The Manifesto on How to be Interesting

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The Manifesto is one of my favourite books that I've read this year. It was funny, dark, perfectly paced and all over relatable and if that hasn't sold you yet, I read it all in one night! The last time I did that was when reading The Fault in Our Stars and we all know how great a book that is! There were a few good parts in the book which made me give 1.5 as the final rating but well, the rest was just bad. The author tries to make Bree a feminist voice so so badly. But if your whole book is full of anti feminist ideas then it just doesn't work. Full of wisdom, heartache, and honesty, this tops John Green in my book. * Never Judge a Book by Its Cover blog * Toen ik even een beetje humeurig was want ik had weinig leestijd en allemaal dikke boeken en ik had gewoon even behoefte aan iets leuks, maar iets dat wel gegarandeerd goed was, greep ik naar Holly Bourne. Ze is een soort van comfort blanket ofzo.

The more out of the ordinary experiences you have, the more of an interesting person you will become. People often "live through" the experiences of others. One person may not be ready to go skydiving but will feel in awe that you have and want to know all about it! Nevertheless, Bree is imperfect and makes some stupid decisions regarding her romances. This certain aspect was probably my biggest frustration in the book but I do get that the Bourne probably thought it necessary for Bree’s character development. I did like that everyone’s flaws were laid out though. Bourne was keen on exposing her characters, why they do the things they do and she does it in a manner that’s truthful and makes you ponder about real life. The context of being in high school most especially the bullying, the ‘perfect posse’, the facades people keep and the way looks and popularity changes things plays a huge role here and the portrayal was just as authentic.With this book being set in a school, the teen culture was obviously really strong. The way people act, the groups that form in school, the workload – everything seemed exactly the same as when I was in school myself. Which again, impressed me, because every time I’ve read a book set in a school so far it’s been a bit cheesy and full of stereotypes. But in this case, it felt real and I could relate to the experiences there. I really struggled with the protagonist, Bree, which has never been a problem in Bourne's books before. It might be because The Manifesto on How to Be Interesting is written in third person, unlike her other books, but I also just felt that not only did Bree do a lot of horrible things, but she also learned all the wrong lessons. I felt like it was implied that the end justified the means, and her actions seemed excused and celebrated at the novel's close. Then there’s Hugo. The schools perfect guy, the one everyone fancies and is so unlikeable that I wish he was real for just a few moments so I could punch him. But when she’s told she needs to start living a life worth writing about, The Manifesto on How to Be Interesting is born. Six steps on how to be interesting. Six steps that will see her infiltrate the popular set, fall in love with someone forbidden and make the biggest mistake of her life. Zo veel gevoelens, zo diep en zo heftig. Niet alleen verdrietige dingen hoor, alles was zo sterk en kwam echt binnen.

