Old School Reading That is Slabrat.

Mark Larkin...

Where have I heard that name before?

My thoughts as I give Javier his bath. As I wipe him dry, I realize Mark Larkin is a fictional character from a book: Slabrat by Ted Heller. I got so absorbed in the book, I thought these "people" are my friends that I have met a long time ago. Too bad they aren't real.

I've been reading since the last few days of 2013. Again, finally. I found time to pick up a book. And being a bibliophile, I started hoarding books again, just like I used to. Nothing new really, I usually just hoard stuff from Booksale. (Yup, Slabrat is actually 13 or 14 years old.) Great books at dirt cheap prices. Went home with six books the last time I raided the store, Slabrat being one of them. The things I love about Booksale are, aside from the huge price drops of books, they have branches almost everywhere and you'll never know what you can find in their stores. And if you do find one you fancy, I say BUY IT.

So this Mark Larkin guy isn't the main character in Slabrat. Zachary Post is. taking a break from "relationship-themed" novels, I pick up Slabrat in the hopes of finding a good laugh and getting a few lessons I could use in the office - whatever lesson that is. So far, Ted Heller has a good sense of humor. And the office politics in the plot, God it's outrageously funny. I try not to put the book down as much as I could. It's one of those books that's (in Leslie Usher-Soames' words) ack-she-lly GOOD.

As for the lessons, here are some: work your ass off and make sure it gets noticed by your boss or whoever is in the higher management that can set your career to the moon; co-workers can actually make a good set of friends, especially if you work beyond the 9-5 hour shift, they're probably the ones who can totally relate to your career problems, aside from your best friend, since, after all, they are in the same office; sleeping with co-workers may be a good idea at first, but just to be safe, never do two people at the same time (it's common sense, ack-she-lly) or at least tell/drop hints that you were involved with someone, rather than have everybody talk about your relationships (past and present) until it reaches your love/lust interests.

If this were a book review, I would say it's a pretty darn good book. But it's not a review. I'm just happy to be reading again a real book. I was forced to read an e-book before because I thought it was cheaper and convenient, to the point that I want to buy myself a Kobo. Sad to say, nothing beats a real book. I'm one to say "save the trees" when using too much paper but I'll be picking a paper book over an e-book any given day. It has a different feel to it, just like how I'm writing this first on a page on my notebook.

Things just make sense when I do them the way I learned how to do them.

I wish Zeke Post was around so I could ask him how his book review is going and talk about stuff other than rambling here on my blog.

Day 22, book #4.

SLABRAT

n. A person or 'rat' who works in an office block or 'slab'. Distinguishing features include gossiping mischievously, a predilection for office sex, a desire to do as little work as possible... and a desperation for promotion at any price.