French has "alors", which is similar - but I don't speak much Italian so I can't speak to the extent of the overlap.

Like many others, I watched the first three episodes of The Handmaid's Tale. I don't think I've been this emotionally affected by a TV series in a long time. And I say this as a man - I can only imagine what it must be like for women to watch.

I found myself almost hoping that one of the men would grab her by the legs and pull to speed up the process, but no.

I got through three episodes and found myself playing around on my phone during each, so I decided I probably didn't have the patience to watch 10 more and went and read the plot synopsis of the book on Wikipedia. Not sure if I regret doing that or not.

Pretty sure the flashbacks Quinn had weren't just for the sake of it; if nothing else they explained why Quinn knew the code to the security system, but they also showed that Quinn used to be involved with the same outfit that was behind the bomb in Sekou Bah's van (albeit with different members, at least in part).

I was going to watch Season 2 of Love, but I've come down with a cold - I got through about 5 minutes of the first episode before hitting stop because I honestly just don't have the patience to watch these horrible people right now.

I can't remember much of what happened in the book, but I do remember thinking that it wasn't particularly good.

It's really not important either. In some ways it would just be a distraction.

I think Blood Meridian edges out The Road for me (although I'll always have a soft spot for The Road, it being the first McCarthy novel I read). Some of the prose in Blood Meridian is like nothing I've ever read (or will likely ever read again in a non-McCarthy book):

For those who missed it, when Montez was talking on TV (just before Selina threw the coffee machine to the ground), the news ticker said that the Speaker had announced that the House would not be voting for President again.

Definitely do - I'd rate it above All The Pretty Horses (in fact it's probably my favourite McCarthy novel, with Blood Meridian a close second).

American Psycho is the only book I've ever seen with an age restriction here in Australia - bookstores have it shrink wrapped with an R18+ label on the front.

While the Rocket Ship to Heaven was great, the best sight gag was clearly the half-dead mouse under Jimmy's book, titled "Congratulations, You're Dying".