The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares.

Book One in The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series.

294 pages

First Published September 11, 2001

The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants is about four best friends who discover a magical pair of pants (which isn’t as stupid as it sounds, I promise) just as they are about to spend their first summer apart.

Carmen is half Puerto Rican, and will be spending the summer with her dad – the most time they will have spent together since her parents divorced. She thinks it will just be the two of them, but he has a surprise for her – a live-in fiancé complete with two teenage kids.

Bee is going to Mexico for a soccer camp. There, she meets Eric, a gorgeous coach – older and completely off limits.

Beautiful Lena is visiting her grandparents in Greece with her sister Effie. Lena’s scheming grandmother hopes that she will get together with Kostos, a future Oxford student who is home to help out his ailing grandfather. But of course, Lena has no such plans.

And Tibby. Sarcastic, clever Tibby is staying home. Her summer alone stretches out in front of her, with just a job at Wallman’s to keep her occupied. She’s into filming, and plans to work on a documentary as well. When she meets Bailey, a sassy twelve year old with leukaemia, she finds a sort of kindred spirit in her, and her summer turns into something completely different.

 

The first book in one of my all time favourite series. It’s hard to say whether I love this book because it’s simply a great book or because there’s a lot of nostalgia involved. Probably a bit of both. I was about fourteen when I first read it, and I suppose that’s long enough ago to form an evocative attachment to something. The thing is, there are moments that resonate so deeply within me. Like I have felt that exact same way and the words describe moments from my life so perfectly. Perhaps it’s just a really good story about what being and feeling like a girl is all about?

I love the way that the whole ‘magic’ thing is never contested or even discussed. Yes, these pants somehow fit us all perfectly. Are we going to deliberate over this and question our entire existence because of it? No. They just accept it.

The book is slightly different to the movie; mainly with Lena and the way her relationship with Kostos was shown. But there are other little differences too. My point being that if you have only seen the movie than you should read this. Likewise, if you’ve only read the book and maybe don’t like movies that are verbatim in plot and dialogue, than you should watch it.

Ann Brashares writing is lovely. It’s matter of fact, and honest, and sometimes flowery – but not in an unapproachable way. She just has a way of looking at things that are real and beautiful. A similar author would be Melina Marchetta – although I would say she is even more brutally honest than Ann Brashares (something about her writing cuts right to the bone, you know what I mean?).

I’ve read some people’s views on the stuff these young girls get up to. I mean, they’re not quite sixteen and they are off in different countries, doing amazing things. On the way back from Greece (possible spoiler, but I’ll keep it vague), Lena jets off to a different country altogether on her own. Carmen also does a bit of running around. On the one hand, I can see where these people are coming from. But on the other, I’m thinking that fifteen/sixteen year olds can pretty much do whatever they set their minds to – especially in this day and age. My own sister lived overseas with a host family for a year when she fifteen/sixteen, and that was before this book had even been released. So, I guess I would have to disagree with the notion that their experiences are unrealistic (albeit slightly irresponsible, in that sometimes they do these things without letting their parents know – but hey, they’re fifteen!).

I adore all of the characters. Sometimes they are selfish, occasionally they may even act like little brats, but that’s what humans do. Plus, they always redeem themselves afterwards. And of course, I already mentioned how relatable they are.

To me, this book (and it’s sequels) are like chicken soup, or hot chocolate, or whatever it is you have when you want to feel safe or calmed, or just better. They are my literary comfort food. I’ve just got to come back for more every couple of years!

This is a marvellous story about friendship and family and love and loss. Highly recommended.

 

Fashion House by Megan Hess.

Published April 1st 2013 by Hardie Grant Books

Ever dreamed of living in a house styled by Tom Ford? Do you long for a Parisian suite worthy of Coco Chanel, or perhaps a Riviera escape fit for Grace Kelly?

Internationally acclaimed illustrator Megan Hess has spent her life imagining and illustrating the sumptuous lifestyles and decadent interiors from around the world. Fashion House is a lavish collection of her most beautiful rooms, inspired by the style elite.

Drawing on her experience creating iconic windows for Bergdorf Goodman in New York, illustrating for labels such as Chanel, Dior, and publications like Vanity Fair and Time, Hess has combined her love of interior design with her signature illustrations to create a book that both celebrates style and helps you to achieve it. With advice ranging from how to choose upholstery and wallpaper, to the benefits of the eclectic chair and the resident pet, Fashion House showcases the icons of design – past and present.

