A Horse Walks Into A Bar by David Grossman
19/12/2016 … With A Horse Walks Into A Bar, Israeli writer David Grossman accomplishes the seemingly impossible and transposes an entire stand-up show into a novel.
2016 Books
Reviews of books about comedy, including biographies of comedians old and new, and (occasionally) books by comedians. To have a book considered for review, send a copy to Chortle, 112 Norman Road, London, E11 4RL.
Mon 19 December 2016
Thu 01 December 2016
Adventures Of A Wonky-Eyed Boy: The Short Arse Years by Jason Byrne
01/12/2016 … Released without much fanfare, at least this side of the Irish Sea, Jason Byrne’s first book is an evocative memoir of what it was like to grow up in a working-class…
Tue 08 November 2016
Bill Bailey’s Remarkable Guide To British Birds
08/11/2016 … Bill Bailey isn’t, as it happens, the first bearded comedian to have written a bird book.
Tue 01 November 2016
Parsnips, Buttered by Joe Lycett
01/11/2016 … It’s not the best-known phrase on which to base your book title, but Joe Lycett is clearly trying to disprove the aphorism ‘fine words butter no parsnips’…
Fri 21 October 2016
Alan Partridge: Nomad
21/10/2016 … Twenty-five years years after making his debut on Radio 4’s On The Hour, Alan Partridge is the comedy gift that keeps on giving.
Thu 15 September 2016
Stand Up & Sock it to Them Sister by Gwenno Dafydd
15/09/2016 … After Bethany Black revealed last weekend that she was turned down for a gig as there were ‘too many women’ booked, it’s clear that the old prejudices faced…
Wed 03 August 2016
Content Provider by Stewart Lee
03/08/2016 … Now you don't have to wait for David Mitchell to go on holiday to read Stewart Lee's musings.
Wed 27 July 2016
Nina Is Not OK, by Shappi Khorsandi
27/07/2016 … Shappi Khorsandi has previously spoken of how her own problems with addiction informed her debut novel, which is perhaps why central character Nina feels so awfully…