I find it refreshing that in this age of laptops, iPhones, Kindles and all the other methods we have of gleaning information and entertainment via a screen, people are still buying books, especially at this time of the year when a book always makes an acceptable gift.
Unless, of course, it’s written by an MP who’s decided he’d rather be a celebrity because he spent three weeks in a jungle clearing with other people who believed they’re celebrities, while dining on the parts of kangaroos that even other kangaroos prefer to avoid.
From an early age, right through to my teens, it was said I always had my head in a book. This wasn’t only because I loved reading, but also because any book my 14-year-old head was buried in, hid my face, so I didn’t feel so self-conscious about my spots.
In the run-up to every Christmas there’s always a glut of celebrity autobiographies in the shops. Some of them sell well.
Some have a smiling face on the cover I vaguely recognise.
And some have even been written by the smiling face on the cover.
But in a crowded market, it’s the fate of a significant proportion to appear in remainder book shops in February for a quarter of the original price.
Even crueller for the subject, after being quickly read (or not read at all) they’re hurriedly taken to a charity shop where they’re priced at £1.99 or two for three quid.
I’ve noticed over the past few years that, jostling for space on all the chat show sofas and book shop shelves is a relatively new breed of literature – the celebrity-written novel.
Richard Osman may not have started the trend with his best-selling ‘Thursday Murder Club’ books, but he certainly helped the ever-growing market for thrillers and rom-coms penned by ‘That bloke or woman off the telly’.
It also appears there are very few celebrities today who’ve shied away from attempting to write a children’s book. Comedians seem particularly prone to this. Don’t take my word for it. Check the bookshops and supermarkets.
Or… you could wait until January and find them on sale in a charity shop, priced £1.99 or two for three quid. Happy reading!