Review: The Book of Quotations for People Who Hate Quotations

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.