I'd Rather Not: Essays

Praise for I'd Rather Not: Essays

“The writer’s vignettes wittily chronicle the “false starts, failures and endless dabbling” of a self-confessed dilettante.”
-- The Sydney Morning Herald

"A decidedly skewed, hilarious collection of life reflections and colorful storytelling."
-- Kirkus Reviews

“Don’t judge a book by its cover, obviously – but this one captures the weird energy, bleak humour and absurdity of Skinner’s memoir so perfectly it deserves applause.”
-- Steph Harmon, The Guardian Australia

“[Robert Skinner] is a gifted writer with a keen intelligence and sense of humour so delightful you want to meet him.”
-- Penelope Debelle, The Herald Sun (Five-starred review)
 
“To make funny fodder out of a life full of ‘false starts, failures and endless dabbling’ is no easy task, but Skinner does so, and he does it well.”
-- Thuy On, ArtsHub
 
“This is genuinely hilarious and warm-hearted, and I hope lots of people will join in his fun.”
-- Alison Huber, Readings ‘Dear Reader’
 
“Read Robert Skinner’s book. It is very good. It will make you laugh. (It will make you consider saving money.) … once you start reading I’d Rather Not, you will not put it down until you have finished.”
-- Chris Gordon, Readings ‘What we’re reading’
 
“It only takes till the end of the chapter's first paragraph to become convinced of the assuredness of Skinner's witty and humane voice. From there, we're taken on a picaresque journey through moments as diverse as the intricacies of throwing the perfect house party, Skinner's experiences of homelessness, and a hilarious hitchhiking attempt.”
-- The Big Issue

‘…genuinely amusing and even a little PJ O'Rourke in its own way’
-- The Weekend Australian ‘Notable books’

"Seriously the funniest book I've read all year. I can't stop thinking about Robert Skinner's forays into the most mundane and frustrating aspects of life ... Read this book with a bottle of wine, and be alarmed and enlightened!"
--Alice Pung, author of One Hundred Days

"If only all books were as funny, human and true as I’d Rather Not. I raced through it, marvelling and envious all the way."
--Michelle de Kretser, author of The Life to Come

"My heart leaps whenever I see Robert Skinner’s byline; I know I am in for a hilarious literary treat complete with wry pearlers, gallows truths and wicked timing. People will say he is Australia’s Sedaris but he’s not. He’s Robert Skinner and he’s a bloody marvel."
-- Anna Krien, author of Night Games and Act of Grace

“This book is like a big properly-made gin and tonic drunk outside in a garden on a perfect Saturday afternoon."
-- Cate Kennedy, author of The World Beneath

"No one writes better when the stakes are lower."
-- Sam Vincent, author of My Father and Other Animals

“[I’d Rather Not] is Reading As Joy. (Remember that?) More joy than eating honey joys, listening to Col Joye and The Joy Boys on Joy FM. Comes out mid-year, I think, and damn we need more books like this.”
-- Michael Winkler, author of Grimmish

“He’s not so much a dilettante as an equal-opportunity appreciator, and his refusal to accommodate the demands of bureaucracy are all about a return to the physical world, to avoid missing anything in the rush to a destination. The result is a funny and affecting celebration of the glorious choices we so often have about where to go and how to get there.”
-- Jim Shepard, author of The Book of Aron and Phase Six

“Robert Skinner writes with humour, intelligence and heart. Pick up this book and you may never put it down.”
-- Tony Birch, author of The White Girl

“I was told this man came from the Adelaide Plains and so commenced to read his work. By the time I realised I’d been viciously misled and he actually grew up in Magill, it was too late. I was already completely in love with the book. It’s an absolute bag of lollies.”
-- Annabel Crabb, author of The Wife Drought