When I do read a book it tends to be autobiography or fact based, if I'm going to invest my time I want to have learnt something. I just don't 'get' fiction. My imagination is pretty wild without being fed a made-up tale, this theory I have always works with films as well, but not as strict though.
I like fashion, I like Alexa Chung, Alexa has a book out, it isn't exactly an 'autobiography', more like a memoir with tips to making the teenage years more bearable as 'IT' takes snapshots of Alexa's life and how she has been inspired and influenced by. It is more like a 'guide to being Alexa Chung' rather than the model/presenter/all round cool girl dishing the dirt. It is aimed at teenage girls (I had to Google VPL, clearly I am not the target market), there's make-up tips, boy issues etc but "how to take the perfect selfie' grabbed my attention as Alexa writes like she talks, slightly awkward, chatty and to-the-point in a casual manner.I also like the fact that the font is large and there's photos, plenty of photos (of her (from childhood to present), friends, family and inspiration) and cute drawings feature frequently, I've never turned a page so quickly. We're a generation who lack a concentration span of any useful size and that is my downfall when it comes to reading something more than two paragraphs before 'having' to check my e-mails or take a walk (to the kitchen). She discusses her 'Style Icons', some may come of a surprise and the in-depth detail translates to why she herself has become an icon for a generation. There's a section on heartbreak, I'm guessing this was caused by our lad Alex Turner, she confesses that all her boyfriends have been lead singers, I'm forming a band to front as I type.
It only took me a few hours to read (including numerous checks of e-mails/Facebook/Tumblr) and I'm a slow reader but I felt like I learnt a lot more than I had have if I'd spent days reading the goings on at Hogwarts.
'IT' has received criticism for coming across pretentious and/or ridiculous, but what did you expect really? It was never going to be something deeply profound and ticked all the boxes for the two hours I needed to read 'It'.
