MiniReview//Primates of Park Avenue

Primates of Park Avenue by Wednesday Martin Goodreads | Amazon

Published by Simon & Schuster June 2, 2015

256 Pages

Source: Library

Like an urban Dian Fossey, Wednesday Martin decodes the primate social behaviors of Upper East Side mothers in a brilliantly original and witty memoir about her adventures assimilating into that most secretive and elite tribe.

After marrying a man from the Upper East Side and moving to the neighborhood, Wednesday Martin struggled to fit in. Drawing on her background in anthropology and primatology, she tried looking at her new world through that lens, and suddenly things fell into place. She understood the other mothers' snobbiness at school drop-off when she compared them to olive baboons. Her obsessional quest for a Hermes Birkin handbag made sense when she realized other females wielded them to establish dominance in their troop. And so she analyzed tribal migration patterns, display rituals, physical adornment, mutilation, mating practices, extra-pair copulation, and more. Her conclusions are smart, thought-provoking, and hilariously unexpected.

Every city has its Upper East Side, and in Wednesday's memoir, readers everywhere will recognize the strange cultural codes of powerful social hierarchies and the compelling desire to climb them. They will also see that Upper East Side mothers want the same things for their children that all mothers want: safety, happiness, and success;and not even sky-high penthouses and chauffeured SUVs can protect this ecologically released tribe from the universal experiences of anxiety and loss. When Wednesday's life turns upside down, she learns how deep the bonds of female friendship really are.

Intelligent, funny, and heartfelt, Primates of Park Avenue lifts a veil on a secret, elite world within a world: the exotic, fascinating, and strangely familiar culture of privileged Manhattan motherhood. 

I know there has been some controversy over Wednesday Martin’s Primates of Park Avenue. I can’t promise all of it is truthful, factual, or not misleading, however I can promise all of it is entertainingly clever. There were the moments of disbelief about the heavily hyped about wife bonus [link], but also some incredible humanity about Wednesday’s lady friend support system. Having lived in New York, I can totally envision the exclusiveness of the Upper East Side. Yet, this book also is a chunk of the cultural phenomena that opened up after Gossip Girl. But instead of focusing on the privileged youth, Primates of Park Avenue is about the neo-upper class. Wednesday and her husband themselves are the neo-upper class; they climbed the socioeconomic ladder to be able to afford the Upper East Side. Regardless of the story I also like the systematic organization of the book-- it was divided into specific incidents with the evolutionary anthropological part and then the memoir part. Overall a quick read unlacing the upper class.

MiniReview: Queen of the Tearling

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen Amazon | Goodreads

Published by Harper July 8, 2014

448 Pages

Source: Library 

An untested young princess must claim her throne, learn to become a queen, and combat a malevolent sorceress in an epic battle between light and darkness in this spectacular debut—the first novel in a trilogy.

Young Kelsea Raleigh was raised in hiding after the death of her mother, Queen Elyssa, far from the intrigues of the royal Keep and in the care of two devoted servants who pledged their lives to protect her. Growing up in a cottage deep in the woods, Kelsea knows little of her kingdom's haunted past . . . or that its fate will soon rest in her hands.

Long ago, Kelsea's forefathers sailed away from a decaying world to establish a new land free of modern technology. Three hundred years later, this feudal society has divided into three fearful nations who pay duties to a fourth: the powerful Mortmesne, ruled by the cunning Red Queen. Now, on Kelsea's nineteenth birthday, the tattered remnants of the Queen's Guard—loyal soldiers who protect the throne—have appeared to escort the princess on a perilous journey to the capital to ascend to her rightful place as the new Queen of the Tearling.

Though born of royal blood and in possession of the Tear sapphire, a jewel of immense power and magic, Kelsea has never felt more uncertain of her ability to rule. But the shocking evil she discovers in the heart of her realm will precipitate an act of immense daring, throwing the entire kingdom into turmoil—and unleashing the Red Queen's vengeance. A cabal of enemies with an array of deadly weapons, from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic, plots to destroy her. But Kelsea is growing in strength and stealth, her steely resolve earning her loyal allies, including the Queen's Guard, led by the enigmatic Lazarus, and the intriguing outlaw known simply as "the Fetch."

