By Paul Neilan

The only reason I picked up this book is because it was highly recommend from Max Barry and I really like his books. Paul Neilan’s has a talent for the wickedly funny and sarcasms. This story revolves around Shane who is the probably the laziest person you will meet, he is extremely apathetic just as the title of the book suggests. The story is nothing short of erratic and hilarious, and you’re trying to keep up and piece together events taking place in Shane’s life. He meets people of different kinds in his apartment and the different bars, as well as his girlfriend getting him a temp job in her insurance company that he really doesn’t want.

This book is nothing short of bold, nasty, and brutally funny. I loved reading this book, I would honestly start laughing because of the things that Shane would think and say to people. There are things said and done in this book that you would never come close to doing, but you have thought about in your mind. This book is as creative as it gets when it comes to real life circumstances, all the instances that get pieced together is so funny and sociably unacceptable that you really believe it could happen to someone. I just can’t recommend this book enough, but if you’re the type of person that prefers to be politically correct then this isn’t the book for you. I just think it’s the funniest book I have read yet.

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After reading Company I really liked Max Barry’s style and so I decided to get another book of his, and I have to say that I wasn’t disappointed. It is one great book, and an entertaining read. You get immersed into this book so much so that you think that your part of this other dimension, and you understand how he presents the state of world and how people lead normal lives. Consumerism is of the highest priority in this world, and the corporate world is just as powerful as the government, and its an intricate balance. Jennifer is one the main characters in this book but you get introduced to other characters who are also extremely important. What I love about his style is his ability to slowly take different parts and enticingly tie them together to make for a riveting story.

Link: MaxBarry
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Now this book was an interesting read, at first its starts off with the MacKenzie’s in Shanghai. Their parents went missing on a mission in asia, and they have been bouncing around from family member to family member. Doug and Becca are a handful until they land in their uncle’s ship in south east asia. This story is all based in the 1920s with secrets in the shadows, and people looking for something. This story was a bit weird in the beginning but there is so much scientific knowledge and history intertwined with this story its amazing. They have to meet pirates, secret guilds, break rules, and follow their insticnts to help them get closer to their parents. This is the first volume of a trilogy, and I have to say I cant wait for the other three! Its torture when you want to know whats happening and cant get it! But such a colorful story, and you feel like your in the jungles of asia in the 1920s with your biege jungle attire. This book was so good that I really am not sure if its a fiction or non-fiction at this point.

Link: Amazon

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This is one of those books that I had to read, and I have been waiting to read it for a while. They also have a DVD as well that I bought. I have been reading through other books, but I know I wanted to read this one. Its just the one you keep seeing on the shelf. I read one to two books at time not more because I would probably end up not finishing any that way.

This book revolves around two men who wanted to cross the globe on motorcycles. Their love for motorcycles is very apparent from the way they describe riding since they were young, and I cant blame them really because I am a motorcycle fanatic so I can understand their passion for it. This book is written in a way that you get throw into the whole adventure of what they were doing. There were great times and hard times which you go through with them, and you feel for them and can understand how they feel to a certain degree. Its narrated by both Charley and Ewan, and you get to see their deep thoughts and how they view a certain moment which I thought was fantastic. Ewan and Charely were close friends for longest of time, but after this I dont know how much closer they could have got. Its amazing, because when you undertake this type of adventure it will test your friendship and your link with other people. You feel how they feel when they meet new people, and go through what they were going through. I really enjoyed this book, and felt great that I got to the end of the book, and not because I finished the book but because I went through this journey with them.

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This book is the follow up to A Year in Merde, and I have to say it was a bit of a topsy tervy. It is an expansioin of the book, and it has some good points and some low points. The story of Paul West and everything happening to him is continued from the previous book, so you have to read the original to understand the second. I really dont think that this book is as good as the original. You feel as if you have to pick up where you left, and your expected to remember every detail. I like how Paul West has become more French then English, and funny how he sees the differences in culture and how the different cultures try to bridge that gap. A lot of it as well is about Paul West and his relationship with women, especially French women. And how Merde is related to his life, just like any French life. I liked how the book ended, but it was a bit annoying dealing with the story. The story felt slightly divided, and some points it wasnt connected. Sometimes I reached a point where I wanted to finish the book because I started it, and sometimes I wanted to know what was going to happen next. It took me a little while to finish reading this book. It wasnt bad but I have read better.

Link: Amazon

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Its a little interesting story how I came about buying this book. I stumbled on jennifer government’s Nation States the online game. Which is a very interesting game to say the least, its about building a nation from scratch and building into a complete dictatorship or a utopia of your making. I kept playing the game, and noticed that the person who put this game together was a man who wrote a couple of books. So I started reading about man who built this little online game, and it turned out he was pretty funny. So while i was playing the game he published his new book, and his blog was extremely entertaining to read. And he was getting good reviews about his book, and he seemed to be an extremely humble person with just the amount of satire and sarcasim. So then I decided to buy the book, and Im happy I did!

It is a great book to read about corporate culture. If you have worked in a corporate enviroment you can really relate to this book. You get introduced to Zephyr Holdings which is the usual corporate culture that you deal with in the US, and you can relate to its enviroment. You get introduced to the characters and its a bit confusing in the beginning because you jump right in, but you slowly get to understand what type of character each person is. It really makes you think about work to say the least. And this book is a really easy read, but after one point you really cant put it down, and you want to know whats going to happen next. It keeps picking up pace, and at one point you just dont know whats going to happen next. Its really worth a read and now Im going to buy his other books if they are as good as this one! This is one comedy with a ruthless edge to it!
Link: MaxBarry Blog

Link: Amazon

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Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
Author: Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

This is an interesting book to say the least! Im not a finance or economics major. Im an engineer, and the book has information which is easily understandable. This guy really looks at things from outside the box. This book connects real life occurences with substational statistics and information. Its a real easy read and its broken up into different categories per chapter, but sometimes the information overlaps. I finished it in a couple of days, but some people could finish it in a couple of hours if they wanted.

You get to see real reasons for events that have happened. And it makes you think about how things are proceeding in the world and in different countries. How certain things work. And this book also has a lot of comments on parenting. It was pretty entertaining for me since Im not a parent, but he takes facts about what does and doesnt affect in parenting decisions. And the information that is printed can be taken any way you want, because some people were up in arms because of the statements made in this book. But this economic genius was only stating what he saw from the numbers and facts! I think its a good read if you want to tickle your brain.

Link: Amazon.com

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For the first time in 17 years I went to France this past summer. I went with family since I wouldnt really volutarily go to France. For one main reason. The French are so damn arrogant and full of themselves. And I wish I read this book before going to Paris, because I read it right after and some of the information could have helped me in many situations! hehe

Its a story of an English men moving to Paris for work, and dealing with all the little systems they have to get things done. Also he describes many situations in which I felt I was in. It is a really good book about how person feels when they first move to an unknown place, and how people act differently then the way you are used to. And after spending sometime in Paris he didnt realize that he was changing as well. Stephen Clarke did a very good job of jotting down his accounts, and making you feel you know the character, because I could relate to the guy! Its a good book and an easy read. I would recommend to anyone who wants a light entertaining read.

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