Review by A_Australis -- The Ultimate Guide For The Avid...

[A_Australis]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Ultimate Guide For The Avid Indoorsman" by John Driver.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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While not usually an avid reader of non-fiction, I am always willing to make an exception for important, interesting or simply fun content. This is exactly what I was expecting when I read the preview for John Driver’s Ultimate Guide for the Avid Indoorsman and I’m glad to say that I was not disappointed. This book is probably the most important book you’ll read in these times of pandemic, and it presents the added bonus of being absolutely hilarious.

This guide will walk you through the great way of life that is Indoorsmanship, answering essential questions such as: What is Indoorsmanship? What opposes Indoorsmen to Outdoorsmen? Are you a good Indoorsman and how do you become an even better one? You will be able to evaluate how much of an Indoorsman you are (I am myself a Moderate Indoorswoman, a result that leaves me completely unsurprised and glad to know I still have room for progress) and will then find some actually accurate tips that will make you better prepared to face life indoors.

I really enjoyed the way this book owns its absolute ridiculousness. It is written with the structure, language and all the seriousness of a real essay but is also full of obvious hypocrisy, hilariously wrong logical reasoning and fun little details (I’m always partial to a good pun and this book is full of them). I especially want to mention the very official-looking book reviews at the very beginning (Churchill’s was my personal favorite), the Indooreagram (because a little quiz is always welcome, especially when most of the possible answers are ridiculous), the mention of the Loch Ness Monster as one of the greatest dangers of the outdoors, the tips on how to connect with other people (including excuses to avoid meeting with people outside, thank you, I’ll be sure to use them)… I could go on and on as this book is full of little gold nuggets, but I don’t want to spoil readers’ pleasure by giving them all away.

While I found the reading slightly long at time, I think The Ultimate Guide for the Avid Indoorsman still deserves a note of 4 out of 4 stars. This book is probably not meant to be read at once as it can get a bit verbose, I would recommend simply picking sections of interest and enjoying a few snippets of insight on life indoors at a time. The reading is nonetheless very fluid, the excellent editing definitely being a plus.

John Driver can rest assured, his book will not be “a new, overpriced, rectangular coaster for your coffee table”. It will instead provide an entertaining reading session to anyone who is (or has been) confronted to spending most of their time indoors, be it because they are working from home, raising their children full time, stuck inside during lockdown or for any other reason. Who knows, maybe some of these tips will even be effective and make life indoors more enjoyable.

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The Ultimate Guide For The Avid Indoorsman
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