Danny Wallace Popular Books

Danny Wallace Biography & Facts

Daniel Frederick Wallace (born 16 November 1976) is a Scottish filmmaker, comedian, writer, actor, and presenter of radio and television. His notable works include the books Join Me and Yes Man, narrating Thomas Was Alone and as Shaun Hastings for the Assassin's Creed game series, and fronting TV series How to Start Your Own Country. Biography Early life Wallace was born in Dundee, Scotland. He is half Swiss. He attended Park Place Primary School, also growing up in Loughborough and Bath, England. He began writing reviews for video game magazines aged 13 for school work experience: a reviewer had become ill and so Wallace was given the opportunity to review a game. At 18 he started writing comedy, mainly through the magazine Comedy Review. He specialised in media studies at the University of Westminster. Career At 22, he became a BBC producer. He was part of the production team behind British Comedy Award-winning Dead Ringers, the original producer of the critically acclaimed cult hit The Mighty Boosh, and creator and producer of Ross Noble Goes Global. As a journalist, Wallace has worked for The Scotsman, The Guardian, The Independent, Elle, Cosmo, The Times and other publications. From 2007, Wallace wrote a column in the free weekly magazine ShortList, circulation 520,000. In June 2014 Wallace was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Dundee, in the city where he was born. Politically, Wallace is a supporter of the UK Labour Party. Books As an author, Wallace's best-selling books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Danny's first book was published in 1999, titled 'Are You Dave Gorman?' Are You Dave Gorman? In 1999, Wallace challenged comedian Dave Gorman, who at the time was his flatmate, to find 54 other people called Dave Gorman ("one for every card in the pack, including the Jokers"). Wallace accompanied Gorman on his quest and the men created Are You Dave Gorman?, an award-winning comedy stage show about what happened during their journey. A BBC series, also co-written and co-produced by Wallace, followed, as did a book, written by both men. Join Me In 2003, Wallace's book Join Me was published. The book explains how he "accidentally started a 'cult'" called Join Me. The movement would go global, with each member committing to undertaking one random act of kindness for a stranger every Friday ("Good Fridays"). Tens of thousands joined. Join Me celebrates "Karmageddon 10" in December 2011. Traditionally, hundreds of members travel to London for the meet-up and undertake good deeds for strangers, with Wallace present. The movement is now generally referred to as the "Karma Army", although members are still typically "Joinees". He became a minor celebrity in Belgium whilst on his quest for Joinees. While on a book tour through America, Wallace was dubbed a "Generation X legend" by the Wisconsin State Journal. Random Acts of Kindness: 365 Ways To Make the World A Nicer Place Wallace next wrote a short book called Random Acts of Kindness: 365 Ways To Make the World A Better Place, with the help of submissions from Joinees. It includes many humorous Random Acts of Kindness (RAoK) ideas, such as "Contradict Demeaning Graffiti", and "Make An Old Man Very Happy." Yes Man Wallace's second solo book, Yes Man, was published in July 2005. In it, he describes how he spent six months "saying Yes where once I would have said No", to make his life more interesting and positive. In this book he shows the tribulations and mischief that he got up to while he said yes to any question or proposal. The book was described as "one of those rare books that actually has the potential to change your life" by the San Francisco Bay Guardian and as "a fascinating book and a fascinating experiment" by David Letterman. A film adaptation of Yes Man was developed with Warner Bros. and stars Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel. It was released on 19 December 2008 in the US and 26 December 2008 in the UK. Wallace appeared on screen in a cameo in a bar scene in the last ten minutes of the film, holding a British pint glass. The film made almost $100 million at the US Box Office. The critical reception was mixed. For example, when the DVD of Yes Man was released in April 2009, The Independent gave it two stars. Two days later, its sister paper, The Independent on Sunday, gave it 4 out of 5. Danny Wallace and the Centre of the Universe Danny Wallace and the Centre of the Universe was published in 2006. It is linked with World Book Day which in 2006 was on Thursday 2 March. It tells the story of Wallace's trip to Idaho, to visit a manhole cover in a small town, whose residents have proclaimed it the centre of the universe. The cover identifies it as a "Quick Read"; the price and length of the book have been curbed to encourage people who may not often read books to purchase it. Friends Like These Wallace's book, Friends Like These, was released on 3 July 2008, and tells the story of how he spent a summer trying to track down his old school friends from his days in Dundee, Scotland, and beyond. The film rights went to Miramax and a screenplay is currently underway. Awkward Situations for Men Wallace's book Awkward Situations for Men, was released on 3 June 2010 and reached number 3 in the best-sellers list. The follow-up, More Awkward Situations for Men, was released on 30 June 2011. Charlotte Street Wallace's debut novel, Charlotte Street, was released on 10 May 2012 under Ebury Publishing. It follows journalist Jason Priestley's search to find a woman who has dropped a disposable camera. Who Is Tom Ditto? Who Is Tom Ditto?, was released on 24 April 2014. It is a comic novel about a radio newsreader's search for his missing girlfriend. F You Very Much: Understanding the Culture of Rudeness--and What We Can Do About It Also published under the title "F*** You Very Much: The surprising truth about why people are so rude". Non-fiction about rudeness. Hamish and the PDF series Written by Wallace, this children's book series follows the adventures of ten-year-old Hamish Ellerby as he faces off against terrifying monsters, with the help of his best friend Alice and the other members of the PDF (Pause Defence Force). Every book has been illustrated by Jamie Littler. Television and radio Wallace filmed a pilot episode for his own American television sitcom in 2010, commissioned by ABC and made by Warner Bros. Television. In it, Wallace plays himself ("Danny"), a writer who moves to San Francisco to support his wife's new job, and finds that he doesn't quite fit in. The pilot also starred Tony Hale (Arrested Development) and Laura Prepon (That '70s Show). It was directed by acclaimed director Andy Ackerman, who had previously directed almost 90 episodes of Seinfeld. A second script was later commissioned for the 2011 American TV pilot season. The pilot made it to the final shortlist for the 2011 American TV pilot season; however, ABC wanted to shoot the show in .... Discover the Danny Wallace popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Danny Wallace books.

