Funny Boy

Ladies and gentlemen, I am proof that PR works.  Every year I decide not to read any celebrity biographies, and every year I accidentally catch an interview on the radio or TV and end up reading the interviewee's book!  Just in time for Christmas, folks!

This year, I've been distracted by 'Little Me: My Life from A-Z' by Matt Lucas.  Normally I'd have given anything to do with 'Little Britain' a wide berth (it's just not really my sort of humour), but he came across so differently in the interview, I was intrigued.

In 'Little Me: My Life from A-Z', comedian and actor Matt Lucas tells his story so far.  Starting with his first notable role - 'Accrington Stanley' - and ending with 'Zzzzzzzz', the book's chapters include 'Baldy!', 'Chumley' (his first popular comedy character), 'Eating' (perhaps his greatest weakness), 'Jewish', 'Nearest and Dearest', 'Really, really Big Britain', 'The TARDIS' and 'What are the Scores, George Dawes?'.  Lucas reflects on the great highs and lows of his life, including being discovered by his comedy hero Bob Mortimer and performing 'Little Britain' sketches to sell out stadium audiences, as well as the difficulties caused by his childhood hair loss and grief following the death of his ex-husband.

I've got to be honest and say that, despite my hopes, I half expected to be unable to read much of this book.  As I mentioned, I found 'Little Britain' wasn't to my taste and expected Lucas to be more like his more ostentatious collaborator David Walliams (let's face it, while he's undeniably talented, he's not everyone's cup of tea).  As it turned out, I was charmed.  Lucas comes across as thoughtful, cheeky and hopeful, despite the obvious pain he's in.

It did cross my mind, however, that 'Little Me' could be open to interpretation.  I think if you come to the book having decided that Lucas is trying to manipulate his image and gain sympathy, I think that's exactly what you'll see.   Sometimes, you just can't win.  As a reader who was more or less a blank sheet when I started the book, however, I was struck by the writer's cautious attempt at honesty without self-pity or over-sharing.

The A-Z structure of this book makes it great to dip into, but also makes it a lighter read.  Perhaps many years in the future Lucas will be ready to write something more intense, but, for the time being, people looking for an in-depth behind-the-scenes exposé of 'Little Britain' or a considered analysis of British humour would be better off looking elsewhere.

Overall, if you have a liking for Lucas, are curious about what makes comedians tick, or are just interested in other human beings, I think you will find 'Little Me' enjoyable.  It's not the most Earth-shattering read, but it's sweet and enables you to see a normal-ish person beyond the tabloid silliness.

Now, what next...

'Little Me: My Life from A-Z' by Matt Lucas is published by Canongate Books Ltd (2017).

Let's all be Champion

After the intensity of 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine', I felt I needed a bit of light relief.  I'd enjoyed some extracts of Sarah Millican's new book 'How to Be Champion' on the radio, so I decided to give it a go.

Comedian Sarah Millican's 'How to Be Champion' is part memoir, part self-help and part amusing musings on life.  Covering subjects as diverse as school, proper jobs, bullying, relationships, getting into stand up and the weirdness of fame, she shares stories, tips and even a recipe, all the while reminding us that life can be both sad and funny and sometimes both.  Above all, this book is about how to deal with it in a way that makes you feel 'champion', even when things don't go how you anticipate and society's expectations just want to get in your way.

OK, I'll start with the negative.  Like many celebrity books, the structure for this one goes a bit wobbly a bit towards the end.  It's almost like there was a set word count and once the timeline from school to the present had been more or less exhausted, there was a sort of 'what do I say now?' moment.  Fortunately, it doesn't last too long and Millican regains momentum to get us to the end of the book.

On the whole, this was exactly what I expected and wanted it to be.  Millican's joie de vivre shines from every page, meaning that this was a book I was happy to return to and could trust to raise a smile, from humour, recognition and understanding.  Hopefully she really is that champion and it's not just all that sugar in her tea!

As I'm sure the publisher's hoped, 'How to be Champion' would make a lovely stocking filler, something that can be enjoyed in short bursts during the morning commute or the five minutes you get to yourself after the kids have gone to bed.  While it's definitely one for the girls and a bit on the disposable side, it did it's job well and it certainly has a place on my bookshelves.  Like Millican herself, it's brave, brassy and yet compassionate, akin to a supportive hug and a 'It'll be alright, pet.'.  We all need one of those from time to time.

Now, what next...

Only the Lonely

Now, I know that I should be focussed and just read books that I already have, but sometimes Twitter gets so over-excited about something that I have to find out more.  A great example of this is 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine', Gail Honeyman's debut novel.  Twitter, you were right!

'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine'
by Gail Honeyman
(HarperCollins Publishers. 2017)

Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine.  Since university, she's lived in the same flat, worked in the same job and kept the same regular routine, encompassing the crossword every lunchtime and the vodka each weekend.  As far as she sees it, Eleanor has everything she could practically need and there is no point in acquiring more than that.  The workings of her clockwork existence are interrupted however when Eleanor and a colleague, Raymond, help a pensioner who has collapsed in the street.  The rhythm of her life has changed, but can she change it back again?  And does she really want to?

I really wasn't sure about this book when I started reading it.  We've all gone through periods of loneliness - as awkward teenagers, after disappointing relationships or when starting out in a new city or town - so it felt awkward and almost intrusive to be sticking my nose into Eleanor's space.  As the story progressed and I got to know more about how trapped she actually was, however, I felt I couldn't leave her to her own, unwittingly self-destructive devices.  I'm so glad I stuck with 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine'.

