Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A book that is both humorous and illustrative, which provides us with rules for almost every moment and place. It is up to each reader to follow Miss Flanagan's rules to the letter, modify them at will, or ignore them altogether.
What is certain is that the world would be a little better if we all followed some of the rules in this book, so thank you Miss Flanagan for your valuable contribution.

This was such a feel good book. Some of the rules were silly but we all have different thoughts on things. So going into the book go in with an open mind or you’ll be upset. This book honestly made me laugh so much because of how each rule was explained it’s full of so just humor and just a good time. I had a lot of fun reading this book and a lot of these rules I will be applying to my life. Love it!

4.5★s
488 Rules for Life: The Thankless Art of Being Correct is a non-fiction book by Australian comedian, Kitty Flanagan. This is a book born of a throwaway comment on TV program, The Weekly, about Jordan Peterson’s book, 12 Rules for Life. Flanagan says even she was surprised at how many rules she has. And here they are, organised into sections for easy perusal.

This is laugh-out-loud funny and readers should be especially warned against listening on public transport where uncontrollable giggles and guffaws might disturb other travellers. Also eating/drinking whilst reading parts of this may result in mishap, and readers with continence issues may want to take extra precautions.

Many of Flanagan’s rules will resonate with readers, although some might be a little contentious or at least thought-provoking. The narration by the author is, of course, excellent and she provides some extra content or amends/edits some rules, but anyone who has seen Flanagan on TV will have her voice running through their head when reading the print version. And the print version has the added bonus of clever illustrations by Tohby Riddle.

Personal favourites for this reviewer are:
GENERAL HUSE RULES: #2 Football jerseys are not art. Don’t frame them. And definitely don’t hang them on the wall.
THE BATHROOM: #14 Do not leave one square of toilet paper on the roll #20 No phone calls in the toilet.
THE KITCHEN: #23 Flog the dishwasher until it does the job properly.

EXERCISE GEAR: #37 Men must wear shorts over leggings. The gym is no place for people to discover whether or not you are circumcised. That’s a private discussion for another place and time.
KIDS TODAY: #87 Curb your use of the word “like”
DINING OUT: #150 Be polite to waitstaff. #154 Respect the non-drinker at the table. #155 Don’t punish the vegetarian.

ONLINE DATING RULES – FOR MEN: #196 Don’t list loving your kids as an attribute.
GENERAL PARENTING RULES: #216 Reserve the phrase “good job” for something worthwhile.
TATTOOS: #259 No butterfly or dolphin tattoos. This is because as your body sags and spreads you’ll soon find yourself sporting a dirty old moth in place of the butterfly, and where you once had a majestic dolphin leaping across your deltoid now there’s a sad, lumpy creature that looks more like a dugong.

ATTENTION, SUPERMARKET SHOPPERS: #300 Don’t be sucked in by this week’s “special buy” at Aldi. #301 Don’t collect plastic rubbish at the checkout. Supermarkets can call these things “collectables” but what they really mean is “useless bits of shit”. I can guarantee your limited edition set of miniature groceries will never appear on a future episode of Antiques Roadshow.

SOCIAL MEDIA: #329 Nobody wants to sign your change.org petition.
SPECIAL RULES FOR FOOTBALLERS: #361 Never assume a woman wants to have sex with you.
THE ZOO: #425 Birds plus a farm animal does not maketh a zoo.
THE FINAL RULE #447 Lower your expectations, that way you can never be disappointed.

Hugely entertaining.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Andrew McMeel Publishers.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

The cover of this book is simple but eye-catching.
The book was comical but informative and kept my attention all along.


I'd definitely purchase a copy and check out other books by the author.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this ebook.

488 Rules for Life by Kitty Flanagan is a funny and light-hearted book that tells you all these rules that we have to live by. Most of the rules will be already familiar to us, though that doesn't mean we follow them. It was much better than I expected.

I really enjoyed reading one!

