Talk to the Hand: The Utter Bloody Rudeness of Everyday Life (or Six Good Reasons to Stay Home and Bolt the Door)

by Lynne Truss | Humor |
ISBN: 1861979339 Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingem64wing of Tampere, Pirkanmaa / Birkaland Finland on 1/7/2006
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13 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingem64wing from Tampere, Pirkanmaa / Birkaland Finland on Saturday, January 7, 2006
From the back cover:

"Talk to the Hand is not a book about manners or etiquette. It is about the rudeness of the modern world, and the sense of outrage that infects us every day as we discover that other people are - generally speaking - crass, selfis, and inconsiderate. That man just dropped a cigarette packet on the floor. Should you do anything? You say to the shop assistant, "Can you tell me the price of this? There doesn't appear to be a label", and she says, "What do you think I am, a psychic?" In her follow-up to Eats, Shoots & Leaves, Lynne Truss asks why rudeness is a universal flashpoint and examines specific sources of affront."

Will be offering as bookring. Here are the participants in random order:

myntti (Tampere)
msaari (Tampere)
Potok-fan (Turku)
lunatum (Oulu)
semming (Vantaa)
twicky (UK)
candy-is-dandy (UK, surface mail if outside Europe)
chich (France, international shipping)
Ftarazu (Portugal)
LilB (Japan, internation shipping)
jennikj (Wisconsin, USA, international shipping)

Journal Entry 2 by wingem64wing from Tampere, Pirkanmaa / Birkaland Finland on Sunday, February 5, 2006
Finally, somebody has guts to say that rudeness is bad and manners are good :-) Many a times I noticed that I was nodding in agreement while reading. Sometimes it was perhaps a bit exaggerated but still, I enjoyed reading the book. It really does not hurt anybody to show some consideration to others, does it... Of course, it puts a bit of pressure on me too as I need to keep an eye on my own manners now that I have publically said that I support good manners :-)

Journal Entry 3 by myntti from Tampere, Pirkanmaa / Birkaland Finland on Wednesday, February 8, 2006
I got the book at the monthly meet-up today. Thanks, em64.

Journal Entry 4 by myntti from Tampere, Pirkanmaa / Birkaland Finland on Wednesday, March 8, 2006
I think I'm on my way of becoming a "grumpy old woman", because I can name about twenty things that drive me nuts. (People who chat in the cinema are near the top of the list.) As it says in the book, Talk to the Hand isn't trying to be more than a big rant - Lynne Truss doesn't try to find solutions to these problems. I didn't find this book quite as interesting as Eats, Shoots & Leaves, but it was fun to read through. Thanks for the bookring, em64.

Journal Entry 5 by msaari from Tampere, Pirkanmaa / Birkaland Finland on Monday, March 13, 2006
Excellent read. Maybe not as interesting as Eats, Shoots & Leaves, but equally well-written and witty. Count me in the grumpy old people club. It's a nice rant, but fortunately Truss isn't totally in the "good old days" camp...

Journal Entry 6 by potok-fan from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Friday, March 17, 2006
The book arrived in the mail today - thank you msaari.

Journal Entry 7 by potok-fan from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Friday, March 24, 2006
I learned something interesting from the linguistic study of pragmatics: there are two types of complaining. One, which linguists call “a complaint”, is often actually an indirect request: We complain in order to get something changed or fixed. The other kind of complaining is called “a whinge”. This is when you complain just for the sake of complaining.

People whinge about the weather. Employees whinge together about how mean their boss is, how they are underpaid, and about the awful food served in the cafeteria. If you tell your friend or your spouse you are underpaid (“whinging”), all you are expecting is for them to agree and feel sorry for you. But if you tell your boss you are underpaid, this is a “complaint” – you are basically asking for a higher salary.

When I heard about this linguistic distinction I realized that I’m often not very good at whinging. I want things to be fixed! I quickly get frustrated at whinging – why can’t we find a way to do something? Well, this book is whinging. The author warns that it’s not a book of etiquette, it’s not going to give us the answers, it’s just one whinge after another about how rude people are these days. And so I have to confess I found it too frustrating and depressing to finish reading it!

Still, I want to thank em64 for setting up this ring. I was glad for the chance to try out the book, even though I chose not to finish it. I have already PMd for lunatum’s address, and hope to get this mailed off to Oulu soon.

Journal Entry 8 by potok-fan from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Friday, March 31, 2006
Posting to lunatum today. Thanks again, em64, for letting me join the ring, and myntti and msaari for passing it along promptly.

Journal Entry 9 by lunatum from Savukoski, Lappi / Lappland Finland on Tuesday, April 4, 2006
The book arrived yesterday. I have four other ring books ahead of this so it may take a while before I can read this.

Journal Entry 10 by lunatum from Savukoski, Lappi / Lappland Finland on Tuesday, May 2, 2006
I've never read a book like this. And I was really positively surprised; I liked this book very much. Actually this was the first time I heard about Lynne Truss.
I think I'll add Eats, Shoots & Leaves to my wish list.
Thank for organizing this ring!

The book is on its way to Vantaa.