I think this a brilliant piece of work and I still can't quite believe that it's Gail Honeyman's first novel.  I really can't wait to see what she does next.  'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine' is a story of the corners we can think ourselves into, and how even little things can make all the difference.  It's heartbreaking, compassionate, touching and hopeful.  I can't recommend it enough.  Go read it.  Go read it now!

Now, what next...

Austen Time

Whoopeeeeee!!  I have managed to do something that I never thought I would.  OK, I've not reached the 450 book target that I had when I started this blog (See Once Upon a Time...), but I have finally read 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen.  I honestly never thought I would (see Lost to Austen?) so I am genuinely thrilled to have finished it and that it stood up to expectations.

'Pride and Prejudice'
by Jane Austen
(Penguin, 1999)

Just in case you're an extraterrestrial learning about Earth culture (welcome, by the way, and please be nice.  We're not as bad as we seem sometimes.)... 

When Elizabeth Bennet meets Mr Darcy for the first time, it's hardly a match made in Heaven.  His superior attitude and disdain for those around him leave her repulsed and she can think of no one else she's less likely to marry.  Chance encounters thaw first impressions, however, but just as the couple begin to realise the change in their feelings, the foolish actions of Lydia, the youngest Bennet sibling, threaten to ruin the family's reputation completely and destroy any hope of happiness her four sisters may have...

I am completely in love with this book.  It's a coming-of-age novel that's laugh out loud funny, charming, subtle and fun.  It may be 200 years old, but it's still fresh and surprisingly relevant.  The context may change but people really don't.

I loved spending time with the Bennets and Elizabeth particularly.  I felt sorry to have to leave them at the end, so much so that I rewatched the famous 1995 BBC adaptation as soon as I could.  Have to be honest, though, while it left me feeling warm and fuzzy, I did enjoy the book more.

I don't need to recommend 'Pride and Prejudice' to you - there are many, far better qualified people around to do that.  I think the real lesson of this is pretty much the message of the book itself; first impressions can be wrong and life is a voyage of discovery about yourself as well as other people.  I thought I'd never be able to read the work of one of Britain's great authors, but I've learned that I can.  I genuinely believe that some books have their time for each person, and when I came back to 'Pride and Prejudice' after five years, I was ready for it in a way that I wasn't in 2012.  Go figure.

So, if there's a book you've tried and still feel sad about not getting on with, there's no harm in giving it another go.  You might still hate it.  Equally, you might find you fall in love with it.  At the end of the day, you won't know unless you try.  So why not?

Now, what next...

Fools and their Money

It's funny how you can end up finding a great book.  For example, I found out about 'God Bless You, Mr Rosewater' thanks to a throwaway remark by Robin Ince at a gig a few weeks ago.  Boy am I glad he went off script!

'God Bless You, Mr Rosewater'
by Kurt Vonnegut
(Vintage Classics, 1992)

'God Bless You, Mr Rosewater' by Kurt Vonnegut is a satire about inheritance, class, philanthropy, greed and American society's obsession with the rich.  The Rosewater Foundation seems like the perfect tax dodge, a way to enable the Rosewater family to inherit and protect its incredible fortune and hand it, intact, to the next generation.  But there's a problem.  The current foundation president, Eliot Rosewater - alcoholic, obsessed with volunteer firemen and (worst of all) determined to help the poor - is showing signs of mental breakdown.  If declared insane, control of the Foundation's vast wealth goes to the next heir, a distant cousin eking out a living as an insurance salesman on the coast.  Led by the devious lawyer Mushari, the vultures begin to circle, and, Eliot's father, Senator Rosewater, is forced to step in to try to prevent catastrophe...

I absolutely loved this book and wanted to start reading it again almost as soon as I turned the last page.  I found the themes really interesting, but also enjoyed the vivid patchwork of characters Vonnegut created.  They tumbled forth from the narrative like coins from a piggy bank, some shiny, some dull, but all saying something about attitudes to money, class and entrepreneurship in 1960s America.

The writing style was snappy and short, which made it a great book to dip into, but I never felt short changed as it belied the depth and complexity of the themes explored.

Although Vonnegut is a name I'm aware of, I'd not read any of his works before 'God Bless You, Mr Rosewater'.  Now we've been introduced, I certainly can't wait to read more of his work.

If you're someone who likes thought-provoking satire, I think you'll find much to enjoy here.  It's a slightly unusual narrative style, more in common with a single-shot film that allows you to explore the human landscape, with characters coming and going as required, rather than a story that sticks like glue to single character's side, but it works perfectly.  Like I say, I can't wait to explore it's riches once more.

Now, what next...?

Free for All

I suppose it's about time that I told you about 'Free: Adventures on the Margins of a Wasteful Society' by Katherine Hibbert.

When journalist Katherine Hibbert is made redundant following the 2008 financial crash, she decides to turn it into an opportunity and find out if it really is possible to live for free on the cast offs of our wasteful culture.  Can she really squat, scavenge and hitchhike her way through life with little money and no job, or, as the media says and her family fears, is she joining an underclass of junkies and criminals?  What better way to find out than to try?

It's taken me a while to get around to writing about 'Free' simply because I have such mixed feelings about it.  On the one hand it's a nicely written and easy-to-read book, but there doesn't appear to be a core argument to give the work structure.  The author proves her point - that it is possible to live on society's waste (in cities at least) and that's a bad thing - but having done that, I didn't get the sense that there was any fire in her belly to use what she'd learnt to change anything.  As such, narratively, it felt like it had a beginning and a middle, but no end.

