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What Not to Do
Danny is back with more hilarious true-life stories of hopeless modern manhood
A husband andnow a new father, Danny Wallace is a man who struggles to understand theunspoken rules of society...
For example,when do you hug? And when do you NOT hug?
How do youreact when you realise that yesterday's underpants might still be in yourtrousers?
What do you doif you think you might have a man-crush?
And whathappens when you think you may have accidentally ordered your wife a prostitutefor her birthday?
Following thebestselling Awkward Situations for Man and based on his incrediblypopular columns, Danny Wallace entertains us with more stories from his oftenembarrassing and bewildering life.
No one said itwas easy being a man. And Danny is finding it harder than ever.
(Previouslypublished as More Awkward Situations for Men )
Danny's firstsolo book, Join Me , was described as a 'word-of-mouthphenomenon' by The Bookseller and 'one of the funniest storiesyou will ever read' by the Daily Mail . His second book, YesMan - in which he decided to say 'Yes' to everything - wasdescribed as 'hilarious' by several national newspapers. The Warner Bros. filmadaptation of Wallace's book Yes Man , starring Jim Carrey inthe lead role, was released in December 2008 and grossed $230,000,000worldwide. Danny's third book Friends Like These , describedby The Bookseller as 'another comedy masterpiece' is currentlyin development as a major project by Miramax. In 2011, Danny Wallace was namedPPA's Columnist of the Year for his weekly column in ShortListMagazine , 'Danny Wallace is a Man', which formed the starting point forhis book Awkward Situations for Men .
Danny lives inNorth London with his wife and baby. Find out more about Danny at www.dannywallace.com .
A husband andnow a new father, Danny Wallace is a man who struggles to understand theunspoken rules of society...
For example,when do you hug? And when do you NOT hug?
How do youreact when you realise that yesterday's underpants might still be in yourtrousers?
What do you doif you think you might have a man-crush?
And whathappens when you think you may have accidentally ordered your wife a prostitutefor her birthday?
Following thebestselling Awkward Situations for Man and based on his incrediblypopular columns, Danny Wallace entertains us with more stories from his oftenembarrassing and bewildering life.
No one said itwas easy being a man. And Danny is finding it harder than ever.
(Previouslypublished as More Awkward Situations for Men )
Danny's firstsolo book, Join Me , was described as a 'word-of-mouthphenomenon' by The Bookseller and 'one of the funniest storiesyou will ever read' by the Daily Mail . His second book, YesMan - in which he decided to say 'Yes' to everything - wasdescribed as 'hilarious' by several national newspapers. The Warner Bros. filmadaptation of Wallace's book Yes Man , starring Jim Carrey inthe lead role, was released in December 2008 and grossed $230,000,000worldwide. Danny's third book Friends Like These , describedby The Bookseller as 'another comedy masterpiece' is currentlyin development as a major project by Miramax. In 2011, Danny Wallace was namedPPA's Columnist of the Year for his weekly column in ShortListMagazine , 'Danny Wallace is a Man', which formed the starting point forhis book Awkward Situations for Men .
Danny lives inNorth London with his wife and baby. Find out more about Danny at www.dannywallace.com .
288 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2011
11 people are currently reading
310 people want to read
About the author
Danny Wallace
60 books639 followersDaniel Frederick Wallace is a British filmmaker, comedian, writer, actor, and presenter of radio and television. His notable works include the books Join Me, Yes Man, and the TV series How to Start Your Own Country. As an author, Wallace's bestselling books have been translated into more than a dozen languages.
He began writing reviews for video game magazines at the age of 13 for school work experience: a reviewer had become ill and so Wallace was given the opportunity to review a game. At 18 he started writing comedy, mainly through the magazine Comedy Review. He specialised in radio production at the University of Westminster.
At 22, he became a BBC producer. He was part of the production team behind British Comedy Award-winning Dead Ringers, the original producer of the critically acclaimed cult hit The Mighty Boosh, and the creator and producer of Ross Noble Goes Global. As a journalist, Wallace has worked for The Scotsman, The Guardian, The Independent, Elle, Cosmo, The Times and other publications.
