Listmania!
Large-size heroines, from fiction to real life
Queen Sized [2008] [DVD]Queen Sized [2008] [DVD]
Buy new: £3.98 / Used from: £2.64
DVD. Nikki Blonsky (star of the recent 'Hairspray' film) stars in this new movie.
The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round ThingsThe Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
Buy new: £4.10 / Used from: £0.01
Fiction. Teenager Virginia finds herself asking the question: Is the world crazy, or is it just me?
Bountiful Women: Stop Weighting and Live Your LifeBountiful Women: Stop Weighting and Live Your Life by Bonnie Bernell
Buy new: £13.18 / Used from: £4.33
Non-fiction. This book creates a beautifully positive atmosphere. It's like a pep talk from a caring female friend.
Cereal Killer (A Savannah Reid Mystery)Cereal Killer (A Savannah Reid Mystery) by G.A. McKevett
Buy new: £5.39 / Used from: £1.11
Fiction. Detective Savannah Reid goes undercover, into the world of plus-size fashion modelling. This is an excellent book in an engaging mystery series.
Well Rounded: Eight Simple Steps for Changing Your Life-- Not Your SizeWell Rounded: Eight Simple Steps for Changing Your Life-- Not Your Size by Catherine Lippincott
Buy new: £9.99 / Used from: £1.51
Non-fiction. Yes, there are plus-sized women who work as fashion models. Here's one of them.
Sizable Reflections: Big Women Living Full LivesSizable Reflections: Big Women Living Full Lives
Buy new: £8.09 / Used from: £0.01
Non-fiction anthology. Shelley Bovey is perhaps the UK's foremost journalistic writer on size issues.
Skinny Women Are Evil: Notes of a Big Girl in a Small-minded WorldSkinny Women Are Evil: Notes of a Big Girl in a Small-minded World by Sherri A. McGee
Buy used from: £0.24
Here's a book of personal opinions. This one's from a comedienne. I don't feel entirely comfortable with the title... but I'll defend her right to say it.
Hairspray [DVD] [1987]Hairspray [DVD] [1987]
Buy new: £3.98 / Used from: £1.27
DVD. This movie is, I think, like 'Grease' but better in several ways. It's huge fun... and it shows us what's great about the 1960s. Best movie ever.
Hairspray (2007) [DVD]Hairspray (2007) [DVD]
Buy new: £4.88 / Used from: £2.11
DVD. Here's the new version of the above story, all peroxided and back-combed up. It's magnificent.
The No.1 Ladies' Detective AgencyThe No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Buy new: £4.50 / Used from: £0.01
Fiction. This first book in the series is magnificently good. I'm not so sure about a couple of the sequels, though, so if you're going to read just one of these books, this is the one to choose.
The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency [2008] [DVD]The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency [2008] [DVD]
Buy new: £3.98 / Used from: £2.99
DVD. The film version of this story lives up to the book--which is a stunning achievement. It looks magnificent.
Summer of the DragonSummer of the Dragon by Elizabeth Peters
Buy used from: £0.66
Fiction. A fun thriller-romance. The heroine is invited to a rich man's ranch in the Arizona desert, but villainy intrudes. I love the witty narration.
Secret Society [DVD] [2000] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]Secret Society [DVD] [2000] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]
Buy used from: £24.35
This is a U.S. DVD, so might not play in UK-type equipment. But my copy works in my UK-built PC. Yet it's a marvellous BRITISH movie. In Doncaster, Daisy is downtrodden. Then she discovers sumo....
A Matter of FatA Matter of Fat by Sherry Ashworth
Buy used from: £0.01
Fiction. The book has a soap-ish quality, which makes it feel reminiscent of the TV series 'Fat Friends'.
The Sterkarm HandshakeThe Sterkarm Handshake by Susan Price
Buy used from: £0.01
Fiction. Student Andrea time-travels to the 16th-century Scottish borders, a land of lawless warlords, where her fat body is thought the most beautiful thing in several counties.
Big Fat ManifestoBig Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught
Buy new: £9.31 / Used from: £1.50
Fiction.
Pop Idol - Living The Dream [DVD] [2003]Pop Idol - Living The Dream [DVD] [2003]
Buy used from: £0.44
DVD of the talent contest, famously won by big gal Michelle McManus despite hostility from some quarters. Her words when she won: ''...and for everyone who said I couldn't do it, well, I've done it.''
Michelle McManus - The Lifeplan [DVD] [2006]Michelle McManus - The Lifeplan [DVD] [2006] by Michelle Mcmanus
Buy new: £12.98 / Used from: £1.18
Our winner has her own fitness DVD...
You Are What You Eat: Michelle's DiaryYou Are What You Eat: Michelle's Diary by Michelle McManus
Buy used from: £0.01
...and she has a book out. I'm sure the book is her own work--when I read it, I hear her voice. She has a gorgeous wit. This book is Bridget Jones meets Hairspray--and it's all true. Fun and touching.
The Meaning of LoveThe Meaning of Love by Michelle McManus
Buy new: £12.69 / Used from: £0.48
CD. Her first album. It's smooth and relaxed and elegant, and if you want smooth relaxed, it's seriously good. But I think this isn't the music that she's on this planet to make. (Watch this space.)
The Mamas And Papas - The Mamas And The Papas - California Dreamin' [DVD] [2005]The Mamas And Papas - The Mamas And The Papas - California Dreamin' [DVD] [2005]
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £2.99
DVD. Speaking of big gals in pop music, the Mama of them all was Cass Elliot. This sensitively-made excellent programme shows her journey from initial un-confidence to flamboyant show-off star.
Live in LiverpoolLive in Liverpool by The Gossip
Buy new: £7.88 / Used from: £6.50
CD plus DVD. This group does loud, raw, rock music. Beth, the leader, does ton-of-velvet vocals. I think that, if they keep on developing, they could become as mighty as Queen.
Music For MenMusic For Men by Gossip
Buy new: £8.98 / Used from: £6.16
... and they have a new album out (with the drummer on the cover). It's got a mood or spirit of caffeinated alienation. And why not.
Real Women Have Curves [DVD] [2003]Real Women Have Curves [DVD] [2003]
Buy used from: £2.92
DVD. A movie about a teenager growing up. It's based on a successful stage play, which I expect is a sign of a decent script.
Hot StuffHot Stuff by Dana Gillespie
Buy new: £12.69 / Used from: £6.41
CD. This singer is not large-sized. But this album has 2 or 3 lovely celebratory lyrics ('Built For Comfort'). Caution: there are blush-inducing innuendos. This is good old-fashioned rock'n'roll.