Kaethe

Grrr. This is the only book I brought with me today, for when I finished [b:Red Scarf Girl|413432|Red Scarf Girl|Ji-li Jiang|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1174522009s/413432.jpg|2411038]. Something light and amusing, I thought, for after the downer.Well, it is light, in the sense that it is printed on really cheap paper, and thus, despite being a thick trade edition, it doesn't weigh much. And then after an introduction that explains how to make fakes (but not why to anthologize them), the very first entry is "Disclaimer" about an abused and murdered woman, which should not be confused with a real woman, even should there happen to be such a thing.I just can't. I've read parts of everything up through #24. None so far are funny, none so far are remotely plausible as what they purport to be, but rather they are mostly excuses to mock the subjects or supposed authors.Maybe I'm just letting the news of the world get me down, but the complete lack of empathy at the outset just makes everything else feel arch and shallow and annoying. Library copy