Words cannot describe just how much I adore this book. It is so beautiful – the illustrations are just gorgeous – and there is a lot of colour and funky prints. I knew as soon as I looked at it that I had to have it and when I bought it, both of the sales ladies told me it was amazing. I read the whole thing cover to cover over an afternoon and just went crazy over everything. I love it, love it, love it!

There’s a section at the beginning entitled ‘Ten Essential Pieces – the ultimate interior accessories’, and then there are many many ‘Rooms to Swoon Over’. There is an illustration of each room (complete with the fashionable people who live there, as well as short bio’s about them), then there are pages that show a deconstructed version of the room, showing you how you can achieve the look. There is a third section that’s  called ‘The Fashion Set’. It’s pretty much the same as the second version, only it’s about real fashion designers.

Seriously, if you are even only slightly interested in fashion, or interiors, or beautiful books in general, then you simply must have this!

The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha.

Published 15th April, 2010 by Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam

Based on the 10-million-plus-hit blog 1000awesomethings.com, The Book of Awesome is a high five for humanity and a big celebration of life’s little moments:

Eating the extra fries at the bottom of the bag.

Peeling that thin plastic film off new electronics.

Seeing a cop on the side of the road and realising you’re already going the speed limit anyway.

Celebrating your pet’s birthday even though they have no idea what’s going on.

The smell of books.

When you’ve had a bad day, simply pick up this book, read a page at random, and repeat until you feel better. The Book of Awesome is like some kind of medication that’s guaranteed to induce happiness.

I’ll leave you with one more: The moment at a restaurant after you see your food coming from the kitchen but before it lands on your table: Somebody shushes, conversation hushes, and all eyes flicker with delight as you watch your sizzling, glistening meals cruise out of the kitchen and slowly descend in front of you. AWESOME!!!

Plus, I just learned that there are two more Books of Awesome. They will surely be finding a home on my bookshelf very soon.

Neil Pasricha, YOU are awesome.

Looking For Alaska by John Green.

263 pages

First Published 3rd March, 2005 by Dutton Juvenile

Miles Halter decides to go to Culver Creek, a boarding school, in order to seek a “Great Perhaps.” There he meets Alaska – ‘clever, funny, self-destructive and dead sexy’ – and a cast of other awesome characters. They pull these amazing pranks and are just generally crazy cool. There’s love and tragedy, it’s funny and moving – the old saying ‘you’ll

laugh, you’ll cry’ definitely applies.

I seriously cannot gush about this book enough. I can’t even find the right words to gush properly. I just get mentally tongue tied.

Obviously John Green is an incredible writer. Everything he has written has a coveted spot on my ‘favourites’ book shelf. I recommend him all the time. He is an evoker of emotions.

I adore the way that a lot of his main characters throughout his books have quirky habits. Here, Miles loves last words, and has memorised an arsenal of them. Meanwhile, Alaska has her ‘Life’s Library’ – hundreds of books that she has been buying from garage sales and the such since she was a little kid but never has the time to read. Now they line her walls, waiting to be read.

If you haven’t read any of John Green’s books before, then you better do it right now. Like, right now.

Losing It by Lizzie Wilcock.

314 pages

Published March 1st, 2006 by Scholastic Australia

Losing It is a coming of age tale about Gabbie Martyn. Basically, she is fourteen and pretty naive. At the beginning, her mum buys her her first bra. Her uncle moves in because his wife kicked him out. She meets a new boy at school – the gorgeous Zak, from New Zealand. She practices karaoke with her dad without a shred of sarcasm. She has a new best friend, Zoe – who may not be the best influence. Gradually, her easy life from before gets trickier. Sex becomes so much more pertinent. Her best friend gets arrested. She starts to lie. She drinks alcohol at a party. Rumours get spread about her. Her uncle who seemed so sweet before starts seeming creepy and inappropriate.

It’s a fantastic novel. It is not a cute love story between two teens. It is dark. It does show a more extreme side to how a young girl may grow up (think of the movie Thirteen) – but it isn’t unrealistic. Losing It is a powerful book that will stay with you. Definitely read it.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman.

Paperback, 335 pages

Published June 2nd 2009 by Simon & Schuster Children’s

IBSN: 9781847382313

The Second Civil War, also known as “The Heartland War,” was a long and bloody conflict fought over a single issue. To end the war, a set of constitutional amendments known as “The Bill of Life” was passed. It satisfied both the Pro-life and the Pro-choice armies. The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen. However, between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a parent may choose to retroactively “abort” a child . . . on the condition that the child’s life doesn’t “technically” end. The process by which a child is both terminated and yet kept alive is called “unwinding.” Unwinding is now a common, and accepted practice in society.

