Book Review: Blood, Sweat & Tyres by The Hairy Bikers

I'm not a big reader, unlike my husband who can read for hours on end whilst nursing a cup of coffee and claiming it as all part of a lazy breakfast. I, on the other hand, tend to flick through a food magazine whilst eating breakfast, unable to tackle anything more substantial as I know I'll only have as long as it takes to finish a bowl of granola before the guilt will set in and I will feel compelled to get on with something more productive. And that's only at the weekends - week day breakfasts are too distracted with my girls talking to me about their school day ahead. As such, I usually reserve any books I fancy reading for holidays when either I can quietly enjoy a book on a beach whilst the rest of the family are occupied or, at Christmas, where I can enjoy a quiet breakfast whilst the rest of the family are still in bed and I don't feel quite so obliged to be doing something.

This year I had put "Blood, Sweat & Tyres" on my Christmas list and my husband duly obliged. I have never read an autobiography before but I had began to realise over the past few months that I'm actually interested in people. I'm a bit of a late comer as a fan of the Hairy Bikers. When I first heard about them I couldn't imagine that a couple of hairy guys on motorbikes, travelling around and cooking food would be something I would want to watch on TV. However, like with many of the things on telly that I initially dismissed or eyed with suspicion, at some point it must have ended up on the TV when I wasn't able or energetic enough to switch channels and I became drawn in. More recently, I have been sucked into enjoying programs such as "Mother Knows Best" and even set my box to record "Northern Exposure" so that I could enjoy it at my leisure. I have even cooked a few of the recipes from that series including bigos and rye crispbread but what I particularly enjoy is the two characters themselves. They come across as genuine, fun-loving friends with a desire to give anything a go and no embarrassment factor. As such, I was interested to find out more about them and their enduring friendship.

Despite my limited opportunities for a good reading session, I read this book over the course of a week during the Christmas holidays. The book is written as alternate chapters by Dave and Si so I would sit down at breakfast and decide to read a chapter but at the end of the chapter I would want to know what happened next in Dave's life, only to find a Si chapter next. So I would think I would just read to the end of the Si chapter so I could get back to Dave next time but by then I would want to know more about Si... and so on until I would end up reading three or so chapters before giving myself a good talking to and get on with whatever else it was I was supposed to be doing.

Both Dave and Si had a hard childhood and their early lives make for interesting and compelling reading. It is heartening to know that they started in rubbish circumstances but they now have a great life and a great attitude. And none of it fell at their feet. They really worked for it and by the end of the book I felt glad that as a "fan", watching their programs and buying a couple of their books, I was in some way contributing to their success. It also made my feel that success, in whatever form that might take in your own life, is something you can make for yourself if you make the most of the opportunities, work hard and hang on in there when things get difficult. I don't think the book was meant to be inspiring but it was. And that friendship, which is so key to their popularity, is just lovely to read about. Despite the hard knocks, bereavements and health scares they have endured, this book is a fun, inspiring, honest and enjoyable read and makes me want to seek out repeats of their programs on TV.