The Little Book of Vicarage Wisdom - Tapa blanda

This little volume is intended as a spoof on The Little Book of Calm and its successors. It is utterly without redeeming social importance but will gladden the heart with Catherine's puckish humour. Here are Catherine's hard-won tips for living well, if not admirably, wrung from her years on the vicarage front lines. When you are stressed, seek out the company of calm, wise people. There is always a chance you will wind them up too. Her observations may not bring you to a state of grace: If someone is annoying you, why not make a soothing anagram out of their name? (Archdeacon - acned roach). However, her grasp of the practical will keep you out of trouble: All reactions are equally valid, but not all attract a custodial sentence.

Dr Catherine Fox lives in Walsall with her husband and two sons. She has a doctorate in theology from King's College, London, and is author of several novels published by Penguin. She is a regular columnist for the Church of England Newspaper... and a vicar's wife.