The To Do List

I love this book it is so funny it will make you laugh out loud in places.Some of Mikes tasks will make you go ahhh especially his trip to New York to replace his wifes mug , how romantic. Not too sure about the narrator, so ok Mike is residing in Birmingham , but as a native of the city I found the accent to be that of an actor putting on a Brum accent which can be very annoying. I have met the authour on a couple of occasions and he sounds nothing like this guy, he's much more up market.
Anyway, well worth a listen as unabridged so you get the full monty. Enjoy.

The sample of this audio stayed with me long after I listened to it so I went back to the computer to seek it out and download it. It's my favorite audio book so far. I can see this as a tv drama with Timothy Spall as the lead. It's tailor-made for him. And yes, I did write my own long list of To Do's, I was so inspired by it. I'm thinking of starting a To Do List club with people like us, who want To Do, but often don't.

Having read and enjoyed Mike Gayle's, Dinner For Two, I had expected a similar light read from The To-Do List. I hadn't expected exactly what the title had warned me - a book about a 30-something guy, attempting to complete a 1277 item to-do list. (Which he must have repeated at least 1,277 times!). The first third of the book was not even about said list - it was about trying to find reasons why he shouldn't actually attempt the list at all!

This was another book that I would have abandoned if I hadn't been listening to an audible version, expertly read by Dave John. Dave just about kept me listening until Mike finally decided he would attempt the list and the book became slightly more interesting.
Assuming that the family members were Mike's true family, then I was left in supreme awe of his wife Claire, who must be the most long-suffering wife on the planet. She put up with her husband's irratic, frustrating, idiotic behaviour with never more than a rolling of the eyes!

On the positive side, the book is a happy book, upbeat, which seems to be a rare enough quality in literature these days. I was also very relieved that he managed to lose his list at one point - because I have never yet to write a list that didn't get lost before completion!
I would consider reading another book by this author, but I'd check that it was a book of fiction before embarking on it.

Just brilliant. By turns hilarious and also deeply moving, this book makes a really enjoyable listen. The Brummie accents help to make it particularly entertaining (no offence to Brummies intended ;))
Highly recommended.

Lazy author. It's not funny, clever or interesting. Don't bother