Since you asked...

...and since I'm busy with the book and have nothing club-related to blog about, here is a list of the last five books I've read, with a truncated review tacked onto each, in case anyone gives a crap.

1. 'Survivor,' by Chuck Palahniuk: I love Palahniuk's clipped style, his sense of concept over structure, and everything else about the whole Chuck Palahniuk image. I'm a fan, and a big one. This one was a tad inconsistent, though, and lost me in spots, but, as with any of Chuck's novels, what's on is on enough to make it worthwhile.

2. 'Pattern Recognition,' by William Gibson: Once again, Gibson makes me wonder why I'm getting paid to do something roughly similar to what he does. We're both typing words in the same language, but that's about where the aforementioned similarity ends. Every sentence, with this guy. Every damned sentence.

3. 'The Mole People,' by Jennifer Toth: Inspired by the stench coming from the entrance to the uptown #1 train out of Penn Station. Felt the need to do some research. This book is what it is: an account of something written by a young author who'd recently completed grad school. Worth a look if you're interested in a previously unexamined NY subculture.

4. 'Ham on Rye,' by Charles Bukowski: Need I elaborate? I'm checking to see whether his father and mine are related.

5. 'American Pastoral,' by Philip Roth: I'm not Jewish, I'm not from Newark, and I'm not old enough to remember the Vietnam War. I still finished this one in three days. Enough said.