Get Booked LIVE SHOW – Fiction, Body Image, Relationships & Silliness

Hello and welcome to today's Get Booked show here at Women's Radio Station. I'm Hazel Butterfield and I'm going to be with you for the next hour sharing my love of books. I mean, why do I do a show all on books? There's so many reasons, but basically I love books to escape, pass the time when you're commuting, queuing, delays, distraction, you name it. It's brilliant. It can pass the time miraculously, take you to another place when you don't necessarily want to be where you are, or distract you from reality. We all need a little bit of a distraction from reality. Sometimes. It can educate you. It can introduce you to different cultures, experience other people's perspectives. It's everything. And importantly, you can choose your experience. And what I do throughout my Get Booked shows is that I tell you about so many different books. I try to keep variety in there so that you can see what experience you want to have. And I have so much in store for you today. Today's book show is entitled Fiction, Body Image, Relationships and Silliness. It kind of sounds like my epitaph. Life can really, really run away with you sometimes, and finding time to just sit there and read can feel too indulgent or not a priority, but reading can take you on a journey that sometimes you just need to get through and give you escape, or just, you know what, sometimes you just want a giggle, and it's just brilliant. So stick with me for the next hour, and I'm going to take you on a little bit of a journey. The books I'm going to talk about today will hopefully give you a great variety of just that. And remember, you can listen into my previous shows on the Women's Radio Station SoundCloud and follow me on Twitter @NuttyButty. That's N-U-T-T-Y B-U-T-T-Y, because it's Hazel Butterfield. Do you get it? Yeah, yeah. And you can keep up with my latest. So first up today, we have The Husband's Secret by Leanne Moriarty from the same author of the incredible Big Little Lies, which was recently adapted for Sky Atlantic and starred the incredible Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, oh, and the beautiful Zoë Kravitz. This, this was just, the series was incredible. I do believe they're actually going to be coming out with a second one. I think it's already in the writing room. Exciting! So, The Husband's Secret. This was recommended to me by a friend after the frenzy that ensued after Big Little Lies was aired, and I was not disappointed. I got through it rather quickly and loved absolutely every second of it. It was intoxica— intoxicating. Easy for you to say. And my life at times had to be abandoned as the end neared. For those of you that have seen Big Little Lies, you'll know the kind of way that she writes. And, God, it's so incredible. This is another one of those kind of books that just has moments of sheer brilliance. There was lots of lines in it that just kind of, do you know when sometimes people say something and you just have to put the book down or just give yourself a minute to just go, let me get it. Oh my goodness, that is so incredibly powerful. And I took a picture of one of them and this is it. The quote was, "It was a strain being with someone so good looking and funny and smart and nice." She was dazzled by Jean-Paul. Connor was dazzled by her, and it was more fun doing the dazzling. Girls were very good at doing the dazzling. However, this quote was such a tragic line, as the girl that was doing the dazzling never actually made it to the end of the day. Her dazzling was the reason such secrets were kept throughout this whole story, as secrets have a tendency to implode, as some of you may well know. We rarely know the truth of our actions, and the full knowledge of an event that we're even a part of is often limited. We think we know what's going on, but perspectives and reality are so incredibly subjective. The epilogue rounded up the whole novel with such succinct speculation and interior knowledge that it was breathtaking. I can't tell you much more without actually ruining the whole book, but Seriously, you'll read the whole book and you'll just be like, "What, what, what, what, what?" And the last 2 pages, you'll just go, "Oh!" And it was just one of those books, one of those books. And it was, it was so incredible and I loved it so much that I just had to go straight on to the next Liane Moriarty, which was Truly Madly Guilty. She's written loads of them. You can just, you can plough through these, or you can just go on holiday and take about 6 with you and just take yourself on so many different journeys. But Truly Madly Guilty, this drove me crazy. If I hadn't already read a few of Liane Moriarty's books, um, as I just mentioned, The Husband's Secret, and watched Big Little Lies, I would have been getting slightly frustrated at how the story should have probably ended. I kind of felt like it didn't end the way I thought it should, and in a, in a kind of weirdly predictable sense. You know when you kind of feel like you know the way a book's gonna go? But as I had already knew roughly how she wrote, I knew that there was going to be some sort of revelation that made it worth it, um, and I just Yeah, for those Big Little Lies fans, seriously, you've got to get involved with her books. They kind of throw what you expect up into the air and you've just got to close your eyes, see where it all lands, and then go, ah, there you go, there it is. But rather than a shocking revelation at the end of Truly Madly Guilty, it was more of a succession of incidents that fed in together to show how our paths can change as a result of one incident that ignites emotion within a dynamic. I think some of you listening may be able to relate to that. When something's happened in your life, and it may be something really simple, something that somebody said or something that happened within a social group that changed the way that you thought about things or changed where you wanted to be within that social group or how you behaved within it, and then the kind of issues that were then forced