Book 17 - E Squared by Matt Beaumont

For those of you who don't know, Matt Beaumont is a satirical British writer. A few years back he wrote e - a novel told through email about the crazy day to day life in a London ad agency. It was pretty ridiculous and pretty amazing.

Unbeknownst to me, Matt has been plugging away on a follow up effort - e Squared - that came out earlier this year. Luckily, I have friends and sometimes they alert me to things I should already know about! I borrowed the book from said friend and, as was expected, sped through it.

Both e and e Squared are very enjoyable, quick reads. The characters are all ridiculous (though some more than others) and though some of the plot points are obviously constructed for humour only, Matt Beaumont does a great job of capturing the endless monotony that some of use feel in our jobs and the disgust that can so easily overtake you when you hate the people around you (I've heard). The actual things that happen are not familiar but the emotions are, the connections (or aversion to connect) are, the stereotypical coworker tropes are. We've all had a boss who was utterly ineffective without us (if you haven't, just be glad) and we've all see the coworker who manages to skate by without actually working.

e and e Squared are worth a read regardless of where you work and what you do. They're entertaining and silly. It's a nice break from the heavy literature (no offense Matt). The fact that it's written in email and text message and instant message makes it that much more referential and accessible. "Hey, I send email everyday, I can relate to this!" Not always true, but it helps.

Read reviews of e Squared:

• 120 Units enjoys both e and it's sequel


• Duffbert hasn't read the first installment of Beaumont's satirical saga, but still enjoys the second book


• Read about the book in Matt Beaumont's own words in a silly interview at denofgeek - also NBC adaption?!?


• Aaaaand, another interview over at beatmagazine


• 'e Squared' - A book for everyone who loves or hates emails

Also, if you're a fan of Beaumont's books, why not follow his fictional ad agency Meerkat360 on Twitter? I do!

And check out the works of both Matt and Maria Beaumont (wife, also a novelist) and somebody named Jessie Jones (turns out she's made up) over at their website: www.letstalkaboutme.com.

Book 16 - The End of the Affair by Graham Greene

I've been on a bit of a retro, old-timey kick lately - both read and watched Revolutionary Road and I'm watching a heck of a lot of Mad Men - and in line with that I recently picked up The End of the Affair by Graham Greene. I've never read Graham Greene but he's always been on my list - John Irving is a big fan don't you know.

The End of the Affair is a smallish book and a moment in time sort of story but I really loved it. I've heard folks say they were annoyed with the self involved nature of the characters or with the minutea of the plotline but I enjoyed it. Sure, the characters were self involved. And sure, there were some ugly displays of humanity, some base moments of frailty. But that's sort of the point right. Very much like Revolutionary Road, The End of the Affair is a sad little story about sad little people. The weather is dreary, the conversation is dreary, everyone is dreary and sad.

And somehow, that is perfect. I found no character who offered redemption in a meaningful way, no character without an obvious personal agenda... no interaction based on love or goodness.

It's worth a read and I can see why Irving is a fan. Graham Greene is clearly a lover of words and a lover of form - his sentences and prose are magnificent without being too much. I can't promise you'll feel the same, sentiment seems to be torn over this author.

Books Born Free was torn - loved the writing but hated the religion while Juxtabook seemed to share my opinion of the bleak, war torn book (see The End of the Affair by Graham Greene and More on Greene's The End of the Affair).

Some Additional Thoughts on Passion

This is going to be one of those posts where I ramble a bit about what's meaningful to me and matters in the way I view life. I know some of my readers like these posts, connect with them and that some of you are just waiting to find out what's going on with Dr. Mario; but writing these posts is important to me and, in a way, has to do with why I quit my job those many months ago.

A few things have happened in the last week that have really opened my eyes a bit to who/what I want to be. Very much like the conference I went to a few weeks back (see: Reaffirming Conferences?) these things are helping me to see what's truly important. The details aren't important but I will tell you that I planned an event for my job - something we'd never tried or done and I was nervous to the point of freak out about how well it would go. I also helped a friend with a project of hers that means a lot to her and has grown to hold a dear place in my heart too.

Like I said, the details aren't important. It doesn't even matter necessarily how many people I touched/reached/brought together. What does matter is how I felt about these things and what they have shown me.

I am a passionate person - I'm sort of known for over-emoting - but there are a few things that really dig deep for me, that connect with a part of me that lives in my core (and because it is so core, sometimes might get overlooked). I am really good at connecting with people and I really love it. I love to bring people together around a cause - whether it's 2 or 10 or 100 people - and I love to connect people to each other, to me, to a cause, to... whatever they need to be connected to.

There are career paths and things that are always important to someone who is ambitious - money, title, management experience, etc. - but it's important to remember that there is a life path too. A life of passion, happiness, and engagement... a life that is full of purpose and focus... how do you account for that when you calculate your net worth?

