The Bombshell Manual of Style by Laren Stover is one of my favourites. It’s so much fun to read and very glamorous. It’s not actually a manual, I probably wouldn’t have liked it if it was, but rather describes the characteristics and habits of the typical bombshell, with some famous bombshell examples. It covers everything from what perfumes bombshells wear to where they go on vacation and has lots of little tidbits of information about famous bombshells of the past and present. The illustrations are very cute but I kind of wish there were photos in it as well, especially when a photo or a scene from a movie is mentioned and there is nothing to illustrate it. I got this book last Christmas and I’ve already read it through two or three times, and I’m always picking it up to read a passage here and there.

It’s almost perfect, but I have some small problems with it. I don’t like how sometimes it will state something as a truth without elaborating at all on why, like why wouldn’t a bombshell carry a quilted Chanel bag or wear vanilla perfume? I would like to know. Several times they also write about things bombshells supposedly don’t do or wear, when I can instantly think of at least one of the bombshells used as examples in the book who does or wears exactly that. It’s all very tongue in cheek but I still find these things a bit annoying and wish they would have just written “most bombshells don’t do this”. Another silly little thing I just can’t get over is that in one chapter it says that when and if bombshells hike, they do it in heels. Perhaps Jayne Mansfield would have done something like it for one of her publicity stunts but otherwise I can’t believe any of the famous bombshells mentioned would ever do anything so stupid.

Apart from this it’s just a fantastic book and I wish I could find more like it. If you have read it and have any tips on books with a similar feel I’d love to hear about them!