upon you because of that. It was kind of— it's sometimes events force us to face our demons. How we choose to deal with life can change what happens to us, and this is what makes us individuals, how we can all kind of sit on the edge of sanity. I tend to use the sanity line like a gipping rope. Yeah, follow me on Instagram, you'll see. Do you know what? It was enlightening. I loved it and I can really recommend it. I do put all the links to my book, blogs, and various Amazon links on my social. If you, if you wanna, let me make it really easy for you to get your hands on all these books that I discuss. Also, you can follow me on my GetBooked Instagram, which is just GetBooked. W-R-S. Go and check it out, give me a little bit of a follow. Uh, you can also message me on there if there are any books that you want me to review or discuss, or maybe you've written a book or a blog, or you just like to write poetry, anything, anything. Get in touch with me and you should come on to the show and we can discuss everything. I love it. I mean, I want to speak to anybody and everybody that has a love for literature. Um, And it's, uh, yeah, keeps me going. It's what the show's all about. Now, um, we're gonna change tack a little bit. Next up is a woman who's been causing a stir with her open discussions about men's and women's bits. Bear with me on this. Uh, part of the body positive movement and with the goal to open our eyes to our bodies and how they can affect our behaviour, relationships and perceptions of life. We have Laura Dodsworth's Manhood: 100 men bare all and explain how their bits have shaped their personality in an interesting, brutally honest and enlightening read with the goal to understand men better both inside and out. Laura Dodsworth has successfully managed to get an interesting range of perspectives from men of all walks of life, different sexualities, disabilities, phobias, and upbringings. This book is not for the prudish, uh, and it's possibly not a TFL write— read either. We all know that I, I like to read while commuting because it just passes the time. It's Excellent. But yeah, it's quite obvious what you're reading about, and people will know that you are looking at men's penises. So, you know, I mean, maybe you just like to mess with people on the train, so do it. Hey, who am I to tell you what to do and when to do it? But I kind of think it's more of a glass of Malbec on the sofa kind of read. All the participants are anonymous with a brief background for perspective. Perspective, just, just to kind of give you roughly what's going on. And one in particular is a very good friend of mine who actually brought my attention to the book. And it is not sexualized, it is an explorative narrative on how our bodies shape us mentally and what experience they lead us to have in more than just the obvious ways. Now, we're going to go into this book a little bit more in detail after we go over to our break. Remember, we have 4 sections our Get Booked show. So listen in to all of them. We've got so much I want to talk to you about. We are going to be back very, very shortly, and we are going to be talking about Laura Dodsworth's manhood. Seriously, it's incredible. Make sure that you stick with me, and I will be back just in 3 minutes. See you shortly. Welcome to Women's Radio Station, the voice of women worldwide. I'm Sarah Louise Ryan, and welcome to Love Lessons Live on Women's Radio Station. Hello. And welcome to Future Classic Women Awards with me, Stefania Passamonte, on Women's Radio Station. Hello and welcome to Judy May Is Listening. Hello, this is Anna Kennedy at Women's Radio Station Live, voice of women worldwide, talking about all things autism. Women, the possibilities are endless. That's what makes us different. I'm Saskia at Sable Forex, and we specialize in saving individuals and companies' money on their international money transfers or foreign exchange. So when money's crossing currencies, whether it's euros to yen or rands to pounds, that's where we can add value. So for all your foreign exchange needs, I'm Saskia at Sable. You can contact me on saskia.johnston@sableinternational.com, or my number is 0207 759 7541. Hi, I'm Helen Prosper. I'm a health coach and I support people to take back control of their health so they feel radiantly well and vibrantly alive, because it's from that place of health that we really can do more, be more, give more, play more, and co-create a better world. If living your life to the full is of interest to you, then take a look at my website, livewellandprosper.uk. And let's speak soon. Do you need mediation? We are the A-Project Charity. We provide conflict resolution and community engagement services. Our services include community mediation for neighbour disputes, family mediation for separating couples, special education needs for parents, carers, and their children and young adults, as well as workplace mediation and restorative services. To find out more, head to womensradiostation.com or thea project.co.uk. Women's Radio Station can give a voice to your brand with a wide range of sponsorship opportunities, including individual programs. We can tailor your experience to you. For more information on how you can sponsor a show, go to womensradiostation.com. Women, the possibilities are endless. That's what makes us different. Hi, I'm Zina Mosconi, Head of Business Development at Women's Radio Station. Radio advertising is the most cost-effective way of reaching a huge audience globally. Moreover, our sponsorship and advertising packages can be tailored to your needs, whether it be a product or brand service you're looking to promote. If you are interested in sponsoring or advertising, please contact me on 07956 371483, or alternatively zm@womensradiostation.com. Hello, I'm Hazel, and welcome back to the second section of Get Booked here at Women's Radio Station. In the first section, we were talking about the incredible Leanne Moriarty and a couple of her books there, and I gave you a little bit of a teaser of the next book that we're going to be discussing, Manhood by Laura Dodsworth, the