Reading 24

This is going to be, ostensibly, a literary blog--or more precisely, a blog about books (as the actual literary merit of this blog will be questionable, at best!). I've decided to write about books because that's what I like best, what I think about the most, and what strikes me as worthiest of being written about. (Other things I like that would not make for stirring blog topics: basil; Sensodyne toothpaste; checking the mail; etc.)

However, now that I've outlined my blog's purported intent, I am immediately going to disregard it. There will be moments when other non-book topics creep in. Like right now, for instance. Because no matter how much I like to think about books, the one topic endlessly thought about in my home right now is 24.

Yes, certain members of my household have a predilection for--nay, a downright obsession with--Fox's television thriller. And since the new season debuted this week, I'd feel remiss if I let this much anticipated event pass by unheralded.

Thus, I attempted to uncover some link between 24 and books of some kind, hoping to relate back (however remotely) to the supposed purpose of this blog. This proved trickier than I'd thought. Since Kiefer Sutherland has yet to grace us with the next Pulitzer, the only books I could find in the meantime were direct product tie-ins to the show, sporting charming names like Trojan Horse, Veto Power, Cat's Claw, and my personal favorite, Operation Hell Gate. (Although to Kiefer's credit, he did write the forward for 24: Behind the Scenes.)

(BTW, who actually reads books that are based on TV shows or movies? Have any of these ever been good!? I'd like to know...)

Oh, and lest I forget, the other book/24 connection I stumbled across was Stephen King's review of the new season in Entertainment Weekly, which describes season six as "a book you can't put down...even though there are times when you may want to." (Heck, couldn't that phrase apply to a fair bit of King's own work?!)