Most people don’t have 488 rules for life. Then again, Kitty Flanagan isn’t most people.
The Aussie comedian, writer and actor’s new book, 488 Rules for Life, is a hilarious instruction manual for being a decent human. From whether or not you should reheat fish in the communal work microwave (nope) to whether or not banana belongs in a fruit salad (a definite no-no, according to Kitty’s mum), 488 Rules for Life is striving to make the world a better place … or at least a less irritating one.
“The world has changed so much, there’s so many new things that we need rules for,” says Kitty.
This book started out as a running joke on her show The Weekly, where Kitty would poke fun at the perennial bestseller 12 Rules for Life, but before long customers started requesting Kitty’s version in bookshops. It was only a matter of time before the publisher pitched the idea of actually writing 488 Rules for Life for real.
“It went quite the opposite way to the way a book would usually go, where a writer pitches to the publisher and the publisher sells it to booksellers,” she laughs.
Kitty Flanagan came to Booktopia to sign some copies of 488 Rules for Life, before sitting down for a chat with Joel Naoum and Shanulisa Prasad where they asked her to adjudicate some etiquette questions cooked up by the Booktopia team.
For instance …
Q: How many variations on your coffee order are acceptable?
“You should de-wank your coffee and just order black coffee or white coffee.”
Q: Thanking the bus driver?
“Mandatory, of course.”
Q: The acceptable amount of time to hold onto a borrowed book?
“Always return a book if you’ve borrowed it, but then the next rule after that is ‘If you lend a book, don’t expect to ever get it back’”
You get the gist.
488 Rules for Life is available for pre-order now – grab a signed copy before we sell out and listen to our full podcast with Kitty Flanagan!
Kitty Flanagan's 488 Rules for Life
488 Rules for Life is Kitty Flanagan's way of making the world a more pleasant place to live. Providing you with the antidote to every annoying little thing, these rules are not made to be broken.
488 Rules for Life is not a self-help book, because it's not you who needs help, it's other people. Whether they're walking and texting, asphyxiating you on public transport with their noxious perfume cloud, or leaving one useless square of toilet paper on the roll, a lot of people just don't know the rules...
About the Contributor
Olivia Fricot
Olivia Fricot (she/her) is Booktopia's Senior Content Producer and editor of the Booktopian blog. She has too many plants and not enough bookshelves, and you can usually find her reading, baking, or talking to said plants. She is pro-Oxford comma.
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