J...is for John

In Book Lust, Nancy Pearl (The most awesome librarian ever) has a section entitled "A is for Alice". Nancy points out how there are so many wonderful authors named Alice (Walker, Munro, Elliot, to name a few). Recently I read the biography Cheever: A Life by Blake Bailey and thought of Ms. Pearl's take on the Alice factor and thought how there are so many wonderful authors named John. Granted, John is a common enough name. However, there's an uncommonly high amount of authors named John. Obviously, the gifted yet tormented Mr. Cheever. Also, Updike, Irving, Marquand, and my favorite, Steinbeck are just a handful of John's that deserve a hats off. So when you're unsure of just what to read next, you may want to consider one of these fellows named John.

Mr. Updike, I had a crush on him. It's true!

And if you're interested in Nancy Pearl, go here... http://www.nancypearl.com/