New Book – Dry by Augusten Burroughs

I finished up Happy Hour is for Amateurs by The Philadelphia Lawyer,about two weeks ago, but I haven't had enough time to write about it since then. I really enjoyed it. The book is kind of like a more grown-up version of Tucker Max's I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. The Philadelphia Lawyer regales the reader with tales of debauchery, hilarity, and the stupid shit you have to deal with when you're a lawyer, throughout his first seven or eight years as a lawyer. Like many young lawyers, he is apathetic and cynical. He switched jobs several times, trying to find a firm that he liked, only to realize that it wasn't so much the law firms that he didn't like, but being a lawyer in general. At some point, he started an anonymous blog to vent about the ridiculousness of being a lawyer. Then, when he was 33 or so, he wrote a book, which got picked up by a publisher, and he then quit the law. This was inspiring to me, particularly since last month was my highest billing month since I became a lawyer, and I'm pretty sure there were a couple times when I almost had a heart attack. If nothing else, Happy Hours is for Amateurs reminds me that there is a way out and that I need to get my shit together. I'd defintely recommend this book for any lawyer who has practiced for at least three years, and in general to anyone who hates his or her job.

I've since started reading Dry by Augusten Burroughs. It's a memoir about going to rehab for alcoholism and his subsequent struggle with being a recovering alcoholic. So far, it's pretty funny. Just a note for you conservatives who may be thinking about reading this book: Burroughs is a homosexual. I know that freaks you guys out. Also, he lives in New York City. I know that also freaks you guys out even more.

Books read in 2010:
Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman
Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Happy Hour is for Amateurs by The Philadelphia Lawyer