JHENIFER PABILLANO

Legend by Marie Lu
Like I said to a friend, this was just a B+ novel, and that's OK: not everything can be book 1 of the Hunger Games. But damn if the most frustrating thing about this book is all the places where you KNOW it could have been improved. Stop making all the bad guys so one-dimensionally evil! Stop making all the good guys so one-dimensionally perfect! Though of course, here I am yapping while Marie Lu has a career as an author, right?

Bumped by Megan McCafferty
Inventive premise, and Megan McCafferty will always get a pass from me because of the Jessica Darling books. But damn if I couldn't get past a pivotal decision made by one of the characters! And if you've read it, you know what I'm talking about. I totally didn't buy it, and I totally didn't buy the rest of the characters' reactions to it, and so I threw up my hands at the rest of the book. Inventive premise though, like I said!

The Magicians by Lev Grossman
HOLY WHOA. This was like reading four books at once... four GOOD books. It's like a touch of Harry Potter and a bit of Narnia fused with the reality of moving into adulthood from childhood, and people you know in real life. As well, Lev Grossman's prose and detail just does not quit. Page 500 is as well crafted and detailed as page 2, and nowhere does the plot seem to flag or become distended, as though the story is getting away from the author. His powers of focus must be unreal!

The Magician King by Lev Grossman
Well. Lev Grossman's follow up to the Magicians is just as good --- possibly even better --- than the original. It's dense, it's full of the magic and honesty and modern wisdom that he's so good at. But this time it shoots straight as an arrow while the first book casually roams. Also, it's pretty devastating emotionally. I finished this about a week ago and I'm still thinking about it. Poor Julia! I might have to reread this just to see if I read her actions any differently, now that I've come to the end.

New York Fashion by Caroline Rennolds Milbank
Fantastic historical review of American fashion with details on each designer and thorough descriptions on what made each one different and special. And so many gorgeous pictures of the clothes! I never realized how starved other books were of truly great fashion detail photography until I read this book.

High Style: Masterworks from the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection by Jan Reeder
Gahhhhhh, this book is a tremendous tour of fashion masterpieces! Most exciting were the Charles James collection (so exquisite), Elizabeth Hawes's dresses, and Schiaparelli's awesome music box belt (of course). The photography is vivid and immensely gorgeous. A total steal at just $30!

Claire McCardell: Redefining Modernism by Kohle Yohannan
An excellent biography of fashion designer Claire McCardell, and an insightful critique of her work. I have to say I'm enamoured with many of her designs—the philosophy of sensible, comfortable clothing that's still feminine and affordable really strikes the right chord with me.

Chanel: Collections and Creations by Daniele Bott
I have to admit, I didn't really read much of the text: fashion is really about the pictures, no? But I dunno, I wanted to see a more historical overview than a collection of photographs based around themes. My favourite section was the camellia, anyway, as the way the flower has been worked beautifully into all of Chanel's collections is quite astounding. Also, I think that classic tweed suit only works if you're a size 2: larger ladies with a shape look kind of boxy and big in them. Also: Lagerfeld designs 10 collections a year!?!?!?! I mean, I sorta knew he was prolific, but he really is a genius on an operatic scale. Here's a good New Yorker article about him btw.

City Fashion Paris by Christine Bierhals
A lovely surprise! This is a nice catalogue of present day Paris designers and where to find them, and cafes and other places to spot along the way. Discovered a number of great French designers I hadn't heard of before.

How Buildings Learn by Stewart Brand
Loved this. A view of architecture from the user's point of view, asking some really common sense questions and presenting a useful new framework on how architecture might be considered in the future. Also, what a magnificent and varied career Stewart Brand has!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Woo! A fun ride through a futuristic world where a virtual place is more real and useful to people than the dilapidated world they inhabit. The hook is a huge treasure hunt for an eccentric billionaire's fortune, where esoteric knowledge of 1980s geekery is the key to unlocking everything. But while most of it is a crazy page turner, it really drags when a) Cline has to explain every bit of 80s trivia in detail (although it's very welcome, it's weird to have big blocks just taken up by "this is something random that you need to know about") and b) when it focuses on actual game play---the book really stiffens up as we have to get through the mechanics of the challenges. I gotta say too, there were moments when I was really just like, "Seriously --- ENOUGH WITH THE 80S MINUTIA!!" I mean, the references must be super entertaining for those already immersed in that world, but it became a bit alienating when videogames or movies would pop up and everyone would just rave about how awesome and talismanic they were, rather than finding a way to let the newbie readers discover their awesomeness. Though it's so packed with 80s stuff that I don't know how you would accomplish that without making it a billion pages long. So it's probably an A+ for knowing geeks, and a B for those who are new to the scene.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
A pleasant read, especially since I'm kind of surprised Stephanie Perkins could stretch this premise out for an entire book. Oh, to be young and rich and in Paris!

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Lola Lola! I liked this one a lot too: nonstandard characters, and a lot of romance. I'm so easy to please.

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
A real tearjerker, and not in the soft-focus Lurlene McDaniel way. Green's teens were of the smart-talking variety, but you do give them a pass because they're genuinely smart and moving. Oh, and they have cancer. Now, not to take away from Green's achievement or anything, because this is a very good book, but if a lady had written this, would it have gotten the same attention? I mean, Lurlene has a whole shelf of books like this!

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
Ahahahahhahahahahah. Jasper Fforde writes a YA! It's a bit overcrowded with world-building minutia, but the jokes are still solid and the story is too.