Best Seller Danny Wallace Books of 2024

  • Birdwatchingwatching synopsis, comments

    Birdwatchingwatching

    Alex Horne

    Alex Horne is not a birdwatcher. But his dad is, so with the prospect of fatherhood looming on his own horizon, Alex decided there was no better time to really get to know both his...

  • Wordwatching synopsis, comments

    Wordwatching

    Alex Horne

    Alex Horne loves words. He loves them so much, in fact, that he's decided to invent his own ... and get them into the dictionary. But, as Alex discovers, gaining entry into the off...

  • Unseen synopsis, comments

    Unseen

    Reggie Yates

    From Grange Hill to Top of the Pops, Reggie Yates has been on camera nearly all of his life, but it’s as a documentary filmmaker – and a pretty fearless one at that – where he has ...

  • Horseshoes And Holy Water synopsis, comments

    Horseshoes And Holy Water

    Mefo Phillips

    The lure of a longdistance ride leads Mefo Phillips to team up with her sister Susie and their spotted Appaloosa horses Leo, a flirt with a passion for Mars Bars, and affectionate,...

  • Che Guevara and the Mountain of Silver synopsis, comments

    Che Guevara and the Mountain of Silver

    Anne Mustoe

    In her brandnew travelogue, intrepid exheadmistress and bestselling author Anne Mustoe dusts off the bicycle clips once more and embarks on a remarkable journey through South Ameri...

  • Star Roars synopsis, comments

    Star Roars

    John Byrne

    What are red, wobbly and protect the universe? The Jelli Knights. Launch into this star collection of galactic giggles from a galaxy far, far away. You'll laugh out loud at hil...

  • The Great Monster Joke Book synopsis, comments

    The Great Monster Joke Book

    Amanda Li

    What sort of jokes do werewolves like best?Howlers!What's worse than being surrounded by huge great scary monsters? Being surrounded by AWFUL JOKES ABOUT MONSTERS! Think you can st...

  • The Travels synopsis, comments

    The Travels

    Marco Polo

    Marco Polo was the most famous traveller of his time. His voyages began in 1271 with a visit to China, after which he served the Kubilai Khan on numerous diplomatic missions. On hi...

  • The Blockbuster Baddiel Collection synopsis, comments

    The Blockbuster Baddiel Collection

    David Baddiel

    Three hilarious novels of heart, humour and wishes gone wrong, from the new star of children’s books by awardwinning and bestselling author, David Baddiel.Illustrated by Jim Field...

