Paris Bitter Hearts Pit review

"If Schadenfreude is what you usually get drunk on, prepare for a massive piss-up. Sam Jordison delivers, with Annus Horribilis (John Murray, £9.99) one of those indispensable coffee table books (you can also read it in other, more secluded places) that trigger some needed chuckles in these dreary autumn days..."

Nice! More here.

Have a scan of the rest of the Paris Bitter Hearts Pit too...

More reviews for Annus Horribilis

This time from splendind Malaysian blog: The Bookaholic, Bibliobibuli:


"This collection of :

Mistakes, mishaps, cock-ups ...

is joyously funny, and deeply reassuring ... for it's really nice to know that there is always someone in the world capable of doing dafter things than you..."


AH also got a pleasant 'passing' mention in the Scotsman:

"To complete such a study, a particularly nasty dose of constipation is, for once, desirable. It can be claustrophobic in the WC, but there's always someone worse off, as toilet books can confirm. If you turn to today's date in Sam Jordison's Annus Horribilis (John Murray, £9.99), a calendar book of comic misfortune, then you will read about Moira Poor, an Auckland woman who in 1994 was trapped in a lift for 67 hours."

Another review for Annus Horribilis

Another nice one too.


From The Guardian Review:


Humour

The wit parade

Carrie O'Grady journeys through the circles of comedy hell to reach Wodehouse heaven

Saturday November 24, 2007
The Guardian


Ah, Christmas humour books. A funny old concept. As I write, there sits at my feet a box overflowing with titles that were so unfunny, so irritating, so desperate to make a quick buck that they don't deserve to be listed here. I'll deal with the books that at least have a chance of provoking a smile.

"List books" make a strong showing this year; half a dozen attractive hardbacks manage to be amusing and informative. Faber's meaty Ten Bad Dates With De Niro (£12.99) is endlessly dip-into-able. Its offbeat, detailed top-10s are all the better for being written by some of our wackier stars: the Coen brothers, Steven Soderbergh and DBC Pierre all chip in.

As a Dodo (Summersdale, £9.99) brings together entries from a popular blog that publishes faux obituaries - so, for example, RIP Humanity's Sense of Superiority, which kicked the bucket this year when chimps were shown to use tools. Touch Me, I'm Sick (Portrait, £9.99) enumerates the 52 creepiest love songs, from Maurice Chevalier's icky "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" to Sophie B Hawkins's outright illegal interpretation of "Hansel and Gretel".

'If all that depresses you, enjoy a little schadenfreude with Annus Horribilis (John Murray, £9.99) - 365 tales of real-life "comic misfortune". One for fans of the Darwin awards, although save some sympathy for the intrepid Blackpool hamster that got nicked by the police for speeding down the pavement in a mini-racing-car (really!)."

Annus Horribilis reviewed

Three really lovely reviews.

yay!

First the bookbag: click here

I can't defend the typos... Yikes! But I should say that the absence of February 29 is supposed to be a joke. Obviously not such a good one as no one has got it yet, but if you look in the index...

Second, Toasting Napolean: click here

Happily, I can return the compliment to Harry Bingham because I've been reading his Little Britain book and am finding it fascinating, stimulating and all the positive -ings you can think of.

Finally, here's a nice capsule from otherstories:

"This is a fun little book which is excellent for irritating people with (by reading out random entries, even when they don't want you to). A reminder that someone, somewhere, is having a worse day than you."

Just in case those persuade you to buy the book: click here

Annus Horribilis

My new book is in the shops now and available on amazon.co.uk

Here's the blurb:

"Mistakes, mishaps, cock-ups - they just aren't given the recognition they deserve. They make life interesting and human beings (some more than others) have a genuine flair for them. So why does history only record the world's dull and worthy achievements? "Annus Horribilis" sets the record straight by celebrating good old-fashioned failures. From the man whose spectacular escape from prison was spoiled when he was eaten by a crocodile to the husband who choked to death on his own wife, via several exploding whales, numerous celebrity meltdowns and countless predictions that proved to be wholly inaccurate, "Annus Horribilis" proves once and for all, that there's no success like failure."

The Bible's Literary sins

A blog about the Bible that seems to have interested a few people in the Philippines.

If you're one of the religously inclined who seem to be visiting this blog at the moment, you might be interested in the The Joy Of Sects.... Could be some interesting - uh - parallels in there with that Eliseo Soriano chap.

Otherwise, I can generally be found hanging about here.

Literature for the MySpace generation

Sam Jordison discovers how a new wave of publishers and writers are harnessing the power of MySpace and print on demand to bypass their bricks-and-mortar competitors to find new audiences
Wednesday February 7, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

More...

Bestseller versus groundbreaker

Bestseller versus groundbreaker

• Guardian Unlimited, Monday April 16 2007

Those who flatter themselves that they are serious about literature rarely see anything they like at the top of the book charts. "Bestseller" clearly isn't a four-letter word but, in some circles at least, it is a derogatory term. There's a broad assumption that there's an inverse relationship between sales and quality - and that the charts are therefore topped with lowbrow, (...)

Guardian books blogs

Who's Paul Auster Dad?

Delderfield and other authors devoured by our parents have sunk into obscurity. But why, and who will disappear from our current favourites?

The enduring magic of Eric Newby

Returning to the great travel writer for the first time since he died, I am reminded of what we've lost, but consoled by how much life his books retain.

Catullus: The Supreme Poet of Spring

The end of winter has produced mountains of poetry, but two thousand years' worth has not bettered Catullus's lyrical evocation of this most poetic of seasons.

I can't bear Henry James...

... but at least he's not as preposterous as Thomas Hardy. Who are your pet hates?

Click here to see more.

Unlucky for some?

Unlucky for some?

SAM JORDISON

TODAY, millions of people around the world are staying in. They won't be going to the office. They might not be getting out of bed. And they certainly won't be going anywhere near a car or a plane. The reason - in case you haven't noticed - is that it's Friday the 13th.

Read more