Literate & Stylish: Lindsay from elledoubleyouu

The premise of Literate & Stylish is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos showing off her personal style, along with her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it. 

from Lindsay (aka LW) of elledoubleyouu
 
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

As a high school English teacher and a voracious lifelong reader, I am constantly asked The Dreaded Question: what is my favorite book? I have come to realize that the reason I dread this question and have such difficulty answering it is that at this point in my life as a reader I have many different relevant responses, varying by genre, country, time period, etc., all filed away in my head.

So, for this feature I racked my brain to pick the perfect book to share. I considered a number of options, including The Sound and the Fury, The Time Traveler's Wife, Angelology, and Wuthering Heights. In the end, I decided to share one of my favorite books I've read in the past year, from my current favorite Young Adult author, Maggie Stiefvater. I have always been interested in YA fiction, and what I love about Stiefvater is that she takes mythology (such as werewolves and water horses) and writes about them within the YA conventions in a manner that is beautiful and intelligent. The Scorpio Races is Stiefvater's most recent novel, based on the mythology of water horses. Although I had never read or heard anything about the water horses prior to reading The Scorpio Races, I was pulled in by Stiefvater's action-packed descriptions of the racing, the majestic and otherworldly horses, and mostly by her characters, with whom I fell in love. One hing Stiefvater does so incredibly well in this book is to make characters that feel tangible and likeable and unique all at once. Sean Kendrick is nothing like your run-of-the-mill modern day YA male protagonist, which makes him even more delicious and intriguing.

This book has everything: horses, magic, action, a hot book boyfriend, a non-cliche love story, and an endearing female underdog to root for. Add in Stiefvater's bewitching way with words, and this book instantly rocketed onto my ever growing list of favorite books (mentally filed under YA and recently read).

I won't give any more away, but I strongly suggest reading this book, as well as Stiefvater's other novels.

see previous Literate & Stylish posts here. 

I used Amazon Affiliate linking in this post. To visit Amazon without my link, click here.  

Literate & Stylish: Elisabeth of Manic Mrs. Stone

The premise of Literate & Stylish is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos showing off her personal style, along with her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it. 

from Elisabeth of Manic Mrs. Stone

Diet For a New America by John Robbins

Diet for a New America is the book that made me fall for one of the leaders of the food revolution - John Robbins (yes… I have a crush on a 64 year-old).  It became my favorite book almost immediately upon reading it.

John Robbins is the only son of Irv Robbins.  You know, of the Baskin-Robbins empire?  He grew up with the luxury of a huge home, an ice-cream cone shaped swimming pool, enough wealth to live however he pleased, and the promise of this entire empire that would be put in his name when the time came. But he left all this wealth to go out in search for his true and passionate purpose in life.  He believed strongly that food had a huge impact on health and couldn’t be a part of an industry with good intentions, but bad results.  That in itself is pretty much…wow.  I can’t help but admire a person like that.  

Diet for a New America was his first in a series of amazing and influential books.  It is a pro-vegan book that exposes the corporate takeover and corruption of the food industry as well as the pain and inhumanity we unknowingly inflict of other beings of this earth all while inspiring the reader to take more positive and healthful actions for themselves and their planet. There was very little I actually knew about these topics before reading this.  But this well-researched, passionate and revealing book has changed my perspective and my life.  I can’t help but feel inspired and motivated. 

Diet for a New America has been the spark that lit my passion for food revolution and activism.  John Robbins has a beautiful and powerful way of inspiring and encouraging a thoughtful way of living.  Even someone that has no interest in veganism or changing their current lifestyle would benefit from reading this (or watching the documentary made from the book…shhh).

see previous Literate & Stylish posts here. 

I used Amazon Affiliate linking in this post. To visit Amazon without my link, click here.  

Literate & Stylish: Mandy of Oh Dizzle

The premise of Literate & Stylish is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos showing off her personal style, along with her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it. 

from Mandy of Oh Dizzle

Black Swan Green by David Mitchell

During college, I studied abroad for a year in the United Kingdom. The UK was the place where I learned how to drink, how to speak "British" semi-fluently, how to write a 12 page research paper, and how to really step out on my own for the first time.

During the spring, I decided take a week long trip to Ireland on my own. Traveling alone for the first time was terrifying but exhilarating. I didn't have any restrictions on where I could go or how long I could stay. I loved the freedom it gave me, but it also meant that there were a few long stretches of time to fill.

