~ The Shelf ~

I’ve had a life long love affair with books. Cue everyone who knows me or who reads this rolling their eyes and thinking “really wouldn’t have guessed”. It evolved from Enid Blyton to the very grown up Danielle Steel’s that I buried myself in at 13 and now scorn at.. I’d happily chew my own arm off then struggle through the sickly pinkness. And with every year it kept going.

The hardest thing about doing book reviews is knowing where to start. Books are personal, one persons page turner is another’s uphill trek. I’ve moved house a few times in the past few years and it never feels like home until “The Shelf” is once again taken out of boxes. A collection of my favourite books,the ones that make me mumble incoherent answers at my poor house mates because “I’m at a good bit” , or simply stick in my bag before a bus journey. As much as I love sinking my teeth into something new I’m also a notorious re-reader and a select few books will be in any room of mine. So that’s where I’m going to begin.

“If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.”
― Oscar Wilde

Some of my favourite books have come from recommendations from friends. Often in a book store you are overwhelmed with options. There are so many titles swarming before your eyes that finding a glint between the coal stones is rare. You know that feeling where you don’t want an alright read you want a great one, and if someone could just toss one this way that would be great. I’m going to try. Let you know what I think on any of the comments. Come here to find new books, chat about your favourites and feel free to chip in with the ones that grabbed you.

“Books are a uniquely portable magic.”
― Stephen King

Let’s spread the magic.

The Perks of Reading Wallflowers

Title : The Perks of Being A wallflower
Author: Stephen Chbosky
Fall into : An angst filled indie loving novel that isn’t afraid to make fun of the angst filled indie type

Every time I pick up my copy of Perks I have Emma Watson staring back at me (I winced a little writing that). Actors should never be on my book covers. It means I have failed at life. I didn’t pick it up because it’s a truly great book (it is) or because I wanted to pursue a cult classic. I saw the trailer for the movie, it looked great and I had to read the book before I saw it, or the sky would fall. You’ll read that sentence and understand, in the way only book freaks can. Or you’ll worry about my stability.

Bookworms, we’re a unique bunch; bonding over our love of falling into a paperback and only occasionally emerging for air.

Written in the form of letters, Stephen Chbosky’s novel has gained something of a cult following as a symbol of the experience of adolescence. I admit that I was predisposed to wariness. Any book that screams teenage angst should have an approach with caution sign, it will either blow your mind, or make you want to blow your…..eh….mind. For a relatively small book, there’s a whole lot going on, and yet serious themes are approached with a refreshing frankness and realism .

Charlie, the novels protagonist spends a large proportion of the book as an avid observer. A freshman in high school, he watches from the safety of the side lines. His insight into the world around him portrays wisdom beyond his years and yet he exudes a compelling naivety. It becomes evident early on in the book that whist Charlie is gifted, he is also troubled.
Initially it’s easy to watch from the side-lines, if nobody is watching you, if you’re a wallflower. Then he meets Sam and Patrick, and finds himself hurled head first into a world of sex, drugs and The Rocky Horror picture show. The resulting narrations transport you back to a time in life when you’re fighting to find that delicate balance between establishing boundaries and knowing when to jump outside them.

“So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I’m still trying to figure out how that could be.”

As a reader, you find yourself looking back, appreciating the head rush that was every new experience…and thanking god you aren’t sixteen any more
While some of the issues raised in Perks are less ground breaking now then they were ten years ago when it was published, it has managed to capture the very essence of youth, one that will ring true whether you’re 23 or 60.
It really is a beautiful book and wonderfully well written. The voices within the pages are real: tender, ironic and crafted together with a gratifying amount of dark and twisted humour.