Richard Dawson

Sad, funny and shocking. I raced through this, constantly thinking to myself ‘Surely things can't get worse?' (Sidenote: They did!). Cat's writing mixes the glossy world of fashion magazines (swag) with grimy world of addiction, making you laugh and wanting to scream some sense into her all at once.

Three stars for an enjoyable, if unoriginal, post-apocalyptic thriller, let down by an unnecessary and fruitless murder mystery.Spoiler-free review: I received a proof of the book from Viking Books's Twitter account, who described it as ‘an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery set at the end of the world'. Hoping it would capture at least a fraction of the magic of ‘[b:And Then There Were None 16299 And Then There Were None Agatha Christie https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1391120695s/16299.jpg 3038872]', I zipped through it in a couple of days. The descriptions of the hotel and occupants were nicely written, and tension was suitably ramped-up as the protagonist grew increasingly suspicious of his fellow survivors.To mention ‘The Last' in the same breath as [a:Agatha Christie 123715 Agatha Christie https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1321738793p2/123715.jpg] is very kind and also misselling it. It played more like an average episode of The Walking Dead, dealing with the realities of survival after the apocalypse and how the relationships of the survivors are affected. Its biggest downfall is that the murder plot became so irrelevant that it could have been removed to no real detriment to the story. At one point, about 70% through, the murder hadn't been mentioned for so long I had forgotten that it was meant to be the main plotline.I enjoyed the majority of the book, but the way that the murder plot is wrapped up was so rushed and half-baked that I couldn't help be disappointed. Avoiding spoilers, the last thirty or so pages pack in so much that the final reveal has no room the breathe. This wasn't helped by the fact that by this point I had no emotional attachment to the murder victim and that the reveal bordered on ridiculous.Thank you to Viking Books UK for supplying me with a copy.

My main issue with ‘A Better Me' is that Gary himself admitted that it originally started as a fitness book, including exercises and even recipes. Since the initial conception it evolved into a memoir, but it is quite clear which sections were intended for its original iteration.

Sections on the death of his father, his depression and overeating, and the loss of his daughter are interesting, but are then followed with tedious accounts of the various diets he has tried and his opinions on the various trainers he has had over the past few years.

What was also disappointing is that if you are a Barlow fan and have already read his first autobiography ‘My Take', some of the stories are repeated with no further examination or information.

It took me less than 24 hours to read ‘A Better Me' because there is nothing of weight in this book, easily digestible like one of Gary's newfound diets. I really enjoyed ‘My Take', but I will not be returning to this one.

Oh, how I wanted to love this.

The plot and pacing were spotty, and the book lost its way as it went on. The ball scene plays a decreasingly small part in the book as it progresses, instead replaced by a series of gratuitously bleak plot points, which lack the intended impact. This is heightened by the fact that the foreshadowing of some of these scenes is so stunted they feel feigned.

Borrowing heavily from ‘Paris is Burning', sometimes interpolating real-life characters from the time, I didn't feel this brought anything new to the subject. Especially when you have TV shows like ‘Pose' which are managing to capture the stark disparity between the glitz of the NYC ball scene and the devastation of the AIDS crisis in a more believable way.

I don't regret spending my time reading it, but I do feel this book was a bit of a missed opportunity.

A plodding, unexciting book, filled with clichéd tropes and two-dimensional characters. I kept waiting for the grand reveal where everything would fall into place, where the pages that had come before would finally come alive after an unexpected revelation... after reaching the end, checking the acknowledgements and thoroughly examining the back cover, it seems I was out of luck.

Perfunctory TV tie-in, inessential and uninspired.[b:Marriage Vacation 39291127 Marriage Vacation Pauline Turner Brooks https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1521142456l/39291127.SY75.jpg 60861491] at least gave some extra insight into the characters of Younger, it feels like the character of Charles has merely been shoehorned into The Miseducation of Henry Cane.

Soapy, but with depth. What I like most about Taylor Jenkins Reid's writing is the way she manages to weave together all these characters without any of them feeling half-baked. Even the party scene where sub-characters have just a chapter or two dedicated to them feel involved while adding to the chaos of the party. Good use of 80s references without it feeling corny, I too would like to lose a bet to Jennifer Beals.

