Some Of What I'm Reading This Month

Watching the English
By Kate Fox
This (very) non academic anthropological study of The English probably seemed like a clever and amusing idea when it was first imagined and it’s true, there is the germ of a good book in there, unfortunately Kate Fox didn’t manage to get it onto the paper successfully. Though the beginning is mildly amusing, the whole thing just becomes a somewhat tedious and repetitive collection of clichés with a tone that you might use with a slightly retarded child. If you want to read a truly amusing study of English people and their behaviour go elsewhere, people from Jeremy Paxman and Jeremy Clarkson and Godfrey Smith have tackled the topic with far more wit and aplomb.

Not recommended unless you are stuck for a present for someone like a senile American Aunt.

My Lucky Star
By Joe Keenan
Philip Claire and Gilbert ride again in Joe Keenan’s third novel for anyone who has read his first two “putting on the Ritz” and “Blue Heaven” the style remains the same with a farce like plot told with panache and a glut of witty one liners. This time our hapless heroes are embroiled in the world of Hollywood where the usual hilarity ensues.
For those of you yet to tackle Joe’s books I strongly recommend them for light humorous entertainment they are sublime, just don’t expect Dostoyevsky! The quality of the humour is hardly surprising for a writer who used to work on the television series Frasier.

Highly recommended for a light and fun read.

Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins
By Rupert Everet
You get the impression the Rupert got bored of writing his book half way through in the same way I got bored reading it half way through! It starts well as study of a young actor to break into “the Biz” but then becomes muddled and disjointed with a huge amount of jumping around. There are some fascinating vignettes but like his acting it’s patchy at best and whilst he holds forth ad nauseum on some topics others are skimmed over to the point of neglect. Somewhere in there is a good book and with a little more time and a tougher editor one day it might emerge.

Fascinating in places but a disappointment overall.

All books available at Rank & Bile Monthly Picks US Edition & UK Edition

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