Notes of Life

I caught the train to Llandudno (North Wales) on Thursday for an over-night stay. My reason? John Barrowman was playing at Venue Cymru and I’d got a ticket for the 4th row (I know I only saw him a few weeks ago down in London!). The weather wasn’t brilliant, but then I wasn’t there for the weather and it is the North Wales coast in October, so I could hardly expect it to be all sunshine.

John Barrowman’s concert was excellent (He’s quite the entertainer). Once again his support act was Jodi Prenger and his parents did a turn too. Kai Owen (Rhys in Torchwood) was in the audience this time and John took great delight in getting the house lights on and pointing him out to everyone! This time I managed to get photos, to see more of them just visit my Flickr account.

I made the mistake of walking into a book shop while I was in Llandudno and I came out with 2 books (like I need any more!). However, in my defence, the books I got were Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick (the sequel to Hush, Hush – which I read a few weeks ago) and Tourment by Lauren Kate (the sequel to Fallen – which I’ve just finished reading and need to review). Also, it was Buy 1 Get 1 Free!

Friday morning (whilst still at the hotel in Llandudno) was spent trying to get tickets for Take That‘s 2011 tour (I’d had to lug my laptop with me on the train and use the hotel’s wifi connection). I also had my parents on the computer at home trying to get tickets for me too. Thankfully, I managed to get tickets (many didn’t)! I didn’t want to miss out on Robbie Williams being back on tour with the other 4 Take That members, especially as Robbie had left the band just weeks before I first saw Take That in 1995. Apparently, the band sold a record one million tickets in one day, despite all the ticket websites and phonelines being unable to cope with the shear number of people trying to book tickets.

Once the tickets were booked, I packed up and caught the train home before spending the rest of the day with my baby niece (can you believe she’ll be 1 soon?!). I’ve spent all of today with her too, she’s just having a bit of quiet time with her Nan at the moment.

The Take That tickets weren’t the only concert tickets I bought this week. I also booked tickets to see Elton John next June, so I’m not short of things to look forward to!

These turtles were at the London Aquarium when I visited earlier this month. I laughed at how the little one was on top of one of the larger ones, it just seemed to be balanced there. I don’t know how it was going to get down!

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This week I received one book and ordered another.

I’d pre-ordered Side Jobs by Jim Butcher a bit back and it arrived this week. Anyone who knows me will know that Jim Butcher’s books automatically jump the queue, so as it arrived the day I finished Paul O’Grady’s The Devil Rides Out, I was able to start reading it almost straight away.

Side Jobs isn’t a continuation of The Dresden Files, it’s an anthology of short stories and novellas to go along side the series novels. Jim Butcher has written a paragraph or two before each story so we know where each story fits in with the novels (e.g. before Storm Front or between White Night and Small Favor). With the exception of a couple (which feature on Jim’s website), most of the stories have been included in previous anthologies along side stories by other authors (see my review of Strange Brew for one example). Side Jobs also includes Backup (the Thomas-centric novelette) and a brand new short story set an hour or two after the end of Changes (the latest Dresden Files novel).

Anyone who has read Changes will be itching to read the brand new short story. Changes left us on a great big cliffhanger, one where you want to shout out “What?” and then with a dawning realisation “Nooooo!”… or at least I did! So this brand new short story (called ‘Aftermath’) is a stop-gap until the next Dresden Files novel, Ghost Story, is released next year. I’m just itching to jump straight to that story, but I’m determined to read the short stories in order.

The book I’ve ordered is Confessions of a Conjuror by Derren Brown. I wasn’t going to order any more books until Christmas, but it’s The Book People‘s fault! They sent me an Points Passport Exclusive email with this book on offer for £6.99. It was only released in hardcover this month and I was going to add it to my Christmas list, but I was so impressed at the price that I decided to order it there and then.

So, that’s what I got and what will soon be arriving. Did you get/order anything?

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This is another photo from my trip to London earlier this month, this time taken at the London Aquarium. I believe this is one of the 2 Cuban Crocodiles the London Aquarium took in in August. Cuban Crocodiles are a critically endangered species and according to the London Aquarium, they are one of the most dangerous crocodile species.

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Author: Paul O’Grady
Publishers: Bantam Press
ISBN: 978-0593064245

The Devil Rides Out is a hilarious look into Paul O’Grady’s life as a young adult… and what a life! The man seems to have packed in as much as he can into so little time! More jobs than hot dinners, including being a housefather, social worker and a ‘walker’ for high class call girls – Who would have guessed it?! And quite the social life too!

The Devil Rides Out is Paul O’Grady’s 2nd autobiography. The first one, At My Mothers’ Knee… And other low joints, took us up to when Paul was 18 (and is highly recommended by me!). The Devil Rides Out follows on and takes us up to Paul venturing into drag and the beginnings of his alter-ego Lily Savage (or “Larry Sausage” after somebody misheard him!)..

This autobiography is an entertaining look at Paul’s life with it’s ups & downs along the way and Paul O’Grady can even find a laugh in some of the harder parts of his life. I found myself chuckling through much of the book and it proved to be a great remedy for the virus I’d got when I read it. I don’t think I’ve read such a hilarious autobiography before, you really couldn’t make this stuff up!

Paul hasn’t let being a gay man get in the way either… what with having a daughter with one woman and getting married to another!.

Paul’s Ma once again provides some witty remarks (more often than not at Paul’s expense!) and this time we’re treated to some of his colourful friends too (most commonly ‘Vera’).

I’ve heard there will be a 3rd autobiography (for which I’m eagerly awaiting!), which I assume will take us up to the present day (or there abouts). Some might wonder why one man would need 3 autobiographies, but Paul O’Grady has led such a life that you couldn’t fit it all into one book without missing out on some great material. While The Devil Rides Out only covers a handful of years, it’s a rollercoaster ride and very much a “page-turner”. There isn’t a moment’s rest in the book.

The funniest and most interesting autobiography I’ve read in years!

Buy The Devil Rides Out by Paul O’Grady at The Book Depository.