Since then, I've googled the author and she's used her experience to found a 'property guardian' company, where people live at a cheaper rate in disused buildings to protect them until they are redeveloped, helping those looking for homes, establishing better relationships with owners and keeping communities alive.  Perhaps there's a second edition of this book that does include this enterprise, which would make it a more complete story.

'Free' did get me thinking.  The sections on the history of squatting and it's use by poor families during housing crises of the 20th century were really interesting, as was the information about the related law in the UK and beyond.  I couldn't help but be struck by the apparent contrast between the modern squatters she described (for whom it often seemed to be a lifestyle choice) though and those of previous years (who sought unused buildings out of poverty and necessity, e.g. after the Blitz).  It's hard to ignore that this comes across as a very London-centric and middle class book.

Also, what counts as 'being wasteful'?  For example, Ms Hibbert has a Philosophy degree from Cambridge, so couldn't it be argued she was wasting her education by not using it?  Seems an awful shame to not get full advantage of such an opportunity and achievement.

Overall, I felt that this book was interesting, but repetitive and somehow unfinished.  Being an easy read, however, I would say it's worth a look if it's themes are of interest to you.  Perhaps, in the spirit of the subject, though, you should borrow it from the library.

Now, what next...

Dark Side of the Moonstruck

This post is likely to prove a challenge.  It's always tough to talk about tales with twists.  After all, you're effectively saying that something's great without being able to tell anyone why!  Anyway, let's give it a go...

I recently finished the latest book by the superlative thriller writer, Erin Kelly, 'He Said / She Said'.

'He Said / She Said'
by Erin Kelly
(Hodder & Stoughton, 2017)

'He Said / She Said' is a story of trust, truth and perspectives.  During a festival celebrating the 1999 solar eclipse in Cornwall, Laura witnesses a brutal assault.  But was it rape?  The victim Beth is silent while her attacker Jamie says it was consensual.  As Laura sends her boyfriend Kit to fetch help, she can't begin to imagine the terrible events that have been set in motion and how all their lives are about to change forever.

As the title implies, this is a story about viewpoints in relationships.  What the title doesn't tell you is that you can't trust Erin Kelly!  She lets you view the constellations and get your bearings, before re-aligning the stars and fortunes of everyone involved.  Can't help but think of her as more conjurer than writer, deftly playing on your expectations and misdirecting you, ready for the big reveal, when pieces you didn't even know were missing slot into place.

It would be easy to assume that this novel is a courtroom drama, but that's only one part of it.  'He Said / She Said' is a taut, gripping and chilling tale of how far people will go to protect themselves and their reputations.  By degrees, each character becomes more than what they appear, until you find yourself wondering how far you too would go in those circumstances.

If you enjoy thrillers and crime novels, I thoroughly recommend this book.  For a while, 'He Said / She Said' was available far too cheaply (99p as an ebook via Amazon and £5 as a hardback in a number of shops, for goodness sake.), but don't let that, or anything else, deceive you.  Put simply, it is absolutely brilliant.

Now, what next...

Related Links

'The Poison Tree' by Erin Kelly
BBC Radio 2 Book Club

You Have Been Warned!

I had a lovely surprise recently.  I discovered that I owned a book of Neil Gaiman short stories that I hadn't read!  After that, it didn't take me long to get stuck into 'Trigger Warning'.

'Trigger Warning'
by Neil Gaiman
(Headline, 2015)

'Trigger Warning' is Neil Gaiman's 2015 compilation of short stories and 'disturbances', encompassing tricky tales, tributes and poetry, plus a welcome addition to the 'American Gods' canon called 'Black Dog'.  A fictional girlfriend is realised in 'The Thing About Cassandra', while Sherlock Holmes returns in 'The Case of Death and Honey'.  Revenge is cold in 'The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains...' and the seaside sinister in 'My Last Landlady'.  A quiet, middle-class existence is threatened in 'Adventure Story', while a fairy tale kingdom is at risk in 'The Sleeper and the Spindle'.  Recent losses are felt with 'The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury' and 'The Return of the Thin White Duke'.  Meanwhile, the blood is chilled by a hungry spirit in 'Click-Clack the Rattlebag' and a hidden threat in 'Feminine Endings'.

This book is classic Gaiman, taking the reader by the hand and leading them through a twilight world of horror, fantasy and myth.  Much like the great Ray Bradbury, Gaiman's work is driven by his characters and their passions, meaning that there's something here even for people who don't normally read these genres.  It also means that there's variation in 'Trigger Warning'; I laughed, I cried, I found it hard to sleep at night...

Even so, the title of this book bothered me.  Somehow, 'trigger warning', the notice that is commonly used to alert readers / viewers to something that they may find upsetting, didn't really fit.  Perhaps in a world where the news seems like a 24 hour sci-fi / horror channel, the spooky has stopped seeming quite so threatening.  Or maybe it's because, unlike the truly horrifying, these are only fictional stories.

I loved this book, as I've loved many of Gaiman's other short story collections, not just for the fiction, but also for the delightful introductions in which the author gives each piece context and hints at the joy he seems to feel as a professional maker-upper-and-writing-downer.  I love the image of him dashing to his nearest and dearest each time he's finished something to share what he's created.

I would encourage the curious to at least give Neil Gaiman a go.  There have been some fantastic adaptations of his work recently on radio and TV, including a haunting reading of 'The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains...' by Bill Paterson, which I thoroughly recommend.

Now, I think I've gushed enough.  Perhaps I should've put a trigger warning on this post in case you might find the enthusiasm nauseating!

Now, what next...

Related Sites

Review of 'Fragile Things' by Neil Gaiman.

BBC production of 'The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains...' performed by Bill Paterson.

