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I think this is A.J. Jacobs' best book, and that's mainly because, instead of one big stunt, he does nine small ones. His stunts are somehow far more tolerable when they are chapters (or more likely magazine articles) rather than entire books.

There is a natural progression to his books. His first book was about reading the encyclopedia, which was funny but had some drawbacks because it was essentially a book about reading a book. His second book was about following the tenets of the bible for a year, which was better. It was still a book about reading a book, but at least he got out of the house a little with various experiments. Here, he seems to be a whole lot more active, and that makes it a much better book.

As whiny as I may sound here, I'm actually a big fan of Jacobs. He's always funny and interesting, though for his wife's sake I sure hope he writes a non-stunt book soon.

One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

I had some qualms about A.J. Jacobs' previous book "The Know-It-All," in which he read the entire encyclopedia and wrote about the experience. The whole thing seemed a little staged, as if he was only doing it for the book deal. I suppose I could have a similar complaint about this book, in which he follows the tenets of the bible for a year.

However, this book feels like more than just a stunt. It's possibly because the Bible is a far more important book than the encyclopedia. Even if you don't believe anything in the Bible -- and that seems to be where Jacobs is coming from at the beginning -- the Bible at least has had a major impact on the world. There's nothing wrong with the encyclopedia, of course, but it's still just list of random facts with no central theme.

The best parts of "The Know-It-All" were when Jacobs would go on an encyclopedia-related adventure that took him away from the book. Here, there are many more options for interesting adventures. It's the difference between writing about reading a book and writing about living a book. That alone makes this a much more exciting project.

Jacobs goes on several adventures. He visits a snake-handler in Tennessee. He attends Jerry Falwell's church in Virginia. He even travels to Israel to reconnect with his Judaism, as well as a crazy ex-Uncle who was once a cult leader. And, of course, he walks through Manhattan with a long beard and a white robe for much of the year. Along the way, his wife also gives birth to twin boys.

As Jacobs is Jewish and as the Old Testament is by far the longer Testament, the book mostly revolves around Judaism, although in the last third he does study Christianity in detail.

Religious readers may be disappointed that there is no great life change here. Jacobs began the project as an agnostic, and that's the way he ends up, though he does seem to feel he's a better person from the experience. He spends an entire year praying and doing good works for the people of New York and beyond. At times, he's worried that he's only doing all this for the sake of a book, but one of his spiritual advisers calmed him with this thought:

"C.S. Lewis said the distinction between pretending you are better than you are and beginning to be better in reality is finer than moral sleuthhounds conceive." In short, pretending to be better than you are is better than nothing.

Lewis and Jacobs might just be onto something there.

One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World

This is getting a little strange. As part of my plan to read for an hour a day, I'm reading a book by a guy who is reading the entire encyclopedia for four hours a day. I think I'm becoming derivative. I wonder if anyone out there is reading my blog as part of a project to read blogs about books for fifteen minutes a day.

In some ways, this is sort of like reading a Cliff Notes version of the encyclopedia. As Jon Stewart jokes in the cover blurb, "I've always said, why doesn't someone put out a less complete version of the encyclopedia. Well done, A.J." In some ways, this is an easy read because of all the short sections. In other ways, it's a struggle, thanks to the constant parade of information.

Still, there is a story here. Along with all the facts (Did you know they have a braille version of Scrabble?) we do get to see Jacobs grow, as his knowledge, facts, and possibly even wisdom expand. Jacobs' various attempts to use his newfound knowledge -- at a Mensa conference, taking on the Columbia Debate Team, even interviewing Alex Trebek -- are entertaining. The book is also part memoir, as he delves into his relationship with his father and his wife's struggle to get pregnant. A lot can happen in a year when you're reading the encyclopedia. You can even make it on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"

I have a nagging problem with the book. It just seems like too much of a stunt. Part of me wonders whether Jacobs got the book deal before or after deciding to read the encyclopedia. He has a similar book about living biblically for a year. When did he get a book deal for that? There is this whole type of stunt non-fiction, this "I'm going to do this wacky thing and write about it for a year" genre. These stories are always presented as personal journeys. I enjoy them, but they often seem a bit artificial, as if the goal of the book was just to write a book.

But really does it even matter? Perhaps I'm being unfair. Jaocbs is an entertaining and funny writer. The book is chock full of quirky facts, which I enjoyed. And by the end, he does seem to have broadened his mind, which was his goal. Still, at times, it does feel a little too staged. I probably worry about this more than others, because I would like to write one of these stunt books myself someday -- only ideally mine wouldn't be just a stunt. For the most part, I think this book is more than a stunt, though sometimes I'm not entirely sure.