(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

The author of this book also wrote the next paragraph. I wonder if you be able to pick up on that. If not, you might not be qualified and/or prepared to read the inside of this book. Seriously, if you read the next paragraph and you fail to consider that I’m purposely trying to over-hype the book for the potential sale, don’t buy the book. Oops, let me rephrase that. Don’t buy the book for yourself – buy the book for someone else. This book is so captivating! You’ll be on the edge of your seat from the first word all the way through to the last. You’ll be guessing with each turn of a page. What topic will Marcus cover next? Every page is incredible! You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll be touched, moved, and inspired. This book will bring back memories that have long been buried. You’ll want to read this one again and again. Or not. How am I supposed to tell? I don’t even know you. Maybe you’ve recently been in an accident. Maybe the act of laughing causes horrible pains and spasms and causes stitches to burst. In which case, you should consider healing fully before embarking on my journey through three years of social networking status updates. Follow my journey as told by my status updates and the intriguing commentary from the voices in my head. On this trip you find stories of a family man, growing children, delicious cereals, malfunctioning toilets, park benches, awesome soldiers, birthday parties, adorable puppies, on-line games, winter storms, roller coasters, slugs, and a high profile celebrity party. This book contains a topic for everyone! If you can’t find a situation or something to relate to in this book, you are either dead or you’re that person that no one wants to be around. You owe it to yourself to read this book in order to confirm that you’re alive and that you are not “that guy.” Seriously, what if you are a loser and you don’t know it? Let me help you. Read my book. Help me, help you. Really. About the Author: Marcus gets a sharp agonizing sensation in his leg muscles when he attempts to place his foot behind his head. Oh, wait a minute. I guess that’s not the kind of thing we’re looking for here. Let me try again. Marcus lives with his wonderful wife of over fifteen years and his two awesome boys in Mason, Ohio. Better? Good, now start reading the book.

(Summary courtesy of Amazon.)

[Full disclosure: Marcus Matherne sent me a free PDF of his book in exchange for an honest review.]

Okay, I admit I was a bit skeptical when I started reading My Status Update Journey.  I mean, how funny could a bunch of Facebook statuses and the accompanying commentary be?  I braced myself for disaster, especially since Marcus said his book would make me laugh.  That’s usually a warning sign.

But, thankfully, I was wrong.  I did laugh, frequently.  I didn’t quite reach “laughing until I cried”, but I did chuckle aloud at some parts and the book did lift my mood.  The combination of self-deprecating humour and insightful commentary on social media and human behavior worked well together.  Even though I don’t have Facebook enough of what Marcus Matherne wrote about was common knowledge that I wasn’t completely out of my depth.

My favourite quote in the whole book was an observation about the common cold:

“I would think that if a person wants to make a profound and permanent change for the better in this world, that person should first be able to breathe through their nose comfortably.” (Page 123)

Seeing as I have been suffering from a stuffed nose and barking cough for the past two weeks, this observation definitely hit home.  My Status Update Journey is one of those books that is funny without being crude or resorting to excessive obscenities and has great observations about human behavior, especially on social media.  Those cryptic status updates everyone supposedly hates?  Yeah, I think in that case, everyone is a hypocrite.

If you’re looking for an intelligent but hilarious novel, My Status Journey Update is a great book for you.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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