Kelsea's quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny has only just begun. Riddled with mysteries, betrayals, and treacherous battles, Kelsea's journey is a trial by fire that will either forge a legend . . . or destroy her.

Queen of the Tearling seemed to be a bright new comet when I started reading it; slowly I lost much momentum reading the book. Writing this review just a week after finishing it I feel extremely disconnected. The book was fairly tense always waiting and pondering about itself, yet never progressing in plot. 

• The world was a mediocre fantasy one-- empires are feuding, but there is some unique story of how William Tear left America for a new world. 
• The book shifts in and out of a fantasy and science fiction narrative making it difficult to  follow with the power of the jewels and the backstory. 
• Instead of having the romance build up with tension to a grand finale Kelsea and the Fetch never sorted themselves out. 

This book always quite rapidly slowed my reading to a near grinding halt as I simply tried to get through it. Do not recommend. 

On Elegance & Other Notes

It's been twenty days since I posted, 20. That number is a little boggling. I haven't been active on Twitter. I haven't even read fifty books yet this year. This makes me feel a bit like a failure in terms of the blogosphere. Alas, I can't change the past yet (perhaps scifi will change this). I feel a wee bit dejected by my lack of commitment. I've been searching too hard in my other areas of life for a bit meaning. It's time to accept the fact that giving up blogging is not viable, but neither is being an almost prolific blogger like Amber.

New Found Ponderings

• Currently reading Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and love the face the page sides are black. 

• Short reviews will be coming out soon. (Queen of Tearling & Primates of Park Ave)
• Will aim for about 5 posts a month. 
• Elegance is about find simplicity and cohesiveness is design and habit. 
• Whimsicalness is an aspiration. 

Sorry for all the glum.

-Amelia 

What I'm Reading

NEWS FLASH, just in! I don't just read books *gasp*.  You can probably guess that like a lot of people I read a combination of my different forms and mediums. Let me run you through an example, like this week.

Books- I do read them
This week I finished The Queen of Tearling by Erika Johansen after a lady at the bookstore recommended it. I couldn't resist a classic YA, but it had some abrasive edges about it that were ehh. I've got the sequel The Invasion of the Tearling on my TBR, but first I'm reading NeuroTribes. It's a medical case history and cultural analysis of learning disabilities especially autism and how that plays into diversity theories in evolution. I've got a pretty varied reading list and like to jump around a lot most of the time. The one thing that is in the way a lot is required reading in English class. Thankfully, it's been mostly short stories lately, so simply easy breezy items. I find that there are some weeks I can't let go of my books, while there are other I could do without them. I do most of my reading during the day waiting for other people or on my commute to school.

Newsletters
In the morning I like to get a low down on what is happening in the world, which the New York Times Morning Briefing does a pretty good job on. The news is basic and written in easy, couple sentence bullet points. The Skimm is my other morning newsletter, but this one has a more conversational tone and more culture news than the New York Times. It helps create a good balance between the two. Ann Friedman Newsletter is perhaps my favorite one. It's a roundup of what one of my most respected journalist/podcast host is reading this week and it's a good feminist weekly update. Usually on Fridays I open a bunch of tabs from the newsletter and spend the weekend going through it. The Phillipian Newsletter is a set of articles from one of the most prolific student newspapers in the US. It's only a few articles, but they are fresh and add a dose of real-life-teen to my reading.

Magazines
I adore the sciences, so when I can I try to read Nature-- one of the most respected science journals. I either read online or a magazine. The articles are nice and clean, but the studies are a little dry and do require a level of concentration. Perhaps the publication that fascinates me the most is The New Yorker. I don't have a subscription, yet try to read the parts I love the most at my school library. The pages long articles are so well researched, selected, and eloquent, especially with all their grammatical quirks.

