#3 The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford

10 second review: I read Freakonomics last year, and definitely prefer this.

Someone got The Boyfriend this for his birthday but as he's a one-book man and had also been given Hugh Laurie's The Gun Seller, he very generously let me read it first.

I sort of wish he hadn't - and not only because The Gun Seller seemed to be very funny. I very much wanted to discuss the issues raised and paticularly some of the approaches suggested in this book with him, and it seemed rather unfair to both him and whoever bought him the book to simply read him the good bits.

Tim Harford writes well and engagingly. He's one of the pop-economists, doing for The Market what Jared Diamond's Why is Sex Fun? did for evolution. His examples are interesting and relevant, and I wish I could remember more of them. To be honest, it's perhaps a little too well written - it's so easy to read that it's easy to read quickly so I'm not sure much of it sunk in.

Read it if: You've always wondered who makes the profit on cups of coffee.
Don't if: Books without actual footnotes make you twitch.

#2 Straight Talking by Jane Green

10 second review: Read something else instead.

Lest you think I always read classics and other worthy tomes, here's some chicklit of the worst kind. It's 10 years old, which means I didn't learn much, expect that shoulderpads and leggings were apparently still being worn in London around 1997, and it was possible to be hip and fashionable without ever wearing any colour. I may have to rethink my wardrobe, or perhaps my choice of boyfriend as it seems that finding the right man causes you to be good with eyeshadow, something I've never really mastered.

The plot is formulaic: girl doesn't find love for a very long time, instead sleeping with bastards in a very self-empowered sort of way, and is supported by her three best friends (female) and her one other best friend (male, handsome). You can guess the rest. The only slight twist is that this protagonist is already in therapy (daddy issues) and occasionally turns to talk directly to the reader.

I read Bookends by the same author last year which was definitely better.

Read it if: Criticising rom-coms to your seatmate eases your fear of flying. Trust me: you will find plenty to say.
Don't if: You haven't read the inflight magazine yet.

#1 Dead Famous by Ben Elton

10 second review: Agatha Christie for the Big Brother generation. Not bad.

A friend recommended this to me on the basis that he'd got a whole wodge of pages through and still didn't know who'd been killed, let alone whodunnit. I like a good cosy mystery, so that and the fact that the murder was set in a fictional version of the Big Brother house grabbed me. After all, how do you commit a murder when there are 40 cameras - and a cameraman and a production team - watching you? And why?

The unraveling of the mystery isn't as seamless as one might hope, but it all comes out to a satisfying conclusion, and the rules have been observed. You could have figured it out - but I didn't. I get the impression that this is Elton's first murder mystery. I'd happily read another, but don't know if I'd pick up one of his other-genre books.

It was an enjoyable, quick read, and would be great for a beach or a plane. On the other hand, there is a reason I don't watch Big Brother, and this was a little to realistic for comfort.

Read it if: You like Agatha Christie.
Don't if: You can't stand the whole 'Day 1 - the housemates are brushing their teeth... Day 24 - the housemates are brushing their teeth for the 24th time.' thing, even in jest.