Book Review: Popular- A Memoir by Maya Van Wagenen

INFO:
Pages: 259
Genre: YA Non-fiction
Australian Release Date: 15 April 2014
Publisher: Penguin
Sent to me for review.
Price: $16.99

BLURB:

A true story

'School is the armpit of life - and my school is no exception.'

From hair-dos and girdles to pearls and posture, Maya does whatever Betty says - no matter how difficult or embarrassing.

When Maya Van Wagenen finds a 1950s Guide to Popularity she embarks on a unique social experiment: for one school year she follows the advice of its author, teen model Betty Cornell.

She's determined to see her experiment through, for better or worse.

MY THOUGHTS:
When this book came in the mail I was so pleased. The cover and the caption "Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek" are so ME. I guess it's kind of an understatement to say that I really was excited to crack this book open... I didn't really know what to expect, yet my expectations were naturally high. Was this book everything I hoped it would be?

The author's inscription(I hope that's the right term) reads "To all those who've sat alone at the edge of the playground. This book is for you". I'm sure every person must have felt this way at some point, some more than others. This definitely made me want to read the book more.

Because the book is a "true story" and is told through journal entries it's a little hard for me to review it. Sure there is writing style, the writer's outlook on things, the analysis about what it is to be "popular" and the positioning, but I can't review the plot or the characters, And non-fiction (no matter how interesting) is not usually something I read... This book is also probably a little younger than what I would usually read. On the press release it says "11yrs +" and the main character is turning thirteen in the story. (The author is now fifteen years old). This is such a great feat for such a young author!

I think what Maya did was awesome and took some guts. Turning your non-existent social life into an experiment like that... Wow. I especially liked that the self-help book she used for her experiment was from the 1950s. The vintage nerd in me thought that was absolutely awesome and I loved reading excerpts from Betty Cornell's book (I am seriously considering buying it now that it has been re-released). I'm sure all of the vintage gals following my facebook page may find this aspect of the 'Popular' to be super-duper cool too. It was really interesting to see how Maya interpreted the advice in Betty's book and also how that translated in the real world.

Maya is so honest in this book. It was like a real journal. Though it was well written and obviously a lot neater. I think Maya really captured the adolescent angst of a thirteen year old girl and that she was extremely brave publishing her private thoughts for the world to see. Ill-fitting undergarments, crushes, skin problems, bad hair days and body image issues are all included in 'Popular'. I think most girls/women can relate to this and will find some of Maya's own popularity tips to be quite charming and sometimes funny.

I thought it was really interesting to learn about Brownsville, Texas. I have never really thought about what life was like on the border of Mexico and how dangerous it would be. It was also interesting to learn about Maya's family and to see how she managed to follow the guide book on a low income.

The one thing I wasn't really happy about was the ending. Not so much what did or didn't happen, because it's not like Maya can choose that. I guess I just didn't really like the conclusion that she came to about popularity (or rather making friends). I'm not saying it isn't true, but I just wonder how much this was influenced by the environment and other circumstances (must not spoil events...).

Overall, I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars. While I really enjoyed the book and read it really quickly it is not my favourite genre and it was one YA book that definitely felt young (almost too young- and I read YA all the time). I also wasn't in love with the ending. I know these are all things that Maya can't control so I feel bad for marking a book down based on these things. Especially seeing as Maya has done such a brave and awesome thing by writing this book and doing this whole experiment. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for something decent to read and especially those vintage enthusiasts that will know all to well what it is like to be wear a 1950s outfit in a 2012 world.

Your Favourite Blogger,
Natalie

Book Review: 'Fangirl' by Rainbow Rowell

THE DETAILS:
Pages: 459
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary
Australia Release Date: 01/04/2014
Original Release Date: 10/09/2013
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
RRP:  $16.99
Received from publisher for review.

THE DESCRIPTION:
Cath and Wren are identical twins, and until recently they did absolutely everything together. Now they're off to university and Wren's decided she doesn't want to be one half of a pair any more - she wants to dance, meet boys, go to parties and let loose. It's not so easy for Cath. She would rather bury herself in the fan-fiction she writes where there's romance far more intense than anything she's experienced in real life.

 Now Cath has to decide whether she's ready to open her heart to new people and new experiences, and she's realizing that there's more to learn about love than she ever thought possible ...

MY THOUGHTS:

I can't remember if my review request for this on Netgalley was accepted or not (I haven't been on Netgalley in a long time), but if it did, then I am a complete idiot for waiting all this time (As you can see there is quite a difference in AUS and USA release dates) to read something so awesome. I had heard that this book was good before reading it, however it was the title and the premise that intrigued me the most. Obviously there are many of you in the USA or other places that might have already read this novel, but it doesn't come out till Tuesday for us Aussies. As usual it's going to be a spoiler free as-much-as-it-can-be-without-becoming-vague review.

