Reading: The Know-It-All

Alright, I have a confession to make. I did not read Death Interrupted. I just wasn't getting into it enough to get past the author's writing style. I still have it in my bag, bookmark intact, but it may get returned to the library unread. I gave it my best, but I was won over by another.

As soon as I picked up The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World I knew I would have a difficult time not reading it. I really enjoyed The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible which is also by A.J. Jacobs. Jacobs is really funny and sincere in his efforts with these books and he does a great job of condensing his work into a fun, readable, and touching story. He is able to connect whatever he is doing - whether it's living biblically or reading the encyclopedia - with his own life in a way that makes his efforts seem almost not nutty (but really, they are, and hilariously so).

Reading this book is doubly satisfying because Jacobs includes a lot of the factoids that he learns from the encyclopedia, so as a reader you get to learn the interesting stuff without all of the actual work. I hope that Jacobs continues writing and is able to think of fresh ways to challenge himself, I can't wait to read more.