Category Archives: Non-Fiction

Review: 52 Times Britain was a Bellend by James Felton

52 Times Britain was a Bellend: The History You Didn’t Get Taught At School52 Times Britain was a Bellend: The History You Didn’t Get Taught At School by James Felton
My rating:
[Audiobook, Narrated by Mathew Baynton]

This book may be short, but it very effectively highlights just some of the many (many, many) times throughout history when Britain and the British were, indeed, complete and utter fecking bellends. It’s told with pointed dark humour, and Mathew Baynton (of Horrible Histories, etc) is the perfect narrator for the tone of the book.

I thought it was pretty accessible as a history book – quite the opposite of dry and dull. The only caveat is that there’s a LOT of swearing, so if you’re not into that, and the title didn’t already give you a clue, best steer clear. Not one for the younger kids either, of course, despite the Horrible Histories link!

View all my reviews

Review: Walking Home by Clare Balding

Walking Home: My Family and Other RamblesWalking Home: My Family and Other Rambles by Clare Balding
My rating:
[Audiobook]

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook, and having Clare Balding narrating herself was great. It’s a warm, engaging and charming memoir which intersperses anecdotes from her broadcasting career and personal life with the story of the slightly chaotic attempt at a family walk along the Wayfarer’s Walk near the family home.

The stories about the Ramblings radio programme are lovely, as are the anecdotes from her coverage of the Olympics, with lots of behind-the-scenes commentary. It made me grin to hear about Chad’s Dad! I remember watching that during the 2012 Olympics, and it was fun to be reminded of that, and hear Clare’s perspective.

Unusually for me, I think I might actually listen to this again. I was in a bit of a hurry to finish it before my library loan expired, so I didn’t skip back to re-listen to any bits that I was distracted from. I enjoyed this enough that I’d be happy hear it all again without getting bored.

View all my reviews

Review: WTF? by Robert Peston

WTF: What have we done? Why did it happen? How do we take back control?WTF: What have we done? Why did it happen? How do we take back control? by Robert Peston
[Audiobook]
My rating:

A really interesting listen, and I think reading (/listening to) it now in Feb 2020 with knowledge of what’s happened since the book concluded – changes in party leaderships, for eg – makes it more so. It’s a great analysis of all the WTF-ery that’s been going on in British and international politics and economics recently, and I enjoyed the bits of behind-the-scenes commentary.

I did have some trouble engaging with the Peston-narrated letter to his father in the first chapter, to start with. I think it took me a while to tune-in to his rapid seeming narration style, which was pretty much as he reports on broadcast media. It didn’t bother me on the final chapter though, and the narration for the bulk of the book is great.

All in all, I found it thought-provoking and informative. Worth a read!

View all my reviews