Category Archives: Readers

I met Mr Pineapple (aka French Canadian, Steve Mathieu) at the recent London Book Fair, attracted to his stand by a row of paper pineapples and a beaming smile from the man himself.

The man behind The Pineapple Theory(TPT) explains like this: ‘Theoretically, what if adding a pineapple to people’s life, leadership & business could assist living more “pineHapply”? Within you, there’s a seed for greatness, & it’s time for you to embrace the role that’s been given to you in life to make it bloom fruitfully!

The Pineapple Theory is an addition to ones’ life recipe – moving positivity forward with intelligence, reasoning & fruitful philosophy, by sharing fresh life & leadership principles, cultivating a growth mindset. Always moving forward in life, reaching new heights, like the gift of your own self-growth transformation.

Always work to achieve happiness, always work to remove misery, that’s upon yourself & it will define your character & fate. You will always harvest what you plant. The pineapple fruit is a metaphor & symbol of positivity, making your experience more fruitful.’

Now I’m all for more ‘pineHappily’, so I read Feel & Think Like A Pineapple. Did I feel pineHappily? Do I get TPT? Active syntax and literal translation needs careful study, so I’m back for a re-read.

To give Steve Mathieu credit where it’s due, he has written, edited and self published the TPT books. He’s clearly made a success of this and now travels the world promoting, smiling and keeping a pineapple close at hand!

Just finished reading Rachel Joyce’s romantic novel ‘The Music Shop’ (Penguin) as part of my ‘get more reading done before you run out of shelf-space’ initiative.

This story is very light and an easy read. If you’ve read her bestselling ‘The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry’ you may be surprised at the plaudits heaped on ‘The Music Shop’ because it’s not as good, nor as much of page-turner. Having said that it’s clear Joyce had to do a lot of music research and it really pays off.

Beginning in January 1988 we’re introduced to the dowdy figure of Frank who runs a record shop in a run down part of town. He sells all types of music, provided it’s on vinyl, and is vehemently anti-CD – aren’t we all. His customers are hugely varied, as are his neighbours, but he has a recording answer for everyone’s ills or interests – mostly ones they’ve never ever considered. For his insight into peoples troubles, and supplying a potential cure, he’s a hit

Surrounded by a strange, but convincing set of shopkeepers, friends and other locals, Frank is happy in his universe, until Ilse Brauchmann appears at his shop window. From there on it’s mayhem! Who is she? What does she want? There are lots of suggestions, most of them wrong. Basically it’s a romantic musical romp with Frank at the centre and his well-meaning friends attempting to help him discover the real Ilse. If you love vinyl, you’ll love Frank and ‘The Music Shop’.