Marian Keyes

Her writing is so incredibly addictive, I would love to have a Sunshine of the Spotless Mind procedure so that I could read all of her books and experience them again for the first time.  Anna and I went to see her last week when she was in town promoting her latest book, "Anybody Out There?" at Nicholas Hoare.  Both of us left, after only speaking with her for a couple of minutes, feeling uplifted and inspired.  It is such a nice change to meet someone who has so  much talent and has achieved so much success doing something she loves and yet is still humble and appreciative of her fan base, even the dithering idiots that we must have seemed.  

While bookstores and reviewers list her books as "chick lit" (as if that was a lesser form of reading than something that is geared towards men), she writes on topics such as alcoholism, depression and infertility, to name a few.  Not exactly "fluffy" topics.  Yes, her main characters are women in their 20s and 30s and you read about their relationships and experiences, which can involve shoes and shopping and her books are, on the whole, very funny.  However, when she gets to the main topic of the book, such as drug addiction, it can be so powerful as to knock you off your feet.  

Yet in spite of her gruelling schedule, she still manages to find time to be a caring and decent human being working with charitable organizations such as To Russia With Love and Warchild and bringing much needed awareness of their causes .  

Is there anything this woman can't do?  I am in eternal awe.