book where 100 men bare all and explain how their bits and pieces have shaped their personality. I was telling you that all the participants are anonymous, with a brief background perspective, just to let you know roughly how old they are, their sexual orientation, some of them say about what illnesses they've had, and it's just to give you a little bit of a background, and it's a great insight into the mentality and actually the mental health aspects of how our bodies can shape us. It's not just women that have body issues, shock horror, imagine that! However, I mean, this book was absolutely incredible. Incredible. And weirdly, it is one of those coffee table books as well. It does look fantastic. Just, just, uh, it depends on what guests you have in your home. But there is, uh, she also has a follow-up book, um, as well that's just been released. But originally, Laura Dodsworth released a book called The Bare Reality, which focused on 100 women and their breasts, um, and the latest one, funnily enough, she's gone south a little bit, uh, just to kind of really— I'm scared about using this word— delve into how women's bits and pieces shape who they are and what it means to them and who's ashamed of their bits and why, why would they be. It's— Laura Dodsworth has just got an incredible body positive movement series going, and I strongly recommend it. I will admit that I was a little tad dubious at first, but as I started to work my way through Manhood, I found each individual viewpoint a little insight into the psyche. And yet, all— everybody has such a varied outlook. Um, hey, do you know what? Maybe men aren't all the same. Can you imagine? You can get Manhood from so many different places, but if you go onto my website, there is a link up there. But if you just put in Manhood and the Bare Reality, or Womanhood: The Bare Reality, into Amazon, you can find all, all of Laura Dodsworth's books. She is incredible. Go and check out her website as well. So there's, uh, there's already 3 books there for you to, uh, sink your teeth into. I will be getting up all the links on Twitter and Instagram. I kind of put all the bits and pieces on there just to make your life easy, because that's what I'm here to do, to, uh, talk to you about books and make your life easy and just help you to experience everything that is out there in the incredible literary world. Um, next up we have a cute little one. One of those that is a giggle. A great gift and one to leave in the bathroom for the guests to peruse. I love a good toilet read. It is the Ladybird Book of the Ex. I do like these books, the Ladybird editions, even if it can be read in 10 minutes, which is great. Sometimes you've just got 5, 10 minutes where you just want to see something silly and funny, and They really are the kind of books that you can just leave in the loo, but please, please make sure that possibly you use an antibacterial wipe on them every now and again. Um, but this one really did catch my attention. It made me giggle all the way through. Um, maybe get it for a friend who has recently gone through a breakup, uh, to put a smile on their face. It's harmless fun with a nice dosage of sarcasm. I did actually do a couple of, um, screenshots of some of the stories that are in there. There's one where there's a lovely kind of '90s, '80s picture of a man and woman cutting the cake, and it's, "This is Tina with the man she used to call her husband. Tina now calls that— this man, that man. She also calls him the most expensive mistake of her life and even much ruder things. This man is Tina's ex." Next up, 'Cause it's not just about women and their exes, it's about men and their exes as well. There's, "With Lydia no longer in his life, Federico is spending some time going through his photo albums from the last 20 years and replacing her face with pictures of things he holds in higher esteem, like flint." It's just, I like sarcasm. I'm a northerner. I may have been down south for quite some time, but I am a northerner and I have sarcasm running through my blood more than espresso martinis, so, uh, go and check out the Ladybook of the Ex. You can get them from absolutely everywhere, there's millions of them, um, and I am a huge fan of inappropriate humour. Can't get enough of it, can't get enough of it at all, um, as most guests that have attended dinner parties with me will attest to, so I'm sure you can imagine, um, I like a good female comedian talking about her Stop Life. I've got a couple of those in today's show, um, and, and, uh, take from this next title as much obvious as is intended. Okay, here we go. So, here is my next book to, uh, talk to you about. It's called The World As I Blow It by Sarah Colonna. She is an American comedian and writer, very much part of of the Saturday Night Live group. She's the comedian behind many of the incredible American sitcoms and, you know, the kind of people that sit in there and write all these incredible jokes and make men look really funny. I love reading biographies like this from strong women who just bare everything warts and all. They can laugh and be honest about their mistakes, learning curves, not have their stuff together. I said stuff then. That's good. Good. It says slightly different on my blog. And also, we don't necessarily have to have our stuff together at an exceptionally early age, like so many known successes. Stories would depict that they have, and yet still manage to make a difference and have a career. More— less judgy and more real and definitely not dull. Sarah Colonna with The World As I Blow It basically talks all about this. She's huge fans, if I can kind of put this into perspective for you, of Chelsea Handler. If you don't know about Chelsea Handler and you haven't read any of her books, you need to. They need— they should be like— they're like my Bible. I absolutely adore them. But basically, Sarah Clona is talking about being dysfunctional, as so many of us are. Speak for yourself, I hear you cry, but I am doing, I am speaking for myself. I can be incredibly dysfunctional, but I still get by. I still, you know, I have a