i love a well-written novel

i was creating the "what i'm reading" tab above and realized...how is it that i've only finished 3 books so far this year?  that's sad because either 1) it's true or 2) i'm forgetting one or more that i've actually read.

anyway, right now i'm reading a few books, which i am wont to do.  one is a fraction of the whole by steve toltz and, though i'm only about 100 pages in, i'm really enjoying it.  i couldn't believe when i found out this is toltz's first novel.  in essence, it is a family saga but with an irreverent, hilarious tone and it is wonderfully written.  if you've read this one, what did you think?

so far, this is one of my favorite passages...

"tears came to my eyes, but i fought them.  then i started thinking about tears.  what was evolution up to when it rendered the human body incapable of concealing sadness?  is it somehow crucial to the survival of the species that we can't hide our melancholy?  why?  what's the evolutionary benefit of crying?  to elicit sympathy?  does evolution have a Machiavellian streak?  after a big cry, you always feel drained and exhausted and sometimes embarrassed, especially if the years come after watching a television commercial for tea bags.  is it evolution's design to humble us?  to humiliate us?"

haha...the commercial part really hits home.  =)