Neil Gaiman reading 'The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury'

Normal for Scarfolk

In retrospect, the 1970s and early '80s look a bit weird.  A time of fantastic pop music, scratchy man-made fibres and cold war - talk about the good, the bad and the ugly.  Those who lived through it may have noticed a sense of the sinister and supernatural that permeated popular culture.  But while the rest of us moved on - perhaps with a sigh of relief - the people of the enigmatic northern town of Scarfolk appear to have chosen a very different path...

'Discovering Scarfolk' by Richard Littler is a work of fiction (we hope), based on 'evidence' compiled by Dr Ben Motte as he pieced together the story of his missing university friend, Daniel Bush.  Bush and his two sons, Joe and Oliver, were travelling north to start a new life when a stop in Scarfolk changed everything.  Joe and Oliver vanished, leaving behind nothing but a mysterious cloud of stationery.  A panicked Daniel seeks help from the locals, who are at first unresponsive, then evasive and finally downright weird...

Very dark but also laugh out loud funny, 'Discovering Scarfolk' is a quintessentially British satire of a time long gone and a place that might still exist in some remote corner of our island.  Graphic artist Littler includes some eye catching parodies of public information posters and other ephemera that are so realistic I had to remind myself that they weren't real.  Not even the book about practical witchcraft.  The skilled blurring of fact and fiction just adds to the simultaneous unease and feeling of familiarity that pervades the book.  'Discovering Scarfolk' is an uncanny valley for the UK in the 1970s.

The only weakness here is the plot, but it hardly matters.  It's the idea of the time and place which is the star and the villain of the piece, and how Littler uses all the media at his disposal to teach us a thing or two about growing up before social media posts and digital photography allowed us to record every moment, making remembering anything almost unnecessary.  On every level, this is a book about memory and the tricks it can play.

'Discovering Scarfolk' is a book for people with a 'League of Gentlemen' sense of humour (unsurprisingly, Mark Gatiss is a fan), especially those who grew up in the '70s.  I'm sure there are many references this generation will get that I missed.

In Scarfolk, the past is a foreign county.  They do things very differently there.

For more information, please reread this post.

Related Links

The Scarfolk Blog

Princess Direst?

There are many battle lines drawn to divide the sexes, but the one that's worried me most in recent years is that in the toy shop.  I know I'm fairly old and quite absent minded, but was there really always such an obvious difference between toys aimed at girls and toys aimed at boys?  Just as I thought I might be seeing my own childhood through rose tinted specs, along came 'Cinderella Ate My Daughter' by American journalist, author and parent Peggy Orenstein, a book which asks the very same question.

'Cinderella Ate My Daughter' is Ms Orenstein's exploration of 'princess' culture, its origins and

'Cinderella Ate My Daughter'
by Peggy Orenstein
(Harper, 2012)

whether it's really as bad as it seems.  As a mother, she's worried by the impact of girly girl culture on her daughter's character and ambitions.  As a vocal feminist and writer, she finds her own world view and reputation are being challenged. Orenstein dives in at the deep end, going to junior beauty pageants, a Miley Cyrus concert and upmarket doll shops (complete with beauty parlour), as well as hanging out with social media obsessed preteens.  But can she get beyond the glitter and froth to the facts that matter?

I really enjoyed this book.  Admittedly, it was on a topic that interested me, but it was also written in an accessible style by someone who clearly found the apparently sudden emergence of extreme princess culture as baffling as I do.  Through the book, Orenstein muses on the topic in an open minded way, trying to draw conclusions that are both rooted in real evidence (rather than hard line reactionism) and pragmatic, recognising peer pressure and that a simple 'No' is not always the best answer.

There are probably a good proportion of parents who have had similar worries to Orenstein about whether princess culture is narrowing their daughters' futures, even condemning them to a life chasing unrealistic expectations about their looks and relationships.  This book is written from that perspective and, as such, I would recommend it to them as a good read.  It's debatable whether any firm conclusions are drawn, but at least it offers food for thought and makes you realise you're not the only one questioning the giant, pink marketing tsunami that's determined to sweep all girls into a narrow target group.

What I would really like to see next from Ms. Orenstein is a companion work about the boys.  For every pink and glittery aisle there's a blue and mechanical one which is arguably just as restrictive.  Why should shoving girls in a box be any worse than shoving boys in one?

If you're someone with female children or an interest in this topic, I recommend this book.  While it doesn't necessarily give you answers, it does give you information, and in the least will leave you feeling empowered enough to tell the princess to push off once in a while.

Now, what next...

Waste Not, Want Not

I do love the weekend papers.  The number of purchases I've made after reading interviews and extracts in the glossies... well, it's not really helped reduce the number of unread books I have!  Last year, I was intrigued by articles about 'A Life Discarded' by Alexander Masters, so trundled off to the bookshop to treat myself.  Should I have made resisted?

'A Life Discarded'
by Alexander Masters
(Fourth Estate, 2016)

'A Life Discarded' is the story of 148 diaries found in a Cambridge skip by two academics, which were then passed on to biographer of the unusual Alexander Masters.  After paying no attention to them for a number of years and several house moves, he finally picked up a volume and started reading.  This was the beginning of a five year project that would involve graphologists, detectives and archivists, not to mention 'I', the enigmatic diarist.  But did Masters get any closer to the mysterious writer and find a meaningful story in the millions of words?

