Gripping and comprehensive read about the rise and fall of Cameron – infamously, this was the book that was sensationalised for the appendage/dead pig/mouth story. But more insightfully it detailed a portrait of Cameron being a near-effortlessly talented politician, with
It’s Not A Runner Bean
Not so much a series of short stories, as a collection of recollections between 1 and 4 pages long – from the author the then-slightly-successful South London comedian, Mark Steel. In the nearly 30 years since the book’s publication he’s
Butterfly Brain
This book of memoirs felt like Barry Cryer didn’t really want to write it – but I’m really glad he did, and loved every moment of it. It’s a bit biased – I’d read a shopping list if I knew
Him Off the Viz
As autobiographies go, it was fine. The story of the genesis and the quirks/behind-the-scnes stuff of Viz magazine were great, and I suppose in a way it was slightly comforting to be reading the story of a fairly ordinary chap
Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant Brilliant Brilliant
See, I shoulda written this at the time rather than months later. I think the lasting impression I had of this was that it was an amusing collection of short stories, some of which (and more than I’d care for)
Jim Henson: The Biography
As a Muppet fan I’ve long been drawn to the wholesomeness and creativity of Henson, tweaked by his Bohemian streak. So this biography was a wonderful chance to get a fuller picture of the story & timelines of things. SO
I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump’s Catastrophic Final Year
What an absolute prick. So, this book was the sequel to what was, predictably, an account of the first 3 years of the Trump Presidency. I don’t know where to start. The authors used their credibility to gain access to
A Long Stride – The Story of the World’s No. 1 Scotch Whisky
You’d think that a history of a 200 year old company could be a yawn-inducing affair, echoing the tedium of digging through endless ledgers that the author inevitably had to do to look for clues in reconstructing the stories… however
Nat’s What I Reckon – UnCook Yourself
Tricky to know how to describe this book… and I daresay it doesn’t really matter. It’s like a transcription of a really long Nat’s What I Reckon video, in which he tells his life story and philosophy on life. I
eyE Marty
An autobiography posthumously discovered in an attic, of one of the British comedy scene’s most distinctive enigmas. Though he died incredibly early at 48 his life was packed with more living than most people – my head was spinning at