Book Reviews

Reminiscent of TV reality shows such as Dragon’s Den and The Apprentice, ‘The Thursday Night Letters’ is a collection of the wacky inventions and products Munroe hopes will make him his fortune. Munroe clearly knows no limits and is fearless when submitting his ideas to the top leading bodies and agencies. Each letter is addressed to the top-dogs of agencies, from British Telecom to Buckingham Palace to Waitrose and Tescos, each idea complete with its own catchy brand name and reasons for their potential success. The tone set is always highly amusing and utterly ridiculous that can only leave you laughing out loud and wondering why so many companies actually bothered to reply to such requests. There are ideas ranging from the simply hilarious (the J-Lo Lilo, Pope-on-a-Rope) to the more controversial (Atheist Airlines), but all ideas put forward by Munroe say a lot about the society we live in, drawing attention to the ridiculousness of Chelsea Tractors and our obsession with celebrities. There is an element of Jeremy Clarkson’s ‘And Another Thing’; both Munroe and Clarkson satirize today’s modern culture. Munroe’s approach, unsurprisingly, can only be described as more up beat than Clarkson’s, where his sheer optimism and determination makes you find yourself egging him on, in hope that one of his ideas will prevail!!

Why, you might be wondering, is a pub concerned website reviewing a book about wacky inventions? Simple. Hands up now; how many of you have discussed those ridiculous ideas that you believe will make yourself downright rich? I myself have sat many a time in the pub with the boyfriend and his mates with them contemplating totally unfeasible creations. I would primarily say that this book is aimed at male audiences, particularly at those with an entrepreneurial mind, but being a Twenty-something female, I found the book highly amusing. I would recommend this book to anyone with any kind of sense of humour. Its sheer ridiculousness is enough to keep even the grumpiest reader entertained, but if you are still not convinced, I�ll give you a little taster. My favourite proposal, by far, has to be the Vatican Theme Park.

�Naturally there must be a strong religious element to the entertainment and facilities on offer. Suggestions so far include:

• Holy Ghost Train
• Pope-Mobile Dodgems
• Dante�s Inferno Slide
• Holy Roller Coaster
• Baptismal Log Ride
• Last Supper Restaurant
• Turin Shroud and Pillowcases in all hotel rooms.�

I cannot rate this book highly enough, and though I have tried, cannot find anything bad to say about it. It is just short enough to not drag on and become repetitive, but even so, I do hope that P. K. Munroe does bring out another collection. If you were still wondering what to get your Secret Santa, Father-in-Law or anyone this festive season, then here’s you solution (please note this book is not just for Christmas…also suitable for birthdays etc).