Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | History of the World in 100 Modern Objects | 2015 | Francesca Hornak | Buy |
| 2 | Worry with Mother | 2016 | Francesca Hornak | Buy |
Francesca Hornak’s two non-fiction titles are humor books published a year apart. History of the World in 100 Modern Objects (2015) takes its title as a riff on the BBC Radio 4 series “A History of the World in 100 Objects,” but instead of ancient artifacts, Hornak writes comedically about everyday contemporary items like smartphone chargers and scented candles. The book is structured as a series of short, satirical entries.
Worry with Mother (2016) shifts focus to the specific anxieties of modern parenting, written in the same breezy, comic style. It covers the particular social pressures and absurdities that come with being a mother in Britain today.
Both books are quick reads suited to anyone who enjoys dry British humor about everyday life. They stand alone from each other and from Hornak’s fiction.