Tom Allen - Too Much

 

           

Too Much – by Tom Allen

 

The upheaval following the death of a parent, the shifting of the pillars of a Family and certainties of your life can have you overwhelmed; and it can all feel “Too Much”. 

 It’s 2021 and Tom, celebrated comedian and star of stage and screen has grown up. He’s moved out – not too far - from his parents and, with his partner, has bought a house. His Dad has helped with advice about garden furniture, boiler maintenance and the supply of water softener tablets. Tom and his partner are on holiday when his father dies suddenly. What follows is a memoir of a son snapshotting his relationship with his Dad while trying to negotiate the funeral, the guilt and observations about his beloved etiquette  which informs his life and his debut book – No Shame.

He finds solace in a vegetable patch, gardening in unsuitable clothes, the campness of funeral customs and inappropriate footwear. The writing is honest, moving and witty; the love and respect he had for his father, a very different man to himself, is evidence as each anecdote is told with warmth and pathos. He struggles with owning his first home, the growing of vegetables and the shuffling around of the remaining members of the Family; minus one of their pillars. Like any kind of loss, it can never be really resolved, just accepted and Tom does this through his teaching his nephews how to light patchouli candles, the cremation of a Salmon and the growing of potatoes in a competitive way. All this with the bedrock of his Dad’s voice, his obsession with the screen Goddess of his youth Patricia Routledge and the coming to terms with slug elimination.

The last act of the book, the epilogue, I will not describe. It is done in his own voice (you can hear his dry, sardonic delivery) and is the reason he needed an extension to the deadline for this funny, poignant memoir which ends with acceptance and a smile.  

Quiet by Susan Cain

 

 

Quiet by Susan Cain 

 

Under the heading of inclusion, diversity and neuro-diversity this is one of the best books for parents, managers, teachers and, in fact, everyone. 

If you want to take the first step into the mindset of the Introvert/Extrovert world this is a great start. Seven years in the research, a journey for the author Susan Cain (see TED Talks for a taster), it shows how diverse we really are at the most basic level; how we cope with interactions (personal and professional), education, day to day life and relationships. Imagine unlocking not only your understanding of the introvert colleague/ child/friend but also how the extroverts around you function within your workspace/ classroom/friends/Family. 

Published in 2013, it was ahead of the curve on inclusion and diversity. This is not about valuing one mindset over another, it’s about appreciating and understanding how our behaviours, traits and interactions can help our Family member, colleague or friend. It can also tell you about You – suddenly understanding why you find a party with friends draining but your extrovert partner doesn’t. Or how spending some down time is essential for you to recharge but your parent/friend/sibling operates differently. 

But if nothing else dip your toe in the TED talk - it may change the way you see yourself and those around you.

https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts

 

Marple – Twelve Stories – Twelve Writers – One Agatha Christie.

 

 

First appearing in print in December 1927 in a short story called “The Tuesday Night Club” the little lady from St Mary Mead has knitted, frowned, and puzzled her way through many mysteries. She has assisted the Police whether they regarded her as the powerhouse she was or an annoying old lady, without ever being a suspect. Miss Jane Marple has become the benchmark of many writers and readers in the genre. But with the death of Agatha Christie in the 1970s Jane Marple annoyed fictious Police Inspectors no more.

BUT when twelve writers step up to bring more cases to light, some would cringe, wondering if they can put on the mantel of the great author and step into the sensible shoes of Jane Marple.

The great achievement here is that you hear Marple herself, the settings are pure Christie BUT not once does anything from these modern authors jar or expose their personal voices. They let Christies great character come forward again - “Miss Marple did not sigh, but she exhaled with commitment.”

Each story brings to life Christie’s great lady, unravels the plot twists, and exposes the characters assembled, guilty or not. The settings are familiar from the books, the films, or the television series. Some crime drama is like a familiar blanket (or throw, for the modern vernacular), you are to be wrapped up in it and enjoy the journey rather than actively working out who did it. While the story telling is familiar but varied from each author by approach to each crime and with some of the old characters that surround Marple herself, it is the Great Lady who is lovingly brought back to us.  Whether you sit forward to puzzle it out before the knitting needles have stopped clicking or relax and let the old lady reveal her laser-like mind, it’s a twelve-fold Christie-sequel well worth the read.