Published in the US as “The Fireside Grown-Up Guides” and in the UK as “Ladybird Books for Grown-Ups” these amusing little books with their vintage Ladybird illustrations are great fun and make wonderful presents. Covering a range of topics they rarely fail to raise a smile, but essentially they’re not the sort of book that reward multiple readings so once read soon forgotten. Nevertheless, a laugh or even a smile is always worthwhile aiming for so I do in fact recommend them. This is definitely one of the funniest ones.

(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY)

RATING: 4 STARS

I loved Ladybird books when I was a child so when I saw there were books for grown-ups, I had to check them out. This book brought back memories as it kept the old-fashion feeling to them - pictures, writing and layout. I love the witty humour and it is a fun gift book to give out or keep for yourself.

A mixed one this, as while some of it is funny, either with the construct of Ladybird image alongside Ladybird-styled text or without, there are some very unfunny non-sequiturs, where they're definitely supposed to be sequiturs.

This would make a perfect gift for any adult involved in office life and “those” meetings. Pictures as some of us remember (and even then they seemed out of date!) and text to make you smile. Treated with a pinch of sarcasm, a hint of nostalgia and a large dose of hilarity this is a short easy, laugh out loud read. (I can’t put “lol” for a book that harks to the 1950’s!!)
I voluntarily chose to read this ARC and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

Once again, fun, but it went overboard a bit. I enjoyed this one more than some of the others in the series because who likes meetings?

These books are very well observed and stick to the style of the original educational books in a very humorous way. I have enjoyed everyone of these books that I have read and can highly recommend them!

A parody of the types of book that were available to children from the 1960's. Amusing stuff.

An Edgier and Spot On Ladybird

Many of the earlier Ladybird parodies go for predictable sitting duck targets - Husbands, Wives, Moms, even topics like Hangovers and the like. Sometimes they can feel more like anthologies of clever greeting cards. But many of the later books take aim at topics that haven't been overdone; topics like Mindfulness, the Mid-life Crisis, Hipsters, and so on. This book, addressed to the horrors of "Meetings", falls nicely into the latter category, and scores some acute and telling hits.

While still fundamentally good-natured and good-humored, these little mini-observations and pronouncements, which are teamed up especially well with the vintage drawings, strike a chord more often than not. Because each and every word is chosen with care, and because timing and tone is superb, this is one volume that particularly lends itself to rereading. A very nice effort.

For what it's worth, the books in this series are published in the U.K. as "Ladybirds for Grown-Ups". The "Fireside Grown-Up Guides" are now starting to be published in the U.S. by Simon & Schuster, and are fairly faithful adaptations. Either way you can find them, as Ladybirds or as Fireside Grown-Up Guides, these books are a hoot.

So, a cheerful bit of parody fun and a nice find. (Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

I work in a very corporate environment, and boy does everyone love meetings. Okay, maybe ‘loves’ is the wrong word. I should say they tolerate the mind-numbing time sucks that happen in conference rooms across America.

The authors The Fireside Grown-Up Guide to the Meeting get it.
While the illustrations are vintage-business and oh-so-innocent, the text itself is snarky, subversive, and very funny!
This is the kind of book you’ll want to buy for everyone in the office, except the person who actually calls all the meetings.
I have two (possibly three) meetings next week. And while I’m sitting there, thinking of everything else I could be doing, I’ll be thinking of this clever book and giggling to myself (in a totally not-manic way).

I hate meetings but I love this book.

As with all the books in this series we are given simple explanations about the topic with pictures from childhood Ladybird books and a simple but highly amusing explanation.

The series pokes fun at issues that we as adults take so seriously and it says things that we all think but which we are much too polite or proper to say out loud.

This book explores 'The Meeting'. Those never ending sessions at work where you all sit round a table, maybe on a regular basis, listening to someone go on about something that actually isnt really important.

And you sit there trying not to sleep, thinking about all the things you could have been doing with your time.

Of course some work meetings are vital and crucial for business, others are an utter waste if time.

Unfortunately if you don't turn up questions may be asked.

So the next guide we need is one on how to dodge boring meetings without being noticed. Funny and entertaining as usual.

Copy provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Very funny and enjoyable. A good office secret santa for next year!

The meeting was very funny for anyone whose worked in an office. My partner as a business analysts has to attend lots of meetings everyday so it was more funny to him as I read it aloud. I think this book would make a fantastic gift for the office professional in your life. It's amusing and punctuated with pictures which fit the statements although these weren't always in line on the kindle version.

Quite amusing. A gentle satire. Exposes the folly of many meetings. Will cause anyone who has sat through a stream of pointless meetings to chuckle.

Anyone who has ever worked in an office where meetings are part of the daily grind will find something they recognise here. The feeling that meetings are a way of avoiding real work? Check. The irritating person using the buzzwords? Check. The perennial IT issues that scupper presentations and video conferences? Check. In fact, this book will convince you that the authors have actually spent as much time in pointless meetings as you feel like you have.

This is one of the latest additions to the Fireside Grown Up Guides (in the UK we recognise them as the Ladybird children's books we all grew up reading and, indeed, the vintage illustrations are comfortingly familiar). Using the format of a children's book. large text is combined with full page pictures, but here the text is funny and wry and the focus is very much on drawing out the humour in the situation.

A recommended read for everyone who has felt the frustration of meetings!