Buoy Don’t Float

So ever since Singapore, I’ve been riflling through a handful of Nick Hornby books.  I don’t particularly love the stuff, but it’s simple reading with more good bits spread out than most authors/books I’ve come across lately–almost like a safe bet, I’d say.

It started in Singapore where I ran out of reading material.  Buying books wasn’t really an option: Singapore books run 2 to 3 times the price of books in the states.  Thus, I found the nearest Borders, grabbed a book, and just started reading in the corner.  Funny thing is that the first time I did this I actually had quite a lot of company.  Reading books without purchasing them seemed like the popular thing to do at night.   People were reading cookbooks right in the aisles and I saw a guy reading a web programming book for over an hour. (And he was standing up the whole time!)

If I had to rank what I read:

• A Long Way Down
• High Fidelity
• About a Boy
• How to be Good

“It’s not a case of the glass being half full or half empty; more that we tipped a whole half-pint into an empty pint pot.  I had to see how much was there, though, and now I know.” (134)

“It’s often the way that people who take their work seriously laugh at stupid jokes; it’s as if they are under-humored and, as a consequence, suffer from premature laugh-ejaculation.” (172)

“…try dividing people you walk past into one of life’s four categories–happily coupled, unhappily coupled, single, and desperate–and you’ll find you wont be able to do it.” (226)

It’s a pretty indie book.  What really stands out is the focus on mix tapes.  I know Dylan likes the movie, and it’s he that I can see making mix tapes.

I’ll add some more about A Long Way Down later.