You Simply Must ~ Read 13 Little Blue Envelopes

Chapter, Fashionably Light

Oct 14 2013

Gold Tape

You Simply Must Read 13 Little Blue EnvelopesBoy Books have blue covers and Girl Books have pink covers. And abs. Girls like to read books about ABS.

I was at a panel featuring Maureen Johnson and James Dawson, and that^ was the kinda thing discussed. I asked Maureen for advice on how to choose what to read next: If authors have little say over cover art or back cover blurbs, what should we consider?

She suggests putting a little research energy into our choices: Read blogs.

James added that word of mouth remains the greatest influence on choosing what to read.

I have a blog, and a mouth, yet I have hesitated to post “book reviews” because I’m not a “book reviewer”, but I do like books. A lot. So I’m jumping in.

Since we keep it simple on Fashionably Light, I promise to plug only what I absolutely love [books and plays and stuff]. In honour of Twitter Queen Maureen, as she inspired this new column [It’s called “You Simply Must”; welcome!], let’s start with one of her books.

You Simply Must ~ Read 13 Little Blue Envelopes

You Simply Must ~ Read 13 Little Blue Envelopes

The plot: Ginny’s eccentric aunt has just past away, and left behind a mysterious trail of adventures. Ginny gets a package with envelopes labelled 1-13, and can only open the next one when she completes the task of the previous. The first challenge: buy a plane ticket to London with the cash enclosed. Then: Endorse an artist. There are rules, like no electronics or guidebooks. There is a boy [a theatrey boy]. And of course, there are adventures, which span across Europe.

The spiel: It makes me want to put on my backpack and traaaavel. Not just to “see the world” but to live it – do and experience the strange and exciting. It’s about spontaneity and creativity and carpe diem. What’s great about Ginny is that she’s relatable – not a tight tank-wearing glossy lipped model with great abs…Ignore the cover, you’ll love it.

After that read: its sequel, The Last Little Blue Envelope

miss xandra bee

P.S. More on the conundrum: What on Earth Do I Read Next?

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