A piano in the Pyrenees

by Tony Hawks. Ebury, 2006. (Non-fiction)

English comedian Tony Hawks made his name with the engaging travel book Round Ireland with a Fridge, about his journey round Ireland, er, with a fridge. He followed it up with Playing the Moldovans at Tennis, in which he tracked down and played each of the Moldovan soccer team at tennis. A third book, One Hit Wonderland, described his attempts to record a top twenty hit record, in order to win a bet. He was ultimately successful, getting to number 18 in the charts – in Albania.

So you’d think from the title of his latest book that it would be equally offbeat. Surely it doesn’t describe a tour of the Pyrenees pushing a piano? Ah, if only it did. In fact, it’s a description of the problems he faced when he bought a house in a small French village. Still engaging, but there are plenty of other books which have trod this path. Tony Hawks’ pleasant personality still comes through, but whereas his other books are laugh-out-loud, this one is merely smile-out-loud. Quel dommage.

- John

Losing you

by Nicci French. Michael Joseph, 2006

The husband-and-wife team who write as ‘Nicci French’ have produced nine novels in recent years which tend to circle similar themes – kidnapping, paranoia, and women in danger. French’s earliest novels, Beneath the Skin and Killing Me Softly, were justly successful and, although in the same vein as Ruth Rendell, rather less grotesque than Rendell’s recent productions. However, later novels by French had become a tad too predictable, so I held out no great hopes for Losing You. But in fact, it’s a belter.

It describes events in a day in the life of Nina Landry, her fortieth birthday. She lives on Sandling Island, on a tidal estuary 60 miles from London, a small, close-knit community. Mid-morning, she realises that her teenage daughter has gone missing. She has trouble getting anyone to take her seriously. From then on events crowd in on her, her alarm increases rapidly, and the momentum builds. French piles on the tension and action, and you want to read with increasing rapidity. Ideally this book should be read in a single sitting. Although a re-reading shows up a couple of creaky places in the plot, it’s a very satisfying thriller, just crying out to be televised.

- John

Literature map

If you type in an author's name at this site it produces a 'map' with other authors names surrounding it. Apparently the closer an author's name is to another the more likely that a person who likes one will like the other. The system runs on an Artificial Intelligence called Gnod, which creates and strengthens links between authors through the interactions it has with visitors to the site. I typed in Peter Carey and the closest name to his was Beryl Bainbridge, an author I have never heard of. We have some of her books in our collection, and I think I'm going to read According to Queeney. It looks like the site can make some interesting suggestions - give it a go!

- Anne

But enough about me

From eighties geek to rock 'n' roll chic - adventures in Celebsville.
By Jancee Dunn. Headline, 2006. (Non-fiction)
Cover photograph: Jupiterimages/Blend Images.

I started reading this for bit of fun - light reading. It was definitely that, but also became really involving and touching as I read more about Jancee's life. Jancee was a reporter for Rolling Stone and it was intriguing to hear her stories of not-so-normal office life.

'They were the hippest people my suburban eyes had ever beheld. Most of the males cultivated a slightly grubby look. One stubbly guy in a Clash t-shirt and army pants slumped by with a cup of coffee, trailing the odor of stale cigarette smoke, probably from some show he had been to the night before.'

Jancee tells of her most memorable interviews, and gives inside tips on the best way to deal with celebrities. Such as: 'It can be done: manipulating your way into the kitchen cabinet'; 'Dirt gathering: short-cuts to finding the least loyal person in an entourage' and 'The difficult question: when to bring up the Church of Scientology.' I was laughing out loud a lot of the time while reading this book, and I definitely recommend it. It's not a 'we-love-celebrities-and-want-to-know-everything-about-them' type of book, it's more about Jancee's life, and you don't have to be a celebrity to have an interesting life!

- Anne

Street party

The library's annual children's street party was a great success! The theme this year was 'Everything Japanese' and we had karaoke, karate, sushi and origami. For some recommended books about Japan try Liz Dalby's Kimono, 2001; Peter Carey's Wrong about Japan, 2005 or Karen Muller's Japanland: a year in search of Wa, 2005. Some great Japanese authors include Haruki Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto. You can check the availability of these titles in our online catalogue. Find out more about Japanese literature here.