Laughter and light reading for the holidays

Patricia McCracken reviews a stand-up comic’s autobiography, a guide to the iconic mammals of our seas, a delightful novel about Christmas in a remote Scottish village, and recipes that introduce kids to cooking.

A Funny Life by Michael McIntyre (Macmillan, R330)

At 45, McIntyre is rather young to be starting on the second volume of his autobiography, which follows his Life and Laughs (2018), which ended with him waking up the morning after what he thought would be his big break, the 2006 Royal Variety Show.

A stand-up comic is only as good as their next joke. This ongoing pressure ages the majority of comics fast, but McIntyre, who hails from the UK, makes light of most of the rollercoasterride of the past 15 years.

Even when he is stopped by the police, McIntyre becomes a topic of conversation for his trademark skipping rather than any offence he might have committed.

He also recalls being sacked by Simon Cowell.

Despite tripping over his feet (both literally and metaphorically), McIntyre belongs to that small group of entertainers who have managed to keep returning to the top in a tough business.

Marine Mammal s by Chris & Mathilde Stuart (Struik Nature, R150)

For many families, it’s not the festive season if you’re not by the sea, where the chance to admire the ocean’s bigger inhabitants (whales, dolphins and seals) is irresistible. The Stuarts also make it informative with this new guide.

It’s an easy addition to a daypack, measuring just 193mm x 135mm x 7mm and lighter than a smartphone, and is certainly worth taking along. It will advise you on the best places to see each species, the best times to look for them, and how to identify them, including recognising them by their characteristic diving outlines or tail shapes.

It also provides basic information on these animals’ behaviour, such as why they do what they do and what they feed on. Marine Mammals is great food for hungry young minds and curious older ones, and you could be starting the next generation on a career in the marine sciences! It will also make a spectacular gift.

Christma s At Lobster Ba y by Annie Robertson ( Welbeck, R180)

The Lobster Bay crew are back, trying to keep their guest house running, and safeguard their income in a Scottish seaside village.

Event planner turned guest house owner-manager Emma puts on an ambitious, Christmas-themed package to attract guests. Unfortunately, coaching the staff takes longer than expected, and Emma’s plans get bigger. Soon she has persuaded the neighbours (her partner fisherman Aidan and his sister Jen) to knock the two houses into one to extend the guest house.

Before long, Emma is dealing with structural weaknesses in her relationship rather than her business or its premises. And she’s not the only one; several of her staff suffer wobbly moments, making the back of house rather a tense space. Then it snows …

A fun read that will also support you through your own hosting dilemmas!

Fun, Fast & Ea sy by Annabel Karmel ( Welbeck, R335)

Karmel, who has published about 40 books on feeding babies, toddlers, mumsto-be and families, was awarded an MBE and has had her own TV series.

This is her second book on introducing children to the world of cooking, and she displays instinctive flair for developing relatively simple dishes that are fun to make and look delightful.

She cleverly upgrades the appearance of dishes, so a bowl of porridge is garnished with fruit arranged as an owl, fried egg on toast becomes a rabbit (complete with chive whiskers), and pancakes are arranged like a curly caterpillar.

She even gives three different ways to make eye-catching fruit rainbows on a bowl of yoghurt!

Dairy is so often the poor relation in today’s choosy food fads, but it gets a two-page focus to warm the cockles of dairy farmers’ hearts. Much fun for the entire family. Patricia McCracken is a features and investigative journalist.