yong : book 10/25 : Thank You For Smoking by Christopher Buckley

Wow. You gotta go pretty far back to find the last book I read. I couldn't remember what number I was on, and here it says I read book 9 of 25 on 2/17. That was at the very beginning of my second semester of student teaching, and I hadn't read jack since.

I picked up this book after seeing the movie recently. And this is one of that rare breed, where the movie is actually better than the book. I know, I can't remember if I've ever encountered another of these before myself. It's not that the book's bad; it's actually a solid product, workmanlike if not exceptional. But the movie, rather than diluting the original, elevates it to a whole different plane. Truly, they've taken a decent novel and turned it into an extraordinary movie. The first half has most of the same plot pieces, but in a somewhat different order; the second half is actually pretty much entirely different. Where the book ending is competent but commonplace, the movie...is one of a kind. If you can appreciate sharp, biting humor, this is a movie with six inch Ginsu fangs.

So forget the book, go see the flick.

P.S. Plot summary: You think your job's hard? Imagine trying to pay your mortgage by being the chief spokesperson for the tobacco industry. People love to hate Nick Naylor, because he's so damn good at putting a positive spin on lung cancer. Heh, seriously.