Getting ready for book club at my house tonight. The book was "History of Love" by Nicole Krauss. I didn't love it. Well, I sorta loved it while I was reading it, then as soon as it ended I thought, "Meh." Don't get me wrong, I love a nonlinear narrative as much as the next bloke, but when you need an index card cheat sheet to remember who's who, well then...you might as well be reading Dickens. And it's BOOK CLUB. I did, howver, enjoy reading reviews of the book. I had no idea that Nicole Krauss was part of a literary übercouple...her husband is Jonathan Safran Foer, author of "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close". (Above is a photo of them Park Slope-n'-it-up with baby Sasha an couple of years ago.) Apparently, she don't discuss the home life much and is a little defensive about both she and Jonathan publishing books within one month of each other that deal with WWII survivors who move to America and have non-linear flashbacks. I'm just sayin', if you're havin' lunch with the girl, don't bring it up.

My picks for books have been pretty mixed, I must admit. I picked John Banville's "The Sea" a phenomenal, grand book about an old man remember his life. Nothing happens and at least once a page one needs to find a good thick dictionary. Tasty for me and a couple of others in the group, but many were put off by a) the really dense writing and b) the lack of any discernable plot. I picked "Blindness" a fast, engaging read that was liked and a Sherman Alexie book that wasn't liked. What can you do, man? Sometimes you hit it, and sometimes you just need to quit it.

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Do you remember Audra Lee from Kid's Beat? You do?! "I'm Audra Lee! See you next time on Kid's Beat!" It was a one-minute, fluffy news program that was on TBS in the 80s.

She's grown up and working in television production now, at least according to iMDb It's nice to see she didn't go the Dano Plato route. That said, I guess she could still pop up on "Celebrity Rehab." I know she's not on the same level as say, Joey Kovar from Real World #322, but a girl can dream.

Stay classy, Audra Lee!