MISERY BEAR'S GUIDE TO LOVE & HEARTBREAK AND PADDINGTON RACES AHEAD.

After my last read, Weirdo. Mosher. Freak: If Only They'd Stopped At The Name Calling by Catherine Smyth to be posted on the 20th of February as part of World Day Of Social Justice, I felt the following two books perfect reading.

MISERY BEAR'S GUIDE TO LOVE & HEARTBREAK by MISERY BEAR.

Misery Bear is the saddest, loneliest, drunkest bear in the world. Nothing ever goes his way, he hates his life and he's always one swig of whisky away from oblivion.

In Misery Bear's Guide To Love & Heartbreak, the furry critter shares his photos, diary entries, poems, love letters, romantic recipes and doodles ..... All from the paw of a chronically depressed bear who just wants someone to love.
..... Outer back cover.

FIRST SENTENCE (Hello): My name is Misery Bear.

MEMORABLE MOMENT (Page 12): The poem entitled As Cold As My Heart.

MY THOUGHTS: Having 'befriended' this cute character on FaceBook a while ago I was delighted to discover he'd written a book which if I had to sum it up in just a few words would be ahhhh, so sweet and very funny, without a doubt the best book written by a bear that I've ever read.

A truly unique book all about affairs of the heart, despite the seriously cute Misery Bear himself and the almost comic style layout of the book this is definitely not one for the little ones but is sure to appeal to all of those who love the idea of this 'the life and loves of the saddest bear in the world' or indeed those who are drawn towards A.A. Milne's Eeyore.

KEEP IT OR NOT?: Bought with a voucher received for Christmas, I shall definitely be keeping this.

And so onto my second bear book .....

PADDINGTON RACES AHEAD by MICHAEL BOND.

Somehow Paddington always manages to find himself in very unusual situations. So it is no surprise when he gets in a spot of bother with some shaving cream, causes a London bus to be evacuated and is mistaken for a Peruvian hurdler. There's never a dull moment when a certain bear is around!
..... Inner front cover.

FIRST SENTENCE (Chapter 1): Mr Curry's Birthday Treat): Early one spring morning Paddington hurried into the garden as soon as he had finished breakfast in order to inspect his rockery.

MEMORABLE MOMENT (Page 74): "I wonder if bears snore?" mused Jonathan. "We could ring the zoo and find out."
"I asked him," said Judy. "He swears they don't. He said he stayed awake one night to find out and he didn't snore once."

MY THOUGHTS: Ah good old Paddington, the quintessential British bear from deepest, darkest Peru, his (mis)adventures much loved by those both young and not so young alike.

Guaranteed to have you smiling if not quietly chuckling, Paddington Races Ahead, with its mention of the London Olympic Games and, my favourite, Paddington having a 'fishy pedicure' finds, finds the bear in some very unusual situations, many of them very much of the minute. 

A great role model, Paddington is always so polite, so well mannered, something that I respect greatly in Bond's writing. It is not however simply the wonderful writing that draws me to the books but the sublime ink drawings that though no longer drawn by Peggy Fortnum but by R.W. Alley are still captivating.


KEEP IT OR NOT?: A Christmas gift, this will proudly sit alongside my other Paddington books.

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