I discovered The Book of Quotations for People Who Hate Quotations at Amazon's Kindle store,
where it was free to download. But after reading it, I would happily
pay money for the joy of owning it. I definitely qualify as a
quotation-hater, and this book did not disappoint. I was all ready to be
angered by it -- sometimes, irony is wasted on me -- but by the end of
page one I was laughing with hysteria.
Usually
I'm a tell-me-a-story type of gal. I'm not into those books that are
nothing but anecdotes -- even a short story collection won't usually
turn me on. But I got into a mood where I just wanted some light reading
and light humor, and this book fit the bill perfectly. It pairs famous
and shopworn quotes from all the usual suspects -- Maya Angelou,
Confucius, Henry David Thoreau, old wives of note -- with snarky
comebacks that point to the failing in each well-accepted expression and
piece of trite advice.
The
book is divided into topic sections (Love, Kindness, Success, etc.)
filled with quotes and quips proving that even the world's greatest
thinkers only pretend to have all the answers. You won't find any
answers in this book (because there are none?), but you will find the
comedy in all the misery. In the end, this hateful Quotations book is exactly what it promises not to be: inspirational. And I do mean that in a good way.
All I can say at the end of the book is, when life hands you quotations...make lemonade. Then go out, sell the lemonade and show life who gets the last laugh.
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