Three Men on a Mountain

'Peaks and Bandits' by Alf Bonnevie Bryn

One of the best things about being a book blogger is that you never quite know what you'll end up reading next.  Until Vertebrate Publishing put a call out for reviewers, I would never have believed I'd end up reading about three young men going on a mountaineering trip to Corsica, but read one I did.  And I loved it.

Don't Ignore Him

'Just Ignore Him' by Alan Davies 

When celebrity biographies get released, it's usually to great fanfares and fireworks as each flashy hardback vies for our attention in the pre-Christmas glut.  My latest read - 'Just Ignore Him' by Alan Davies - got my attention because it seemed to do the opposite of that.  Just look at the cover; a simple image of a young Davies in white t-shirt looking straight into the camera.  Somehow cautiously bold, it's a long way from the usual stage-managed images we've come to expect on such books.  The only flash of colour is the red of his football shorts, leaving the book dominated by a brown-black that sits in stark contrast to the bright yellows, blues and whites of other biographies that I've read.  So what's going on?

Miss, Educated

'Educated' by Tara Westover (Penguin Random House, 2018)

With schools still closed or partially closed due to Covid-19, education is back in the headlines.  At first, it seemed like a dream scenario for many students, but the novelty soon wore off, and many are now realising the long term damage of a disrupted education.  Someone who knows more than most about the challenges of catching up on missed classroom time is Tara Westover, author of memoir 'Educated'.

Tara Westover grew up in rural Idaho, USA, the youngest of seven children in a family dominated by her father.  His twin obsessions were becoming as self-sufficient as possible in preparation for the end of the world, and avoiding contact with the authorities.  As such, while the children didn't go to school or see doctors, they learned to preserve food, use firearms and hide resources such as fuel around the family homestead.  They worked as his crew in their scrap yard, often risking life and limb in an environment where health and safety amounted to decaying steel toe-capped boots and not much else.  When accidents occur, the children are treated by their herbalist mother.  As she grows up, Tara's relationship with her siblings changes as they each begin living lives of their own.  While Tyler shows her there may be hope beyond the farmstead, the mercurial Shawn leaves her broken and doubting her own mind.  When Tara herself finally decides to pursue formal education, she manages to overcome her father's opposition, but, when challenged by life in an alien outside world, will she flee and return to the familiarity of home?

A Man for All Reasons

'Reasons to Stay Alive' by Matt Haig (Canongate, 2016)

I first heard of Matt Haig as an author, then kept hearing praise for his mental health memoir 'Reasons to Stay Alive' online, before seeing the book listed on a Reading Well campaign leaflet that I picked up at the library. With so many passionate voices praising this book, I decided it was time to take a closer look.

Part memoir and part self-help, 'Reasons to Stay Alive' is the story of Matt Haig's life with depression and anxiety.  He describes his illness from a personal perspective, starting with a crippling breakdown he had in his mid-twenties, his ongoing recovery and what helps him keep his mind healthy in everyday life.  Above all, he aims to encourage people to understand mental health in the same way as physical health, and to reinforce that there are many, many reasons to stay alive.

Mr Bright Side

'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography' by Eric Idle (Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2018)

After the intensity of 'The Five', I needed something more frivolous and optimistic.  As it turns out, you can't really get more optimistic than Monty Python's Eric Idle.

'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' is a scamper through the highs and lows (but mostly the highs) of the life of Eric Idle. After a childhood marred by the early loss of his father and an unpleasant spell at boarding school, Idle gained a place at Cambridge University in the 1960s, that now-legendary cradle of intellectuals and alternative comedy.  In this Big Bang of confidence and creative energy, many significant cultural figures mixed, with groups forming, splitting and reforming, until the infamous Pythons gravitated together and stuck.  Over the next 50 years, due to hard work and a positive attitude, Idle's career as a performer and writer thrived.  As well as professional success in film, theatre and television, he became friends with many like-minded people (who also happen to be celebrities), including George Harrison and Robin Williams.  'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' is a life story and a love story, about friendship as well as fame, humanity as well as humour.  There is laughter, there are tears, but, somehow, there is always a bright side.

Broken Hearts, Broken Minds

'When I Had a Little Sister' by Catherine Simpson (4th Estate, 2019)

Well, it's going to be a bit of a challenge to write this post, but nowhere near as tough as it must've been for Catherine Simpson and her family to decide to share 'When I Had a Little Sister', a powerful story of family, grief and mental illness.