As I faced a long bus ride from Dublin to Kilkenny, I decided to pick up a new novel to keep me company. Black Swan Green by David Mitchell had been on the featured table in bookstores for months, and I figured I'd give it a shot, as I'd enjoyed Mitchell's other book Cloud Atlas. Three pages in, and I was hooked. Black Swan Green details the life of Jason, a thirteen year old in 1980's rural England. He gets in and out of scrapes, meets extremely interesting characters, and, as is common in these sorts of books, comes of age. I held on tight to that book through the rest of my trip, reading it on buses, in hostels, in cafes and even in the ruins of old Irish forts. I couldn't escape the hold it had on me, even when the green hills of Ireland beckoned. I finished it waiting in the airport for my flight back to England, and got teary as I turned the last page. It was like leaving one of the best travel companions I ever had.

A few years later, I was lucky enough to meet David Mitchell at a book signing. As he signed my book, I told him about how Black Swan Green entranced me on my trip through Ireland. He apologized for causing me to be too involved with the book to properly see Ireland. I assured him that it was an absolute pleasure.

see previous Literate & Stylish posts here. 

I used Amazon Affiliate linking in this post. To visit Amazon without my link, click here.  

Literate & Stylish: Lindsay from Daily Doily

The premise of Literate & Stylish is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos showing off her personal style, along with her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it. 

from Lindsay of Daily Doily

Dangerous Angels by Francesca Lia Block

Before there was The Twilight Saga, there was Dangerous Angels: The Weetzie Bat Book Series.  It's been quite a few years since I read these, but I remember them being so magical.  It changed the way I felt about books.  I became a part of Weetzie Bat's enchanting dream world and I didn't want to leave.  It is a gritty, luminous modern day fairy tale about the struggles of growing up, love, lust, pain and heartbreak.  I loved the character's names (My Secret Agent Lover Man & Witch Baby) and unique language (lanky lizards!).  I'm looking forward to reading it again.  Love is a dangerous angel...

see previous Literate & Stylish posts here. 

I used Amazon Affiliate linking in this post. To visit Amazon without my link, click here.  

Literate & Stylish: Michele from Short Girl, Long Island

The premise of Literate & Stylish is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos showing off her personal style, along with her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it. 

from Michele of Short Girl, Long Island

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

In 1999, I discovered Nick Hornby's High Fidelity. As a former music major and mix tape connoisseur, I immediately connected with the protagonist, Rob. The pop culture references, “top five” lists, and banter between Rob and his friends at the record store Rob owns, are fantastic. Whenever I hear the Katrina and the Waves' song, "Walking on Sunshine," High Fidelity immediately comes to mind. The novel also showcases the relationship of Rob and his girlfriend, Laura, who is growing impatient as she waits for Rob to enter adulthood, even though he is already in his mid-thirties. I find myself smiling often and frequent laugh out loud when I read this book – I’ve read it at least half a dozen times, and picked it up over the weekend to read again. This book is like comfort food to me, no matter how often I enjoy, I never get sick of it.

If you enjoyed the book and would like to read more in the realm of music and pop culture, I highly recommend the works of Chuck Klosterman and Rob Sheffield. If you’d like to read more by Hornby, About a Boy and How to Be Good were also excellent reads.

Michele’s Top Five Favorite Books
01. High Fidelity – Nick Hornby
02. Invisible Monsters – Chuck Palahniuk
03. Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs – Chuck Klosterman
04. Love Is a Mix Tape – Rob Sheffield
05. Still Life With Woodpecker – Tom Robbins

see previous Literate & Stylish posts here. 

I used Amazon Affiliate linking in this post. To visit Amazon without my link, click here. 

Literate & Stylish: Rachel of Smile and Wave

The premise of Literate & Stylish is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos showing off her personal style, along with her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it. 

from Rachel of Smile and Wave

These days it seems like most of the books in rotation are full of illustrations and about 25 pages long thanks to my two sweet kids who jump at the chance to visit the library. I have fond memories of hours spent in our public library in Northern California. My mom would take us there and we'd sit in the reading pit and work through most things by Maurice Sendak, James Marshall, or Jan & Stan Berenstain before visiting the real live, caged bears across the creek at the park. It was always an exciting trip. One of the books I remember being so intrigued by was Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. They were so odd and a bit less restricted than a lot of the other stories and poems I'd been exposed to which made quite an impression. I recently found a copy at a thrift store to add to our own library at home and have enjoyed rereading passages and recognizing the illustrations to poems I loved the most.

