Collections of newspaper columns tend to be better to flick through than read – hobby horses are fine if just a few, but a whole herd can put you off. Moran has been a columnist since she was 18 and is now negotiating middle age (in what seems like cheerfully disgraceful fashion) and minor celebrity (thanks to a prodigious Twitter following and the bestselling How to Be a Woman). There are certainly repeat topics in her recent writing – you’ll learn several times that Moran likes David Bowie and talking to gay men while drunk, and dislikes blithe politicians and Piers Morgan. Subjects such as hangovers or malfunctioning printers are obvious enough to merit little beyond a shrug of recognition. But a lovely energy flows through the book, whether she is fascinated by life’s quirks or bounding enthusiastically around the Olympics. There’s lots of great writing (Bowie is “all hip bone and cock”), but Moranifesto is strongest when it’s angry, about inequality, our attitude to migrants or the treatment of women. At their best, these spiky, funny and passionate essays feel nigh-on essential.
• Moranifesto is published by Ebury. To order a copy for £7.64 (RRP £8.99) go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99.
