mcsweeney's

how badass is mcsweeney's? i recently started reading the believer from mcsweeney's (courtesy of the boyfriend) and am loving it (although i admit it sometimes shamefully over my head - but this is a good thing i suppose because if you always read things you understand instantly then you are destined to never learn more). anyway, the believer is awesome, and mcsweeney's quarterly concern i've known about (and loved) for awhile simply because of chris ware's guest edit of issue 13 (also thanks to the boyfriend). however, dustin long's book Icelander is my intro into the world of mcsweeney's book publishing efforts. how fucking beautiful is this book. i am stunned everytime i pick it up. as my boyfriend said, "it just begs to be read." i admit that i have yet to get too far into it (i'm only on page 29) but honestly it could be a bad read and i'd still be glad i picked it up. it is the defnition of beautiful original printing in a world filled with crappy lame ass covers and production values. i mean how many more covers can that person who illustrated the cover of the devil loves prada do? if i see one more of those covers that looks almost exactly the same and that leaves the impression that exactly all the same crap is inside i'm going to throw up.

but perhaps i should be thankful that the cover so clearly alludes to the weakness inside - maybe it saves people like me from mistakenly purchasing it.

back to the point. mcsweeney's and icelander. so far icelander is wonderful, original and unique, totally living up to the cover, but regardless i am thankful for mcsweeney's existence as it drags the world kicking and screaming one book at a time into a world i actually want to live in.