Mark Steel never fails to delight and inspire me. ( )

Subtitled 'Dispatches from a slightly successful comedian', this book is a sort of record of the experience of becoming a comedian. It's less a classic memoir (the book [book:Reasons to be cheerful] is much more along these lines) than a series of thoughts about the adventures endured during the rise to minor fame. The entries are mostly short, and could almost be newspaper columns. They tend to be mostly self-contained too, so you can read them in a short burst (handy when traveling or looking after a mischievous daughter!)Some of the most interesting thoughts revolved around appearing on television and radio (it is clear that radio is more suitable for his approach to life) and the Edinburgh Festival (an arts festival which runs in the Scottish capital each year and is well worth the visit). As a sometimes attendant of the Festival I enjoyed his thoughts on the level of professionalism that has crept into the events nowadays, and whether this might have changed its very nature. I can't claim to have been going for long enough to notice any change... ( )