Tag Archives: Books

Find Your New Favourite Book on the Toronto Public Library’s Teen Reads List

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The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Even we still have a few more months before ‘All-I-Want-To-Do-Is-Lay-In-The-Sun-With-A-Slurpee-&-Read-A-Book’ summer holidays start, and you’re probably still bogged down with homework and extracurricular activities, it’s always good to have a book on the go and a few in mind for when you finish one… The Toronto Public Library has compiled some awesome ‘Teen Reads’ lists that will help you with your next selection! The six lists cover a broad range of themes such as ‘Dystopian Fiction’, ‘LGBTQ Teen Reads’ and ‘Immigration Stories’… Our favourite list, ’20 Books to Read Before you Turn 20′, includes some real page turners like The Bell Jar, The Golden Compass andMaus: A Survivor’s Tale. Check out their website and put a few on hold!

If you’re less of a book person, many of the works are available in an audio format which you can listen to on your way to and from school… and then later while you laze around in the sun in June!

Throne of Glass is a great, Hunger Games-esque late summer read that will have you rooting for young assassin Celaena

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Celaena Sardothien was a notorious young assassin until she was betrayed by someone close to her. Now, she must earn her freedom and the chance to become the King’s champion by competing against killers and thieves from all over the kingdom. This book is beautifully written and jam-packed with non stop action and wonderful characters. You will root for Celaena right from the beginning, this girl has been through a lot but has nerves of steel and is willing to do what it takes to survive. Throne of Glass is quickly becoming one of the must-read titles of this summer and for very good reason!

You’ll love it if you like: Fantasy and adventure

Read it: Right now! This is the book everyone is going to be talking about.

While you read, listen to: Lindsay Stirling

Lend it to: The Hunger Games fans

Read more of Kellie’s reviews at reawrite.com

A Review of The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson

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Decades into the future the ozone has been destroyed and the more privileged remainder of humanity are living in biodomes to help protect them from the sun. Owen Parker has not been so lucky, but when he wins the chance to attend summer camp in one of the domes, everything will change, from his love life to his genetic code. What if the lost city of Atlantis was real, and it holds the key to saving humanity? The Lost Code is a great adventure book that really gets you thinking about what you’re really capable of and how far you would go to protect the people you care about.

You’ll love it if you like: Mythology and adventure
Read it: For a change of pace from the all the female point of view books we’ve been reading
While you read, listen to: Boyce Avenue
Lend it to: A friend headed to summer camp

Find more of Kellie’s reviews on www.reawrite.com

Will The Perks of Being a Wallflower film measure up to the rawness of the original novel?

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There are few things (okay, maybe there are a greater number of things) more anxiety inducing than a film adaptation of a treasured book. Double that feeling if it’s a treasured childhood book.

For many MTV-Generationals, Steven Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower is requisite reading. It’s like Salinger for the un-snarky. Basic premise: “Charlie”, a shy and lonely teen, writes letters to an anonymous reader that detail various moments in his life.  Charlie’s letters hit certain topics like introversion, friendship, and shyness right on the head––which is what made this book of particular interest to me.

It introduced many to The Smiths’ sob-fest that is “Asleep”, and made many a teenager crave mix-tapes, a gaggle of misfit friends, as well as that one cool older teacher who just seems to, y’know, like understand. So imagine my fear when they released the trailer for The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It’s directed by Chbosky, the book’s author, which inspires a certain amount of confidence; but, the coming-of-age genre (in American film, especially) is rather over-saturated. While the book deftly, eloquently, and simply touches upon the motherlode of issues (depression, sexual abuse, homosexuality, etc.), I can’t help but feel that the film will be a sanitized version of a book.

The trailer itself ticks off the “awkward adolescent movie” formula. Indie rock? Check. Potential for manic pixie dream girl? Check. Obligatory wild house party scene? Triple check.  It’s bleary, wistful, and almost a little too constructed to ever measure up to the rawness of the novel. Do I feel pandered to? Less so than when I saw 500 Days of Summer, more so than when I watched Daydream Nation. While the trailer gives a decent-enough impression of the film (and again, I can’t really knock it, until I’ve seen it), it does nothing to inspire confidence in die-hard fans of the book.