I was extremely disappointed by this book.  It's so unbelievably depressing.  What made for several interesting articles led to a very dull and at times almost narcissistic tome. It seemed to be more about what the 'biographer' thought about his reaction to the subject and her diaries rather than the subject herself, wrapped up in an at times pretentious and repetitive prose and always keeping everything at arm's length.  I felt that this was a project he didn't really want and had no passion for, but felt he had to do in light of what had happened to the diaries' finders.

Assuming that Masters was writing 'A Life Discarded' out of a sense of duty rather than passion, then the apparent lack of feeling the author seemed to have for 'I' starts to make sense.  Without giving too much away, 'I' has led a life where dreams never became reality and what talent she had was never fully encouraged or explored, largely through her own inaction.  Although Masters seems to identify with this as a writer, I never really got a sense of how he felt about 'I'.  As a reader, I knew I felt compassion and pity, but as far as I could tell, Masters felt nothing, not even contempt at someone wasting their potential or a sense of injustice that she'd been let down by those around her.  Perhaps biographers should try to stay neutral, but if that's the case, why did so much of this book seem to be about Masters?

Ironically, this book feels like a wasted opportunity.  It could've been about the many ways lives are lost, through inaction, accident and early death, but instead somehow those threads didn't come together to create a stronger narrative and central theme.  Rather than being depressing, perhaps the book would've become inspirational and about making the most of what time you have, no matter how short or long.  If, if, if...

Unfortunately, I wish I'd resisted and not bought this book.  At least I read it, though, and you never know, whoever reads it next might not be so disappointed.  After all, tomorrow is another day!

Now, what next...

Related Links

'The Biography of a Nameless Person' (The Guardian, 14/05/2016)

Real to Reel

Disclaimer: Today is very, very hot.  As a result, this post might be complete gibberish.  If so, I apologise.  If not, I clearly have more stamina than I realise.  But the only way you're going to find out is by reading on!

'It's Only a Movie'
by Mark Kermode
(Random House, 2010)

While recovering from a bout of flu earlier this month, I staggered to the bookshelf and, with much effort, coughing and spluttering, managed to pick up 'It's Only a Movie: Reel Life Adventures of a Film Obsessive' by established critic Mark Kermode.  Fortunately, it was a good choice.

'It's Only a Movie' is a charming, whistlestop tour through Kermode's life and career as a film journalist in print and on radio.  An entertaining collection of loosely linked anecdotes, it hop, skips and jumps through tales of how his childhood obsession developed into an unlikely career with the energy of a comic book fan on their way to yet another superhero movie.  From inspirational schoolboy cinema visits, to teenage pretension and adult near incompetence at university and in his early jobs, this is the story of a man who nearly ruins Time Out, gets shot at in LA, champions horror movies, enters a long term, on air relationship, is broken by Russia, gets kicked out of Cannes Film Festival and, of course, watches an awful lot of movies.  When there's love, peril and (hopefully) a happy ending, it's bound to be a hit.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  It's silly, but it's fun.  The author freely admits that he may not be quite telling the truth, but that's fine.  He clearly knows that the stories he's telling are just a bit nuts, perhaps only believing them himself because he was there.

One thing that did please me was that name dropping was kept to a minimum.  It would've been so easy to wheel out a load of gossip about the big industry names just to attract a wider audience, but fortunately Kermode hasn't stooped to this and it's a much better book for it.  You get the impression that, with a few specific exceptions, it's the movies that matter and he finds the whole celebrity circus a bit gross.  This means that it's the art form that he loves that stays centre stage.

As a result, this is a great book for movie buffs, a bit of a change from all those expensive, in depth 'making of' books and long nights spent arguing over the top 50 1980s South Korean horror movies.  Come out of the cinema and read this in the sunshine, people.  Although maybe not on a day like this...

Now, what next...

Stormy Weather

Last week I finished 'The Angry Tide' by Winston Graham, the seventh Poldark novel.  Normally I'm a bit of a sucker for a good book cover, but for some reason I didn't pay much attention to this one. Wish I had as I'd have been much better prepared for this book's revelations...

'The Angry Tide'
by Winston Graham
(2008, Pan Macmillan)

It's the last years of the 1700s and still waters run deep for the Poldarks and Warleggans.  While both Ross and George appear prosperous and content, old rivalries continue to simmer beneath the surface and it's not long before they burst forth.  While the enduringly bitter George seizes chances to conspire and strike against the Poldarks and their associates, an opportunity of another kind may mean a ray of hope for the unrequited lovers Morwenna and Drake.  But best laid plans often go astray, especially in the storm ravaged Cornish peninsula...

I might be being a bit harsh, but I felt that 'The Angry Tide' took a while to get going, but once it did, boy did it go!  Winston Graham shows himself to be a master plotter, deftly setting the scene and building the tension before letting the deluge go.  I found this book almost impossible to put down, as wave after wave peaked and troughed until the story's devastating climax is reached.

Graham also shows himself to be an expert at the art of misdirection - just when I thought I knew which way things would go, the current took me elsewhere.

Along with the 'The Black Moon', I think this is the best of the series so far and that fans of historical fiction or family saga will love it too.  I can't wait to get started on 'The Stranger from the Sea' - but I think it'll have to wait until after the new BBC series!

Related Posts

Ross Poldark
Demelza
Jeremy Poldark
Warleggan
The Black Moon
The Four Swans

Bred of Devon

I've always had a fondness for those books of local legends that you find in Tourist Information Centres across the UK. One of the best areas for such stories has to be the West Country, so during a recent trip I read 'Devonshire Folk Tales' by professional storyteller Michael Dacre.

