Teen Advisory Board: what we're reading
We are thrilled to have a new Teen Advisory Board joining us from April 2023 through to March 2024. They will be learning about the book industry, discussing their favourite books and blogging book recommendations over the coming year. Firstly, a handful of our members would like to share some of their favourite reads with you .
Ione is reading Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot)
In this heartfelt and stirring novel, Kawaguchi poses a greatly pondered question: if you could time-travel, who would you want to meet, and what, if anything, would you change?
The book tells the tale of a café, tucked away in a secretive Tokyo alleyway. The café takes great pride in its friendly customer service, timeless interior, and renowned slow-drip coffee. One offering, however, separates it from the ordinary; the unique experience to travel back in time. There are particular rules that the time-traveller must follow: they have to sit in a particular seat, have a cup of coffee poured for them, not leave the café whilst in the past, and return to the present before their cup of coffee goes cold.
Divided into four smaller stories rather than chapters, I found this novel to be soothing and uplifting; it was a pleasant escape, with likeable characters and deeply emotional, sincere moments.
Olivia is reading Future Girl by Asphyxia
This stand-alone young adult novel has had the most profound impact on me. The book is visually breathtaking, formatted as the journal of the protagonist, with each page filled with her sketches and musings. The reader is allowed the chance to experience life alongside her, day by day, as she continues on her journey of self-expression and self-acceptance as a Deaf girl in a (not too) distant future Melbourne.
Scarlett is reading Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
I am currently reading this novel translated from Polish. It follows an older lady, Janina, who lives in an extremely small village on the outskirts of a large forest. Janina stumbles across her neighbour's death and decides to investigate.
The book discusses topics of environmental and climate issues, loneliness, and ageing and provides a voice for the small crazy thoughts in our heads that we constantly avoid listening to. I personally love the characters and the descriptive writing style. The characters are quite fleshed out, profound and very morally grey, which I think adds to the charm of the book.
Jasper is reading Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
I recently read Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree, which is a cozy slice-of-life fantasy about an orc named Viv opening up the first coffee shop in the city of Thune.
I absolutely loved this book first and foremost for the characters, Viv is such a good protagonist with a simple but effective and relatable arc, Tandri is a character who I think everyone would want as a friend because she is just the kindest and most caring person, and Thimble is just the cutest and I want all of his delicious sounding recipes. Which brings me to the other reason I love this book — the descriptions of the coffee and various baked goods. Baldree very clearly has a deep appreciation for these things too as the book is filled with descriptions of warm cups of coffee and delicious biscuits and cakes that are genuinely mouthwatering.
Navya is reading Waking Romeo by Kathryn Barker
This was one of the most wonderful books I have ever read. There were so many plot twists and every chapter made me want to read more and more. I kept trying to guess what was going to happen or the reason why certain actions took place and I could almost never guess Kathryn Barker's next move. It was an amazing book that I truly loved with my whole heart!
Alina is reading Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Throughout this novella, Dostoevsky appraises the intellectual paradox, the insecurities, the ego and the human cognition of overthought. There is a phallocentric core to this novella, as it is from a very male mindset. However, there also lies a spiritual element where the metaphysical, so prevalent in Dostoevsky's works, intertwines with the raw human. The soul, the nature of emotions, the cognitive dissonance, are all captured so clearly. I really enjoyed the novella, and it's poignant, gritty narrative.
Poppy is reading Falling into Place by Amy Zhang
Only available second-hand
I recently read, and loved this young adult novel about what happens when the most popular and ruthless girl in school starts to unravel. Exploring themes of relationships, mental health and the consequences of our decisions, Zhang writes a nonlinear narrative following the crash of Liz Emerson’s car. The main motif of the novel, Laws of Motion, is referenced in the first, literally killer, paragraph: ‘On the day Liz Emerson tries to die, they had reviewed Newton’s Laws of Motion in physics class. Then, after school, she put them into practice by running her Mercedes off the road.’
I found it an unputdownable read, with a completely satisfying ending.
