reading all books referenced on Gilmore girls

Let's set the scene...

Lane sits there dejectedly, as Rory and Dean have one of those sickening brand-new-relationship moments.

Rory: Aha! You liked it, you liked Jane Austen. I knew you would. Lane, Dean likes Jane Austen.
Lane: Wow, who would've thought.
Rory: I told him he would, but he was all, 'Forget Jane Austen, you have to read Hunter Thompson.'
Dean: You do have to read Hunter Thompson.
Rory: Not as much as you needed to read Jane Austen.

 

My thoughts:

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.  Unless you're a proponent of unparalleled hedonism and substance abuse... as is Hunter S. Thompson.  If you're Hunter S., you proudly write about it and sell millions of copies as a result.  The creator of "Gonzo journalism" (definition per wiki, because I didn't know this either: a style of journalism that is written without objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first person narrative), Thompson's piece about a drug addled romp through the dessert of Nevada was first published in Rolling Stone in installments.  So he's like Charles Dickens... only with more ether and mescalin).

When reading this, it reminded me of our very first book, On the Road.  Like Kerouac's infamous tale, it's a story about a self-indulgent junkie who lives by the law of pleasure and doesn't really think that the rules of civilized society apply to him.  It's interesting to obtain that insight into the mind of an addict smack dab in the middle of a bender... but you don't really fall in love with the characters.  It's entertainment... without sympathy.