Journal Entry 11 by Semming from Jyväskylä, Keski-Suomi / Mellersta Finland Finland on Wednesday, May 3, 2006
Arrived today, thanks! Can't wait to start reading... :)

Journal Entry 12 by Semming from Jyväskylä, Keski-Suomi / Mellersta Finland Finland on Friday, June 2, 2006
I went to the post office today to mail this book and just outside the doors there was a group of girls. They were talking lively and looked very nice, when suddenly one of them casually TOSSED AN APPLE CORE on the sidewalk! I mean, Finland has a reputation of being a clean country, there was definitely no litter visible, nobody else was throwing stuff on the floor and there were litter bins all around. So why on earth did she feel like it was perfectly ok for her to throw an apple core to the sidewalk for people to tread on and somebody else to clean up! It looked like she was a foreign tourist, but I still had a big urge to whack her on the head with this book. :)

Thank you for sharing this book, it was an "entertaining" read and I agreed with every single word. My partner often looks at me oddly when I'm boiling over some rude behaviour (such as people smoking at my face or not thanking for opening a door to them) and it is so healing to hear that I'm not alone. :D

Journal Entry 13 by Twicky from Twickenham, Greater London United Kingdom on Monday, June 5, 2006
The book has arrived safely with me in England. We're all extremely polite :P Really looking forward to it. Will try to read within the next week or so. Thanks, Twicky.

Journal Entry 14 by Twicky from Twickenham, Greater London United Kingdom on Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Finally finished, what utter rudeness hanging on to this for such an extended time!

I was quite entertaining, although not as good as "Eats, Shoots and Leaves". I could identify with a lot of the material. I don't really know if I agree that things are getting worse - perhaps in our more open society they are just becoming more obvious.

Anyway I am a devotee of politeness, deference, kindness and generally trying to be cognisant of the existence of others on the planet. I've even gone out of my way to pick up litter, but nothing happened to me whilst I was down there!

Journal Entry 15 by jelliebaby on Sunday, July 30, 2006
Thanks Twicky - it arrived safe and well and I really didn't mind waiting for it as I had plenty to be doing/reading etc.

I look forward to reading it and leaving it round the house in obvious places in the hope that my 15 year old grumpy, self-centred son might pick it up and learn something. Sorry, for the rant but this arrived at a very pertinent time in my household - teenagers hmmmph!!

Journal Entry 16 by candy-is-dandy from Great Bardfield, Essex United Kingdom on Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Ooops - just noticed I'd journalled this when logged on as my daughter and it should have been me (yes, I have to update her page too - well it was my idea she had one). This is actually with me, not jelliebaby. Still to be read (soon).

Journal Entry 17 by candy-is-dandy from Great Bardfield, Essex United Kingdom on Sunday, November 5, 2006
Thank you for sharing this book em64. I really enjoyed Eats Shoots and Leaves so was really looking forward to this one. Though I agreed with a lot of the annoying, rude situations mentioned in the book I didn't find it as good as her previous book. In fact there was a lot in it I forgot almost immediately.

The book did justify me in continuing to be polite and respectful to everyone (except some cold callers) - I open doors, say thank you to shop assistants and pick up litter. Having just read Twicky's comment again - I now get his reference to picking up litter and nothing happening to him. I wonder how he'd have reacted if it had!!

Journal Entry 18 by chich from Ibiza - Sant Antoni de Portmany, Illes Balears/Islas Baleares Spain on Saturday, November 11, 2006
Image hosting by Photobucket I found this book in my mailbox this morning after returning from a lovely two-week holiday:) Thanks for passing it on Candy-is-dandy! And thanks so much for the beautiful postcard, too! Apologies for the delay accepted;)

I'll finish the book I'm reading right now and will get right on to this one:)

Journal Entry 19 by chich from Ibiza - Sant Antoni de Portmany, Illes Balears/Islas Baleares Spain on Saturday, November 18, 2006
An excellent read,I really enjoyed Truss's style and wit! You're absolutely reight em64, finally someone has the guts to stand up for good manners, it was high time! Count me in the "Grumpy old BookCrossers Club":) There are so many things out there that drive me mad, I can't even begin to make a list!! I'm on a ring for Truss's "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" and I can't wait to read it!

Thanks a lot for sharing em64

The book is already on its way to Ftarazu in Portugal, enjoy!

Journal Entry 20 by potok-fan from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Wednesday, November 29, 2006
I hope I will not be considered rude in interrupting this thread briefly to point out a link which maybe many of you have already seen... I myself only just discovered it today, and it seemed appropriate for readers of this book: a video by The Helsinki Complaints Choir.

Journal Entry 21 by Ftarazu from Ovar, Aveiro Portugal on Monday, December 18, 2006
With me now! Looking forward to start reading it!
Thanks chich!

Journal Entry 22 by Ftarazu from Ovar, Aveiro Portugal on Thursday, January 25, 2007
I liked the idea of the book but at I think it is a bit exaggerated. There are some things that I agree with, like saying thank you or excuse me, etc but some of them are way to much. I also agree with the mobile talking in the trains and that people don’t care anymore who is listening (and normally we get to know the entire life story of the person, which is quite annoying). But about the opening of doors, I don’t know but whenever I do that people thank me, and I mean, is not like the Portuguese are the most educated people on earth! My favourite chapter was “My bubble, my rules”. Its true that people nowadays feel like being at home everywhere and specially in the cinema, that really pisses me of… I get so annoyed when people are talking about their life (or about what is going to happen next in the movie) out loud! But in general, I don’t think is that bad as the book pictures it, I think there are still some nice people…

Waiting for an address!

Journal Entry 23 by Ftarazu at Ovar, Aveiro Portugal on Friday, December 17, 2010
This book was sent today as a Christmas trade.....

Hope you enjoy it! It is a fun read.

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Journal Entry 24 by PaiNatal at Lisboa - City, Lisboa (cidade) Portugal on Monday, December 20, 2010
This book is travelling as a trade for the Christmas Book Exchange organized by the Portuguese Santa Claus.

Merry Christmas! Festas Felizes, HO HO HO!

Journal Entry 25 by aonja at Vila Nova da Barquinha, Santarém Portugal on Tuesday, December 21, 2010
E chegou a este porto de abrigo.

Obrigada

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