The nineteenth century: mystery, adventure, magic, the supernatural, orphans, the industrial age of machinery and steam; all good stuff. Here’s a selection of fiction set in Victorian times (strictly speaking 1837 to 1901), mostly in London.

1. The Hunchback Assignments, by Arthur Slade. Steampunk mystery! The catalogue says: “In Victorian London, fourteen-year-old Modo, a shape-changing hunchback, becomes a secret agent for the Permanent Association, which strives to protect the world from the evil machinations of the Clockwork Guild.”
2. Clockwork Angel, Cassandra Clare. Speaking of steampunk, Cassandra Clare brings her world of shadowhunters and Magnus Bane to 19th century London, complete with automatons.
3. The Agency series, Y S Lee. Speaking of mystery. Mary Quinn is an orphan rescued from death by hanging and set to work for a detective agency (masquerading as Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls) as an undercover agent, investigating mysterious deaths. Which is a much better fate.
4. The Monstrumologist, Rick Yancey. The monstrumologist is Doctor Pellinore Warthrop, and 12 year old Will Henry is his apprentice. Together they hunt and study monsters, epic and mythic and horrible. The sequel is The Curse of the Wendigo and – stop press! – The Isle of Blood has recently arrived.
5. Everlasting, Angie Frazier. Described as part romance, part adventure, Everlasting tells the story of Camille, who travels from San Francisco to Australia on her father’s ship, only to have the ship founder, and to discover a letter from her supposedly dead mother (complete with treasure map to a magic stone that holds the secret to immortality). The first mate is where the romance comes in.
6. A Great and Terrible Beauty, Libba Bray. A fantastical, magical adventure story (again, with some romance), in which Gemma Doyle arrives in England after the violent death of her mother in India, and becomes aware of a frightening and wonderful spiritual realm, and her own considerable magical power.
7. Whisper My Name, Jane Eagland. Set in 1885, Whisper my name is a Victorian mystery with a backdrop of séances and mediums – the author says on her website: “A fascination with the world of Victorian spiritualism, the British in India, nineteenth century theatre and science all form part of the mix.”
8. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens. It wouldn’t do not to include the king of Victorian fiction.
9. Bewitching Season, Marissa Doyle. More intrigue: “In 1837, as seventeen-year-old twins, Persephone and Penelope, are starting their first London Season they find that their beloved governess, who has taught them everything they know about magic, has disappeared.” (catalogue)
10. Folly, Marthe Jocelyn. “In a parallel narrative set in late nineteenth-century England, teenaged country girl Mary Finn relates the unhappy conclusion to her experiences as a young servant in an aristocratic London household while, years later, young James Nelligan describes how he comes to leave his beloved foster family to live and be educated at London’s famous Foundling Hospital.” (catalogue)

Dior couture / photographed by Patrick Demarchelier ; creative direction, Fabien Baron ; essay, Ingrid Sischy ; foreword, Jeff Koons.

It’s movie awards season so lots of blah blah blahing about celebrities and what they wear on the red carpet, especially in the countdown to the Oscars.  New York’s The Cut wrote this interesting post about just how much it costs to dress a star for an awards ceremony.  They focus on this outfit worn by Charlize Theron to the Golden Globes – which ‘cost’ just over $8 million.   The lovely dress by Dior cost $30 thousand alone (hence, the link to the Dior Couture book, which we have in our collection – reserve here – and is lovely by the way).  YES that much money!
BUT all on loan, not a cent actually paid for by the star - naturally.

Who’s your favourite red carpet outfit / celebrity?

Do you want to share your views on the direction of Wellington? To get involved in the planning and development of Council services? Joining the Wellington City Youth Council can give you the chance to advise the Wellington City Council on issues that affect the city’s youth.

Keen? Members must be between 12-24 years of age, live inside Wellington City Council’s boundaries and be willing to come to meetings at WCC, 4.00-5.30pm every 2nd Wednesday. For more information and an online application form, look here. Applications must be submitted by Jan 31st.

You can also connect with the Youth Council on Facebook and share your ideas and views that way as well!

(Michael Whittaker by Brent Chua – Fashionisto)

This is Michael Whittaker, a New Zealand model who’s making it big New York. Pretty isn’t he?
You may remember him from this Hallensteins ad.

If you enjoy hearing about models and their glamorous lives, or you want to be a model, may I recommend this documentary by former-model Sara Ziff – Picture Me: a Model’s Diary.  It’s about her time modelling in New York and Paris, as she became quite successful.  During the years she worked as model Sara recorded her experiences in a video diary and interviewed her fellow models about their experiences.  It’s bit of an eye-opener and an interesting glimpse into the fashion world.

