Pick up Jones' unique book for funny stories and great illustrations (Plume).

 In the "Post-It Note Diaries: 20 Stories of Youthful Abandon, Embarassing Mishaps, and Everyday Adventure" Arthur Jones takes storytelling to a whole new level. He lets others write their stories of life, whether it be about relationships, accidents, or escapades while he provides a side-by-side account of the story on Post-It notes.  

How did the idea to create this book come about? While Jones was working at a Chicago marketing company, his artistic side began to make use of his access to Post-It notes and he began to obsessively draw on them. Around the same time, his producer friend, Starlee Kine, asked him to particpate in a literary event. Jones agreed to share a story but felt that illustrations needed to accompany it.

When he presented his story at the event, he clicked through a Powerpoint of Post-It notes that illustrated his stories and the audience loved it. Years later, Kine and Jones held another literary event called the Post-It Note Reading Series, an experiement centered around the same idea that Jones had much earlier, and from there, the rest is history! 

The idea of a Post-It note diary seems wacky, but the book is actually far from it. Twenty short stories are included and the number of A-list contributors is extensive: Andrew Bird, John Hodgeman, David Rakoff, Chuck Klosterman, Starlee Kline, Kristen Schaal, and Mary Roach. This list allows for varied stories, and surprisingly, most focus on events that occur daily. These can range from a description of a childhood accident during recess, to a bargaining session between two men on a subway. However, there is one story that is not as likely to occur just any normal day: an encounter with Nicolas Cage in his home--no spoilers here though! 

As simple as these stories may seem, the contributors enlist many details in their stories so that the reader can become immersed in one particular event in a person's life, and as short as these stories are, the reader will not be left feeling unsatisfied, as if there was more the writer could elaborate on in order to keep the story going. Each story flows in its own way and wraps up nicely so that we are provided with stories of pure enjoyment that can give us a quick laugh during our downtime. 

The most delightful part about this book is the way the stories take on a playful outlook on life, and with the combination of Post-It notes, the 213-page book becomes more of an enjoyable read, especially for those who don't have the time to keep up with a plot-intense novel. Besides, who doesn't like reading books with illustrations? 

Reach staff reporter Essencejoy Evangelista here.

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