Yes Man, by Danny Wallace

An excellent book for the New Year. It's a comic memoir of one man's attempt to say "Yes!" to life. As an improviser, this notion is familiar. In improv, we have a rule of "Yes, and-ing" everything. This is a way to be in constant agreement with your fellow players: you agree with them, then add something new. This isn't a literal, "yes, and it's my birthday!" You can agree with something in improv without being verbal, or necessarily agreeing with your partner's character's attitude.

Danny Wallace's brand of yes is substantially more literal. He attempts to say an actual, verbal "yes," to any question he is asked, whether it's advertising ("Why not say it with flowers?"), invitations ("Want to have a pint?), job offers (Want to do this job you're not remotely qualified for?), or spam e-mails (Please kind sir, will you help a man from Somalia trying to get 4 million dollars out of the country?), no matter the cost or effort required.

This results, as you can imagine, in wonderful comic moments, near disasters, travel to the opposite side of the world, and in a funny way, true enlightenment. My husband read it first, and I was constantly asking him what was so funny. And as I read it, he kept asking me where in the story I was, everytime I laughed. I can highly recommend it for a good laugh, and perhaps a little think about how often we say "No," without thinking.