Connor, Risa and Lev are three unwinds on the run, all three from different backgrounds. Connor is ‘troubled,’ and his parents chose to have him unwound. Risa is a ward of the state, and she has used up all the time they are willing to give her. Lev is the last of ten children, and his parents are tithing him.

Unwind is an amazing novel. There are many dimensions to the world Neal Shusterman created. It is all very well thought out, in my opinion. This was my second reading – my copy of the second book is in the post and I wanted to refresh my memory – and it was just as great the second time.

To be more graphic, unwinding is a surgical process where every part of your body is harvested. You are kept alive during the process, for legal purposes. Because you don’t technically die during this procedure, and all your parts get transplanted into other people, it’s believed that you are still alive, but in a different way.

Because there are so many extra organs and other body parts due to unwinding, medical ailments aren’t fixed anymore, you just have that body part replaced. Had a heart attack? Here’s a new heart. Gone bald? Have this luscious hair. Missing a limb? No problem, we have plenty of those lying around. This is the blasé attitude that surgeons (they’re pretty much all surgeons now) have.

It’s a terrifying, unbelievable concept. But this is a dystopia. And these people have been fed the ‘you will still be technically alive’ line so often, they truly believe it. Having teens unwound is actually an okay thing to do in this world. But then, what about the soul? And your conscious? Unwind really gets you thinking.

There’s so much other stuff in here too: Juvey-cops, uploading, Humpty Dunfee, clappers, storking, betrayal, murder, love, sacrifice, hope. Go and grab a copy of Unwind right away to find out what it all means!

Graceling by Kristin Cashore.

 

Paperback, 370 pages

Published September 3rd, 2009 by Gollancz

IBSN: 9780575085305

Katsa is a strong, independent woman, who kicks serious butt. She has a strange graceling – a gift – that enables her to kill people very well. Her uncle, King Randa, takes advantage of this, essentially using her as a trained attack dog – someone who travels around and threatens or kills his enemies. Katsa resents this, and has founded a secret council, who’s job it is to undermine and ruin her kings nasty plans.

It is during one of the councils missions to rescue Prince Tealiff – the father of the Lienid KIngdom’s King –  that Katsa meets Po, who is also graced, but with fighting (I’ll just tell you now – he is the love interest (and a good one, at that!)). But who kidnapped the elderly prince? and why? Katsa’s council work on unravelling the mystery, while Katsa plans of leaving her Uncle Randa’s court, and his power over her.

So, the gist of a graceling: it’s basically an ability that some people have. It can be anything: fighting, swinging from trees, baking, reading minds, etc. A graced person can be identified by their two different coloured eyes, which settle in months after birth (your baby’s born like any other baby, but watch those eyes – that baby may just turn out to be a graceling soon!). I love this premise, by the way. Kristin Cashore follows through with it fantastically.

There is such beautiful imagery in Graceling. An awesome kings and queens type backdrop. This is a lot of fun to read. I will go one step further and tell you that it’s a delight to read. I don’t think I could fault it if I tried – not that I would want to! The characters are great, the story (which expands and changes from what you gather from the blurb), the setting – everything is great! Listen to me: I’m gushing! See the exclamation marks?!

Wait, I do have one problem, and that lies in the quote on the front cover that mentions Twilight. Ugh. I like Twilight. I love The Hunger Games. But I have an issue with the way that critics always say: ‘read this if you liked [insert name of latest young adult book/series to hit the big time and get a movie deal here]’. I wouldn’t mind it if the two books are actually similar (I recommend books in this way as much as I can), but saying Graceling is for fans of Twilight is a joke, because they are so different. They are literally worlds apart. I suppose that these critics mean well – getting the non readers to read more books by mentioning the books that non readers happen to read (if that makes sense). Generally, I ignore quotes such as these, but it remains a pet peeve of mine.

So check out this amazing, rich, adventurous, fantasy. Especially if you enjoy books like the Narnia series, or P.C. Cast’s Goddess series (particularly the first book, Goddess by MIstake, and the two young adult companions, [who’s titles I seem to have forgotten]). Or if you enjoy fantasy in general, or even if you haven’t dabbled in fantasy much, read it anyway.

What Happens Here by Tara Altebrando.

Paperback, 256 pages

Published May 6th, 2008 by MTV Books

Goodreads blurb: We were going to see the world together, Lindsay and I. We were going to eat it up, whole. But it didn’t happen that way. It didn’t happen that way at all….

