A memoir and companion piece to her recent movie The Future, It Chooses You is filled with July's quirky insight into fears of failing as an artist and human being. This is a great insight into her script writing process as many of the stories behind the most prominent themes from The Future are revealed. Her writing process is tied together by interviews with an array of fascinating, unusual and sometimes creepy characters who use the local Penny Saver classifieds to sell odd bits and pieces. July sets out to chronicle life in LA from a completely bizarre perspective searching for connection and empathy, sometimes finding it and often marveling at the complexities of life.

It Chooses You is full of wonderful characters and a fascinating view into July's creative process.

- Toby

Another great tale from the author of American Born Chinese.

Level Up follows our protagonist Dennis Ouyand as he struggles to find his place in the world. Obsessed with video games from a young age, Dennis tumbles through life pulled in one direction by his Father's expectation of becoming a gastroenterologist and his personal journey through the world of games, friendships and growing up.

Yang has a knack for storytelling and this is a wonderful tale of coming to terms with your life choices and creating your own destiny.
A great introduction to magic realism for younger teens and a nostalgic story for all who grew up in the 80's.
Oh, and it's shaped like a gameboy, WIN!

- Toby

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Is it too early to declare BOOK OF THE YEAR??? Don't look at this book as a young adult fiction title, this is simply a superb book. Having read two previous brilliant books by John Green I was giddy with excitement when I unpacked this book.

Hazel is a 16 year old cancer patient, frustrated that her mother insists she attends a cancer survivors group for teenagers. Hazel rarely communicates within the group but to herself she describes her initial diagnosis with thyroid cancer at 13 (three months after her first period) as like: Congratulations! You're a woman. Now die. At group she meets Augustus who has lost a leg to cancer, and they forge a strong friendship as he tries to convince her they are destined to be together. Yes, this is a funny bookabout cancer but it is in very safe hands with this author.

WARNING: somebody may die and you may sob uncontrollably and you may never be able to forget these characters. This is a book you will want to reread and you will insist everyone you know reads it. This is truly a book we will be talking about for a long time.

- Natalie

It's that time of year, when Oscar and Friends staff are asked to choose their favourite reads of the year past. Its always a daunting task as there are just so many great books published every year, but we've done it!

Have gander at:

    ***THE BEST BOOKS OF 2011***

James Frey is arguably one of the most controversial literary figures of the last decade following the furore after his appearance on Oprah’s Book Club with “A Million Little Pieces”. With his latest novel Frey not only courts controversy but invites it in a imagining of what it would be like if the Messiah returned in Modern day New York City.

When Ben Zion awakes from a coma after a hideous accident he has other worldly powers and is perceived to be the second coming of Jesus Christ. Throughout each section or gospel written in the first person you are introduced to Ben Zion, his supporters and detractors. Zion explores the darker side of modern life from crack addicts, prostitution and homophobia. He experiences group sex with men, women and in heady orgies.

 And no matter what you think of the controversy surrounding Frey in the past there is no denying that he is a truly unique author who has the ability to inhabit his characters with complexity and dexterity.

‘The Final Testament of the Holy Bible” is highly readable and ambitious in the exploration of humanity, religion, homosexuality and the very nature of existence. He is highly critical of religion which the protagonist describes as “a beautiful con…the longest running fraud in human history”.

Admittedly I am a huge fan of Frey’s style and his blatant disregard for punctuation and grammer, but this is what draws you in. For me there is no-one who writes like Frey and this latest novel did not disappoint.

- Chris

This amazing memoir is already one of my standouts for 2011.
With every page I couldn't help but think about the author "You and I should totally be friends and hang out in a cafe and drink coffee with Phoebe, Ross and Chandler- but not that annoying Rachel". Emma started her writing career at 13 and its obvious she is a born writer. This book tells the story  of her relationship with her therapist who she meets after a  suicide attempt and his impact on her life over the next ten years and how she learnt of his death months after he died. An honest vunerable account from a woman not afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve.

