When we met at Drew's to discuss Gail Collins' book As Goes Texas we were pleasantly surprised that the evening's fare included grilled rib eye steaks! Drew adds such a rich culinary dimension to our meetings.

We did feel that As Goes Texas was a bit condescending, and the comments about how ugly Houston is were not really warranted. Very little of the book related anything positive about Texas, and our abysmal educational system, poverty rate, and the fact that we are dead last in the nation in providing medical care don't really give us any bragging rights.

We do however have good highways in general, which is about the best thing we can be proud of. Texas is a great place to live as long as you aren't poor, undereducated, or sick. Saudi princes fly here for treatment at the medical center, but a few blocks away, rheumy old black men sleep on sidewalks.

Drew selected the new book, Waterloo by Karen Olsson. Part of the Amazon.com blurb about it - "Bittersweet and biting, elegiac and sharply observed, Waterloo is a portrait of a generation in search of itself--and a love letter to the slackers, rockers, hustlers, hacks, and hangers-on who populate Austin, Texas--from a formidable new intelligence in American fiction."

We will meet at the home of the webmaster on 19 November, 2013, though I don't think I'll be having rib eyes - probably go for Chinese since Sally Jo's Barbecue is now a T-Mobile store. Since I have to work that day, we'll not be cooking my world-famous Arroz Con Pollo.

Our NEW TOPIC is "the Sky." I will select and distribute the traditional book to John R and Sylvia S, while the rest of the crew will download their digital editions.

Thanks for looking
Louis Hemmi
www.HoustonBookClub.com
www.Hemmi.us
www.SacredCodes.com