And yet that’s exactly the point of the novel. When you’re seventeen, you don’t know that. You don’t know that eventually you will reach a point where you are okay with who you are, when you don’t want to be the same as the popular crowd, when you start to like your quirks and unique qualities. Let’s be honest, I probably would have done the same as a teenager and changed either my looks, my personality or both if I thought it would get me a little bit more street cred. stars. This is my least favourite by Holly Bourne so far. It's an easy read and I can see the beginnings of a lot of the themes that she will handle better in her later books, but I got the impression that this was the early work of a writer who hadn't quite developed her style yet. Learn to present what you have to say in an engaging manner. Being interesting is as much about how you say something as what you have to say. Two people can tell the same story, but one person can do it in a droning, boring way and the other in a punchy, engaging bit. You want to be the latter. [15] X Research sourceThere are few books that make me want to curl up in them and never leave. The Manifesto on How to be Interesting was one of those books. I loved this book, while it also reminded me why I'm immensely happy that I am not in high school anymore. Although, I like to believe that high school is awful for everyone that may not be the reason. For some people high school is actually the best years of their life (I feel so sorry for those people). But for some people, like Bree and like myself, high school was awful. However, in my high school, while I did have many issues, I didn't really have problems with the popular kids or any kids since I was invisible and actually liked it that way. When you're speaking, words only account for 7 percent of what is conveyed. Voice tone and body language are far more important. Inject humor and personality into what you're saying. Laugh. Smile. Be passionate. Gesture. [16] X Research source You want to leave a mark, not a blemish. Be a hero, not a spectator. You want to be interesting. (Who doesn t?) But sometimes it takes a nudge, a wake-up call, an intervention! and a little help. This is where Jessica Hagy comes in. A writer and illustrator of great economy, charm, and insight, she s created How to Be Interesting, a uniquely inspirational how-to that combines fresh and pithy lessons with deceptively simple diagrams and charts. Ms. Hagy started on Forbes.com, where she s a weekly blogger, by creating a How to Be Interesting post that went viral, attracting 1.4 million viewers so far, with tens of thousands of them liking, linking, and tweeting the article. Now she s deeply explored the ideas that resonated with so many readers to create this small and quirky book with a large and universal message. It s a book about exploring: Talk to strangers. About taking chances: Expose yourself to ridicule, to risk, to wild ideas. About being childlike, not childish: Remember how amazing the world was before you learned to be cynical. About being open: Never take in the welcome mat. About breaking routine: Take daily vaca- tions . . . if only for a few minutes. About taking ownership: Whatever you re doing, enjoy it, embrace it, master it as well as you can. And about growing a pair: If you re not courageous, you re going to be hanging around the water cooler, talking about the guy that actually is. How to Be Interesting: An Instruction Manual by Jessica Hagy – eBook Details

Show up and talk. The author of the book on being interesting, literally titled How to Be Interesting, has said that the first step to being interesting is to actually show up. Go to things, socialize, meet people. [8] X Trustworthy Source Greater Good Magazine Journal published by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, which uses scientific research to promote happier living Go to source

However, Bree’s life isn’t going to plan, so when Mr Fellows tells her she needs to be more interesting Bree takes it too seriously. Starting a blog called, (can you guess?) The Manifesto On How To Be Interesting. She makes some drastic changes to herself (MAKEOVER) to infiltrate the enemy and the school for something worth writing, but without realising it Bree loses herself along the way. Maybe she doesn’t notice though, because she hasn’t even begun to find herself yet. There were far too many sexual references in this book. Now, I understand sex and the like are parts of teenage life, however this book contains way too many jokes, references and even a detailed description of Bree's encounter with Hugo. I don't read a book to find out about all of that; if I wanted detailed descriptions I would have read 50 Shades of Grey. This is the Manifesto On How To Be Interesting. I’m going to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes a person worth caring about and then do it. I’ll let you know how I get on. It’s not going to be easy. But then interesting things never are, are they?”

Bourne covered many typical teen issues in this book, such as bullying, self harming and what it’s like to be lonely. All of these things have been written about countless times in YA but I don’t think I’ve read a book that has made them seem so real before. Bree also didn’t always deal with her issues in the ‘right way’, she didn’t always talk to an adult or her friends like teens are always told to do. Many teens don’t tell people about their problems, so some of Bree’s decisions (however wrong they may be) helped her become even more relatable and realistic.I know I’m not alone in wondering just what exactly it is that makes a person interesting. With that, I was easily interested by Holly Bourne’s sophomore novel just from the title itself. And did I learn how to be interesting from reading this book? All I can say is that there’s so much more to take from The Manifesto On How To Be Interesting than just that. First impression: Unique story approach and a protagonist worth getting to know better. Holly Bourne introduces us to Bree, a quiet girl who is very intelligent and withdrawn. Soon she's going to change radically. In the beginning she has a fantastic relationship with her best friend Holdo. They watch movies together and hang out. They have a very trusting and intimate friendship that makes both their lives so much brighter. It is a friendship that I recognized as something very important for Bree's story. One that could've worked against the mean girl streak she's developing at some point. Unfortunately, Holly Bourne allowed Bree to completely neglect the great support I saw in their friendship and ditch Holdo for her fake new life. Definitely a book with a few lessons to teach us and although it is aimed at a female audience there are many things that teen boys could learn as well. It really makes you think about the world our young people are growing up in. * Books for Keeps *