in a stroke of luck i picked up Drop City, T.C. Boyle, at the library yesterday.  so, now i'm in a totally different world.  if i wanted surcease from tight-lipped britishness, i've got it.  this was one of the nominations in the fiction category for the National Book Award.  i'll let you know what i think as i get further into it, so far i've only read a few pages.