JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

The Wild Guide to Starting School by Laura and Philip Bunting

Hey, wild thing! Are you about to start school? Then it’s time to get set for your wildest adventure yet.

Follow this simple guide and you’ll learn everything you need to know.

The familiar and much loved animals from previous Bunting tales “Mopoke, Kookaburra, Liarbird, Koala, Quokka, and a few new friends” guide you from starting the day just right (mmm, GumFlakes) to first day jitters, meeting teachers, making friends, lunch time, home time and all the things in between!

Laura and Philip Bunting’s latest picture book The Wild Guide to Starting School is an adorable, beautifully illustrated and incredibly funny guide to the beginning of the school year. How should one get to school? Behave in the classroom? Eat during lunch? Through the lens of animals and barnyard examples, practical advice fills the pages — some helpful, some purely humorous.

Whilst some young readers might cringe at the thought of reading a book about school, Laura and Philip Bunting have put together a really inviting, beautiful book to captivate even the most reluctant of young readers. By incorporating wild animals into the story, they’re appealing to children through the use of the familiar — quirky, cuddly zoo animals.

There isn’t much text to this book, as it’s predominantly relying on illustrations to carry the story. Philip’s illustrations are soft but colourful, and suited for readers of all genders. Together, Laura and Philip have built a beautiful suite of children’s books that I imagine look beautiful when collected and stacked together on a bookshelf.

Recommended for parents and children. I don’t have any children but I found myself chuckling along to this one, so I can imagine young readers really enjoying this read. Readership skews 4+

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Wild Guide to Starting School
Laura and Philip Bunting
January 2022
Scholastic Publishers Australia

My Body by Emily Ratajkowski

Emily Ratajkowski is an acclaimed model and actress, an engaged political progressive, a formidable entrepreneur, a global social media phenomenon, and now, a writer. Rocketing to world fame at age twenty-one, Ratajkowski sparked both praise and furor with the provocative display of her body as an unapologetic statement of feminist empowerment. The subsequent evolution in her thinking about our culture’s commodification of women is the subject of this book.

My Body is a profoundly personal exploration of feminism, sexuality, and power, of men’s treatment of women and women’s rationalizations for accepting that treatment. These essays chronicle moments from Ratajkowski’s life while investigating the culture’s fetishization of girls and female beauty, its obsession with and contempt for women’s sexuality, the perverse dynamics of the fashion and film industries, and the grey area between consent and abuse. Nuanced, unflinching, and incisive, My Body marks the debut of a fierce writer brimming with courage and intelligence.

In her memoir, international model and actor Emily Ratajkowski reflects on her relationship with her body, and in return, how other people seem to build a relationship with her body. Famous for her tiny waist and countless nude photoshoots, Emily is internationally regarded for her beauty. Whilst I’ve long been aware of Emily, I’ve not spent much time following her career. She did indeed catapult to international fame when she appeared in the Blurred Lines music video, and this success has allowed her access to an even greater array of career opportunities.

Whilst the book feels scattered with Emily hopping between memories, experiences and reflections, she ponders many aspects of her life in such a short amount of pages. My Body allows her to reflect on how people view her through her body — people deem her worthy of their time based on her looks, rather than her personality or her intelligence. And she does come across very intelligent in this memoir.

“The shoot for the video was at a large studio in Silver Lake, only a fifteen-minute drive from my loft. I arrived with an empty stomach, having made sure not to eat too much the night before because I knew I’d be naked — topless at the very minimum — on set the next day.”

My Body is quite remarkable and far exceeded my expectations. Emily writes with ease, and her introspection and reflection of past events paints her to be quite the smart, resourceful writer. Her writing is clear-cut and stripped back — dialogue and prose flow together seamlessly. The way she reflects on other people’s behaviour and body language resembles a high level of awareness and ability to observe others.

