From the diary of a crazy bookworm
3 Books (Not Only) for Women That You Can Get Through in a Single Weekend
I still maintain: any book rather than bad sex… No one has ever convinced me otherwise. And since January left me involuntarily anchored to a hospital bed for a few days, I decided to fish three tips out of the backstage of my reading life – ones that ladies in particular will appreciate, but that will do gentlemen no harm either… So if you love reading, sharpen your bookmarks and polish your glasses!
Freida McFadden
The Housemaid
I’ll tell it like it is – I devoured it in one sitting, in about four hours. And since it is the first in a series, I was pleased that the sequel, The Housemaid’s Secret, has come out in the meantime.
The story unfolds on two levels. The first part belongs to the housemaid, who is fighting her way through a life that has dealt her more than one blow. In her new employer she sees the life she might have wished for herself… But nothing is what it seems at first sight.
I would love to reveal more, but that would rob you of the experience. Believe me, it has everything – suspense, drama, a little romance, surprise… And an ending you really wouldn’t expect. And that comes from someone who saw where Big Little Lies was heading in its second season…
Freida McFadden: The Housemaid
From me, a serious 9/10. Rating on Martinus.sk at the time of writing: 4.8 stars.
Sophie de Villenoisy
Joyeux suicide et bonne année! (Happy Suicide and a Happy New Year!)
A slim little book, but one that every woman who has already been through a crisis or two will appreciate. So let’s assume you are not 16, a size XS, with legs that go on for ever.
The story deals, in a very light-hearted way, with some quite serious subjects – depression, suicidal thoughts and the process of getting to know yourself. There are funny moments and a bit of philosophising about life. And that is very much my thing.
It is one of those little books that has to catch you in the right mood. But when it does, you will be through it in a couple of hours, just like that…
Sophie de Villenoisy: Joyeux suicide et bonne année!
From me, 7/10. Rating on Martinus.sk at the time of writing: 4.3 stars.
Halina Pawlowská
Manuál zralé ženy (A Mature Woman’s Manual)
I’ll tell it like it is… Applied to a woman, the word ‘mature’ sounds about as tempting as ‘shortly before the warranty runs out’. Halina Pawlowská knows that very well – she says herself that it makes her think of a cheese it is high time to eat. And then she writes a book about maturity that turns it into quite a decent win.
These are short stories full of love and absurd situations that any of us with a bit of life behind her will recognise: children who bully you, a body that does as it pleases, and love that has to be looked for all over again. The Czech writer, screenwriter and TV presenter likes best of all to poke fun at herself – and that is exactly why you believe her.
A small book, in Czech, that fits in a handbag. Don’t expect a guide to life; expect a friend who tells you over coffee that you can laugh at every silly thing that comes your way. And that, after all, is always the point.
Halina Pawlowská: Manuál zralé ženy (Czech edition)
For an evening when you need a hearty laugh – at yourself, too.
Happy reading!
Marcela
Reading about reading