When a synopsis tells me a book is about certain things, I'm generally going to be interested. Among those things is bookshops and bookshop owners, hence the reason I picked up Twenty-one Truths About Love. It being written in a list format was also intriguing, I've read books in prose before, which seemed similar, so I was interested.

However...

Twenty-one Truths was an exasperating reading experience, very nearly a DNF, and is most assuredly not a book I can recommend.


What I Didn't Enjoy


1. Dan's constant lying to his wife, Jill, in particular regarding their finances.


2. His uncommunicativeness with Jill, again regarding their finances but especially regarding children, his feelings regarding her previous husband, etc.


3. Dan left his job as a teacher to open a bookshop which in and of itself is not a problem. However, he did so without knowing a single thing about the business, without ideas that are so simple as to be a smack in the face, and seems to blame everyone but himself for why the bookshop isn't make enough money. 


4. He never seemed to actually try to make things better in reasonable ways i.e. sales, coupons, events, pairing up with schools for summer reading until the very end which was so absurd. 


5. Actually states that he never wanted to be a boss (then WHY did you open a bookshop???).


6. This quote:

Real reasons I quit teaching I wasn’t a good enough teacher It hurt my heart to watch kids waste so much time and ability.

I'm not sure he understood his students as well as he thought he did. They wasted their potential? Did he ever ask himself why? Question what might be going on in their lives that might be hurting or causing this? This felt like he was looking for an easy out to explain/excuse his own failings. 


7. This quote:

Reasons I opened bookstore Love reading good books Love browsing bookstores Thought it would be easy Stupidest thought I’ve ever had Owning and operating a bookstore would be easy.

Oy vey.