The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde
Sequel to Jasper Fforde's first YA. Just as (enjoyably) convoluted and hilarious.

One of Our Thursdays Is Missing by Jasper Fforde
The sixth Tuesday Next book. I have to admit I was confused during several spots in this book, but it didn't make it any less enjoyable. The thing is to just keep going and eventually it will all make sense. Also, witticisms.

Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity & Self-Branding in Web 2.0 by Alice Marwick
This is actually a PhD dissertation, but given the content and the length (500+ pages) I'm counting it as a significant book for the year. Anyway, this is possibly the best thing I have read on the Internet, social media, its roots in the San Francisco tech scene, and the neoliberal values that it has encouraged in the world at large. I learned a ridiculous amount about the cultural context that brought about these technologies, and the free-market-style activities that confer status on individuals in the social media space. It was hugely comforting to discover someone was thinking about these cultural shifts and exploring them so articulately, and comforting to know that this current social media world is only a certain type of path, and certainly not the only path that could or can develop. Also, so true about the contradictions in commercialization and freedom/openness! Anyway, if you want to read the full dissertation, visit Alice's website here.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
A fun read: bright and funny and mostly uncomplicated. I'd say it's a B+/85% overall: not really a desert-island read, but definitely some kind of vacation read/fun time read.

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler & Maira Kalman
Truly enjoyable! You do have to suspend disbelief for a bunch of it though. Where is this small town with so many quirky amenities?

The Gossip Industry: Producing and Distributing Star Images, Celebrity Gossip and Entertainment News by Anne Helen Petersen
I'm a huge fan of Anne Helen Petersen's articles at the Hairpin and her own blog: I adore it when anyone takes a critical, rigorous but not humourless view of pop culture topics. In her online musings, AHP constantly alluded to her PhD work, so I sought it out for a longer look at the star industry and its place in history. Turns out that this is a fabulous, eminently readable history of the gossip industry in America from 1910-2010, peppered with fascinating case studies about American celebrity, the expanding definition of stars, and the incestuous, self-perpetuating business of promoting star gossip. I learned all about how stars and their fan audiences have changed over the years, the changing power brokers in Hollywood, and a lot more about how we view our celebrities these days and who's largely responsible for that view (cough cough Bonnie Fuller). You can read it for yourself in PDF format here, and then you can ask yourself "Why hasn't this been published as a book already?" Then, if you find yourself with a bit more time, read her article about Rita Hayworth over at the Hairpin. You can thank me later.

Queen Bee Moms and Kingpin Dads by Rosalind Wiseman
Thought I'd check in to see what Rosalind Wiseman was up to lately, and discovered she had a book about the travails of modern parenting. Yes please! It's a lot like the original Queen Bees and Wannabes book: the descriptions are intensely realistic and the advice no nonsense and levelheaded. All the sticky scenarios that play out in the back half of the book made my head spin. Is it becoming a basic truth that your entire life is just high school drama replaying itself over and over again?

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
I think a lot of YA books suffer when they're published as trilogies: it forces authors to stretch out a premise way too thin. This book would have been a lot better if it was about half as long and the main characters interacted a bit: they're separated for most of this (very long) book, so in the long length of time it takes to read this, you lose sight of why it is that Todd and Viola like each other. Also, the conflicts begin to repeat themselves (should Todd trust the Mayor or not? should Todd kill or not? should Viola trust Mistress Coyle or not?), and it becomes tedious seeing the same ones recycle over and over. Although I spoke with a friend about this, and we sort of thought it was because YA authors are writing for YA audiences, and the younger adults might require some repetition to embrace the themes.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Thumbs up overall. Perhaps a pros/cons list will be a good way to describe this book though. Pros: boy and girl in a thrilling chase story in a futuristic off-world setting; fun story world to explore; main characters make sense; lots of juicy mysteries being revealed; author is ready and willing to do crazy things with his story. Cons: it's entirely written in a kind of childish English dialect, which can be grating; totally depressing in many spots; and WHY DON'T THEY JUST READ HIS MOM'S JOURNAL ALREADY!! Also, this is book I of a three-part series, which sometimes makes me think that the premise is getting stretched a bit too thin. No matter: on to book II!

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
The last book in the Chaos Walking trilogy sort of lives up to its promise in fits and starts. It's again way too shaggy, and the same conflicts seem to be recycled over and over, with the main plot still hinging on a relationship that resonates less and less as the story continues. It's still a reasonably enjoyable read, but as mentioned, I felt as though this trilogy would have been better if it were two books, or one great big book. Not a great profit maker for publishers, but it certainly would have served the story better.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
A story about violent racing sea horses and the people who love them --- as in horses that emerge from the sea, not tiny curly tailed things darting about in a fish tank. Really compelling actually! A real page turner, once I wrapped my head around the idea of sea horses (it doesn't take that long).

Divergent by Veronica Roth
This is sort of a B- book: reasonably engaging, despite a strangely nonsensical premise. That premise: a young girl with unique abilities has to choose between tribes shaped around five personality traits, yadda yadda conspiracy, turncoats, and rivalry. The plot would have a chance to sparkle if there weren't clunky edges on a lot of it: bad people are rather one dimensionally evil, guns and tattoos symbolize strength and rebellion. And a healthy dose of Troo Luv!

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Man, this one got overcomplicated and confusing really fast. Perhaps it's second book syndrome: the premise and action get stretched way too thin.