In 1999, Wallace challenged comedian Dave Gorman, who at the time was his flatmate, to find 54 other people called Dave Gorman ("one for every card in the deck, including the Jokers"). Wallace accompanied Gorman on his quest and the men created Are You Dave Gorman?, an award-winning comedy stage show about what happened during their journey. A BBC series, also co-written and co-produced by Wallace, followed, as did a book, written by both men.
In 2003, Wallace's book Join Me was published. The book explains how he "accidentally started a 'cult'" called Join Me. The movement would go global, with each member committing to undertaking one random act of kindness for a stranger every Friday ("Good Fridays"). Tens of thousands joined. Join Me celebrates "Karmageddon 10" in December 2011. Traditionally, hundreds of members travel to London for the meet-up and undertake good deeds for strangers, with Wallace present. The movement is now generally referred to as the "Karma Army", although members are still typically "Joinees". He became a minor celebrity in Belgium whilst on his quest for Joinees. While on a book tour through America, Wallace was dubbed a "Generation X legend" by the Wisconsin State Journal.
Wallace next wrote a short book called Random Acts of Kindness: 365 Ways To Make the World A Better Place, with the help of submissions from Joinees. It includes many humorous Random Acts of Kindness (RAoK) ideas, such as "Contradict Demeaning Graffiti", and "Make An Old Man Very Happy."
Wallace's second solo book, Yes Man was published in July 2005. In it, he describes how he spent six months "saying Yes where once I would have said No", to make his life more interesting and positive. In this book he shows the tribulations and mischief that he got up to while he said yes to any question or proposal. The book was described as "one of those rare books that actually has the potential to change your life" by the San Francisco Bay Guardian and as "a fascinating book and a fascinating experiment" by David Letterman. A film adaptation of Yes Man was developed with Warner Bros. and stars Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel. It was released in 2008 in the US and the UK. Wallace appeared on screen in a cameo in a bar scene in the last ten minutes of the film, holding a British pint glass.
Danny Wallace and the Centre of the Universe was published in 2006. It is linked with World Book Day which in 2006 was on Thursday 2 March. It tells the story of Wallace's trip to Idaho, to visit a manhole cover in a small town, whose residents have proclaimed it the centre of the universe. The cover identifies it as a "Quick Read"; the price and length of the book have been curbed in order to encourage people who may not often read books to purchase it.
Wallace's book, Friends Like These, was released on the 3 July 2008, and tells the story of how he spent a summer trying to track down his old school friends from his days in Dundee,
He began writing reviews for video game magazines at the age of 13 for school work experience: a reviewer had become ill and so Wallace was given the opportunity to review a game. At 18 he started writing comedy, mainly through the magazine Comedy Review. He specialised in radio production at the University of Westminster.
At 22, he became a BBC producer. He was part of the production team behind British Comedy Award-winning Dead Ringers, the original producer of the critically acclaimed cult hit The Mighty Boosh, and the creator and producer of Ross Noble Goes Global. As a journalist, Wallace has worked for The Scotsman, The Guardian, The Independent, Elle, Cosmo, The Times and other publications.
In 1999, Wallace challenged comedian Dave Gorman, who at the time was his flatmate, to find 54 other people called Dave Gorman ("one for every card in the deck, including the Jokers"). Wallace accompanied Gorman on his quest and the men created Are You Dave Gorman?, an award-winning comedy stage show about what happened during their journey. A BBC series, also co-written and co-produced by Wallace, followed, as did a book, written by both men.
In 2003, Wallace's book Join Me was published. The book explains how he "accidentally started a 'cult'" called Join Me. The movement would go global, with each member committing to undertaking one random act of kindness for a stranger every Friday ("Good Fridays"). Tens of thousands joined. Join Me celebrates "Karmageddon 10" in December 2011. Traditionally, hundreds of members travel to London for the meet-up and undertake good deeds for strangers, with Wallace present. The movement is now generally referred to as the "Karma Army", although members are still typically "Joinees". He became a minor celebrity in Belgium whilst on his quest for Joinees. While on a book tour through America, Wallace was dubbed a "Generation X legend" by the Wisconsin State Journal.
