This was quite a likeable, if extremely scattershot, read, by someone from who you would love to read pretty much anything, but expect a little more coherence. Part of it is definitely about the #12 bus route into London, as she travels to and fro en route to the BBC. The people on the bus, the shops and eateries and parks she sees through its windows, all lead to something, whether that be an anecdote, a bewailing about women's lot in history, or suchlike. And that's fine in and of itself, but because it's so disjointed it's also a little repetitive. So often we get the 'women have been trodden on' shtick repeated ad infinitum, we get quite snowflakey politics (especially when a black girl with overly loud music on her phone shouts the race card to an audience of none when Sandi tells her to pack it in), and we get (in my "third proof" at least) a blatant misrepresentation of the timing of Carrie Fisher's passing, just chapters away from sections discussing polymaths and the problem people seem to have with the truth these days. "What I remember and what happened may not be the same thing." You don't say. Still, the likeable author is certainly a pleasant raconteur, as all her name-dropping and copious hobnobbing events prove, and her extended anecdotes of witnessing Apollo launches, and working as a sparky in the West End are fine stuff. Three and a half stars, however, mostly down-marked for the structure, and partly for the more overtly lefty bits.

One great thing about this book, which is over 430 pages in paperback so a good, solid, read, is that she takes us right up to the present day, so there’s no waiting for the sequel to find out what happened in the next half of her career. There is gossip and fun about shows and people, but never gratuitous, and it’s careful and respectful while being read-out-loud funny at times.

Read my full review on my blog:

https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2019/11/25/book-review-sandi-toksvig-between-the-stops-betweenthestops-netgalley/

My thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Books for a copy of Between the stops for an honest review.

This book was a joy from start to finish!
Sandi Toksvig’s voice can be heard in every line.I loved the way it was written and enjoyed the fact that we were informed as well as entertained , part travelogue part memoir .Her intelligence and humour shines through every page.
As a bus user myself I can identify with the passengers she comes into contact with along the way.
I can not recommend this highly enough .

What a lovely book! I couldn't read it without hearing Sandi's voice in my head which was an added bonus. Although I do not live in London I have visited the capital quite often, so whilst the descriptions of the buildings on the bus route were slightly lost on me I loved all the information that was given into the history etc and learning more about the buildings/theatre that i do know..
In short (as Sandi would say )
, this is a terrific read; it’s very enjoyable and with some real substance. I can recommend it very warmly indeed.

Memoir From A Bus..
A Bus trip with Sandi provides a marvellous memoir and a gloriously entertaining, witty read. Anecdotes abound brought to life with clever, thoughtful storytelling. A delight.

This is not a traditional autobiography/memoir as memories are related when she is reminded of things while travelling on the number 12 bus in London. I learnt a lot about the author and parts of London that I am familiar with.

In some places it is sad as you do not realise the problems some people suffer just trying to be themselves and in other places you laugh as she can certainly tell a funny story.

Once I got used to the style I liked the book but it did take me a while to get into it but that is me I prefer my stories that don’t keep jumping in timelines but for this author it does work, although maybe I would have preferred it if it had been in a more traditional format.

Part travelogue on the route of the number 12 bus in London, part history lesson and part memoir, this is an utter, utter joy from start to finish

Between the Stops by Sandi Toksvig was a slow burner for me. Initially I almost took Sandi’s advice to “change seats” as she says “Life is too short to read a book that upsets you”. The book certainly didn’t upset me but it wasn’t the laugh out loud stuff I expected from Sandi. (Mind you, I now think that perhaps it was better- and she does inject some humorous bits too!)
Sandi is an absolute wealth of information on history and generally interesting facts and uses these as links to aspects of her life story. This results in a very informative and challenging read. There’s a heavy focus on feminism and gender as obviously this is central to her life and passion, driving her motivation to challenge and influence society. while it’s not a book that gripped me and kept me reading into the night, it was one I really learned things from and Sandi’s genuine humanity and gentle but determined personality shines through. Glad I persisted, I did enjoy it and love the closure she got for past hurt. There’s a lesson for us all in the impact of unkindness and intransigence alongside the healing power of apology!

This was a really informative and funny memoir. I liked how Sandi wove tales of London with anedotes about her own life. The topics she covered were so varied that all the little tales were interesting to read about. This is must for any one who likes learning about London and likes Sandi.

Chatty, conversational style. Witty and well observed.

Sandi Toksvig has been on radio, TV etc. for over 40 years now. Here she has written a series of musings, anecdotes and observations while making her regular journeys on a London Bus. A very entertaining lady on the TV-I remember her from Call My Bluff, and more recently stepping into Stephen Fry's shoes and doing a jolly good job of presenting QI. And right from the first sentence, I was having a right good laugh.

This is not really in any particular order so can be dipped in and out. You don't have to necessarily read it in one go. Not my usual type/style of memoir-but it's something a bit different, refreshing, it's good to change things. It can be a little rambling at times, but still amusing and enjoyable. Interesting facts and history are incorporated along the way. An intelligent offering, as I expected from this remarkable lady.

I had great expectations for this book as I thoroughly enjoy her humour on The Great British Bake Off however, I did feel like the narrative's flow was easily disrupted and the book as a whole came across as disjointed at some parts.

