The Know-it-All

I finished this book during Trigonometry. I figured, instead of just sitting there while he goes over problems I got right, I can finish this book so I can rush home and write a blog about it!

It's not much different from A.J. Jacobs' other book I have read, The Year of Living Biblically. It just has different content matter. Instead of acting out what a book tells him, he reads the entire Encyclopedia Brittanica with the hopes of becoming the smartest man in the world.

He succeeds at reading the encyclopedia, but not in being the smartest man in the world. A small portion of the book is dedicated to Jacobs' quest to find out what intelligence really is. I wish he would have focused a little more on that deeper aspect. With his combination of humour and thought provoking points, it could have been much better.

One thing I did notice is his use of sentence fragments. He's a journalist. Writer's arent' supposed to use sentence fragments. Sure, in some books, like A Million Little Pieces by James Frey, fragments are acceptable, but not here. He usually starts paragraphs with them too, describing that the encyclopedia entry was about with just one fragment, followed by more information.

Wow, I am tired of typing the word "Encyclopedia."

Eventually, Jacobs realizes, "Maybe it's better to be dumb and happy."

I'm not quite sure about my rating for this book.

Maybe 3 and three quarters out of five?

Great, will I rate the next book with an even freakier fraction?

2 7/16 / 5? Haha.

PS: I've also started Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger. Boy, does Salinger love to write about whiny rich teenage kids. At least I feel sorry for a few of them!

The Ghost of Books Past

Since I do not have the patience to write a whole entry on each book I've read this year, I'm just going to do a few sentences on each. If I can remember... These will be installments until I finish writing about all of the books, most recent, to the first book I read this year.

Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski: Alex and I were talking about books and she reccomended this. I read it in less than 24 hours. It's about this guy who decides to be homeless for a few months to know what it is like to depend totally on God. 3 1/2 / 5

The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs: This is not some religious crud book. The guy who wrote this is really funny. He takes the Bible literally for a year, from stoning adulterers to not wearing clothes with mixed fibers. 4 / 5

The Kitchen god's Wife by Amy Tan: This book has a really good storyline about uncovering family secrets, which I have found out is the type of book I really like. I don't know why. It wasn't a page turner, but I liked it. 4 /5

Life of Pi by Yann Martel: This is a quick read unlike any of the survival stories you've ever read. A teenager and a bengal tiger are the only survivors of a shipwreck. Maybe I only liked it so much because it was the first book I read after my daunting AP English summer reading. 4 / 5

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky Fyodor: My first book by a Russian author failed to impress me. Everyone told me it's great. IT'S NOT. It's a long, long, boring, book about a guy who kills 2 people and can't manage his money. That's all. Don't read it. 1 / 5

A Million Little Pieces by James Frey: Everyone I talked to hated it because of the whole Oprah thing, but I liked it. I understand why there is the odd punctuation style. I counted the book as fiction, not a memoir, so I could appreciate it more. (3 /5)

Othello : This was the first Shakespeare play I read on my own. I cheated. I had the No Fear Shakespeare edition. I'm still not a big fan of Shakespeare. (2 / 5)

So Super Starry: This was a stupid chick lit book I honestly don't remember anything about.

Getting the Boot: Another chick lit book about a girl who goets to study abroad and almost gets kicked out. I wanted to kill her.

Cupcake: I had to read the last book in the series! Gingerbread and Shrimp are the other books. This chick lit series is still close to my heart though.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver: I love this book. I overanalyzed everything and it took me forever to read it. LOVE it. That's all I can say. 5 / 5