Really enjoyed this book. Great plot and engaging, believe characters. I was drawn right into the story. Would definitely recommend.

Title: 40 Humorous British Traditions



Author: Julian Worker



Genre: Nonfiction, British, Humor, Traditions, History.



Plot: If you want to learn more about other rich cultures (particularly the British culture in this case) but only have a few minutes everyday then the book 40 Humorous British Traditions is exactly what you need.



Written in short independent chunks that only take 5-10 minutes to read, this book covers some of Britain's more humorous traditions - ranging from Bog Snorkeling and Cheese Rolling to Turtle Rinsing in London and, of course, more traditional activities such as spitting and digging contests.



With a little something for everyone, this book is sure to please the historian and the humorist in your family in addition to teaching some fascinating cultural facts.



Likes/Dislikes: The British are not necessarily known for their sense of humor but this book might just change that. They definitely have some very unique traditions. This was a fun short read!



Rating: PG-13 and up, mainly for reading level.



Date Reviewed: January 4th, 2020



I received a copy of this book courtesy of Netgalley. I wasn't required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

Any book that includes a 'Squirrel containment officer' is a book I know i'm going to enjoy. I so very much wish that all of these traditions were real because I would make it my mission to go and watch each and every one of them and take photos!!

*Huge thanks to Julian Worker, BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

I didn't care for this book enough to finish it I'm sorry to say. I moved on after about a quarter of the book.

[Note:  This book was provided free of charge by Books Go Social/Net Gallery.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.]

This is a book that is aimed at a particular audience of which I happen to be part of, people who are fond of humorous books about people and animals who have a fondness for and a knowledge of Great Britain and its love of eccentric people [1].  As I happen to be a somewhat eccentric fellow and also someone fond of Great Britain, I found a great deal to appreciate here.  Those who are fans of wacky British comedy as well as the wacky true history of Great Britain are likely to find a great deal of enjoyment in this short book that comes in at under 100 pages and gloriously lives up to its title.  The author well understands that humorous traditions are made more humorous by involving animals, history, local color, and something that is odd but not entirely implausible, and these tradition fit the bill admirably.  One could see these traditions being part of inside jokes on BBC comedies in the future, hopefully with royalties coming to the author.

The author states at the beginning of this book that these traditions are all made up because he made them up himself, and to the author's credit these fake traditions are quite funny.  Most of them blend in some sort of reality, including the Anarchy, the War of the Roses, references to oddly named local towns, Shakespeare plays, and the like.  The author comments on imitating animals, throwing or shooting odd objects, creating wacky poems, and knitting fur from wild animals.  Some of the humor results from the made up traditions being close to real traditions, including the tossing of cricket stumps as opposed to caper tossing of larger logs, or the imitating of animals being suspiciously close to what is done by American duck hunters.  Other aspects of humor result from animal comedy like the walking of weasels or trying to lure donkeys with carrots in a race or the humor of laughing about people regarding romance and their lack of success in it.  Some of thus humor might appear to cut a bit too close to home, but the fact that the author appears not to be targeting any group of people in particular and appears to be making a joke about British eccentricity on a broad scale makes it much easier to go down.

In reading this book I was struck by what would be a good idea of a game.  There is a game where the player must distinguish between a real Welsh word and a made up Welsh word, the point of the game being that Welsh is such an odd language that it is difficult to distinguish between real Welsh and gibberish.  The game here would be to contrast the made up British traditions--which include homages to Wales and Scotland as well--with real but odd British traditions and see if anyone can distinguish between the real and the fake.  I am not sure if the author himself would be interested in creating such a game but given the hilarity of this book it would be an entertaining endeavor at least.  Any book that gives me the idea for something--like another book or a game or something of that nature--is doing a good job, and the author does a good job here.  This is a zany book full of odd eccentric made up people put in a context that is plausible because it includes a lot of genuine local color in Great Britain, and if that sounds as appealing to you as it is to me, you will likely find this book to be very humorous indeed.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016/03/29/book-review-c-s-lewis-eccentric-genius-reluctant-prophet-a-life/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017/11/14/book-review-heavy-weather/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017/11/14/book-review-summer-lightning/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016/07/28/book-review-althrop/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015/08/20/book-review-whats-wrong-with-the-world/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2013/12/05/what-i-found-in-my-pocket/

While rummaging through NetGalley, I came across this one. Again. Maybe the fifth time. I paid it little mind. Why would I? It held little promise. Plain as day, it just wasn't serious enough. Really? That thought echoed, "Serious enough for what?" I didn't realize I'd become my own victim. For that, I enjoyed a good laugh at my own expense. Not the first time. A most recognizable voice inside me demanded, "Get the book Paul." Expletive left out. I listened and finally came to my senses.

Now, about the book. Is it character-driven? - NO. Does it have a storyline? - same answer. The usual whodunnit, plots, twists and turns et al., well, there weren't any. So what was there? Fun storytelling with a pinch of balderdash - without an ending. Just what I wanted! Needed. A pleasant diversion - escape from the regular rigmarole I've grown accustomed to. Rigmarole.

So to Julian Worker, if you'll excuse me, I must say, "pip pip, tally ho and all that rot". Thanks mate for a jolly good read!

My thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this digital copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

I really like this book: it is entertaining and full of humour and curious stories of British tradition.
I recommended it if you want to be entertained and learn about some curious traditions at the same time
Many thanks to Netgalley and BookGoSocial

I chose this to read while driving to Florida, knowing there would be distractions. What a clever, thoroughly entertaining read. With so many dark, disconnected books and shows being published, it was a refreshing way to entertain myself over the mile s.