This is exactly the kind of book I like. Sandi has the same curiosity for people and places as me. I am obsessed by London as a city and love nothing more than hopping on a bus and exploring pastures new. I am hungry for information about all the places I see and I love that she can supply it. Her memories, interwoven with her travels are lovely, some sad, some funny, some angry, always thoughtful and considered. I have been a fan of Sandi since she was Ethel on Number 73. I've seen her on stage and off and am always interested in what she does next. This is charming, clever and engrossing.

I received a copy of this book to review through netGalley, but this review is my own opinion.
Having grown up with Sandi Toksvig, so to speak, I was excited about reading her book. The story tells of her daily commute on the number 12 bus in London...even though she is as somebody put it - famous! and is interspersed with stories and memories from her life.
We hear of incidents from her early life, of her obvious intelligence , yet being expelled from schools. There are regular reminders of how filled with love she is, of her love for her wife and her family. We hear stories of the blatant chauvinism of life in the late 20th century and of the admission to her that being a woman prevented her being offered a job even though she ws clearly the right person. There are many stories about the struggle for women's rights, not extra rights but rights.
The book has little snapshots of the people and places she encounters on her daily commute, anecdotes of the history of places she passes, leading into personal reminisence. If I am ever in London and get a number 12 bus, I'll be checking out who is sitting in the front right hand side seat , upstairs of course.
It's a charming book, an easy read and it oozes Sandi Toksvig in every word, you can hear her narrating as you read.
Highly recommended as a quick dip book or a settle down in a comfy chair for the evening read.

I don't normally read autobiographies but thanks to Net Galley chose to read this one because I love watching Sandi on television. Sadie writes as she talks on TV so you almost feel she is in your room talking to you.
It is brilliantly written and extremely funny with some interesting historical facts about the sites seen from the no.12 bus journey. Saudi's openness about her personal life reveals the pain she has suffered in her struggles for equality.
I loved this book so much that I've just started reading it again!

I very rarely read books like this but I really enjoy Sandi’s wit and humour so I thought I would give it a go. It was not what I was expecting, but not in a bad way. There was Sandi’s usual humour sprinkled throughout the book, some of which made me laugh out loud, but there was also a deep sense of sadness and injustice.

Sandi has led a rich interesting life, but due to the double whammy of being a woman and being gay in times of misogyny and prejudice, she has lived through some difficult, harsh periods. I found it quite motivating to read; almost a call to arms as we realise we have so much further to go still to achieve things which we should not have to fight for in this day and age..

I found the bus journey and the facts along the way quite interesting; there is so much we probably don’t know about our history or surroundings and it was a joy to read this plethora of facts along just one bus route.

The book left me feeling a little down, just because it highlighted many things about our time now and our past which are just not how they should be, but I can cheer myself up by thinking about Sandi’s encounter with the young man on the tube when she had to get her glasses out.

I absolutely love a good memoir, and this is one of the best I've read! So creatively told. Sandi takes you through some of the key moments of her life, using a bus journey as her vehicle (if you'll pardon the pun!)

Most of the anecdotes are laugh out loud funny, and I could just imagine hearing them in Sandi's voice. However, there are also some heartbreaking moments - for instance, I found it hard to read how difficult it was for her to come out. She seems like such a lovely, positive woman, and it's terrible to think that anyone could ever be made to feel as she was, just by being themselves.

I would 100% recommend this to anyone with an interest in learning more about Sandi and her life - I've already picked up a copy for my friend, who also loved it.

I just loved this book and I'm sorry to finish it. I will miss the chatty conversation that Sandi strikes up between the pages. I first recall Sandi in the 1980s when she did the Comedy Store and I've often thought she would be a lovely friend to have and I think this book proves that.

Although she states it's a kind of memoir, the vehicle she uses (no pun intended) is the No 12 Bus journey. She takes us along the route of the no 12 and while we are going along with her she tells us of things that have happened along the journey, and also points out interesting facts about the places the bus passes. I really feel I learnt so much - if only I could recall it all!

What I do remember are some scenes she described which were just laugh out loud funny. I won't do any spoilers, but one concerned a guy on the London Tube and her reaction just had me laughing the moment she began the tale. I would sooner forget the awful tales of how she has been treated for "coming out" but I feel they will stay with me. People are so cruel and I had no idea she had suffered like this.

I also hadn't realised what an extraordinarily interesting life she has led. This is not someone who is interesting merely because they became famous, her early life and that of her Father is just so absorbing.

This was such a funny book it made me chuckle all the way through, as well as it made me sad reading how difficult it was for Sandi to “come out”. She is such a talented woman and I love her work. I enjoyed her book in some many ways as I knew quite a lot of the places she mentioned as I grew up not far from Dulwich and spend many happy days in the local park!
This book gave me an insight to Sandi and behind the laughs she has had a tough time but also a fascinating life.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

An unusual informative and interesting way to tell ones’s story. For me it typified the Sandy we know and like through her TV appearances and her magazine articles.
Her story is told through the medium of what she sees on her bus journey to work interspersing factual historical detail with her life story.
Thoroughly readable and enjoyable

I loved this autobiography! It's not a 'traditional' chronological format - Sandi takes a journey from home to work on the no 12 bus and the sights she sees both on and off the bus bring back memories of her life. I loved how something as prosaic as a splat of chewing gum on the floor brought back a memory....

I enjoyed learning about the streets of London too, and the people that they were named after.

It‘s funny, heartwarming and witty - highly recommended.