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How to Fail: The Self-Hurt Guide
by
Aaron Goldfarb (Goodreads Author)
"How to Fail" is the world's FIRST Self-Hurt Guide, the polar opposite of a self-help guide. In "How to Fail," follow the misadventures, misgivings, and massive mistakes of this satiric novel's narrator, Stu Fish, as he tries to find success in 2010 New York. With hilarious chapters such as "How to Fail to Make Your Parents Proud of You," "How to Fail to Do Something Produ...more
Paperback, 372 pages
Published
November 9th 2010
by Chateau Publishing House
(first published October 27th 2010)
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The book's protagonist is easy to empathise with, I guess because I recognise parts of myself. However, I also recognize parts of myself in his (sometimes much loathed friends). The wry humor and conflict of success versus failure in a place where these dimensions are polarized to the extreme (Mahattan) was engaging and kept med reading. Still, even though this seems intended, the lack of closure left me feeling empty, slightly disappointed at the end. There's no drama - the story seems as such...more
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(I am taking the time to follow the author's quick-and-easy fill-out review form, which is appended at the back pages. I apologize if I fail to please your palette. Hah.)
The loquacious “How to Fail” is so incredibly sexy that you can fish hot chicks with it just by dangling a spine in front of them. Although, sometimes it may also take your creepy friend to simultaneously be dangling another spine behind them, ha ha. Which would truly by THE tour de… ugly resource of pleasurable activity in your...more
The loquacious “How to Fail” is so incredibly sexy that you can fish hot chicks with it just by dangling a spine in front of them. Although, sometimes it may also take your creepy friend to simultaneously be dangling another spine behind them, ha ha. Which would truly by THE tour de… ugly resource of pleasurable activity in your...more
I started reading the book "1776" by Pulitzer Prize winning author, David McCullough, but I quit after page 15. I've tried twice before, and I just can't seem to get into it. I tell myself I want to be more cultured and informed, but I guess I really just want to be entertained.
Reading "How To Fail" was more fun than reading "1776." This might make me a bad American. Or maybe it makes me uncultured, or stupid. To that I would say, "Shut up! I finished reading a book, and that's better than most...more
Reading "How To Fail" was more fun than reading "1776." This might make me a bad American. Or maybe it makes me uncultured, or stupid. To that I would say, "Shut up! I finished reading a book, and that's better than most...more
If you polled Midwesterners who'd never been to NYC and asked them what a 'failure' would act, look, and sound like, Stuart Fish would fit the bill. Fish, which I assume is at least loosely based on the author, isn't a loser, nor could he be described as dumb, lazy (maybe a little bit) or even unsuccessful. While he's certainly not a success based on society's big 3 (fame, money, love), his greatest lesson isn't that failing can be a learning tool, but rather that having the guts to fail at anyt...more
Feb 10, 2012
Tiki
marked it as to-read
Scrolling through my daily email for Free eBooks on Amazon, I saw this book... So I checked it out and got a laugh from the first review so naturally I downloaded the book... The review starts like this:
There Are No Vampires in This Book, December 16, 2010
ByM. Zambotti - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: How to Fail: The Self-Hurt Guide (Paperback)
My wife reads about a hundred books a year. They're all basically the same book- vampires eat...more
There Are No Vampires in This Book, December 16, 2010
ByM. Zambotti - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: How to Fail: The Self-Hurt Guide (Paperback)
My wife reads about a hundred books a year. They're all basically the same book- vampires eat...more
(This review has been spoiled by too many f-bombs. Religious tolerance is advised. Parental nonguidance is necessary and recommended.)
His name is known in every household. His face is on the covers of every magazine. Women constantly fawn over him, fighting to get his sole attention. Yep, Stuart Fish sure has got it all. In his head. While looking over his horrible apartment, lucking it out with unemployment pay, and lying post-coitus in bed with a terrible-looking hag.
This is pretty much the st...more
His name is known in every household. His face is on the covers of every magazine. Women constantly fawn over him, fighting to get his sole attention. Yep, Stuart Fish sure has got it all. In his head. While looking over his horrible apartment, lucking it out with unemployment pay, and lying post-coitus in bed with a terrible-looking hag.
This is pretty much the st...more
So after recent events, I'm forced to consider for at least a moment. Will the author read this? will they not read this. I suppose historic events, I mean I've had plenty of authors email me about reviews and I suppose recent events were more about me disliking a book than anything that actually mattered. So on that note, lets go with not caring if the author likes the review, because I certainly don't want someone to lie about a book simply because the author would fucking like them to get oth...more
The author asked for a review. I'm not going to use the form in the back. Hahaaha.
I got this a my first free borrowed book for my Kindle. I didn't have much time as the end of the month is coming soon and I had to pick something. So it was either crappy romance, crappy romance with vampires, crappy romance with werewolves, crappy...you get the picture.