Follow her at Twitter @GirlInterrupter

-Natalie

The Paradise Trap is an exciting book full of twists and turns; you never know what’s going to happen next. It’s a light read and doesn’t have much depth. If your looking for a fun, stimulating ride this is the book for you! This book teaches the reader that a true paradise world is one where not everything is perfect and makes you question whether you are strong enough to escape a fake paradise. So will you escape or fall for the paradise trap? 

7/10

- Katie McGregor

This collection of well known but twisted fairy tales is beautifully written with descriptive language that draws you in. Filled with short stories it includes well known tales such as “The Tinderbox”, “Rumpelstiltskin”, “The Snow Queen”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “Babes in the Woods”, and “The Steadfast Tin Soldier”. Adapted by some of Australia’s best known fantasy authors, the bewitching tales play on universal truths. Many of the writers seemed to be aiming to bring back the gritty horror originally present in fairy tales while still adding modern twists that people can relate to. The book however is not for the fainthearted and some of the stories could unsettle those who do not enjoy confronting or amoral scenes. Be prepared readers, the protagonist is not always a hero, do not expect all to have happy endings and be wary reading some of the stories in the dark.

Rating: 7.5/10 -  Recommended for ages 15 and up.

- Ruby

Life: An Exploded Diagram is a coming of age novel that employs sophisticated language, spanning across multiple generations to deliver an engrossing and empowering story. Based in Norfolk , England during the cold war it does a wonderful job transporting the reader back in time and providing a realistic setting for the story to take place. 

The novel follows the life of country boy Clem and his romantic relationship with city girl Frankie. The historical accuracy of the story is rewarding while not overbearing you with unnecessary details about the era. It setting and characters are absorbing but it’s the author's wonderful descriptions and fine writing that lift it up to be a truly amazing book.

Rating: 8/10 - Recommended for ages 13 and up.

- Ruby

Ever wondered what Christmas at Michael Jackson's house would be like? Or how you'd feel if your stepmother (Elizabeth Taylor!) shoved you into the deep end at a poolside cocktail party? Carrie Fisher lets loose with her rebel Hollywood story, including her use of electroshock therapy (she's never heard of the Force?) to combat depression and anxiety.

She's a real (storm)trooper our Carrie, but If having Meryl Streep play you in the movie version of your life doesn't cure your depression I don't know what will. Highly recommended (except on Alderaan.)
-Tim

An old man recalls his voyage as an eleven year old, accompanied only by a distant relative from India to England. Relegated to eat with those of lowest social status on the ship at the Cat's Table, he makes friends with two other boys. Together they explore every orifice of the ship discovering the secret side of some passengers: a thief , a prisoner and a lady who befriends them. In reflection he wonders at their interpretation of events as a child and now as an old man.
Written in Ondaatjie's gentl fluid style it is immediately engaging.
- Barbara

NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED.

If you read this book in public be prepared to experience lustful thoughts about every person you sit 
next to on public transport. I am relieved I completed this fine, highly erotically charged, three interlinked stories
without making an embarrassing pass at a handsome young man in a school uniform. Be prepared to be
educated, repulsed or maybe even aroused about the world of internet sex, a young woman's love for her dog
(yes, really) and incest. Krissy is a fearless writer. I also highly recommend her memoir 'Affection'. 
Follow her on Twitter @krissykneen
- Natalie

The Western isn't a genre of writing that I'm usually drawn to. In fact, The Sisters Brothers is the first Western I've ever read. And I LOVED it. Charles and Eli Brothers are two notorious, gun-totin', horseback ridin', brandy-swillin' assassins. Their employer, a powerful man known as The Commodore, hires them to seek out and murder a man who has slighted him. We follow the brothers on the dangerous and hilarious journey from their hometown of Oregon City, to the gleaming lights of San Francisco, where gold abounds and whores ain't cheap. DeWitt's writing is unique and wonderful, simple yet vividly descriptive. It's funny, violent, creepy, and sad, with pitch-perfect dialogue and one-liners that you'll be quoting for days to come. With hints of True Grit, O Brother Where Art Thou, and Deadwood, and with a cast of players that would put John Irving to shame, The Sisters Brothers is the Western re-imagined for the 21st century.
- Bianca