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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
funny
medium-paced
challenging
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
I already adore the film and this rekindled that. Nothing crazy in terms of plot or characters etc - just a funny and energetic account of Danny’s year saying yes to everything. Inspired me to grab life by the horns! I will probably read this book many times over.
I borrowed this from my friend Jen because I was looking for something fun to read. It's a bit slow when it starts but amazingly enough, it made me laugh out loud several times and I learned something. I'm going to start saying yes more too. Perhaps I won't be chased by a giant lizard, hypnotized by a dog, or conned by Albert Heijn but I think my life will become a lot more rewarding.
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
It’s been a long time since I last read Yes Man, but it’s had a lasting impression. In the intervening years, I’ve picked up every Danny Wallace book that happens to have come across my path. (At a quick count, that’s at least three other titles which I’ll get around to reviewing one of these days.) I’ve liked them all, but none of them have made me laugh like Yes Man did. Now that I’m so much older, I did worry that it wouldn’t have the same effect, but I’m glad to report that it did.
Yes Man made me laugh out loud several times, but the book isn’t just a comedic autobiography, though that was certainly what I remembered about it. It surprised me, this time, by also being a genuinely touching love story, and a satisfyingly tricky whodunnit. (I was convinced I was right about that, and when I turned out not to be, the clue was right there all the time!)
And Danny Wallace’s quest to say 'yes’ to absolutely everything also made me think about the 'yes'es in my own life. There haven’t been too many of those this year, what with working from home and social distancing rules preventing me from traveling to see my friends, none of whom live close enough for me to walk to. Still, I was able to find some, which added a nice uplift to my mood.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use
Danny Wallace is in a slump. Recently single, he finds himself retreating from social circles, to the point where he always has an excuse not to go out. But when a stranger on a bus advises him to "Say yes more," Danny takes this a step further by deciding to say yes to everything. For a whole year. This includes scam emails, trips abroad, meeting boring colleagues and saying Yes to more projects at work...
I read this book back in 2011. Reading it now in 2020, I enjoyed it just as much. The book is filled with genuinely hilarious situations and Danny's commitment to saying Yes is both slightly horrifying and inspiring. This book teaches you that you don't have to be stuck in an unhappy circumstance, that you can take charge of your life and make it a more positive experience. I don't think I'll be saying Yes to lending money to Nigerian Princes, but I feel more inspired to grab experiences before they pass you by.
Woven into the book is also a sweet love story, which is made even sweeter by how it's a true story! This was such an enjoyable read, with lots hilarious hijinks and an overall great message.
I read this book back in 2011. Reading it now in 2020, I enjoyed it just as much. The book is filled with genuinely hilarious situations and Danny's commitment to saying Yes is both slightly horrifying and inspiring. This book teaches you that you don't have to be stuck in an unhappy circumstance, that you can take charge of your life and make it a more positive experience. I don't think I'll be saying Yes to lending money to Nigerian Princes, but I feel more inspired to grab experiences before they pass you by.
Woven into the book is also a sweet love story, which is made even sweeter by how it's a true story! This was such an enjoyable read, with lots hilarious hijinks and an overall great message.
Skystai ir nuolat tas pats per tą patį. Deja, vertimas labai sugadino skaitymo kokybę, tai jei jau skaitysit, skaitykit angliškai. Iš pradžių norėjau vertinti 2 žvaigždutėm, nes tikrai nervino skaityt kažkokii durno anglo nuotykius, bet pabaiga ištempė 3.
If I hadn't already known, I wouldn't have thought this book was nonfiction. It was unputdownable and laugh-out-loud funny.
This was a bit of a let down for me. Overall, I DID really enjoyed the book, but I felt that it just dragged. I would definitely recommend this to friends, but I wouldn't read it again.
My favorite lines:
"...make a note of all the times you could have said yes to something. And junk about where that yes could have led you. It might come in handy one day."
"I ha-haed, probably a little too ha-hard..."
"But sometimes to look forward, you had to look back."
"If there were such a thing as the Grown-up Scouts, I'd probably get a badge for that."
"Sometimes the biggest risk is never taking one!"
"Sometimes inspiration comes from the strangest places. Even the ordinary can be magical. Be open to it.”
“It’s incredible what can happen…when you allow it to."
“It was maybe thirty-five degrees, and I was sweaty and my boxer shorts already appeared to be trying to attempt an expedition of their own, exploring areas of my body usually reserved for someone with a qualification.”
“Take the stupidest thing you’ve ever done. At least it’s done. It’s over. It’s gone. We can all learn from our mistakes and heal and move on. But it’s harder to learn or heal or move on from something that hasn’t happened; something we don't know and is therefore indefinable; something which could very easily have been the best thin in our lives, if only we’d taken the plunge, if only we’d held our breath and stood up and done it, if only we’d said yes.”
My favorite lines:
"...make a note of all the times you could have said yes to something. And junk about where that yes could have led you. It might come in handy one day."
"I ha-haed, probably a little too ha-hard..."
"But sometimes to look forward, you had to look back."
"If there were such a thing as the Grown-up Scouts, I'd probably get a badge for that."
"Sometimes the biggest risk is never taking one!"
"Sometimes inspiration comes from the strangest places. Even the ordinary can be magical. Be open to it.”
“It’s incredible what can happen…when you allow it to."
“It was maybe thirty-five degrees, and I was sweaty and my boxer shorts already appeared to be trying to attempt an expedition of their own, exploring areas of my body usually reserved for someone with a qualification.”
“Take the stupidest thing you’ve ever done. At least it’s done. It’s over. It’s gone. We can all learn from our mistakes and heal and move on. But it’s harder to learn or heal or move on from something that hasn’t happened; something we don't know and is therefore indefinable; something which could very easily have been the best thin in our lives, if only we’d taken the plunge, if only we’d held our breath and stood up and done it, if only we’d said yes.”