The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared - Jonas Jonasson

Allan Karlsson is a resident of a nursing home. He is about to celebrate his 100th birthday and the home is organising a party for him. A party he doesn't want, especially if there is no chance of a vodka. Looking at the window he decides he has had enough and climbs out. Not really knowing where he is going to go he decides just to go with where life takes him. A philosphy it turns out he has lived by all his life. He might not have expected, gangs, a police chase, murder and an escaped elephant. However, he learned early on not to expect anything.

I picked this book up on a whim when I was in my nearest book store having coffee. Nothing else had appealed to me that day (I know, shocking) and was just about to leave having given up when I spotted it. The plot appealed to me and I have to say it didn't disappoint. It's been described as or compared to Forrest Gump. It's easy to see why as you get into the book. The chapters are alternated in that one is about Allan's escape and adventure. The other is about Allan's history right from birth. That's when you know that this sort of thing isn't new to Allan. The Forrest Gump part is that Allan seems to have played an anonomous and yet important role in just about every historical landmark from near birth to the day he goes to the home. The fact that Allan just goes along with it adds to the humour of the book.

That and Allan claims to be apolitical. Having a father whow was a political activist made Allan resolute in having no part to play in politics and yet politics always happened to him (a lesson maybe for those who don't believe politics affects them). It made for a rather amusing read also helped by the writing style. I would probably describe it as dry humour as it wasn't always obvious when Allan was being deliberately funny.

I am not sure which sections I preferred the most. I looked forward to both and whilst they both, of course, featured Allan they still read very differently. Without a doubt I think this is going to be one of my favourite books of 2013.

Moranthology - Caitlin Moran

Since the age of 16 Caitlin Moran has been a journalist. We got a taste of her writing and humour with How To Be A Woman. Here though she brings together a collection of articles which covers just about every subject. Downton Abbey, The Great British Bake Off, Paul McCartney, Children's parties, Twitter and Lady Gaga (to name but a few). All with the same humour and candor she brought to her first book.

I have been putting off reviewing this because I made the mistake of loaning it to a friend before I had the chance to write one. I don't usually use the book to write the review but I always like it sitting there by me when I do. I suppose it's a comfort thing in case I do need to remind myself of something. Anyone else like that? However, I can't put it off any longer as I don't want to be as far behind in my reviews as I was at the start of the month.

I think most people will be picking this up because of her first book How To Be A Woman which was a fantastic read. This one is a little different to that which isn't a complaint. Instead of talking about all things female related she shares with us her view points on almost everything. They all come from articles she has written over the years. In her first book she talked a lot about growing up but most of the articles in this collection is fairly recent (although she does reflect on her adolescence). The books converge on the fact that there are both serious and not so serious topics covered. Plus she knows how to laugh at herself as well as the world in general.

Her ability to laugh at herself and her openness about mistakes she has made in her career was one of the things that I loved about the book. She shares many stories of making gaffs when interviewing people she admires. Paul McCartney and Eddie Izzard are just two of the examples. At one point she mentions that award ceremonies for her are usually a who's who of embarrassing interview moments. You can't help but cringe with her and laugh at the same time.

She covers so many different topics it would be impossible for me to list them. Some of my favourites include her love of The Great British Bake Off and her love of Sherlock Holmes. In fact one of the articles is about time she was able to spend on the set and included conversations with Martin Freeman and Russel T. Davies. There were a few topics that didn't very much interest me such as her reviews of Downton Abby. They were still amusing and well written but having never watched it I found it hard to have the enthusiasm Moran clearly has for the series. She doesn't just talk about television but also politics, music and anything really that catches her interest.

I did however, geek out at one point. Feelings of envy were also in there. Moran had included a few articles about this guy! She not only got to visit the set, sit in on a few meetings, met Kylie and Freema Agyeman (before she appeared on our screens) she also got to talk to and drink with David Tennant. There were a few of these articles and it was hard not to feel the excitement that Moran showed in her writing. Mind you, I would have been jealous and geeking out regardless of the writing.

Overall a great book and I am glad I picked it up as soon as it came out. I would have read it in a day if I had the chance. I picked this book for the journalism/humour category of the Mixing it Up challenge hosted by Ellie of Musings of a Bookshop Girl. I was actually struggling to come up with a book for this category. I couldn't decide what to go with. This book was perfect though as it falls under both. I read it a month earlier than I planned but to be honest I couldn't have waited. As a result I have only one more book to read for this challenge. If you want to see how I am getting on you can do so here.

December Mini Reviews!

Yep, I am going to be lazy and do some mini reviews for Decembers books. If I don't they won't get posted at all. I had said that December was going to be my classic month. Well that didn't happen. When busy I need light reads. I knew this and yet I was still determined to have a classic month. Lesson learned. I managed one classic and it took me over three weeks to read (with a few light ones in between).