The cast is an absolute teen dream, trust. Ezra Miller, whose turn as the psychotic Kevin in We Need to Talk About Kevin, was nothing short of terrifying, plays Patrick, one of Charlie’s friends.  Emma Watson, fresh off of My Week with Marilyn and the Harry Potter series, plays Sam. The titular role goes to Logan Lerman, who you may remember from Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Add to this Nina Dobrev (yes, The Vampire Diaries’ Nina Dobrev), and you’ve got your teen bases covered. Rounding out the adult cast are the ever affable Paul Rudd, the consistently-on-point Melanie Lynskey,  Kate Walsh, and Dylan McDermott.

The Selection by Kiera Cass

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America Singer grew up without pretty dresses and formal dances, but when she is given the chance to compete to marry Prince Maxon, she has to learn how to look and act like a princess if she wants the chance to change everything for her family. But, it’s never that simple: America is already in love with someone else, and knows she will have to make a choice. This book offers the perfect mental getaway for anyone who ever wanted to be a princess (or a contestant on The Bachelor) while keeping you guessing and dying to know what happens next. The characters are great and you’ll be rooting for them right from the first chapter.

You’ll love it if you like: Reality TV & romance with a twist

Read it: To get your Hunger Games fix

While you read, listen to:  She & Him

Lend it to: Your friend who never stopped wanting to be a princess

Prom Reads: Books to get you excited for prom

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Remember how fictional high school South Glen South of 1999′s seminal classic Never Been Kissed had a prom that was themed “Famous Couples Throughout History,” and most of the couples were from literature, like Drew’s CLASSIC Rosaline from As You Like It? Prom is about fantasy on a lot of levels, and so is fiction. So while you’re dreaming up the perfect shoes for your feet and dress for your bod, we found you the perfect book for your nose. … Because books are where your nose goes. ANYWAY, check out the fiction that suits your fashion by giving a glance to one of these hot new titles.

If this is your dress: Modcloth With Only A Wink dress in navy, sizes xs-4x, $139.99  

And these are your shoes: Modcloth I’m Pumped Heel, sizes 5.5-10, $34.99 

Then this is your prom read: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
One of our favourite books of all time, this cult favourite novel is about to be made into a film. In the book, Charlie writes letters to an anonymous stranger about his high school experiences on the social fringe, and meeting the girls and hearing the songs that change everything.

If this is your dress: Urban Outfitters Reverse Faux-Leather bustier dress, sizes M-L, $89 

And these are your shoes: Forever 21 Knotted Platform Sandals, sizes 6-10, $29.80.

Then this is your prom read: The Unbecoming of Mara Dwyer
After Mara Dwyer wakes up in the hospital with no memory of how she got there, she must embark on a mission to uncover the truth about the accident that put her in a coma and killed her friends. But Mara’s hunt for the truth coincides with the arrival in her life of a handsome and distracting boy. This darkly funny book manages to tackle love and loss with equal parts irreverence and sincerity.

If this is your dress: Talula Fleetwood Dress,$75. 

And these are your shoes: Urban Outfitters Mia Braided Quarter Strap Heel, sizes 7-10, $79

Then this is your prom read: Shrinking Violet
This book is the inspiration for the Disney Channel original film Radio Rebel, and tells the story of a high school senior who’s painfully shy in the halls—but a sassy success when she scores her own radio show. But when the station runs a contest, and the prize is taking her to prom, her worlds threaten to collide. 

If this is your dress: Sydney’s Closet Go for the Gold Dress, sizes 14-24, $258.

And these are your shoes: Aldo Durling High Heel, sizes 5-11, $100

Then this is your prom read: Fat Hoochie Prom Queen
It’s a fight to the death (er.. crown) between the ‘fat, foxy and fabulous’ Madge Diaz and student-body president Bridget Benson, as the two girls try to settle their four-year long rivalry by beating the other to be Winter Park High School’s prom queen. The two girls get sassy and sneaky as they try to outshine each other and win the title. 

If this is your dress: BCBG Kyra Bustier Evening Gown, sizes XXS-L, $248.

And these are your shoes: Nine West Danee, sizes 5-11, $120. 

Then this is your prom read: When You Were Mine
Think Romeo and Juliet is the most romantic story of our time? Rosaline disagrees when her crazy former bff Juliet shows up and throws her new relationship with dream-guy Rob into turmoil. Rosaline, Romeo’s original intended even in Shakespeare’s play, tells her side of the story in a modern reworking of the romantic classic.