Me And My Big Mouth

Bank Holiday Reading

Bank Holiday here in England. It looks like it might be sunny too. A lazy day of reading seems to be in order.

So might I suggest some suitable material?

Louise Williams wrote her first ever blog post as a guest here at Me And My Big Mouth. Feeling duly inspired she has now started her own blog proper. It can be found here and is very funny. On more than one occasion while reading it I may have wet myself. Just a little bit.

My friend Susie Cornfield has relaunched the website for her Chronicles of Dekaydence series. The books are aimed at teenagers and are very edgy, hard-hitting tales of eco-terrorists in a slightly alternative future. They have picked up a bunch of good reviews and have somewhat of a cult following, but I am sure Susie would swap cultdom for a sniff of the bestseller charts. The website is an excellent accompaniment to the books, with sample chapters, audio clips (including an excerpt read by Martin Jarvis) and music composed for the series from none other than Francis Rossi (not sure what the teens will make of that but the music does fit the characters in question).

As many of you know, my son Ethan is a fan of manga, the Japanese graphic novels that are slowly expanding their shelf space in your local bookshop. I tend to read a few of each of the series he tackles, partly to feed my Japanophile nature, partly as they are really quick to read but mainly just to check that he hasn't got his nose buried in some inappropriate tale of teenage girls getting rogered by grunting fuckpigs. Of all the manga he reads by far the best is Death Note which is a very clever crime story with supernatural elements. If you have been pondering dipping in to manga but are unsure where to start I would recommend it.

Although if you would prefer something a bit more literary, if that is the right word for a graphic novel, then a recent discovery of mine is Yoshihiro Tatsumi. Hardcore manga fans will know all about Tatsumi, credited with starting the trend for gekiga. Gekiga are more serious 'dramatic pictures', effectively graphic novels by artists who wanted to explore more serious and thought provoking themes than traditional and often disposable manga. That's not to say that manga can't be serious and thought provoking, but a lot of it isn't.

Anyway, US graphic novel publisher Drawn & Quarterly have, for a few years now, been issuing some of Tatsumi's best work in a series of gorgeous hardback volumes, one for each year starting from 1969. I am only part way through this first volume and it is, by a long way, the best graphic novel I have ever read. More a collection of short stories actually but still a stunning piece of work. This quote from legendary book designer Chip Kidd says it perfectly:

"What a revelation this book is. I'd no idea that long before writers like Haruki Murakami and Kenzo Kitakata, the work of Yoshihiro Tatsumi had so expertly peeled away the lacquered layers of Japanese social and sexual surfaces to reveal the elemental heart beneath, and with such fearless depth of feeling. Decades ahead of its time."

I realise quite a few of you will already have made this discovery but I am guessing that most of you won't have heard of Tatsumi. I hope you get a chance to check him out, he is quite wonderful.

A Song For Sunday

INXS - Don't Change

They may have ended up as stadium pomp rockers but when they were a young garage band they really were rather good.

Publicity, That Fickle Mistress

Back in April of this year we published a travel book called The Dolce Vita Diaries. Cathy Rogers and Jason Gibb gave up careers in TV to run an olive farm in Italy. So far, so Carole Drinkwater. But Carol and Jason ended up with a very different experience to the one they had anticipated.

They quickly realised that they would never make enough money to support themselves from selling olive oil. So they struck upon the clever notion of offering their trees for adoption. Customers pay to adopt an olive tree for a year and get parcels of produce from their tree during that time. A neat concept that has grown into a successful business called Nudo.

But the real revelation was that they simply weren't cut out for country life. Their book ends with them moving to Rome, desperate for the buzz and grime of a city. Since writing the book they have actually returned to London with their young family and run the grove from afar.

Now, the whole up sticks and move to another country story has been done several times before so we knew that the book would not be an easy sell. We did think that Cathy and Jason offered a different take on things though, and they have sprinkled the text with some wonderful recipes they picked up while in Italy. And we gave it, even if I do say so myself, a lovely package. Both inside and out. Everyone who has seen a finished copy seems to agree.

And in the month before publication Robin, our lord of publicity, stirred up loads of interest. We had a wonderful quote from Rose Prince - 'the greatest escape since The Great Escape' - and the broadsheets were queueing up to run features, interviews and competitions.

And then the book came out.

And nothing happened.

