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Surreal shaggy dog story in the great British tradition. Makes valid points about social media and less a manual than a diversion. Needs more Humpty.
I normally find everything James Acaster does hilarious, but this really didn't work for me. I think because I was hoping it would be about Actual James Acaster Actually Quitting Social Media, but instead it's an increasingly bizarre narrative about fictional James Acaster going to ridiculous lengths to cut himself off from social media and it just...doesn't quite work. It's funny at first but the longer it goes on it becomes tiresome instead.
giving this a bad review pains me physically, something just didn’t hit right for me, i love his comedy this book just wasn’t for me.
Pure surrealist hilarity. Enjoyed every second of it. If you're new to James Acaster, I'd suggest listening to it on tape because otherwise you'll think he's a lunatic and that I'm a lunatic as well for recommending it. This book is basically seven James Acaster stand-up specials in a human centipede.
P.S. I am a certified James Acaster fanatic so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
P.S. I am a certified James Acaster fanatic so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
slow-paced
funny
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
medium-paced
3.5!
‘It really is amazing how quickly one can take to being a liar.’
We all know I’m a biiiiiig James Acaster fan, so I’ve been dying to read his second book, James Acaster’s Guide to Quitting Social Media: Being the best YOU you can be and saving yourself from loneliness, Volume I. His first book, Perfect Sound Whatever, was one of my favourite reads of 2020 and quite frankly the best music journalism I’ve read in a long time, so I was going into this one with some solid expectations. And that is always a problem. Fans of his four-part Netflix special Repertoire will fucking LOVE the Guide to Quitting Social Media. It’s Acaster getting back to his trademark absurd whimsical lunacy, but if you go in expecting any kind of memoir with genuine tips to help you actually save yourself from loneliness, I’m afraid to say there is not a sincere word about his experience of living purposefully offline to be found. Maybe it’s Pat Springleaf’s though…
None of this is to say that what you get isn’t good, because there are some hysterically funny lines and scenes drawn, but you really have to be in the mood for the nonsense and in my first sitting I think my capacity for it peaked after about two hours. I found my second helping of the audiobook much more enjoyable, as I knew what I was getting into. I do wonder if reading on-page would have changed the experience, but I’m very used to listening to Acaster’s voice on podcasts and other audiobooks so I was keen to listen to his narration anyway, and it really is excellent — his energy is as frenzied as the content, which strikes the perfect tone for this.
Inclined not to think there’ll be a volume II (and doubt there’d ever been plans for one in the first place), but whatever he does next, I will welcome whatever springs from James Acaster’s bonkers mind heartily.
‘It really is amazing how quickly one can take to being a liar.’
We all know I’m a biiiiiig James Acaster fan, so I’ve been dying to read his second book, James Acaster’s Guide to Quitting Social Media: Being the best YOU you can be and saving yourself from loneliness, Volume I. His first book, Perfect Sound Whatever, was one of my favourite reads of 2020 and quite frankly the best music journalism I’ve read in a long time, so I was going into this one with some solid expectations. And that is always a problem. Fans of his four-part Netflix special Repertoire will fucking LOVE the Guide to Quitting Social Media. It’s Acaster getting back to his trademark absurd whimsical lunacy, but if you go in expecting any kind of memoir with genuine tips to help you actually save yourself from loneliness, I’m afraid to say there is not a sincere word about his experience of living purposefully offline to be found. Maybe it’s Pat Springleaf’s though…
None of this is to say that what you get isn’t good, because there are some hysterically funny lines and scenes drawn, but you really have to be in the mood for the nonsense and in my first sitting I think my capacity for it peaked after about two hours. I found my second helping of the audiobook much more enjoyable, as I knew what I was getting into. I do wonder if reading on-page would have changed the experience, but I’m very used to listening to Acaster’s voice on podcasts and other audiobooks so I was keen to listen to his narration anyway, and it really is excellent — his energy is as frenzied as the content, which strikes the perfect tone for this.
Inclined not to think there’ll be a volume II (and doubt there’d ever been plans for one in the first place), but whatever he does next, I will welcome whatever springs from James Acaster’s bonkers mind heartily.