Witte Michelle. Faker’s Guide to the Classics: Everything You Need To Know About The Books You Should Have Read (But Didn’T)

Lyons Press, 2013. — 288 p. — ISBN10: 0762785403, ISBN13: 978-0762785407.From Anna Karenina and Beowulf to Ulysses and Wuthering Heights, The Faker’s Guide to the Classics condenses the great (but long and complicated) novels, plays, and poems of world lit into bite-size nuggets, cutting out the bloated analysis and nauseating debate of other reading guides. Each of the 100 books profiled is a classic that everyone knows but only hardcore lit majors have actually read. Now you, too, can: Blather about books you were supposed to read for class but didn’t; fudge literary discussions at fancy parties; impress a date with your knowledge and wit; and slice through the ivory tower to read like a ninja. Each entry contains: a quick and dirty narrative description of plot, including twists and surprise endings, told with humorous brevity; famous quotes accompanied by smartass responses; and the original cover or an illustration conveying the work’s tone (or lack thereof). Brief author bios–including misdeeds and scandals–add illuminating and occasionally disgusting background to each work. All of the text appears in simple, contemporary English, so it’s easy to understand and short enough to tweet. With this must-have guide, never worry again whether a reference to Miss Havisham is an insult or wonder what happened to Moby-Dick. Not reading the classics has never been easier!Editorial Reviews
"Seriously fun. Using an inviting, conversational style, Michelle Witte makes doorstops like War and Peace and Great Expectations sound like rollicking romps. I wish I had The Faker's Guide to the Classics instead of those boring old Cliffs Notes guides when I was in high school and college. Maybe I would have been inspired to read some of the classics I was assigned."
—Andrew Shaffer, author of Literary Rogues“This entertaining, informative, and pop-culture-reference-laden take on literature will completely replace that to-read pile of books collecting dust on your desk. Once your home is tidy and all the important characters and plot points are in your brain, book club hosting duties will be a breeze!”
—Robb Pearlman, author of Spoiler Alert"Michelle Witte's dazzlingly charming summaries will give you both hilarious knowledge and plenty of time to send Beowulf a friend request. If you don't have room on your bookshelf for this, you need a bigger bookshelf."
—Rachel Eddey, author of Running of the Bride"Cliffs Notes, Schmiffs Notes, give me Michelle's notes! She makes the cool books even cooler and the crappy books considerably less crappy. I mean, she even made reading about Middlemarch enjoyable, and if you've read it—which I haven't and now don't have to, thank goodness—you know that's saying something."
—Alan Goldsher, author of Paul Is Undead and My Favorite Fangs.About the Author
Michelle Witte is the author of The Craptastic Guide to Pseudo-Swearing (Running Press, 2012). A former associate editor at Gibbs Smith, she is now a literary agent and writer. She lives in Utah.