Read This!

I didn't think I would use this blog to recommend a book as there are so many blogs out there that do that already, but the other day I finished reading something that I just can't get out of my head.  Now, I read a hell of a lot.  My bookshelf almost bulges under the weight of all the reading material I have, some I've read only once, others that are dog eared through countless re-readings.  To me, nothing compares to the feeling of strolling through the local library, scouring the aisles for something that may keep you entertained, only to find yourself so engrossed that you lose all track of time.  That's exactly what happened to me.  This book, this little diamond, is one of the best books I have ever read in my entire life.

"The More You Ignore Me" by Jo Brand tells the story of a girl named Alice and her unconventional family.  It primarily focuses on her mother, Gina, who is obsessed with the weatherman on the local news and decides to climb naked onto the roof with Alice's pet guinea pig in her arms before she is swiftly whisked off to the local psychiatric hospital.  Alice's father tries to give his daughter a relatively stable upbringing, which isn't easy given the circumstances, and given that he is also trying to deal (or not deal) with his in-laws, a bunch of reckless, lawless country bumpkins who offer very little help or sensible advice, preferring instead to remain in the pub or to use a shotgun to solve life's little problems.  Meanwhile, Alice convinces herself that the only one who will ever understand her and save her from her life, is Morrissey from "The Smiths".

I literally could not put this book down.  It was as if some magical mystical membrane had fused the book to my hand.  Sometimes it's wet-your-pants-funny, but it also made me cry (and I didn't even cry when Bambi's mum got shot, so that goes to show just how moving it is).  I urge you, my faithful followers, to buy/borrow/steal a copy of this book - although I don't think "A told me to steal this" will be a very good defense if you get caught, so maybe scrap the whole stealing idea.  If you were a teenager in the nineties, were ever obsessed with a celebrity, or if you wondered if Guinea Pigs could fly, this book is a must read.

Here endeth the lesson..