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If so, then read this book. (You can get it HERE. It's $20.)
Or you could find somebody who bought it, and borrow it off of them. (Probably.) Chances are your library doesn't have it. Like the website says, "A digital packet for a paperless world." (My copy is printed out - white/24lb/bond/single-sided/unbound - Suck it, @Shea... a digital packet for a paperless world, indeed.)
Look: if you're a fan of the show, you're bound to love this book. It's just like friends discussing the stuf
Is this you?
If so, then read this book. (You can get it HERE. It's $20.)
Or you could find somebody who bought it, and borrow it off of them. (Probably.) Chances are your library doesn't have it. Like the website says, "A digital packet for a paperless world." (My copy is printed out - white/24lb/bond/single-sided/unbound - Suck it, @Shea... a digital packet for a paperless world, indeed.)
Look: if you're a fan of the show, you're bound to love this book. It's just like friends discussing the stuff you love about the show. And Shea Serrano has his own unique informal style. (For instance, at one point he uses seven parenthetical asides.)(I realize that that's maybe not particularly unique.)(But they were in a row.)(Maybe that's just poor writing, and maybe it's not unique because a lot of people have done that.)(But 7? In a row?)(#That's what she said. NSFW )
And his style is set up in a way that lets you argue with him. He's doing this on purpose. Like, a couple people on here have criticized him for making a "book of lists" (it's really not), but even so, they're new lists - and lists you can debate. He purposefully sets them up antagonistically. For instance, he asks who the best Office romance is, and then he makes up arbitrary reasons why certain couples don't make the grade as he whittles it down to the champion. And you can be like: it's obviously Jim and Pam. The only reason it's not Jim and Pam is because you feel like that's too cutesy and obvious, so you had so make up some stupid rule that, "The most perfect couple from The Office has to have overcome at least one real breakup." A: Stupid rule. I never broke up with my wife, and we're perfect. B: Shea could have totally made a secondary rule that said something like - Jim and Pam basically broke up three times before they got together. Automatic victory.
So, he sets it up so that you can fight him on stuff.
Like from that same essay, one of the couples is, "Holly and The Guy She Was With When She Wasn't With Michael." There's no way he forgot that that guy's name was AJ. I mean, I didn't have to watch the series in its entirety 6 times to know this. AJ has a name. He was a real character. So, when that couple got nixed right off the bat with "Requirement 1: The perfect couple from The Office cannot be one that, when you're talking about them, you have to give some kind of quick explanation about either of the people in the relationship."
Of course, nobody's going to fight him on that one. That relationship gets axed for a number of reasons, and didn't stand a chance. But it's the principle.
For some reason, I'm stuck on this essay, when there are a lot of other good ones to talk about. But while I'm here, I'll mention his footnotes. They're generally pretty funny, or interesting. But I'll help you out on this one: Footnote 5 on page 65, "I looked up the definitions for "senator" and "state senator" and still don't know how one is different from the other."
In the US, we have the federal government, and state governments. (The federal government is not over the state governments, by the way. At least, not according to the Bill of Rights.) Each state gets 2 senators that go to Washington DC, and work from there. Each state (depending on how their state government is set up) also - perhaps - has state senators that work for the state government. Since Scranton is in PA, we'll look at that. Pennsylvania's legislative branch of government is made up of The Pennsylvania General Assembly. The Upper House is the State Senate, and it has 50 State Senators making laws specifically for Pennsylvania.
But I'll add that being a state senator is still kindof a big deal. So, I too am always a little confused at the condescension and dismissive tone when people (see Oscar, et al) are insistent on referring to him as a state senator rather than just "Senator."
(All that just for mentioning his cool footnotes.)
Oh! One more thing from that essay that I think about a bunch: Kelly and Ryan make out a ton on the show. Mindy Kaling and BJ Novak are also writers for the show. So, they were writing all these makeout scenes for themselves. Is that weird?
I thought it was great. I didn't even mention The Scouting Report - which was probably my favorite of the essays. But, I'm obviously biased. I went to college right there in Scranton. I watched the show a dozen times. This book sold itself to me. Or, well, to my brother-in-law, at any rate. It was very good. And I get to add it to my non-fiction shelf, so it makes me - and my reading stats - look smarter.
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I liked it a lot, going in without expecting too much because I knew it was just a few short essays. I felt myself wanting slightly more, but that is because I enjoy analyzing television shows and this was more of a discussion about either specific episodes or characters rather than any analyzing, which is just fine really. The Offic
I think it is pretty obvious that only fans of The Office would enjoy this. My boyfriend bought this for me and sent me the PDF, which is the only way to access it.I liked it a lot, going in without expecting too much because I knew it was just a few short essays. I felt myself wanting slightly more, but that is because I enjoy analyzing television shows and this was more of a discussion about either specific episodes or characters rather than any analyzing, which is just fine really. The Office probably shouldn't be a show I read too much into (even though I totally still do). I did find myself tearing up a bit during the "Pam's Art Show" essay, but I think that's because that episode is so emotional to me already and talking about it or watching it makes me cry.
This is four stars because I love The Office, I love the artwork, I love Shea Serrano's writing, and I found myself laughing more often than not. I docked a star because I don't think I'm the biggest list person, and Serrano definitely is.
