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15 Books That Actually Could Have Been One Sentence

10/30/2018

15 Comments

 
Most books are built out of a single idea and build and build into a fabulous book with 300 pages of solid gold content.  Many of these books listed fall into that category, but I thought I would have fun whittling a few books I've read down to their VERY ESSENCE.  
Perhaps one day I will turn this listicle into a book of its own, where I delve into the very raw creative process of paring a book down to its very soul.  I could probably wring at least 200 pages out of it!

Okay, here are the results of that raw creative process:

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover:

My family was a hot hillybilly mess, and I got the hell out of there to do some book learnin'.

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers:
Hurricane Katrina really sucked.

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore:
Seriously, can you believe that we let women work with radium to make watch numbers even though jaws were literally falling out of mouths left and right?
​
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande:
Use checklists.

13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do by Amy Morin:
Look, just try to grow up a little bit, ok?

Troublemaker:  Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini:
Scientology is a crazy cult-like religion and Tom Cruise is insane.

PostSecret:  Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives by Frank Warren:
Actually, everyone is insane.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman:
Grumpy old men are people, too.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio:
Little boys with facial deformities are also people, too.  

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins:
Drunk people (are also people too but) don't usually make credible witnesses.  

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Love and euthanasia aren't always the best combination.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Yeah, it was a hard life back in the day, but for one week a month you could lay around in a tent while people fanned you, rubbed your feet and fed you grapes and such while you built meaningful female relationships.

Eat, Pray, Love:
Money + freedom = happiness.
​
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
Wow, Kevin was an awful human being, and readers should definitely think twice before procreating because you could have a KEVIN and then your life is over!

The Road by Cormac McCarthy:
Probably better to just die in the apocalypse.  

Please add to this listicle in the comments!


15 Comments
Ramona
10/30/2018 12:39:09 pm

Very good!! I've read many books and thought as I finished them, "That could have been sifted down to one thought and it took them 300 pages to say it!!!". You feel a bit cheated that so much time was wasted when they could just get to the point and write a column somewhere rather than a book.

Reply
Kimberly Scheirer
10/30/2018 12:49:40 pm

Yep, and although I'm glad that the world is full of readers and that there's money to be made from books, it's also a little frustrating when people really are simply fluffing out one concept to fill a whole book. Then again, it can be well done. 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do was actually this done right, because the author provided examples that helped illustrate her points.

Reply
Kiana G Nafziger
10/30/2018 01:15:18 pm

Awesome!

Reply
Kimberly Scheirer
10/30/2018 01:42:19 pm

Thanks!

Reply
Vicky
10/30/2018 02:35:44 pm

Best review of Eat Pray Love ever

Reply
Kimberly Scheirer
10/30/2018 02:43:31 pm

Thanks. Was trying to figure out a way to work Julia Roberts into the sentence, but I just couldn't make it happen.

Reply
Lolo
10/30/2018 03:02:36 pm

I'm going to try for the third time to get this to post. I should have copied and pasted my message. But this is all you get for now hahaha. I posted it on your Facebook page. On that one I don't have to do these silly picture things. Yes I'm a dork

Reply
Kimberly Scheirer
10/30/2018 03:32:29 pm

Haha hey it worked this time! I'll see if I have any control over the picture thing. :)

Reply
Omarosa
10/31/2018 04:38:37 am

The Joy Luck Club.

After their move to the western hemisphere, Chinese immigrant women struggle in relating to their American born daughters, obtaining little joy and experiencing no luck whatsoever.

Reply
Kimberly Scheirer
10/31/2018 06:56:45 am

I had been thinking maybe I should read that again since I last read it in high school and didn't retain it, but now I don't think I need to!

Reply
Sam
11/1/2018 08:47:38 am

Thanks for helping me avoid wasting many hours of my life!!!

Reply
Kimberly Scheirer
11/1/2018 09:46:13 am

You're welcome! Although some of them aren't a waste of time. (some are) :)

Reply
Tiffany
11/5/2018 07:36:56 pm

The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar. Being a prostitute in 18th century London is AWESOME and there's no way to make an honest living anyway.

Reply
Kimberly Scheirer
11/7/2018 08:28:15 am

Well that sounds dismal but interesting!

Reply
Tiffany
11/9/2018 05:39:28 pm

I gave it 1 star




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    Mom of four, wife of one.  By day I fund-raise with coffee, by night I read with wine and chocolate.  

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