A good read

Nancy Cunard my number 1 icon of style

I like reading the odd biography, after my granddad died they were the only books my Gran read, she would go to the library and devour them almost daily. One lay next to her bed half read on the day I walked back into her house after she died suddenly of a heart attack. I don’t know who took it back but it always stuck with me that half read book. I will often struggle through mediocre fiction to the end forgiving esoteric plot lines and cop out endings but I am very unforgiving with biographies because they are true (well I hope so) and so rarely get half way through before I loose all sense of empathy, raise my eye brow and think “oh grow up” and close it up half read. I generally enjoy peoples childhoods the most, which in the main appears to set the scene for latter highs and lows. The absolute worst biography I ever read, or didn’t was Anthony Shers, the first half was brilliant then he mentions the C word (cocaine) and my shutters come down. Favourites have included Coco Chanel, Nancy Cunard, Frida Kahlo, Richard E Grant and Rupert Everett I realise the latter should have got the “oh grow up “ treatment by I am always more forgiving if the book is without sanctimonious pompous arrogance. I must confess to enjoying going to see the odd game of football and so I recently started to read Russell Brands football column which was surprisingly erudite considering what a Pratt he is on the television. I can’t watch him but can read him, well I thought I could The guardian has been printing extracts from his biography I fell asleep after the first part and reeled with horror at the second part and gave up by the third. I could rant for hours over the morality of giving this inane drivel space and the immorality of his life style choices, and all this in my precious G2 supplement suffice it to say not buying the book will be money well saved.