wit Archives - The Quick and the Read

Book Review: ‘Between the Covers’ by Jilly Cooper

I love Jilly Cooper – her Rutshire Chronicles were pretty much my constant companions throughout my teens and twenties – and was so pleased to be granted access to read this collection of her journalism. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

The book features a selection of Cooper’s journalism covering the period she wrote columns for The Times (roughly from the end of the 1960s to the early 1980s). As expected from Cooper, it features meditations on sex – the raunchy nature of her fiction books is well-known – but also mid-life, family, pets, domesticity, relationships and plenty more. It is also packed with humour – there’s lots of self-deprecation, witty turns of phrase, puns and plenty of Cooper’s ability to see the ridiculous in situations.

‘Alexa, what is there to know about love?’ by Brian Bilston

An belated happy publication day to the new poetry collection from Brian Bilston! This little gem of a book was out last Thursday (21st January) so do order now!

I first found Brian Bilston’s poetry on Twitter and loved its clever wordplay – this led me on to his first poetry collection, ‘You Took The Last Bus Home’ and his excellent novel (with poetic interludes) ‘Diary of a Somebody’. I was, therefore, thrilled to be granted an ARC of his new poetry collection by NetGalley and the publisher.

The poetry is – as the title suggests – loosely focused on the theme of love and is exactly what readers have come to expect of Bilston’s poetry – clever wordplay, interesting perspectives, unexpected twists. It is perhaps a little more serious in places than some of his other poetry (and certainly more serious than the ones that are so popular on Twitter). However, it is an enjoyable read – albeit a quick one as it seemed fairly short.

As a Literature geek, I really enjoyed the poems where Bilston riffed on literature from the past, from Shakespeare’s ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ (in ‘Cleopatra’) to Wordsworth (‘Status Update: a Lonely Cloud’) to tragic lovers (‘Five clerihews for Doomed Lovers’). However, Bilston is equally comfortable playing around with Mills and Boon novels, Spoonerisms, Brexit and many other incredibly varied ideas.

This is a lively and varied poetry collection that I’d recommend to those who like their poetry humorous. It does have serious messages and will leave you with food for thought, but – above all else – it is entertaining and engaging.

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Header photo with thanks to Rahul Chakraborty on Unsplash.

‘Older and Wider’ by Jenny Eclair

Whilst I’m in the groove of writing about funny books, here is my review of ‘Older and Wider: A Survivor’s Guide to the Menopause’ by Jenny Eclair.

This was published earlier this month by Quercus Books.

Although I am (I hope) a few years away from menopause, I thought it would be nice to read something that doesn't make it sound terrifying!  I like Jenny Eclair so I was happy to give myself over to her humorous but no-nonsense advice.

The book is arranged as an A to Z of issues affecting women as they age.  Some were a little odd and off beat - instructions on growing cress for example - but generally it all made sense and was entertaining.  Jenny Eclair approaches the topic with lightness and wit - if you are after serious medical advice then this isn't for you!  However, if you want an engaging guide to female ageing and menopause then this is an excellent place to start - I think it would certainly reassure you that you aren't alone.

I particularly liked the fact that Eclair doesn't see menopause as the end - she focuses on the fact there is life beyond and an opportunity to feel comfortable in your own skin, something that sometimes isn't true of younger women who have a lot of society's pressures heaped on them.  Menopause doesn't sound fun, but neither does it sound all doom and gloom, which is exactly what I needed to hear!

I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.