Mildly amusing at best, banal and self-absorbed for the majority.If you found yourself disappointed by this book and the lack of humour within, I would highly recommend [b:How to Murder Your Life 26254947 How to Murder Your Life Cat Marnell https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493604471l/26254947.SY75.jpg 46252734] by [a:Cat Marnell 8509174 Cat Marnell https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1481492747p2/8509174.jpg], another story a story of a young woman that struggles with addiction which had me racing to see what she did next and roaring with laughter.The majority of the stories in here could be from any number of middle-class white women who went to uni. I'm not sure exactly what is meant to make this account so special?

Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out is an uplifting novel telling the story of a man and his grandfather coming out as gay.

What I liked most about the book was that the characters were well fleshed out and the relationships were believable: the friendship between Teddy and Shakeel and of course the relationship between Teddy and Arthur as the duality of their coming out stories unfolds.

With a good mix of heartwarming moments and twists along the way, I think this would be a great pick for any fans of Heartstopper of those looking for a gratifying LGBT read. Looking forward to Book No.2!

This was my first [a:Joan Didion 238 Joan Didion https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1335450818p2/238.jpg] and I was left a bit cold. Parts of it were interesting, where it read as a personal memoir rather than a list of events. Towards the end she described on how her grief had changed over the twelve months, which I found interesting. I also liked when she looked back on her last years with her husband to identify any signs that had foreshadowed his death. These personal stories about him and what kind of man he was helped to connect with the grief that she was feeling.I didn't read this book to be inspired or as comfort, but even so it felt a bit flat. I look forward to reading some of her other books, despite this not being the best introduction.

A humanising account of one of the most important days in modern history

The prospect of reading a book where the final moments of 2,977 terrorist attack victims are recounted in minute-by-minute detail is tough, but was ultimately my most rewarding non-fiction read of 2019.

Nothing makes me feel older than speaking to someone and they were too young to remember watching the towers fall on TV. I think that's why I found this book so interesting, it's such a significant day in history that occurred in my lifetime. Reading this gave me details of the fallout I was too young to understand at the time.

As the title suggests, the book is split into two parts: ‘Fall' and ‘Rise' (for anyone daunted by the size of the book, at least the final 100 pages are appendices and an index of the victims). The pacing of ‘Fall' often reads like a thriller, where you unfortunately already know the tragic outcome. By going into the details of the lives of some of the passengers, airline staff and people working in the twin towers and Pentagon, it accentuated the scale of the tragedy. The flight attendant who almost missed her morning bus to the airport, the passengers that had extended their weekends away and rescheduled to travel on September 11th instead... so many twists of fate that ended disastrously.

‘Rise' details the rebuilding of the towers and what happened to the survivors after the attack. The shocking lack of aftercare for the emergency service workers that were involved, and the trauma and guilt experienced by those in the towers that survived. I visited New York in November 2019 and seeing the names of some of the people I had read about engraved into the memorial and their belongings on display in the museum added extra gravity to an already reflective and emotional experience.

‘Fall and Rise' is not a light read. I actually read another book at the same time when I needed a break from the bleak details the attack. I am so glad I read it though, it gave me a whole new appreciation of the resilience of the people of New York and made my visit to the museum even more impactful. The whole story was handled very sensitively, avoiding gratuitous descriptions of the terror that was inflicted but not shying away from the realities of September 11th. An essential read and one of the most engaging non-fiction books I have ever read.

“What are you reading?”

I dread this question, making sure I sum up the plot in a succinct yet comprehensive manner without giving too much away or the wrong impression. ‘Boy Swallows Universe' is perhaps the hardest book I have had to sum up in a while.

“Well it's about a boy in Australia in the 80s who has an ex-con as a babysitter and a heroin dealer for a step-dad. His mother is an addict and his brother is a mute, who writes messages in the sky with his finger. It's not depressing though, honest!”

You mention convicts and drug deals and people expect a heavy read about a troubled childhood, when in fact Boy Swallows Universe is far from that. It is funny, thrilling and an intimate look at relationships and how trauma can affect them.

The protagonist Eli Bell has spent his life surrounded by complicated characters, having to learn which Rolling Stones song soothes his mother after a drug binge and how to interpret his mute brother's finger writing and the meanings behind his messages (Caitlyn Spies? Your end is a dead blue wren?). Aside from the occasional provocation of his step-father, Eli is presented as the more grounded member of the Bell family. It isn't until later that you understand how the events of Eli's past have affected him.

