SFX magazine is still raving about The Writer’s Tale, following September’s five-star review. In their Christmas issue, on sale today, Nick Setchfield describes the book as “Absorbing and, blimey, so honest… Often hilarious, sometimes scabrous, occasionally rip-away-the-public-face bleak.”
★★★★
“We learn, brilliantly, the difference between bellowing media personage Big Russell and the apprehensive, chain-smoking obsessive who exists alone and silent in the early hours… This is great reading.”
In this month’s Doctor Who Magazine (on sale now - go buy!), Russell writes about his and Benjamin’s recent UK book tour. Ooh, it’s just like This is Spinal Tap…
Richard and Judy, the couple credited with revolutionising the reading habits of Britons, have selected The Writer’s Tale for their prestigious Christmas Presents book strand, it was announced today.
Each Wednesday evening from 19 November, a different celebrity will appear on UKTV Watch show Richard & Judy’s New Position to discuss his or her own new book, and then help review the four books featured in one of five other categories. The Writer’s Tale tops the Serious Non-Fiction category, which actor, comedian, TV presenter and all-round ‘national treasure’ Stephen Fry will be reviewing on 26 November.
The other books is this category are, in descending order, Mckie’s Gazetteer: A Local History of Britain by David McKie, Homework for Grown-Ups by E. Foley and B. Coates, and What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami.
The full list of celebrity reviewers is:
19 November: Stocking Fillers, with Alan Carr
26 November: Serious Non-Fiction, with Stephen Fry
3 December: Children’s Books, with Julie Walters
10 December: Coffee-Table Books, with Michael Parkinson
17 December: Cookery, with Frank Skinner
Visit Richard and Judy’s Christmas Books webpage
On Friday 7 November, Benjamin interviewed Russell live on stage at London’s National Theatre. Afterwards, the authors signed hundreds more - yes, more! - copies of The Writer’s Tale, rendering it practically impossible to find a copy of the book anywhere in the UK that isn’t autographed. Here are some photos from the event (click on the thumbnails to enlarge):
