BookThing! » humour

Look Back In Hunger

Grete — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:38:12 +0000

I don’t often read non-fiction books and its even more rare for me to read an autobiography. A couple have caught my eye and I’ve thought ‘yes, I’d like to read that’ but not gone any further. I’m not sure why I find them so hard to get in to but then everyone’s interests are different and my taste mainly runs to fiction.

However, Jo Brand is one of my all time favourite comedians, I love her dry sense of humour and honest observations about life, and have been a fan for many years. Look back in Hunger has just come out in paperback and all my excuses were out of the window (these days I can’t afford to buy many hardbacks and then there are the space issues which are a completely different consideraton). I started reading yesterday morning and could not put it down. I finished it last night and was struck by just how well her sense of humour translates into writing.

She’s led an amazing life by all standards and some of the trials of growing up she talks about are just laugh out loud funny. As a Psychiatric Nurse for many years, she has a lot of insight into serious mental health issues that aren’t commonly talked about but she delivers her experiences of them with an up front, no nonsense attitude with a twist of that dry humour. The other thing I love about her and it comes across well in the book is her sense of style and her weight. She makes no apology for who she is or how she looks and has never compromised that. In short, the woman has balls! And I love her for that.

If you are a fan of Jo Brand, this is a must read. If you like funny, thoughtful, insightful biographies, this is a must read.

Just read it

Rating: ★★★★☆

Nadia Knows Best Nadia Kinsella gets stranded in the snowy Cotswolds with the attractive Jay Tiernan. She already has the perfect boyfriend and avoids temptation by thinking of Laurie, who she doesn’t get...

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Fearless Fourteen

Grete — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:34:15 +0000

A usual day in the Burg for Stephanie Plum, finding a body in Morelli’s basement, taking care of the teenager of a missing woman who seems to be connected with the body and then there is the missing nine million dollars who everyone wants to find. Only everyone thinks it’s buried somewhere on Morelli’s property and wants to find it… including Grandma Mazur. Throw in working for Ranger on a security detail for an ageing singer, Stephanie is up to her eyeballs in trouble and the eye twitch is out in full force.

I’m not sure if this book was better than they have been recently or if having a bit of a break from the series and reading other stuff allowed the magic to return. Either way, it was a really good read with all the usual suspects leading to a funny, frantic story with all of Stephanie’s charm and haplessness in full force. Joe and Ranger were as macho and funny as ever and I love their interactions, even by proxy through Stephanie. Although Ranger didn’t feature that much, he was his usual hot self when he was around. Joe just had me laughing at every turn, as he deals with the fallout of the missing money rumours, Stephanie’s ability to find corpses and also her working with Ranger. I think if his blood pressure goes up any more, he might pop!

I don’t know how Janet Evanovich comes up with all the situations she gets Stephanie into but they are hysterical. The blue dye moment was just inspired and had me laughing every time it came up. I also can’t wait to see where Lula’s cornering of Tank takes them, definitely an explosion waiting to happen.

Fearless Fourteen is a great addition to the series and highly recommended if you want to head back to the Burg and Stephanie Plum.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Hard Eight Stephanie Plum doesn’t usually investigate missing persons, but as a favour to her parent’s neighbour, she agrees to look into the disappearance of the lady’s great-grandaughter, seven year old Annie...
Seven Up A normal day in the life of bounty hunter Stephanie Plum – given the seemingly easy task of bringing in an elderly man up on smuggling charges, things quickly get...
Hot Six If there is one person Stephanie never wants to collect on it’s the mysterious Ranger. When he’s suspected of murder, he skips bail, determined to figure it out and clear...

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Rachel Gibson

Grete — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:41:58 +0000

About Rachel Gibson

When not writing she can be found shoe shopping, boating with her husband or trying to love an ungrateful cat (I know that feeling!). With numerous awards and thirteen books under her belt, she has become one of America’s (and quite a few brits too!) best loved romance authors.

http://www.rachelgibson.com/

My Comments

The first book I read was Simply Irresistible and it couldn’t have been more perfectly titled because it really was. I think it was one of my first brushes with the romance genre, having had trouble finding sci-fi and fantasy to read. It wasn’t at all what I expected. It was funny, touching and extremely engaging. While it was also good and steamy in places, it was also really well written and brought the characters to life in a way that made you love and care about them from the start.

Now, having devoured everything else she has written I can say that stays true in all of them. There is not a bad book in the set and they are all very entertaining.