Emily is unapologetic in her essays, allowing herself the opportunity to tell her truth exactly as she wants it. She doesn’t appear to fear other opinions of her, if they’re accurate. This memoir feels like an opportunity to correct those who only think of Emily in connection with Blurred Lines. Her biggest aim, it seems, is for people to stop underestimating her.

“My body was light and fragile, like a shell doomed to shatter, as I walked through my aunt’s front door, a bell jingling as it swung open. I greeted my extended family, feeling my uncle’s cool skin against my cheek when I hugged him, knowing that they’d be even more disapproving of me than my mother had been.”

Emily seemingly does not address her role in the industry she chastises. She critiques the kind of money one can earn by flaunting products on Instagram, but does not seem to suggest she will stop doing any of this on her own accounts. She describes oppressive moments in her career — powerful, rich men paying for her attendance at events, for example — but does not seem interested in changing the system. The memoir reads like a recount of events, a diary perhaps, but does not seem to make commentary on more expansive ideas or beliefs.

Despite this, I found the book enlightening and the writing of considerable talent. I dare say people will walk away with a newfound insight into her career trajectory. With greater understanding into some of these moments in her life, Emily has opened herself up to divergent career paths perhaps outside the realm of modelling and acting.

“At the spa, we all understand that we can see each other, but we don’t look. We’re comforted by our collective nakedness. We’re not here to perform. We don’t have to be self-aware. Our bodies are simply undergoing maintenance. When I’m here, I’m anonymous, just another body.”

Raw and emotional, and incredibly insightful and well-written, this memoir comes highly recommended. Readership skews female, 20+

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

My Body
Emily Ratajkowski
November 2021
Hachette Book Publishers

Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: The Story of Schitt’s Creek by Daniel Levy and Eugene Levy

The official tie-in book for the beloved, nine-time Emmy Award-winning series Schitt’s Creek.

This beautifully produced, lavishly illustrated book is the ultimate celebration of the series, the town, the characters, and the state of mind that is Schitt’s Creek. Capturing the essence and alchemy of all six seasons of what is now considered to be one of the most ground-breaking comedy television series of the last decade, Best Wishes, Warmest Regards is a gift to fans everywhere who have made the show their own.

Best Wishes, Warmest Regards is something I’ve been excited to read for months. I’m a huge fan of the TV show, recommending it to everyone and anyone, and I love the idea of learning more about the creative development of this series. This is a striking and colourful compendium for anyone who has grown to love the show in recent years.

Schitt’s Creek provided people with a lot of solace over the last couple of years – a welcome, funny, creative show that guaranteed laughs. I was so excited to read this new coffee table book chronicling the journey of the show’s creation, from conception all the way through to the sixth season finale. It’s a classy collection of the best aspects of the show, with insightful commentary inside.

“Working on our presentation pilot showed me just how strongly he was coming into his own as a writer, particularly a writer who had his finger on the pulse of his own generation. His work on camera showed me in the most vivid way just how entrenched he was, as an actor, in his own character of David Rose.”

Daniel and Eugene reflect on the conception of the show, and its characters. Various actors are voiced in the book, as we discover more about their casting and their character profiles. And then, the book moves through each scene, journaling each iconic moment with reflection from relevant actors or crew members.

Example moments include Patrick and David’s relationship, Moira working on the Herb Ertlinger campaign, the Cabaret performance, and the Rose Family Christmas episode. Also included are special features, such as the complete, illustrated catalogues of David’s knits and Moira’s wigs, Moira’s vocabulary and Alexis’ adventures.

“That process started out slow – very slow. The exercise of figuring out who these characters would be was a long one, but it was also, as I came to realize, a necessary one. We would spend weeks brainstorming a single character: where did they go to school? Who were their parents? Were they happy babies? By the end of the process we knew every single thing about each character in the show.”

A stunning tribute to the show, the book features a lot of fan art and contributed designs that really elevate the book above its competitors. Looking at all of David’s sweaters and all of Moira’s wigs makes me want to track down the art and get them printed on a coffee mug or a shirt.