Well, next to nothing. Hardly any of the promised press actually materialised. We had a few good reviews in catering and food mags but pretty much everything else evaporated. The book was promoted by Waterstone's and sold pretty well, with some warm mentions from readers on Amazon. That happens a lot in our industy. Best laid plans and all that. We had resolved to focus our attention on making the paperback as successful as possible. At least we had a second chance.

But then, more or less out of nowhere, things have gone mad.

Cathy wrote a very honest and frank article for the Guardian in which she talked about their experiences and why they came back to London. It appeared on Wednesday and prompted a huge response online, mostly of the 'you silly middle-class tossers' variety but people were certainly talking about it. OK, so it was five months after publication but beggars can't be choosers.

And then the phones went mental.

We started getting requests from all over the place for further interviews. The Daily Mail, national and local radio, loads of people. All of a sudden Cathy's planned quiet weekend at home while Jason was away has become a series of phone interviews. Their story seems to have struck a chord and it looks like we will get more publicity in the coming week than we had ever hoped for first time round.

Which is ironic, sort of, given that most of the people running the story now were offered it months ago but decided not to do it.

Ho hum. Onwards and upwards.

A View From The Sofa

Our two authors from the first Firestation Book Swap have both blogged about their experiences.

Jessica Ruston seems to have survived the ordeal and even claims to have enjoyed it. She also took a few pics. Something the rest of us forgot to do.

Robert McCrum has given over one of his Guardian blog posts to talk about his evening of swapping. He seems to be under the tragically misguided impression that Marie Phillips is subtle. Gorgeous, witty, entertaining and a delightful co-host she may be, but subtle? He may have been distracted by her see-through (in a certain light) dress.

Good news is that they both gave it the thumbs up and have agreed to come back and do another one next year. We'd love to have them.

Our next three Book Swaps are going to be on the 17th September, 22nd October and 26th November. Tickets are £5 and you can find out more details here.

We have some cracking authors lined up and should be able to confirm them very soon.

Guest Blogger: PK Munroe

If people can have fun planning their own wedding, why not their funeral as well? This is the premise for my new online venture called 'When I Croak'. What do you want to happen when you peg out, pull the short straw and pop your clogs? Most of us have a favourite piece of music we'd like played at our farewell service. Why not go further and suggest poems and readings, draw up a guest list, decide about flowers and donations, propose a party afterwards, and so on? After all you'll be the centre of attention, so you should have a say in what happens!

'When I Croak' is the online place to have fun planning your big day. It's too morbid to talk about this stuff with your family and friends, but it's oddly enjoyable to write down your suggestions and plans (why shouldn't guests have the opportunity to wear fancy dress?). And you can feel good about saving your loved ones from making these tricky decisions at a difficult time. I say: let them argue over the will instead!

Here's the technical bit. When I Croak isn't a website. It exists on Facebook as a free 'application'. If you're a Facebook member you can find it among the Applications; if not you need to join Facebook first (easily done). Inside When I Croak you'll get your own personal and private space to enter details, which you can update and save as often as you like. You'll see the Top 40 charts for music, poetry and readings. There are links to interesting websites to browse for ideas. There are FAQs. You can export your information to a secure place outside Facebook and give others access if you want.

End of sales pitch, not that I can think of any way to make money from it (all suggestions welcome).

Hope you like When I Croak! We have a 'gateway' page here, to help you get started.

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PK Munroe is an author, inventor and man of letters. His book 'The Thursday Night Letters' (New Holland, 2007) was described by Steven Poole of The Guardian as 'delightfully whimsical' and 'Pooterish', and by Peter Jones of BBC TV's Dragons' Den as 'hilarious in the extreme'. He is currently working on a top-secret new volume for The Friday Project, and has a visuals-only blog here.

The Great Book Clearout: Got Rid

   

Will never actually read it. Didn't enjoy her last book. Don't like Dublin. Gossip monger.

Just a sample. The pile is getting bigger.

The Great Book Clearout: Criteria

Have I read this book? YES

Will I read it again? NO

Would I recommend it to anyone else? NO

Do I think MOTC or, indeed, the kids would like it? NO

GET RID

Have I read this book? NO

Have I read anything else by this author? YES

Did I like it? NO

GET RID

Have I read this book? NO

Do I really think I am going to read it in the next decade or so? NO

If my cat was sick and I accidentally dropped this book in it would I be annoyed/remotely miffed/bother to replace it? NO

GET RID

Has the author ever written anything unpleasant about me? YES

GET RID

Does the book have a quote on the front from Ali Smith, Salman Rushdie or Martin Amis? YES

GET RID

Is it written by Don DeLillo? YES

GET RID

This clearout lark is easier than I thought.

