In brief: Jeremy is still on the farm, and this time there are added pigs (and piglets).
The good: Very funny at times and realistic about the roadblocks that farmers face every day.
The not-so-good: The print is large so you will zoom through this book.
Why I chose it: Enjoy Clarkson’s books and TV programmes.
Year: 2023
Pages: 173
Publisher: Michael Joseph (Penguin)
Setting: UK
Rating: 8 out of 10
Jeremy Clarkson is back again with his third collection of columns about life on the farm. For those of us in Australia, it’s an annual treat to read these columns which then are fleshed out at a later date in visual format (Clarkson’s Farm). As always, it’s amusing with some shock value.
The latest book in the series is pretty skinny, with huge print, drawings and blank pages between sections. No problem – understandably, running a farm is a full time job and then some when you have multiple other things to contend with (a farm shop, a billion forms, issues with the local council, a global motoring show). However, I wish that it had been published in a smaller format book or just brought down the font size a bit. You will breeze through it – it’s an easy read with more than a few giggles – but the size of the book suggesting more words is a bit deceptive. We don’t need to have a Clarkson book every Christmas!
Back on the topic, and one of the main changes to Diddly Squat is the addition of pigs. They are very cute and also sound just as problematic as the sheep and cows! With the amount of financial support for British farmers decreasing, Jeremy has a multitude of ideas for other avenues of revenue including nettle soup. He also touches on serious issues regarding the environment, as well as the costs involved with farming and competition against the EU. Despite these issues, it’s clear that he really enjoys farming. He’s a lot more sincere (for Jeremy) and there is less grumpy old man about it. But the best moments in this collection are definitely Lisa’s attempts not to assist on the farm (note to self: tiara and ballgown are very good ideas).
A fun light read for the fans.
Sam Still Reading 
Mr Books has been enjoying this series on TV, but I tend to find that a little bit of Jeremy goes a long way 🙂