job, I raise two kids, I even managed to raise a beagle and a cat, but I can be completely inappropriate and I sometimes don't behave my age. Who tells me what age I should be and what I, other than my birth certificate, but how I should behave? I love reading about people that just kind of throw out those paradigms and just say, you know, this is me. But, you know, I do get it together when it counts. My kids are excellent, they're well-educated, they're happy, they're forward, they're comfortable with who they are. And that, who should we be? Why should we be dictated to and live by the rules that fit? We need to live by rules that fit us and who we are, not what is deemed to be expected of us. And what is interesting in fitting in with everybody else's ideal? Who wants to be the same as everybody else? This is what The World As I Blow It is all about. Success isn't determined by a relationship that you may or may not be in, nor is it admitting something, someone isn't what you want. It's, it's not a failure if a relationship fails necessarily. It's just growth, and it's life, and it's honesty. Um, more so, pity those that are so narrow-minded in their assertions and judgy. We need to read more books like this and not just to almost wet yourself with laughter. It's one of those books where you kind of walk down the— I am one of those people that I read on the platform while I'm waiting for my train. I walk, I read while I'm on my way home from the train. I actually, I was reading the book so much the other day that I didn't realize, you know what the train is like sometimes just way higher than the platform than what it should be. And I was reading, oh, I've just hit the microphone, then I'm getting so excited. Yesterday, I swear to goodness, I actually face-planted on the way into the train because I just assumed it was going to be like a foot. It was like a foot and a half, nearly 2 foot high. I actually, you know, I'm quite tall and even I struggled getting onto that train, but I went face-planted right down into the train and went, "I'm here!" And it was a really busy train. It was like a half-five train from London and I messed it up completely, but it was hilarious and I carried on reading my book. But you know what? Sorry, silly. But Who Sets the Rules Anyway? This book was insightful, funny, and a different perspective on getting through and achieving whatever your goals may be. Oh, and she has such a dirty sense of humor. What isn't to like? Absolutely love her to pieces. If you like inappropriate humor, if you like sarcasm, if you like being outside of that box that some People insist on putting you in. Read her book, you're gonna absolutely love it. We are going to be discussing Amy Schumer's book a little bit later as well, so stick with us. And remember to get in touch with me at hazel@hazelbutterfield.com or presenters at one, uh, at women's radio station. I'm just— where's my coffee? Uh, I'm getting really excitable now. Uh, and you can make sure that you can get in touch, and maybe you want to come in on the show and chat to me, or maybe about to release a book and you want to, you want to come in and talk about your book. I love chatting to authors. It is one of my passions. I have so much more to talk to you about, so stick with us. We'll be back in a couple of minutes after these messages. Women's Radio Station is a fresh new broadcasting platform driven by love and passion, connecting women around the world in a global network. Network is all about diversity. From opinions, career, ethnicity, education, we aim to show the individuality of every woman everywhere, providing opportunities and a platform for your voice. Women, the possibilities are endless. That's what makes us different. Hi, I'm Liz Van Linden, the UK travel consultant for Hazelmere Travel. People come People come to me as they want unique experiences and a personalised service. This happens from the moment that they inquire till they come back home. I work with luxury tour operators. You can contact me on 07825 44 12 12 and liz@hazelmyrtravel.co.uk. I'm Tamina Zaman, founder of Empower and Enrich. When it comes to money, do you clam up or get confused? Do you wish you could save more money, or are you hoping you have enough for retirement? You are not alone. Many women want to be smarter with their cash but just don't know where to start. At empowerandenrich.org, you will find a host of options to help you take charge of your finances and learn how to put your money to work for you in an easy, affordable way. Get in touch with me at empowerandenrich.org and let's change your future together. Are you struggling with money? Turn to us as a national charity helping people struggling to make ends meet. Job loss, illness, or bereavement can cause a real financial crisis. We give practical help to get people back on track. Whether you're thinking of having a baby, trying to get out of an unhappy relationship, or just unsure what benefits you may be entitled to, we can help. Visit turn2us.org.uk. Women's Radio Station is creating a global network for the empowerment of women, and we want you to to be involved. Join us on Instagram and Twitter @WomensRadioStn or Facebook Women's Radio Station to keep up to date with all our exciting news. Hi, I'm Zena Mosconi, Head of Business Development at Women's Radio Station. Radio advertising is the most cost-effective way of reaching a huge audience globally. Moreover, our sponsorship and advertising packages can be tailored to your needs, whether it be a product or brand service you are looking to promote. If you are interested in sponsoring or advertising, please contact me on 07956 371483, or alternatively zm@womensradiostation.com. Hello and welcome back. We are now halfway through today's Get Booked show. We have been discussing so many books, and I just want to let you know that, you know, sometimes if maybe you're a little bit skint and you're thinking, I can't afford to have all these books, Libraries, people, use them. If we do not use them, we will lose them. They have some incredible books in there, and even books that