Book review: Valley of the Dolls

First of all, is this one of the greatest book jackets of all time? I think so. Love it.

This book is not at all what I imagined. For some reason I thought the plot was all about Stepford wives – women almost robotic in their ability to be the perfect image of femininity and motherhood.  I pictured it set in Los Angeles (AKA the Valley) and thought the word ‘doll’ referred to the women.

Not at all. Actually it is the story of three young women who are brought together in Manhattan as they each come up in the world of showbiz. Then, thanks to poor decisions, being used by every man that comes across them, and a steadily increasing dependence on red pills to get them to sleep and green pills to perk them up again and help maintain their thin, svelte physiques, they start the descent back down to the bottom again. It was written in the late 60s, but still feels incredibly relevant today. It is well written, funny at times, but also overwhelmingly tragic. There is a quote at the back saying that ‘Susann didn’t become the queen of girl trash for nothing’. I don’t know what the rest of her books are like, but this is not just some trashy chick fic novel. It is absolutely addictive and I think men would enjoy it as much as women.

Next, I have been told I have to read some Jilly Cooper. I can’t be a woman working in publishing until I have, apparently. This is the first book I have been tasked with. Seriously. I know it has 26 5 star reviews on Amazon, but can I actually ride the tube reading a book with that cover? I’m not 100% sure about this…

Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

Paris is a pretty amazing place to be. The weather was fairly crap (rain, sun, rain, sun, rain, sun, etc), but it is just so beautiful. Lovely little cafes, amazing food, charming vegetable markets, book stalls everywhere, good wine, great coffee, walkable distances… With good company it is pretty much the perfect city.

District 9

Wow! Why did it take me so long to see this film? It was great! So gripping. It kind of freaked me out with the whole teeth coming out/nails coming off scenes. This is the first thing I have watched on the TV in my bedroom since I got it. Reasons for this are numerous: 1) there is no aerial socket in my room, so I don’t get reception, 2) the plug doesn’t reach the socket, so I have to use the extension cable my hair dryer and straighteners are plugged in to and 3) I forgot the remote at my old flat, meaning all volume/menu control has to be done manually.  But I’m glad I decided to get it all set up and watch the film tonight – great picture!

(via namesandnotations, aylerz)

Is it bad that I am sick of football already?

Reasons to be cheerful

I haven’t written one of these in ages, so I thought I would put one together.

1. I got promoted! Hurrah! I have been asking to be promoted since about two years ago, so am thrilled that it finally happened. I really like the books that I work on and some of the campaigns I get to be involved in, so am glad to be able to continue working on them (and a lot of bigger projects too) in the coming months/years.
2. My hayfever was horrendous over the weekend. On Saturday night I had to sleep sitting up. That is pretty sexy, let me tell you. Okay, I’m trying to think of a cheerful twist to this. There isn’t one. Except that it is only temporary. I have to remember to keep repeating that. It will not last forever…
3. I ate at Galvin Bistro de Luxe with Peter last night and it was DELICIOUS. I had Dorset crab lasagne to start, followed by duck breast in this amazing soy dressing, with an incredibly rich chocolate dessert at the end. Really great food and not too ridiculously priced. Definitely one to visit again.
4. Summer hours have begun! Every Friday, our office now closes at 1pm. This means that I can plan weekend getaways starting straight after lunch. This Friday I am coming home for food and possibly a nap and then heading to see my friend Matilda perform with her aerial trapeze class in Woolwich. Should be different!

Simples!

This is really exciting and also quite a surreal thing to be working on. Scroll down to the bottom for the Best Voicemail Message Ever.

Simples!