Saturday 4 April 2020

Ms Manners

Before the global pandemic I finished a number of books, but in the past month I have lost my reading-and-blogging mojo. Living constantly in the present, I almost forget what I was doing BC (Before COVID-19). In an effort to get my groove back, I thought I would try and get back to writing about the books I enjoyed before this mess, and find my way back to reading again.

I borrowed comedian Kitty Flanagan's 488 Rules for Life from the library as an escape from some of the more serious literature I was reading. Written as a response to Jordan Peterson's 12 Rules for Life - Flanagan could not imagine there were so few rules to guide one's life by so set out to compile her own. In this delightfully witty book, Flanagan has listed an extensive array of rules for work, home, shopping, relationships, travel, caring for loved ones, eating and so on. In doing so she points out some simple truths like 'don't lie about your age' (R45), 'don't offer up cliches as advice' (R28) and 'cushions are not spiritual advisers' (R26).

Kitty Flanagan writes with a wry humour - poking fun at some sacred cows (sports, weddings and gender-reveal parties) - and making rules related to many of my own pet peeves.  Many of the ideas are ones that would make the world a nicer place if everyone followed them and acted politely. 

Flanagan left plenty of space at the back for the reader to add their own rules. Given the poor behaviour of many Australians during the onset of the pandemic, I would now add rules about only buying what you need (no hoarding toilet paper!), social distancing (get off Bondi Beach!) and washing hands (seriously, did people not do this BC?).