Sleep Walking

'Walking Away' by Simon Armitage (Faber & Faber, 2015)

Being stuck inside, I thought that the logical thing to do was read something that took me to the great outdoors.  So I picked up 'Walking Away' by Simon Armitage, hiker, Yorkshireman and Poet Laureate.

'Walking Away' is the follow up to 'Walking Home', the story of Armitage's 2010 hike along the Pennine Way as an itinerant poet, performing recitals for bed, board and whatever audiences were willing to donate.  In late summer 2013, he repeated the exercise along the northern section of the South West Coast Path, starting at Butlins in Minehead and aiming for the Scilly Isles off the toe tip of Cornwall.  Along the way, he suffers the extremes of British weather, traverses tourist hotspots and rural idylls, and rhymes for his supper every step of the way.

Shooting from the Hip

A few weeks ago, the lovely people at Blinding Books were kind enough to send me a copy of 'My Baby Shot Me Down', an anthology of poetry and prose by ten women writers.  Now, I know I shouldn't really stray from my list, but they asked so nicely.  And I love a good short story.

'My Baby Shot Me Down'
by Various Authors
(Blinding Books, 2014)

'My Baby Shot Me Down' features the work of Clarissa Angus, Katherine Black, Maggy van Eijk, Harriet Goodale, Deborah Hambrook, Claudine Lazar, Rachael Smart, Ruth Starling, Alison Wassell and Laura Wilkinson.  Some are award winners, but all could be described as up-and-coming writers.  The selected pieces range from the tragic to the poignant to the funny and capture the lives of women and girls of all ages.

OK, confession time.  I didn't read all of this book.  Now you've picked yourselves up off of the floor, here's why.  I've never really understood poetry and, despite the best efforts of my school teachers, find it a completely alien language that is impenetrable to me.  It's not the poet's fault at all and no reflection on the quality of the work in 'My Baby Shot Me Down', but after a couple of attempts I did skip all the poetry in this volume to focus on the work I could enjoy.

I do absolutely love short stories and this book includes a number of memorable examples.  They range from the bitterly funny 'A Game to Play', about how to be an (im)perfect man, and 'The Great Escape', the tale of how institutional help can hinder, to the chilling 'The Whispering Wall' and 'Mr Brown'.  'Ashes' and 'Love and App-iness' made me laugh, while 'We'll Meet Again' and 'Tissue Atlas' made me cry. 'Buried' reminded me of summers long ago.  'Supermarket Secrets' made me realise how rare it is to read about ordinary women in more ordinary jobs rather than journalists, actors, lawyers and PRs.  

Overall, this book is great as a showcase for not-quite-discovered writing talent, demonstrating depth and breadth as well as bringing to the fore themes that women in particular can relate to.  Although some of the flash fiction felt a bit too short, the book is certainly thought provoking.  I suddenly realised after reading 'Supermarket Secrets' that I couldn't think of any other piece of fiction set in a supermarket, which is odd when you consider how many people work in them and how ubiquitous they are.  It also got me wondering about the way book genres work.  I know I read an awful lot of historical fiction and not nearly enough modern books, but am I imagining the disproportionate number of strong women in the former?  Only reading my 500-odd books will tell!

This anthology worked its magic enough for me to want to buy other work by these authors.  They are certainly names to watch and I would recommend 'My Baby Shot Me Down' to anyone keen to try something new.

Time for a Rhyme!

For obvious reasons, many friends and family members no longer buy me books for Christmas, but every so often someone can't resist.  That's how I became the proud owner of 'You Made Me Late Again!', Pam Ayre's latest collection of poems, anecdotes and sketches.

'You Made Me Late Again!'
by Pam Ayres
(Ebury Press, 2013)

Pam Ayres is well known for her wonderful ability to take the trials and trivia of everyday life and see the funny side.  As her fans know, she's also skilled at reflecting on everyday heartaches and reminding her readers that they're not silly for feeling sad.  All these sides of Ms Ayres' work are reflected in this latest volume.  As well as covering feeling terrible after a party that was a bit too much fun, loosing sleep over loosing sleep and an evening ruined because of worries about curling tongs that may or may not be on, her latest collection also makes observations on such varied topics as animal welfare, favourite pets (yours and other people's!), salespeople who let their expertise get the better of you, fly tipping, bigotry and Ilfracombe's sea front Damien Hurst.


I enjoyed this book, even though it's not something I would've bought myself.  I both cheered up and welled up as I read it Boxing Day and by the end found myself marvelling at all the little, shared experiences of life that are so easy to miss along the way.

As you may have noticed, I'm not a big fan of poetry, but just as Ms Ayres' subjects are accessible, so are her rhymes, so don't let the label put you off.  It was also good fun to have prose and sketches mixed in with the poems.

Overall, this was lovely surprise and a charming read that I would recommend, although it's probably more for the girls than it is for the boys.  I certainly enjoyed it and am sure I'll read it again.  A well chosen Christmas present gratefully received!

Handle with Care

I've just finished reading 'Fragile Things', a collection of short stories and poems by one of my all time favourite writers, Neil Gaiman.

'Fragile Things' by
Neil Gaiman (Headline
Review, 2006)

'Fragile Things' is an eclectic parcel of work which, typically for Gaiman, is hard to pigeon hole, even for the sake of review.  Some stories verge on science fiction (e.g. the Holmesian 'A Study in Emerald' and 'Goliath', a story from the world of 'The Matrix'), while others are funny (such as 'Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire').  Some resemble classically eerie ghost tales (like 'October in the Chair' and 'Closing Time'), others disturbing crime stories (e.g. 'Keepsakes and Treasures' featuring the kind of influential characters I really hope don't exist in real life) and the nightmarishly frightening (including 'Feeders and Eaters' and 'The Flints of Memory Lane'.  The former will definitely stay with me a long time, which is weird because it's creepy rather than horrific!).  The collection ends with a novella called 'The Monarch of the Glen', a companion piece to Gaiman's fantastic novel 'American Gods', which draws upon Ancient Norse mythology and doesn't shy away from ratcheting up the tension!

Although I've not read any of his graphic novels, I have read and enjoyed all of Mr Gaiman's adult fiction and his last collection of shorts, 'Smoke and Mirrors'.  To me, 'Fragile Things' felt a lot darker and more haunting than the other books I've read and made me wish I was all wrapped up in bed, safe and sound at times!  Not that being creeped out by what I'm reading is a bad thing.  In fact, it's arguably right on the Zeitgeist for a summer of perpetual rain, which feels more like November than July!

Overall, Mr Gaiman has once again successfully put his unique stamp on a range of niche genres here, delivering many stories which will stay with me for a very long time and for the right reasons.  I'd recommend 'Fragile Things' as something for fans of Science Fiction, Horror and Gothic ghost stories to try, but I wouldn't guarantee that everyone will like every story or poem!  Ultimately, it comes down to more than just genre - it's about the whole package, whether you like Mr Gaiman as a writer, his style and the way he thinks.

Gaiman fans will find much to enjoy here, although be careful you don't get caught out by the darker tone of this volume.  The fact 'Fragile Things' is short fiction also means it's a great opportunity for genre fans to open it up and taking their pick of what's inside.  Don't have nightmares now!