When you've read some, read Jonathan Franzen's essay about traveling to some farflung islands off Chile to mourn his death. It's really quiet and beautiful.

That's really interesting!

Did he give any reason? Or was it just a "prepare for anything" kinda deal? Because that's a strange obsession, lol. My best friend's wife is still really good friends with Darren Sproles, I'm tempted to have her ask if the Eagles have to do this.

Great as always, I'm Just going to believe that Clarence Beeftank is the aunt's boyfriend who keeps Paco Sinbad for him.

The MTV parody boy band DVD's came in to the store I work at today. The fucking Calculus song, holy god. PS, commentariat: if you own this, it's worth a buttload of money.

"They required tough hanging." Kudos, between that and the stentorian bellowing, that was fucking funny!

No problem! Markson, Joyce, Borges, Offill, Wallace, these are my people!

Finished it today. Wow, that rioting scene closing the novel is just boneshakingly great, it's rare any novel needs all of its 500plus pages and this was one, for sure. I found it fascinating that the unnamed protagonist ends up an ironic foil outside of society much like Notes From Underground's narrator begins the…

I'm not even gonna tell you what happened after the goddam Mentors show two months prior! (Laugh/shudder)

It's actually like Matt Christopher for adults that was inexplicably hailed as the great American novel. Wasn't bad, wasn't good, was predictable.

I was afraid you felt, say, unstuck in time. POO-TOO-TWEET!! In all seriousness, though, yeah it's easy to forget the joyful participation with all the suffering in life. Tightrope, for sure.

That made me laugh hard enough to read this next!

Yeah, easier to run gunboats up the Yellow River and start indiscriminately firing since they're all "celestial heathens," anyway, right? Ugh.

Interesting. I read "Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom" last year about China's civil war at the same time. It states that England basically had to go into China to help restore order because of the textile trade, despite being more willing to help America (opinion divided on sides, of course). This is one reason that…

Why suicidal if it's not too personal? Although maybe we should table this since we're an addendum to a comment about starting the book.

A hearty thanks from Kansass City! (Couldn't resist 😄)

I'll look for that one, love her work all around. Thanks!

Also Spinal Tap's "Smell the Glove"

When the Indian war party comes riding over the hill and McCarthy describes the warrior wearing the bloody wedding dress as "death hilarious," man, writing doesn't get a lot better than those pages.

Thanx, Pixie!