Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Um, Math?


When the topic came up a few months ago of literary crushes I didn't say anything. I read the lists and found them amusing, but I couldn't really create a list of 5(ish) authors for whom I would have a crush. However, I think it fair to say of all the authors out there today, Mr. John Green would most Definitely be on my list. And not just because he writes goodly - which he does. Rather, because his blog is freakin' hilarious.

I did something horrible to my back the day before I started An Abundance of Katherines. I wasn't moving well and little things caused lots of pain; I was being very careful. Despite my care, and despite my attempts otherwise, I laughed so hard during parts of this book that it hurt. It hurt a lot. But I couldn't do a darn thing about it. I was forced into an odd moan of a laugh, that while it didn't do much to alleviate my pain, it did most likely, express both rather contrary feelings.

Sweet, slightly obsessive Colin has just been dumped by the 19th girlfriend named Katherine. He's miserable and really just wants to moan on the floor in peace for a few days, but his buddy Hassan has other ideas. He wants to go on a road trip. In true short attention span fashion, between 9 and 12 hours latter, they reach Gutshot, Tennessee, where they remain for the rest of the book, meeting new people and reevaluating their perception of life and of themselves.

I do have a confession. I didn't make it through the appendix. I'm sure that Daniel Bliss is a magnificent fellow, but I'm a bit math-phobic, and while I honestly tried, it just freaked me out too much. My apologies. I'm sure that, had I been more math-inclined, I would have enjoyed his clever comments.

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