His hate is also part of his schtick. I've read plenty of interviews with him over the years, and I think his persona cranks up the "establishment" mindset from the '50s. He's a troublemaker and general misanthrope, and it seems like he goes out of his way to piss off as many people as possible in one fell swoop. He's…

Most of the best tunes from Songs About Time made it onto this album, but I'm just too scared to pick it up. I always dream that Sharp will hit another grand slam, and the middling reviews I've seen for this album bum me out.

Kevin J. Anderson tainted my love for the Star Wars universe long before the prequel films.

Not a fan?

I read the Polish-to-French-to-English version. It's a good book because it's a Lem book, but you can definitely tell something is off. I think a lot of Lem's books are in a similar state, right? I've wanted to read more of his (and I have), but the translations were rough all around.

I read the first one and loved it. I've had an advance copy of #2 sitting on my shelf for years; I think I'm not diving in because I kind of want Lynch to finish a few other books in the series first. Doesn't make sense, I guess.

That could be why! Let's test this…boldity bold?

I'm working through three very different books: H.P. Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror, and Others; Lauren Winner's Mudhouse Sabbath; and Neal Stephenson's debut The Big U.

He actually quoted something you wrote and then pointed out how it isn't consistent with something else you wrote in the same giant sentence.

Mark is the best.

I read the novella recently—it's quite good!—and I honestly think a PG-13 would work just fine.

DID YOU EVEN?

I know someone with Williams syndrome—she's an incredibly joyful and accepting person. I haven't seen the film, but the bit I read about it before I saw this review had me concerned it would be a movie-length PSA….sounds like Mike just confirmed that worry.

Yup. Derrickson says they've been close friends for 13 in a recent interview he did.

McHale and Derrickson are best friends, I think.

She was involved in the Trinity School for Ministry, which relocated to a town a few miles from where I live. I have many friends who attended that seminary, and it seems like Davis was REALLY well-liked by all of the folks who knew her. Seemed like a genuinely wonderful woman.

He is of the night, I hear.

This happened in 2005 or so. It was predestined.

When I used to work at a bookstore, sometimes we'd get label stickers for various behind-the-counter things with names already printed on them. One of the stickers had the name RAYFORD CAGE on it. Of course, I HAD to wear it, especially since a customer said, "That sounds like a superhero." So I had a back-up nametag…

Same here. And I've also been waiting on the new New Year album, which has been done for a while now.