How Not To Read: Harnessing The Power Of A Literature-Free Life (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
I'm so disappointed. This book had all the potential to be a hilarious satirical take on books, but instead read like a high schooler trying desperately to be funny with anatomical jokes and countless references to being high. Books are funny enough without needing to resort to making stuff up out of thin air. There are so many great out-of-context quotations that could have been used, or biographical snippets of authors' lives, but instead we get lowbrow jokes that weren't even remotely funny. There's a venn diagram at one point in this book containing 'people who love books' and 'people who hate other people' and it is a circle, and that just makes me think the author is not a reader and completely misses the point of reading. My reading venn diagram is a circle of 'people who love books' and 'people who love people' and I think this book seriously misses that point. I wish this had been written by a book lover, not a comedian looking for laughs. (Also, the last two chapters have nothing to do with reading. If I wanted writing or college advice, I would have picked up a different book.) I'm just really disappointed--it's a great concept and I am a huge fan of BetterBookTitles, and I think I expected a lot better out of this. The book reminded me of art by Jackson Pollock.Hear me out.First reaction: my friends and I do this kind of thing all the time, this is a book?Second reaction: this is way more difficult to sustain than the short bursts of cynicism and silliness we produce. Third reaction: you're right, I couldn't have done this after all. At least not on this scale and with this consistency and exquisiteness.Fun fun book.
What do You think about How Not To Read: Harnessing The Power Of A Literature-Free Life (2012)?
Buy this book for a litnerd you love. He or she will appreciate it.
—Stine
You were right, Dan Wilbur. I shouldn't have read this book.
—ky7178
