1971 / Audiobook / 146 pages / UK
****
Finding the humour in bloody awful times, or when too elusive, making it up. I need to get around to The Goon Show one of these decades.
2006 / Ebook / 128 pages / USA
**
It always feels a bit like a cheat, not to mention intrusive, when these writers pester the musicians themselves to give the inside story in their own words and make their lightweight book more authoritative. But considering the poor show when he tries to describe the wall of sound himself, it was probably for the best.
Unknown, illustrated by Gaby Hanson, My Favourite Nursery Rhymes
Collected 2006 / Physical book / 18 pages / UK***
The cheapest one on the shopping app with the nicest art, finding out it was a sturdy board book when it arrived was a bonus. Though a bit annoying that they rounded the page corners but didn't do the same to the sharp covers. And including deep cuts like 'Little Betty Blue' and 'I Love Little Pussy' stretches the definition of 'favourite' like a premature greatest hits album, it's not as if they'd run out.
Unknown, My First Learning Book: 123 / abc / Shapes / Colours
2019 / Cloth books / 48 pages / France/China
****
I was planning to get her a Ladybird boxset at some point (I only had their Colours book back in the '80s, so I'm still not sure what a square is), but these rip-offs were better for an early start, since they're made from chewable, washable cloth. Considering the general originality on display here, I'll assume LakaRose didn't invent the medium, but I don't need to get too cynical, since they do the job and I appreciated the angloform spelling. If this is too innocent and wholesome for you, you can speculate about the stupid reasons why the pig from earlier editions was replaced with a pink cat.
2019 / Audiobook / 416 pages / UK
****
Of all the strange souls Louis has encountered on his travels, the biggest weirdo turns out to be: hims... actually, probably the Reverend who thought he was channeling 'Korton.' He was a freak.
