What I'm reading ...

I have started The Spa Decameron by Fay Weldon. Another fiction book, like the last, which is also by a very well renowned author, but I believe that the similarity will end there. Here's the blurb:

Ten high achieving ladies are gathered together in the week between Christmas and the New Year, at the expensive Castle Spa, seeking, through Botox, aromatherapy and general all round pampering, a new beginning to their lives.The Ladies lounge around in the Jacuzzi, drinking champagne and eating chocolate telling each other the stories of their lives. Starting with the Trophy wife's tale: her spell in a Greek prison has left her in serious need of a makeover; the Brain Surgeon's tale: of twins and mistaken identity; the Judge's tale: of the sex change which allowed him to judge the pleasures of the bedchamber from both male and female perspectives. The manicurist, the public speaker, the journalist, the company director, the ex vicar's wife, the screenwriter, all share their stories, ending with the stepmother's tale, a reversal of Cinderella's fate, with the stepmother as victim… Sparkling, witty, always compassionate and occasionally libidinous, Fay Weldon's new novel recalls Boccaccio's late medieval masterwork, The Decameron. Boccaccio dedicated his book to the ladies of his time, who were forced to hide their amorous passions under a veil of discretion, while men were free to indulge theirs.

The Kite Runner - by Khaled Hosseini

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is well paced and beautifully written. The author's ability to describe a scene, a situation or how a person is feeling is amazing. Even though I had seen dramatised version while I was reading and, hence, knew what was coming later, I continued to be eager to read on. Will I read more work by this author? Definitely.

What I'm reading ...

I have started The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, which is my next book club selection. I am also about to see the dramatised version at the theatre. I have no idea whether seeing this before I have read the book is good or not. Here's the blurb:

Afghanistan, 1975: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return to Afghanistan under Taliban rule to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption.

Only When I Laugh: My Autobiography - by Paul Merton

I started Only When I Laugh: My Autobiography by Paul Merton as I wanted some light reading after the previous epic book and thought that this would fit the bill. Here's the blurb:

Known for his intelligent and often surreal humour, Paul Merton's weekly appearances on BBC1's Have I Got News For You - as well as Radio 4's Just A Minute and his travel documentaries - have seen him become an artfully rebellious fixture in our lives for over 25 years.
He also has a real story to tell. In ONLY WHEN I LAUGH, his rich and beautifully-observed autobiography, Paul takes us on an evocative journey from his working-class Fulham childhood to the present day.
Whether writing about school days, his run-ins with the nuns and other pupils; his disastrous first confession; his meatpacking job; taking acid; leaving home to live in bedsit; his early brushes with the opposite sex - and not forgetting his repeated attempts to break into the world of comedy - Paul's writing is always funny, poignant and revealing. And when his star finally ascends in the atmospherically drawn 1980s alternative cabaret scene there is a sense of excitement, energy, camaraderie, momentum and dramatic impending success.
And then CRASH! In an unflinching and brilliantly written section that defines the book, we experience the disorienting and terrifying sustained manic episode that he suffered which landed him in the Maudesley hospital. These, and other tougher moments, are written about candidly and with sensitivity and honesty.

As with many biographies of people who have lived through recent times, I enjoyed reading a different viewpoint on various events that I remember. In talking about his life, Merton paints a good background, particularly about the show business, radio and TV worlds in which he moved. Having been very familiar with his TV and radio persona, it was good to learn about the "real" man. I did feel that it was written quite honestly. His account of his mental problems and his stay in a psychiatric hospital was particularly enlightening.