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Driven to Distraction by Jeremy Clarkson

If you are a fan of Top Gear or a motoring enthusiast, there is probably only one book you are wanting this Christmas and this is it. For those of you who don’t know, Jeremy Clarkson reviews cars like no-one else. And while he is at it, Clarkson will tell readers what is wrong with the world, global warming and roading policies. In fact in some cases some cars barely get a mention, which in all reality is perhaps all they deserve.

Clarkson is not one of those reporters that look at each car with rose coloured glasses because some PR person had the decency to lend it to him for the week or fly him somewhere exotic for a test drive. He speaks his mind and lets readers know not only which are the best cars he has driven but which are also the worst. He is a man who can find fault in everything and when your job is reviewing what the automotive world has to offer, it is a good thing as it lets potential buyers know what they are in for. He is also very funny, which makes for highly entertaining reading.

It offers some light hearted entertainment, sound advice and un-pc comments as he takes a unique look at the joys, absurdities and frustrations of modern life.

Unlike other Clarkson books I have read however, this is not just filled with his road test articles that appeared in the Sunday Times, the second part of the book contains articles that don’t feature cars at all, like a holiday in Mykonos, eating out in Birmingham, destroying boats and marinas in a boat or visiting Baghdad to act like a war correspondent until the real ones arrived. And on that bombshell, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good laugh.

RRP $38.00
Published and distributed by Penguin Group under the Michael Joseph title

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How Hard Can It Be by Jeremy Clarkson

If you are expecting a book of car reviews, you will be in for a surprise, but not necessarily disappointed as Jeremy Clarkson does not discuss the attributes of cars, but in his typically witty, outspoken and sometimes controversial way discusses everything from Japanese toilets to the internet, the British health system, farming and his own views on education today.

As fans of Top Gear might expect, the views expressed in this book are entirely Clarkson’s own. They may not be PC, green, or be in tune with many of the people we see on TV telling us how to run our lives, but I suspect they are the views of many out there in the real world, those of us who select a car based on whether we can get all our family in it or whether it will fit the job we intend for it rather than if it goes around saving whales or produces nothing but fresh air. .Some of the chapters are thought provoking, some are controversial and some provide a bit of an insight into the man and the world in which he lives, but all are humorous and a very entertaining read.

The chapters are actually articles that first appeared as Clarkson’s columns in the Sunday Times. It is not therefore surprising that reading this book is a good way of relaxing on a weekend. Be warned though, you may find yourself actually agreeing with the tallest man on British television.

RRP $42.00
Published by Penguin Group under the Michael Joseph title.
 

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