The Great Book Clearout

OK, that's it.

I have too many books.

There, I said it.

Those of you who have been reading my blog since the early days will recall this set of posts about my bookshelves.

You may also remember when I calculated how many more books I could purchase and still manage to read them all before I pop my merry clogs.

It finally dawned on me over the weekend that there is no fucking way I am going to get all this stuff read. It simply will not happen.

No really, it won't. As well as all of that stuff on the bookshelves I have drawers full under the bed, a wardrobe with books taking up more room than clothes and piles in the eaves of the attic (which doubles up as Ethan's bedroom).

I am overwhelmed. Influxed. Booked up to the eyeballs. Slightly foxed and surrounded.

Something has to be done.

So I am having a clearout.

Now, before the bookaholics amongst you start having coniptions and spitting at the screen, allow me to explain.

I had a reasonably important job at Waterstone's for six years or so. I got sent hundreds, if not thousands, of free books. I tried to be sensible about this. I read those that it was important for me to read. I passed others on to people in the office that I thought would enjoy them. I left a load every week on the freebie shelf for anyone to help themselves. A few went to my fellow commuters at Kew Bridge station. And I took lots home. To read later. Much later.

I knew I wouldn't be working there forever, that the constant stream of free books would end at some point. I wasn't exactly stockpiling but it was something close to that. I had probably amassed sufficient books to last me a few decades.

So, you see, when I say I am getting rid of some books these aren't all books that I have paid for myself. I know many readers cannot bear the thought of ever parting with a book but in most cases these are titles that they have selected with care and purchased with their hard earned cash. Or perhaps they have been passed down through generations. Of course they wouldn't want to chuck them out. I understand that.

But the majority of my books were given to me for nothing. They were a perk of the job - one that many people would hate me for, and rightly so, but I wasn't about to turn them down now was I? - and don't come with the same sort of emotional attachment. It isn't going to be as painful as all that to wave them goodbye.

Also, I hadn't expected to still receive so many freebies. When I started the blog it had a few dozen readers every day. Now it has hundreds, many of whom are avid readers, and a fair few publishers have decided that it is worth sending me proofs or finished books to review. Rarely a day goes by without a jiffy bag or two plopping through the letterbox with some new things to read (these are all mentioned in the New Arrivals sidebar).

So you can see my problem, high class one though it is. My starting point was shitloads of books and they just keep coming. Something has to be done.

Hence the clearout.

My plan is to get rid of sufficient books so that I can get everything else out into the open. To finally release the dozens of books under the bed, in cupboards and boxes. Get them all on display so that when it comes to deciding what to read next I can actually see what I have to choose from.

Please understand. This isn't a complaint. I know how lucky I am to have all of these books. I just need to be realistic. Even with a big offload of volumes I am still going to have a huge library keep me going and to pass on to the kids. They won't be going without.

So, while the family are away for a few days camping I am going to see if I can make a dent on this book mountain.

I shall report back daily.

A Song For Sunday

Every summer holiday the kids latch on to one song in the car and sing it at least three times on every journey. Two years ago it was Little Cow. Last year it was Arctic Monkeys. During our stay at Dolbelydr it was this.

A Kiss With A Fist by Florence & The Machine.

Double Bill

May I suggest a book/movie double bill to you all?

I watched Wah-Wah recently. It is Richard E. Grant's first film as director and writer and is loosely based on his own childhood growing up in Swaziland. It came out a few years ago and has been sitting on my Sky+ box for bloody ages.

As a 9-year-old, Grant witnessed his mother's adulterous relationship with another man. They thought he was asleep in the back seat of the car while they were at it in the front. His parents' subsequent marriage break-up was a definining moment in his life and is he central story in Wah-Wah.

So you have the breakdown of a marriage alongside Grant's own coming-of-age tale set against a backdrop of Swazi independence. Reasonable components for an interesting movie. But Grant's masterstroke was in persuading such a wonderful cast to bring his script to life.