 Set during WWI and then during the Russian Revolution. The families of both Doctor Zhivago and Lara face hard times much like everyone else in Russia. Their paths cross several times and despite being married they fall in love. I quite enjoyed this book. I think that it just wasn't the right time for me to be reading it. For that reason it dragged quite a bit. If I had more time to devote to it I think this would have been a firm favourite and I would have devoured it. Found the historical side of the book to be just as interesting as the main story itself. Russian history is a subject I have long wanted to learn more about although this was set in the one era I know something about.

 Caroline Stewart has finally found safety for herself and her son. She is working towards a law degree and the horrors of her abusive husband are far behind her. She then meets new boss Max and decides to learn to trust again. Unfortunately her past may be coming back to haunt her as husband is on the hunt for his presumed dead wife and son. This is the first book by Karen Rose. Was interesting as a lot of the characters featured in the last book I had reviewed not that long ago. Different from the others so far as we know who is behind the murders. Just what I needed when I had so much on I had no time to think.

 Steven Thatcher is investing the abduction and murders of young teenage girls. At home he is raising three boys on his own. His oldest is acting out and his youngest is still recovering from a previous trauma. Then teacher Jenna Marshall walks into his life concerned about his eldest. She bares a remarkable resemblance to the dead girls. Not only is he falling for her but he may have to protect her too. This is the second book by the author. Like the others there is some character cross over. Thatcher has a small part to play in the first book and it's in that one his youngest son is kidnapped. Back to the 'who done it' style which, if I am honest, I prefer. Aspects of it seemed similar to one of her other books though.

 Mrs Fry is the long suffering wife of Stephen Fry. Unaware of her husbands other life she believes him to be a lay about window cleaner who has a thing for the woman next door. Meanwhile she brings up their six or seven children. Like a lot of people I came across Mrs Fry on twitter. It wasn't long after that this book came out. I have always loved Stephen Fry and the tweets of the supposed Mrs Fry amused me. Was a little disappointed with this though. It wasn't as funny as I was expecting it to be. The tweets are definitely funnier. A pleasant distraction though.

Temperance Brennan is preparing for a long awaited beach holiday when she comes across some human remains thanks to her dog. Somehow these remains and those of a small baby are linked to a plane crash. Brennan's investigating gets her in trouble but she is determined to find out who is behind those deaths. I am pretty sure I have read this one out of order. There were some things mentioned that I know I haven't read before. That didn't much matter though as I could still follow what was going on. Another good read from Kathy Reichs although I think I preferred the first few in the series.

A Tiny Bit Marvellous - Dawn French

Mo is about to turn 50 and is feeling a little lost in life. She loves her family and her job but is feeling a little bit isolated. That and she is fed up constantly battling with her eldest, Dora. Dora is about to turn 18 and is just as confused as her mother. She is also just about to finish school but has no idea what to do next. She hates her mum and her life in general. Best friend Lottie is the only one who understands her. Then there is Oscar. The 16 year old son who insists on being called Oscar due to his love of Oscar Wilde. He is looking for his first love but in the wrong direction.

I read this one for my book group. It had some good reviews which was why it was picked. I, on the other hand, was wary. I always am when it comes to anything written by a celebrity no matter what they are famous for. It's all very well for them to write their biography. The constant stream of celebrity biographies at Christmas time is irritating but I am resigned to it. When any of them try their hand at fiction though I can't help but feel cynical. I was about this even though I grew up watching and loving French and Saunders. Plus Dawn French was always my favourite of the duo.

Anyway, these worries were all for nothing. The book didn't really seem to go anywhere at first to be honest. I think I was a little more than half way through when it seemed to pick a direction. That aspect was a little frustrating. Had I not been enjoying the book I probably would have given up on it for that reason. What I liked about it was that it was completely funny. The battles between mother and daughter were hilarious. Especially when you got to see it from both sides. The daughter was very much a typical teenager. Confused, selfish, scared, self conscious and with a mouth on her. Mo is trying to understand. Being a child psychologist she should but Dora won't let her in. Meanwhile she is feeling turmoil of her own. She's just realised she has hit middle age and she doesn't like it. All of these things make up for some very funny moments.

The funniest character though was the brother, Oscar. Quite a lot of the book was dedicated to his point of view even though the battles of his mother and sister were barely acknowledged by him. Instead we are treated to a very confident Oscar who has insisted he has found love in the form of a colleague of his mothers. If Adrian Mole and Stephen Fry were able to have a child together I think the result would be Oscar. It certainly made for some very funny moments. The main one being his therapy session with his love interest, Noel.

The one thing that surprised me is that at no point did the book remind me of the author. I think when you are reading fiction by a celebrity it's easy to channel their voice. You can't help but hear it as you read. Or at least see something of them in the book. I think that can be another down side to celebrity fiction. There wasn't any of that there. Had I been handed this book without the cover I wouldn't have guessed it was written by Dawn French at all. A good thing I think.

A very funny book. I actually did find myself laughing quite loudly on the bus but I was too amused to care. A great book if you are looking for something light and you need a few laughs. Although not the best book I have ever read I liked it and I would happily read something else by Dawn French.