The Rif Raff Book Club's July reading was The Altar of the Body by Duff Brenna.

The Altar of the Body by Duff Brenna

Well needless to say, I liked the book. (these are the type of books I find keenly observational) It is an easy read that took you into the lives of people you may or may not know. I felt there was a little bit of everyone in the main characters. Although they were over the top with their antics, the author used these folks to get outrageous in his writing. I tend to look for these kind of people when I go places. I never get to the real story, but have fun imagining what the underside is like. Duff Brenna brings you right up to the window to see for yourself what it would be like. Sad, pathetic, funny and real life were the characteristics of these folks. The book club discussion should make for some interesting stories each of us has, drawing on the personality types in the book. I know a George, Buck, Joy and Livia. The intertwined relationship and need for each other was the main point of the book.

I guess my copy of the book had some pages torn out of it. I was waiting for the part about dropping out of high school, becoming a hobo and a paratrooper...but I didn't find any of that. Not even anything about being a farmer or an English professor. I feel gyped!

I guess I'm not keenly observational, cause I've been hanging with this book club crowd much longer than the 11 years it's been in existence, and I don't know a George, Buck, Joy and most especially a Livia....but I'm open to BC introducing them to me the next time we're out socializing. And after that, if they're anything like these degenerate folks in the book, it'll be time for me to get some new friends! Maybe I just don't have patience for reading about people with such low IQ's and high libido's, call me a snob, but the lives of these low class, uneducated boobs isn't of much interest to me, and neither is that crazy old lady's fantasy with Cody, the imaginary cowboy/gunslinger. And how did they pay for Livie's stay at Gwen's Senior Siesta? I seem to remember reading that none of them had da in-surance, so that was way implausible. If it weren't for the last 50 pages, can you say Pulp Fiction?, this book wouldn't have been worth reading at all.