So The Nineties are In (Again)

What's old is new, everything old is new again, retro style and vintage power. Why do we always have an obsession of things from the past? I fall into the category of loving the past fashion styles myself and my mother has a passion for vintage furniture. But why? Well in terms of clothes, I suppose one reason may be that the 20th century had such distinct styles per decade and now in the 200s it seems anything goes! When archeologists look back on the photos they'll see an eclectic mix of everything before. Have you noticed all the black chokers coming back in again - often on teens who probably weren't around during the 90s! I'm not judging - I'm just as guilty of a little pick and mix myself but I wonder if these cycles will keep repeating until eternity... well maybe not eternity. Looking back at my parents' teen days they looked so daggy and then looking again more recently I realize that those chunky glasses frames are back in! So how does this relate to books I hear you ask? Well I guess that these blasts from the pasts permeate all areas of pop culture, not just clothes.

So here's a small collection of bringing the 90s back.

Kimbra - 90s Music is a sweet throwback to all the songs that were in their heyday about 20 years ago.

"Some old song I know
Won't get out of my head
Though the feeling's gone
The love ain't disappeared"

Althea and Oliver by Christina Moracho is a surprisingly honest look at the weirdness of growing up.When Oliver develops a disorder where he falls asleep for weeks at a time, it leaves his best friend (and unrequited love) Althea in the lurch.  The claggy film of yesteryear (without cliche) is plain to see as the pair of them navigate the pointy end of teen hood. 

" There are several enormous steel stockpots going. the walls are covered in vinyl contact paper with a rocket ship motif; row after row of Polaroid pictures of their friends are aligned on the refrigerator door, labeled with names and dates."

The Future of Us by Carolyn Mackler and Jay Asher is a bit more unusual. Instead of being deep set in the 90s, it migrates to the now when two teens stumble across their future 'Facebook' profiles. Weirder still is when they realise that by changing little things in the present, they can alter their future statuses. Part time travel part ... not, an intresting idea. 

"It's 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet. Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM. Josh is her best friend. They power up and log on--and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future."

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - okay I admit it that this actually a book from 1999 but with its movie revival, it is definitely making a comeback. Getting a new generation into the Smiths and woodwork (?), a coming of age story that makes perfect sense.

"Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn't stop for anybody."