Top 5 Books for November 2011
- Historical Tweets by Alan Beard & Alec McNayr
If you’re a fan of Twitter and fancy something that’ll make you titter, pick up a copy of Historical Tweets by Alan Beard & Alec McNayr. The comedy stylings of some of the finest brains in the Twitterverse’ can be found within these pages. Top tweets include a certain Tyrannosaurus Rex proclaiming that: “At the heart of my rage is the inability to do push-ups. #armstooshort” and @RadioStar telling Video: “You’re dead!” You can see more of this comedy for yourself in the November E-zine book extract.
Historical Tweets by Alan Beard & Alec McNayr is published by Summersdale (paperback; £9.99). It is also available through amazon.com and all good booksellers.
- Black Cab Wisdom by Mark Solomon
Back in 2009 a London cabbie by the name of Mark Solomon decided to spice up his daily routine by asking customers to furnish him with a random quote or proverb. What began as something of a distraction for Mark turned into a therapeutic endeavour for our driving author - sharing knowledge and advice. There’s a website behind it too but if you prefer to hold said wisdom in your hands, you can with this printed binding - containing over 400 pearls of commuter wisdom.
Black Cab Wisdom by Mark Solomon is published by Summersdale (paperback; £5.99). It is also available through amazon.com and all good booksellers.
- The Traveller’s Friend by Jennifer Barclay
This is the second bookshelf offering from Summersdale’s heavy hitter, Jennifer Barclay and it’s just as good as her debut title Meeting Mr Kim. Based on the notion of no regrets, The Traveller’s Friend covers everything from Mark Twain flavoured inspiration to the crazy adventures of English men abroad. Intrepid explorers from all walks of life will be entertained by this collection of quotations, travel advice, trivia and then some. You could call it a rough guide to travel - of sorts.
The Traveller’s Friend by Jennifer Barclay is published by Summersdale (paperback; £9.99). It is also available through amazon.com and all good booksellers.
- The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
Dubbed a rare American classic, this is a particularly potent book, packing a punch that’ll have you recommending it to your friends left, right and centre. The tale follows the character of Hamlet - a rather obvious portent of what’s to come but thankfully it doesn’t lead to a clichéd, Hollywood-recycled, dead end plot. There are twists aplenty and each page will have you on the edge of your seat or clinging to a subway pole for support. Unlike the original Hamlet however, the final twist of revenge and tragedy may well surpass Shakespeare’s original fate.
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski is published by Fourth Estate (paperback; £7.99). It is also available through amazon.com and all good booksellers.
- The Help by Kathryn Stockett
If you haven’t seen the film version of The Help yet, save it up for later and treat yourself to the book first. This story follows the points of view shared with the world by housemaids Minny and Aibileen, and the convention breaking Miss Skeeter who refuses to stay at home and get married. Set in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s - the civil rights movement is besotted by, among others, the white housewives who make their black housemaids’ lives into a semblance of hell. Combine this injustice with Miss Skita’s journalistic ambition and the result is the publication of a book of grievances, scandalizing and setting right the many wrongs of Jackson.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett is published by Fig Tree (paperback; £7.99). It is also available through amazon.com and all good booksellers.
- Robert Savage
