"Blow by Blow" The story of Isabella Blow

The news of Isabella Blow's suicide in 2007 shocked the international fashion world for whom she was a legendary figure. As a true patron of couture, she is credited with having discovered and fostered the careers of famed designers Alexander McQueen and Philip Treacy, among others, and was recognized the world over as their great muse, friend and confidant. While she also discovered exquisite models Stella Tennant and Sophie Dahl, it was images of Issie in these designers' creations that became instantly iconic. The pages of this book prove Isabella's aristocratic ancestry to be as colorful as her manner of dress, her childhood as adventurous as it was at times tragic, and her thirty-year career, which began as Anna Wintour's assistant at Vogue and took in stints as fashion director of Tatler and fashion editor of the Sunday Times Magazine in London, as truly remarkable. But the real power of Blow by Blow lies in its portrayal of a courageous woman who tried passionately and often to escape a legacy of depression that ultimately proved insurmountable. Despite having been subjected to great disappointment and loss throughout her life, Isabella Blow was a consummate nurturer, determined to cultivate creativity wherever she found it. Perhaps the greatest irony is that while she was insecure about her own innate beauty, she sought and championed it valiantly in others, redefining our understanding of it by brazenly donning its wildest examples and pushing sartorial boundaries daily. As much as this book provides an outrageous behind-the-scenes romp through the fashion world and high society, it also provides a movingly candid view of a rare and conflicted spirit's inner life, to be greatly appreciated by aficionados of style and memoir alike

Carlos Zafon "Angel's game"

In 1920s Barcelona, David Martin is born into poverty, but, aided by patron and friend Pedro Vidal, he rises to become a crime reporter and then a beloved pulp novelist. David’s creative pace is frenetic; holed up in his dream house—a decrepit mansion with a sinister history—he produces two great novels, one for Vidal to claim as his own, and one for himself. But Vidal’s book is celebrated while David’s is buried, and when Vidal marries David’s great love, David accepts a commission to write a story that leads him into danger. As he explores the past and his mysterious publisher, David becomes a suspect in a string of murders, and his race to uncover the truth is a delicious puzzle: is he beset by demons or a demon himself? Zafón’s novel is detailed and vivid, and David’s narration is charming and funny, but suspect. Villain or victim, he is the hero of and the guide to this dark labyrinth that, by masterful design, remains thrilling and bewildering.