toilet book

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English

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Noun

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toilet book (plural toilet books)

  1. (informal, somewhat derogatory) A book, generally factual but lightweight and humorous, written to be read in short, occasional bursts, such as when using the restroom.
    Coordinate terms: airport book, beach book, coffee table book
    • 1987, William Donaldson, Is This Allowed, page 114:
      There's only one thing for it: I'll have to get stoned; there's always time to write a toilet book.
    • 1988, Canadian Library Association, Canadian Materials for Schools and Libraries, page 54:
      This is a toilet book. One can open it at any page, read it for a bit, and put it down for a time long enough to forget what one has read and still pick it up again with the same enthusiasm.
    • 2009, Patrick Fanning, Not Dead Yet, and One or Two Other Good Things About Retirement, page 3:
      This is a toilet book—the kind with short chapters that you leave in the bathroom and pick up when you're in there on other business.