It's something that I admit, I'm not great at remembering when I think about success. In a world where we accrue value in a very monetarily driven way, it can be easy to de-value emotions and connections. The moments when you see those things - those emotions and connections - is beyond valuation.

Book 15 - Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

I've always been a fan of Dave Eggers - I've read a couple of his books (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and You Shall Know Our Velocity) and I'm a big fan of McSweeneys and 826. While I like most of what I've read from Dave Eggers, I seem to prefer his non fiction, memoirish books. Zeitoun is no different - I really found myself drawn into this book and didn't want to step away from the story.

At this point, we're all pretty familiar with the stories that have come out of Katrina. I'm ashamed to say that I had the feeling that I knew all of the stories... it was a cynical thing to think and I'm glad to have read Zeitoun and been reminded of how many angles that a story can have, how many specific interactions and characters and voices can come out of an event, even those on a much smaller scale than New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina.

It sounds cheesy but, Zeitoun is riveting because it is both disgusting and humiliating (as an American) and amazing and encouraging (as a person, capable of love and renewal). It's a story full of possibility and hope and the blight that comes with being a person of this world. Zeitoun and his wife Kathy are full, well rounded characters (it helps that they're real people) and you want to know what happens to them, you want to hear their story, you root for them.

Dave Eggers is a great writer but the magic of his writing in this story is that he doesn't impose his voice or his point of view on the story in a negative way. The words are put together in a way that adds ease and engagement but doesn't make you feel like you're reading a public service announcement or a tear jerker (though I have to admit that tears were jerked). Zeitoun is marked by an unoppressive voice and an engaging, unbelievable story of cruelty but also of love and resilience.

Okay, this does make it sound like a bit of a tear jerker but I'm not doing it justice. Just trust me on this one, read it.

If you need more persuasion, Timothy Egan's review: After the Deluge makes all of my points but with better prose and more beautiful writing.

Another beautiful review by Daniel Hahn of The Independent

The review by Valet Reader gives you the reaction of someone who doesn't typically love Eggers and offers some pretty interesting Google Maps images of Zeitoun's properties

An article about Zeitoun - the man, not the book

Already read the book and want to do something? Why not check out The Zeitoun Foundation. I bet they know how you can help.

Book 14 - The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs

The latest book in my personal quest to read 52 books in 2010 (see 2010 Quitsville Goals) is the story of another person's (semi-ridiculous) quest. A.J. Jacobs' The Know it All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World is the story of his quest to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica - no small feat if I do say so myself.

I'm 97% sure I originally heard about this book on NPR - let's be honest, where else would I have heard about it? - on FreshAir. Clearly, projects like Jacobs' appeal to me so this book seemed a perfect next step in my own personal project. Being totally honest, I wasn't sure if I was going to love it - A.J. Jacobs is a pretty silly guy and I wasn't sure I could get through the entire book without becoming annoyed with him (the Julie-Julia phenomenon of enjoying the book but not being sure about the writer). I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find that A.J. grew on me; by the end of The Know It All we felt like old friends. I liked his honest documentation of the project itself - A.J. admitted to skimming certain entries, to being an obnoxious party guest, etc. - and it was encouraging to feel his devotion to the project wax and wane as he delved deeper into it (something I can relate to - by the by).

I also have to admit that I find myself identifying with Jacobs - not only has he read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica but he's also written books about living biblically for a year (The Year of Living Biblically) and about living as a human guinea pig (The Guinea Pig Diaries). Jacobs is a man that likes a project (however silly it might be) and I have to say the same about myself - minus the man part. I love my projects (some might say to a fault) and I did find myself thinking 'what if I read the encyclopedia...' or something else very long and intense. I love measurable goals, what can I say.

Just for fun, some of my favorite facts or excerpts from The Know It All:

"Berserkers: Savage Norse soldiers from the middle ages who, it is said, went into battle naked. Hence "going berserk." So to truly go berserk, you should take off your pants. Noted." Page 25

"Gymnasium: The literal Greek translation is "school for naked exercise." Which made toweling off the stationary bike even more important." Page 125

"Scrabble: The game is available in braille. That's a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can't really explain why." Page 304

And... some additional reading:

Check out A.J. Jacobs Website for information on all of his books and a link to his blog

Listen to the interview with A.J. Jacobs on Fresh Air

Follow A.J. Jacobs on Twitter

A review of The Know It All on Wendy's Words

Another review on Robert Van Bobby's Book Blog (with a comment from A.J. Jacobs himself)

See what Pages and Pints thought of the book in their review (also, a side note - a blog about beer and books? Intriguing...)

2010 Quitsville Goals - Update

Hey there blog readers, I thought it might be time for a quick check in on those mighty goals I posted back in January of 2010 (remember January? Cold and bleak... lots of time for reading indoors).

