I’M sure that I don’t need to advertise this event but just in case someone has been living on Mars and hasn’t heard that Joanne Harris will be at Barnsley library on May 17 from 6pm to talk to her home crowd about her greatly awaited prequel to her monster hit Chocolat – Vianne, then here is your reminder.
When Chocolat came out, I hadn’t even got one book published and actually seeing that Jo had really done it – someone I knew and so could relate to – spurred me on to get cracking. I loved that book so much, although I put on about twelve stones reading it as I had a proper hankering for pancakes and chocolate.
It’ll sell out early so get a wiggle on if you want a ticket and a signed book. It promises to be a beyond special evening.
And talking of books, one that is coming out on October 9 is a book that will not be an easy read and I know it wasn’t an easy write.
‘For My Boys’ is the brutally honest story of Claire Throssell and the murder of her children by her ex-husband.
Years ago journalist, novelist (and my lovely friend) Michelle Rawlins tried to write this book with Claire and it didn’t happen. I know why because afterwards Claire and I tried to write it and we gave up, beaten by it, because harrowing doesn’t even come close. It always should have been written and Michelle and Claire decided it was finally time.
The tenth anniversary of the events has come and gone and it needed to be committed to paper, all the facts in Claire’s voice, not distorted by newspapers.
Between them they have written this no-holds-barred account of the worst of humanity and the best, of community spirit and love, of a gentle woman with more strength than anyone I have ever met. And if you think you know the whole story, you’re very wrong. The book is called ‘For My Boys’ and is available to preorder now.
No-one better to write it than Claire and Michelle.
I was absolutely disgusted to read that the hospital received complaints over staff tattoos.
Yes, I get that tattoos aren’t for everyone. You don’t have to like them on people.
But come on – do you really complain about a nurse having a butterfly on her arm when she’s treating you?
Are you that mean and petty? I’ve got a tat. Did my personality change as soon as the ink hit my arm? Did it chuff.
Did anyone you know become a lesser person as soon as they’d got the tribute to mum and dad ink or the Darth Vader’s helmet?
Get a grip. If you are going to take up the time of the hospital complaints team, let it be for something important. Also – get a life.
‘It never hurts any less, just less often’ said my pal Jen a while ago.
Grief has a proper habit of sneaking up on you and sticking a needle through your skin. I always feel the loss of my dad when there is a big boxing match on, as there was this weekend.
I used to watch it with him and he’d jerk from side to side as if he were taking every punch. Maybe it was because the Eubank vs Benn fight was very much about fathers, but I felt it hard on Saturday.
I remember watching Benn Sr fighting McClellan with dad, 30 years ago exactly, one of the best matches EVER, never forgot it – a proper dad and daughter bonding we had. So, in memory of him, I enjoyed Saturday’s belter for us both.