Each year at approximately this time the American Library Association announces the winners of its prestigious book awards, generating much excitement. Here’s a quick summary of the deserved winners this year:

Newbery Medal Winner

The Newbery Medal is one of the most prestigious awards for writers of children’s fiction (and sometimes teen-type books win it also).

• Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos

Printz Award Winner

The Printz Award is given for excellence in young adult literature.

• Where Things Come Back, by John Corey Whaley

Printz Honour Books

• Why We Broke Up, by Daniel Handler
• The Returning, by Christine Hinwood
• Jasper Jones, by Craig Silvey
• The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater

Alex Awards

The Alex Awards are for the best books that appeal to a young adult audience. There are 10 Alex Award winners (we have some in the general fiction collection):

1. Big Girl Small, by Rachel DeWoskin
2. In Zanesville, by Jo Ann Beard
3. The Lover’s Dictionary, by David Levithan
4. The New Kids: Big Dreams and Brave Journeys at a High School for Immigrant Teens, by Brooke Hauser
5. The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern
6. Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline
7. Robopocalypse: A Novel, by Daniel H. Wilson
8. Salvage the Bones, by Jesmyn Ward
9. The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel in Pictures, by Caroline Preston
10. The Talk-Funny Girl, by Roland Merullo

If you’re interested in reading award winning books, have a look at these previous posts.

We all know the feeling of having very high expectations for something, and then being disappointed with an unfavourable outcome. It seemed quite likely that this would happen with The Fault in Our Stars. I’m a big fan of John Green (whether it be his books, video blogs, or general being), I’d had this book pre-ordered for six months, and I’d listened to the pre-released first and second chapters many times. But, even with my sky-high expectations, this novel exceeded them beyond what I could have imagined.

The Fault in Our Stars is amazing. The blurbs from authors on the back and reviews from critics say much the same thing: That TFiOS is both extremely funny, extremely sad, and extremely thought-provoking. This is so true. The transition between quotes and scenes that have you in stitches, tears, or pondering the meaning of life seem so unexpected, yet never misplaced, and keep the wonderful pacing I’ve always found Green’s books to have.

The two main characters, Hazel and Augustus, are both very witty and very intelligent cancer survivors. Even though their conversations are deliciously interesting and entertaining, it is continually stressed that suffering from cancer does not make them hold all knowledge and the secrets of the universe, a cliche that is far too embraced in the world of ‘cancer stories’. But even with the too-good-to-be-true aspects of their personalities many fictional characters possess, these characters also have flaws and shortcomings that make them real. I felt myself relating to them, even though the only thing I really have in common with Hazel is being a teenage girl.

A great way to sum up my thoughts and feelings on this book is said by Hazel herself:

“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all humans read the book.”

In short, I love this book insane amounts and everyone– teens and adults– should read it.

~ Lucy

[If you've read something good lately, then tell us about it! It's easy! Plus we like hearing from you. Ed.]

Men’s fashion week is well underway in Milan at the moment.  All I can say is men’s fashion week presentations = some very strange men’s fashions.  Case in point:

Studded bedazzled denim!

(Versace 2012 – Fashionisto)

And what appears to be my mother’s purple cape from the 1980s!

(Roberto Cavalli 2012 – Fashionisto)

But in all seriousness, the best men’s fashions can be seen off the runway, captured by the street-style-bloggers.  Check out the best – Tommy Ton for style.com.  Them’s some much-better-looking dudes.

Here are the first batch of new books for the year. Please come and take them so we have some space on our shelves. But return them! And take some more! That is how libraries work.

Assault – Recon Team Angel, by Brian Faulkner (365 pages) – This is the first in a series set in the future (2030!) when we are at war with aliens. Recon Team Angel is an elite multinational group of teens who have been training for years. On X-Boxes, haha. Nah, joke. “Haha.” Their first mission; to sneak behind enemy lines and get into a top-secret alien facility.

First lines: ‘This is not a history book. The achievements of 4th Reconnaisannce Team (designation: Angel) of the Allied Combined Operation Group 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, from November 2030 through to July 2035, during the Great Bzadian War, are well documented by scholars and historians.‘

Equinox – The Rosie Black Chronicles Book Two, by Lara Morgan – It is five centuries into the future, most of Australia is submerged, and ‘Rosie’s dad is locked away, Pip has abandoned her, and Riley isn’t telling her the full story. Bent on revenge, Rosie is still working in secret to try and take down the evil Helios group. But what sacrifices is she prepared to make to destroy Helios?’ SO many names

First line: ‘Rosie took a steadying breath, licked her finger and touched it to her eye. The identification-distorter lens stuck to her skin and she lifted off her iris.‘

Stealing Phoenix, by Joss Stirling (265 pages) – Phoenix is part of a group of thieves with paranormal powers (they are quite cool but I won’t ruin it for you), and she is set to rob Yves Benedict, an American student visiting London. But lo! she discovers that he is ‘her destiny’ and ‘her soulmate’, and as there is no room for love amongst thieves, Phoenix must save herself and Yves. Which is pronounced like ‘Eve’ so you know.