The majority of our books have come from thrift stores - they seem to hold so many classics. I generally look for familiar books or those that have great illustrations or have won an award. I love watching my kids enjoy a book I loved at their age and it honestly makes it so much more enjoyable when it's the ninth or tenth read through in a few days! My own reading list includes a new memoir from Anne Lamott, Some Assembly Required, as well as a host of new parenting books such as Playful Learning by Mariah Bruehl, and 50 Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do) by Gever Tulley and Julie Spiegler. I'm also on the lookout for a guilty pleasure summer read before the summer ends! What do you suggest?

see previous Literate & Stylish posts here. 

I used Amazon Affiliate linking in this post. To visit Amazon without my link, click here. 

Literate & Stylish: Elizabeth of Yellow Finch Designs

The premise of Literate & Stylish is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos showing off her personal style, along with her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it. 

from Elizabeth of Yellow Finch Designs

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Who would have thought picking one book to single out as a favorite would be so difficult. As I browsed the bookshelves of our home I found several authors (and books) that could easily be considered a favorite. Wally Lamb, Toni Morrison, Michael Dorris and Cormac McCarthy to name a few. But when it came down to the final decision all I had to do was glance at my nightstand. There rested a copy of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. A book that is worn and creased with crinkled pages and scribbled notes. By far, one of my favorite novels.  

The Handmaid's Tale is set in a futurist world that is filled with chaos where women are depicted as property of a society that is ruled by men. It is told through the point of view of a single female character who has been stripped of her identity and classified into a group of women whose purpose in society is to reproduce. The story unravels a tale between her and the Commander that she has been assigned to reproduce with in Gilead, the country where this story takes place. Atwood develops that main character by interspersing flashbacks to a period when she was married and trying to escape tyranny of the county. This novel touches on many subjects of great depth including modern feminism, social rankings, human sexuality and totalitarian rule. Subject matters that can be transported to our current society and debated to this day. If you haven't had the chance to read one of Margret Atwood's several novels, short stories or poems I highly recommend a trip to the library. They will take you on a futuristic adventure that you won't want to miss!

see previous Literate & Stylish posts here. 

I used Amazon Affiliate linking in this post. To visit Amazon without my link, click here.  

*Submissions for this feature are now closed as I begin to wrap up all of the posts I've already received!

Literate & Stylish: Kirstin of KALANAG

The premise of Literate & Stylish is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos showing off her personal style, along with her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it. 

from Kirstin of KALANAG

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kilping

 I first picked up this book at a shop in Kampala, Uganda. The movie, "The Jungle Book" had been a favorite for me as a child, and the idea of something familiar was comforting for me while abroad. I was so pleasantly surprised when, flipping past the preface to the first page, my eyes were met with the most beautiful poetry. "Oh, hear the call! - Good hunting all, that keep the Jungle Law!" - The Night Song in the Jungle. It still sends a shiver of inspiration down to the tiniest nerves in my toes! This is certainly not what was expected out of a childhood favorite of which, I thought, I knew. Among the pages of this classic, yet whimsical book are tales of an abandoned Indian boy named Mowgli and the wolf tribe that raises him. A courageously clever mongoose who fights off the evil baby biting snake, and the infamous but very much so misunderstood, naughty tiger, Shere Kahn. The royal elephant for whom after my blog is named, Kala Nag, will steal your heart just as he has stolen mine. In between my time spent in the villages of Danita and Walukaba, I was reading this delightful collection of stories and poetry with a cup of sweet black chai and a beautiful red African dog, named Dora, at my feet. To this day, cracking it open brings me back to a time when I did not have diapers to wash, or lentils to simmer in a pot, parking tickets and a sink full of dishes. It escorts me back to an adventurous era of my life in which my only responsibility was to listen to stories of courage, respond with compassion, and tell those stories to ears who could not hear them first hand.

The story of "How Fear Came" was especially influential to me while I was living in Uganda. There were so many things that I struggled understand, the cruelty of war, the effects of poverty, children going hungry and genocide being just a few. Reading the story of how fear, or evil, came into the world, from the raspy voice of the eldest and wisest jungle elephant helped me to internalize and digest the evil I had heard stories of. It helped me to not hate the people who had inflicted so much pain on the ones I had grown to love, but to understand that even the cruelest people have a story to tell. Now that I am a mother, this is a treasured book of tales that I look forward read to my sweet son, as soon as he is able to not rip the pages to unrecognizable bits of paper and slobber. This book will follow me into all the seasons of my life to come, as a reminder of that time of learning and growing. I highly recommend you find a well read copy at your local library, or used book store, and for me, read it with a cup of steaming chai tea.

 Photos by Aiyana Taylor 

 

see previous Literate & Stylish posts here.

I used Amazon Affiliate linking in this post. To visit Amazon without my link, click here.