The Pocket Book of Boosh

by Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding

Canongate Books. Adult Other. Paperback rrp $29.95

I admit I don’t understand the humour behind The Mighty Boosh, although I’ve spent countless evenings listening to my 17-year-old and 50+ man of the house laughing uproariously. I lasted five minutes. No. Not funny. So when I was offered the chance to review The Pocket Book of Boosh, I was unsure whether I should. But then I thought, maybe the written word would help me understand the mechanics of the humour.

Well – I still don’t get it. I started to read the beginning, flipped through a few pages to some photos, further along to a comic strip, even further in to some email correspondence and further still to wise words from Slash. I did profess to a slight smile, giggle here and there.

This is one for the cult followers of Boosh fans out there. And there seem to be a few around. The fans in this family had no trouble finding the gut-splitting humour.

For anyone who has a really hard time buying presents for the males in the family, especially teenagers, The Pocket Book of Boosh is the perfect gift. Devotees of the show will love it. And I’ll be able to keep one not-too-keen-on-reading member of my family happy with a book.

I might not understand The Mighty Boosh but I understand where its audience is. Everywhere even in my small home town, husband and son included. Boosh’s trademark skull is a familiar icon.

http://www.themightyboosh.com/

Ghosts & Lightning

by Trevor Byrne

Canongate Books. Adult Other. Paperback rrp 24.95

Ghosts & Lightning is the story of Denny, a young Irishman with not much going for him. He escapes Dublin to try and find a better life, only to be called back when his mother dies.

Denny and his sister, Paula, struggle to come to terms with the sudden loss of the woman who kept them all together. Bound by shock and loss, they procrastinate through the days, weeks and months, doing nothing. Their mother’s once pristine and well kept home is now a squalor of filth, dirt and drop-ins.

Denny’s friends are a bunch of junkies, madmen and con artists but they keep Denny going. When Paula claims there are ghosts in the house they all rally to help. The séance scene is funny, bizarre and witty. A true pivot point. It is worth reading the book just to enjoy this chapter.

Ghosts & Lightning reads with a broad Dublin accent and anyone shy of rough and raw language should take heed. The language flows along with the “lilt” in the air and what some might term vulgarity, is totally appropriate and in character context. This is a story of a life devoid of even the hint of wealth, glamour or famous people. This is the story of an unlikely hero, putting one foot in front of the other, and finding his own riches along the way.