A reminder:

1. Read 52 books in 2010
2. Take the GMAT
3. Get the World Record in Dr. Mario

Progress Report:

1. Read 52 books in 2010:
Here we are, just about to start week 16 of this, our year of the Lord and I've only blogged about 13 books. I'm sure you're all aghast at the lack of progress being made here but I have to at least try to assuage your fears.

The truth of the matter is that I've actually read 19 books but I've been a little lax on the posting. I am reformed though - I've written the blog posts for all of those missing books (6 to be exact) and have them scheduled to go up over the next week or so. And then I promise - I will be better about reporting them to all of you - if only because it's hard to remember exactly how I felt upon finishing all of them after a few more have passed by!

2. Take the GMAT

Absolutely no progress. I have the requisite study aids sitting on a shelf in a prominent location in my living room - staring at me, judging me - but I am immune. I've done absolutely nothing. Eep?

3. Get the World Record in Dr. Mario

My practice has fallen back a bit and due to things I can't control (life and work mostly) I have not made it out to Funspot lately. I have, however, continued the quest for the gold by doing my darnedest to get in touch with Sir Dave Nelson, local referee for Twin Galaxies. My emails have been in vain (or possible in the spam folder) because I have received no response. NONE!

However, I did check the Funspot website today and they've scheduled the annual International Classic Game Tournament - mecca for video game nerds like yours truly. And, it's scheduled for June 3rd-6th. For those of you who don't know, my birthday happens to fall on June 7th... what better way to celebrate the anniversary of my birth than with the world record title to an obscure video game?

I'm just saying.

More on T.C. Boyle

For those of you who liked my review of The Women (or just like the book), I give to you - an article on T.C. Boyle.

Heraldnet Article on T.C. Boyle
Makes me like him more. =)

What recession?

I wrote about this awhile back (see The Silent Unemployment) but it seems to me that our fear of/talk of the recession has quieted, lagged, whatever the word - it's not as vehement as it was a year ago (or 6 months or what have you). I know this is partially because my personal connection to the recession is not as terrifying as it was then either but I still wonder what's going out there. Within my social circle, there are still folks unhappy with their jobs (there always will be) and still folks who are getting paid less than they should/are not being recognized (again...) but I also know people who are getting promoted and are finding new jobs.

What's the real deal folks? Where do we stand?

My short but sweet answer (okay, short but not so sweet) is that we're still knee deep in the sh** of the recession. I'm simply a bundle of cheer, I can't help it.

Boston.com ran an article earlier this week chronicling a recent PEW study that bottom lines it for us - "1 in 5 jobless Americans have been without work for a year or more". The article goes on to answer my follow up question (okay, but where is the level of unemployment settling these days) - "while more experienced Americans are less likely to lose their jobs, once unemployed they face an increasing chance of being out of work longer, the report showed". Super. The report (which clocks in around 22 pages, btw) outlines that long term unemployment (those unemployed for more than 6 months) currently accounts for 44% of our unemployment - highest rate since WW2.

Okay, so there you have it. We are in no way, in the clear. But, to be fair, we have reached the "new normal" that has come out of this Great Recession. The Atlantic ran an article in March (How a New Jobless Era Will Transform America) giving us some optimistic news about how the next decade or so will be affected by what's happened in the last 12-24 months. Sure, our unemployment rate has gotten a bit better lately (it's no longer over 10%) but the theory goes that a higher unemployment rate has settled in for the long haul. Additionally, history has shown us that the long term effects of severe unemployment and recession take awhile to register meaning we still don't know what's going to happen. Hey 2014, how you doing?

And just in case you're determined to stay positive, I've got a chart for ya! This chart from The Consumerist, shows employment declines at the same chronological point during America's last six recessions.


For those of you who are a teensy bit self flagellating, check out the entire Pew report

The Good News? That Atlantic article is 4 pages long and they take the time to outline some of the positives of the human spirit. It's not all gloomy! And I've actually gotta say that I remain positive. I kid about the crushing and overwhelming darkness of this Recession news and unemployment news but I still remain positive about the situation. There are things that need to be fixed (not the least of which is our intense class gaps) but I believe that it will get better. Call me idealistic.

The Girl Who... Never Ends?

This morning I listened to an episode of On Point, from NPR, that focused on Stieg Larsson, author of the Lisbeth Salander Series (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and the upcoming The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest). I already knew that the story behind the story of these novels was pretty sensational - Larsson was an investigative journalist who died immediately after submitting the manuscripts (and, some thought, under suspicious circumstances). What I didn't know is that there is some speculation over how many books the series would have held had he lived. The show seemed to think that the series could have expanded to include something like ten books - and it's even believed that Larsson was currently working on a fourth book (he was said to have been a couple hundred pages in) that has gone missing. Intriguing.

The idea of seven additional The Girl books just wears me out. The books are interesting and engaging but so intense. I'm not sure I could handle ten. It does make me nervous though - what was left out that we will never know?

If you've read any of the books or if you're interested, the show is worth a listen. Tom Ashbrook is a little insufferable at times but... the material is worthwhile.