I love Magnus Mills, and appreciated this very funny parable about capitalism and the working man. I don't think "Scheme" is as good as "The Restraint of Beasts", but it is hilarious if you value a certain kind of humor (subtle and sly).

Reserved for Idioteqnician.

Postal relese to Idioteqnician in Montreal.

Yesterday was a perfect fall day here. The leaves are falling and the air is crisp and that hibernating urge is resurfacing. In the morning I made a pumpkin bread, did a job interview by phone, did some exercises, bought tickets to a few different movies in the upcoming film festival, and went to the post office to pick up a package. Then I went and got a really good coffee and sat out on the café’s terrasse and watched people going by in the street wearing scarves and warmer coats. While I had my coffee, I opened the package, and found this book inside along with The All of It, Three to See the King, Vernon God Little, and Winter Birds.

Oldbroad is a “preferred” book trading partner of mine. We’ve traded a couple of times and I’ve found her friendly and her taste in books reliable. She contacted me a few weeks ago offering a surprise package and I, of course, said yes. I’m going to try to work my way through some of these this fall and winter, but I’m going to go have a slice of pumpkin bread first. Thank you, Oldbroad!

Well, it only took me eleven years, but I did finally read this book. I took it with me from London, where I live, to Canada, where I spent the summer in the Quebec countryside. I started reading it there and finished it on a flight to Tokyo.

I enjoyed this book, but didn't love it. I remember reading other Magnus Mills books and liking them a bit more. But I did enjoy this, particularly the subtle pacing. Not a whole lot happens really, but it's nevertheless a bit of a page turner. I thought it was a funny premise, but maybe wasn't quite as funny in execution.

I am staying with friends in the Prudential building in front of the Akasaka Mitsuke metro stop. There is a Starbucks on the grond floor of the building and I'll leave it there this evening when I run down to get some beers. If the Starbucks is closed, I'll leave it in the Lawsons convenience store just beside the Starbucks.