Frankly Friday

Frankly Friday was not all that exciting. I went into Tyler and made an appointment with an auto glass place to have the Vibe's windhsield repaired. It took a nicking hit from a stone tossed up by a truck just as I got into the Tyler area on Wednesday afternoon.

I stopped off at Barnes & Noble (no surprise there, right?), saw some friends and went by a carpet place to see about a runner for the front porch for Mama. I also went by the public library, updated Mama's expired library card, checked out an Agatha Christie and bought a couple of books.

One is A Confederacy of Dunces, a book I recently recommended to Helen. The story is set in the city of New Orleans in the early 1960s. The central character is Ignatius J. (Jacques) Reilly, an intelligent but slothful man still living with his mother at age 30 in Uptown New Orleans, who, because of family circumstances, must set out to get a job. In his quest for employment he has various adventures with colorful French Quarter characters.

Besides being one of the funniest books I ever read, it is a Pulitzer Prize winner. It is an important book for those of us who want to get a book published but are having no success. The author, John Kennedy Toole, tried unsuccessfuly to get the book accepted for publication. Tragically, he committed suicide. After his death, his mother approached Walker Percy (and if you haven't read any of his stuff, add it to your list) who used his influence to get the book published. As I say, it won the Pulitzer Prize. So the lesson is: just because a bunch of editors don't buy your book does not mean it is trash.

AND don't kill yourself just because your dream hasn't happened yet.