Book Review: How not to Become a Grumpy Old Bugger

I recently listened (via Audible) to How not to Become a Grumpy Old Bugger: A Bloke’s Guide to Living a Better Life by Geoff Hutchison. It was only a few hours long, and the title sounded a little amusing, so I decided to listen to it. A bonus was that the author was the narrator. (I prefer books where the author reads it, not a hired voice actor).

Content

I was surprised by how broad the list of topics covered in the book was. Geoff covers the obvious topics like what on earth it means to be happy, but he also dives into darker areas with, for example, a chapter on death.

I mean it’s inevitable for us all. There was the saying that the only certainties in life are death and taxes. And that’s pretty accurate. What I was fascinated to hear Geoff talking about though, was something that I’ve often stopped and thought about.

Whenever I think back about my ancestors, and at least the ones that I’ve been around long enough to have known, it strikes me how fleeting life really is. In as little as 100 years from now, you, and everyone you know, will be gone.

But so will pretty much all recollection of anything about you. The only people who ever seem to be known long-term are British royalty, and people who have done truly horrific things. Memories of everyone else are gone in a relatively short period of time.

Our generations are the first that have been able to record anything much of ourselves, but you have to wonder in 100 years time, if those digital memories will have long since been erased, or even if they still exist, if any equipment existing at that time will still be able to let you see/watch it.

Geoff also got me thinking quite a bit about regret. He points out that we all live with some regret, yet most of the time, we’re only torturing ourselves with those regrets.

Thoughts on the book

The audio book is easy listening. Geoff is quite funny in parts.

I particularly liked his thoughts surrounding retirement. Far too few of us spend enough time thinking about how our retirements will play out.

Geoff was a presenter on the ABC in Australia and the quality of his voice work is apparent.

Summary

Overall, I enjoyed listening to this book, and I did find it interesting. The content is covered well and it’s about the right length. It’s compelled me to do some more reaching out to old friends.

8 out of 10

2025-11-28