Daren Simkin

How I picked up this book is kind of a funny story: I was demonstrating some of the new features of our brand spanking new express checkout machines at my library for some of my colleagues -- features which include book recommendations. I showed how easy (and forgettable, apparently) it was to place a hold, right then and there, on a recommended title. A week later I was startled to find this book waiting on the hold shelf for me. By the time I puzzled out how it had got there, noted that its slimness would not involve a huge time commitment, and feeling appreciative of the effort made by staff and couriers alike to bring it to me, I would actually have felt guilty not reading it.

The story is simple: a young boy, after becoming somewhat disillusioned about ways in which his life isn't perfect, "packs up" all his time and embarks on a lifelong search for something worth spending it on. It is a tiny, illustrated book, easily completed in one 15-minute break. It's sort of cute, but I thought the boy was kind of a jerk and overall I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. It also feels like it's sort of trying to be The Giving Tree for adults (and why is it classified as adult? I wondered).… (más)