Hotel Alpha by Mark Watson
01/09/2014 … Mark Watson’s fifth novel is set in a majestic London hotel, the sort of elegant haunt favoured by celebrities, society and other players that is both fashionable…
2014 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 01 September 2014
Thu 07 August 2014
My Prefect Cousin, A Short Biography Of Paul Hamilton, by Kevin Eldon
07/08/2014 … In a celebrity-dominated world, it's heartening to know that the publishing landscape has space to accommodate the biography of an unprolific, unacclaimed poet on…
Thu 31 July 2014
Brenda Monk Is Funny by Katy Brand
31/07/2014 … Books about stand-up comics are legion, but Katy Brand’s first novel starts from the people so often overlooked in fiction – as they are in the green room – …
Mon 14 July 2014
Francesca Martinez: What The **** Is Normal
14/07/2014 … Kicking back against the patronising attitudes that have followed her all of her life, Francesca Martinez insists she doesn't want to be considered an 'inspiration'.
Wed 18 June 2014
How To Write Comedy by Tony Kirwood
18/06/2014 … God, books like How To Write Comedy are depressing.
Mon 02 June 2014
Secret Kilkenny, edited by Andrew Mickel and Tim Clark
02/06/2014 … Comedians love Kilkenny’s Cat Laughs festival.
Fri 25 April 2014
Richard Pryor: Furious Cool by David & Joe Henry
25/04/2014 … If one comedian was deserving of the epithet of ‘legendary’, it would be Richard Pryor.
Mon 31 March 2014
Comedy Snapshot, by Steve Best
31/03/2014 … He’s called it Comedy Snapshot, but Steve Best’s book is actually a pretty comprehensive portrait of the comrades in laughs that make up the current comedy…