A Tiny Bit Marvellous by Dawn French

Those of you who read my blog regularly will know that I am a Dawn French fan. It should come as no surprise then, that I've read her first work of fiction. I'm sceptical about celebs turned novelists. I tend to feel that they don't have enough literary creditability to merit all the fuss that is made about their work (Katie Price is a perfect example). However, as Dawn French has spent years writing scripts and comedy sketches, I've concluded that she has been oozing the creativity needed to write a novel for years, and therefore she doesn't count as a celeb turned novelist in the derogatory sense of the phrase.

A Tiny Bit Marvellous is cleverly dissected in to bitesize chapters, each written in the first person by a member of a fairly average family. There is Mo, the child psychologist mother whose own children are a mystery to her. The children, by the way, are Dora, a seventeen year old with a serious attitude and a foul month, who somehow is also funny, sensitive and child-ish at the same time, and Peter, or Oscar as he prefers to be called. Oscar as in Oscar Wilde, who epitomises British eccentricity. There there is Dad, who is more of a presence than a voice, as he has only one chapter to his name. There's also Poo the dog.

The dramatisation of family life is warm and funny, yet it doesn't lack action. Mo seems to exist a hazy world in which she doesn't realise how much she has until she risks loosing it all. Dora's life is a never-ending whirlwind of drama, from proms to crushes to teenage hormones and school girl arguments. Oscar's character offers a refreshing suggestion of how we should all care less about what people think about us. And Dad, he's exactly what you want a Dad to be, kind, generous and soft, yet also fiercely protective of his brood.

Each paragraph contains the wit and humour associated with Dawn French, but it also has serious notes, and highlights the importance of family life. And just in case you need another reason to read it, at the very back there's Nana P's cake recipes. I'd recommend the beetroot cake.

A Tiny Bit Marvellous by Dawn French is published by Michael Joseph (an imprint of Penguin) and is available to buy now.

Cultural Vandalism

Cultural vandalism was the term used by The Guardian to describe the proposed library cuts. I'm sure all those of you residing in the UK are aware of the controversy surrounding current plans to cut library spending. I can't help but feel that the end of the library era would be the beginning of the end for books. Electronic books already threaten the world of book publishing, and to loose libraries as well would surely breed a generation of children who turn on a television rather than pick up a book.

I sincerely hope that all of you facing local library closures will support your local library and fight the closures.

If you'd like to know what cuts are proposed in your area, visit  http://publiclibrariesnews.blogspot.com/

New Addition

I thought I'd let you all know, I have a new addition to the family. Meet Miley, she's ten weeks old and just the cutest little thing :)

Costa Book Award - Winners Announced

As announced on BBC Radio 4's Front Row programme, this years award winners are:

Novel
The Hand That Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell

First Novel
Witness the Night by Kishwar Desai

Poetry
Of Mutability by Jo Shapcott

Children's Book 

Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace

Where to find good books...

I always find it tricky to find a source in which really good books are recommended. Here's the thing, although I like to have read a good selection of the current best sellers, really I'd rather be buying books by perhaps less well known authors, and uncovering some gems. The problem is where to find such books. Whilst the amazon best seller list is of course a wonderful source, I want something a little less mass marketed than the books that appear on there. Publishers websites always offer lists and reviews of their most recent releases, the problem is they are all marketed to sound amazing, but are all too often disappointing when they arrive in the post. So where do I find good recommendations?

Newspapers such as The Guardian, The Times and The New York Times do provide reviews, and they're often incredibly insightful. I've also come to rely on the books chosen for the BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime programme. I find it difficult to listen to books and so much prefer to read it myself, but the books chosen for this are, in my experience, always fantastic reads. Crimson China, Sister and A Tiny Bit Marvellous have all been taken from their lists and all have been really great reads. If you want to check it out, follow the link Book at Bedtime.

Other than that, my dear readers, I rely on fellow bloggers who make such a huge variety of suggestions for reading that I am spoilt for choice, and offer honest reviews of their reads. So thank you bloggers, for opening my eyes to hundreds of books I would never have heard about with you.

Life and Laughing: My Story by Michael McIntyre

The great thing about this book is that it’s exactly what you hoped it would be. I find that there’s always a slight caution when expressing excitement that your favourite comedian has written an autobiography, for fear that there won’t be any comedy, and the man you laugh hysterically at is in fact grumpy, grouchy and terribly miserably. Thankfully this is not the case for Mr McIntyre. He somehow managed to recreate his comedy acts to describe his life in writing. His on stage charm is reinvented to suit the requirements of an autobiography, but maintains the wit, charm and flamboyancy he is known and loved for.

I often find that celebrity autobiographies are badly written, as though the celebs and publishers alike both know that the book is going to sell well because of who they are, so the content doesn’t really matter. Again this is not the case for Michael McIntyre’s autobiography. Obviously the text is not a literary masterpiece, but it does flow and it is engaging. It’s like having a long conversation, at times McIntyre goes off on a tangent, and he adds funny little snippets in all over the place, but it works. It was so good that I had read the book from cover to cover in less than 48 hours, this is especially impressive given that over Christmas there aren’t many free hours in a day.

But do not be deceived. This is not a book of comedy that, aside from a few childhood incidents, retells the joys of a successful comedian living an affluent lifestyle. In fact the book ends as McIntyre becomes successful. This is a book about a man that spent years working towards his dreams, trying to reach his ambitions. This book might be entertaining, but it is also inspiring. Ten out of ten for the nations favourite funny man.

Life and Laughing: My Story by Michael McIntyre, published by Michael Joseph (imprint of Penguin) is available now.

A Time for Reflection

Happy new year everyone, I hope 2011 brings you health, happiness and prosperity. I always feel very reflective at this time of year. I find it's a good time to reflect on the year gone by, to consider those things we did well and the memories we made to cherish, but to learn from the mistakes we inevitably made as well. I also like to look ahead and think about all the things I want to achieve in the year ahead, from the simple, to the ambitious, to the insignificant.
I hope you all enjoyed your new year celebrations: I have just lit two chinese lanterns with my family :)
With best wishes for the year ahead.... x