have just been released. And if they're out on loan, make sure that you just register and get your name down on the list, and they'll let you know as soon as the book's back in again. Another trick that I do like is the Audible trial. It's great because also sometimes we're running around, and if you don't like to do what I do and basically walk into everybody while reading on the streets, get an Audible and then you can listen away. And it's, you can do an Audible trial, and then you get to try at least one book for free, and then I think it's like £7.99 a month, and you can have a new one every single month. How cool is that? And you can, you can do it while commuting, you can secretly put your headphones in while the kids are telling you about something to do with match attacks or football or PlayStation or whatever, and you want to just nod every now and again and say, "Hmm, darling, that's delightful," while listening to some of the books that I've just been discussing. And Audible's quite handy as well because it's good for kind of when you're at the gym or on a run just to keep you entertained. And before you know it, you've done 40 minutes on the machine or you've gone for a nice 5K run because you've been entertained and you can look like that crazy the person who's giggling while running, and people will just think, "Oh, look, she's dead happy," and maybe they'll smile back at you. That's what I like, what I like. Don't get me wrong, you do not have to listen to Audible while doing exercise. You can also just hide in a corner or hide from the gym bunnies. It's just, it's great, it's brilliant. Go and check it out. And I do like reads that have, as I was mentioning before, I like reads that take me on a journey, especially with the summer approaching. Now, really, it is, it is. If it— today it's like really, really sunny, but you're really cold, and we have been taken on a little bit of a roller coaster just in the weather itself, let alone reading any books. It was like summer in February, and I think it's gonna snow in May, and— read a book, read a book, escape reality. And I do like a good book quote, and my favourite one for today's Get Booked show is a classic and a great quote to live by. And it's, "You're mad, bonkers, off your head, but I'll tell you a secret, all of the best people are." That is, of course, Alice in Wonderland. I love that quote. I have that up in my bathroom as well, just to kind of remind myself that bonkers people are the best, right? Sure, sure. I'm trying my best not to play with— I've got a really nice jangly necklace and I keep on playing with it and my producer's like, "Stop it, Hazel, we can hear it." Fiddling. I have taken my big hoop earrings out though because even though they weren't jangling, they were like bigger than the cans that I'm wearing right now. I'm— today, today is a big jewellery day. I like big jewellery days because then people look at the big jewellery rather than the bags under my eyes because I was reading a book last night and I was just— do you know when you're just like just one more chapter and then something happens, you're like, "Oh, I want another chapter," and that's just, I was in bed by like 10 to 10 and at about quarter to 12 I was going, "No, I've got so much to do tomorrow," but I did have a very good sleep. My eyes were tired by the end of it. It's great, absolutely great. I did have some crazy dreams though. That's good though, I like that. I didn't even need to have any cheese, which is great. Like, let's try and squeeze in some more books reviews. Right, we next up have Idiopathy by Sam Byers. Idiopathy, the definition of that is a condition in which there is a disturbance of normal functioning. As we said, I can be quite dysfunctional, so I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The— everyone, everyone, and gets a little bit of idiopathy every now and again. And basically, this is what Sam Abaya's book is about. It is quite apt. Idiopathy is a hilarious novel riddled with narcissism, so true to everyday life, laziness, and dysfunction, and based on a toxic couple Catherine and Daniel that are no more and yet still are thrown into tolerating each other due to a mutual equally dysfunctional third wheel. Sounds fun, right? Yeah, yeah. I'm getting— this book was— I found it so crazy. I'm getting really excitable. So I do apologize if I keep on hitting the microphone. I have had a double espresso this morning because I didn't get that much sleep because I was too busy reading loads of books. So I'm going to try and stop playing with my necklace and I'm going to and stop trying to flail my arms around like some mad woman. Like some mad woman, just am, I am. Either way, so it was a very, very good book about, do you know what, it is about power struggles, which is narcissism in itself, non-conformity, idiosyncrasies, and developing your role within society. I like the way it switched from each of the main characters introspective thoughts and perspectives of events, which is such— it's one of my favourite kinds of literature, just because it gives you a little bit more into an insight as to what everybody thinks their role is within the story. And good books do take you on a journey. This was one of those books. It was funny, it was infuriating at times as you got to know the characters and wanted them to just react differently. You normally get to take at least something from a good book. And in this case, one of my favourites and poignant lines was, "The bigger the horse, the harder the fall," as in getting off your high horse. It was, yeah, that really did sum that book up perfectly. Do you know what? We have so many books and so little time. And do you know what? If you ever want to get in touch with me and let me know which of my shows you've been listening to, or maybe it was one of my, a book review that I gave, or maybe it was an interview with one of the incredible authors we've had through the doors here at Women's Radio Station, please do get in touch. You can contact me on Twitter @nuttybutty. So anyway, I have been at it everywhere, on the bus, in