As well as my love of magazines, I love to read books. In the summer, my local library becomes my second home. I read thriller novels like there is no tomorrow, there's nothing i enjoy more than sitting in the sunshine in my garden reading a good book. Recently i have been pondering over some coffee table books that i plan to buy with my summer pay check.
Portraits - Mario Testino
Whomever Mario Testino photographs, however he photographs them, whatever part of them he photographs, they embody the spirit of their moment. His sense of fashion, which has made him the most sought-after contemporary photographer, has transformed many of his portraits into icons. Sexy, famous, beautiful...a Testino portrait is unmistakable.
This book is a marvel to me, i've constantly leafed through the copy in my local bookshop. At the £80 mark, its a rather expensive, but the large a3 size full of some of the most iconic faces in fashion and style icons, is enough to lure me into buying. After meeting Mario myself, he's such a charmer - i have nothing but pure admiration for this man. I have since decided that when i do finally fly the nest, i will purchase this book and frame several of the portraits.
Vogue Covers - Robbin Derrik & Robin Muir
Does what it says on the tin. Vogue is the fashion bible, and this is it's hymn book.
The Sartorialist - Scott Schuman
Scott Schuman worked in the fashion industry for 15 years, shortly after closing his showroom, he took to the streets with his sharp sense of style and a camera. After snapping up hundreds of nobodies on the streets of New York, he created his online blog, The Sartorialist, for the world to see. A few years later, his online venture took off and he regularly contributes to US men's mag GQ and Style.com. This book displays the art of his passion, finding the fashion and style of the real people out there- who model the trends in their own way.
Vivienne Westwood - Claire Wilcox (for the V&A)
Vivienne Westwood is a legend. Simple as that, she skyrocketed the punk fashion era in her own shop Let It Rock, dressed Hollywood leading ladies and demonstrated strong beliefs through fashion about climate change. Vivienne Westwood, and her orange mane, is one crazy lady but she's damn well fierce and a leading lady in the history of fashion. The more i learn about her, the more i admire her - i would love to meet her one day and have a right old natter.
Makeup Manual - Bobbi Brown
This is the book that makeup fans have been waiting for - Bobbi Brown's twenty-five-plus years of makeup styling experience distilled into one complete, gorgeous book. Bobbi looks at everything from skincare basics to every aspect of facial makeup - from how to find the right colour and type of foundation for any skin tone to how to apply every detail of eye makeup (brows, eyeliner, eye shadow and eyelashes) no matter the eye colour and shape.
I've certainly been pondering over this book for quite a long time, i already purchased this book for a friend's birthday and it looked pretty impressive. I'm not going to lie, although i have a slight obsession with the beauty industry, there are some make up brushes or products that completely baffle me - this is one book i need to get my hands on this summer.
Skin Secrets - Liz Earle
Long before Liz Earl's PR team were shooting out free samples to every blogger going, i have been aware of the amazing brand that Liz set up. Unlike Bobbie Brown's book, this book sheds light on the science of beauty - how to maintain your skin through a good skin care routine and healthy diet. My Grandmother swore on Liz Earl products at one point, and i am firm believer in a well thought out skin care routine - so frankly this is another little beauty bible i cannot wait to get my mitts on.
Lastly, these three novels are a series of books written by Swedish author Stieg Larsson. I picked up these books last year before my holiday to Egypt - i was hooked and read all three religiously in the first week! I recently started re-reading the first in the series and yet again i am instantly hooked.
The three books are part of the Millennium Trilogy, they are all primarily focused around two key characters: journalist Mikeal Blomkvist and internet hacker Lisbeth Salander. I cannot actually write my own blurb without posting spoilers! So courtesy of Waterstones ;)..
Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder - and that the killer is a member of his own tightly knit but dysfunctional family. He employs disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, truculent computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate. When the pair link Harriet's disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history. But the Vangers are a secretive clan, and Blomkvist and Salander are about to find out just how far they are prepared to go to protect themselves.
I really, really recommend you read these, yes a tad gory (hah) but an amazing read! What's even more crazy - and sad - is that Steig Larrson, the author, passed away before his books were published. If he were still here today, he would see his novels become the the best selling novel in Sweden as well as charting as a best seller in many European countries.
So there's my ramble! - if you going on holiday (jealous) do check this out as a holiday read.
Have you read any of these titles? Any recommendations?