Bibliography

Rachel Caine About Rachel Caine Rachel Caine (aka Roxanne Conrad) is a bestselling author of Urban Fantasy with 2 series for adults and one for young adults. With an award winning paranormal...

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Jill Mansell

Grete — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 10:24:28 +0000

About Jill Mansell

Jill Mansell is a full time writer (when she’s not procrastinating) and lives in Bristol with her family. With 20 books all still in print, and over a decade of experience, she is one of Britain’s best loved writers of romantic comedy.

http://www.jillmansell.co.uk/index.html

My comments

Perfect Timing was the first book I read by Jill Mansell, and I loved it so much I had to read it again straight away. My only experience of humourous romance up til then had been Jilly Cooper and it was a revelation to find someone who also created larger than life characters who were funny, charming, witty, and above all, very human. I regularly re-read them and I am always entertained and get very excited when she has a new book published.

Bibliography

Nadia Knows Best Nadia Kinsella gets stranded in the snowy Cotswolds with the attractive Jay Tiernan. She already has the perfect boyfriend and avoids temptation by thinking of Laurie, who she doesn’t get...
Take A Chance On Me When Cleo Quinn finds out her seemingly perfect boyfriend has a wife and kids, she does what any self-respecting girl would do, she dumps him. Cleo is a bit disconcerted...
Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married Lucy Sullivan visits a psychic and is told she will be getting married within 18 months. As the predictions for her friends seem to come true, she half believes her...

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The Other Side of the Story

Grete — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:46:50 +0000

Jojo, Gemma and Lily are three very different women who are linked together through love, life and publishing. Gemma and Lily used to be best friends until Lily stole Anton from Gemma. Then Lily has the audacity to have a book published which was also Gemma’s dream. Jojo is the literary agent who works with both of them and has her own problems with love. Sleeping with the boss is definately not the best way to get ahead in publishing.

I think it’s the characters that make this book the funny, touching story it is. The plot is fairly negligible and predictable but with three very strong female characters, it almost has to be that way. You switch between loving and hating each girl as they go through their individual tales, but overall it is a very humerous look at the publishing industry. The book is in sections as the focus switches between characters, and it’s interesting to see shared events from different perspectives. I enjoyed it a lot.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Angels Maggie Walsh is the safe, sane, dependable and potentially boring member of the Walsh family. She shocks everyone when she leaves her husband and escapes to LA to visit her...
Nadia Knows Best Nadia Kinsella gets stranded in the snowy Cotswolds with the attractive Jay Tiernan. She already has the perfect boyfriend and avoids temptation by thinking of Laurie, who she doesn’t get...
Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married Lucy Sullivan visits a psychic and is told she will be getting married within 18 months. As the predictions for her friends seem to come true, she half believes her...

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Angels

Grete — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:29:34 +0000

Maggie Walsh is the safe, sane, dependable and potentially boring member of the Walsh family. She shocks everyone when she leaves her husband and escapes to LA to visit her best friend Emily. Is it a voyage of discovery or has she taken leave of her senses and will she ever find them again?

I think Angels is very cleverly written. At the start you feel Maggie is a fairly selfish individual who has become bored with married life and is seeking some kind of thrill. The truth is very far from it and as the story unfolds, you find out more of what was going on and the reasons behind why she had to leave. It’s poignant at times, very funny at others and as with the rest of the Walsh books, the family interactions are hysterical. I didn’t want to put it down and I was quite sad when I came to the end, but I was definately not unhappy with the way it turned out. Very enjoyable!

Rating: ★★★★☆

A Madness of Angels I don’t really know how to start this review. Usually I say a little about the book and then go on with my thoughts and feelings after finishing it. A...
This Charming Man Four women, all linked by the love of one man – politician Paddy de Courcy. His current girlfriend Lola hears on the news he is marrying someone else, Grace is...
Watermelon Clare has the joy of having just given birth and the shock of her husband leaving her for another woman. She decides to go home to Ireland to her dysfunctional...

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Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married

Grete — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:16:04 +0000

Lucy Sullivan visits a psychic and is told she will be getting married within 18 months. As the predictions for her friends seem to come true, she half believes her own and ends up looking at all new men as prospective husbands. Could it really be the feckless and irresponsible Gus?

