Epistemological violence in America

I've passed the halfway point in the aforementioned Blood Meridian and I've come to several conclusions. First, Cormac McCarthy is way smarter than am I. I appreciate the opportunity to read a book so genius that I'm left dumbfounded by the writer's talents. I cannot fathom how one goes about creating such a work. Second, I need to read fiction to remain sane. Of course, I like reading books about politics, urban planning, nature and what not, but there's something about a well told story that feeds the soul like no other type of book can. I just hope to fit in a few more novels before the grip of school work becomes too tight. As of this moment I intend to read Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury next, though Murakami's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles has been sitting on my bookshelf for far too long. Finally, I need a break from modern culture. I've had enough of cell phones, television and facebook. I need something real.