'Devonshire Folk Tales' is a joyful romp through stories of yore from one of the country's most

'Devonshire Folk Tales'
by Michael Dacre
(History Press, 2010)

beautiful and boisterous counties.  From the giant origins of these lands to encounters with fairies good and bad, to the nefarious activities of wicked rogues and ghastly encounters with ghosts and ghouls, not to mention much mischief of a truly devilish sort, this short book covers a lot of ground without leaving the confines of this enchanting county.

The worry with reading a book like this is that it's possible to get swept up in it and begin to wonder what kind of superstitious back water you're going to find yourself paddling around in.  Fortunately, Dacre's tone remains mischievous throughout, managing to thrill rather than chill the reader.  No sleepless nights here, thank you!

The variety of topics is excellent, as is the passion with which the stories are told.  Dacre clearly loves both folk tales and the county that inspired them, not to mention the people that tell/told them.  Such hand-me-down myths and legends are a dialect all their own and should be treasured as much as any regional accent or words.  Through this book, Dacre preserves and shares not just the voices of generations long gone, but more recent enthusiasts and it's hard not to be swept up in the sense of community and fun that comes with such storytelling.

I would recommend 'Devonshire Folk Tales' for anyone who wants a locally themed book to dip into during their visit to the county.  It gives a glimpse beyond the stereotypical cream teas and buckets and spades to the character of an area that is so much more than a tourist trap.

Now, what next...

Suspicious Minds

I've finally got around to reading another book in Philippa Gregory's Cousins' War series, 'The White Princess'.  About time, I'm only about four books behind...

'The White Princess' sweeps the veil of Tudor propaganda aside and suggests an alternative story of the dynasty's founding couple, Henry VII, only child of the ambitious Lancastrian Margaret Beaufort, and Elizabeth of York, eldest daughter of the late King Edward IV and sister to the famed Princes in the Tower.  When her usurper uncle Richard III is defeated at the Battle of Bosworth Field, Elizabeth once again finds herself the unhappy victim of another dramatic change of circumstance, one of many that has seen the wheel of fortune turn her from princess to pauper and back again many times. With few options open to her, Elizabeth is forced to become a pawn in the power games between the new rulers and her mother, the widowed Elizabeth Woodville, While Henry VII and Margaret Beaufort weave a public story of strength, unity and authority, Elizabeth sees the threadbare truth of a family wracked with fear and eaten away by suspicion, a situation that reaches breaking point when a pretender marches on the kingdom claiming to be Elizabeth's missing younger brother, Richard of York...

The difficulty with Philippa Gregory is that all of her work is of such a consistently high standard that each book really has to work hard to stand out from the others.  I'll admit that I haven't enjoyed many in the Cousins' War series so far because I think they often suffer from two common historical novel issues.  Number one: if you have an aristocratic female lead, then they don't get to do much, which can get quite frustrating, especially if they don't hear about what's going on in the outside world through a spy network or letter writing relations.  Number two: the writer is constrained by having to hit certain known historical events to retain authenticity, but consequently loses some control over pace and don't have full creative freedom.  The minute a historical novelist of  Gregory's supreme talent is able to flex her muscles with a less well known historical figure, the difference is obvious and, for me, the results are always better.

The strength of 'The White Princess' is that it provides a different perspective on the traditional story of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.  Usually portrayed as the rather romantic way that the Wars of the Roses ended and a genuine love match, Gregory successfully suggests an alternative view that seems more plausible and reminds the reader not to take everything they think they know about the past for granted.

Overall, this is a worthy addition to the Cousins' War series of books and hasn't stopped me wanting to read more, but unlike 'The Other Boleyn Girl', 'The Other Queen' or 'The Lady of the Rivers', I doubt I'll want to read this again.

Now, what next...?

Related Posts

'The Lady of the Rivers' (Cousins' War Book I)
'The White Queen' (Cousins' War Book II)
'The Red Queen' (Cousins' War Book III)
'The Kingmaker's Daughter' (Cousins' War Book IV)

'The Virgin's Lover'
'The Other Queen'

The Many Ripples of Terry Pratchett

I'm scared of Terry Pratchett's books.  So many people I know have recommended his work to me over the years - people I respect and like - that I've found it impossible to pick up one of his Discworld novels without feeling a weight of expectation upon it.  Consequently, it feels too heavy, I drop it and then scamper off to find something less intimidating.  In the end, I decided to ease myself in with 'A Slip of the Keyboard', a collection of his non-fiction.

'A Slip of the Keyboard'
by Terry Pratchett
(Corgi Books, 2015)

'A Slip of the Keyboard' by Terry Pratchett is a collection of articles, introductions and speeches reflecting various aspects of Pratchett's life and career.  We hear from the writer, the technology lover, the science fiction fan, the schoolboy, the worldwide phenomenon, the industry PR, the Posterior Cortical Atrophy sufferer and the assisted dying campaigner.  Some pieces are short, some are long, but all provide insight into an author as pragmatic as his worlds seem fanciful.

I found this both a very satisfying and heartbreaking read.  It made me laugh, it made me cry and it made me think, which is pretty much all you can ask for from any book really.  Pratchett had his favourite anecdotes and phrases, which does make the book a bit repetitive at times, but, for me, this didn't take away from the overall effect of the writing.  The only thing I would've liked added was a press release from his days with the Central Electricity Generating Board, but that's more from my nerdy curiosity as a former Press Officer than a feeling that it would complete the book.

As 'A Slip of the Keyboard' progresses, it feels like layers of the writer's character are being peeled back, until by the end of the book, (which brings us up to the last few year's of Pratchett's life when he finds himself an unexpected figurehead for Alzheimer's disease and the assisted dying campaign) we see his outrage and raw determination to change a system he sees as archaic, wrong and cruel.  I'm sure that many people feel he died far too soon and it's a shame that this cause lost such a powerful and eloquent spokesperson, leaving the debate with no one else able to bring the issue of assisted death to the fore with such force and knowledge.

