Grisham probably wrote one

I'm often asked by people outside of law school - "the Others," as we in law school affectionately call them - what's the hardest part about it? My answer's always the same, it's the reading. Not in the sense of subject matter. In fact, a lot of cases play out like little stories with memorable characters, and there's no shortage of conflict. (What are appeals but lacklustre sequels, anyway?) Rather, the difficulty is in the sheer volume.

This makes the answer to the second question I'm usually asked - what advice would I give to those starting law school - just a tad antithetical. My advice is to read more. I consider it crucial to keep a non-law book - you know, fiction - on the go during school. Law school is incredibly insular in the sense that you're exposed to the legal world, and suddenly anything outside of that becomes as heretical as a round earth in pre-Columbus days. Namely, it's easy to forget that the real world is still outside those concrete walls.

This long set up is really just an excuse for me to bring up some of my summer reading - I just finished JPod by Douglas Coupland. While it may be a stretch to say that book portrays "real life," it is a kick for any Vancouverite who'll recognize the local neighbourhoods the characters populate. It is funny on legal level too, perhaps, when you see how Coupland confronts the intellectual property rights of the subjects he wants criticize. It's irreverent books like this one that remind law students, hey, maybe Latin phrases don't contain all possible manner of saying things.

But now that that book's done with, I'm in search of some more. Anyone have suggestions? I just finished a comical French vacation book (Merde Actually), a grisly Western (Blood Meridian) and a novel about lazy video game developers (supra - see, it can't be helped.) They were all pretty good - there must be at least one novel that combines those genres...