08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding's 9 must-read books
Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding has shared some of her favourite books, including the works that have made her laugh out loud and the novels with the best covers
Helen Fielding, famed for her Bridget Jones novels, has quite a literary reputation. After Bridget Jones's Diary was published in 1996, it exploded in popularity and was adapted into a hit film in 2001.
This year we welcomed Bridget back to screens with the cinematic version of Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy from 2013 where we see Bridget grappling with life as a widow after losing her husband Mark Darcy.
Prior to its February premiere, Helen Fielding dished out some personal book recommendations to Elle for their Shelf Life feature, where authors discuss books that have left a lasting impression on them.
The opener from Helen's list was Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, an enduring inspiration across her writing journey. This favourite formed her pick for the book with the best opening line.
She then revealed which read had her chuckling, pointing to Love, Nina by Nina Stibbe, reports the Mirror US.
Helen remarked: "What really makes books funny is the voice and perspective of the narrator. This is a hilarious first-person diary of a young and utterly hopeless nanny."
Not stopping there, Helen endorsed Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, One Day by David Nicholls, and Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea - a prequel to Charlotte Bronte's classic Jane Eyre.
When asked about the books she thinks boast the finest covers, Helen said: "The original Ian Fleming James Bond books have insanely cool covers. I have five of them framed together on my wall. They're gorgeous. My favourite: Octopussy."
Completing her list of 'must-read books', Helen added Buddha's Little Instruction Book by Jack Kornfield, A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway, and The Naughtiest Girl in the School by Enid Blyton to the selection.
Books recommended by Helen Fielding
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Love, Nina by Nina Stibbe
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
One Day by David Nicholls
Octopussy by Ian Fleming
Buddha's Little Instruction Book by Jack Kornfield
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
The Naughtiest Girl in the School by Enid Blyton