I was provided an advanced digital copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley for review purposes, all opinions are my own.

Greatly enjoyed this! It was written in a fun, engaging and hilarious manner that made you want to devour the book in as few sittings as possible. I agreed with most of the rules and wish there were more! It turns out that things I thought were only in my head were not just in my head but experienced by other people too; be it inconsiderate acts, frustrating encounters, ridiculous fads and more. Highly recommended!

I wanted to love this book. I despise Jordan Peterson and the sound of his voice makes my blood pressure increase. I was hoping this would be humouroua and fun and I just felt annoyed for the most part.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

a fun version of "12 rules for life." in this one, the author covers a lot of topics and combines the advice with great humor, which was on point. there were some segments that truly i enjoyed and made me laughed out loud. on the other hand, there were others that i didn't care much for. overall, an entertaining read.

A light, fun book to read while the world is going up in flames. There were definitely some laugh-out-loud moments. I could relate and agree with some of her rules, but not others. I chose to read this in small doses as I felt like if I read it in one or two sittings it wouldn't be as funny. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This book is a joke! No, really - it started as a spoof bit Australian comedian Flanagan made mocking Jordan Peterson’s ‘12 Rules for Life’, and people started wondering why it wasn’t a real thing! There are way more than 12 rules for *anything*, was her point - and, after reading: I agree. Settle in for a good laugh, because this book has the quick answer for how to do everything right in life. It’s a tongue-in-cheek self help book that will make you giggle. And, because my parents just wondered whether or not my new apartment bathroom does or does not have a door, and that it needs a door if it doesn’t have one, because bathrooms just don’t not have doors - it’s also timeless: there are just some things that make life more bearable. And this list of hilarious ‘notes to self’ is, funnily enough, a testament to all of those things.

A good book to relax and laught with so much thing that we can relate.
Definitely a good present for this christmas.

I received an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Kitty Flanagan is one of my favourite comedians so naturally I had to read this book. I was not disappointed. It’s so funny and extremely relatable. I loved every part of it however was slightly disappointed when I discovered that there really were not 488 rules listed.. I happily would have read all 488 but oh well.

I’ve already bought copies of this book for members of my family for a little pick me up and to make them smile and laugh.

When comedian writes abook it is always funny. If it is not then check the author again.
It is a collection of 485 ways in which our circumstances leave us on wrong foot.
It is a funny take on normalcy of life and points out our lousiness in dealing with day to day life.
It tells in a hilarious way the things that we ought to stop doing while doing things daily in the name of routine normal life.
It is tickling and has incisive take on very fine details of things humans do daily.
It is divided into sections like sports, tv, date and many such real life scenarios.
A funny book that makes you feel like a stand-up comedian performing for yourself.

Pretty one. Some the rules actually make sense, some not so much. All in all, it was a quite refreshing read.

This is such a great book. I love lists, so that drew me to it, but the author's sense of humor kept me! I recommend this to anyone looking for a fun read!

Australian comedian Kitty Flanagan's book '488 Rules For Life' is such a laugh. It's full of quirky tips and funny observations. With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my digital copy.

First of all, I didn't think you could do a parody book of another book. But Kitty showed me it could be done. Kitty's first book, Bridge Burning and Other Hobbies, made me unashamedly chuckle out loud in public places (especially because I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Kitty herself). In comparison, this book felt a bit more patchy / less flow-y, but that should've been expected because the style of the book was different; it was less of a storytelling, and more of a collection of 'rules'.

I still chuckled in some places, although unfortunately I picked up the US version (I especially realised when it referenced Walmart instead of Woolies, and Macy's instead of Myer!), so I was distracted trying to imagine what the Aussie version would've been.

Anyway, it was still very entertaining (I'm a fan now!) and I will definitely pick up the next book Kitty writes.

the writer seems like a funless boring pathetic crabby person who is taking her irritation out in this book. its a whine list, nothing else. I thought the description was so amazing but the rules are stupid.