NABM reads: Jon Richardson's 'It's Not Me, It's You: Impossible Perfectionist Seeks Very Very Very Tidy Woman'

Need a tea break after typing (or copying and pasting) that title in.

Anyhow, when I'm not stuffing my face stupid with all manners of bread, meat, seafood, everything (I don't discriminate), and when I'm not busy breaking the codes of this blog so lovingly fixed by the husband, or when I'm not spending more than I earn on things I don't need - I read.

Considering the other things I do in my free time, this works out at being the cheapest time-consuming activity I enjoy.

The most recent read - discovered through my following Jon Richardson (@ronjichardson) on Twitter, is the book whose title is listed in full glory in the post title above (no, I am NOT pasting it again here but you can get it on Amazon). (Picture shown here courtesy of Amazon.co.uk)

So far, I'm around 21% through the book (my Kindle measures these things - it has a complex).

Reading it has been almost like reading the book I wanted to write; only now I guess I won't have to write it anymore. Or get claim to the royalties.

Without giving the plot away (difficult seeing as I haven't completed the book), it's not an autobiography; rather, it's a current account of why and how Jon has been single for the last too-many-years and (I'm guessing) how he intends to change that status.

His writing style is honest beyond belief. I don't know how he manages to remain un-self-conscious in front of his '8 out of 10 cats' co-hosts (or whatever programme he's on) because surely that's like laid out all your deepest, darkest (perhaps slightly yellowish, even) secrets for all to see. If it's another honest book he wants to write, I'm not too sure where he can go from here. Surely there isn't a squeeze of honesty left to bare?

To give credit where credit is due - and it is very much due here - I respect him for allowing us to delve into his mindset for a mere £8.99 (Kindle edition - costs more, I don't know why). Although, it could be said that this is what authors do - they share their thoughts with you, in return for some moolah. Said thoughts could be fiction, mystery, contemporary romance, whatever - but share and share alike they do. And I guess this is what Jon is doing, although with possibly a lot more honesty than I've ever read in a book before.

You know how fun it is to sometimes, people-watch? I really enjoy those rare times when I get to sit in a cafe in Soho (it HAS to be in Soho), with a nice cuppa, just watching the people go by. And in Soho, they are usually colourful and very interesting. Reading this book was like people-watching, but taken to another level.

Guess you can tell I am liking the book so far. Once I'm done with the remaining 79%, I'll do an update. Maybe I might have gone off it half way through, but I very much doubt it.

UPDATE: I've finished the book - so I managed to get through the book within a day (it's not very thick). Just from that alone, you can tell I was quite gripped by it, and stayed up till way past midnight (on a weekday, check me out) to complete it. Conclusion?

Well, I'm the kind of person who likes Hollywood films simply because most of them have a happy ending. I also read all forms of rubbish chick-lits - all with happy endings. So if I were to read a book which was going to leave me going 'Er, and? Where's the happy ending?', I need some sort of prep first. Because I'd gone straight into this book from a chick-lit, I was still on the Hollywood route, so I was a little disappointed when I got to the end of the book, wondering where the happy ending was. But that is my stupidity and nothing to do with the book.

Jon maintains his writing style throughout the book and his honesty does not diminish for one page. By the end of the book, I felt as though I got to know him a little better. At the start, I felt as though he was just exaggerating (come on, how difficult can he be, he's a funny person!), but by the end of the book, I was beginning to empathise with just what he was trying to get us to understand in the first place. It's hard for me to explain anymore without giving anything away, so if you like this kinda stuff, go check it out.

Now to round it off with a stand-up session with the guy himself.