The Bachelor Home Companion: A Practical Guide to Keeping House Like a Pig (O'Rourke, P. J.) [Paperback]

P. J. O'Rourke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 13, 1997 | Series: O'Rourke, P. J.

From P. J. O'Rourke, best-selling author and expert bachelor, comes a hilarious look at domestic life. Or, as P. J. puts it, "This is a book about cooking, cleaning, and housekeeping for people who don't know how to do any of those things and aren't about to learn." In addition to debunking popular myths about bachelors (they are in fact not creatures known to hang around the house in silk smoking jackets, sipping brandy from oversized snifters) P. J. offers some useful sections on cleaning - or how best to avoid doing it: "Spill something fresh on the floor because a slippery floor is much more like a clean, waxed floor than a stinky floor is."; "Every month or so, take the curtains down-and throw them away. Turn the lights off if you don't want the neighbors to see what you're doing. The same goes for slipcovers."; "Don't use Drano if a toilet gets clogged. Remembering, the toilet is a dog's idea of Perrier. And you don't want a dog with a melted tongue."; "Sheets can be kept clean by getting drunk and falling asleep with your clothes on." In the inimitable style that has made him one of America's most popular humorists, P. J. provides an essential guide to the practical business of living in the modern world and proves that "Camus had it all wrong about the myth of Sisyphus - it's not symbolic of life, just housekeeping." "To say that P.J. O'Rourke is funny is like saying that the Rocky Mountains are scenic - accurate but insufficient." - Chicago Tribune

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press; 1st Atlantic Monthly Pbk. Ed edition (March 13, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871136864
• ISBN-13: 978-0871136862
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #385,902 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should get 6 out of 5 stars, January 18, 2001

By 

Eric Gudorf (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bachelor Home Companion: A Practical Guide to Keeping House Like a Pig (O'Rourke, P. J.) (Paperback)

This book is absolutely hilarious! I'm a big fan of PJ's, so how did I miss this little gem until now? Anyway, this book had me literally LOL (Laughing Out Loud) as I read it in my own bachelor apartment. PJ has captured the essence of bachelordom, namely, we are all basically mischievous boys at heart who love chaos and disorder. PJ on cooking - "If you think of it as setting fire to things and making a mess, it's fun". His recipes alone will leave you in stitches. And he provides all sorts of ready excuses for putting off anything related to cleaning or keeping up one's residence. This especially rang true as I surveyed my own humble abode and thought "You know, I kinda LIKE having all that clutter on the floor, it makes the place looked lived in." This book is simply required reading for anyone who's experienced the joys of sharing an off campus apartment with two other complete slobs, where beer cans and empty pizza boxes are the primary forms of interior decoration. Let's just say it's a pleasant trip down memory lane for any healthy, red blooded American male, and should get 6 out of 5 stars if such a thing were possible!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Bachelor Home Companion, December 25, 2002

By 

Joe Zika "Khemprof" (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Bachelor Home Companion: A Practical Guide to Keeping House Like a Pig (Hardcover)

The Bachelor Home Companion: A Practical Guide to Keeping House Like A Pig written by P.J. O'Rourke is a very funny, keep you in stiches book.

You'll never keep a house neat and tidy after you read this book. Of Course, that's assuming that you already do. What its like as a bachelor in theory as to actually being one is, according to O'Rourke, a great disparity. If you want to laugh and be entertained at the same time then this little tome is for you to enjoy.

Humor abounds and your life will definately take a turn... for better or worse will depend on you.According to O'Rourke... "How often does a house need to be cleaned, anyway? As a general rule, once every girlfriend. After that she can get to know the real you."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't understand why marriage isn't more popular among men, October 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bachelor Home Companion: A Practical Guide to Keeping House Like a Pig (O'Rourke, P. J.) (Paperback)

The sad fact is I can actually see parts of myself in this book. P.J. has a way of seeing the extreme side of anything and making a very funny book out of it. Have read most of his other works and this one definetly ranks near the top. The short length is actually a plus, as his advice is condensed into a "guide" format. Anybody who has never read a P.J. O'Rourke book before would be good to start off with this one.