This Book Will Change Your Life
Have you ever wondered what would happen if one day you waged war on a foreign country; secretly raised a dirty finger at everyone that passed you by; wrote the opening sentence to your debut novel; agreed to meet a stranger in ten years’ time; ordered an impossible pizza (with bananas, peas, ice cream, etc.); sent a message in Morse code from your window to see if anyone responds; or wr0te your last will and testament?
These are only some of the instructions to be found in the series This Book Will Change Your Life (subtitled 365 daily instructions for hysterical living). Each book in the series is a journal type book with daily instructions for 365 days of the year, on lavishly-designed pages, with an area allotted for your notes after you’ve fulfilled the task.
I’ve been fascinated with the concept of This Book Will Change Your Life, and last year I managed to get two of them — the original This Book Will Change Your Life and This Book Will Change Your Life Again – one from my favorite bargain bookstore, and another from Flipper friend Marie last Christmas. I flipped through the pages last December in preparation for 2010, as I’ve always meant to work on the books, although I tend to pick random pages on random days over the year.
Here’s a look at the instructions for “hysterical living” in the two books:
Discreetly give the finger to people all day.
Agree to meet someone in ten years' time
Get your face assessed for repairs at the plastic surgeon's or conduct transactions via barter
Lure a fly onto this page and swat it here
have a good cry
Return to childhood
Decide which organs you can donate
set a date with your high school sweetheart
it's Zombie Day!
Sing everything today
Fight for your right to party!
Enter the Nobel Peace Prize
The books propose that they will change your life, and I think they really could. The daily exercises make for a lot of interesting experiences, encouraging the reader to go out on a limb, try something new, or do something wild or even a little crazy.
The illustrations are fun and add to the attraction of doing the tasks, and make the documentation process (after doing the task) something to look forward to, rather than a chore to complete.
I’ve been doing some pages in the books, although I don’t go page to page as I’m still gathering the courage for some of the challenges in the books. Someday, I hope to complete both these journals, and I bet they really will have changed my life by then.
***
My copies: This Book Will Change Your Life and This Book Will Change Your Life Again, both trade paperback
My rating: both 5/5 stars!
*books 230-231 for 2009
Tags: challenges, daily instructions, graphic design, instructions, instructions for hysterical living, journal, novelty books, this book will change your life
February 1st, 2010 at 9:54 am
These books look amazing! I am so jealous.
February 1st, 2010 at 6:57 pm
I think they released a “Best of” book recently, with a white cover — I saw it at the bookstore tonight
February 1st, 2010 at 8:28 pm
What a riot! Have fun with them
February 1st, 2010 at 8:43 pm
I think I will, Jeannie!
Thanks
February 1st, 2010 at 10:22 pm
hahahaha. funny yun mga ipapagawa. gusto ko din yan. it will really change your life.
February 1st, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Haha, Ray-Ann, daring talaga yung iba, not for general consumption
February 1st, 2010 at 10:47 pm
That is hysterical! I have never heard of this book before!
February 1st, 2010 at 10:54 pm
Hi Sheila! The books are by Benrik, “authors of works of literary distinction at commonsense prices,” published under Penguin’s Plume imprint
February 5th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Hehe! Saw this too the other day and had a blast reading through the ideas. But this kind of book is not for me though.
February 5th, 2010 at 11:23 am
@Patrick – I like collecting these types of books