There’s no doubt that Frankie Boyle is one of the sharpest and simultaneously bluntest comic minds of our time – however this book genuinely read like someone had thrown together a list of topics and then collated a bunch of
Bibliomaniac: An obsessive’s tour of the bookshops of Britain
Robin Ince is a singular treasure, and I think only he could put together a story like this in a way I’d thoroughly enjoy reading so much. On face value a narrative of his tour around Britain promoting his previous
Mad As Hell And Back
I’m a huge fan of Shaun Micallef, although I believe in Australia the reason he hasn’t been more commercially successful is that a lot of people don’t “get” him. This book is a collection of scripts from various shows he’s
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
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)
Humble Pi: A comedy of maths errors
Standup Mathematician Matt Parker – who I know of via the old Festival Of The Spoken Nerd shows when I lived in London, and latterly his appearances on the wonderful Numberphile YouTube channel and A Problem Squared podcast – has
Jeremy Hardy Speaks Volumes
Lovingly assembled collection of bits & pieces from dear-departed comic & human being Jeremy Hardy. He was truly one-of-a-kind and several nuggets in this book really shone out for me. Interspersed throughout were tributes/contributions from other friends & comics, making
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
Pundamentalist
I love seeing Gary Delaney at work – a slightly battered comedy ‘everyman’ with a hint of wrong’un, he fires out puns and stupid one-liners like a sort of giggling bullshit howitzer, and I can’t help but get caught up
52 Times Britain Was A Bellend
One could be forgiven for feeling a little bleak about one’s adopted country on the face of reading this – if it weren’t abundantly clear that the author had started with THOUSANDS of similar incidents and narrowed it down to