The 'Little Sister' of the title is Tricia, who, following a lifetime dogged by mental health issues and depression, killed herself in December 2013 at the age of 46.  Beginning with this terrible event, Simpson describes the feelings and formalities of the immediate aftermath, then reflects on her family's past and how the tough, stoic attitude of generations ultimately led to tragedy.  Tricia, Catherine and their eldest sister Elizabeth grew up together on the ancestral Lancashire farm, living in the farmhouse where Tricia's life would eventually end.  The apparently idyllic surroundings belied a childhood dominated by tough and eccentric personalities, whose influence would echo down the generations.  Eventually, having exhausted their shared experiences, Simpson cautiously turns to her sister's journals, filling in the gaps and discovering a whole life that no-one knew her sister had.  The book ends where it began, with Tricia's death, and the effect of the tragedy on the family closest to her.

Could you Make it Up?

'Truths, Half Truths & Little White Lies: A Memoir' by Nick Frost (Hodder & Stoughton, 2015)

Hello everyone!  As you may have noticed, I'm a bit of a sucker for a celebrity biography.  My most recent read is 'Truths, Half Truths and Little White Lies: A Memoir' by film and TV actor Nick Frost.

(You know, the chap in the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy.  And 'Spaced'.  And 'Cuban Fury'.  Simon Pegg's mate.  Oh, for goodness sake, if you're not sure, Google him!  Know who I mean now?  Good, let's proceed...)

A Heart in the Darkness

‘Girl in the Dark’ by Anna Lyndsey (Bloomsbury, 2016)

As every reader knows, there are some books that stay with you.  This can be for a variety of reasons.  A hero may become your ideal man, a horror story may make you shy away from innocuous places, an adventure may make you want to see more of the world.  I think ‘Girl in the Dark’ by Anna Lyndsey may be such a book for me.

Anna Lyndsey was living a relatively normal life when things began to change.  Working at an office computer, she found that her face began to burn.  At first, she endured it, using fans to cool her skin.  But attending a meeting one day, she found that the subterranean room’s ceiling lights were also causing a reaction and she realised with horror that the problem was getting worse.  She sought medical help and went on sick leave, not knowing that she would never return to office work again.  Diagnosed with photosensitive seborrhoeic dermatitis, what began as an irritation became a debilitating, chronic condition that led to an isolated life in a blacked out room.  With limited options and no hope for a cure, how can a vibrant young woman, brimming with ambition, survive?

Living Legends

'The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London' by Christopher Skaife

I've been in a bit of a flap over the past few months.  Three books that I, really, really, REALLY wanted to read were all due to come out in the same week in October and I was finding it hard to sit still until I got my hands on them.  Fortunately, October arrived and I've purchased and read the first of the tempting trio, 'The Ravenmaster' by Christopher Skaife.

'The Ravenmaster' by
Christopher Skaife
(4th Estate, 2018)

In 'The Ravenmaster', Yeoman Warder Christopher Skaife lifts the trapdoor on life with the Tower of London's most famous residents: the ravens.  Legend has it that if the birds leave, then the kingdom and the Tower will fall.  It's the job of Skaife and his team to make sure that the current cohort of seven birds are so happy and healthy that they never do.  Unfortunately, at times the ravens themselves can have other ideas...  'The Ravenmaster' shines a spotlight on these extraordinary birds, interweaving details of their characters, habits and relationships with broader tales of their cultural significance, the history of their home and the practicalities of life with Britain's most famous birds.

Something to Believe in?

It's taken me six weeks to read 'Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death and Jazz Chickens' by Eddie Izzard.  That's a long time, even for me.  Just as well that I'm as stubborn as it's author!

In 'Believe Me', Eddie Izzard talks about his life and career and the events and personal philosophies that have made him one of the big names in stand up comedy.  He describes the shock of his mother's death when he was was six years old, his time at boarding school and how his determination drove him to develop his skills in street performing and sketch comedy, until he found his feet in film and television acting as well as the surreal stand up that he's best known for.  From football to marathons, coming out as transgender to learning to fly, 'Believe Me' weaves a story of ambition, self-realisation and determination to do something different.

Destination Unknown

I do not want to write this post.  The trouble is that if I don't, I'm not going to settle to any new books for a while, and I don't want that either.  So here goes.  A rather delayed review of 'Where Am I Now?' by Mara Wilson.

