We all know about this popular Sydney drive time radio host. Ever good natured. Ever polite.Ever even handed. We love his larrikin humour. Invariably he is happy. So when you read this book you hear his voice and he comes to mind as well with all of the delightful things about him. He is here with you.

Some of this book is about loneliness. Not the deep mournful type. The sort of loneliness that comes out of an experience…that you know…that you can’t really share.”Note 56. I wish they would not charge so much for razor blades”. This does not make for much of a conversational entre…more like a conversational exit. So you keep it for yourself. But read Richard Glover’s “Best Wishes”. Presto. You have been validated.

Another note. “Do you hate pedestrians who walk five abreast.? I do . “Who can I share this with? As an experiment I asked She who fills me with Constant Tremor. “Sounds like a first world problem to me” she said breezily. No validation here!

The book does have other dimensions. It is a Wish List. There are at least two types..The Achievable Ones or the Pigs can Fly type. “I wish people would find Proust Funny.” Ain’t going to happen. I wish for an electric ute at a reasonable price. Maybe other dimensions..? A book about hope. ( Read it and work that one out for yourself).

So would I buy this book..? Should I read it. When would I read it? It is a morsel book . A bite here. A bite there. Something to keep you thinking while you wait for THE NEXT BIG THING. Or a break from reading WAR and Peace. The Brothers Karamazov. Crime and Punishment.

Yes! Buy it. For a friend who is a pessimist…for one who is an optimist…or for yourself. To read when everything has gone Wrong and so you can realise you are NOT THE ONLY ONE. To read when everything has gone Right and you realise there is Hope in the world. And to read it.. just for the sake of reading.

Review by John Pollak