Show up to someone's digs uninvited, eat mysteriously labeled food, and since you cannot understand the accepted social norms of polite conversation default to excessively talking about your cat - Alice is a girl after my own heart.

Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has been on my to-read list for probably more than a couple decades. I feel that it's so universally well known that I would reference it pretty frequently, even before I even read it. So actually sitting down with it was a real treat. It's such a kooky tale that so clearly captures the turmoil of adolescence with fun allegory and puns. So many puns!

The smoking Caterpillar, a moaning Mock Turtle, and a smiling Cheshire Cat - these are some of my favorite anthropomorphic creatures in literature. I find life to be innately absurd, so it's hard not to delight in such outrageous individuals. Generally speaking, people (and animals) do not have to make themselves accessibly understood, we all operate in different head spaces, so best to just accept weirdness as is. Life is more fun that way.

Alice in Wonderland is also a really good coming-of-age tale. As she explains to the Mock Turtle, "I could tell you my adventures--beginning from this morning... but it's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then" (200). As you grow up your body uncomfortably changes into weird sizes, your proclivities are subject to fluctuate (except your love for your cat, of course), your assumptions are challenged by new ideas - becoming an adult is remarkably disorienting. But that don't mean you can't still find joy in a chaotic world, and that's what Alice does so well.

The book is great, I definitely recommend it. Also, while the story has so many cool editions out there, I would still recommend the one with Andrea D'Aquino's illustrations. It's good art and presentation.