So....a nice enough guy makes a long list of all the dullest tasks he can think of, and does them, mostly, and his life is still lovely and nothing really significantly changes because he happily admits he's a 'bit hopeless' at finishing (or indeed starting) these tasks. So he does all the boring things on his list, and takes the world's briefest trip to New York to buy a mug which he fails at, and he gets a tad arsey at an AOL account phoneline which he should have cancelled back in 2001.... let's put it this way. It's mercifully brief. The most interesting part is the actual To Do List which is at the back and swells the thin book by about 70 pages. We don't even get a full explanation of everything he did - some of these were added for the 'lolz'. Did he ever finish Tomb Raider 1 or read Watchmen? Who knows. Really, who cares?I'm not saying every story has to be a thrilling non-stop narrative of high adventure and gratuitous nudity. But come on...and if this is even part way based on his actual life, then I'm sure he's a lovely chap, really. But I would strangle him if we met within twenty minutes of his 'aren't I hopeless' schtick. So, its great he got on with his list. It's great he mostly finished it. It's just bizarre it was considered worth writing up. Back to some reading actual storytelling, then. The original book of 'Rock and a Hard Place' AKA '127 Hours' is going to be next. Harrowing, life and death and crucially, something will be at stake other than a dirty floor and mildly disappointed home life. Kind of meh. It was nothing special really but I did enjoy reading it. Wish it had been funnier, because that would have made it more "worth it". I got seriously annoyed with the main character sometimes, he was such a procrastinator. I think everybody are procrastinators, but he was an extreme one. Just do it! Some of the things were from years ago, come on! Anyway. If you would stumble upon it, read it, but otherwise I wouldn't recommend it.
What do You think about The To-Do List (2008)?
A simple, straight forward story. Something that you would love to read during free time.
—funhasarrived
If you're a list maker: read this! It's great!
—WBlue
A lot funnier than Gayle's latest novels.
—qtpiedenden