the park, in bed, even on the loo, and even waiting for the kids to come out of school. Yes, Yes. Ha! Even more book reviews. Reading all the time. Right, next up we have, we have another one for you, The Pier Falls by Mark Haddon. This is his first collection of stories. Mark Haddon, you might recall, is the author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, another book that I've read and I think it is incredible. And he demonstrates two things. First, that he is a master of the short form. The Pierfalls is a selection of lots of short stories, but also that he is mad as a box of frogs and has an incredible imagination, even darker than what we had originally thought. Some of the short stories are when an expedition to Mars goes terribly wrong, Of course. Or a seaside pier collapses. Or a 30-stone man is confined to his living room. Just lots of random stories. Or when two boys discover a gun in a shoebox. It's just craziness, it's randomness. Oh, and a man who shoots a stranger on Christmas Eve. Huh? See? It's brilliant. It's absolutely brilliant. The writing style of The Pier Falls, just hooked me. I like to have a change sometimes, and the short story compilation such as this book was a refreshing change. But you will have to concentrate, trust me. They seem weird at first, they appear scatty and random, bizarre, and then out of nowhere, as I said, you are just hooked. Um, it's randomness mixed with head flip. See how I changed that again? Even my neighbour would be quite impressed because evidently I swear too much. Nothing is predictable. This may be why I carried on with all the other stories. I just wanted to see where he would go. I was so intrigued. However, this is not the book for you if you need finite conclusions at the end of a novel. You're not going to get that with this book. I was also finding it intriguing intriguing that many of the places that he mentioned, towns and places, pubs and whatnot, they had meaning to me. They're places that I have been or places that have been mentioned in other books. I quite like it when that happens. I got that with Warlight as well, especially when they were traipsing through Southwest London. I got that a lot with Amanda Robson too. Some of you might recall that I had Amanda Robson in to discuss quite a few— sorry, I'm playing with my necklace again— quite a few discuss Amanda Robson's books, who has released a new one, Envy. She has Guilt and Obsession and Envy, all of which are based around my hometown, even though for one of her books she called it something completely different. But it was interesting when her latest book, she was talking about somebody stalking somebody, and she's mentioning the sweet shop that I go to most days. Yes, like sweets, and the doctor's surgery that I go to myself. It was quite, I don't know, I find a way when people mention things that are relevant to you as well, there's a certain intimacy with it and absolutely loved it. That is definitely what I got with The Pierfalls. It's mad, it's bonkers. It pretty much matches with my favourite quote of the day here for Get Booked. And it's just, please do try it. And that one actually I did get from the library. It was recommended to me because sometimes I just go into Waterstones and I just say, "I want something a little bit bonkers," or, "I want something that's going to make me laugh." And people in Waterstones, generally, they are huge book fans, not just there for the job, and they will come up with something. And that is what they recommended. And I bought a different book and went and got that one from the library. There you go. Right, we're gonna head off for another quick break. Keep with me, and we are gonna have our final section here for Get Booked at Women's Radio Station. Welcome to Women's Radio Station, the voice of women worldwide. I'm Sarah Louise Ryan, and welcome to Love Lessons Live on Women's Radio Station. Hello and welcome to Future Classic Women Awards with me, Stefania Passamonte, on Women's Radio Station. Hello and And welcome to Judy May Is Listening. Hello, this is Anna Kennedy at Women's Radio Station Live, voice of women worldwide, talking about all things autism. Women, the possibilities are endless. That's what makes us different. I'm Saskia at Sable Forex, and we specialize in saving individuals and companies money on their international money transfers or foreign exchange. So when money's crossing currencies, whether it's euros to yen or rands to pounds, that's where we can add value. So for all your foreign exchange needs, I'm Saskia at Sable. You can contact me on saskia.johnston@sableinternational.com, or my number is 0207 759 7541. Hi, I'm Helen Prosper. I'm a health coach and I support people to take back control of their health so that they feel radiantly well and vibrantly alive, because it's from that place of health that we really can do more, be more, give more, play more, and co-create a better world. If living your life to the full is of interest to you, then take a look at my website, livewellandprosper.uk, and let's speak soon. Do you need mediation? We are the A Project Charity. We provide conflict resolution and community engagement services. Our services include community mediation for neighbor disputes, family mediation for separating couples, special education needs for parents, carers, and their children and young adults, as well as workplace mediation and restorative services. To find out more, head to womensradiostation.com or theaproject.co.uk. Www.womensradio.uk. Women's Radio Station can give a voice to your brand. With a wide range of sponsorship opportunities, including individual programmes, we can tailor your experience to you. For more information on how you can sponsor a show, go to womensradiostation.com. Women, the possibilities are endless. Fearless. That's what makes us different. Hi, I'm Zina Mosconi, Head of Business Development at Women's Radio Station. Radio advertising is the most cost-effective way of reaching a huge audience globally. Moreover, our sponsorship and advertising packages can be tailored to your needs, whether it be a