Loosely based on aspects from the author's childhood, he really was babysat by an ex-con called Slim and his step-dad was a dealer, Boy Swallows Universe is a debut novel full of richly detailed characters, beautifully written prose and a fast-paced plot which remains on the right side of believable. I read a few other reviews which complained about the bleak subject matter, the graphic violence and regular use of profanity, but this did not even register with me because none of it felt gratuitous.

This is a truly unique coming-of-age novel that is equally touching as it is engaging, which makes the news that is has been bought by actor Joel Edgerton for TV adaptation even more exciting.

Thank you to NetGalley for my review copy of this book.

Despite never actually seeing a full episode of The View, I thoroughly enjoyed this fun, well-researched look into one of the most iconic US talk shows.

The View was a bountiful source of workplace drama in the mid-2000s, splashed across gossip blogs in the form of Rosie vs Elisabeth screencaps and grainy YouTube videos of Hot Topic discussions. Details of Star Jones' lavish wedding, Sherri Shepherd thinking the Earth was flat (oh boy), and the revolving door of cohosts was like catnip for those who found themselves trawling through pages of Perez Hilton, Just Jared and Pink Is The New Blog. To hear the backstory on some of these moments was fascinating.

I would have liked some more details on the controversies Meghan McCain has been involved in since becoming a co-host two years ago (did you know her father was John McCain?), but the author's close relationship with her most likely prevented that. Also, it is unfortunate that Elisabeth Hasselbeck declined to participate to give her side on the Rosie controversy.

Aside from the drama, I also found the mechanics of getting a show syndicated really interesting and the work that Barbara Walters put in in the early days to ensure the show was a success.

The best way to read this book is to pause between each chapter for a YouTube break to watch the scenes which were just mentioned (Star Jones' departure and Barbara's subsequent damage control was a favourite).

For gossip fans and those interested in TV production, take a little time to enjoy the view and read this book.

Spoiler Alert: This book did nothing for me

When reading the account of a man's husband dying of cancer within a year of being diagnosed, you know you are not letting yourself in for a light read. Written by popular TV news blogger Michael Ausiello, ‘Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies' is the tragic story of the final year of his husband Kit Cowan's life. As a fan of his TV reporting and after reading positive reviews for this book, I unfortunately came away from the experience unmoved and uninterested.

First of all, I am not a monster. It is obviously a very sad story and what Ausiello went through would push most people to the limit. After losing his parents at a relatively young age and then to watch his boyfriend, and later husband, slowly die from cancer is more than anyone should have to endure. My issue is more with the writing style and lack of editing of his account.

The relationship Michael and Kit had before the diagnosis was no fairytale. Kit was a serial cheater and had in fact moved to a separate apartment a few months before his terminal diagnosis. The pair were regular visitors of a couples counsellor for over a decade. This is not a judgement on their relationship or actions, but the knowledge of this made it harder to invest in their relationship and to swallow the great swathes of the book where they are referring to each other with cringe-worthy pet names like ‘Poopiedoops' (‘Peepiedoops' also makes an appearance, the origin of which was stomach-churningly embarrassing).

Ausiello's breezy, informal use of language is fine when recapping the latest episode of Grey's Anatomy but for a whole book it quickly became grating. An overuse of tiresome Americanisms like the ‘hellacious' traffic on the way to the hospital and how the news of Kit's cancer spreading ‘really blows' elicited a series of eye-rolls.

The biggest problem I had with the book is the lack of editing. The frequency that the minutiae of their Starbucks orders, favourite cereal bar flavours and soft drinks of choice appeared throughout the book became almost laughable. Similarly, the names of friends who came to visit Kit are exhaustively listed, often to then be never mentioned again. I also felt the content itself was sometimes questionable, with details of their sex life and Kit's habits such as collecting soap bars if they had pubic hairs that looked like letters on them (I wish I was making that up), adding nothing to the story.

The relationship between Michael and Kit's parents makes for uncomfortable reading, the account of the first time Michael meets Kit's mother paints him in a very unfavourable light. When Michael is reading Kit's eulogy, it's easy to see why Kit's parents are slightly frosty with him. I had in fact seen it mentioned in another review how inappropriate the eulogy was, which I have to agree with. He repeatedly calls Kit a ‘c*nt', reasoning that it was Kit's favourite word. It seems more like the kind of comment you would make amongst friends, rather than with his ageing aunts and parents looking on.

My emotional response was minimal by the conclusion of the book, as I found both of them quite unlikable. I admire Michael Ausiello for sharing his deeply personal story, but this book is not one I would recommend.