My (Latest) Detour

I expected to be reading Absalom, Absalom this week. Funny, that. I went to the only used book store in New Albany to pick up books for friends, I was going to give The Orientalist by Tom Reiss to my friend Tim. The owner of the shop said, you know, we have a copy of Ali and Nino in stock right now. My blank expression conveyed my utter ignorance. I bought the novel as well and read it over the weekend as I slipped into an untidy sinus infection. Despite some melodrama on the edges, it is a beautiful piece, allowing me to agree with Paul Theroux that it is a portal into another way of life, rich in detail and ritual. I now plan on keeping The Orientalist and finding another book for Tim. As I lay suffering, I decided to pick up Antic Hay by Huxley. This has a proved a fortuitous decision and a delightful running gag of a novel.