Hint, hint

So in my copious procrastination, I was reading some news and saw that Cormac McCarthy's new book, The Road, just won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Whoo-hoo, that's big stuff.

Way to go, Mr. McCarthy.

And, ahem, I do have a birthday coming up, and if you were to have no idea what to get me (if you were interested in getting me a gift, that is), I, um, would really, really like this book! Think about it: it might be the last "real" book I read for a long, long time. Seriously, think about it.

So I've liked Cormac McCarthy for some time now, even though I haven't read all of his stuff. I mean, I had no idea he even had a new book out OR that it is an Oprah Book Club book (honestly, what do you think this guy thinks about that?). To say the least, I'm a little out of touch. But his Border Trilogy just gets me in the guts, you know? And I'm not a big western fan. But John Grady Cole is just about the most interesting character I've ever encountered. Whew!

I think part of why I like him as an author is because he is a complete recluse. That's kind of appealing in a celebrity-type person. At least he's not try to invent some memoirs and cash out on as much publicity as he can. Ahem, cough, James Frey. (I actually liked A Million Little Pieces; well, I liked it as much as one can like something like that.)

But back to McCarthy (who, by the way, renamed himself after an Irish king). . . he sounds like a pretty crotchety old man. But who would know? He's only done--what?--one interview ever?

Anyway. . . I guess that's kind of cool. But what a grump this guy has got to be. In my mind, he's like this American Studies professor I had in college. He was certainly the crotchetiest old man, but there was something magnetic about him. You couldn't resist!

Of course, he sort of died halfway during the semester--AFTER he had graded and commented in the margins of our midterm exams--so that was sort of unusual and depressing. I don't know that everyone got an "A" in that class (it *was* an honors class, after all) but it was an interesting semester to say the least. Especially when they passed out our graded midterms and we read his comments from beyond the grave. Ooooh. Shivers.

But, anyway. . .I am looking forward to reading this book someday. Sounds kind of different from his westerns and the last one: No Country For Old Men (which my DH didn't want me to read after his last hunting trip incident when I thought he had been captured by banditos).

I guess I have to stop procrastinating sometime, so that's all for me for today. I think two posts is more than enough.