When Chloe’s parents decide to take her to Europe the summer before senior year of high school, she’s ecstatic…she only wishes her best friend, Lindsay, could come too. Living in Las Vegas, they have long imagined the world through the casinos inspired by great cities and have vowed to travel the globe together someday. Unfortunately, Lindsay’s parents won’t agree to send her along.

So Chloe goes to Europe and sends postcards to Lindsay every day. But when she comes home, she must cope with shocking news that rips her family — and Lindsay’s — apart. And as she tries to uncover the truth about what happened, Chloe soon begins to feel that Lindsay’s brother, Noah, is the one person alive for whom she’d go to the ends of the earth….

I was blown away by What Happens Here. I’ve read it twice, but will definitely be reading it again (and again).

You may be dubious of the publishing situation. I know for me, when I see stuff that’s been published by Girlfriend or Dolly magazine, or even MTV, I automatically think ‘trashy’ (judging a book by it’s publisher, tsk, tsk). But ignore all of that (if it’s a problem for you) because you won’t regret reading this.

The writing is good, the characters are real (Noah is gorgeous, I love Chloe and Lindsay), the mystery is handled well.

Go forth, and read it!

The Cardturner by Louis Sachar.

Hardback, 336 pages

Published January 1st, 2010

IBSN: 9781408808504

Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve had it drilled into me that my uncle Lester was my favourite uncle. My mother would thrust the phone at me and say, “Uncle Lester wants to talk to you,” her voice infused with the same forced enthusiasm she used to describe canned peas. “Tell him you love him.”

“I love you, Uncle Lester,” I’d say.

“Tell him he’s your favourite uncle.”

“You’re my favourite uncle.”

When Alton Richards is seventeen, his sick Uncle Lester’s health takes a turn for the worse. Most of the contact he has ever had with his uncle has been the short awkward conversations his mother submits him to via the phone, so he doesn’t know him very well. However, when blind Uncle Lester requests that Alton sit in on bridge games with him, his money-grubbing mum jumps at the opportunity, hoping it will get them into the will. Thus Alton becomes the Cardturner! That’s right, he turns cards. He also chauffeurs his uncle to and from the bridge club.

This does focus very heavily on bridge. I knew nothing about the game before reading this, but now have a very basic understanding. I suppose you could say it’s like a beginners manual. That may sound boring, but the Cardturner manages to teach while also showing you a good time.

If the idea of reading a beginners bridge manual doesn’t thrill you, never fear! There is also romance and mystery, and a cast of funny, loveable and sometimes gruff characters to enjoy (all the bridge players at Uncle Lester’s club are forever trading stories about hands that they played years and years ago – I found this endearing and funny). Even a little slice of the unbelievable makes an appearance towards the end.

There is something delightful about Louis Sachar’s writing. Magical, even. If you haven’t read any of his books before, why not pick this up and give it a go? Or you could start with Holes, which is also amazing.

The Messenger by Markus Zusak.

(also titled I am the Messenger)

Paperback, 386 pages

Published January 1st, 2002 by Pan Macmillan Australia

IBSN: 0330363883

Meet Ed Kennedy – a very ordinary young man with a slight whiff of deadbeat about him. Also, become acquainted with his three friends – Audrey, Marv and Ritchie, all of whom also have that aforementioned whiff. Ed lives with his horrible smelling dog, the Doorman, and pretty much splits the rest of his time playing cards and driving a taxi.

His life takes an unexpected turn after he stops a bank robbery – the robber was utterly useless – and soon after receives an ace of diamonds in the mail. Written upon it are three addresses, each with a different time attached to it. This is the first of four cards, all with different places and clues for Ed that lead him to people who need his help in some way.

But who is sending these cards?

Markus Zusak is, in my opinion, an absolute legend. From the very first page this is a funny and touching read. The bank robbery is perfect in it’s hilarity and I fell in love immediately with Ed and his larrikin mates. I want to walk over to his little shack and join in their card game, cursing the Doorman’s incredible stench and mocking Marv’s lemon of a car.

I had one of those involuntary content smiles on my face most of the time, loving all the back of forth between Ed and his friends. Even most of the second tier characters, like Father O’Reilly and Milla, are worthy of instantaneous love.

The Messenger, from the get go, is one of my favourite books of all time. It is very Australian, very funny, it draws you in, it ends well (look at the photo in the back when you finish reading it!) and it is worthy of a second and third and fourth read.