Reading with David (Instead of Rocking with Rage)

I've basically gotten past skipping the Rage concert for the David Mitchell reading. I've gone through the grieving process, accepted the circumstances, and have moved on towards acceptance, which is good, considering David Mitchell and the Skylight Bookstore in Los Angeles definitely deserve some credit.

First, the bookstore. The Skylight is located in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles, an older, artsy-ish looking neighborhood really close to the Church of Scientology's Hollywood Headquarters (this isn't really relevant, I just get such a kick out of those people). The store is fairly small, yet they still find room to have a real tree growing in the middle of the books, made possible, I'm guessing, by the giant skylights in the ceiling (hence the name). The staff was friendly and they gave out the vibe they actually care about books, which you can't always find in the larger chain stores. It was definitely too small of a venue for such an author as David Mitchell- the store ended up being packed. I wasn't too thrilled about standing for almost two hours, but it was worth it in the end. Oh, and bonus points for Skylight: Twilight was shelved in the appropriate section (young adult), with only four or five copies total. My heart did a happy skip when realizing there was no center table full of Robert Pattinson paraphernalia in the middle of the store. T.C. Boyle, on the other hand, deservingly took up a row and a half.

David Mitchell was humble, cheerful, and endearingly awkward. The winner of countless awards at barely forty years old, he deserves to have an enormous ego, but does not. He read a few experts from his newest novel, stopping to clarify cultural references and poke fun at himself and then answered audience questions. He talk about imagination, the writing process, and his travels through Japan, graciously humoring even the most annoying fans (there were a few). No matter what he was discussing, it was obvious that he is insanely intelligent and passionate about his work. Oh, and ladies, he has an Irish accent.