There is something nostalgic yet whimsical about these Alexander McQueen paper dolls. The cover has me itching to drive to the nearest bookstore, so that I can flip through the book and see the other designs. The description says that the book includes three dolls and over 30 costumes. I may not be able to fill my closet with McQueen but these paper reproductions are perfect for my budget.
Why: The product description reads, "An eloquent memoir of a young man's life transformed by literature. " A guy who loves Jane Austen? Be still my beating heart.
Why: A modern retelling of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Why: The making of Psycho and a real life murder.
Why: A retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale.
Why: A magic book and a traveling library. What more could a girl ask for? 
Why: I'm obsessed with the lives of women royals. 
I am a voracious reader, and nothing makes me happier than finding a book I can get lost in. Juliet by Anne Fortier is so good I wanted to start reading it again as soon as I had finished it. Since that was not an option as the book was borrowed from the library, I've been filling the void by searching out a copy of Romeo and Juliet (how can I have never read this? what kind of drama student am I?) and contemplating learning Italian so that I can have an Italian adventure of my own. In lieu of a trip to Italy, I can only hope that Ms. Fortier will write another novel. I leave you with the book trailer to tempt you into picking up a copy for yourself.
Gretchen Rubin's memoir, The Happiness Project, is an engaging look at what makes people happy. Rubin writes about living a good life but feeling like she could be happier, so she challenges herself to spend a year studying the art of happiness. Unlike Eat, Pray, Love, there is no international travel or love affair just a woman trying to make her everyday life a little happier. Each month Rubin focuses on a different theme. January is about boosting energy while June is dedicated to making time for friends. Plus, Rubin has set up a website were you can start your own Happiness Project. I'm all for making life a little happier!
Reading Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson is the next best thing to being on set. From Capote's shocking novel and Audrey's reluctance to play a call girl to Hubert de Givenchy's iconic black dress and the writing of "Moon River", Wasson's book delves into the behind the scenes drama of the movie as well as into American culture before the sexual revolution. My only complaint about this book is that it's too short!
Trends I loved
I hate to admit that I have not done any holiday reading. I'll get the urge to read Christmas fiction in July, but by the time December comes around, I'm on to other things. A few days ago I finished reading Persia Woolley's Child of the Northern Spring, the first in her Guinevere Trilogy. I have only an elementary understanding of the Arthurian Legend, but since I loved the movie The Mists of Avalon, I thought it would be nice to read a book from Guinevere's perspective. The novel follows Guinevere's wedding journey to meet Arthur, the new high king of Britain. On the way, Guinevere reminisces about growing up during a time of social upheaval with the collapse of the Roman Empire and the threats of Saxon invasions. While a little slow moving, the story is beautifully written and relaxing to read. I am interested to see how the characters introduced in Child of the Northern Spring evolve throughout the rest of the series. 
I admit I haven't seen the movie Eat Pray Love, but I read Elizabeth Gilbert's book and loved it. Her journey made me want to learn Italian, eat gelato, practice yoga, and travel the world. 
I just finished reading Lynn Shepherd's Murder at Mansfield Park for the Everything Austen II challenge and am so sad to have finished it because it was that good. Forget everything you know about Jane Austen's Mansfield Park and pretend she rewrote it as a murder mystery. Fanny Price is no longer the meek, good girl while Mary Crawford is the downtrodden heroine. When Fanny is brutally murdered, Mary sets out to solve the mystery. Intrigue, suspense, and a happy ending make this novel worth reading.
I just finished reading Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway's Lady Vernon and Her Daughter, a retelling of Jane Austen's Lady Susan. While I liked how Lady Vernon and Her Daughter captured Austen's style, I'm disappointed that Lady Susan is transformed from a calculating coquette into a damsel in distress. Instead of a captivating social climber, Lady Susan Vernon is a loving wife and mother who must shift for herself when her husband dies. Much like in Sense and Sensibility, Lady Vernon and her daughter, Frederica, are dependent on a male relation who refuses to offer them financial assistance or acknowledge that it is his duty to provide for these helpless women. I think if I had not read Lady Susan first I would have enjoyed this novel more.
To start off my reading for Stephanie's Written Word Everything Austen II challenge, I picked up Murder at Loungbourn by Tracy Kiely, and I have to say that this book was a lot of fun. Elizabeth Park attends her Aunt Winnie's New Year's Eve murder mystery party at her aunt's new B&B, The Inn at Loungbourn. When the town bully is shot and killed, it is up to Elizabeth to solve the murder before Aunt Winnie is thrown in jail. This book was a quick read. Every time the plot verged into the predictable a twist was there to pull me back into story.