Room by Book//The Girl at Midnight

Carpenter Coffee Table from George Nakashima by Miriam Carpenter
Local Branch Library Cart (Grey) from The Land of Nod
Dillard Bookcase from Paul Michael Company
Sussy Wall Clock from Fab by NoDa Design Studio
The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Gray (book cover)

Review: The Girl at Midnight

The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey Goodreads | Amazon

Published by Delacorte Press April 28, 2015

357 Pages

Source: Library

Bookologists Analysis: Wings meet dragons plus a hint of teenage people. Another steady YA fantasy that is easy to get through.

Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she's ever known.

Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she's fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it's time to act.

Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the Firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, though if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it's how to hunt down what she wants . . . and how to take it.

But some jobs aren't as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire. 

I first caught The Girl at Midnight on a blog post and was in need of a solid fantasy book. Often I need a few books to fall back on, and The Girl at Midnight does that for me. There is a love triangle, strong female friendship, and an orphan girl. Yet it isn't a rags to riches story where the orphan gets to be blessed by whoever she ends up with. It's a new spin on the classic take.

As always, the most important bond is friendship. Echo doesn't want to compromise her friends to be dragged down with her as she searches for the Firebird, rather she wants them to believe the worst of her for the greater good. Most of the book is about sacrificing and whether collateral damage is worth it to end the Avicen war. Echo might be a thief with looser morals than most, but she knows where it really counts.

I liked The Girl at Midnight and I'm interested where it will end up. The book sucked me in while reading it, but it feels more like a passing obsession. I'll be on the lookout for the second book to see how the arc of war continues. While it could've been a stand alone novel with a satisfying plot ending, there are a few loose strings left artfully undone.

Summer Review//The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Inidan

This is a continuation of my Summer Review series where I explore my relationship with assigned reading. 

Summer Review//The Lord of the Flies

I wanted to revive my old series of summer reviews. These are posts are about required reading I did over the summer. That said there is no summary or star rating of the book. However, these posts are more focused on my relationship with the book.

August Round-Up

Well, fall is in the air (though it doesn't officially start till the 21st does it?). I just finished high school orientation, which is every bit intimidating as it sounds. I'll catch the wisps of freedom as the impending start day of school comes. Yet, I still have summer reading to finish, but then I'll get to delve once more back into YA.

August has been a fairly slow month. I got back from camp and still miss dearly. On the bright side, I got to intern at a local real estate office and use some of my design skills from the blog. My grandmother also came to visit, after over a year separated I loved seeing her again. I can't wait to get back into the rhythm of reading.

Posts
July Round Up
Bookish Places
Room by Book//The Mind's Eye

Goals for September:
1. Try to schedule posts (yes, after years I still have a problem with this)
2. Settle into school
3. Read YA

Room by Book//The Mind's Eye

Heller Studio Bocca Sofa from All Modern

Self Portrait 2000 by Chuck Close Limited Edition Print from Art Brokerage

Moresque Table and Ceiling Lamp by Alessandro Zambelli and Saleb from Do Shop

Fan Table Black Birch from Tom Dixon

The Mind's Eye by Oliver Sacks (cover)

Well, I had this piece sitting around and tragically this morning I heard on the news Oliver Sacks past away. Oliver Sacks was one of my heroes-- he got me intrigued into neuroscience and writing. The Mind's Eye is a collection of experiences Dr. Sacks had with his patients and himself. The couch looks one dimensional to resemble a lip, but some of the patients in the book couldn't see three dimensions. Chuck Close, a famous modern artist, is known for his deconstruction of faces; he also has prosopagnosia (face blindness) just like Dr. Sacks. The table and light fixture were more for visual play as the light is very asymmetrical, while the table is symetrical. My greatest sympathies to the family of Dr. Sacks and I do hope I've honored his memory.

Bookish Places

I've done some traveling and I always try to find a connection to books sometimes. Maybe it's as little as a bookshop or small museum. These are some of my two favorite places I've found.

The Rosenbach Museum

The Rosenbach Museum is a house full of antiques and books-- in other words a place full of history. The organization was set up by two brothers in their will, they were both dealers of antiques and rare books. Their house was cultivated by them during their lifetime as they served the rich families of America. The museum has a beautiful library pungent with the smell of books. It houses the handwritten manuscript of Ulysses by James Joyce and letters from the Founding Fathers of the USA.

