This Book Will Change Your Life Again! By Carey and Delehag (Plume paperback). Sequels are notorious for their propensity to flop. Riding on the coattails of their predecessor, Part Deuxs don’t usually make an attempt at merit by their own means; they exist only for sales. This Book Will Change Your Life Again! is no exception to that pattern. Following the cult success of the original (same title minus the “Again”), this second edition is mostly stale. This Book isn’t really a book, it’s a calendar — kind of. The 365-page binding contains 365 themed days (not attached to any calendar day). But most are neither funny nor plausible, which only leaves stupid in my bank of adjectives. For example: Cannibalism Day (eat someone you love), Hands Free Day (leave your hands at home) and Apply For A Job You Have No Chance Of Getting Day. This book is the perfect holiday gift for an ineffectual parent out of touch with a teenage son. If you are that ineffectual parent, order the first edition of the book; it’s at least worth a couple of laughs (i.e., Try To Collapse The Currency Of Bangladesh Day and Poison Your Bee By Giving It Asparagus Day). Jared Neumark
Do you like to read but wish you could get paid doing it? CL has writer openings for our short book reviews. Writing experience preferred. Send inquiries to jared.neumark@creativeloafing.com.
This article appears in Dec 28, 2005 – Jan 3, 2006.