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I really like Shea's writing because it's mostly written like I'm talking shit with my friends and coming up with dumb hypothetical situations. This is CRFM at its best, producing a scouting report for each of the players on The Basketball Game episode. On the other end of the spectrum, there are in depth pieces on specific episodes like The Art
Shea's articles on Grantland and The Ringer are always enjoyable and are sometimes hilarious. This collection of essays lands somewhere north of average.I really like Shea's writing because it's mostly written like I'm talking shit with my friends and coming up with dumb hypothetical situations. This is CRFM at its best, producing a scouting report for each of the players on The Basketball Game episode. On the other end of the spectrum, there are in depth pieces on specific episodes like The Art Show. I think this piece is also really good. I really appreciate when a critic is able to point out subtle things an actress does. I don't have any talent for this, and it makes you really appreciate how much we internalize small gestures without even thinking about it.
After reading two of Shea's books, I guess I'm a little tired of the listicles. And the theory about the desk arrangements as metaphor seemed contrived instead of just chalking it up to the evolution of story/character arcs.
I would definitely recommend this if you're a big fan of The Office or Shea's work. Arturo's art is a great complement as well.
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Shea Serrano has a knack for retelling stories in a much funnier and more engaging way. This is the second time I've read a Shea Serrano book (The first one is Basketball [And Other Things]), and as expected, he was able to think about something in a very different yet so familiar manner.
CRFM is a retelling of The Office. He basically replayed the most memorable moments a
When you want to binge-watch The Office and you don't know which episode to choose, open CRFM, and go to a random page number.Shea Serrano has a knack for retelling stories in a much funnier and more engaging way. This is the second time I've read a Shea Serrano book (The first one is Basketball [And Other Things]), and as expected, he was able to think about something in a very different yet so familiar manner.
CRFM is a retelling of The Office. He basically replayed the most memorable moments and those moments that you've probably forgotten.
The difference though is that Shea didn't just tell the story again. He inserted his witty remarks here and there the same way Michael Scott is able to insert "That's what she said" in the conversation.
Speaking of "that's what she said," Shea ranked the best "That's What She Said" in The Office in one of the essays. He set criteria, which you will probably agree with. He had also a thought exercise where he reimagined The Office characters as characters in a heist movie.
There's also a scouting report about the warehouse basketball game, like, how was he able to write 3,000 words about this scene???
The best essay for me is the one he called the nerdiest in the book. It's the part where he rationalized the office setup of The Office, i.e., the significance of Michael being in a separate room, Pam having a slightly different table than the rest, Andy, Phillys, and Stanley on a three-table setup, as were Oscar, Kevin, and Angela, and so on.
My second favorite essay is his breakdown of Pam's Art Show and how it developed Pam and Michael's personal relationship.
For me, that's just classic Shea Serrano.
I have finished CRFM in 2 days but I probably would have finished it in less than 2 hours. I keep on binge-watching episodes on YouTube every time Shea says something about a specific The Office moment. He's able to articulate thoughts about The Office you never thought you have. That's why you should read CRFM. And that's why you should binge-watch The Office again.
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Shea is I think I simply set my expectations too high as I recently finished "Basketball (And Other Things)" and "The Rap Yearbook." The art work is perfect and some are the chapters are great, but in other chapters (or "meetings"), it sort of feels like he is rambling about The Office without any real sort of direction. Also, like in "The Rap Yearbook," I believe Shea is burdened by having to adhere to a strict word count, so some of his ideas in certain "meetings" do not seem fully developed.
Shea is the man though, so it's definitely worth supporting him for $20. ...more
More importantly, after three books/projects from Shea Serrano, I think I'm ready to declare that he is just an all-around, capital-G Great writer. His ultra-plainspoken manner betrays the wit and sharpness behind everything he writes, and his meandering sentences evoke a less-burdened David Foster Wallace. That seems like a crazy comparison to make, except that maybe it's not all that crazy at
As good as it is short. A heartfelt tribute to one of the most endearing television shows of all time.More importantly, after three books/projects from Shea Serrano, I think I'm ready to declare that he is just an all-around, capital-G Great writer. His ultra-plainspoken manner betrays the wit and sharpness behind everything he writes, and his meandering sentences evoke a less-burdened David Foster Wallace. That seems like a crazy comparison to make, except that maybe it's not all that crazy at all.
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I probably wouldn't recommend this to people who aren't familiar with Shea's style - its not his BEST work, either. But I still had fun reading it.
I love Shea Serrano and might just buy anything he writes, ever. I also love the Office. So I love that Shea Serrano wrote a book about the Office. Its a fun project. The pictures are pretty also. And Jim Halpert is definitely hot, how could you even argue about this? Look at him???I probably wouldn't recommend this to people who aren't familiar with Shea's style - its not his BEST work, either. But I still had fun reading it.
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The first essay threw me because it was more or less a retelling of an episode I've already seen a million times. Unfortunately that kind of knocked it down a notch and I could never get past my "duh I knew that already" complex when reading the rest. I did enjoy the essays that were more analytical or played around with more opinion based rankings and overall it was a fun read.
Shea is a super nerd. Nerds are great.
The only criticism I have is that it's too small...that's what she said.
A series of fun essays about The Office from someone who very clearly 1. knows his stuff and B. loves the Office.The only criticism I have is that it's too small...that's what she said.
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FOH
Shea Serrano's essays are always enjoyable. He's great on Twitter, and in most of these essays, it transfers really well. The Office is great. This was a fun read.
oh hey, this counts as a book!Shea Serrano's essays are always enjoyable. He's great on Twitter, and in most of these essays, it transfers really well. The Office is great. This was a fun read.
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