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gnasher81's review against another edition
4.0
Quite funny but reads more like a diary so there wasn’t much flow to it. In hindsight I would heed the authors advice to read it in small chunks!
wastelanderone's review against another edition
4.0
Funny, amusing and I am never having children, Not Even Once.
frickative's review
3.0
What Not to Do is a sequel of sorts to Danny Wallace's [b:Awkward Situations for Men|6949679|Awkward Situations for Men|Danny Wallace|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327450370s/6949679.jpg|7183961] (it was in fact originally titled, and remains entirely the same as [b:More Awkward Situations for Men|10793705|More Awkward Situations for Men|Danny Wallace|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1330697905s/10793705.jpg|15706249], which has understandably led to some negative reviews from readers who purchased both, believing them to be different entities.) The contents comprises a series of Wallace's columns from ShortList magazine, which are all essentially anecdotes on the sublime social awkwardness that arises in everyday life. If you've ever found yourself in a Mexican stand-off over pressing the button for a lift, or trying to find a polite way to check a cash machine after being told it's out of order - without, of course, implying that the previous user is too dense to understand the operation of said machine, there'll be something for you to relate to here.
I remember being fairly underwhelmed by Awkward Situations for Men, especially after really enjoying Wallace's other books (particularly [b:Yes Man|87804|Yes Man|Danny Wallace|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1368431349s/87804.jpg|950286], [b:Friends Like These|985113|Friends Like These|Danny Wallace|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1308966883s/985113.jpg|970608], and his joint ventures with [a:Dave Gorman|118549|Dave Gorman|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1352836765p2/118549.jpg]). I think at the time it was the structure that put me off - bite-size stories that begin, end and are largely forgotten within a couple of pages made it hard to really get stuck in and engaged. This time around, however, I was after something fairly light to read while on the go, so being able to leaf through a couple of chapters on the bus, over lunch etc. really suited me, and as a result I definitely enjoyed it more.
Most of the stories here raised at least a smile, many a chuckle, and a few outright laughter at 1am which is always a good sign. Wallace has a friendly, conversational tone that it's easy to amble along with. The framing is perhaps a little odd - it begins and ends with Wallace reflecting on life as a new father, and I was briefly worried that the whole book would be an attempt at illuminating insights on parenthood, but save for a few anecdotes on the sublime unfairness of his baby dining on the finest salmon while he and his exhausted wife subsist on Super Noodles, it's not a topic that comes up with any more regularity than his wife, friends or work. If you want a quick, easy read and also happen to be a socially awkward soul, you can't go far wrong here.
I remember being fairly underwhelmed by Awkward Situations for Men, especially after really enjoying Wallace's other books (particularly [b:Yes Man|87804|Yes Man|Danny Wallace|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1368431349s/87804.jpg|950286], [b:Friends Like These|985113|Friends Like These|Danny Wallace|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1308966883s/985113.jpg|970608], and his joint ventures with [a:Dave Gorman|118549|Dave Gorman|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1352836765p2/118549.jpg]). I think at the time it was the structure that put me off - bite-size stories that begin, end and are largely forgotten within a couple of pages made it hard to really get stuck in and engaged. This time around, however, I was after something fairly light to read while on the go, so being able to leaf through a couple of chapters on the bus, over lunch etc. really suited me, and as a result I definitely enjoyed it more.
Most of the stories here raised at least a smile, many a chuckle, and a few outright laughter at 1am which is always a good sign. Wallace has a friendly, conversational tone that it's easy to amble along with. The framing is perhaps a little odd - it begins and ends with Wallace reflecting on life as a new father, and I was briefly worried that the whole book would be an attempt at illuminating insights on parenthood, but save for a few anecdotes on the sublime unfairness of his baby dining on the finest salmon while he and his exhausted wife subsist on Super Noodles, it's not a topic that comes up with any more regularity than his wife, friends or work. If you want a quick, easy read and also happen to be a socially awkward soul, you can't go far wrong here.
halfmanhalfbook's review against another edition
4.0
Hilarious in parts, but not as funny as Awkward Situations for Men though.
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