  • Journey To The Sea synopsis, comments

    Journey To The Sea

    Gil McNeil, Hugo Tagholm & Sarah Brown

    Whether it is memories of childhood holidays or exotic fantasies of faraway places, a sea and its coast forms the most evocative of landscapes. Combining elements of romance, dange...

  • Glory Gardens 7 - Down The Wicket synopsis, comments

    Glory Gardens 7 - Down The Wicket

    Bob Cattell

    When the Glory Gardens team discover that their ground has been sold to build a new hotel they decide to return to their roots and play the season's league games on Glory Garde...

  • The Bare Bum Gang and the Valley of Doom synopsis, comments

    The Bare Bum Gang and the Valley of Doom

    Anthony McGowan

    Ludo, Noah, Jamie, Phillip and Jennifer are THE BARE BUM GANG! They have an embarrassing name but a cool Gang Den, so things could be worse. Ludo leads the Bare Bum Gang on a raid ...

  • The Aran Islands synopsis, comments

    The Aran Islands

    J.M. Synge

    In 1907 J. M. Synge achieved both notoriety and lasting fame with The Playboy of the Western World. The Aran Islands, published in the same year, records his visits to the islands ...

  • The Day the Screens Went Blank synopsis, comments

    The Day the Screens Went Blank

    Danny Wallace

    'So funny' Noel Fielding'Brilliantly funny' Shappi Khorsandi'Hilarious' Tim Minchin'Warm and funny' Frank CottrellBoyce  Can you imagine a world with no sc...

  • Library Confidential synopsis, comments

    Library Confidential

    Don Borchett

    The public library a haven of calm, source of information, home to the student, the geek and the aging librarian. Or so you might think.Don Borchert's ten years as assistant libra...

  • Particle Theory synopsis, comments

    Particle Theory

    Jonathan Gathorne-Hardy

    Two orphaned boys one Russian (Ivan), and one British (Michael) may or may not be brothers, Ivan is brought up brutally on the bleak rural steppes, while Michael is cosseted by hi...

  • Pies and Prejudice synopsis, comments

    Pies and Prejudice

    Stuart Maconie

    A Northerner in exile, Stuart Maconie goes on a journey in search of the North, attempting to discover where the clichés end and the truth begins. He travels from Wigan Pier to Bla...

  • Dear NHS synopsis, comments

    Dear NHS

    Various Authors

    THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERCurated and edited by Adam Kay (author of multimillion bestseller This is Going to Hurt), Dear NHS features 100 household names telling their ...

  • Danny Wallace and the Centre of the Universe synopsis, comments

    Danny Wallace and the Centre of the Universe

    Danny Wallace

    Danny Wallace wanted to write about a place so special and so crucial to our existence that it had never before been tackled: the Centre of the Universe. But then he realised that ...

  • The Bare Bum Gang and the Holy Grail synopsis, comments

    The Bare Bum Gang and the Holy Grail

    Anthony McGowan

    Ludo, Noah, Jamie, Phillip and Jennifer are THE BARE BUM GANG! They have an embarrassing name but a cool Gang Den, so things could be worse. Join the gang in a new adventure as the...

  • Rockstar Detectives synopsis, comments

    Rockstar Detectives

    Adam Hills

    'A delightfully funny book with a big, big heart' David O'DohertyThe debut novel from comedian and presenter of The Last Leg, Adam Hills, featuring a young detective dream team.Wh...

  • AniMalcolm synopsis, comments

    AniMalcolm

    David Baddiel

    From David Baddiel, the brightest new star of children’s books and winner of the LOLLIES award, comes a laughoutloud adventure for every child who ever wondered what it might be li...

  • The Boss of Everyone synopsis, comments

    The Boss of Everyone

    Danny Wallace

    ‘One of the most purely enjoyable things I’ve read!’ Frank CottrellBoyceImagine if you got to be the boss of EVERYONE – even your dad! That’s just what happens to 10...

  • Dave Gorman Vs the Rest of the World synopsis, comments

    Dave Gorman Vs the Rest of the World

    Dave Gorman

    Remember when you were a kid, and you used to go round to a friend's house to see if they were playing? Well, as adults we're not supposed to do that. Which is a shame... because D...

