WORDS
JUDE MCARDLE
beach read
LoveSexTravelMusik
Rodge Glass, Freight Books, £8.99
Subtitled ‘Stories for the easyJet
generation’, this collection of short tales
was hardly one we could skip and, boy,
were we glad we didn’t. Never before has
the impact of low-cost international travel
on modern lives been so thoughtfully
considered and brilliantly captured as by
the author of acclaimed comic novel
Bring
Me the Head of Ryan Giggs
.
As witty and
perceptive as always, Glass examines the
morality of Western tourism and the isolation, dislocation and epiphanies
that can come with it. Beautiful, profound, sometimes heartbreaking, this
literary triumph shows the levelling impact of low-cost travel, from the
lads’ weekend in Eastern Europe that spirals out of control to the
middle-aged woman considering local love options in Tunisia. Laugh, be
moved and consider the question: are you part of the easyJet generation?
fashion bible
Paris Street Style
Isabelle Thomas and
Frédérique Veysset,
Abrams Images, £15.99
It’s no secret that the French
lead the way when it comes to
judging style. Why else are
passé, de rigueur
and
chic
in our vocabularies? Here, a pair of French
fashion writers are happy to share the real
secrets of what to wear and how to wear it.
Is the little black dress really an essential? Can
mass-produced clothes look classy? Donning a
scrunchie: is it ever okay? (A resounding no!) If
you want the
je ne sais quoi
of Parisian style with
plenty of practical tips, this is the book for you.
A little light reading
Our pick of this month’s very best page turners
B O O K
R E V I E W S
family friendly
Explore!
The Most
Dangerous
Journeys of
All Time
Deborah Kespert,
Thames & Hudson,
£12.95
Jacque-Yves Cousteau explored the seas,
Amelia Earhart conquered the skies and Neil
Armstrong went where no man had gone
before. These and other intrepid tales of
heroism and adventure are laid out in this fun
and educational children’s book, packed with
background details and illustrations, stories of
intrepid derring-do, new lands reached, species
discovered and records broken. It’s the perfect
gift for any would-be pioneer.
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V I E W P O I N T S
