Review of the Year 2017

Happy New Year!  Hope you've had a fab 2017 and are looking forward to a great 2018!

It was a bit of a slow start for me this year, but things have picked up as time has gone on.  In total I read 23 and about 2/3 books, so I wasn't far off my two-a-month target.  I got in a good mix of fact and fiction, some old and some new, so hopefully there was something of interest to you too.

My 2017 highlights have to be 'Pride & Prejudice' by Jane Austen and 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine' by Gail Honeyman - something old and something new, and both brilliant.

Looking forward, I'm conscious that I have a shelf of books people have kindly sent me and another of things that people have given to me as gifts.  I feel awful for being so rubbish at reading things promptly, so I'm going to try to start putting this right a bit in 2018.  I always warn people who pass me books that I really do have a lot to read already, but I'm fairly sure that some of my friends and family have forgotten that they've lent me some of these...

Another thing I hope to do is read more classics.  Yes, that again!  Following on from 'Pride & Prejudice', I would really like to read another Jane Austen novel (Twitter recommended 'Persuasion').  Having visited both Haworth and Hardy's birthplace just outside Dorchester, I'd also like to try 'Jane Eyre' and 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles'.  I may not get a chance, however, as if I don't read Dumas' 'The Count of Monte Cristo', I think a friend of mine might actually pop! 

(By the way, if I manage to catch up on some of the books I've been sent, I'm thinking of making 2019 a year of books people have recommended to me.  But ask me about that again in 12 months time!)

Finally, I'm desperate to know what happens to Ross Poldark and co. after the Earth shattering events of 'The Angry Tide'.  Hopefully I'll squeeze at least one more of the late Winston Graham's novels in next year. 'Stranger from the Sea' is book 8 of 12, though, so I need to pace myself!

So, let's hope I can keep up the momentum for 2018 and make it a fantastic year.  As always, thank you for joining me on my personal reading challenge and I hope you keep enjoying the blog.  May your own personal projects be as successful!

Right, let's get reading!

2017: A Year in Books

1. 'The Shogun's Queen' by Lesley Downer
2. 'The Flame Bearer' by Bernard Cornwell
3. 'Slip of the Keyboard' by Terry Pratchett
4. 'Ghoul Britannia' by Andrew Martin - A good read for ghost story fans and writers.
5. 'The White Princess' by Philippa Gregory
6. 'Devonshire Folk Tales' by Michael Dacre
7. 'The Angry Tide' by Winston Graham
8. 'It's Only a Movie' by Mark Kermode
9. 'A Life Discarded' by Alexander Masters
10. 'Shattered Love' by Richard Chamberlain - Disappointing.
11. 'Cinderella Ate My Daughter' by Peggy Orenstein
12. 'Discovering Scarfolk' by Richard Littler
13. 'Trigger Warning' by Neil Gaiman
14. 'He Said / She Said' by Erin Kelly
15. 'The Tent, the Bucket and Me' by Emma Kennedy (Audiobook) - Entertaining stories of family holidays gone wrong.
16. 'Trans: A Memoir' by Juliet Jacques - A moving, personal story.
17. 'Free: Adventures on the Margins of a Wasteful Society' by Katherine Hibbert
18. 'God Bless You, Mr Rosewater' by Kurt Vonnegut
19. 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen
20. 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine' by Gail Honeyman
21. 'How to Be Champion' by Sarah Millican
22. 'Little Me: My Life from A-Z' by Matt Lucas
23. 'Puckoon' by Spike Milligan

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...