hooray, you're reading gadfly! it makes me very very happy. and, well, yes. the subtlety is not what we're going for here :D

re: milan: as far as i understand, the brothers sinister series is self-published, so maybe you'll have more luck with e-copies of her books? her website lists where you can get everything: http://www.courtneymilan.com/brotherssinister/.

three men in a boat is my ultimate comfort book; you're right about the effect being mostly cumulative, but god does it build up. and i love the sudden switches to long romantic passages in the narrative; they shouldn't work, but they do.