Wallace next wrote a short book called Random Acts of Kindness: 365 Ways To Make the World A Better Place, with the help of submissions from Joinees. It includes many humorous Random Acts of Kindness (RAoK) ideas, such as "Contradict Demeaning Graffiti", and "Make An Old Man Very Happy."
Wallace's second solo book, Yes Man was published in July 2005. In it, he describes how he spent six months "saying Yes where once I would have said No", to make his life more interesting and positive. In this book he shows the tribulations and mischief that he got up to while he said yes to any question or proposal. The book was described as "one of those rare books that actually has the potential to change your life" by the San Francisco Bay Guardian and as "a fascinating book and a fascinating experiment" by David Letterman. A film adaptation of Yes Man was developed with Warner Bros. and stars Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel. It was released in 2008 in the US and the UK. Wallace appeared on screen in a cameo in a bar scene in the last ten minutes of the film, holding a British pint glass.
Danny Wallace and the Centre of the Universe was published in 2006. It is linked with World Book Day which in 2006 was on Thursday 2 March. It tells the story of Wallace's trip to Idaho, to visit a manhole cover in a small town, whose residents have proclaimed it the centre of the universe. The cover identifies it as a "Quick Read"; the price and length of the book have been curbed in order to encourage people who may not often read books to purchase it.
Wallace's book, Friends Like These, was released on the 3 July 2008, and tells the story of how he spent a summer trying to track down his old school friends from his days in Dundee,
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
May 30, 2020
Far funnier than the first book ('Awkward Situations') with a lot of Danny Wallace's observations (of mostly 'ordinary' people) being centred around him becoming a father for the first time, and yet again he's accompanied often by his great friend 'Colin'. Awks! 7 out of 12
December 10, 2014
The previous book 'Awkward Situations for Men' left off where the author learns he will be a dad for the first time. So it was with some trepidation that I opened this follow up book. I am not a baby and kid friendly person, so really did not want to wade through funny yet touching cliched stories on parenthood. I was relieved to find that although some of these stories in this book did touch on the subject, it wasn't all centred on adventures in parenthood. Infact, what it was was more stories of the author's very Britishness, his inner dialogue, his day-today neurotcism and yes, his feelings of awkwardness. Some of the pieces were a bit too mundane and fell flat. Others were mildly amusing but some were laugh out loud funny. I hate to admit it but toilet humour and vomit stories usually have me in a fit of giggles. The story of himself and his wife getting food poisoning had me laughing, simply because he described it so brilliantly it created a comic image in my head. (I'm terrible, I know. Schadenfreude and all that...)
July 13, 2011
It's alright. Nothing special, though. It's a bit like being stuck for ever on a train station reading an endless copy of Shortlist... which is a strange experience.
Some of the stories are pretty funny and there's the odd phrase or so that really made me laugh out loud (although I am easily pleased). More often, though, it was a bit like ready an 'amusing situation' that you really had to be there in order to find funny... bit awkward.
Some of the stories are pretty funny and there's the odd phrase or so that really made me laugh out loud (although I am easily pleased). More often, though, it was a bit like ready an 'amusing situation' that you really had to be there in order to find funny... bit awkward.
September 26, 2011
Pretty funny - moments of laugh out loud, especially the one liner chapters. Some banal stories but also some laugh out loud ones. The story about calling 118118 to ask for the NHS direct number - brilliant. Had me crying with laughter on the train to work. Still makes me chuckle so that makes it a good joke :)
October 1, 2011
Funny as ever, but I don't think he'll ever surpass 'Yes Man' for me. Although it's not meant to be read in one go, the title of the next chapter was always too intriguing! I couldn't put it down. I did notice that a lot of the funniest parts came from either his wife or his friend Colin, rather than Danny himself.
