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This was published in 2002 when Fay Weldon was 70. And its like sitting down with an older lady who has lived quite a life and having her describe that life to you over tea and cake. Its written in an easy style but Fay never kept diaries so its not always detailed - although her childhood in NZ is very well remembered. Her mother was a solo mum in the 30s and Fay was a solo mum in the late 50‘s ⬇️

Been meaning to buy this book for a while. The first thing I did on my free day in Byron Bay was visit The Book Room book shop and buy it along with some stationery of course. I‘d already got going early to get some delicious food from the Byron Bay Farmer‘s Market hence the strawberry cup cake. I thought it odd that the air bnb host hadn‘t put milk in the fridge for me so I had to get some of that too. I picked this accomodation primarily for 🛀

TW for child sexual abuse.

Thanks @Jeg for passing this one on. I am so glad to have read it. Grace stood up to her high school teacher who sexually abused her and in doing so stood up for victims everywhere. 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused. What a vile man. And what a woman Grace is 💪❤️. Can‘t wait to see what she does next. (She did just come first in an ultra marathon - phew!).

Paul O‘Grady was a comedian, actor, TV presenter, chat show host and British national treasure. The third in his autobiographical quartet charts the 1980s as he hones Lily Savage in Northern clubs (dragging Vera with him), overseas and London‘s gay clubs and searches for love in all the wrong places. But tragedy isn‘t far away as HIV starts to bite and O‘Grady suffers more loss closer to home that even his sharp wit struggles to see the humour in.

#PoetryMatters @TheSpineView
#Unspeakable

Last week‘s book swap scores. Magazine is read already. I love it when magazines give you wrapping paper.

Paul O‘Grady was a comedian, actor, TV presenter, chat show host and British national treasure. The second in his autobiographical quartet charts 1973 to 1980 as he deals with his father‘s death, becomes a father, bounces between jobs, marries a lesbian, struggles to find a partner, travels internationally and starts to develop Lily Savage within the London drag scene. Told with O‘Grady‘s biting wit, it‘s sad, thoughtful, horrifying and honest.

Garden reading while the husband gardens. 😆

This is a memoir of a man who reconnects with his childhood best friend from boarding school after said friend is released from prison for the shocking murder of a family member. The story opens with the author meeting the friend at a train station and then goes back over their school years together and the times they spent at each other‘s houses.

#SlightlyFoxed
#SlightlyFoxedEditions

Paul O‘Grady was a comedian, actor, TV presenter, chat show host and British national treasure. Warm, hilarious, horrifying and heartbreaking this is the first in his autobiography quartet, charting his life in Birkenhead from birth to his late teens and his relationship with his working class, Catholic parents and aunts. This 2018 reprint featured a new introduction by O‘Grady where he says he‘s softened some of the depictions of his family.