If you have even the slightest interest in Gothing on the internet, you are surely aware of the Gothic Charm School blog, where The Lady of the Manners holds forth to her adoring minions on a regular basis on a variety of topics and talking points. Not satisfied with simply being the go-to agony aunt and source of info on Goth etiquette and all things bat, I have just found out that LM (we’re calling her that now) has also released a book sharing her wisdom, which can be purchased via Amazon for just £4.05 for the Kindle edition, or £8.99 for the paperback.
Titled “Gothic Charm School: An Essential Guide for Goths and Those Who Love Them,” it does exactly what it says on the tin, with a total of 258 pages covering everything from common questions about Goths, how to decide whether or not you are Goth, common Goth clichés, and some issues and queries that often arise from both within the Goth community and those outside of the fence, looking on in confusion.
If you’re a regular reader of the Gothic Charm School blog, the book is an essential purchase and handy reference guide to leave subtly on the coffee table for the attention of your confused parents, but it is by no means a simple re-hash of content already covered in the blog. As well as the wordy stuff, there are also over 50 very cool illustrations by Pete Venters, or at least there certainly are in the paperback edition, and I assume that there are in the Kindle version too.
A full run-down of the basic topics covered can be perused in the table of contents (reproduced verbatim from the Gothic Charm School blog):
An Introduction
Chapter 1: Am I a Goth?
Chapter 2: I’m Not a Goth, But I Have Some Questions About Them …
Chapter 3: Babygoths
Chapter 4: Help! I’m a Goth and My Parents/Friends/Significant Other/Co-Workers Don’t Understand Me!
Chapter 5: Gothy Clichés and Why They’re So Pervasive.
Chapter 6: Goths and Romance.
Chapter 7: Socializing, Cliques, and Gossip.
Chapter 8: Fashion: One of the Great Goth Obsessions
Chapter 9: Dance the Ghost With Me: Music, and Gothy Club and Concert Etiquette.
Chapter 10: Where Do We Go from Here?
…Which should give you a reasonable idea on whether or not the book is for you. Content aside, the writing style, turn of phrase and everything else that makes the original blog very readable and of interest to the audience can also be found within the book, and it’s just long enough to get your teeth into without being in danger of giving War and Peace a run for its money.
At only £4 for the Kindle edition or just under £9 for the paperback, it’s definitely worth a punt, but if your wallet is full of cobwebs and you want to know more about what you’re getting before you drop your dollars, you can ask Lady of the Manners herself via her website.
