UK on a G-String - Justin Brown 2004 * * *

Not a bad book in my book ( snort!), Justin Brown makes a ridiculous bet with his friend in New Zealand, I think to do with football, and to cut a long story short, his penalty ( I'm hilarious today!) for his team loosing is for him to fly to Englad and busk around it, making enough money for a plane ticket home. I'm sure many people would be thinking 'what a ridiculous idea, he's just setting himself up for disappointment,' 'why doesn't he just refuse to do it?' etc and you may well be right. However Justin isn't just a normal busker in that he plays to wide open spaces in horrible areas of London, he is in fact the first and I'm sure he won't mind me saying this 'most awful door to door busker ever.' That's right, he knocks on unsuspecting families, couples, pensioners' doors and demands to sing to them. Armed with a song about a Kentucky fried Kitten and a slightly rude tune based on Harry Potter he's all set to go traipsing around lovely and goddam awful parts of Britain where he soon meets a myriad of bizarre and charming characters. As long as someone will be kind enough (or desperate enough) to give him some money! By half way through the book you come to see Justin as an old friend and really start rooting for him ( although you wish he'd stop spending the money he makes on pints of beer with new acquaintances!)

Very humorous, easy to read and fun.

Started 18th November

Finished 25th November

Jean Harlow:Tarnished Angel - David Bret 2009 * * * *

I know enough about Jean Harlow to know that part of this book is fabricated stuff. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it immensely but I feel that for people who don't know about Jean's life that this is not a brilliant book to get them started. Classic movie stars dominate my world and I spend hours researching them for my own enjoyment. Hence how I know that many of the things Bret says about her are quite obviously fake. But hey I can still enjoy a good old scandal bio. 'Hollywood Babylon' is one of my favourite books despite the fact most of it is fictional gossip because I love imagining 'what if' these scenerios were true.

Harlow lived a tragically short and unfulfilled life, only just starting to realise her true potential when it was too late and I think she really was one of the most unique and adorable actresses of the day. She was also incredibly loving and kind to people around her which is a rare thing in Hollywood and that is the reason her funeral was almost mobbed with fans - nothing since Rudolph Valentino's early demise had caused such a commotion.

I was, am and will continue to find myself astounded and mesmerised by the Hollywood of yesteryear, it's people, it's image and it's life. Timeless to me forever.

Although I know Bret was far off on many areas of his biography that doesn't stop me from getting out his Joan Crawford and George Formby ( my favourite) biographies to eagerly devour. I know so much about George Formby that I doubt anything in Bret's book will make me adore him any less.

Started 26th October

Finished 1st November