'Where Am I Now?' is the memoir of former child actress Mara Wilson, best known for her roles in 'Mrs Doubtfire' and 'Matilda'.  In this book, Wilson looks back on her life so far and the journey that's led her from a childhood in California and early worldwide film stardom, to life as a twenty-something writer and storyteller in New York.  As well as describing growing up on set, working with people including Robin Williams and Danny Devito, and her love for family and friends, she also shares personal stories about the death of her mother when Wilson was just eight, struggles with OCD, depression and anxiety and the career challenges that follow early success.

Mild, Mild West

At this time of year, and especially with the rotten weather we've been having, it's very easy to suffer a bit of the winter blues.  In the hope of a pick me up, I started reading 'Once Upon a Time in the West... Country' by fridge-towing funny man Tony Hawks.

'Once Upon a Time in the
West... Country'
by Tony Hawks
(Hodder & Stoughton, 2015)

In his early 50s and on holiday with the love of his life Fran, Tony has an epiphany: He doesn't have to live in London any more!  As a writer, radio show panelist and frivolous bet accepter, he can live anywhere, not just the Big Smoke.  In search of something more than the anonymity of the city, Tony and Fran make the move to Devon to start a new life.  But how will Tony cope with the sudden friendliness, expansive scenery and unexpected demands of country living?

Smoke and Mirrors, Darling

The first book I finished in 2018 was 'The Panther in My Kitchen' by Brian Blessed, which is basically 'Absolute Pandemonium' with just animals, so you don't really need a post about that.  The next was 'Do You Mind if I Smoke?' by Fenella Fielding and Simon McKay, which somehow followed on perfectly thanks to its intimate, conversational feel.

'Do You Mind if I Smoke'
by Fenella FIelding and Simon McKay
(Peter Owen Publishers, 2017)

'Do You Mind if I Smoke?' is the memoir of 90-year-old actress Fenella Fielding, best known for her velvety voice and comic roles on stage, radio and screen (if you know her from nothing else, you'll know her from 'Carry On Screaming').  In this book, she tells tales from her childhood and career, painting a picture of life as a performer in the 1960s and tempting us with tidbits from behind the scenes of various productions.  Through her many stories, the reader is given a glimpse of the hard work and tough decision-making that has to happen before the curtain goes up and the cameras start to roll, as well as the thrill of success and a job well done.

Do Not Adjust Your Specs

I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but how cool a job have the graphic designers done on Sue Perkins' memoir 'Spectacles'?  I mean, just look at this cover.

'Spectacles: A Memoir'
by Sue Perkins
(Penguin/Michael Joseph, 2015

 There aren't many people who can be recognised through just a few brushstrokes.  Alfred Hitchcock and Adolf Hitler are about the only ones I can think of, but the less said about that the better.

Anyway, then you get to look inside the book and... wham!  More specs than you can shake an optometrist at!  Shame they didn't make this into wallpaper or fabric or something, I have a friend who would've loved it.

And just as you think it can't get any better, you arrive at the book itself!

In 'Spectacles', Ms Perkins takes us on an entertaining, whistle-stop journey through her life (or at least a version of her life - as the disclaimer says "Most of this book is true.").  We get to know her potty but lovely family, the friends that inspired her and her partner-in-prime time Mel Giedroyc.  (Wouldn't be surprised if the latter is brewing her own memoir in retaliation...)  There are demanding dogs, car-related calamities and an unexpected encounter with Esther Rantzen, as well as behind-the-scenes looks at 'Maestro', 'World's Most Dangerous Roads' and, of course, 'The Great British Bake Off'.

This is a charming book, full of energy and humour, much like you hope the author herself to be.  'Spectacles' is heartwarming, heartfelt and at times heartbreaking, as the anecdotes make you laugh at life's absurdities and shed tears for its cruelties.

This book may be filed under non-fiction, but like all autobiographies it's a version of the truth told to us as a kind of collaborative lie.  But unlike many celebrity memoirs, at least this one is self-aware and more about entertaining the reader than making the author look perfect.

'Spectacles' begins with Ms Perkins describing her wish to be a writer.  I think her understanding of her audience shows that she is.  I hope this is not her last book.

The Rising Son

As you've probably worked out by now, I'm quite a slow (but determined!) reader.  So it tells you something about 'Not My Father's Son' by the actor Alan Cumming that I read it in less than three days.

