Book Style: The Intern's Handbook

It's no secret that I'm kind of, okay REALLY, obsessed with Shane Kuhn's debut novel, The Intern's Handbook. I even interviewed him for the Ship's (B)log - An Interview with Shane Kuhn. Here's my offical review:

It’s easy to tell that Shane Kuhn has a background in movies, from the very first page his debut novel has the perfect pacing and delicate balance between humor and action that sends crowds flocking to the theaters every summer. The Handbook is, resident anti-hero, John Lago’s gift to the newer recruits at HR, Incorporated. HR, Inc. is a corporate staffing agency specializing in placing interns at some of the best corporations across the country. At least that’s what they tell the government. In reality John Lago is one of many highly trained assassins who are scooped off the streets as troubled children and groomed to infiltrate and eliminate. This is a record of Lago’s final assignment, as he approaches the ripe old age of 25 when an unpaid intern goes from being invisible to highly noticeable, before he is retired. While Lago intends his Handbook to be a learn-by-example training guide for the fresh blood at HR, Inc. it ends up doubling as an intense look at a man trying to fight his way out of a hopeless situation while attempting to keep his emotional walls high and impenetrable. Lago’s surety in his own prowess and his actual talent for survival are the perfect cross between cocky James Bond and psychologically scarred Jason Bourne. The Intern’s Handbook is a noteworthy twist on the spy thriller genre that had me at times laughing out loud and other times frantically ripping through the pages, barely breathing, rooting for John Lago to survive. 

I really couldn't decide whether to make a spy outfit or a lawyer/intern outfit... so I did both! I'll highlight some plot-pertinent touches for both of them.

Lawyer

• Actually functional gold switch-blade earrings.
• Harry Winston diamond solitaire ring.
• Coffee bean pendant necklace.
• "Come to Bed Red" nail lacquer.

Spy

• Hip holster for all your spy needs.
• Dagger stud earrings.
• "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" nail lacquer.
• "Knife Edge" ring.
• Bullet necklace with encased snake fang.
• "The Assassin" watch.

Read this now! And shoot me any hilarious (or terrifying) intern tales and or coffee recommendations!

Book Style: Garment Of Shadows

In Garment of Shadows, the 12th and most recent Mary Russell book, by Laurie R. King, we find Russell waking up from the a blow to the head that has led to some retrograde amnesia. She's lost in a foreign city and has no memory of who she is or she got to a North African city. When her natural skills for pick-pocketing, lock picking and self defense kick in, Russell becomes convinced she must belong on the wrong side of the law. This book was a great redemption for me after the fluff of that was Pirate King. Also, the Hazr brothers are back!!!

This seems like the type of outfit I would wear wandering a modern day Moroccan bazaar: Comfy, ladylike layers. The forget-me-knot earrings should be self explanatory, as well as the Moroccan lamp necklace. I had to include a timepiece of some sort with this outfit, as a clock is so central to the plot, and the wrap watch was the perfect fit. The mosaic clutch is a touch blingy for this look, but I love the idea of using a mosaic to convey the idea of a scattered self that amnesia brings on.

So, this is the last Mary Russell that Ms. King has gifted us with. I'll be rereading them all in order to bide the time until the release of Dreaming Spies in February of 2015. And congratulations again, Laurie, on the 20th anniversary of The Beekeeper's Apprentice!!!