The antiques breathe of the stories of two men who found old ta;es the most intriguing. I try to comprehend the luxury they enjoyed with delicate leaves of books and wood from Orient. Seeing miles of books waiting to be conversed with breaks my heart, they are from the first century of printing to first editions to some of the great pieces of literature. The Rosenbach is the spirit of my inner historical object lover.

The New York Public Library Main Branch

This is the library branch of DREAMS. When I envision a classical library filled with study tables and lines and stacks of books of knowledge this is it. I lived in New York when I was younger and would sometimes drag my parents there just soak up the ambiance of the place, even if I couldn't understand any of the books. The intimidating building makes it have an old world feel of how the building speaks, an old grandfather passing down wisdom.

Even then looking through the building there are small references I would notice. Sometimes the statues are standing in reference in front of a room. These rooms sometimes house special collections likes maps. I would want anybody who stops by in New York to just take a walk through the halls to experience the majesty of how a library once was supposed to be.

What are some of your favorite bookish places?

July Round Up

Wow! Summer has gone by quickly hasn't it? It's been almost a month since anything has gone up on the blog (sorry, I got some stuff mixed up). This summer has been filled with stress and joy. I've moved, am going to start high school, and attended neuroscience camp (it's brain numbing-- sorry for the pun). It's also been cool since I've been able to use my blog to showcase some of my work with graphics and websites. I'm going to get regular access to a laptop soon, so the posts should be more regular. In terms of social media, I really do hope I start to involve myself more. However some exciting news about some people I admire, Jack from the (what used to be the Book Stop) is going to start blogging at Deliberate, Ruby changed her blog name to Rustled Pages, and Amber is crowdfunding to help pay for high school.

Blog Posts
Room by Book//All The Time in the World
Traveling Paris
Poetry//The Hours
A Few Months of Round Ups

Poetry//The Hours

More poetry from me! Perhaps it is the stillness of the night that is inspiring me. Well, anyways, this is a follow-up to this post. The theme of the poem is more to do with time, hence the photo of a clock. I'm undecided as whether or not this will be a long running theme, but who knows (maybe you should leave a comment helping me decide).

Time is gone
Like another cycle of an endless circle
Less time for stacks of pages
More time for senseless media
What a waste?
At least that is what they yell
Just seclusion
Sounds pleasant
Me and me alone
In a quiet, quiet place
Tonight
Leave alone
More duties to uphold
A senseless media to run
Ink to be gobbled
And typed about
What happened to those typewriters?
With stress reducing clicks
Not anxiety producing taps
Which monitor words per minute
All alone in a quiet room

Room by Book//All The Time in The World

All The Time In The World is a book with a romantic notion that certainly yearns for traditions long past. These traditions tend to be off the beaten trail, and the furniture is a testament to that exploring. The carpet is from a small, local rug shop in Instanbul that tells some story a weaver had in mineg long ago. However, the book has a slight objectification with Japan has shown with the Asian inspired sideboard. While rowing down the canals of Venice, a light fixture was found that had too much of a blend of Asian traces and classic Italian influence. The wall hanging was found in a little dusty antique shop in St Petersburg, even though the information regarding it was not understood. Overall, this time I just wanted the Room by Book to be an ode of unique things not found by the ordinary.

All The Time In The World: A Book of Hours (cover) by Jessica Kerwin Jenkins
Usagi Sideboard by Greentea Design
Proibita by Venetia Studium
Hereke Silk Rug from Ozturk Rug House
(Unamed but seems to be a wall hanging) from Russkaya Starina (rusant.ru)

Traveling//Paris

A view from a friend's hotel room

Recently I went to Paris (the one in France not Ontario). It was fun a little trip though I must say the time I spent reading on the trip was pitiful except on the plane. Here are some of the pictures and experiences I had.

In each city there is a designated center for all map quest/direction finders. The center is what automatically is pinpointed when one types "City Name" in the search bar. This is the point in Paris right outside of Notre Dame. There is also a cool sun in the middle-- so why not?

