Project Costume Designer

Now that zombie season has officially ended I can actually start reading books that don't give me dreams involving being trapped in libraries & eating brains. Interestingly enough, I suddenly discovered I had started reading the girliest books possible: ones where fashion is practically it's own seperate character. I'm chalking this up to some sort of mild post-zombie apocalypse shock. The cool thing about these three books -- "Freak Show," "Lola and the Boy Next Door," and "Hollywood Nobody" -- is that the fashion isn't some magazine's idea of what'll be cool next year. Instead, it's all about declaring yourself awesome and wearing whatever makes you happiest, even if it's a mermaid outfit complete with Cheerio suction cups on your face.

If any book truly deserved to be pink and covered in glitter, Freak Show by James St. James is that book. The fabulous Billy Bloom, drag queen extraordinaire, is sent to live with his father in rural Florida. Unfortunately for Billy, he ends up in a private school with rich kids who wear nothing but polos in pastel colors, khakis, and have names like "Biff" & "Muffy." Billy won't let that stop him from being the most fabulous person at school, though. The wild ride that follows – including a football player crush, a secret society of outcasts, a creepy stalker, & a highly publicized Homecoming Queen competition – will keep equally fabulous people laughing and happy through the whole book. It'll also supply some wicked awesome Halloween costume ideas.

"Lola and the Boy Next Door" by Stephanie Perkins hooked me the minute the main character stated she didn't believe in fashion, she believed in costume. Lola is a budding costume designer living in San Fran with her two dads and dating a punk rock musician. Life pretty much seems awesome and she's looking forward to her last year of high school. Then her neighbors, the Bells, return after several years away. Now Lola must deal with the crush she had on Cricket Bell, who incidently happens to be madly in love with her. Is it possible to be friends with someone who's in love with you? Will her romance with the musician survive Cricket? More importantly, will her Marie Antoinette outfit for the Winter Formal get finished in time?

I know very little about Hollywood but when I saw the cover for "Hollywood Nobody" by Lisa Samson I had to read it; with my vast collection of glittery and/or cat's eye glasses I couldn't NOT read it. Main character Scotty lives in an RV with her mom who designs food for movies, which I didn't even realize is an actual job. Scotty meanwhile goes to school on-line & gets to make her own cool assignments, zip around on her scooter, and blog about Hollywood goings on. Rather suddenly, she discovers herself in some sort of danger... of course that still doesn't keep her from vintage shopping.

-- The Stacked Librarian