Additionally, it’s really quite touching to read about how many different creatives came together to create this show. It’s not just about the cast, or even the Levy family. It’s about the production team, the hair and make-up team, the costume designers, and the many many other people who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help this show come to life.

Love this journey for me – is it time for another re-watch?

“When you sit down with a concept about a wealthy family moving to a small town, I think the expected scenario is that the town doesn’t know as much as this family, and the jokes would be at the expense of the town. For us it was important to not go down that path. We wanted to use this show to celebrate small towns.”

Incredibly detailed and beautifully illustrated, this is the perfect companion to the show and will please all fans. The perfect Christmas gift or stocking filler. Readership skews 20+

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: The Story of Schitt’s Creek
Daniel Levy and Eugene Levy
November 2021
Hachette Book Publishers

The Echo Chamber by John Boyne

What a thing of wonder a mobile phone is. Six ounces of metal, glass and plastic, fashioned into a sleek, shiny, precious object. At once, a gateway to other worlds – and a treacherous weapon in the hands of the unwary, the unwitting, the inept.

The Cleverley family live a gilded life, little realising how precarious their privilege is, just one tweet away from disaster. George, the patriarch, is a stalwart of television interviewing, a ‘national treasure’ (his words), his wife Beverley, a celebrated novelist (although not as celebrated as she would like), and their children, Nelson, Elizabeth, Achilles, various degrees of catastrophe waiting to happen.

Together they will go on a journey of discovery through the Hogarthian jungle of the modern living where past presumptions count for nothing and carefully curated reputations can be destroyed in an instant. Along the way they will learn how volatile, how outraged, how unforgiving the world can be when you step from the proscribed path.

To err is maybe to be human but to really foul things up you only need a phone.

A satirical novel about social media and those trapped in its clutches, John Boyne’s The Echo Chamber follows one self-centred British family who are all well-versed in manipulating others and escaping retribution. The Echo Chamber takes aim at cancel culture from both sides — those ‘cancelled’, and those who cancel.

At the centre of the novel is the revered and respected TV host George Cleverley, who resembles Piers Morgan in his unapologetic, ill-advised commentary on society. His wife, Beverley, is an internationally best-selling author whose works are written by ghost writers but she claims their words are her own. Their three children, Nelson, Achilles and Elizabeth, are flawed in their own right and provide the majority of the entertainment in the novel.

“Although Beverley was sitting in the drawing room of the Cleverleys’ five-floor Belgravia home, trying to maintain a polite interest in the conversation she was holding with a ghost, her mind was far away, soaring 35,000 feet above Europe, on an aeroplane headed for the north-western shore of the Black Sea.”

Written in third person POV and switching between all five members of the family, the humour lands best with Nelson, George’s socially inept son who struggles to talk to women and wears various uniforms to feel comfort and stability. His dialogue with his psychologist is incredibly funny, and his attempts at conversing with women are equally worth a mention.

John’s razor-sharp observation on human and societal interaction takes centre stage with this novel. Prose is stripped back, and the majority of the story is told through dialogue. This shows just how easily John captures a character’s voice, because we have five different characters here and all offer their own unique personality. Whilst I felt that George’s dialogue was overly absurd in some conversations with his family, and he didn’t always feel natural when he spoke, I think John captured the rest of the family members with consistency and reliability.

“The first man he met was a married father of two from Battersea, the indent on the fourth finger of his left hand making it clear that he’d removed his wedding ring on the journey to the pub. Achilles went for a drink with him several times before asking whether he could help him out with a ‘loan’ of $1,000 because, he claimed his landlord was threatening to throw him out on the streets.”

Some people might read this book and find some segments too over the top — they might find the Cleverley family too obnoxious, and edging too far into caricature territory. And I suppose I did feel that in some moments as well. But as a whole, this book offers an entertaining exploration into how social media has shaped our society and how much value we place in our devices.