Catacombs

 There are miles upon miles of bones underneath the city of Paris. These bones were excavated from the Cemetery of the Innocents back in the 1700s because of the overflowing number of bones. The Catacombs were the solution and have been a tourist attraction for hundreds of years. It was not as creepy as I thought it would be, but leaves a somber mood. I also first heard of the Catacombs from the series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott.

Owl from Louvre

Of course I went to the Louvre, since it would be a sin not to, but I found the Mona Lisa way too overcrowded and not cut up for what it is. This is a simple owl that I found cool representing Athena the Greek god of wisdom. The owl reminds me of Jonathan Adler animal sculptures with the simple lines. 

Paris Airshow

I went to the Paris Airshow to see what all the hubbub was about during a public day and it was quite cool. I don't understand all the technicalities, but the design portion was intriguing because it is easily understood also I've been on many planes and some are more comfortable than others. The plane here is a Rafale-- a new French fighter which is a beautiful plane for how it can't slow down and turn with ease. I loved the many uses of the Rafale which is an all purpose military plane.

Versailles Gardens

The gardens of Versailles are pruned to perfection. The amount of work that has been put into it is astonishing, just showing the extravagance of the French Court. I accidentally walked out of the gardens and found myself stuck outside since I didn't have my ticket and ended up having to walk along the street outside the park back to the main palace where I met my parents. Make sure when going to the garden you realize people 6-18 have to pay for the gardens but not for the palace (they accidentally let me through by accident). The small space open to the public in the palace is astonishing for the opulence just as the gardens feel like a rich woman's dream.

Nicholas Flamel's house

This is another place from the The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel books. Nicholas Flamel's old house is now a restaurant, built upon the ruins of his old house. Ther is a warm glow from inside the restaurant though we didn't get to eat there. There is also a street called Rue de Nicholas Flamel not far away. Even if you don't eat at the restaurant it's a fun little walk.

Overall a wonderful, fun trip that makes me want to learn French all the much more and fall in love with the richness of the French way of life and history.

A Few Months of Wrap-Ups

A door from my trip to Paris

There hasn't been a wrap up lately due to my inactivity, so I've decided to one of posts since March. It has been a hard last couple months with having to move and put my book blogging hobby as a much more public thing I do. I hope to get back into books and blogging though I don't have access to my own laptop, so some of the graphics will be kind of weird.

Reviews
Red Queen
The Sin Eater's Daughters
Material Girls
The Conspiracy of Us

Other
Book Club//When You Reach Me
Books//Poetry
Why I Love My Library

Room by Book
Red Queen

Review: Eleanor & Park

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell Goodreads | Amazon

Stand Alone

Published by St Martin's Press February 28, 2013

328 Pages

Source: Library

Bookologists Analysis: A cute romance of the nitty and gritty world of the 80s and high school.

Two misfits.
One extraordinary love.

Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.

Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

Eleanor and Park had the vibe of something real. The story was set with a broken household and with a multiracial household. It isn't the  perfect suburban romance which is so common in the teen section. The constant tenacity of Eleanor was understandable, but sometimes it got on my nerves. Eleanor had the right psychology in how Rainbow Rowell wanted to present Eleanor, however it isn't how I wanted to see the book. On the flip side, Park was determined and stubborn through out-- something I identify more so with. Even at the end however the main character traits had not changed. For me the character development was little stagnate despite the possibility of more growth especially along the plot line of families. 

The writing of Eleanor and Park has been heralded by much of the YA community, though I can't disagree with it, I don't fully join the choruses. The writing of Eleanor and Park is a needed addition to the teen romance repitiore. The addition is need especially considering the period of time the book is set in (70s/80s) not being fleshed out in YA writing because it's not exactly historical ficiton or realistic ficiton exactly. Many YA writers grew during this time, so it's their reality, while for teens the time period is shrouded in clouds. I think Rowell exposing the more ordinary, middle class part of this period is necessarry. 

