...if left to their own devices.

[Asherdan]

So I'm reading the Charles Portis novel True Grit and wondering how the damn thing escaped me all these many years. It's a swift read in a singular voice that reminds me somewhat of the tone of McMurtry, especially in the conversation. By which I mean it is both engrossing and goddam HI-larious in a kit and kaboodle.

I'll get around to seeing the new movie I'm sure, but my primary gratitude towards it will be it's role in putting the book on a shelf in front of me.

So yeah, nice reads in a time and vein I can appreciate.

In a sidenote, it is noted by the lead character at one point, when observing the conditions in which Cogburn lives, that "Men will live like billy goats if left to their own devices."

It's 5:00 PM PST and the youngest boy and I are eating pumpkin pie and deciding that was pretty good for dinner, so I guess that bit of fictional observation has stood the test of time just dandy.

[wombat]

Pumpkin is a vegetable! There's nothing wrong with that.

Now, if you were eating lemon meringue pie, that'd be a different story.

[AugustWest]

Listened to the audiobook not long ago.  Good stuff, and both movies are surprisingly faithful to the book.

Did you ever read Little Big Man?  Great movie, great book.  Book had a sequel that was pretty good too, as I recall.

[Asherdan]

I've seen Little Big man years ago, I wouldn't mind revisiting the tale through a novel so that's going to have to go on the getcha list. I'm a bit of a Native American-US expansion era buff so the first thing to mind when Little Big Man came it up was ringing close bells.

BTW, I dusted off the book today, been a long time since life cooperated enough for me to pull off the one day read trick. Worthy.