Yes, I'm sure there can be plenty of nice moments when you have a child, but there's another side to everything. Hearing a baby laugh might be a lovely thing, but if I was woken up in the middle of the night by my baby laughing to itself, it would bloody terrify me." (pg. 131).

Another great offering from Karl Pilkington, who is as hilarious and absorbing as ever. Initially, I was worried that the material wouldn't be fresh as I have seen the television series that complements the book (or rather, the book complements the show). But the book was great, going into a bit more depth than the show was able to, and even the bits I knew were still funny.

I also think Karl might be getting smarter, or at least more eloquent in presenting his ideas to his readers/listeners/viewers. He writes well; the book is a breeze and a joy to read. It is also very well-presented, with illustrations that complement the text. The section on 'Happiness' is particularly good, demonstrating Karl's greater open-mindedness and self-awareness whilst still remaining extremely funny. He also seems to be able to quickly strike up a rapport with the people he meets, and comes across as a thoroughly likeable bloke. He's also always trying to save various animals, whether it is the goat in Mexico or Tony the turtle in Japan. If you're a Karl fan, you'll love it, and if you're not (yet), this is as good a place as any to start, aside from the TV show itself." ( )

Karl Pilkington, lovable but reluctant traveller is back on the road again. This time, he’s not being sent off to far flung places at the whim of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Marchant but investigating the big issues in life. With his unique brand of humour and ability to say what everyone else is thinking, Karl tackles marriage, children, career, cash, happiness and death.

Once again, this is the book to accompany the television series The Moaning of Life (in Australia, this will be shown on ABC1 starting Thursday 2nd January 2014 at 9:30pm). I haven’t seen the show as yet, but in previous series I loved how the book gave us extra insights into what Karl was thinking (of course, being Karl, it’s generally very honest and very funny).

The book is divided into sections covering each of the topics, as are the episodes of the television series. Each part begins with Karl’s thoughts on the subject and then launches into his journey around the world seeing how other people and cultures handle the subject. For example, Karl visits a drive in wedding chapel in Las Vegas, before acting as a potential suitor for an arranged marriage in India. Then it’s off to Japan to take part in a fertility festival and go to a career themed theme park. There are novelty coffins in Africa and selling fish to make a profit. It’s all fun but with a great insight into the weighting these topics have in other cultures. I particularly found both the death and marriage chapters insightful. Karl writes in a self-depreciating, amusing way that had me giggling a lot.

The book contains lots of pictures of Karl on his journey, which adds to the fun but also the weight (this is a heavy paperback). A great read for this time of year, you’ll be reflecting and laughing in equal measures.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com ( )