Author:John le Carré

This is not so much a biography as a series of anecdotes from the writer’s life. These mainly revolve around people he has met, ranging from ex-Nazis and Russian gangsters, to film stars and heads of state. It’s at times poignant, at times amusing, indeed on at least one occasion laugh-out-loud funny, and always beautifully readable.

However, in his introduction le Carré is at pains to point out that this is an unreliable memoir. This has you doubting the veracity of what follows right from the start. Maybe that’s appropriate coming as it does from the son of a con man, a former spy and a master of spy fiction. The result is that you come away convinced that, whatever you may have learned in ‘The Pigeon Tunnel’ there’s a good deal of le Carré that will remain forever hidden and you’ve been given a mere glimpse behind the curtain

Length of Read:Medium

Might appeal to people who enjoyed…

le Carré’s novels, factual accounts like ‘The Cambridge Spies’

One thing you’ve learned

le Carré was at Oxford with news reader Reginald Bosanquet – at the time something of a playboy – and was bailed out by him » Continue Reading.

Author:Simon Reynolds

The start of the glam rock era is generally pinpointed as Marc Bolan’s glittery-cheeked appearance on Top of the Pops. No surprise then that Bolan is where this book starts, but Bowie is the thread that holds it all together.

Bowie’s career and his influence on other artists, along with their influence on him in turn, are at the core of this book. Whilst I can understand the author’s desire to tie the genre to a single artist in this way, it does lead to a rather joyless over analysis at times. Reynolds is much more entertaining when discussing other glam era groups like Slade and Sweet even though he devotes less page space to them.

At 650 plus pages the book is strong on historical analysis and has plenty of anecdotes. It also references a good many less well known works that will have you scuttling off to Spotify. At the end of the day though there are too many tangents explored and it feels like a rather dry academic treatise at times.

Not a bad book but one I’d have enjoyed more if it had been shorter and displayed more focus.

Length of Read:Epic

Might » Continue Reading.

Author:Richard Porter

Being a casual Top Gear fan rather than an addict I approached the arrival of this in my Christmas stocking with some trepidation, but I ended up really enjoying it.

Former Top Gear script editor and the man behind the Sniffpetrol website, Richard Porter is uniquely placed to deliver the behind the scenes story of the show. He clearly loved the programme and enjoyed working on it.

His account is often funny and always honest, acknowledging the show’s failings as well as its successes. It also reveals just how much hard work goes into making something that just appears on the surface to be three blokes dicking about. What’s interesting too is that Clarkson, Hammond and May’s real life personalities are pretty much as they are on-screen.

The final chapter on the Clarkson “fracas” doesn’t go into much detail but Porter’s disappointment at the way the show ended is evident.

Length of Read:Medium

Might appeal to people who enjoyed…

Top Gear

One thing you’ve learned

Clarkson drinks rosé

Author:Jim Davidson

As 2012 draws to a close Jim Davidson is waiting to go on Celebrity Big Brother in an attempt to revive his flagging career, his older brother falls ill, his dog dies and he learns via the press he’s being investigated by Operation Yewtree. To make matters worse at the start of the new year, the day before entering the Big Brother house, he ends up in a cell.

Regardless of how you view Davidson it’s worth suspending your prejudices and reading this book. First because in parts it’s very funny. Second it provides an inside, and quite disturbing, look at a police investigation from the point of view of the accused. Third it will shake your faith in the ‘innocent until proven guilty’ basis of British justice.

It’s written in a rather chippy style which can become a bit wearing and at times it borders on rant. You can almost forgive the latter given that Davidson was faced with some absurd allegations which the police seemed determined to pursue regardless of the facts.

Whether or not there has been an establishment witch hunt in the wake of the Jimmy Savile revelations is open to question. However, this » Continue Reading.

Author:Keir Nathan Thomas

Singer Stripehead, guitarist Graham, bassist Danny and drummer Theo are the members of moderately successful 90s indie rock band Diamond Head Crater. More than a decade after being ripped off by their manger and splitting up, they get together as a much-ASBOed layabout, a paraplegic, a trainee accountant and a fishmonger to re-form the band.

With additional input from Stripehead’s nymphette daughter and their manipulative former manager – both of whom have their own agendas – they begin to claw their way out of the Stockport pub circuit and back up the ladder of fame.

There are a smattering of minor errors that have escaped the eye of the proofreader, and the book really deserves a better title. However, the plot canters along at a good pace as the band discover that the road back to stardom isn’t a smooth one.

The novel takes in just about every rock and roll cliché you can think of but they’re all presented with a nicely humorous twist. Thomas is particularly adept at aping other genres – the formal minutes of band meetings and a rock magazine feature especially being moments to treasure.

Imagine Spinal Tap meets Tony Parsons with » Continue Reading.