October 30, 2014
One of the funniest book I have ever read and Danny definitely has what we call "good sense of humour". He seems to got a lot of that
August 30, 2014
What Not to Do is a sequel of sorts to Danny Wallace's
Awkward Situations for Men
(it was in fact originally titled, and remains entirely the same as More Awkward Situations for Men, which has understandably led to some negative reviews from readers who purchased both, believing them to be different entities.) The contents comprises a series of Wallace's columns from ShortList magazine, which are all essentially anecdotes on the sublime social awkwardness that arises in everyday life. If you've ever found yourself in a Mexican stand-off over pressing the button for a lift, or trying to find a polite way to check a cash machine after being told it's out of order - without, of course, implying that the previous user is too dense to understand the operation of said machine, there'll be something for you to relate to here.
I remember being fairly underwhelmed by Awkward Situations for Men, especially after really enjoying Wallace's other books (particularly Yes Man , Friends Like These , and his joint ventures with Dave Gorman). I think at the time it was the structure that put me off - bite-size stories that begin, end and are largely forgotten within a couple of pages made it hard to really get stuck in and engaged. This time around, however, I was after something fairly light to read while on the go, so being able to leaf through a couple of chapters on the bus, over lunch etc. really suited me, and as a result I definitely enjoyed it more.
Most of the stories here raised at least a smile, many a chuckle, and a few outright laughter at 1am which is always a good sign. Wallace has a friendly, conversational tone that it's easy to amble along with. The framing is perhaps a little odd - it begins and ends with Wallace reflecting on life as a new father, and I was briefly worried that the whole book would be an attempt at illuminating insights on parenthood, but save for a few anecdotes on the sublime unfairness of his baby dining on the finest salmon while he and his exhausted wife subsist on Super Noodles, it's not a topic that comes up with any more regularity than his wife, friends or work. If you want a quick, easy read and also happen to be a socially awkward soul, you can't go far wrong here.
I remember being fairly underwhelmed by Awkward Situations for Men, especially after really enjoying Wallace's other books (particularly Yes Man , Friends Like These , and his joint ventures with Dave Gorman). I think at the time it was the structure that put me off - bite-size stories that begin, end and are largely forgotten within a couple of pages made it hard to really get stuck in and engaged. This time around, however, I was after something fairly light to read while on the go, so being able to leaf through a couple of chapters on the bus, over lunch etc. really suited me, and as a result I definitely enjoyed it more.
Most of the stories here raised at least a smile, many a chuckle, and a few outright laughter at 1am which is always a good sign. Wallace has a friendly, conversational tone that it's easy to amble along with. The framing is perhaps a little odd - it begins and ends with Wallace reflecting on life as a new father, and I was briefly worried that the whole book would be an attempt at illuminating insights on parenthood, but save for a few anecdotes on the sublime unfairness of his baby dining on the finest salmon while he and his exhausted wife subsist on Super Noodles, it's not a topic that comes up with any more regularity than his wife, friends or work. If you want a quick, easy read and also happen to be a socially awkward soul, you can't go far wrong here.
October 19, 2016
Regular readers of Danny Wallace may have followed him for years like I have. He is a few years older than me, but I cannot quite help seeing his life progress in a similar (if slightly more exciting way) as mine. He started off down the pub with his mate Dave Gorman, ventured into saying Yes to everything including asking his wife to marry him and by ‘More Awkward Situations for Men’ we have a happily married man with a toddler in tow. I find myself similarly situated and perhaps then this book chimes even more with me than most. However, Danny Wallace has a way of writing himself as an everyman that many people can relate too, especially is they feel very British or are amused by our antics.
Wallace’s humour is often that of politeness; the petty feuds we have in our own heads as we see someone press the lift button again. Or it is humour of the absurd and relatable; is that a pair of old underpants trapped down my trouser leg? ‘More’ takes some of the best essays from Wallace’s writing for Shortlist magazine and puts them together into one. Most serial columnists seemed to have a scattergun approach to writing and the essays do not really relate, but seeing as Wallace’s main sources are himself, his family and his friends it almost has a narrative as we follow him through life.
