Griff Rhys Jones

Even though I grew up thirty years or so after Griff Rhys Jones (I'm not even twenty!), this autobiography still appealed to me. It may be slightly slow-moving and patchy, but this does not detract from how readable and enjoyable it is. In an original twist, Rhys Jones throws out his memories as he stumbles across them, as he visits the places he loved as a child, and this haphazard approach really works. Though it means that the details can skip around, it reflects how nostalgia can be show more aroused and how memories can be triggered by the oddest things. The childhood he describes is vividly brought to life, yet the games and attitudes of Rhys Jones and his friends could easily belong to any child, sending the reader back into their own memories too. These factors combine to create a charming, thought-provoking, amusing and reflective journey which I'm sure will appeal to those who grew up alongside the author, as well as those who remember the joys of childhood and the quirks of early family life. A light read, but a worthwhile one. show less

Self-deprecating, self-aware scrutiny of the youth of an entertaining man as recalled through a series of journeys to the places and people that shaped him. It is revealling but largely pedestrian and it is the familiarity of the ordinary that makes this so appealing.

As well-written as his recent tv appearances would suggest and a fascinating insight into his early life. The only disappointment is the story finishes when he gets his first BBC job, but obviously that leaves plenty of scope for a sequel!

The Nation's Favourite Poems is a solid, conservative selection of 100 poems, as is to be expected given its genesis. The poets are mostly British (with notable exceptions like Robert Frost and Edgar Allan Poe) and many of the poems will already be well-known to the reader, with heavyweights like Kipling (who took the #1 spot), Tennyson and Shakespeare represented. By ranking the poems from 1 to 100, the book has also opened itself to criticism (Kipling's 'If' is a good poem, but probably show more shouldn't be #1). To be honest, I wasn't overly enamoured with any of the top 10, although 'Dulce et Decorum Est' by Wilfred Owen has always had stopping power, and W.B. Yeats' 'The Lake Isle of Innisfree' struck a chord.

The ones I favoured most were the ones I already knew well (e.g. 'Ozymandias', 'The Raven', 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night', 'Ulysses', 'High Flight') and there were very few of the lesser-known ones that made me sit up and take notice (Louis MacNeice's 'Prayer Before Birth' being an exception). The poems for children were fun, with Michael Rosen's 'Chocolate Cake' in particular taking me back to my childhood. Essentially, the collection is a good starting point for newbies who want to sample some good, well-known poetry, but for those like me who read a fair bit of poetry it is a rather unnecessary exercise. show less