product or brand service you're looking to promote. If you are interested in sponsoring or advertising Please contact me on 07956 371483, or alternatively zm@womensradiostation.com. I can't believe how quickly we are racing through today's Get Booked show. I'm Hazel, and this is Women's Radio Station. If you've just joined us, do not worry, you can listen in at 5 o'clock every single day of the week. And, and you can go and check us out on Women's Radio Station SoundCloud and listen into past shows as well. If you have just joined us throughout today's show, we have been discussing The Husband's Secret by Leanne Moriarty, Truly Madly Guilty by Leanne Moriarty, also Manhood by Laura Dodsworth, and The Ladybird Book of the Ex. I love that one. So silly, so silly. The World as I Blow It by Sarah Colonna, and Idiopathy by Sam Byers. We have also just been discussing The Pier Falls by Mark Haddon, the author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. And I just thought that book had such bizarre notions that he kind of put them to you in such a depressingly calm way that it just kind of, I don't know, it got me. I thought they were great. Seriously, go and try them out. Also, I think some of these books where they just do short stories, it's good because you can delve in and out, especially if you like books but you don't feel like you have the time to completely give your time to a whole book. So I think the short stories element romance definitely do have their place in the book lover's world. So next up we have one of my favourite comedians. As I said before when I was discussing the book Life as I Blow It by Sarah Colonna, I do love my female comedians and there's a particular pack of all of them, you know, Chelsea Handler, you have Amy Schumer, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey. I've read them all. I think they're all absolutely fantastic. Fantastic. But the next one I want to discuss is The Girl with the Back Tattoo. Amy Schumer is brilliant. Yet another, another female comedian with an autobiography, but it so isn't, it so isn't. It's so unique and different, such is her. She is a one-off, a clever, sweaty, sweary, comedian. I don't know if you've seen her latest Netflix, Netflix, um, comedy show where she is heavily pregnant and the stuff she comes out with. I mean, my walls are paper thin where I live and my neighbours must think I was having some sort of attack, I was giggling so much. She is brilliant. I've also watched her latest movie, what was it called? Um, I Feel Pretty, where she bangs her head and in her head she thinks that she's pretty glamorous, then the way that she behaves because of it. And it's just, it's just her. It's the way she writes, and it's, uh, it was incredible. It's interesting the way that, that, um, the comedy element of what she put across to us. It was brilliant. Seriously, if you're looking for a movie this weekend, go for that one. Very, very funny as well. Very silly. Um, but yes, so The Girl with the Back Tattoo. Um, It's more of a genuinely written debut than I'd assumed it would be. I thought it would be lots of dirty wisecracks and how she got into the comedy scene and whatnot. But so much of her declarations of being an introvert and the honesty behind it. And she just, it was, I kind of, I know I kind of used this line earlier on in the show, but you know, warts and all, she really was was just talking quite frankly, and it wasn't to gloss up the pages, and it didn't feel like she was making stuff up to kind of just for the sake of it. It was— I don't know, it's just so much of it struck a chord with me, as did many of her tales of making her way through to who she is now and trying to be true to herself and just getting on by. I loved her raw honesty, her confidence, and yet self-deprecating attitude toward her supposed plus-size body. Seriously, she's a UK 10 to 12. Since when has that been a plus-size body? And she does just look amazing, but also she doesn't care as much either. She's just like, whatever, I'm wearing what I'm comfortable in. Since when has size 12 been a plus size? Isn't 10 to 12 the ideal size. That's crazy, crazy. Um, but yes, she does, she does hang around with a lot of models, especially for a lot of the movies that she writes. So I guess maybe that's just her reality, but I think she looks absolutely fantastic, especially when she has to plaster up her belly button because it's sticking out so much while she was about 7 months pregnant. But she showed everybody on stage, which included her pants and everything. She's bonkers. Bonkers. I like her. I think there's a theme. I like bonkers people. But do you know what? It's weirdly nice to hear about vulnerability issues without being a victim. We don't have to be perfect. We don't, we're not a victim just because we do this or we do things wrong or we do things a way that sometimes people don't necessarily agree with. Individuality. Be an individual. Seriously, some people don't like it, it means you're probably doing something right. And do you know what? Her deliciously balanced sense of realism mixed with being empowered, and I kind of got the sense that she was being empowered to kind of help other people feel that way and that she was kind of faking it until she made it, but that's what we all do, isn't it? This, this is exactly what this book is about and this is why I like reading about these kind of comedians, these writers, writers who, you know, they don't just sit there and get some student to write their jokes. They know it. They're introspective. They're clever and great comic timing and they know how to swear properly. Though, please swear responsibly. But yeah, she was just absolutely infectious and her ability to wear her heart on her sleeve with humility and of of course, get ready for this, Schumer. See what I did there? Yeah, yeah. I also, I also love the requisite blue language. As I said, I am a huge sweary fan, especially when it's done deliciously. Don't just swear at me for no reasons. I want it done nicely. I managed to teach my mum to swear nicely as well. She used to be so