The Anna Karenina Fix

 If you're looking for a last minute Christmas gift idea for the lover of non-fiction in your life, or just need something short and very sweet to read over the festive period, The Anna Karenina Fix is the perfect blend of funny memoir, self help, and literary history. Comedian and writer, Viv Groskop, takes us through the Russian classics and applies some of their themes and messages to modern life, helping us answer life's questions on everything from self identity to unrequited love and being optimistic in the face of despair. She also spins memories and personal stories in to each section, telling us how these works shaped her life. It's like the A-Level English lesson you always wanted - finding out more about the literary giants in the most humorous of ways possible, whilst also working out what life is all about. My particular fave chapter is the one on 'how not to be your own worst enemy', where Viv drinks lavender cocktails and compares Onegin to When Harry Met Sally. I finished this book knowing some impressive facts about Russian writers, having a desire to read more Russian literature (or just watch the films tbh), understanding what this huge literary canon can teach us about life, and knowing a lot more about the very smart and incredibly funny Viv Groskop. P.S - Viv has a new book out right now that she would probably prefer people bought, but I'm just putting this one out there as a wee paperback to stuff stockings with and to slide in to Christmas getaway bags.