Meet Cather. Cather is a serious fangirl who loves to write. She is obsessed with the fictional 'Simon Snow' series and has all the paraphernalia to prove it. I think a lot of people who participate in a fandom of any kind and at any level will appreciate this book. Cather compares the book with the movie, wears fandom t-shirts, struggles to justify her obsession with her roommate and thinks of Gemma T Leslie (the author of the 'Simon Snow' books) as a kind of god. I know that some of you bookworms will concur that these things are all too easy to relate to. And, a smart move on the behalf of Rainbow Rowell because creating a protagonist that readers can relate to is definitely the first step in creating a darn good piece of fiction.

Cath is also a little anti-social and can get anxious about little things. She doesn't want to ask stupid questions, so she avoids it completely even if that means she hardly ever leaves her dorm room. She has some interesting perspectives on different aspects of life and while she can crack some witty jokes she often gets a little puzzled over some things because she seems to have reserved the "general knowledge" department of her mind for Simon Snow and friends. Now surely I'm not the only blogger who can relate to that.

While Cath is at university to take advanced writing classes she constantly finds herself back in her dorm room writing fan-fiction about Simon Snow instead of working on her actual projects for class. Cath is quite good at fan-fiction and she has a lot of followers waiting on her every word. Cath begins to find out the hard way that she does have to learn to put her fandom aside at times to work on more important things, and, that creating an original work can be more complex than she had originally thought.

Cath's family is a little messed up. Okay, little is an understatement. Cath, her twin sister Wren and their father have all suffered since the girls' mother left. It just goes to show what a huge impact abandonment can have on a family and that it can still affect them many years later. Rowell lightly skims the surface of issues relating to living with a person who has a mental illness and the effects of binge-drinking and alcoholism.  I also feel like the names Cath's mother chose for the girls is almost symbolic of her feelings towards them. (Sorry if that doesn't really make sense. I promise it will once you read the book)Cath and Wren's feelings regarding the 'Simon Snow' books also show us that the books have at times been there for Cath and Wren the way  that their mother couldn't.

Wren and Cath are identical twins that can be told apart by haircuts and a pair of spectacles. Wren and Cath used to be close, but this year they are beginning to drift apart. In one way it is a good thing, because Wren was definitely dominant and Cath leaned on her too much. Though I do feel sorry for Cath and understand why she is so dependent.

And now meet Levi. Levi is Cath's roomate Reagan's ex. Levi and Reagan are just friends and they study a lot together. Cath meets Levi on her first day at college and she's not really sure of him. Over time Cath begins to learn what a sweet guy Levi is and that he would do anything for anyone. He is a bit of a "Farm Boy" and to her surprise; a complete opposite to Cath. In this book the relationships do get you to question what "love" is. Even though Levi is not Cath's first boyfriend it definitely seems like he is.

Levi also has some issues with reading. He can read, but he doesn't feel like he really absorbs any of the information. I kind of love that the author included this because I sometimes feel this way about some non-fiction/technical things. If it's not in simple terms sometimes the words just fly over my head and I always thought that that was due to a lack of concentration, but maybe it's just not always the best way to be taught. And, I liked that this was addressed in a book about writing and reading because it's a small reminder that not everyone is good at reading and that we shouldn't take our ability to read for granted.

As for the writing... I absolutely adored Rainbow Rowell's writing style. This novel was told in third person which took me a little while to get used to because I haven't read one of those for a while! I fell in love with Rowell's quirky characters and storyline. I felt like she captured all of the awkward bits perfectly and that the story was totally quotable. There were also plenty of awesome references - nerds rejoice! And, also loved the excerpts of Simon Snow stuff.

Here is one of my favourite parts:
"When she looked back at Levi, he was dancing, too. Exactly the way she would have imagined him dancing if she'd ever tried. Too long and too loose, running his fingers through his hair. (Dude. We get it. Extreme widow's peak.) His eyes were absolutely gleaming with mirth. Putting out light."

Overall I rate this 5 out of 5 stars and a FAVOURITE. I feel like I have discovered reading all over again after reading this and this is definitely something I would pick up again soon if I didn't have a TBR pile that was bigger than me. This feels like nothing I have ever read before. I wish Rainbow Rowell would make the Simon Snow books a reality so that I could read them.
I am wishing for a sequel to 'Fangirl'.
I am wishing for a t-shirt that says 'Team Levi'.
I am wishing for a movie adaptation.

(I guess I will just have to start with the rest of Rainbow Rowell's books and see how I go with those first. That's usually what I do once I fall completely head over heels for fiction. )

What can I say. The perfect book for the bookish girl.

Also... I recommend this to pretty much anyone unless you hate Young-Adult fiction with female protagonists.

I apologise for any spoilers, overly vague notes or ranting that eluded my ever-not-so-clever editing eye.

Your Favourite Blogger,
Natalie

P.S. Did you Know that there is a whole heap of 'Fangirl' Fangirls out there in the big wide web? (Probably Fanboys too...) And, that some of them make Fan-art and/or write Fan-fiction. That's a special kind of inception, that is. Check out Rainbow Rowell's Pinterest Account to see coffee cup artwork, comic strips, edited photos and even nail art inspired by this awesome novel, created by fans of 'Fangirl'.