'Not My Father's Son'
by Alan Cumming
(2015, Canongate)

Alan Cumming may be a star of stage and screen, but this is not your average celebrity memoir.  'Not My Father's Son' is a book about family, physical abuse and the need to understand.  Mr Cumming and his brother, Tom, grew up in fear of their violent father, their childhoods overshadowed by his explosive rages, their adulthoods hastened by a desire to get away as quickly as possible.  Eventually, Alan was able to accept the reality of his traumatic past, through therapy and the support of friends and loved ones, but one day his long-estranged father contacts his sons with news that threatens everything.  This is the story of a defining period in Mr Cumming's life, during which he not only confronts the horrors and mysteries of his own past, but coincidentally those of his maternal grandfather too.

This is a beautifully written book.  Instead of being melodramatic, self-indulgent or a 'misery memoir', it reads more like a subtle suspense-thriller as Mr Cumming searches for the truth behind his ancestor's death (with the help of the BBC's 'Who Do You Think You Are?' programme) in parallel with trying to understand his father's behaviour and its affect on his own character.  By moving between the past and the present, he drip feeds information and builds a tension that makes this a real page-turner.  

The key theme is understanding.  It's not about vengeance, it's not about pity or 'poor me', it's not about abuse voyeurism, although it could so easily have become so in the hands of another writer.  I admire Mr Cumming for managing to stay focussed on the story he wanted to tell rather than slipping into sensationalism.  The plain English used keeps the book simple and factual and it works.  'Not My Father's Son' is heartbreaking, thought provoking, analytical and hopeful.  It also acknowledges that there were good times too, although they were often overshadowed by the fear of abuse yet to come.

Overall, I would recommend this book.  Mr Cumming is brave to tell this story and to do it in this calm and honest way, especially as many fans would want a more glamorous tale littered with celebrity names and showbiz anecdotes.  Instead, Mr Cumming uses the voice his success has given him to talk about something that happens at all levels of society and show us all that victims shouldn't be ashamed.

Now, back to the books.

One Man and His Ape

One of my favourite days out is to a very special animal sanctuary nestled in the gorgeous Dorset countryside.  Monkey World is an internationally respected haven for unwanted apes and monkeys, a place where the abused, neglected and abandoned can find refuge and receive care from experts in their field.  It was founded by two extraordinary men, Jim Cronin and Jeremy Keeling, and I recently read Mr Keeling's excellent autobiography.

'Jeremy and Amy' is the story of Mr Keeling and his foster 'daughter' Amy.  She's stubborn and

'Jeremy and Amy'
by Jeremy Keeling
(Short Books, 2011)

grumpy and has plenty of attitude.  Oh, and she's also an orang-utan.  Keeling first meets the newborn Amy in 1983 while pursuing a career caring for a variety of exotic animals in both public and private collections, The two pound two ounce baby orang-utan is so frail her survival seems impossible.  But, with Keeling's help, survive she does and Jeremy and Amy develop an incredible bond.  Through amazing highs and heartbreaking lows, she remains a constant companion and an inspiration to Keeling and his work rescuing monkeys and apes from countries around the world.

This book could very easily have slipped into a cutesy, anthropomorphic, semi-biographical story about how caring for a characterful orang-utan helps a human find peace with themselves and the world.  Fortunately, it didn't and I think anyone picking it up and expecting some sort of light read about how funny and almost human animals are would, initially at least, be very disappointed.

In reality, it's the human at the centre of this story and the book includes some very upsetting sections which don't sit at all with the 'aren't animals funny?' sort of narrative.  Delivered in Keeling's characteristic matter-of-fact style, it's impossible not to be affected by some of his terrible experiences, particularly in childhood.  To call his early family life 'dysfunctional' seems the ultimate understatement.  Equally, I ended this book with so much respect for him as someone who could easily have slipped into self-destruction, but instead decided to work hard to make a future for himself and, as a result, found a way to make a real difference.

I found 'Jeremy and Amy' a real page turner, but to say I enjoyed it would be crass and insensitive.  I cried, I laughed and, as with 'We Bought a Zoo', had my respect for the people who care for the planet's animals reinforced.

It must've taken some bravery for Mr Keeling to publish this book, so I would like to thank him for sharing his story.  (Let's hope I never bump into him at Monkey World, I'm bound to make a complete 'nana of myself.)

Overall, 'Jeremy and Amy' is a story of hope and courage and I would thoroughly recommend it.

Now, back to the books!