Gabriel Byrne is the best he has ever been as the alcoholic father. Miranda Richardson is perfect as the conflicted and seemingly cold mother. Nicholas Hoult plays Richard (or Ralph as he is called in the movie) and brings huge emotional clout to the role.

And what a supporting cast - Julie Walters, Emily Watson, Celia Imrie, John Carlisle and others. There isn't a bad performance in the whole thing.

I will be honest. I had expected something fairly average. The film was not a huge hit when it first came out and I hadn't heard anybody raving about it but I couldn't have been more wrong. This is a cracking little movie. It is about people and relationships, about growing up and independence (in more ways than one) and it holds its own admirably against bigger and better known films that tread similar ground. In an alternative and fairer universe this would have picked up Oscar nods for Byrne and for the script.

I cannot imagine any of you being disappointed if you put aside 90 minutes to watch this. Don't be put off by this rather stilted trailer which I offer just to give you an idea of the look and feel of the movie.

And if you do enjoy it then do please grab a copy of Grant's book The Wah-Wah Diaries. Taking the reader from the day he was asked to write a script to the premiere of the movie (over 6 years in all) it is a genuinely alarming look inside the making of a film. From incompetent producers to corrupt Swazi officials, from last minute panics to the sheer emotion of filming scenes from his own life, this is eventful and unforgettable stuff.

And it is vintage Grant, fully of expletives and gossip and unrestrained fury at the incompetence of others. It is an absolute blast.

Watch one. Read the other. I hope you like them.

Our First Review

The Firestation Book Swap has its first review on the blog of the Independent newspaper.

'delightful for several reasons'

McCrum 'was charmingly bossy'

'I like the democracy of swapping, as opposed to the totalitarian rule of the book group'

'I can't help thinking this is exactly the kind of blog-linked, local event that publishers should be really encouraging'

I think we'll take that, thank you very much.

The Morning After The Night Before

Well, that seemed to go pretty well.

We had a decent turn out and everyone appeared to have a good time. There were a few hitches but nothing that can't be fixed for future Book Swaps.

Robert McCrum and Jess Ruston were wonderful guests, incredibly supportive of this new literary event. We were very lucky to get such entertaining authors for our first night, the perfect balance of new up-and-comer and established literary heavyweight. They really got into the spirit of things and handled everything we threw at them.

Which included some, ahem, interesting questions from the audience via the Question Jar. Everyone was asked to write a question on a piece of paper before we kicked off and all of these were asked during the course of the evening. These ranged from 'I've been on holiday to North Devon. It was rubbish. Where should I go next year?' to 'Are you religious?'. My favourite was 'My cat's got worms. I gave him a tablet this morning. How long will it take to work?'.

The book swapping went well, I exchanged Fat Mountain Scenes by Phyllis Kiehl for the new Anne Tyler novel Noah's Compass. A bit of a result. Elsewhere I saw novels, gardening books, memoirs and even the story of sexual abuse on the Pitcairn Islands swapped between eager readers who lingered for quite a while at the end to keep on swapping.

The 'living room' set received lots of positive comments but perhaps the biggest success was the cake. MOTC baked banana loaf and macaroon biscuits and there was enough for everyone. A big thumbs up all round.

The audience responded really well to our authors and, taking a look this morning, their books have shot up on Amazon overnight which perhaps suggests a few people logged on when they got home and ordered up. We will have books for sale on the night at future events.

And there are other things we need to change. Although it went well and lots of people said they'd be back next time there will be a few tweaks, and we had incredibly useful feedback from the guests and attendees.

We need an interval so that everyone can top up on new drinks and relieve themselves of earlier ones. I reckon we should focus on author interviews for the first half and audience questions for the second. We also need to have some set swapping sessions throughout the night to make sure everyone leaves with a new book (we left a bit too much till the end).

Nothing we can't sort out for next month and I think we will have another cracking line up when that comes round.

You'll hear all about it here first.

Ruston On Heroines, Luxury & Charity

Our other guest tonight is Jessica Ruston. She is the daughter of literary royalty - Susan Hill is her mum, Stanley Wells is her father - and has just published her debut novel, Luxury.

But that is not her first book. Far from it.

A couple of Christmases ago she wrote a cracking little gift book called Heroines: The Bold, the Bad and the Beautiful in which, it won't surprise you to learn, she talks about, interviews and discusses some of the greatest women in history.

And Katie Price.

