My cousin is training to be a hairdresser and I went along to the salon where he's working and he gave me a new hair style for practice. John Self, the protagonist of Martin Amis's Money called it 'having a rug-rethink'. Self is the ultimate consumer. At the time it was written, nobody used the word 'sustainable' like they do now. Self's life is [unsustainable]{style="font-style: italic;"}. Not just environmentally though, his life simply cannot carry on in the same manner for long. All the time you're reading it you just know it's all going to come crashing down.

Money is one of those books that's always appearing in the top 100 of this and that. Jim, a temp at work, said it's one of his favourite books. I noticed it on the shelf at my aunt's boyfriend's house. It just kept [appearing]{style="font-style: italic;"}.

The book is incredibly well written. It's just bang on with its [rug]{style="font-style: italic;"}s and [sock]{style="font-style: italic;"}s. Brilliantly clever; the writing is just in a different league to most books. Very funny as well as clever. At one point Self is explaining how someone has a quick temper. He says, 'for him, [every]{style="font-style: italic;"} straw's the last straw. The [first]{style="font-style: italic;"} straw is the last straw.'

Amis makes highly effective use of italics. In homage I've used [lots]{style="font-style: italic;"} of italics in this post.