Thursday, October 20, 2011

Book Jackets Off

I started O: A Presidential Novel by Anonymous a little after two this morning before going to bed, and I've spent most of today reading the majority of it (I've got 68 pages left). It's a nice, dreamy fantasy about Obama running for re-election against a Republican four-star general, former CEO of a defense contractor, and former governor who vows to run a civil campaign and sticks to it. Toward the end now, it's getting heavy on the Republican candidate's end, with his son getting involved against a belligerent reporter, but it's so nice to read about calm, measured campaigning as examined by former McCain speechwriter, Mark Salter, who was revealed to be its author. Pure fantasy, of course, though Salter has it right in some respects about Obama's shortcomings as president, but eventually does not let his fictional Republican candidate glide above the waters.

In the late morning, when I continued reading it, I became increasingly frustrated by the book jacket, this being a hardcover book, continually fitting it evenly on the covers. I finally took it off, I'll put it back on after I'm finished, and I've decided that for future hardcovers bearing book jackets, those are coming off too. I like to open a book and just read without that kind of annoyance.