First lines: ‘The boy seemed the perfect target. He stood at the back of a group taking the tour of the London Olympic stadium, attention on the construction vehicles beetling up the huge ramp to the athletes’ entrance, not on the thief watching him.‘

Outlaw, by Stephen Davies (236 pages) – Jake is fifteen and is sent to live with his parents in North Africa after getting into trouble one too many times at his English boarding school. Unfortunately he is kidnapped by Yakuuba Sor, the most wanted outlaw in the Sahara desert. Is he a terrorist or is he more like Robin Hood, without a forest?

First lines: ‘Jake Knight ran along the deserted towpath past Armley Mills and the Industrial Museum. It was two o’clock in the morning and he was so far out of bounds it was not even funny.‘

Good Fortune, by Noni Carter (489 pages) – Ayanna Bahati is brutally taken from her African village and brought to America, as a slave on a plantation. It’s a very dangerous life, but she’s able to secretely teach herself to read and write. Later she risks everything and escapes, heading north where she can be free and get an education; ‘can she shed the chains of her harrowing past to live the life she has longed for?‘

First lines: ‘His hand came down upon my cheek hard and fast. Stunned, I staggered backward.‘

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, by Jennifer E. Smith (236 pages) – Hadley is stuck at JFK airport after missing her flight to London. She meets Oliver, a Brit, who is also on the same flight as her. They talk and he’s pretty perfect, so they fall in love. Love! There when you least expect it, like a northerly gale in summer. Anyway, they lose track of each other once they land – can serendipity bring them back together? Is that the right word? A romantic comedy!

First line: ‘There are so many ways it could have all turned out differently.‘

Bittersweet, by Sarah Ockler (378 pages) – Hudson was a pretty swell ice skater, but when her parents divorced when she was fourteen, she ditches the sport and makes cupcakes for her mother’s upscale diner. But when she starts coaching the boys’ ice hockey team she rethinks her choices re: ice skating and taking chances with her life. Also a cute boy comes along.

First line: ‘It was the biggest competition night of my life, but all I could think about was the cheetah bra.‘

The Song of the Quarkbeast : A Last Dragonslayer Novel, by Jasper Fforde (290 pages) – This is the sequel to The Last Dragonslayer, which I didn’t read but DO know was very good. Fforde’s books are very difficult to put down, and why shouldn’t this be an exception.

First lines: ‘I work in the magic industry. I think you’ll agree it’s pretty glamorous: a life full of spells, potions and whispered enchantments; of levitation, vanishings and alchemy.‘

Anna Dressed in Blood, by Kendare Blake (316 pages) – Cas Lowood kills the dead. He travels the country with his mother, a witch, and their spirit-sniffing cat, listening to local lore and legend. They go to kill a ghost called Anna Dressed in Blood (she’s covered in blood you know), who has killed everyone who has gone to get her. Except Cas, for some reason? Read to find out!

First line: ‘The grease-slicked hair is a dead giveaway – no pun intended.‘

Here is a pretty funny spoof trailer for The Hunger Games. Thanks for reading this far. I appreciate it.

Virtuosity, by Jessica Martinez (294 pages) – ‘Just before the most important violin competition of her career, seventeen-year-old prodigy Carmen faces critical decisions about her anti-anxiety drug addiction, her controlling mother, and a potential romance with her most talented rival,’ says the catalogue. Can’t beat the catalogue for a precise synopsis.

First line: ‘The balcony felt cold under my cheek.’

Paradise, by Joanna Nadin (262 pages) – Billie Paradise inherits her grandmother’s house, which is by the sea, and a definite improvement on the rental flat she lives in with her mum. But living in her mum’s childhood home dredges up secrets that might be best kept undregded. Buried. Underground.

First line: ‘We all have secrets.‘

Hey, did you guys know that Young Adult authors Libba Bray, Natalie Standiford, Dan Ehrenhaft and Barnabas Miller are all in a band called Tiger Beat together? I didn’t! Not until this morning when I saw this video of them performing “YA Song” in the New York Public Library.

You can play “spot the literary references” with the lyrics as well. They throw in some Hunger Games and some Catcher In The Rye, what else can you pick out?

Christian Louboutin

I’ve been enjoying this incredibly glamorous new book about shoe designer Christian Louboutin.  It looks at all the shoes Louboutin has ever created, cataloging them in full-page colourful detail along with his career history.  Shoe heaven really – if you’re so inclined (those red soled stilettos are a bit ‘Kardashian’ for my tastes). 

And to top it all off, the book is covered in flesh-coloured (eessch!) leather.  With this hilarious pop-up flower/ladies legs in the back.  (The whole package isn’t it!?)