against it and now she's really starting to use words quite nicely. Am I gonna get in trouble for this? No, good, it's fine. Ah, yeah, so I absolutely loved it. Seriously, it will brighten up your day. The Girl with the Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer. Now, this next one that I want to talk about is When Mr. Dog Bites. You might have seen it in all the bookshops. It's by Brian Conahan. It is is excellent. It's got kind of sweet humorous moments. It's not there to be kind of— it's not a comedy. It's quite frankly just an excellently written book about predominantly the internal dialogue of a 16-year-old boy with Tourette's. I've gone back to the sweary thing again, haven't I? And how he sees the world. This was originally found in the teen fiction section of the library, which surprised me. I don't know, I'm not so sure. Well, no, it is a good— no, it's good because we want kids to kind of understand that, you know, people have certain issues and we need to create a culture of people understanding each other. And this is what this book did. I mean, and he's obviously got a level of— he's on the autistic spectrum as well. And just the way that Brian Conaghan could get in this boy's mind to describe what he thought was happening to him and what he thought was going on. I don't know, it was brilliant. It did seem a bit too raw for me to want my son reading it. I mean, I read this maybe earlier last year, so my son was 11, but no, He would, blatantly he would love it. I told him about it and he's got it on his list of books to read. And yet you feel like you should, you want other people to understand the more intricate details of being in, and I'm doing air quotes, which on radio is brilliant, a special school. Can you just imagine it? Good. Understanding the humor of it inclusively without it being a nervous topic that often results in awkward connotations. Yes, it was hilarious. Enlightening, and sweet all rolled into one. This is one of those books that you'll get excited about while chatting to people in the pub, and you're like, please read it. It's just, it's like one of those bibles where you just want everybody to get on board with it and to increase their understanding and to just, and it was entertaining. I did have a few crazy dreams after the first day of reading this book, and my language got a little bit creative when it came to swearing. Such is the case when he was describing, you know, eating a sandwich. He really— you've got to give it to people with Tourette's, they can swear brilliantly. It's absolutely excellent. This, just the way he described what happened to him, his family splitting up, what's happened to his dad, what happened to the dog, it's It's just somebody else's reality. Educate yourself. Read this book and just— I want to read more and more of Brian Conaghan. I think he is just a fantastic author. And just get involved. And what I also want you to do is if maybe, maybe you don't have time to come on the show, but you've read a book and you want to just send me in a minute clip reviewing a book, a book, a book, Seriously excitable. Do you know what? I'm about 10 minutes away from having another double espresso. It's going to be good, isn't it? I do— this is my issue. I get so excitable talking about books. And if you get as excited as I do about books, come in and speak to me. Get involved. Do your 1-minute clips. Just record it on your iPad or your iPhone and send it in to us at presenters@womensradiostation.com. It will get to me and we will make sure that they are played out out during our shows. You guys have been fantastic listening to me today. Make sure you listen in every week, and I will see you with more book reviews. Love you, bye! Women's Radio Station is a fresh new broadcasting platform driven by love and passion, connecting women around the world in a global network. Is all about diversity, from opinions, career ethnicity, education, we aim to show the individuality of every woman everywhere, providing opportunities and a platform for your voice. Women, the possibilities are endless. That's what makes us different. Hi, I'm Liz Van Linden, the UK travel consultant for Hazelmere Travel. People come to me as they want unique experiences and a personalized service. This happens from the moment that they inquire till they come back home. I work with luxury tour operators. You can contact me on 07825 44 12 12 and liz@hazelmaytravel.co.uk. I'm Tamina Zaman, founder of Empower and Enrich. When it comes to money, do you clam up or get confused? Do you wish you could save more money, or are you hoping you have enough for retirement? You are not alone. Many women want to be smarter with their cash but just don't know where to start. At empowerandenrich.org, you will find a host of options to help you take charge of your finances and learn how to put your money to work for you in an easy, affordable way. Get in touch with me at empowerandenrich.org, and let's change your future together. Are you struggling with money? Turn to us as a national charity helping people struggling to make ends meet. Meet. Job loss, illness, or bereavement can cause a real financial crisis. We give practical help to get people back on track. Whether you're thinking of having a baby, trying to get out of an unhappy relationship, or just unsure what benefits you may be entitled to, we can help. Visit turn2us.org.uk. Women's Radio Station is creating a global network for the empowerment of women, and we want you for you to be involved. Join us on Instagram and Twitter @WomensRadioStn or Facebook Women's Radio Station to keep up to date with all our exciting news. Women's Radio Station. Hi, I'm Zena Mosconi, Head of Business Development at Women's Radio Station. Radio advertising is the most cost-effective way of reaching a huge audience globally. Moreover, our sponsorship and advertising packages can be tailored to your needs, whether it be a product or brand service you are looking to promote. If you are interested in sponsoring or advertising, please contact me on 07956 371483, or alternatively zm@womensradiostation.com.