Review: Be Awesome, Hadley Freeman

Be Awesome: Modern Life for Modern Ladies

Hadley Freeman

Fourth Estate, 2013

Goodreads

This is one of those rare books I was both racing to finish (because it's so good) and trying to savour (ditto). I also totally interrupted the most serious five minutes of an episode of The Returned (also awesome, by the bye) that my housemate was watching by cackling like a loon at Hadley's particularly excellent parody of all the dating advice you'll ever receive as a woman, ever. OH LOOK, YOU'RE TURNING INTO A CRONE. MARRY NOW, MARRY NOW, MARRY NOW.

Be Awesome is a mixture of chapters on various different topics - some serious (eating disorders and the way the media 'reports' them), some thought-provoking (women's bodies and the way there's pretty much always something 'wrong' with them - particularly if they're not pregnant!!), and some, for me, particularly ripe with feelings of vindication, not least the chapter on what to do when you're friends start having kids and (adopt patronising tone now) "growing up". There are lots of nuggets of awesomeness in here, but I am a big fan of this one: don't ever define yourself by your age, and don't ever listen to your friends if they utter those dastardly words: "we're getting too old for this". (And why would you spend your money on camping in some mud for a weekend, not being able to shower, along with a load of other people who haven't had a shower, when you could have a mortgage?*)

So if you couldn't tell, part of the reason I loved this book so much was that it made me want to read it out to people and go "YES! THIS!" a lot, even though when people write "THIS" on Twitter it aggravates me unnecessarily. There are lists of awesome films (all of which pass the Bechdel Test) and awesome books, chapters that examine the beauty industry and stupid dating advice and media expectations of women, numerous references to The Princess Bride and almost as many recommendations of Curtis Sittenfeld's books as I myself force upon people in an average month. The whole thing was kind of like having a chat with your favourite, most brilliant friend, and I can't recommend it enough.

*The answer: because THIS feels infinite.

Overall rating: 9/10

Book source: Received as a gift from my mum.

Top Ten Books of 2013 (so far)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is Top Ten Books of 2013 (so far), and I decided to participate and share some my favourites since January! Some of these are 2013 releases, but for the most part they're just my top reads.

1. Life In Outer Space - Melissa Keil
Quirky Australian YA with a great, believable trio of teenage boys at its centre.

(The US edition of this book looks to be currently 'Read Now' on Netgalley, if you're interested!)

2. The Dinner - Herman Koch
Dutch novel that busies itself skewering the middle classes over appetisers.

3. Steal My Sunshine - Emily Gale
More Australian YA, this time focusing on an uncertain teenage girl and the secrets of her grandmother.

4. Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
Twisty, genuinely gripping thriller that everyone and their aunt seems to have read by now!

5. Lola and the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins
A worthy follow up to Anna, and another YA novel from Perkins with real, heart-warming characters and one of the coolest protagonists I've met in a while.

6. Speechless - Hannah Harrington
This one totally exceeded my expectations - bratty girl is transformed by her pledge to remain silent after a horrifying incident.

7. Geek Girl - Holly Smale
Fun British YA - smart and daft and highly recommended.

8. Nemesis - Philip Roth
Roth's final novel, and a poignant one at that, focusing on the polio epidemic in New Jersey in 1944.

9. Be Awesome - Hadley Freeman (review coming soon!)
Friends with kids, terrible dating advice, magazines that do nothing but tear women's bodies apart - and how to deal with it all. Extremely funny.

10. My Mad, Fat Teenage Diary - Rae Earl
It's 1989, and 17 year old Rae is writing her diary in the depths of Lincolnshire, agonising over boys, analysing shitty friendships and writing bad poetry. A wonderful, hilarious book.

Showcase Sunday #27

Showcase Sunday is hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits and Tea.

Lots of exciting books this week, mostly because it was my birthday! I haven't had much time to read this week - a combination of birthday celebrations (including a weekend at the beach, where I celebrated with pizza on the beach and Icelandic beer), applying for jobs, preparing for my viva examination, and just generally saying yes to too many things...

But I am looking forward to an unspecified time at which I will be able to read freely again. (!)

From the library

Last Rituals - Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

Icelandic crime fiction, the first in Sigurðardóttir's series about the detective Thóra Gudmundsdóttir. This book counts towards my 2013 Translation Challenge goal.

The Body in the Library - Agatha Christie

Another classic, early Marple mystery. After thoroughly enjoying The Murder at the Vicarage, I am giving Miss Marple another chance!

Received as gifts

Be Awesome - Hadley Freeman

Hadley writes for the Guardian, and this book covers lots of topics, from beauty standards and sex to working in an office, being an unannoying vegetarian (!) and dealing with all those married friends. Have dipped into the first couple of chapters and enjoying it so far - reminiscent of Caitlin Moran's How To Be A Woman, in a way.

The Purity Myth - Jessica Valenti

I have been looking for a copy of this book for ages, and my housemate bought me it for my birthday! The subtitle (if it's unclear in the photo) is "How America's Obsession with Virginity is Hurting Young Women". I first heard about this when Jessica Valenti was still editor of Feministing.com, and I'm looking forward to starting it.

The Hive - Gill Hornby

I saw Gill Hornby being interviewed on the breakfast news a couple of weeks ago, and her book sounds really interesting - it centres of a group of women who know each other from the school gates, and how the hierarchies of their "friendship" develop.

All The Summer Girls - Meg Donohue

My brother sent me this as a gift - I've seen some good reviews, and again it looks at female friendship, focusing on three women who return to the beach they used to visit as children.

Thanks for stopping by - hope everyone has a good weekend!