toilet book

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.