Joel Golby

The second book from acclaimed writer and journalist Joel Golby ‘There’s no one funnier than Joel Golby' GREG JAMES ‘I love this book’ DOLLY ALDERTON How much of your life do you review? Books, TV, film, music – the reviewable things? Ever tried going a little further, reviewing the intangibles, the abstract, the ‘weird’: a houseplant; the sunlight on the pavement on a crisp spring day; being embarrassed; that strange wave you do at cars when they slow down at zebra crossings. A dead houseplant. From almond croissants to the concept of life itself, Joel Golby embarks on a journey through modern living, leaving no stone unturned – no one thing unreviewed – to consider what it all really means; why we all care so much about opinions; and whether, deep down, it’s better to live a life that’s good rather than, well, five stars out of five.

The second book from acclaimed writer and journalist Joel Golby ‘There’s no one funnier than Joel Golby' GREG JAMES ‘I love this book’ DOLLY ALDERTON How much of your life do you review? Books, TV, film, music – the reviewable things? Ever tried going a little further, reviewing the intangibles, the abstract, the ‘weird’: a houseplant; the sunlight on the pavement on a crisp spring day; being embarrassed; that strange wave you do at cars when they slow down at zebra crossings. A dead houseplant. From almond croissants to the concept of life itself, Joel Golby embarks on a journey through modern living, leaving no stone unturned – no one thing unreviewed – to consider what it all really means; why we all care so much about opinions; and whether, deep down, it’s better to live a life that’s good rather than, well, five stars out of five.

An original collection of personal essays blending food writing and memoir, and exploring subjects ranging from the significance of Chers hors doeuvres in the film Mermaids, to the way in which food can become a language we use to communicate things that are too difficult to say, via a history of cookbooks that have their foundations in grieving and loss, and one writers experience of the six kitchens shes made her own over the years. Funny, astute and thought provoking, In the Kitchen explores the importance of food in and out of the kitchen.

‘This is a funny and beautiful book. What a little bastard.’ RUSSELL BRAND ‘A millennial's answer to David Sedaris. No writer is funnier than Joel Golby.’ DOLLY ALDERTON A collection of full-throated appreciations, withering assessments, and hard-won lessons by the popular journalist. There are a few things you need to know about Joel Golby. Both his parents are dead. His dad was an alcoholic. He himself has a complicated relationship with alcohol. He once went to karaoke three times in five days. He will always beat you at Monopoly, and he will always cheat. Joel makes a name for himself as a journalist who brings us distinguished articles such as ‘A Man Shits On A Plane So Hard It Has To Turn Around And Come Back Again’, but that says more about us than him. In his first book, Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant Brilliant Brilliant Joel writes about important stuff (death, alcohol, loss, friendship) and unimportant stuff (Saudi Arabian Camel Pageants, a watertight ranking of the Rocky films, Monopoly), always with the soft punch of a lesson tucked within. Golby’s sharp, evocative prose thrives on reality and honesty that is gut-wrenchingly close to the bone, and laced with a copious dose of dark humour. Who is this book for? It is for everyone, but mainly people who are as lost and confused as Joel and just want to have a good laugh about it.

*National Bestseller*"This is a funny and beautiful book. What a little bastard." --Russell Brand "Every paragraph is like doing a shot with a friend. A double." --Caitlin Moran Joel Golby's writing for Vice and The Guardian, with its wry observation and naked self-reflection, has brought him a wide and devoted following. Now, in his first book, he presents a blistering collection of new and newly expanded essays--including the achingly funny viral hit "Things You Only Know When Both Your Parents Are Dead." In these pages, he travels to Saudi Arabia, where he acts as a perplexed bystander at a camel pageant; offers a survival guide for the modern dinner party (i.e. how to tactfully escape at the first sign of an adult board game); and gets pitted head-to-head, again and again, with an unpredictable, unpitying subspecies of Londoner: the landlord. Through it all, he shows that no matter how cruel the misfortune, how absurd the circumstance, there's always the soft punch of a lesson tucked within. This is a book for anyone who overshares, overthinks, has ever felt lost or confused--and who wants to have a good laugh about it.