Memes, and books and Starbucks, oh my!

I saw this meme over at The Miss Elaine-Ous Life and I had to play along (books and a Starbucks card? How could I not?).

Here are the rules:

* Pick up the nearest book of at least 123 pages.
* Open the book to page 123.
* Find the 5th sentence.
* Post the next 3 sentences.
* Tag 5 people.

Here's mine.

Best Friends by Martha Moody page 123:

"Ben blinked. He still looked very young. Although he was almost eighteen, his beard wasn't fully formed, and I often wondered if he really had to shave. "That I am."

Meh. Not horribly interesting. Sorry about that. It's actually an unusual story. I think it's okay. I'm a little startled that my mother sent it to me. #1. She doesn't read. #2. The story features all sorts of debauchery of which my mother wouldn't approve. I assumed she sent it to me because there were a few brief references to breastfeeding, but when I asked her, she said she sent it because one of the characters comes to embrace her Jewish heritage.

This review I found at Amazon seems to explain it better than others (including the summary on the back of the book):

From Library Journal
Moody's first novel examines the dynamics of friendship between two very different women, Clare Ann Mann, a small-town Ohio girl, and Sally Rose, who hails from Los Angeles. Meeting as college roommates, the girls are surprised to learn that, paradoxically, Clare Ann is the worldlier of the two. Despite their many differences, the two form a bond that will last a lifetime or at least until the end of the book. Pared to one-third its length, this might have been a valid study of friendship. However, the drama disaster, disappointment, revealed lies, childbirth, drug abuse, AIDS, and so on continues ad infinitum and strains credibility. Expecting some form of closure at the end, the reader is left wondering where the next page is. It is as if Moody simply did not know how to escape the web. Having been a finalist for a Best American Short Stories anthology, Moody might find more success in that more succinct genre. Patricia Gulian, South Portland, ME
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc

Now I'm supposed to tag 5 people. Hmmmm... Let's see: I'm tagging my sister (via e-mail), Giselle, Robin, Leah, and Phyllis (whenever she gets back from Israel).