Don't Tell Mum I Work On The Rigs, She Thinks I'm A Piano Player In A Whorehouse by Paul Carter

Since age 18, Paul Carter has worked on oil rigs in locations as far flung as the Middle East, Columbia, the North Sea, Borneo, Tunisia, Sumatra, Vietnam, Nigeria, Russia, and many others — and he’s survived (so far!) to tell stories from the edge of civilization (places, as it happens, upon which most of our lives rely).
Carter has been shot at, hijacked and held hostage, almost died of dysentery in Asia and toothache in Russia, watched a Texan lose his mind in the jungles of Asia, lost a lot of money backing a scorpion against a mouse in a fight to the death, and served cocktails by an orangutan on an ocean freighter.
Taking postings in some of the world’s wildest and most remote regions — not to mention some of the roughest rigs on the planet — Carter has worked and gotten into trouble with some of the maddest, baddest and strangest people you could ever hope not to meet.

From looking at other reviews before starting to read this book, I knew I was in for a good laugh, and honestly, it didn’t disappoint. Initially I was a bit worried that it might be too much of a ‘boys book’ for me to enjoy, but right from the first page I was hooked and couldn’t wait to hear more.

The writing style is very colloquial, which to me, made it feel more personal and real. It covered all aspects - funny, shocking and the down-right unbelievable - there were times when I visibly would laugh and cringe at the same time on public transport while going to work every day.

I loved this book and can highly recommend it if you’re looking for a good laugh - or even as a glimpse in to more extreme work environments to give you a bit of perspective and make you appreciate it on the tougher days.