On Nov. 29, 2005, I was on the red carpet for the historic premiere of Brokeback Mountain. Everyone in attendance that night became a part of history, helping launch a profound, heart-wrenching portrayal of the costs of the living in the closet.

To describe the Jaipur Literature Festival as the rambunctious love-spawn of the mercantile-minded Frankfurt Book Fair and free-spirited Woodstock barely scratches the surface of this spectacle.

Writing the Great American Novel seemed out of the question. So instead I set out to write the Decent Denver Novel. Why Denver, you ask? Why not Denver, I say.

Accidental books are books we might not have chosen given unlimited choice, but also don't mind reading when they fall in our path.