I adore my Kindle. I can get pretty much any book that I
want with a tap of the screen, and it has allowed me to re-immerse myself into reading
for pleasure after 4 years of studying boring old textbooks. But I must admit
that I do miss real paper books. I love the smell (sad, I know) and feel of
them, taking me right back to my childhood of drinking in the pages of
Jacqueline Wilson and J.K Rowling on long summer days.
My last two reads allowed me to indulge my ‘real book’ love
as I received Lena Dunham’s first novel ‘Not That Kind of Girl’ as a present
from a friend for my birthday. It was already on my ‘to-read’ list, so I was
very excited to crack it open (and smell the pages, obviously). I’ve never seen Girls (on my ‘to-watch’ list!)
so I wasn’t particularly familiar with Lena, but I had read a couple of her
articles in magazines and knew she was a pretty funny girl. My opinion still
hasn’t changed since reading the book, as Lena had me chuckling quite often
with lines such as “your pants are so high-waisted I could cry” and anecdotes
from her past that resonated very much with me. The fact that she moved back
home with her parents after graduating has provided me with great comfort in my
current situation. She’s probably rolling in it now, too, so I guess there’s
still hope for me!
The book is set out pretty randomly in terms of its chapter
topics, but I guess that’s synonymous with the random thoughts and experiences
of a 20-something girl (or at least that’s how I saw it). I love how candid
Lena is in her approach to pretty much anything, and her no-holds barred
attitude to sharing is relatable and quite often hilarious. This girl has
seriously seen and done an awful lot in her short life!
Another of my most recent reads was ‘The Bridget Jones
Omnibus’ by Helen Fielding, including ‘Bridget Jones’ Diary’ and ‘The Edge of
Reason’. I’ve seen the film adaptations so many times, so I was a bit
apprehensive that I wouldn’t enjoy the books as much. But for £3, I couldn’t
resist adding them to my bookshelf. And it was a 3 quid well spent! Bridget
Jones is a character so likeable, so relatable and so bloody hilarious that I
spent most of the time reading this smiling like an idiot and giggling to myself.
I loved the relationship Bridget has with her friends and how it is documented,
and her slightly manic and deluded diary entries were very entertaining to
read. I did, however, want to give her a good shake from time to time, but her
vulnerability just makes her all the more likeable.
Here’s a couple of my favourite lines:
“There’s nothing worse than people telling you you look
tired. They might as well have done with it and say you look like five kinds of
shit.”
“I remember when I first came to London I used to smile at
everyone until a man on the tube escalator masturbated into the back of my coat.”
Hahaha oh I do love her. Something I did find quite ironic
about the books is that Colin Firth is referenced a lot, as Bridget and her
friends seem to be obsessed with him. And he plays Mark Darcy in the film. Coincidence?
It’s back to the Kindle for me now to read ‘Starter for Ten’
by David Nicholls, who I love. The Kindle doesn’t smell quite the same L .
