♥ rookie yearbook two ♥

hi guys! today i have a review of the absolutely perfect 'rookie yearbook two' (goodreads), edited by the lovely tavi gevinson (click through for her twitter, blog, instagram), today! i've been so excited to write this post and tell you guys just how much i adored this book.

the rookie yearbook is a series that showcases some of the best artwork/writing/photography/diy's/general creative genius from rookie mag, an online publication for teenage girls that's been going for just over 3 years and was initially created by tavi when she was just 15 (and OH GOD do i wish i had done something that cool when i was 15). i'm gonna put this right out there and say that i think rookie is the coolest project to have ever existed; i regularly submit really bad writing for them to turn down (one day i will write something good enough to be published! one day!) and i desperately wish that there had been something like this for me when i was in high school. it's just a positive place for girls, and my favourite thing is that they don't take that attitude of "we have all the answers, listen to what we tell you," it's more like, "let's just muddle through and figure it out together!" IT IS AWESOME. it's just a big wealth of knowledge and cool art and fun stuff and great advice, and articles can go from how to do an ice cream manicure to a complete guide to kissing.

as much as i love rookie, though, i find it really difficult to read off my computer/phone for long periods of time, so i rarely get to see as much as i want to, so having all the best bits printed in a physical publication made all my dreams come true. now i get to hold tonnes of amazing work IN MY HANDS and i can carry it around with me and i don't have to worry about wifi connection (i'm taking all my rookie yearbooks to uni with me - unlimited inspiration? yes please!!!).

visually the book is STUNNING. like each page is a collage masterpiece, and every month has a theme (starting with a cute editor's letter) which is continued into the aesthetics, and it's so clear how much time and energy went into producing this thing. i took loads and loads of photos of the artwork and of my favourite articles and stuff whilst i was reading so i'm just going to put a few here, so you can see what the pages actually look like:

there is so much cool stuff in this book, like a letter to readers from mindy kaling, super cute tarot cards, interviews with people like emma watson and molly ringwald and morrissey , stickers, amazing playlists, a guide to journalling, some of the best photography i've ever seen (and i went to art college), a guide to being less self-conscious, how to make diy stencils, really insightful articles about things like racism and being trans* and your relationship with your parents and falling in love and sex, and SO MUCH MORE. i could list every single page but obviously i'm not going to. 

my favourite article was probably 'the year i learned everything' by roxane, it was INCREDIBLE. it was a short story in diary format about a girl and her interactions with the men in her life. not only was i so invested in the characters after only 6 pages that i CRIED at the end, but it was so wonderfully written that i read it like 7 times in the same night just so i could properly absorb it. i would read anything this girl writes. i hope one day she publishes a book, or several books, because i just want to read everything she has to say.

another article that i want to briefly mention is 'nobody's perfect' by rachael; this spoke to me on such a deep level that i felt like she was talking about my own personal experiences. this article gave me some of the best advice of my life. (i'd also like to mention here that i've seen professional psychiatrists and therapists before, none of whom could help me or understand me, so that goes to show how smart and wonderful the people who write for rookie are.)

i just adored this book; i want to be surrounded in this dreamy atmosphere forever. i gave it 5 STARS on my goodreads but would've given it over a thousand if i could have. if you only ever pay attention to one thing i say, let it be this: READ ROOKIE. truly it's the best thing i've ever discovered and i want to share it with the world.

obviously, before 'rookie yearbook two' (goodreads), there was 'rookie yearbook one' (goodreads), which i read over christmas 2012 and also gave 5 stars to, and in october there will be 'rookie yearbook three' (goodreads), which i am SO EXCITED to get my hands on and read. 

okay, okay, i'm going to stop rambling now; you all get the idea. so, i hope you enjoyed this post and thank you for reading! (and go read rookie!!!) xx