What we're reading: The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs

A.J. Jacobs is jealous of his father.

His dad has a handful of degrees, twenty-something books to his name, and a schmoozer's ability to socialize.

A.J. is a germophobe, he's not particularly socially adept, and, let's face it, he's a giant nerd.

His dad one time set out to read the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica. He didn't get through it.

So A.J. decided he was going to.

And he did.

The Know-It-All details the younger Jacobs' roughly year-long journey through 44 million words over 33,000 pages of tiny type. He picks out interesting items and weaves in anecdotes from his life – his irritatingly intelligent brother-in-law, he and his wife's troubles trying to have a baby, his appearance on Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Jacobs finds running themes – fetishes, famous people who marry their cousins, beheadings – and finds a disturbing number of entries that intersect his life at any given time.

The book is occasionally funny, frequently cheesy, and a great read that will teach you a lot of things you never knew you wanted to know. And also a lot of things you wish you didn't.

Also, it includes this quote from Horace Mann – twice – so be sure to read the book.

"Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity."