed to those dreamy, nay dreary, selections which are more fit for a lady's tea with watercress on crustless white bread, thin in content, and bereft of intellectual nourishment.

I would also, in the interest of full disclosure, note that my arm is still recovering from that nasty twist you gave it at the end of the last meeting, Andrew, when in a state of mild inebriation (the conversation and dice game were simply intoxicating!), you forced from my lips, skillful lawyer that you are, a proposal for a title that seemed so reasonable that it must have been mine, but alas, credit must be paid where due, to the Bookman's Puppet Master cum President himself. Deny it I didn't, in the spirit of manly camaraderie, and thus for my penance have spent hours toiling at The Sea, struggling to keep awake, yet still inspired by my Piscene nature to ply you with the finest catch, freshest bread, bounty of our Northern California gardens, and wines that would make the Spectator envious, all in the name of a harmonious evening of generally lofty ideas and occasionally lowly humor.

Or maybe it was Chris's barbecue that summed it up. I'm looking for a read with some steak and hopefully a little sizzle along with it; something chewie, that invites one to wrestle with its challenging parts with the knowledge that the reward is in how it transforms one's look on life. Then again, maybe watercress is adequate...

Garth