Reading matters

I don't read as many books as I'd like. Come the end of each day I'd rather read a magazine or watch an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm on DVD. (If I die during the night, at least I'll have died laughing.) Even on train journeys I spend most of my time on my laptop or reading the papers.

For me, the best time to read books is on holiday, and Christmas is no exception which is why I always ask for books, socks, hankerchiefs and more books. (A Sony Reader would be nice too.)

This year, if I get two or three of the following, I'll be happy: Grub Street Irregular: Scenes from Literary Life by Jeremy Lewis (Harper Press), The Austerity Olympics: When the Games Came to London in 1948 by Janie Hampton (Yellow Jersey Press), Frank Skinner on the Road: Love, Stand-up Comedy and The Queen Of The Night (Century), FA Confidential: Sex, Drugs and Penalties. The Inside Story of English Football by David Davies (Simon & Schuster), Killing My Own Snakes: A Memoir by Ann Leslie (Macmillan), and Inverting the Pyramid: A History of Football Tactics by Jonathan Wilson (Orion Books)

There's one other book I shall be reading over Christmas. It's called The Bully State and it's by my old friend Brian Monteith. Brian has spent much of the last year abroad - in Africa and America - and in his free time he's managed to write a 45,000 word manuscript that highlights the state of Britain today.

It's currently going through the editing process but we intend to publish it - with a suitable fanfare - in February or March. Watch this space.

Comments

[ann]

Another one to add to your list Simon is McMafia by Misha Glenny, you might find it interesting!