Kicking off October's reads is Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl and its warm and cozy partner-in-crime, the hot toddy.
Twins Cath and Wren struggle to live separately as college freshmen in Minnesota, as Cath seems to wither and Wren, in turn, blooms. Perennially clad in a Simon Snow t-shirt and legwarmers, Cath is a superfan and renowned fan fiction author; she thrives online, but not so much at school. Questioning her own fiction-writing skills and navigating life with a new roommate, college doesn't seem to agree with Cath (or her stomach.) After all, who is Cath without her Wren?
New friendships, romance, comfort zones, and family ties are challenged, but as the year goes on, Cath discovers her own strength as a writer - and as a woman. Being a fangirl isn't easy, and Cath is here to take the world by storm.
“To really be a nerd, she'd decided, you had to prefer fictional worlds to the real one.”
Cath + Cozy Vibes
Cath was one of the first characters I truly identified with as a high schooler, and I still laugh with her as a college graduate. Though I wasn't authoring Harry Potter fan fiction, I, too, was quiet and bookish, unsure of my place at school without my twin sister. And I'm forever grateful that Rainbow Rowell did not do Cath the disservice of the classic "nerd makeover" wherein Cath removes her glasses and takes her hair out of a ponytail and suddenly realizes she is beautiful. No - Cath has been a shining star all along (and others have found her beautiful, too), she just needed to recognize it in herself.
Not limited to a romantic storyline, Rowell's novel is a hilarious, relatable coming-of-age story that explores sisterhood, independence, self-confidence, friendship, and loss. I'd give this novel a solid 4.5/5 stars, with bonus points for bringing some much-deserved respect to the reputation of fan fiction. Cath makes readers feel right at home, snuggled up beside her in matching legwarmers. And what goes better with these Minnesotan winter vibes than the hot toddy? Warm, spicy, a little unexpected bite? It's what Cath would want. I prepared mine like this:
Basic hot toddy recipe: hot water, whiskey, honey, lemon juice, and cinnamon.
I don't know if it's Fangirl or the hot toddy talking, but I might write some fan fiction later...
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