Quick Reviews: Moranthology and Reasons to Stay Alive

Today, two fantastic non-fictions, a genre I previously would seldom reach for, however these writers have me changing my mind.

Moranthology by Caitlin Moran

….everyone should remember that this is the very same reasoning that led more than 60 per cent of the female population to get Alexa Chung-style fringes last year – fringes that we all regret now, don’t we, ladies?

This was Caitlin Moran’s first foray into column collation, and I can’t believe I left it this late to read it. I had already read How to be a Woman and Moranifesto, and therefore knew I would like this one. Moran covers everything, from growing up poor and inventing the cheese lollipop to critically analysing the sexiness of Benedict Cumberbatch. The charming quality to this book is that it does widen your mind – Moran does not shy away from complex social and political issues, however this is countered with humour pieces on why her new nickname should be puffin, thereby softening the approach and making it an easy read. The main real criticism I have would be too many TV reviews, however this could be compounded by the fact that I am reading this book a few years after it was published. Conversely however, I adored her music reviews with Lady Gaga and Keith Richards. To me, what was most compelling was that Moran is admittedly and unabashedly a fan of these people… it would be much easier for her to maintain a cool distance, however I loved the reverse.

When I started smoking, at the age of sixteen, I remember smugly switching from Coke to Orange Tango, in order to replenish the vitamins I knew that I was destroying.

To be honest, I haven’t written a full sized review of this because as far as I am concerned, Moran is a genius. Her style is definitely chatty, however it is chaotic and can be a little hard to follow, in part due to slightly questionable grammar at times (although glass houses). Every sentence of Moran is spring loaded with references, witty and interesting phrases, and hilarious insights. It truly would be easier to do this review in the form of a long series of quotes from the book. Buy this immediately.

The premise is that when we go on holiday, it should – if it’s a good holiday – change us a little. In short, we should return from our holidays cleverer….I don’t want to get cleverer on my holidays. I want to get stupider.

 Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig

Prior to this, I had read How to Stop Time by Matt Haig, and personally felt a little underwhelmed, however on the recommendation of someone I know, she urged me to pick this up, and in amalgamation with raving reviews, it was difficult to resist. My main comment on this book would be praise for the fact that Haig does not explore how to get over depression, but he explains with clarity exactly what it is like to have depression. I can see the reasoning to place this in a ‘self-help’ section, however I think this carries a certain connotation, and with Haig there is not the cliché pitfalls that you might expect from a self-help book. The quality of Haig’s writing is what propels you through the book, considering that the subject matter is quite dark, and he speaks with perfect clarity and honesty, with a refreshing and “clean” style. Essentially, Haig has experienced the worst depths of suicidal depression, and runs through how he felt then in contrast to how he feels now, littered with insight, inspiration, and also some sobering statistics. If everyone had read this book, I believe the world would be a kinder, more accepting place.