Answers to rhetorical questions by Caroline Taggart

Answers to rhetorical questions Reviews

• 
  Sydneylikesbooks

  (physical book)
• 
  Susan

  Does the author seem to readily use snark in the mistaken belief that it is clever or funny?
  
  Sadly, yes...
  
  
  
  Note: I used togive full reviews for all of the books that I rated on GR. However, GR's new giveaway policies (
  Good Reads 2017 November Giveaways Policies Changes) have caused me to change my reviewing decisions. These new GR policies seem to harm smaller publishing efforts in favour of providing advantage to the larger companies (
  GR Authors' Feedback), the big five publishers (
  Big Five Publishers). So, because of these policies from now on I will be supporting smaller publishing effort by only giving full reviews to books published by: companies outside the big five companies, indie publishers, and self-published authors. This book was published by one of the big five companies so will not receive a more detailed review by me.
  
• 
  Anas

  Answering rethorical questions (question that needs no answers), such as "who wants to be a millionaire?" or "is the pope a catholic?" in 1-2 pages of bit-sized trivia.
  not as good as i initially expected it to be, but informative or entertaining at the very least.
• 
  Márcia

  Fun, quick read.
• 
  Jill Elizabeth

  Well, does it? Who knows really – probably hunters, loggers, and zoologists. Oh yeah, and apparently Caroline Taggart, the author of this goofy little book about the answers to rhetorical questions.
  
  Rhetorical questions, for those of you who are out of the intellectual loop, are questions that are asked – usually for dramatic oratorical effect or emphasis – for which no answer is expected. (This is my definition, not anyone else’s, hence the lack of attribution.) I love rhetorical questions – I rather love words, as I’ve pointed out before, and I think rhetoric is a fabulous way to play with language.
  
  In Taggart’s words (from the Afterword): “Rhetoric was an integral part of a classical education, not only in Ancient Greek times but right up to the Middle Ages in much of Europe. Nowadays you would study it at university if you were taking a philosophy course, but probably would not come across it otherwise.”
  
  Well, I was a philosophy major, and that is where I first ran into the rhetorical wall. And yes, yes, I know what you’re thinking: “what a useful degree, Jill-Elizabeth, brilliant choice.” Actually, it was – on both counts. Those philosophy classes taught me how to reason, argue, and think; they taught me how to pick apart dense intellectual (and quasi-intellectual) arguments and to distill them down to their essential components. All skills I found useful in law school, various jobs, and even in writing. So to all my critics, I have only one (rhetorical question) thing to say: “Who’s the wise guy now?”
  
  Anyway, back to the book.
  
  The book is a cute aggregation of a series of rhetorical questions from literature, music, and popular culture, with answers provided. Some of the answers are clever and designed to amuse, some contain actual information, and some are just plain silly. It’s a fun little book that will teach you a few fun little facts to trot out at cocktail parties or whenever else you might need small talk.
  
  There is no author biography provided, but Taggart appears to be British from some of her linguistic choices, and the book is deliciously snarky a few times. I wish it had been snarkier, frankly – snark being one of my favorite components of any book that falls within the “trivia/humor” book category. It was a little too light and fluffy at times for my tastes; I could have used less of the “well, that’s really up to the speaker to decide” type of answers (admittedly applicable to more than a few rhetorical questions, but neither particularly informative nor entertaining in a book intended to be humorous) and of the references to pop music and more of the historical/literary references with actual facts and information to explain their origins and meanings.
  
  But that may just be me.
  
  I don’t tend to love books on pop culture, largely because I don’t always get all the references. I’m no luddite, mind you, but I don’t love a lot of what the masses of the population seem to – I never got into reality television or gameshows or dance music, can’t stand People Magazine or Us Weekly or tabloids. I don’t like practical jokes or pranks or shows like Jackass or Funniest Home Videos that delight in them. And so when a book uses those as references or source material, I do the same thing I do when my friends (or strangers) talk about those things: I smile politely and turn my brain to other things.
  
  I found myself doing that once or twice here, admittedly. The book was cute though, and the premise was a clever and kitschy one – and I do enjoy clever and kitschy. Don’t expect to walk away with a profound understanding of the meaning of life, but you can expect to walk away with a grin and having giggled more than once. And really, isn’t that what humor/trivia is about?
  
  
• 
  LORI CASWELL

  Serious Answers to Rhetorical Questions!
  
  By definition, Taggart says, rhetorical questions are all the ones which someone somewhere felt worth answering but have been left without a satisfactory response.
  I think of them as questions where a response is
  not needed or expected.
  
  Where does time go?
  Is the Pope Catholic?
  Were you born in a barn?
  
  The answers Taggart provides are not only
  humorous but very informative.
  
  This book was a fun entertaining read. I am a big fan of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. Jim Parsons plays the wonderful Sheldon Cooper. Reading this book it struck me these questions were answered in much the same way as Sheldon would.
  This book is definitely a perfect escape! 5 stars!!
  
  Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Plume, A Division of the Penguin Book Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
  
• 
  Kristin (Kritters Ramblings)

  A funny take on answering those questions that have been out in the world left unanswered because we all weren't sure if there was truly an answer for any of them. A collection of questions sorted by topic with answers that range from short and simple to more with a philosophical approach. My favorite question and answer was - "Is it me or is it hot in here?" With the answering mentioning menopause - I started laughing out loud because I have been around a woman in the middle of menopause and the hot flashes were something else.
  
  A cute little read that I enjoyed in one sitting, but others may enjoy a question or two a day. While others may even enjoy leaving it on their toilets for their guests to enjoy. I think these questions and answers could even be enjoyed as a group - while enjoying other's takes on how the questions were answered. Definitely a delightful little read.
• 
  Sherrie

  A great take on answering those questions that you might have about rhetorical questions. Anyone ever say "Am I My Brothers Keeper?" I have and this book explains it to you. Ir "Where's The Fire?". This books is a collection of questions. Some of the answers are short and some are kind of long. My favorite question and answer was - "Is it me or is it hot in here?" It's all about menopause and it's right on track. It's one of my favorite lines! If you've ever wondered about these questions you should really read this book. It's really funny and short. Went really fast as far as reading. Would make a great conversation book.
• 
  Richard Martin

  A brief, enjoyable read. The (supposed) answers are informative and often humorous. The authoress provides source information for the origins for many of the questions. Where this not done, the reader can challenge him/herself to supply the knowledge. Sort of a self-made trivia test.
• 
  Sarah Atherton

  It was nice- a light read, some parts were more well executed than others - it's sort of like it cant decide whether it's trying to be purely comedic or deadly serious, but overall I read it fast and it was fairly interesting - the premise behind it is good.
• 
  Leah

  Mildly amusing but no guffaws of shock and glee. I was hoping for something more John Hodgman-y.
• 
  Deanna

  This book was a great idea that gets old before you are finished reading it. Wittily written and fit for a few laughs, I would recommend anyone read this book a bit at a time instead of all at once.
• 
  carissa

  Some funny moments, but not enough for me to reread it. I skipped quite a few of the questions, but this tyoe of book is good for that.
• 
  Gospodyina

  Harmless. Cute.
• 
  Jude Brigley

  Amusing read before sleep.
• 
  Tricia

  not as funny as I hoped....