Every book I pick up nowadays seems to be about roadtripping, or has excellent travel descriptions, or speaks philosophically of the "Road". I don't do it on purpose, I swear. It's probably just that the only two lines that speak to me in any book are the ones about roads.
Such as:"No, in the USA, people still get the call, or some of them, and they feel themselves being called to from the transcendent void, and they respond to it by building a model out of beer bottles of somewhere they've never visited, or by erecting a gigantic bat house in some part of the country that bat's have traditionally declined to visit.* Roadside attractions: people feel themselves being pulled to places where, in other parts of the world, they would recognize that part of themselves that is truly transcendent, and buy a hotdog and walk around, feeling satisfied on a level they cannot truly describe, and profoundly dissatisfied on a level beneath that."
Or:"And he guessed he would take a roadside attraction, no matter how cheap, how crooked, or how sad, over a shopping mall, any day."
Both excerpts taken from "American Gods", by Neil Gaiman. Actually the whole book is calling to me, but I can't reprint everything.
* the bat house is actually not far away from me in Florida; some dude even imported hundreds of bats to fill it, and they just flew away, never to return.
Neil Gaiman is so wonderful. :) Have you read his and Terry Pratchett's "Good Omens"? If not tell me and I'll pass along my copy, it's clever and funny. Also, have you read Tom Robbins' "Another Roadside Attraction"? That bat story is so sad. And funny. Poor guy. :)
Posted by: Mandy | March 17, 2004 at 08:58 AM
I couldn't remember if we sent that book to you or not, but I don't see it on our bookshelf. When you posted about a nightmare with big snakes and a murdering elephantman, I was pretty sure you were reading it. I don't recall those things exactly being in the book, but it definitely sounded Gaiman inspired.
Posted by: rachel | March 17, 2004 at 10:25 AM
I love Neil Gaiman... do you realize he has a blog? (http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/journal.asp) Lots of Gaiman goodness... Have you read Wolves in the Walls (a picture book - kid focused, but wonderful). If so, do you know where your pig puppet is? :-)
Posted by: Melissa | March 17, 2004 at 08:56 PM
That book is the greatest! And to echo the other comentator, Good Omens is one of my favorite books ever!
Lolita also has some great Road Trip lines.
Posted by: Jessica | March 19, 2004 at 12:40 PM
i LOVE Neil Gaiman. Everything he touches has such dark beauty to it.
Posted by: renee | March 19, 2004 at 06:09 PM