Three Men in a Boat

Three Men in a Boat, by Jerome K. Jerome, was initially supposed to be a serious travel guide for taking a boating holiday on the Thames. Instead, it turned into a snarky critique of "modern" society that is as hilarious and timely today as it was in the 1880s. The book is told from the perspective of our narrator, J, as he travels up the thames with his two friends, George and Harris, and a fox terrier named Montmorency. They boat around, complain about the weather, cause trouble, and generally make themselves into utter fools. There's really little else to be said for the book. It's really funny, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I would recommend it to those looking for a classic work of literature that's a bit on the lighter side. As a quick point of trivia, this book also served as a loose inspiration for the novel To Say Nothing of the Dog. If you like one, you will almost certainly like the other.

Score: 8.5/10
Read this book if: You like snarky Victorian humor.
Don't read this book if: You want a book with a strong central plot or rapid pace. The book doesn't plod, but it's still over a hundred years old.