I really enojoyed the freshness of the Eleanor and Park. The writing laid out the occasional the poetic flashes of the teenage brain, but also simplicity of a train of thoughts. The actual story line was a little bland, but I encourage people to give Rainbow Rowell a try even if the story isn't revolutionary.  It's more of a subtle turn of page with a story of the ordinary. Rating: 3.5 Stars

Why I Love My Library

The greatest treasure of public institutions is the library. The library is a multi-faceted place for private public congregation. My first introduction to the public library system, I remember, is probably the time in pre-k when my class took a trip to the local branch. There we picked up our first library cards and got to explore the little, dreary branch. It was there I got to see the pitfalls of public funding first hand while still fill my craving for books. Later on we moved and I wasn't allowed to go the local library due to issues with safety; during that time almost every weekend my father and I would go to a bookstore and sit there for hours to read. Each time we left I was pained with the experience of not being able buy each book I was reading. Since then at least every week I've gone to my local  branch and fell head over heels for everything about my local library.

 Location, Location, Location

The library I frequent is right on a small lake which it faces. Often times I get to see sailboats pass by and nice houses on the other side which makes the atmosphere quite tranquil. It is also right in town making the library centrally located and convenient if there are other errands I need to run. The library building is also eco-friendly being accredited by LEED and is quite new giving it a clean, modern feel.

Programs

Despite there being a current trend of library defunding in the United States my current library has quite the breadth of things to offer. Recently a maker lab was opened up with access to objects like podcast equipment, sewing machines, and Minecraft specific computer (yes, there are people who come with their friends to solely play Minecraft). For younger kids there are also literacy programs and cute play sets to entertain them.  However for teens-- an often neglected group of children there is a specific section of the library dedicated to YA, teen club, and special volunteer program for teens. They even manage to have age targeted summer reading programs.

Books
There are FREE books! What is not to love about it? Book stores are hard to get to from where I live right now while the library is within walking distance. My library is also great at buying books that they don't have and have a huge shared collection in their district. The library is what funds my book addiction since I also have this habit of not reading books I buy right away because I figure I'll keep them forever while library books have a due date

It's also great to meet fellow booklovers and librarians who are so passionate about public service and books. Thank you to all the people who support libraries around the world.

Review: Material Girls

Material Girls by Elaine Dimopoulos Goodreads | Amazon

Published by HMH Books for Young Readers May 5, 2015

336 Pages

Source: Library

Bookologists Analysis: Eco friendly book meets scifi meets good old YA. 

In Marla Klein and Ivy Wilde’s world, teens are the gatekeepers of culture. A top fashion label employs sixteen-year-old Marla to dictate hot new clothing trends, while Ivy, a teen pop star, popularizes the garments that Marla approves. Both girls are pawns in a calculated but seductive system of corporate control, and both begin to question their world’s aggressive levels of consumption. Will their new “eco-chic” trend subversively resist and overturn the industry that controls every part of their lives?
        Smart, provocative, and entertaining, this thrilling page-turner for teens questions the cult like mentality of fame and fashion. Are you in or are you out?

The garment industry’s environmental impact is not given a lot of attention or thought about, especially in the YA sphere let alone big issues in YA like global warming or fair working conditions. The draw for me to Material Girls is the tackling of the issue of the garment industry in its career paths, materialism, and waste. However I didn't fully realize that the clothing industry was pivotal till the end of the book which made the book that much more accessible. The issues were also very clear in the extreme of a materialistic quasi scifi world of Material Girls.

A fabulous thing about Material Girls is that it is a summer read-- very light and quick while still having a wonderful female centric character group. For a YA novel to be so light in the romance area it was refreshing and a reminder of how determined the heroines in the genre are. The character development was easy to follow as the book unraveled into differing opinions on environmental issues. Without being in first person the decisions and reasoning made in each narrator was remarkably clear. My one issue with the book was the worldbuilding. Some of the terms and technology were very hard to comprehend due to the lack of explanation. It took quite a time for me to understand the Tap (when children are chosen to be in the creative field or not). The family dynamic was also hard to pick up on as the looseness of the familial unit.

Material Girl raises questions about our habits in clothing and fair trade which is nicely supplemented with resources in the back of the book. The conflict between the pop star and fashion designer was simple and clean with the needed plot though it was a bit hard to appreciate without the setting well placed. An overall rounded read that comes to a satisfying conclusion that leaves a topic to ponder.