I've discovered Jeremy Vine fairly late into his journalistic career - as far as I knew his CV consisted of an excellent Radio 2 lunchtime show and the less impressive Eggheads (although that's largely down to those arrogant bore monsters who make up the quiz team - and I guess the dull quizzers that take them on - in fact Jeremy is probably the only good thing about the show). I had no idea that he had made a name as a political commentator and had presented Newsnight, or that is was him that exposed Gordan Brown during 'Bigotgate'!
However I am big fan of Jeremy Vine - I find him charming, witty and sophisticated - which he demonstrates with ease throughout this memoir. This book is definitely a case of truth being stranger than fiction at times - some of his encounters seem straight from the script of 'The Thick Of It'. I think I always viewed journalism at the highest levels as being quite glamourous, in fact it is actually a game - the story is always first, and actually a huge amount of time, effort and money can go into something for very little reward (for example, the Table Mountain story). He also highlights was we all suspect anyway that politics is a series of ill planned publicity stunts and downright lies.
This memoir is full of funny gossipy moments, shocking moments like the interview with Robert Mugabe, and tender moments, like the story of his housekeeper and the dog in South Africa. It is a beautifully written book, which is such a rarity with autobiographies, and makes you wonder after such an amazing life and career how on earth does Jeremy stay so well-grounded. This book made me love Jeremy even more (and the fact that he personally replied to a tweet a sent him about his book went a long way to help that to!).
The best memoir I have read by a long long way - what a lovely man!
5/5
Thursday, 14 March 2013
Jubilee - Shelley Harris
Jubilee was our fifth book club title, so once again I wasn't holding out much hope for it. However I was pleasantly surprised...
The book centres around a photograph taken at a Silver Jubilee street party - the shot later becomes iconic as it features Satish, then a small Asian boy, so it used to highlight how multicultural Britain has become, and is later used on the cover of a punk album.
30 years later the photographer wants to recreate the moment with the original photo, and tries to sell it to those involved as a way to make money. Some are happy to be involved but others are not, including Satish. Satish is our many character - now a successful consultant and happily married - he does not want to remember the events of that day (which you are left guessing for most of the book).
Satish arrived in the UK from Uganda in the early 1970s and settled into a quiet village in the Home Counties, however by the time of the Silver Jubilee his family were still struggling to integrate themslves properly, and throughout the book hidden prejudices (which now seem a bit shocking) are revealed. The overall climax of the book (the secret event that Satish is struggling to forget) is shocking, but was not what I expected at all. Equally as shocking was the way this was dismissed as silly when it was reported to the adults back at the street party.
This book caused much discusion at our book club, mainly focusing on prejudice - Thankfully times have changed, although we all agreed that there is still much prejudice around, but mainly with class now, rather than colour.
The tension builds slowly and the pace is fairly sedate,and it is a really interesting and perceptive read. However there were a couple of things that annoyed me - Satish and his addiction to pills, and his relationship with a couple of people from the photograph - these are never really explored or explained in any depth in the book.
As a group we decided that we would recommend this book to others, but I'm not sure I'd be rushing out to buy another one of her books.
Turning Thirty - Mike Gayle
I turned 30 back in 2008 and wasted the six months prior to that milestone worrying about being that old and leaving my 20s behind, yet my other half seemed totally unbothered by the whole thing (which happened 11 days after after mine).
So as a big fan of Mike Gayle I was looking forward to reading his perspective on it all. Turning Thirty follows the life of Matt, who returns to England from New York after splitting with his girlfriend. He temporarily moves back in with his parents and starts to meet up with all of his old friends in an attempt to feel young again.
Over the last few years I have had times when I feel that I am not done with my youth just yet, particularly since having my little girl (who of course dictates that in fact I am definitely done with my youth), and I have many many yearnings for my former life as a student or a young twenty-something, when life was more exciting and so on. Also one of the things that I have really struggled with over the last 10 years is that those who were such an important part of your life suddenly stop being that, and it is a struggle just to get together every couple of years, let alone meet down the pub on a weekly basis as in the past.
Anyway on that basis I felt that it was a story I could relate to on many levels, not the settling down part as I have been with my other half since we were 22, but on the rest of the letting go of your youth aspects. His observations are spot on, however I don't think that this is one of his best books and the email chapters between him and his ex are actually just annoying and don't offer anything to this book, and it does drag after a while. However if you are approaching your 30s and are feeling a bit fidgety then this is the book for you (by the way 30 feels no different to 29 - my approach to 35 this summer is a whole other matter!)
3/5
So as a big fan of Mike Gayle I was looking forward to reading his perspective on it all. Turning Thirty follows the life of Matt, who returns to England from New York after splitting with his girlfriend. He temporarily moves back in with his parents and starts to meet up with all of his old friends in an attempt to feel young again.
