My thanks to NetGalley and publishers for a copy of “ You Couldn’t Make It Ip “ for an honest review.

I’ve just noticed this in my lists still awaiting reviews and was convinced I’d already sent one !
Looking at the date of publication possibly due to covid brain fog.
I love books like this and I’m sure I found it very amusing and enjoyable

An interesting insight into the minds of the great British Daily Telegraph reading public. Quirky and easy to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun and quirky collection of letters. It gives some pretty good insight on how the population of the UK felt about their Brexit situation, their government representatives, and the Covid pandemic. As someone from Canada who had a hard enough time keeping my head straight over the last few years, I never really looked into how other countries were fairing. It was eye opening and a mostly enjoyable read that elicited a few snorts of laughter.

This was intriguing to read and see what was worrying people or what they were making fun of such as COVID19 and lockdowns. Thanks for the review copy.

Absolutely hilarious! I love that people still write to newspapers even in these internet-enabled times.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

You Couldn't Make It Up...! Unpublished Letters to The Daily Telegraph edited by Kate Moore are letters sent to The Daily Telegraph in 2020, and so this is like a time capsule for 2020!

I thought this was so interesting to have a read through to see what people were making jokes or being worried about, and so a lot of the letters were about coronavirus and the lockdown.

 You Couldn't Make It Up...! Unpublished Letters to The Daily Telegraph  was published on 17th November 2020, and is available from  Amazon ,  Waterstones  and  Bookshop.org .

I couldn't find a link for where you could follow Kate Moore.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to  Quarto .

This was just an OK read for me. Some of the letters were mildly amusing but I often failed to find a lot of humor. It was best in small doses.

Very funny series of letters sent to the Daily Telegraph, Most of which were probably written in all seriousness. Fun read.

Funny and witty, the perfect 'coverage' of the start of the pandemic and how life had to change to adapt to it, amid all its foibles and intricacies. This is a quick read, reminiscent of those little quotes that pepper the Readers' Digest booklets. Irreverent at times, rollickingly funny at others, perplexing in some occasions, it is however a delightful little laugh and great to pass the time when one is looking for lighter fare

When I was younger, I loved looking at letters to editors from magazines like the Reader's digest. I do not remember which version we got, but they did have people from other parts of the world and fewer contributions from India locally. This changed over the years, and so did the humour, but I remember the excitement of figuring out the punchline.
This book brought back those memories. It begins with general letters followed by more specific politics related ones. I did not get the latter ones because I have little to no understanding of the British political system. I liked that they printed the letters from both sides of a viewpoint (sometimes).
It is a collection of people who thought they had something to say intelligently and sent letters in. They did not get into the newspaper but got collected instead and put into this book.
It is a relatively quick read, although it cannot be read in one sitting, each section probably can. I enjoyed the experience, found some funnier than others, but I think it will resonate more with Britishers. Funnily enough, the disease ravaging the world has put much of the world in the same boat(for the first time ever I'd say, given that during wars there are opposing sides), so I think I 'got' parts of some letters which I might not have on any good year.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

This book is basically what it says on the tin. Though it's more quotes than letters, as each snippet is, at most, 4 lines long. The subjects are wide ranging, covering Brexit, Covid, toilet paper shortage, spousal rivalry, etc.

Some of these are extremely funny, Readers Digest-style quotes. But a lot of them are just incredibly random, and feel like they were placed in here on accident.

I don't really know that there is an audience for this, but the bits that are funny are very funny, and I'm sure it would make a fine bathroom read.

I had very high expectations of this book of unpublished letters from readers of the Daily Telegraph because I love letters, and I love British humor, but this didn't do it for me. I think I was mildly enjoying the 1st section which was more related to covid and the home isolation and a lot of these were funny, but when it got to the politics and entertainment section, and it turned mostly into rants that I couldn't understand the context of, I lost interest.

I think I would've preferred if it focused on those letters relating to covid and lock-down and such, as it's more relevant and more telling of this era. But, sadly I didn't enjoy it that much.

I thank Netgalley for the digital ARC.

Very funny book. The things people do not write, lol. Good for some laughs during these trying times. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

From questioning a band’s name (based on the age of its members that includes Phil Collins, shouldn’t Genesis be renamed Exodus?) to negotiating with the Grim Reaper for an extra year (because “2020 will be a write-off”), there is something in You Couldn’t Make It Up...! for every taste.

Here is your chance to revisit the start of the pandemic before it all reoccurs again in real life in 2021.
“In the latest bout of coronavirus-inspired panic-buying, I’ve resorted to using lettuce leaves as an alternative to loo paper. Is this just the tip of the iceberg?”

Or you can use religious philosophy to explain the weirdness of 2020. Note to Americans, substitute ‘the election’ for Brexit in the quote below to achieve the same feeling as our British friends.
“It is said that those whom God wishes to destroy, he first drives insane. After Brexit and now the lockdown, I fear that I may be at the top of His list.“

Finally, try to find the glass half full (or at least not completely empty).
“Shops are being cleared of store-cupboard essentials, as people prepare to hunker down. I always knew we non-traveling, pasta-loving introverts would inherit the earth.“
“At last I have discovered one positive aspect resulting from this crisis. I am far better-looking when wearing a face mask.“

Many of us have more leisure time right now. If the cloudy skies of Winter and an absence of holiday social gatherings have made you a bit melancholy, You Couldn’t Make It Up...! is a good antidote. It will make you smile, giggle, and occasionally guffaw. 5 stars!

Thanks to Quarto, White Lion, and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

It has been awhile since I read a book like this and I don't think I've ever read one cover to cover. It is pretty much as expected but with a covid lean. That was possibly the most interesting part. It had the usual laugh out loud moments, eye roll comments and typical 'Karen' moans. A quick read which did the job.

This was such an enjoyable, funny read. This book highlights that most of us have more similarities than differences. I’m so happy someone decided to publish it. I loved laughing at some of these letters.

Such a fun read. Reading this makes one realise that no matter where in the world one lives, people, their reactions and habits are the same for many situations. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

On another note entirely, unlike my regular reviews of theological and art books, here's a funny one. Moore picks up the musings of Brits on lockdown, facing challenges, or just thinking about life in general. Utterly human and hilarious - the smiles you get from reading will keep you going when you're filling grim.

Recommended.

This is such a funny insightful book that really helps to sum up what we've been through in the last number of months. There are letters from the start of the year and it is really interesting to read where we've come from and remember some of the funny news in some wonderful satire. There were many times reading this I laughed out loud. This would be perfect as a Christmas gift for many different people within your life.

A book even a Yank can enjoy! While it may not pack quite as big a punch I still thoroughly enjoyed reading these letters to the Telegraph. Definitely needed a laugh while enduring 2020, this book provided a much needed respite. Touches on every subject you can imagine. Some funny, some spot on truth! All enjoyable!
Thanks Netgalley and Aurum for providing me with a complimentary copy. I voluntarily chose to review it. I also voluntarily chose to enjoy it!