John’s commentary on social media is devastatingly accurate and rife with clarity. The cover is also a triumph. It’s rare that a novel actually has me laughing aloud, and at times this book even had me snort a little. The Echo Chamber was a joy to read, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

“He counted the items of clothing on his body and it came to a total of five: polyester scrub top and trousers, boxer shorts, socks and a pair of old trainers. Standard hospital wear. And even though he knew that he was probably the least fashionable person in London and the South-East, he appreciated the fact that his outfit made him stand out in the crowd.”

Sharp, observant and utterly enjoyable, The Echo Chamber is recommended for readers of literary fiction and satirical works. Readership skews 25+

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Echo Chamber
John Boyne
August 2021
Penguin Random House Publishers

The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris

In the dying days of the American Civil War, newly freed brothers Landry and Prentiss find themselves cast into the world without a penny to their names. Forced to hide out in the woods near their former Georgia plantation, they’re soon discovered by the land’s owner, George Walker, a man still reeling from the loss of his son in the war.

When the brothers begin to live and work on George’s farm, the tentative bonds of trust and union begin to blossom between the strangers. But this sanctuary survives on a knife’s edge, and it isn’t long before the inhabitants of the nearby town of Old Ox react with fury at the alliances being formed only a few miles away . . .

Set during the Civil War and portraying life after slavery, Nathan Harris’ debut literary novel The Sweetness of Water is an incredible read. I’m so pleased to see that it’s been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

The Sweetness of Water takes place during a time of unrest and unease. The American Civil War is almost over and the enslaved are emancipated and allowed freedom, but tensions still run high and racism runs deep. There’s still a lot of resentment among white Southerners, as they struggle to accept that their superiority is slipping away. When the level-headed and moral farmer George Walker employs two former slaves on his property, the local townspeople in Old Ox are reluctant to accept his ways of operating. Characters clash and prejudice reigns. Soon, all lives will change.

“So it began that afternoon. A life of unhappiness that transcended George’s former independence, one of unity. Two lives merged. Her beauty was secondary to the strength of her character, the fortitude in which she housed her beliefs, her way of life, that same stubbornness that he shared himself.”

For a debut, the writing is almost faultless. Prose is stripped back but insightful. Written in third person, the book allows an intimate insight into George and his relationship with wife Isabelle, and their son Caleb. Initially thought to be killed during the Civil War, Caleb returns home unexpectedly, his face deeply scarred.

Exploring complex social problems in a time of great upheaval, Nathan has captured the era with ease. There’s just as much left unsaid and off the page, and there’s much to be admired about how Nathan has captured the three-dimensional, multi-faceted nature of his many cast of characters. Nathan draws together a series of tumultuous events that will attract an array of emotions from its readers – anger, frustration, sadness and concern. I don’t often cry when reading a book, but I cried reading this one.

“Prentiss and Landry arrived back to their camp late enough that the shade of the trees brought goose bumps to their skin. Prentiss had no mind to eat, even with the potatoes in his knapsack that he’d got from the man in the tent. He was hungrier for sleep.”

Nathan possesses a sensitivity and compassion when writing about this time period. There’s something about his prose that feels historical – omniscient and encompassing, but gentle. Dialogue features sparingly, and Nathan lets internal monologue carry a lot of the book. We learn about histories through memories and reflection, as each character realises the lessons they’ve learnt and the trauma they’ve been dealt. Tragedy looms large in this story.

The Sweetness of Water asks the question, what does it really mean to be free?

“They had opened his face with the butt of a rifle. He’d cupped his face with both hands, but no amount of dabbing at the wound could prevent the blood from slipping through his fingers and wetting the ground.”

Poignant, intelligent and expertly written, The Sweetness of Water is for lovers of literature. Literary readers, historical fiction fans. This book reminded me of To Kill A Mockingbird. Readership skews 25+

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Sweetness of Water
Nathan Harris
July 2021
Hachette Book Publishers