She is also the author of a guide to fundraising. How Small Groups Can Raise Big Funds is full of tips and advice on how to raise cash if you are a small charity or organisation.

Quite a diverse portfolio for one so young. Lots to talk about tonight.

McCrum On Books

One of the guests at tonight's Firestation Book Swap is Robert McCrum, former editor-in-chief at Faber & Faber and, more recently, literary editor for the Observer.

He now blogs fairly regularly at his Robert McCrum on books blog at the Guardian.

Some of his recent posts that I hope we can get him to discuss in more detail tonight include an interesting way to approach holiday reading and some views on eBooks.

We will also chat with him about his memoir, My Year Off, in which he talks about what it was like to suffer a stroke at the age of 42 (not very nice, basically).

We shall see if a cup of tea and a slice of cake can coax more out of him.

Final Preparations

Will be going over to the Firestation with Marie later to sort out the final bits and bobs for the Book Swap.

The stage will have a pretty simple set up with a sofa, lamp, coffee table and so on but we do need to check that we have everything we need to create just the right living room ambience.

I need to get some index cards or something like that for the Question Jar. Pens too.

Also need to burn a CD to play on the stereo that will be on stage with us.

Current estimates are that there will be about 50 people there but you never know how many will turn up on the night. Or how many will decide they can't be bothered as 8pm comes round. There are flyers in Waterstone's (very enthusiastic supporters) and the library (not really all that interested) as well as the tourist information centre and the bar at the Firestation itself. They might prompt a handful of people to come along.

As long as we have a bit of a crowd I will be pleased.

There are bound to be tickets available on the door so if you are still umming and ahhing you can probably keep doing so until just before we start. It would be great to see you though.

Everything you need to know is just over there in the top left hand corner.

Firestation Twittering

One volunteer from tonight's audience (who I suspect might be Corinna from The Friday Project if I can persuade her to 'volunteer') will tweet live from the Firestation Book Swap on Twitter.

So if you are unable to attend but want to look on from afar in 140 character chunks then do please follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/firebookswap.

Flyer

Meet Becky Adams

About a fifteen minute drive from Dolbelydr is a large village/small town called Ruthin. It is one of our favourite stop off points when we are in that part of the country. There are a couple of good family attractions - Ruthin Gaol (great audio tour and stuff to do in every cell) and Nantclwyd House (every room restored to represent a different era) - as well as some great places to eat and buy food.

It is also home to a new contemporary arts and crafts centre which features both resident and visiting artists. One of the visiting artists at the moment is Becky Adams. The whole family loved her stuff and she welcomed us into her studio as if we were her oldest and dearest friends.

She quickly got Ethan and Martha making pictures with ink stamps and then taught all of us how to make origami shirts (small ones, not full-size). I think I did rather well.

 

I even made one out of a five pound note.

 

It is hard to describe Becky's art. She makes all sorts of things out of things you wouldn't expect people to make things out of.

There, perfectly clear.

She creates hand made books from found objects. She stitches wonderful pictures with her sewing machine, like this cassette tape.

 

She restores broken objects with the wrong material. I saw a china cup on a fabric saucer and an ancient pocket watch with a stitched face. There were badges made out of beer tops and a tiny book made out of wood from Penarth pier.

Her studio was a magical place. The kids adored it. So much so that they asked to go back the following day. We did, and we made more stuff and I bought one of her pictures. I will take a photo of it soon and post it up here.

I am thinking of asking her to do some book covers for The Friday Project.

If you are anywhere near Ruthin in the next few weeks then I highly recommend a visit to the Ruthin Craft Centre to see Becky's work. But you'll have to be quick, I think she is only there for a few more weeks. If you can't make it, you will just have to make do with her website which is fairly basic but gives you an idea of what she's up to.

Her Ladyship Speaks

Marie Phillips is interviewed about our Firestation Book Swap at the Beat website. In it she admits that she is basically a gatecrasher to the whole Book Swap thing, reaffirms her David Tennant obsession following a spell of Stringer Bell distractions and displays her knowledge of Finnish tango.

And you could have the pleasure of seeing this lovely lady in person on Thursday night.

Book Swap tickets available here.

His Lordship Speaks

His noble and hilarious lordship, Lord Likely, has posted his first ever book review and it just happens to concern The Equivoque Principle by Darren Craske.

He also has five limited edition signed copies to give away.

If you have not come across the good Lord before I am sure he would like you to.