the truth of a written word

"a mob of people stood and drank and yelled in your face, looking past your head as you looked past theirs, for relief, for escape, for someone better known or wittier. At a certain point a party was just that: a loud room of coarse static, like a rookery of big frantic birds."
Just a short amusing excerpt from "blinding light", a book by Paul Theroux that I'm not entirely sure I like yet. I loved that little excerpt though, funny as hell that was. You see, it's the first book of read of his, and it's good, though not quite mind numbingly good... You see, I picked the book up after reading a review in some magazine at the dentist office, and since I went to the library and saw it sitting on the new release shelf, I figured I would pick it up. The review was just so glowing. I thought about the glowing reviews I have given certain books and albums and movies, about how much I love them, and how the reviewer must have thought that about this book. The simple truth is I can't give it an affair opinion without further reading. I'm halfway done, and as I mentioned it's a good read so far, but not something I would have touted as a fantastic work. Then again, I am not done, and I don't review anything professionally. So what do I know. I know what I like. Maybe much later in life I'll read a book like this and it will blow me away. Maybe. Right now there is much I prefer, including "serious" fiction, at least I think it qualifies as serious, books and authors I've mentioned before (ie. Bukowski) and books that many people write off as dribble, fantasy novels, graphic novels, highly entertaining and dare I say it occasionally enlightening books that make me feel things that this book just isn't given me. At least right now. I'll finish it up though, and if my opinion changes, I'll give an update. A good book, but...
As far as the wonderfully entertaining goes, Mr. Wu turned me onto "Fables" a fantastic series which I am currently catching up on through the graphic novels, but is still running. I don't think I even need to mention that issue 6 of "Civil War" finally reached the West Coast. It left me wanting ever more the conclusion to come in 7. Semi-spoiler warning: WHY are the X-Men not involved!!! Why is it Wolverine won't break ranks? Seems against his character.
So enough blab.