Over the last few years I have had times when I feel that I am not done with my youth just yet, particularly since having my little girl (who of course dictates that in fact I am definitely done with my youth), and I have many many yearnings for my former life as a student or a young twenty-something, when life was more exciting and so on. Also one of the things that I have really struggled with over the last 10 years is that those who were such an important part of your life suddenly stop being that, and it is a struggle just to get together every couple of years, let alone meet down the pub on a weekly basis as in the past.
Anyway on that basis I felt that it was a story I could relate to on many levels, not the settling down part as I have been with my other half since we were 22, but on the rest of the letting go of your youth aspects. His observations are spot on, however I don't think that this is one of his best books and the email chapters between him and his ex are actually just annoying and don't offer anything to this book, and it does drag after a while. However if you are approaching your 30s and are feeling a bit fidgety then this is the book for you (by the way 30 feels no different to 29 - my approach to 35 this summer is a whole other matter!)
3/5
We need to talk about Alan - Alan Partridge
I remember the day I discovered Alan Partridge many many years ago on The Day Today and thinking he was absolutely hilarious, but also a bit too close to what local East Anglia presenters are actually like. I wasn't a massive fan of Knowing Me Knowing You, but I'm Alan Partridge and Mid Morning Matters remain up there with my most favourite comedies, and ones that I can watch over and over again.
So I was extremely pleased to hear that this spoof memoir was being released (particularly as I loved the episode of I'm Alan Partridge where he is desperately trying to promote his book at Norwich railway station, before having to have them all pulped!). The book had me in stitches straight away. it follows Alan's supposedly difficult childhood, where he was sometimes abandoned for 3/4 of an hour!) to his first steps into the world of radio, the rise and fall of his TV career and of course his current role at North Norfolk Digital (as well as his time at the Linton Travel Tavern and his imaginatively titled Classic House). The book reminded me of all the fantastically funny episodes of his show that I loved so much.
As well as being hilarious, the book is also well written - so you actually believe that Alan spent time in his caravan or at the Linton Travel Tavern penning this. It is full of pendantic little footnotes, which are so Alan, as well as a totally unnecessary song tracklist, which in any other book is just annoying, but here it reinforces the pinickityness of Alan! And of course, the some choices are ridiculous and remind us that as a radio DJ, he in fact as very little musical knowledge. On top of this the local Norwich and Norfolk detail is excellent, as someone who is quite familiar with the city and spends many weekends in North Norfolk, this adds to the enjoyment
I absolutely loved this book and it certainly lived up to the sitcom before it. If you haven't read this so out and buy it now - go on!!!!!
5/5
So I was extremely pleased to hear that this spoof memoir was being released (particularly as I loved the episode of I'm Alan Partridge where he is desperately trying to promote his book at Norwich railway station, before having to have them all pulped!). The book had me in stitches straight away. it follows Alan's supposedly difficult childhood, where he was sometimes abandoned for 3/4 of an hour!) to his first steps into the world of radio, the rise and fall of his TV career and of course his current role at North Norfolk Digital (as well as his time at the Linton Travel Tavern and his imaginatively titled Classic House). The book reminded me of all the fantastically funny episodes of his show that I loved so much.
As well as being hilarious, the book is also well written - so you actually believe that Alan spent time in his caravan or at the Linton Travel Tavern penning this. It is full of pendantic little footnotes, which are so Alan, as well as a totally unnecessary song tracklist, which in any other book is just annoying, but here it reinforces the pinickityness of Alan! And of course, the some choices are ridiculous and remind us that as a radio DJ, he in fact as very little musical knowledge. On top of this the local Norwich and Norfolk detail is excellent, as someone who is quite familiar with the city and spends many weekends in North Norfolk, this adds to the enjoyment
I absolutely loved this book and it certainly lived up to the sitcom before it. If you haven't read this so out and buy it now - go on!!!!!
5/5
This Twentysomething Life - Jon Rance
I've been following Jon Rance on Twitter since reading his first book and tweeting my appreciation. Since then my Twitter feed has been bombarded on a daily basis by Mr Rance promoting his book and the reviews received on Amazon. Then last Thursday I spotted an announcement that he had published a sort-of prequel to This Thirtysomething Life and it was free to download. So download it I did!
The next day after I had finished a disappointing book I sat down to read my freebie - not expecting that much as a short story written to download for free. However I was proved wrong completely. I enjoyed This Thirtysomething Life but I thought this prequel was much better (possibly down to the fact it is actually his second book) and I didn't dislike the main character, Harry, as I had in the original book.
The story heads back a few years before Harry becomes a father, and like the first it has lots of laugh out loud moments, as well as sadness, and possibly more so than the main book. The parts with his grandparents are highly emotional, but a fantastic insight into his grandfather in the follow-up (my favourite character incidentally). My only negative is that the story was far too short.
4/5
The next day after I had finished a disappointing book I sat down to read my freebie - not expecting that much as a short story written to download for free. However I was proved wrong completely. I enjoyed This Thirtysomething Life but I thought this prequel was much better (possibly down to the fact it is actually his second book) and I didn't dislike the main character, Harry, as I had in the original book.