There are some laugh out loud stories in this book that I related too. It does help that I am a fan, but it is clear to see by any neutral that he is talented writer whose natural style draws you in. Having read the majority of Wallace’s back catalogue I only wished that he were a more prolific writer.
Wallace’s humour is often that of politeness; the petty feuds we have in our own heads as we see someone press the lift button again. Or it is humour of the absurd and relatable; is that a pair of old underpants trapped down my trouser leg? ‘More’ takes some of the best essays from Wallace’s writing for Shortlist magazine and puts them together into one. Most serial columnists seemed to have a scattergun approach to writing and the essays do not really relate, but seeing as Wallace’s main sources are himself, his family and his friends it almost has a narrative as we follow him through life.
There are some laugh out loud stories in this book that I related too. It does help that I am a fan, but it is clear to see by any neutral that he is talented writer whose natural style draws you in. Having read the majority of Wallace’s back catalogue I only wished that he were a more prolific writer.
June 23, 2014
So I went online and found out that Danny Wallace had two books that I had not read. One was "More Awkward Situations for Men" the other was "What Not to Do". Having loved his previous work, I got click happy before I was investigatory and purchased both. It was only when I went to read one of them that I realized it was the same book but with a different title.
Originally, I was incensed at myself for having wasted good money. Now, I am just kind of glad that there is not another of this type of book for me to read.
I HATE to say this, because I LOVE "Yes Man", "Friends Like These", "Join Me", and even "Are You Dave Gorman?". I realize now though, that I probably love them because they are all semi-structured grand adventure stories with victory moments and genuine moments you do not see every day (being a Yes Man in a leather bar in Amsterdam anyone?)
From this book, I guess I learned that I just do not enjoy a packaged collection of newspaper columns/blog posts. The first book had some genuinely laugh out loud funny moments ("SKIIIIIRT!" being my favorite), but there was only one moment that I recall enjoying in this book, and that was the following quote: "Luck is probability taken personally."
I still love me some D.W. classic, and he seems like such a nice bloke that I do not even really begrudge him this book aside from the taking of my money (Twice. Really, read the description next time, Laurie). I'm sure "More Awkward Situations for Men" is a pleasant read for some people, I just hated it.
Originally, I was incensed at myself for having wasted good money. Now, I am just kind of glad that there is not another of this type of book for me to read.
I HATE to say this, because I LOVE "Yes Man", "Friends Like These", "Join Me", and even "Are You Dave Gorman?". I realize now though, that I probably love them because they are all semi-structured grand adventure stories with victory moments and genuine moments you do not see every day (being a Yes Man in a leather bar in Amsterdam anyone?)
From this book, I guess I learned that I just do not enjoy a packaged collection of newspaper columns/blog posts. The first book had some genuinely laugh out loud funny moments ("SKIIIIIRT!" being my favorite), but there was only one moment that I recall enjoying in this book, and that was the following quote: "Luck is probability taken personally."
I still love me some D.W. classic, and he seems like such a nice bloke that I do not even really begrudge him this book aside from the taking of my money (Twice. Really, read the description next time, Laurie). I'm sure "More Awkward Situations for Men" is a pleasant read for some people, I just hated it.
December 8, 2015
Danny Wallace is the perfect example of a writer whose personality is his selling point, but that’s okay – he seems like a genuinely nice guy and an entertaining chap to be around, although he does manage to get himself in to his fair share of awkward situations.
Here, he’s dealing with being a parent for the first time, a plumber who refuses to conform to societal norms, his weird friend Colin who gets in to just as many weird situations as Danny, and many, many more.
From what I understand, the book was compiled from a column that he wrote, and so each individual story (about each individual situation) is presented individually and usually only lasts for a couple of pages. But the clever thing here is that the stories are often interrelated, often with recurring jokes or characters. When you think about it, it’s not surprising – after all, that’s how life works, and at the end of the day this is a book about Danny’s life. It’s a good job his life is pretty interesting.
My favourite awkward situations? The one where he had to walk through London wearing a placard and shouting ‘The End is Nigh‘ was pretty good, and so was the story about how a picture of Danny hugging a monkey ended up on billboards across the world. But really, it’s the relatable stories which are best, like his struggle to surreptitiously take a picture in an airport for his Twitter followers. We’ve all been there, man. We’ve all been there.