Although I can't comment for fans of Discworld, I do feel this is a book for writers and people interested in people.  It lifts the veil a bit on this particular writer's life in a way that doesn't seem to happen very often, talking more about the practicalities of book signings and conventions rather than going over the old cliches of technique and style.

So, am I still frightened of Terry Pratchett's books?  Certainly not as much as I was before.  What I really feel now is bereft that I didn't take the plunge before Pratchett's death.  And if I feel like that, I dread to think what Pratchett's long term fans must have felt like when he passed away.  On the other hand, I have literally a lifetime of books to look forward to.  So there is hope yet.

Postscript

Around the time I finished 'A Slip of the Keyboard', the BBC broadcast 'Back in Black', a charmingly idiosyncratic documentary about the life and death of Terry Pratchett, which worked really well as a companion piece to this book.  I'm so glad I watched it but I'm also glad I waited until I'd finished the book to do so.  It's hilarious and heartrending and I thoroughly recommend it.  At time of writing, it's also still available on the BBCiPlayer.  You lucky people!

'Back to Black' Terry Pratchett Documentary

Post-Postscript

By a weird twist of fate, I've just discovered that I'm writing this on the second anniversary of Terry Pratchett's death.  I'm not sure what it means, or even if it means anything.  Just another ripple I suppose...

There's No Place Like Home

So, from a female-dominate historical novel, I moved on to a male-dominated one!  I've just finished reading 'The Flame Bearer' by Bernard Cornwell, the tenth book in the Last Kingdom series.

It's 917 and a fragile peace exists between the kingdoms of Britain.  The tables have turned on the
invading Norsemen, once so mighty it looked like they would wipe out the Anglo-Saxon population, but now corralled in the north-western lands of Northumbria, cautious and wary of the enemies that surround them.  In the absence of war, an aging Lord Uhtred has turned his attentions back to his lifelong dream, to regain the formidable fortress at Bebbanburg, his by right of inheritance, stolen by his uncle and now ruled by his cousin.  But fate has other ideas.  Factions in Wessex and Mercia have a dream of their own, to destroy Northumbria and unite the Saxon peoples in one country, 'Englaland'.  Caught up once more in dark politics and devious plots, before Uhtred can secure Bebbanburg, he must first secure peace.

'The Flame Bearer'
by Bernard Cornwell
(HarperCollins, 2016)

It's nice to see Uhtred stopping a fight rather than starting one for a change!  But don't think that this book isn't as battle-filled and bloodthirsty as the others in this series.  It wouldn't be Uhtred's story otherwise!

I really enjoyed this book.  Cornwell demonstrates once again how a master story teller creates tension and puts the reader right at the heart of the action.  As Uhtred ages, he's also becoming more reflective, and the passages in 'The Flame Bearer' in which he muses on the side of battle nobody talks about add a whole new dimension to our aging hero.

I also love the cast of characters that Cornwell juggles in the Last Kingdom novels.  Unfortunately, there's not much for the girls to do in this book, but it's hard not to enjoy the camaraderie and humour that comes from playing Uhtred's band of warriors off each other.

Overall, as always, if you've enjoyed Cornwell's other novels, you'll probably like this one!  It's a tale of adventure and heroes, action and friendship and will doubtless leave you (war) crying out for more!

Now, what next...?

Related Posts

'Warriors of the Storm'
'The Empty Throne'
'The Pagan Lord'
'Death of Kings'
'The Burning Land'
'Sword Song'

A Crowning Achievement

Firstly, an apology.  I meant to have published this blog post by now, but unfortunately I caught one of the many bugs going around at the moment, so I've been out of action for a while.  Hope you can forgive me and that this was worth the wait!

Late last year, the lovely people at Bantam Press kindly sent me a copy of 'The Shogun's Queen', the latest novel in the Shogun Quartet by Lesley Downer, a story of women, politics and change in 19th century Japan.

'The Shogun's Queen'
by Lesley Downer
(Bantam Press, 2016)

Growing up in rural Japan, the daughter of a minor Samurai nobleman, Okatsu, learns to be bold, clever and headstrong at a time when girls should be meek, polite and obedient, much to the despair of her mother.  But, unknown to Okatsu, the qualities that make her different from other women will also set her on a unique path that will make her a vital player in a complex game of politics and power.  Her feudal lord, Shimazu Nariakira, Prince of Satsuma and second in power only to the Shogun himself, plans to make her central to a plot to bring about much needed change in a country that is struggling to find its place in the modern world.  As ships arrive from Holland and America, bringing traders who demand more and more from the ancient and very private culture, Okatsu finds she must sacrifice the life she knew in order to ensure the survival of the country she loves...

I have to be honest and say that I didn't take to Okatsu - or Princess Atsu as she's more frequently called in the book - straight away, but it wasn't really her fault.  The trouble is that headstrong, fiery yet beautiful female characters seem a bit of cliche and there's part of me that wants to hear about the ugly people!  But I was determined to stick with her and I'm glad that I did.  This is a story of perspectives (particular of insiders and outsiders) and as Downer takes us with Atsu on her journey to the Women's Palace, we see her vulnerabilities as well as her strengths.  I felt for her as she struggled with the demands of Lord Nariakira, etiquette and her own desires, finding excuses as well as untapped sources of strength as she matures into the queen of the title.  By the end of the novel, she was a person, not a cliche and I was sorry to leave her.