The description sounded funny and as a lifelong failure myself I figured this was the book to read, and at the price of free, how could I resist...more
I got this a my first free borrowed book for my Kindle. I didn't have much time as the end of the month is coming soon and I had to pick something. So it was either crappy romance, crappy romance with vampires, crappy romance with werewolves, crappy...you get the picture.
The description sounded funny and as a lifelong failure myself I figured this was the book to read, and at the price of free, how could I resist...more
Disclaimer #1: I exchanged books with the author. I sent him mine and vice-versa.
Disclaimer #2: I don't give too many five star reviews.
Disclaimer #3: I'm kind of friendly with the author, but in a very platonic way.
Disclaimer #4: I hate anodyne books that don't entertain me or teach me something.
Disclaimer #5: Not a book for those who, er, don't dig profanity.
OK...I got that off of my chest. I like How to Fail because Goldfarb wears his heart on his sleeve. This isn't a "safe" book and I'm sure...more
Disclaimer #2: I don't give too many five star reviews.
Disclaimer #3: I'm kind of friendly with the author, but in a very platonic way.
Disclaimer #4: I hate anodyne books that don't entertain me or teach me something.
Disclaimer #5: Not a book for those who, er, don't dig profanity.
OK...I got that off of my chest. I like How to Fail because Goldfarb wears his heart on his sleeve. This isn't a "safe" book and I'm sure...more
It's hard to decide what I think of this book. Parts were truly hysterical, and parts were incredibly smart. And a whole lot of it was over-the-top vulgar. I skipped whole sections at times because I just found reading them too crude. But, I wanted to keep reading to find out how it ended, so I kept going overall.
The end was fine; nothing amazing, but a good solid way to end the story. Overall, I'd give the book 2.5 stars if I could, probably. There were definitely some parts to it that elevate...more
The end was fine; nothing amazing, but a good solid way to end the story. Overall, I'd give the book 2.5 stars if I could, probably. There were definitely some parts to it that elevate...more
This is a funny, touching, heartwarming book about a man learning that failing at something that you don't want to do is a kind of success.
It's also very vulgar and raw--the narrator, Stuart Fish, reads a lot like Lenny Bruce, so if foul language and descriptions of drunken sexual acts bothers you, I'd give it a miss.
The author, Aaron Goldfarb, has a good grasp of the absurdity of life. He brings his narrator through an existential crisis and out the other side in a believable manner, I felt.
It's also very vulgar and raw--the narrator, Stuart Fish, reads a lot like Lenny Bruce, so if foul language and descriptions of drunken sexual acts bothers you, I'd give it a miss.
The author, Aaron Goldfarb, has a good grasp of the absurdity of life. He brings his narrator through an existential crisis and out the other side in a believable manner, I felt.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I'm biased (manage the author), but really love this book.
Voice is original and wonderfully honest. Book takes an astute look at our society today and really gives it to us good.
An enjoyable read all around, though language is not for the faint of heart! :)
Voice is original and wonderfully honest. Book takes an astute look at our society today and really gives it to us good.
An enjoyable read all around, though language is not for the faint of heart! :)
Hated it. What I was hoping was a satirical parody on self-help books was just a waste of time. Thankfully, I got it for free. Otherwise it would have been a waste of money, as well.
I understand that this book was meant to be tongue in cheek. The author's writing is very well done, but I couldn't relate to the story.
Free on Kindle.
it reeled me in from the first page.....if you've finished it you'll get the reference. I loved this book, it's not high art but it's good for a laugh. check it out
I got to the third chapter and couldn't read this anymore. I could empathize with the author and perhaps so much so that it felt like I was reading my own thoughts at times when I am in a negative place, which can be dangerous. Better safe to put this book down.
The story was funny at first, but at some point the guy just turned into a douchebag.
A real-page turner. Smart. Sassy. Laugh out loud funny. A must read for every 20 and 30 something, and their parents.
May 11, 2013
Kenna Brecht
added it
Apr 25, 2013
Shayne
marked it as to-read
Apr 22, 2013
Heidi
marked it as to-read
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Aaron Goldfarb's debut novel is How to Fail: The Self-Hurt Guide, the world's FIRST self-hurt guide, the polar opposite of a self-help guide. He has written screenplays and stageplays, most notably The Honey Trap. He lives in New York and has a collection of short stories about the sexes, sex, and sexiness in that city called The Cheat Sheet.
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“Alcohol is decisiveness juice. It's also bad idea punch, intellect intoxicant, insolence nectar, fighting fluid, boastfulness booze, smartass sauce, injury water, aggressiveness aqua vitae, felony-committin’ firewater, and, of course, maybe above all else...depression drink.”
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“Soooooo, trying to grow a beard?” Nope. Just checking out on life.”
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