Here, he’s dealing with being a parent for the first time, a plumber who refuses to conform to societal norms, his weird friend Colin who gets in to just as many weird situations as Danny, and many, many more.
From what I understand, the book was compiled from a column that he wrote, and so each individual story (about each individual situation) is presented individually and usually only lasts for a couple of pages. But the clever thing here is that the stories are often interrelated, often with recurring jokes or characters. When you think about it, it’s not surprising – after all, that’s how life works, and at the end of the day this is a book about Danny’s life. It’s a good job his life is pretty interesting.
My favourite awkward situations? The one where he had to walk through London wearing a placard and shouting ‘The End is Nigh‘ was pretty good, and so was the story about how a picture of Danny hugging a monkey ended up on billboards across the world. But really, it’s the relatable stories which are best, like his struggle to surreptitiously take a picture in an airport for his Twitter followers. We’ve all been there, man. We’ve all been there.
May 5, 2013
Love his column in Shortlist - in fact I usually turn to read that first. I'm pretty sure that a lot of these columns have been recycled in this book though; which makes it less enjoyable for me as a reader, knowing I've already read that anecdote, but for free in a magazine. Towards the end it gets a bit... 'bottom of the barrel,' I'd say.
I'm a fan usually but won't be keeping this one.
I'm a fan usually but won't be keeping this one.
September 4, 2013
I loved it, but I would I am a converted Danny Wallace fan. But for me Danny gets it spot on for being a dad first time round and trying to get back to normal life.
The book is written in a short story format which enables it to be picked up at any moment and time and justread a small piece of Dannys wisdom.
Laugh out loud, makes you cringe and brings a lump to your throat.
Classic
The book is written in a short story format which enables it to be picked up at any moment and time and justread a small piece of Dannys wisdom.
Laugh out loud, makes you cringe and brings a lump to your throat.
Classic
April 23, 2012
Found it very funny and great for dipping in and out of as it made of small chapters. I did regret reading it in public though due to the laughing out loud (not just a discreet chuckle either) making me look like a crazy person.
June 24, 2012
Read this finally, while on holiday. just as good as the preceding book and so many funny stories that I can relate to happening in my life at one point or another.
broken into individual stories makes it easy to digest and very addictive!
broken into individual stories makes it easy to digest and very addictive!
July 4, 2013
Danny Wallace's writing is full of humour, wit, candour and inspiration. Like all great non-fiction writing, the author creates something out of nothing as he observes both the humdrum and absurdity of every day life throughout his madcap adventures. Great reading, I can never put him down.
October 29, 2019
Funny short stories from the mind of Danny Wallace. I think this type of book is a good match for Wallace as he is able to cover many topics and talk about all his embarrassing situations he has been through l.
April 20, 2012
Another fun collection of essays from one of my favorite authors - Danny Wallace never disappoints.
August 2, 2011
Snippets and anecdotes from manchild Wallace. So funny and entertaining.
August 31, 2011
Not quite as funny as the the first in the series but still amusing. Danny is a man who can completely take the p**s out of himself - which is good!
September 8, 2011
Gently amusing but disappointing considering the genius of 'Yes Man'.
November 29, 2011
Hilarious! Not just for men.
September 30, 2012
A good Sunday afternoon read. pretty much filled with nothings, but mildly entertaining.
November 9, 2012
Typical Danny Wallace. Difficult to put down, not for reading in public if you're easily embarrassed.
July 15, 2013
Pretty funny stories like always! It's hard not to read 5-10 a night!
February 2, 2014
v. funny.
March 2, 2014
Amazingly funny book, made me and my boyfriend laugh with every anecdote!
June 16, 2014
Had me laughing out loud on the train and worrying the general public with how tickled I appeared. The man speaks the truth- best read in ages.
May 24, 2016
This one has Fubble.
August 31, 2015
Another VERY funny observation on life and the way people think
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews