Monday 23 December 2013

Book Review - Christmas Dodos




Christmas Dodos by Steve Stack is a collection of ‘festive things on the verge of extinction.’ It recalls the fading and faded things we associate with Christmas; everything from traditions to Newberry fruits and cheese footballs.

It’s a very easy going, light read. You can dip in and out of it or read it from cover to cover. It is filled with a balance of humour and serious points. I like the little quirks in the ‘by the same author’ page and in the section about Steve’s book 21st Century Dodos.  He says ‘-but if you do buy both then I get more royalties and can afford a better class of biscuit to go with my many cups of tea.’

Each ‘dodo’ listed in the book comes with a ‘dodo rating’ which indicates the rarity of the dodo. I was initially a little unsure about this but it does work as you read on. It helps to identify the rarity of each dodo.

Throughout the book, I like the way Steve writes. There’s a nice flow and balance in the book. It’s divided well and no point is lingered on too briefly or for too long. His humour is evident again, in a point about inflation and under the section about ‘fairy lights on the blink’.
‘-and a stress-free Christmas is guaranteed.*’

‘*Not actually guaranteed.’

Overall, the book is a nice reminder of the going and the gone. Something light for the festive season. I highly recommend it for the laughs and the nostalgia.

Steve Stack has also written 21st Century Dodos and It Is Just You, Everything’s Not Just Shit.  You can check out the dodo Facebook page www.facebook.com/21stcenturydodos and twitter feed @dodoflip .  

No comments:

Post a Comment