  • Free Money synopsis, comments

    Free Money

    Declan Lynch

    Travel a road rich in possibilities and fraught with danger ...Journalist Declan Lynch's journey begins with a deposit of €100 in an online betting account, kicking off an honest a...

  • Little Boy Lost synopsis, comments

    Little Boy Lost

    Shane Dunphy

    Courage is sometimes found in the unlikeliest places ...Dominic is a sixteen yearold manchild: while he has the body of a prizefighter, as a result of a terrible seizure when he wa...

  • In the Heart of the Amazon Forest synopsis, comments

    In the Heart of the Amazon Forest

    Henry Walter Bates

    One of the most impressive of all Victorian scientists but also a marvellous writer, Bates' (18251892) account of his years in the upper reaches of the Amazon is almost too good to...

  • Bad Becky in Trouble synopsis, comments

    Bad Becky in Trouble

    Gervase Phinn

    Bad Becky is cheeky (but charming), opinionated and always in some kind of trouble. But you can't help loving her! I mean wouldn't you rather hear a story about a princess who gets...

  • Uneasy Rider synopsis, comments

    Uneasy Rider

    Mike Carter

    A broken heart and a moment of drunken bravado inspires middleaged, and typically rather cautious, journalist Mike Carter to take off on a lifechanging six month motorcycle trip ar...

  • Castaway synopsis, comments

    Castaway

    Lucy Irvine

    THE SHOCKING STORY OF A DESERT ISLAND DREAM THAT WENT SOUR'Writer seeks "wife" for a year on tropical island.' The opportunity to escape from it all was irresistible. Lucy Irvine ...

  • A Piano In The Pyrenees synopsis, comments

    A Piano In The Pyrenees

    Tony Hawks

    'If you had to pick two things you wanted if you had to what would you pick?'I hesitated. This was a bigger question than usually got asked at these postmatch debriefs. 'I suppos...

  • Made In Scotland synopsis, comments

    Made In Scotland

    Billy Connolly

    THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Where do you come from? It's one of the most basic human questions of all. But there is another question, which might sound a wee bit similar but is act...

  • Domestic Manners of the Americans synopsis, comments

    Domestic Manners of the Americans

    Fanny Trollope

    When Fanny Trollope set sail for America in 1827 with hopes of joining a Utopian community of emancipated slaves, she took with her three of her children and a young French artist,...

  • Tick Bite Fever synopsis, comments

    Tick Bite Fever

    David Bennun

    Tick Bite Fever is the unconventional memoir of a very unconventional childhood. In the early Seventies, Dave Bennun's family transplanted themselves from Swindon to the wilds of K...

  • The Luckiest Kid in the World synopsis, comments

    The Luckiest Kid in the World

    Danny Wallace & Gemma Correll

    ‘One of the most purely enjoyable things I’ve read’ Frank CottrellBoyceWhat if you suddenly had everything you’d ever dreamed of? That’s exactly what happens to 10yearold Joe Smith...

  • The Boy in the Book synopsis, comments

    The Boy in the Book

    Nathan Penlington

    When Nathan discovered a job lot of the first 106 adventures for sale on eBay, there was never any question that he would place a bid. When the books arrived, he lost himself in th...

  • America Unchained synopsis, comments

    America Unchained

    Dave Gorman

    The plan was simple. Go to America. Buy a secondhand car. Drive coasttocoast without giving any money to The Man™. What could possibly go wrong? Dismayed by the relentless onslaugh...

  • A Series of Unrelated Events synopsis, comments

    A Series of Unrelated Events

    Richard Bacon

    Have you ever been stitched up to the national press by your best mate?Or unintentionally upset a band with a slip of the tongue on a live TV show?Or ruined a dinner party by trans...

  • Plats du Jour synopsis, comments

    Plats du Jour

    William Black

    There is more than a slight malaise in the air these days about French food and cooking. While the rest of the world delights in the intricacies of molecular gastronomy and even Br...

  • Jaguars and Electric Eels synopsis, comments

    Jaguars and Electric Eels

    Alexander von Humboldt

    A great, innovative and restless thinker, the young Humboldt (17691859) went on his epochal journey to the New World during a time of revolutionary ferment across Europe. This part...