“Anyone who doesn’t treasure the idea of being friends is either a cat or someone who recently became obsessed with home-brewing beer and can’t shut up about it.” (p. 100)
You Blew It: An Awkward Look at the Many Ways in Which You’ve Already Ruined Your Life (one of our October picks) by Josh Gondleman and Joe Berkowitz is for all of the cynics out there.
I read this book while commuting on the LIRR and found myself either laughing out loud or sympathizing with a sentiment on every page. Gondleman and Berkowitz are both so sarcastic – I loved it.
In fact, I tweeted at them right before I cracked it open, and this was the conversation:
The book was broken up into sections based on type of relationship/level of responsibility and highlighted just how delicate all of those relationships are (and how easy it is to mess them up).
If your sense of humor is sarcastic, this book is 100% for you. In case you’re not convinced, I’ve pulled some of my favorite quotes and listed them below.
“What really makes friends of friends worse than outright strangers is that you’re expected to get along with them.” (p. 11)
“Streaming movie services mostly exist to prove that if you’ve never heard of a movie, it’s for a reason.” (p. 99)
“Working for people you don’t respect is like riding public transportation: You can do whatever you want, but if things go badly, there’s no one around to help you, and eventually you’re going to get sick of the weird urine smells and want to leave.” (p. 114)
“Using leisure time for a museum visit is like buying a Gucci bag. It doesn’t make you better, but it does send the message that you’re better than other people.” (p. 190)
“The desire to be left alone and make financial decisions in peace is what leads to most awkward shopping encounters.” (p. 199)
Happy Reading!
Let us know your thoughts, and tweet to us @TheWriteTeach, with the hashtag #TWTBookshelf.
Live, Love, Learn,