Book 24: Happyslapped by a Jellyfish by Karl Pilkington

Karl Pilkington amuses me. His child-like observations are entertaining and occasionally funny and his persona of ultra-straight man (in the comedic sense) being buffeted around by circumstances that are only made funny by his responses to them (which usually are either bafflement or misery), make for entertaining television.

An Idiot Abroad is possibly the best antidote you can find for an overdose of self-important travel shows, because it shows you that you don't have to enjoy travelling all the time - it's okay to sometimes just endure it. When I first came across the TV series An Idiot Abroad, I couldn't figure whether he was acting or not, but I came to the conclusion that he probably wasn't - he's just never developed a brain-to-mouth filter and so says what he's thinking and doesn't feel he needs to pretend to be sophisticated or profound.

Anyhow, this isn't the kind of book that I would ever pay full price for - but I have enjoyed his TV work enough that when I found it in a second-hand shop, I bought it and have been reading it piecemeal for a few months. It's an excellent loo book: short chapters and not a lot to digest.

It contains Pilkington's observations on life, travel and other things that are on his mind, with photographic snapshots and illustrations of and/or by him. It's not a book you should read in one go - you would soon stop being amused because it gets predictable after a while, but reading it one chapter or diary entry at a time is a nice way to while away a few minutes. You will find some chuckles and maye one or two things to make you laugh out loud.

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Reading in Reykjavík

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