As an occasionally obnoxious person who tries to talk his friends into strange activities, I was glad to read the autobiography of an occasionally obnoxious person (John Pollack) who talks his friends into doing something strange, and thus brings joy to the nation of Portugal. They built a boat out of wine corks, netting, a little wood, and a sail--then they rowed that boat down a river (the sail was kind of a bad idea).
This book also taught me about peripatetic pancakes, perhaps the best idea ever.