Conspicuous consumption

I finished The Likeness today, and like any good novel, it made me think. I don't usually expect that from mysteries, but Tana French doesn't seem to write your average mystery. A group of friends in the book get together and live the simple life, without all the usual striving for more stuff, more money, etc. First, it made me miss my group of friends, because it's just not that often that you find people who you feel so totally yourself around, you know? And then it made me think about what I want from a job, because what do I want from life? Mostly, I think of jobs in terms of paying the bills, but if I really simplified my life, how much money would I need? What would I do if I could do anything? Too many questions. This is why I should stick to watching TV.