Friday 56 & Book Beginnings: The Little Book of Heartbreak

For Book Beginnings:

The older I get, the more irked I become that time travel is not an option. Noting would make me happier than stocking up on olives in the Roman Forum, introducing Queen Elizabeth I to vodka gimlets, flirting with a caveman, catching a Dickens reading in St. James's Hall, or hand feeding a brachiosaur. - p. 3

For Friday 56:

The ancient Greeks thought romantic love between a man an woman was an affliction that called for sorcery to master it, and now, thousands of years later, romantic love is at such a premium we got to great lengths to find and preserve it, whether this means sculpting glowing alter-selves on dating sites and morphing into serial coffee daters [...]

- p. 57 (as p. 56 is blank)

Yes, I am baaaack! How has everyone been? For me, the reading has been pretty good and I have a few reviews in the works. I have several reads on the go, and one of them is this cute little book ...  great timing to jump on this Friday in time for upcoming Valentines Day.

The beginning I will totally agree with, though I'd rather not feed a dinosaur, no matter it's an herbivore. As for the Friday 56, well, aherm ... yeah ... I bet we all have stories to tell. Be careful though, this book is described as the "perfect anti-valentine" ...

It's good to be back!


Synopsis of The Little Book of Heartbreak by Megan Laslocky: The perfect anti-valentine: a whirlwind tour through love’s most crushing moments. What’s the best way to mend a broken heart? Forget ice cream, wine, and sappy movies. Journalist Meghan Laslocky advises:

Read through the pain. From forbidden love in 12th century Paris to the art of crafting the perfect “I’m over you” mix CD, The Little Book of Heartbreak is a quirky exploration of all things lovelorn, including:

• How serial cheater Ernest Hemingway stole his wife’s job just as their marriage was collapsing
• Kinky spells cast by lovesick men in ancient Greece
• Painter Oscar Kokoschka’s attempt to get over an ex by creating (and having liaisons with!) her life-size replica
• Brooding crooner Morrissey’s personal creed about how romantic love is useless
• The connection between World War II and what you talk about with your therapist
• Insights into the tricky chemistry of monogamy, courtesy of tiny rodents
• And other lessons learned from ill-fated romances, lovers’ quarrels, and hell-hath-no-fury spats throughout the ages

Featuring anecdotes from history, literature, culture, art and music, The Little Book of Heartbreak shares the entertaining, empowering and occasionally absurd things that happen when love is on its last legs.

Book Depository