The story heads back a few years before Harry becomes a father, and like the first it has lots of laugh out loud moments, as well as sadness, and possibly more so than the main book. The parts with his grandparents are highly emotional, but a fantastic insight into his grandfather in the follow-up (my favourite character incidentally). My only negative is that the story was far too short.
4/5
Thursday, 28 February 2013
When God Was A Rabbit - Sarah Winman
So this was book number two for our Book Club - and I wasn't holding out much hope since the recommendation came from someone who left our workplace a few years back and I regarded as someone I had nothing in common with whatsoever. Nevertheless as I set off to Felixstowe on the train one Sunday afternoon to meet up with a friend for drinks, I popped this into my bag and thought I'd give it a whirl. Within a few minutes I had decided that I loved the book, and 15 minutes later I was disappointed to arrive at my destination!
When Good Was A Rabbit is a very quirky unsual book, and is told from the perspective of Eleanor as she moves from childhood to adulthoood. Eleanor is a bit of a strange character but comes from a loving and protective home, and is extremely close to her brother Joe throughout the book. Despite this the book only focuses on the key moments of her life - many of these being quite shocking or sensational. This was one of the talking points at Book Club, with some of the other members annoyed by what they viewed as a sensationalised life story. However I like the way all the dull inbetween fluff was left out.
It is a very busy novel, with many big themes, such as love, family, identity and bereavement. At times it is funny (the street party and nativity play) and at times it is bleak (sexual abuse and the 9/11 aftermath). It is these times when I felt the book showed weaknesses as they were dealt with in an odd manner.
At book club this book caused much debate, from whether we thought the story was believable and whether we liked the characters, to whether we would recommend this to others, and I guess if a book causes this much discussion it surely must be a good thing.
In answer to those three questions, I voted yes for all three. A cracking little book!
4/5
When Good Was A Rabbit is a very quirky unsual book, and is told from the perspective of Eleanor as she moves from childhood to adulthoood. Eleanor is a bit of a strange character but comes from a loving and protective home, and is extremely close to her brother Joe throughout the book. Despite this the book only focuses on the key moments of her life - many of these being quite shocking or sensational. This was one of the talking points at Book Club, with some of the other members annoyed by what they viewed as a sensationalised life story. However I like the way all the dull inbetween fluff was left out.
It is a very busy novel, with many big themes, such as love, family, identity and bereavement. At times it is funny (the street party and nativity play) and at times it is bleak (sexual abuse and the 9/11 aftermath). It is these times when I felt the book showed weaknesses as they were dealt with in an odd manner.
At book club this book caused much debate, from whether we thought the story was believable and whether we liked the characters, to whether we would recommend this to others, and I guess if a book causes this much discussion it surely must be a good thing.
In answer to those three questions, I voted yes for all three. A cracking little book!
4/5
This Thirtysomething Life - Jon Rance
As a big fan of diary style literature I was very pleased to stumble across this Kindle bargain, and seeing an appreciative tweet aimed at Jon Rance from someone I follow on Twitter bypassed it to the top of my reading pile.
This Thirtysomething Life is about a bloke called Harry who is coping badly with hitting thirty and settling down properly. It is written over a period of nine months as Harry sturggles to cope with impending fatherhood.
As with most diary style novels, like Bridget Jones and Adrian Mole, Harry is an unfortunate individual who seems to bounce from one disaster to another. However I didn't find Harry as likeable as those characters, primarily down to his profession. Harry is a teacher and an incredibly lazy and incompentent one at that, therefore I found him really annoying at times, and at others I just found him to be a bit of a cock! However I think the fact that in real life as a teacher I have no tolerance for idiots like him (having worked with many over the last few years), therefore this started to cloud my views about the book.
Despite this I still found this a really enjoyable read, yes Harry's a twat, yes it's probably not the best written books ever, but it's funny and makes you want to read in one sitting, and I was disappointed that it was only written over a period of nine months.
Good work for a debut novel!
3/5
This Thirtysomething Life is about a bloke called Harry who is coping badly with hitting thirty and settling down properly. It is written over a period of nine months as Harry sturggles to cope with impending fatherhood.
As with most diary style novels, like Bridget Jones and Adrian Mole, Harry is an unfortunate individual who seems to bounce from one disaster to another. However I didn't find Harry as likeable as those characters, primarily down to his profession. Harry is a teacher and an incredibly lazy and incompentent one at that, therefore I found him really annoying at times, and at others I just found him to be a bit of a cock! However I think the fact that in real life as a teacher I have no tolerance for idiots like him (having worked with many over the last few years), therefore this started to cloud my views about the book.
Despite this I still found this a really enjoyable read, yes Harry's a twat, yes it's probably not the best written books ever, but it's funny and makes you want to read in one sitting, and I was disappointed that it was only written over a period of nine months.
Good work for a debut novel!
3/5
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