Here is what happens during summer: I become intoxicated by wine spritzers, sunshine, and magazines, and I stop reading books. This year I've thrown Mad Men into the mix and honestly, I don't think I've ever been so happy. Mad Men is amazing. I want to be Peggy Olson. Actually, I may indeed be Peggy Olson already.
She embodies so many of my favourite characteristics: high achievement, self-consciousness, intelligence, bookish yet sassy style, and on-the-job drug use.
But anyway, with the exception of Diary of a Chav by Grace Dent, I have not read a single book in its entirety in about a month. Diary of a Chav is an ideal summer read, though. It's been billed by some as a modern day girl version of the Adrian Mole diaries by Sue Townsend (ARGUABLY THE GREATEST BOOKS OF ALL TIME), and I think this is an entirely fair assessment. Shiraz Bailey Wood is a hilarious heroine and any fans of fun and funny lady fiction with a hint of smarts and smarminess will adore this book. What's more, it's pretty real, which I like in a teen book. A friend of mine recently pointed out how sweet and realistic Shiraz's burgeoning relationship with Wesley Barrington Baines II is, and I agree with her. When she first meets him, she thinks he's a little pudgy and boring. And as the book progresses, she starts to see what a decent person he is (anyone who would pick up a girl running screaming from a bhaji factory and listen intently to her woeful tale of finding mouse bits in the prepackaged pakoras is indeed a gentleman, am I right?). At the same time, she starts to see just how intelligent she actually is herself, and comes to the realization that she deserves good things in life beyond hanging out in the Burger King parking lot. Things move slowly and sincerely, and I like that.
I am a little ashamed to admit that this 200-page book took me about two weeks to read, but whatever. I've got a lot of cocktail- and camping-related irons in the fire, you know?
No comments:
Post a Comment