Autobiographies written by people aged less than about 80 years old have never really appealed. Anyone much younger than that just doesn’t have the live experience to make for compelling reading, surely?

I was to be proved wrong in that assumption when I was sent Jo Whiley’s autobiography “My World in Motion” to review.

Jo Whiley is a successful Radio 1 DJ who has built her reputation on discovering and promoting the ‘next big thing’ in music. She is a regular co-presenter for the Glastonbury Festival coverage and has a morning show from 10am every weekday.

The first impression of the book is one of overwhelming enthusiasm, spirit and personality. It’s packed full of interesting and often hilarious anecdotes about the music industry and life in the BBC, combined with the balancing act of being part of the Whiley-Morton ‘tribe’. It’s a non-stop ride and as a result the narrative can feel a little disjointed in places, but Jo comes across as someone who is honest, loving and living life with every last ounce of energy that she has.

I greatly enjoyed reading about her family, her childhood with her sister Frances who suffers from cri du chat, and how she juggles her life as a DJ with bringing up four children. Motherhood, work and life balance is hard for many women and while Jo doesn’t claim to have found that balance, she meets the challenge head-on with the passion and vivacity that she throws into every aspect of her life. It makes a refreshing change from the current trend of angst-ridden genre of momoirs.

The absolute best feature of the book, though, is the playlists that are scattered throughout the pages, each themed to a different stage of her life. It was a great trip through memory lane for me as well as I re-discovered tracks I haven’t listened to in years and I strongly suspect I’m going to be spending a lot more on iTunes over the next few weeks as I go back through the book!

Anyway, I can thoroughly recommend this book to any music fan or if you just love to read about other people’s interesting lives. Jo Whiley’s “My World in Motion” is published today by Virgin Books and you can find out more by visiting the My World in Motion website.