The main problem I had with this book, is I never really clicked with the main character. I love Marian Keyes’ work and I really wanted to enjoy it, but Lucy just plain irritated me. All the aspects for a good book are there, the pace was fine and the plot was good but perhaps the subject matter of alcoholism is a little too close to home for me right now. I never considered not finishing it and I was pleased with the way it turned out, but I didn’t put it down with that warm glowy feeling of having been engaged and entertained.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Highland Fling Jenny Porter is a Virtual Assistant, asked by her client to go to Scotland and see if she could find out why a mill he had a stake in, was...
Watermelon Clare has the joy of having just given birth and the shock of her husband leaving her for another woman. She decides to go home to Ireland to her dysfunctional...
The Other Side of the Story Jojo, Gemma and Lily are three very different women who are linked together through love, life and publishing. Gemma and Lily used to be best friends until Lily stole Anton...

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Watermelon

Grete — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:48:59 +0000

Clare has the joy of having just given birth and the shock of her husband leaving her for another woman. She decides to go home to Ireland to her dysfunctional but funny family and try and sort her life out.

This book has everything I’ve come to expect from Marian Keyes. It’s hilarious in parts, sad in others and a fantastic read. I didn’t want to put it down. The pace of the story was good and it’s told from Clare’s perspective with a very funny inner monologue running through it. I highly recommend it!

Rating: ★★★★½

Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married Lucy Sullivan visits a psychic and is told she will be getting married within 18 months. As the predictions for her friends seem to come true, she half believes her...
The Other Side of the Story Jojo, Gemma and Lily are three very different women who are linked together through love, life and publishing. Gemma and Lily used to be best friends until Lily stole Anton...
Angels Maggie Walsh is the safe, sane, dependable and potentially boring member of the Walsh family. She shocks everyone when she leaves her husband and escapes to LA to visit her...

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Nadia Knows Best

Grete — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:24:36 +0000

Nadia Kinsella gets stranded in the snowy Cotswolds with the attractive Jay Tiernan. She already has the perfect boyfriend and avoids temptation by thinking of Laurie, who she doesn’t get to see much due to modelling contracts. Her dysfunctional but loving family drive her nuts but wouldn’t change them for anything, even when trouble is coming and secrets are revealed.

I have been reading Jill Mansell’s books for years and have never come across a bad one. They are always funny, touching, endearing and very human. I do feel however, Nadia Knows Best is one of the weaker ones, a couple of the characters are a little larger than life and very irritating, but it is still an enjoyable book. I first read it several years ago and as with all of Jill Mansell’s books is on my permanent re-read list.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Jill Mansell About Jill Mansell Jill Mansell is a full time writer (when she’s not procrastinating) and lives in Bristol with her family. With 20 books all still in print, and over...
Recommendations: Marian Keyes Marian Keyes is one of those writers that can capture ordinary moments in life and turn them into something special. Funny, witty, sarcastic yet also sombre and poignant, she is...
The Other Side of the Story Jojo, Gemma and Lily are three very different women who are linked together through love, life and publishing. Gemma and Lily used to be best friends until Lily stole Anton...

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Highland Fling

Grete — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:07:24 +0000

Jenny Porter is a Virtual Assistant, asked by her client to go to Scotland and see if she could find out why a mill he had a stake in, was failing. Her less than supportive boyfriend Henry thinks she is too softhearted and impulsive to do the job and she is determined to prove him wrong. Agreeing to help out at a roadside cafe probably wasn’t a good start and finding herself lending a hand to everyone at Dalmain House didn’t help either. Deciding she wanted to save the mill from closure, in spite of what her client wanted might have been a bit much but then Henry arrives. Should she tuck her tail between her legs and return home or stick to her guns and do what she set out to achieve, and could the abrasive but attractive Ross Grant have something to do with that?

This book was a bit of a disappointment after enjoying Artistic Licence so much. The character of Jenny was well written and I liked her, but everyone else seemed a bit drab and irritating. She ends up doing so much for everyone else, it felt a bit exhausting and given the interplay between her and Ross, the ending of the book seemed a bit improbable. It was entertaining and I certainly wanted to finish it to see how everything turned out but to me it was an OK read rather than a good one.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Artistic Licence Thea Orville, one time professional photographer, now fed-up landlady to art students is persuaded to accompany a friend on an art appreciation holiday. While there she meets a charming artist...
Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married Lucy Sullivan visits a psychic and is told she will be getting married within 18 months. As the predictions for her friends seem to come true, she half believes her...
Good Haul! Given the amount I read, there would be absolutely no way too I could afford to buy all my books new so I browse charity shops and car boot sales...

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