Fashion Babylon by Imogen Edward-Jones & Anonymous

If you love fashion, love the catwalk and the labels and the gossip then this is the book for you. In the same series as Hotel Babylon, this book uses a fictional designer to deliver true tales from behind the scenes of the crazy fashion world.

How do those models stay that thin, who is taking what, why do the seasons change, who decides what??? The list is endless. You feel, by reading this book, that you are eavesdropping on a delicious conversation about all the famous household names. We all aspire to look good, but at what cost will the industry go to keep our interest?

It is a naughty, gripping, revealing no-holds-barred-sneaky-peek behind the scenes of a world most of us will never be lucky enough to grace!

I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to read others by this author.

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

Catch 22 is a satirical novel set in world war 2. I didn't have a clue what to expect from it, other than it was most popular in the "best books" lists I browse on occasion. These usually tweak my curiosity and I bought the book with no preconceptions...well only that it was considered one of the greatest literary creations to come out of the 20th century. No pressure there then!

It mainly follows the plight of Yossarian a Bombardier, and many others from his squadron. Although on the whole I know little about the American involvement in Italy, the satire was not lost on me and even to someone who knows little about the army, the book entertained me page by page.

Catch 22 itself is a contradictory military rule where one cannot win. The desired outcome is unattainable. For example, Yossarian wishes to be grounded from his flight missions in the grounds that he is crazy. The Dr informs him that he could ground him due to him being crazy but the fact he has told the Dr he is crazy actually points to the fact that he is sane. To fly more missions would mean he was crazy but to ask to be grounded due to insanity means you are rational enough to know the danger you are in therefore you are sane! Due to this catch 22 no crazy man who asks to be grounded because of insanity can actually be grounded because by asking they are classed as sane!

Mind whirring brilliance!

Sense and Sensibility By Jane Austen

The story revolves around Elinor and Marianne, two daughters of Mr. Dashwood by his second wife. They have a younger sister, Margaret, and an older half-brother named John. When their father dies, the family estate passes to John, and the women are left in reduced circumstances. The novel follows the Dashwood sisters to their new home, a cottage on a distant relatives property, where they experience both romance and heartbreak. The contrast between the sisters' characters is eventually resolved as they each find love and lasting happiness. Through the events in the novel, Elinor and Marianne find a balance between sense (or pure logic) and sensibility (or pure emotion) in life and love. (Taken from Wikipedia.com...couldnt have said it better myself!!)

Sorry but this book was so awful in my opinion I couldn't bear to review it. All women seem to do in those days is sit brooding over which loser of a man is in love with them or become utterly devastated when something doesn't go right with said gentleman! They should have had a version of the Jeremy Kyle show in those days to go and spar it out! I couldn't take all the unnecessary drama!

In it's favour it was very beautifully written with wonderful use of English. Shame the content was like dull dishwater!

Sorry I think I have just massacred a classic! I feel strongly though, I have to warn people not to waste days of their precious lives reading this twaddle.

I should have had more "sense" not to read it! Never mind.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel has become a classic much loved across the world, so I was curious to see what the fuss was all about. The themes that threw themselves at me were certainly morality based issues affecting many of us today, which is why i think the book has remained so popular.

As Scout and Jem grow up in their innocent child-world, life full of game and adventure with Dill, their father Articus Finch seems old and dull in comparison. The children spend their days tormenting the Radley house to catch a glimpsp of Boo Radley who no one has seen in years, and of whom rumours around the children are rife.

Articus, the moral hero of the book who's integrity and warmth are one of my favourite things about the novel, warns them off the Radley "adventure" they are on and the children slowly begin to open their eyes to the prejudice in their town.

Mirroring this prejudice, the children become increasingly aware of the case of Tom Robinson. Their father is representing him in a trail where he is accused of raping a local girl. The evidence is stacked in his favour, but the colour of his skin is not.

The children witness the atrocious behaviour of many of their so-called friends and neighbours and begin to see Articus in a different light.

Although the battle is lost before it is fought, Articus displays an unnerving defence for poor innocent Tom. The battle is subsequently lost, but the war is not. Though his rigorous and righteous battle for Tom, the community in which they had almost lost faith in seem to be moving some step forward thanks to this event.

It surfaces afterwards that Articus was not the only soldier fighting this war and others in the community have influenced the turn of events.

The readers eyes are opened to a corruption and evil present in all our societies. One would hope we all had a good sized share of Articus Finch's courage within us.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a thought provoking, impact-fulled read so relevant to our world today.
Sometimes a story though the eyes of a child makes more sense than any other.