Find out which celebrity Holly Bourne has ‘the cosmic horn’ for in this weeks What
What book…
..are you reading now?
FAMOUS Last Words by Gillian McAllister and I cannot put it down. It’s a thriller about a new mother who wakes up to find her husband has taken three people hostage. The twists just keep on sucker punching me, and there’s always so much emotional depth to her characters. I was a huge fan of Wrong Place Wrong Time and this is just as fabulous. For non-fiction, I have The Myth Of Normal by Dr Gabor Maté on the go and it’s blowing my mind. It’s all about how our modern lives are making us sick – both mentally and physically, and I honestly wish everyone would read it. It contextualises human suffering so superbly. A total world-changer.
‘we still use the book’s lexicon in our group chats, despite the fact we’re pushing 40’. Angus, thongs and full frontal snogging was the book that got Holly Bourne into reading
…would you take to a desert island?
I REMEMBER being obsessed with The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook when I was younger and reckon it would be super-useful in this situation. I could also finally use this opportunity to get through Anna Karenina. I’m pretty cocky about my ability to do the right thing in quicksand (lean backwards and do swimming motions).
…first gave you the reading bug?
WHEN I was a teenager, I totally imprinted on the Angus, Thongs, And Full-Frontal Snogging books by Louise Rennison, and still think they account for about 80 per cent of my personality. They were the first books I read which reflected just how funny girls can be, especially when they’re in their gang of friends, away from the male gaze. My friends were obsessed too and we still use the book’s lexicon in our group chats, despite the fact we’re pushing 40 – ‘I’ve got the cosmic horn for Leo Woodall’; ‘It’s so cold I’ve got nippy noodles.’
…left you cold?
I LOVE contemporary fiction, and I can get by on the occasional fantasy, too, but any magical realism book confuses me. I end up wondering whether the character has psychosis. I also got the Dishoom cookbook for Christmas as I love eating there so much, but the steps to make their paneer curry involve turning to about four different pages. I started the curry at 4pm on Wednesday and eventually sat down to eat it at 7pm…on Friday. It was delicious, but I think I’ll stick to going to the restaurant.