I've said before that I prefer historical stories of political intrigue over romance, and 'The Shogun's Queen' stuck the right chord for me.  There was enough emotion to make Atsu relatable and human and enough plotting and competing motivations to keep it interesting.  It read like the best books by Philippa Gregory and I feel that fans of Gregory would very much enjoy 'The Shogun's Queen'.

While Gregory's work is firmly rooted in her excellent knowledge of English history, Downer's superlative knowledge of Japanese culture gives 'The Shogun's Queen' wonderful depth and texture.  Once again she performs the perfect balancing act, giving us enough information so we can inhabit Atsu's world but without overwhelming the reader and distracting from the story being told.  The beautiful fabrics, ever changing landscapes, labyrinthine buildings, formalised speech, delicate foodstuffs - all combine to give us a three dimensional world that's easy to slip in to.

'The Shogun's Queen' features an interesting cast of characters, but once we're secluded in the Women's Palace, it's the Lady Dowager Honju-in, the Shogun's mother, who dominates.  Talk about the mother-in-law from Hell!  Representing an unsustainable desire to resist change and using every devious trick she's got to keep her power and influence, Lady Honju-in is a fantastic villain, the perfect contrast to the naive and uncertain Atsu.

I'd thoroughly recommend this book to any fans of historical fiction looking for something set outside of the UK.  To be honest, I'm a bit sick of stories about the Tudors, so this was perfect for me - the same high quality, but telling me about a time and a place I knew little about.  Downer skilfully crafts Atsu's story, wearing her knowledge lightly and offering a new perspective on a fascinating culture.  I'm really looking forward to reading other books in the series.

Now, what next...!

Review of the Year 2016

Happy New Year, lovely readers!  It's hard to believe that another 12 months has gone by already, but I'm afraid it has, so it's time to see how things are going.  No burying my head in the sand!

Although I didn't scale the dizzy heights of 2014 (32 books read.  32!!), I have managed to reach my two books a month average this year.  Half of these weren't on the original list, unfortunately, and I didn't always manage to blog about all of them, but I'm determined to do better in 2017.  There are so many great books on my shelves, it's time to knuckle down and do them justice.  Although I'll only be able to do this if the publishing industry stops being awesome and releasing amazing new books, of course.  Such a dilemma!


To my surprise, I've read more fiction (14) than non-fiction (10) this year.  If you'd have asked me, I would have told you that I'd read far more non-fiction, but it looks like I've been doing a better job of mixing things up than I realised.  Although, having said that, five of the books were autobiographies by actors and celebrities, so perhaps not that mixed up... Will have to try and keep an eye on that next year.

So, my ideal reading list for 2017 would be longer, include more 'list' books and fewer autobiographies.  It would also be great to get in a classic or two and some science fiction.  Been a while since we've had some of that, so we'll have to see what we can do.

I would also love to see Benjamin Mee's follow up to 'We Bought a Zoo' on next year's list too, but two years after supporting the crowdfunding to help Dartmoor Zoo gain charitable status, the promised book still isn't finished.  It's easy to forget that writing is a proper, full-time job, so it's not really a surprise that the guy is finding it hard to balance with running a zoo.  Talk about multi-tasking.

I hope to keep working through Winston Graham's Poldark books next year too.  Must keep ahead of the BBC series!  Although they're such great books, I would definitely want to be reading them anyway.  Good to have an incentive sometimes though!

While I'm still reading the Poldark series, I did actually finish another set of books in 2016; Ian Fleming's Bond novels.  So even though I may not feel like I've achieved much this year, I have achieved that.

As always, thank you so much for your support and I do hope you're still enjoying the blog.  To keep things interesting for you, I'm working on some posts about some great author-related places I've visited and hope to come up with some other book-related articles for you too.  Watch this space!

It's always great to hear from you, so don't forget you can tweet me via @EileenFurze.

That's it for now, so all the best for 2017 and happy reading!

Reviews of the Year

2015
2014
2013
2012

2016: A Year in Books

January
'The Rendez-Vous and Other Stories' by Daphne Du Maurier
'Wishful Drinking' by Carrie Fisher

February
'To Kill A Mocking-Bird' by Harper Lee

March
'You Say Potato' by David and Ben Crystal

April
'Moranifesto' by Caitlin Moran
'Carmilla' by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

May
'Red: A Natural History of the Redhead' by Jacky Collis Harvey

'Absolute Pandemonium' by Brian Blessed

'Not My Father's Son' by Alan Cumming

'The Black Moon' by Winston Graham

'Dead Man's Folly' by Agatha Christie

June
'Gut' by Giulia Enders and Jill Enders

August
'The Swordfish and the Star' by Gavin Knight
'Spectacles' by Sue Perkins

September
'You Only Live Twice' by Ian Fleming
'The Man with the Golden Gun' by Ian Fleming
'The Heart Goes Last' by Margaret Atwood
'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children' by Ransom Riggs

October
'Josephine' by Kate Williams
'Conclave' by Robert Harris

November
'The Four Swans' by Winston Graham
'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' by Ian Fleming

December
'No Cunning Plan' by Tony Robinson
'The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4' by Sue Townsend

Bond Meets his Matches

So, the day has finally come.  For nearly two years, I've been working my way through the 007 Reloaded audiobooks, recordings of Ian Fleming's original James Bond novels read by a variety of great actors.  I've finally finished my last one.  I say 'my' last one because I've not actually listened to them in order, but, in a strange way, I'm glad that 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' by Ian Fleming and read by David Tennant was my last.

'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'
by Ian Fleming
(Penguin Modern Classics, 2004)