Since I work in a bookstore I read a lot. The theory behind it is that I'm supposed to know what's new and popular so I can explain it to the customers. The real reason for it, is that I like to read. Always have, probably always will. The books I'm reading these days are not new, nor are they overly popular. However, I've noticed a trend, I read the book, and start to sell it to people, soon afterwards the best seller list arrives and the book is prominently placed upon it. I'm fully aware that it's not my reccomendations that have made the book so popular that it's now on the best seller list.
I've started reading what a friend of mine calls Brit chick books. While they're not all set in the UK, the plots don't vary much. I understand what is going to happen before I even start the book, I can't stop reading them. The characters are my age, give or take five years, and they're all trying to find the perfect man and perfect job. Naturally by the time the story is finished, they've accomplished both of their goals. Wouldn't it be nice if life worked like that?
There's this book I read a couple of weeks ago. I was wandering around our local
The author is a made up character. While in college she wins a song writing contest (by some miracle, she can't really play her guitar, nor can she actually sing), the prize is a weekend in New York City. She and her best friend make their way there, are wined and dined, and on their way back home they decide that when they've finished college they will both move there. Life goes on from there. They both move to the city, and get jobs. Vivian (the main character) as a waitress in a coffee shop. Her friend Sophie selling clothes in a shop. Evidentally their college degrees are of absolutely no use to either of them.
There are the requsite stories about boyfriends, Sophie who finds a long term boyfriend that Vivian can't stand. Vivian who has boyfriends that she falls deeply for and in each instance has her heart broken. Then suddenly Viv's big break comes, she's offered a job as an Assisant at VH1. One of her regulars at the coffee shop decides she'd be perfect for the job. And she is. She works extremely hard and pitches a new position within the department that she'd like to take on. Eventually they even give it to her.
I enjoyed the book for the most part. There were things about it I didn't like much. It was written in the first person, which is fine, however full of slang and shortforms. Some of which were never explained. Also, Vivian, Sophie and their friends are what I call girly girls. Interested in only a few things. Clothes, make up and men. Which I suppose are great things to be interested in, but not to exclusivity.
After I'd finished the book, and remembered to look up the website, I decided to go and have a look around. To be honest, I'm not really sure what I was expecting. But, it was certainly not what I found. Flash is wonderful and all that, but I really don't think much of pages that have been created exclusively with it. (And not just because I can't work in Flash) Whenever I go to a site that's been made with Flash I feel like I'm visiting a site that's geared towards 5 year olds. I did dig through and see what I could find. There's a section that has tips about breaking into various professions by people that work in those particular professions. There's a section with advice from a career counsellor. And of course, the requisite Bulletin Board.
Being the type that enjoys that sort of thing I registered and have posted a few times, mostly on the topics about books I've read. However, the more I dig around, the more amazed I am that people take things quite so seriously. Just today I read a topic someone posted asking that if she was to wear blue jeans with a blue sweater, would it be ok to wear blue eyeshadow as well. I'm not sure it's a place I plan to visit often, mostly because it may actually continue to diminish my enjoyment of the book.
Oh, and in case anyone is interested, the answer is a definitive no. Brown or pink eyeshadows are the colours of choice.
Posted by Michelle at August 17, 2002 08:22 AM