Let Wendy Shalit Decide Who Goes Next

Last week, I saw Edward P. Jones at the 92nd St. Y. Little did I know that just a few years later, he'd be reading at a Volvo dealership near his home in Washington, D.C. (Thanks to The Millions for the heads-up!) Apparently, Brigid Schulte (WaPo) reports, "it was all co-owner Don Beyer's idea. He's wanted to have an author series for his customers for nearly a decade. And, to his mind, the Edward P. Jones reading was only the first." For future reference, Beyer might want to check the "happy index" on the books by future guests:

"Only one Volvo driver left early [Schulte adds]. Jeanne Douglass said she didn't know the book was such a downer. 'I like something more uplifting,' she said as she slipped away. 'Like The Thorn Birds.'"

Yep, as far as plots go, a Roman Catholic priest impregnating and abandoning a woman is plenty more uplifting than the dilemmas raised by a black man owning slaves in the antebellum South. (Oh, yes, the headline is a bit cryptic, isn't it? Beatrix can explain everything.)